WASHINGTON – “Home for the holidays” means jumping on an Amtrak train for many people in D.C., and Amtrak is making some adjustments to prepare for the surge in business.
“Thanksgiving is the busiest time of the entire year for Amtrak,” spokesman Chelsea Kopta told WTOP.
“Last year, Amtrak carried 751,066 customers during the Thanksgiving travel period, and we expect similar demand this year,” she said.
On the Northeast Corridor, Amtrak Acela Express and Northeast Regional services will operate an extended schedule with additional frequencies and added capacity between D.C. and Boston.
In response to customer demand, Amtrak said it will operate additional trains on both the Tuesday and Wednesday before Thanksgiving (Nov. 22 and 23), as well as the Sunday afternoon (Nov. 27).
Amtrak plans to run “Holiday Extra” trains between D.C. and New York on Sunday, Nov. 27, using equipment leased from commuter train operators.
The busiest travel days are Tuesday and Wednesday before Thanksgiving and the Sunday after the holiday, with more availability typically on morning trains.
If you need to get work done on the way to visit family or the way come back home, you might be able to get a little more of it done, too. Amtrak’s Acela Express now has Wi-Fi service that the company said is up to six times faster. And it’s free.
