September 03, 2020
Thom Carroll/for PhillyVoice
Amtrak will be reducing its fares by up to 30% for trips booked through Sunday, Dec. 13, 2020. Tickets must be purchased at least 14 days in advance and the sale ends Sept. 30.
Amtrak riders will be able to save a little cash on trips along the Northeast Corridor.
Travelers can save up to 30% on train tickets for travel planned through Sunday, Dec. 13, on the Northeast Regional and Acela lines, the company said Thursday. The sale runs through Sept. 30, and tickets must be purchased at least 14 days in advance of departure.
The sale only applies to one-way tickets. Traveling between Philadelphia and New York City or between Philadelphia and Washington, D.C., will cost $29 each way on the Northeast Regional train and $49 on the Acela. Trips between Philly and Boston will cost $29 on the Northeast Regional trains and $69 on the Acela.
Amtrak is only filling its train to 50% capacity to enforce social distancing guidelines amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The company has also placed signage at its stations to encourage social distancing in typically-crowded areas, such as waiting rooms, ticket offices, lounge areas, and escalators.
All passengers in stations, on trains and thruway buses are required to wear facial coverings. Amtrak also is doing extra cleaning and an only accepting cashless payments only in stations and on trains.
On Wednesday, Amtrak announced plans to furlough more than 2,000 employees during the coming weeks, Reuters reported. The government-owned corporation was hit hard by the pandemic. Despite Congress granting emergency funding to the company back in April, Amtrak asked for an additional $1.475 billion bailout in May. Ridership and revenue has fallen 95% since the pandemic began, the company said.
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