Amtrak has announced it expects ridership to top 2019 — pre-COVID — levels this year and reach a new all-time record high even though it currently has less capacity.
Ridership is reported 20% higher in the first 8 months of Amtrak’s budget year that began Oct. 1, 2023. Ticket revenue is showing a 10% increase versus the same period in 2023, according to written testimony by Amtrak CEO Stephen Gardnerpresented at a hearing of the U.S. House of Representatives subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines, and Hazardous Materials on June 12.
“We are on target to set a new all-time ridership record by exceeding the 32.3 million passengers,” says Gardner. This would exceed the previous record set in 2019. From 2003 to the 2019 record, Amtrak saw a 45% passenger growth.
The lasting effects of the COVID pandemic still hamper Amtrak, according to Gardner. While the railroad’s year-to-date revenue is higher than in 2019, it “has been impacted by the reduced business travel since the pandemic as virtual meetings have replaced many short-duration business trips,” Gardner says.
The increases come despite capacity challenges in a number of critical areas, including:
- Delays in starting service with new Siemens Venture cars for state partners on Midwestern and California routes.
- Delays with the new Alstom Acela trainsets on the Northeast Corridor due to continued testing.
- Continued closures for extended periods of the Pacific Coast route in Southern California caused by increased erosion.
Amtrak previously announced that it plans to double its ridership across the system by 2040. Additionally, plans call for 20% weekday service increases along the Northeast Corridor over the next year.
Trains.com
