Articles

Tagged: amtrak

Acela's NextGen Trains Are Here. What Are They Like and Will They Be Less Expensive?

On Thursday, August 28, at 9:48 a.m. in New York City, the first passenger-carrying NextGen Acela pulled into Moynihan Station.It was an event nearly a decade in the making. President…

Amtrak Gulf Coast Trains from New Orleans Finally Returning—Here's the Start Date

Amtrak is at last restoring rail service between New Orleans and Mobile, Alabama—almost 20 years after suspending service between the two cities when Hurricane Katrina devastated the…

Amtrak Discounts: A Guide to Cheaper Train Tickets

If you can plan ahead, there's no reason many travelers ever have to pay full price for most Amtrak tickets.The United States' national rail service doesn't get anywhere near…

Get Amtrak's USA Rail Pass for Nearly Half Off in January Flash Sale

You have until the end of Friday, January 17, to buy a USA Rail Pass from Amtrak for just $299. The usual price is $499.The USA Rail Pass is like Amtrak's version of Europe's Eurail…

How to Get Amtrak's Student Discount

Amtrak's student discount deal gets travelers 15% off the price regular adult fare that has been booked at least one day in advance.Getting the deal requires that you show the…

Amtrak Gulf Coast Train to Restore Service (Finally!) Between New Orleans and Mobile

Amtrak rail service between New Orleans and Mobile, Alabama, has been suspended since Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast in 2005. A long-in-the-works project to bring Amtrak trains…

This Summer, Some of Amtrak's Best Scenic Routes Are Finally Back

In good news for travelers, two Amtrak routes that have long been popular with vacationers are finally returning to service after years of closure. • The Adirondack, which connects New…

Amtrak’s New Night Owl Fares Will Get You Around the East Coast for $5 to $20

Amtrak is bestowing a gift on night owls and early birds. The national rail carrier has rolled out new low fares for select departures between 7pm and 5am on some of its busy Northeast…

Pacific Surfliner Train Back on Track in California—with Free Disneyland Shuttle

A welcome update on a story we reported in October: The famed Pacific Surfliner, one of the most popular scenic rail routes in the United States, has reopened provisionally on one of…

In Spain, Cheap High-Speed Rail Is Now the Norm

Spain's golden age of affordable high-speed rail has arrived. Last week a new company called Iryo launched fast train service between Madrid and Barcelona, with routes to Valencia,…

American Rail in Shambles: Legendary Amtrak Pacific Surfliner Closed Due to Erosion

The famous Pacific Surfliner in Southern California, the second-busiest intercity rail corridor in the United States with some 3 million riders a year, has been closed.A coastal…

Amtrak Offers Summer Service from NYC to the Berkshires. Will It Be Worth It?

The picturesque mountains, charming villages, and top-notch performing arts venues of the Berkshires in western Massachusetts are only about 150 miles from New York City. But the…

In Honor of Valentine's Day: Jump on Amtrak's BOGO Spring-and-Summer Sale

What's sweeter than chocolate but more appreciated than thorny roses? Taking your sweetheart on a trip, of course. The United States' national railroad is trying to make that type of…

What's in the New Infrastructure Bill for Travelers? Lots of Great Stuff We Need

Travel in the United States is about to get a lot more safe, convenient, enjoyable, and—possibly—less expensive. And it's all thanks to the just-passed infrastructure bill. Officially…

Amtrak's Latest Flash Sale Cuts Fares in Half

A new month, a new Amtrak sale. Not that we're complaining, but the national rail service has been throwing so many sales in 2021 you feel a bit silly when you don't get a…

Amtrak Nearly Halves the Price of Its USA Rail Pass for Summer Vacationers

And it's time for another impressive sale from Amtrak. Over the last six months, the national railway has rolled out one discount after another, but this one should be particularly…

Masks Will Be Required on Planes, Trains, and Buses Into September

Masks aren't going away anytime soon, at least not on public transportation in the United States. The Transportation Security Administration has extended its mask mandate through…

A "50% Off" Flash Sale for Amtrak's 50th Birthday

America's national railway is turning the big 5-0, and in celebration, Amtrak is halving the cost of most journeys for the coming months. But there are significant exceptions,…

Act Soon for Amtrak's Terrific BOGO Sale on Private Roomettes For Summer Travel

You'll have to book this one soon. The deadline is April 16, but if you're lucky enough to get this bring-a-companion-for-free deal, you will both be traveling at the height of the…

Why Amtrak Deserves the $80 Billion President Biden Wants to Give It

Apologies to South Dakota and its 884,659 residents. It is the only one of the contiguous states to be left out of Amtrak’s ambitious plans to improve rail service by 2035. But for the…

Amtrak Introduces a Bidding System for Upgrades

In many ways, high-end train travel in the United States mirrors high-end plane travel. Amtrak doesn't have seats that convert into lie-flat beds in first and business class. But those…

Flash Sale: Two-For-One Tickets On Amtrak For Travel Through August

How does Amtrak celebrate Valentine's Day? Nope, it isn't painting train carriages bright pink or handing out chocolates on the Acela. Instead, the rail service is doing something even…

Going Maskless on Planes, Buses, or Trains Could Now Cost $1,500 or More

For most of 2020, airlines and other travel suppliers urgently told customers to wear masks. But if passengers were unwilling to comply, there wasn't much that could be done. The major…

A Fall Getaway for Two: Amtrak’s BOGO Sale for the Northeast U.S.

Just in time for leaf-peeping season, Amtrak is making it easier to plan a New England getaway for two with a buy-one-get-one-free sale. Book a seat on one of the rail carrier's Acela…

For Better Social Distancing, Amtrak Now Shows How Many Seats Have Been Sold

It's a start. Amtrak's booking engine (Amtrak.com) now lists the percentage of seats that have been sold for each departure. That means that before purchasing a ticket in coach class,…