Amtrak Increasing Services During Thanksgiving Holiday Travel

Amtrak is increasing its train services to help make traveling easier for the millions who are traveling for Thanksgiving.

“To accommodate more in-person events and same-day travel, Amtrak is adding more service on Thanksgiving morning and will increase the number of trains operating from Nov.18 – 28,” the company wrote on its website.

The decision to ante up on additional train service comes after travel experts predicted over 54 million people would travel during the holiday.  Notably, most of those travelers are expected to drive, however, more than 1.4 million travelers are expected to use trains, buses, or cruise ships, Travel + Leisure reported.

The train company has also decided to expand its services across the country.  This past summer, Amtrak returned to Canada with its Maple Leaf train that travels between New York City’s Penn Station and Toronto Union Station.

Amtrak now offers its Ethan Allen Express service that travels to cities in Vermont, including Burlington, Vergennes, and Middlebury.

“Customers can also take advantage of additional service in the Northeast, Virginia, and between Portland, Ore., and Seattle-plus newly restored service for those traveling to and from Vancouver and Toronto,” the rail company announced. 

The company pointed out the many perks of traveling by train; no gas prices, traffic jams, or long TSA lines. The company urges passengers to follow its alert channels available on its social media platforms to get the latest real-time service information.

Amtrak has extended waivers on change fees for bookings made by Feb. 28, 2023.  Travelers should be aware that there could be some cancellation fees that apply and those who cancel a Saver Fare ticket after 24 hours of purchase are only eligible to receive 75% of the purchase amount in the form of a non-refundable eVoucher.