Skip to Content
Streetsblog Los Angeles home
Streetsblog Los Angeles home
Log In
Amtrak

Amtrak on Pace to Break Annual Ridership Record

Amtrak carried 13.6 million passengers over the past
six months, putting it on pace for a record-breaking ridership year,
according to a statement released today by officials at the national
inter-city rail system.

371487850_3908ba93fb_thumb_461x500.jpgAmtrak's Acela line saw carried 13.5 percent more riders last month than in March 2009. (Photo: America 2050)

Every
one of Amtrak's lines recorded an increase last month relative to 2009
figures, with the northeastern Acela line recording a 13.5 percent
uptick. Acela is often referred to as the closest thing to high-speed
rail on offer in America, thanks to its top achievable speed of 150
miles per hour.

During the past six months -- Amtrak
measures performance in fiscal years, which typically begin in October
-- five short-haul lines recorded double-digit ridership increases,
including the northwestern Cascades route and the Lincoln, which
connects St. Louis and Chicago.

Amtrak recently made a pitch
for $446 million in new funding from Congress, including aid to help
replace its older fleet of locomotives with more fuel-efficient models.
If lawmakers agree to the rail network's request, General Electric's
transport division stands to benefit from new business for its
diesel-electric rail cars, thanks to a coordinated lobbying effort by the company and its main labor union.

In
a statement hailing the record ridership, Amtrak President Joseph
Boardman ascribed the increase in part to "a slowly improving economy
and continued high fuel prices." The fuel-efficient fleet upgrade, he
added, remains the system's "most urgent unfunded need."

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog Los Angeles

Metro 2026 World Cup Transit Plans Emerging

From June 13 to July 7, 2026, Los Angeles will host eight World Cup soccer matches, all at the SoFi Stadium in the city of Inglewood

May 9, 2025

Metro Names Bill Scott as Chief of Police

Chief Scott and Metro leadership emphasized that keeping Metro transit safe would require a multi-faceted approach that included the deployment of officers as well as collaboration with the community, ambassadors, and service providers. "Sometimes enforcement is the answer," Scott said. "Sometimes it's not."

May 7, 2025

Lyft’s Anti-Worker Anti-Transit Record Raises Red Flags For Metro Bike Share

Edwin Aviles and Kalayaan Mendoza urge Metro not to reward bad actors working to undermine workers’ rights and mass transit

See all posts