Rail company on track for new annual record; train travel up 36 percent over past decade
With gas prices hovering around $4 a gallon and this summer shaping up to be the most expensive ever for air travel, some vacationers may be turning to another method of transportation: train travel.
Amtrak has seen 18 consecutive months of ridership growth and is on track to set a new annual record. The passenger rail company reported 2.7 million passengers last month, a 9.9 percent increase over April 2010.
“Gas prices are probably one of the main reasons why train travel continues to go up,” said Amtrak spokesman Clifford Cole. “That plus the fact that people just like the hassle-free way of traveling by train.”
Amtrak, which this month celebrated its 40th anniversary of providing rail service in the U.S., has set annual ridership records in seven of the last eight years. In 2010, Amtrak carried more than 28.7 million passengers compared to 20.9 million passengers in 2000 — a 36 percent increase.
“Over the past 10 years, train travel has seen a gradual progression,” said Charlie Leocha, director of the Consumer Travel Alliance.
“It’s not just recent gains,” said Leocha. “Especially between Boston and D.C., there has been steady progress.”
The Northeast Regional — Boston to D.C. — saw an all-time high of 692,376 passengers in April, a 13.3 percent increase compared to April 2010.
1 comment:
Obama hollered;" Saddle my horse we are going across the park"
Break out your horses people Obama is breaking us down...
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