Plan and avoid the rush
WASHINGTON – The Thanksgiving travel season will soon be underway and Amtrak is prepared to accommodate additional customers traveling on the Northeast Regional during the busiest travel week of the year. Tickets sell out quickly, so customers are encouraged to book reservations early.
Amtrak and the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation partner to provide intercity passenger rail in the Commonwealth to offer transportation choices to driving on congested highway corridors like I-81, Route 29, I-95, and Route 460.
The Amtrak Northeast Regional provides a same-seat trip from Norfolk, Newport News, Richmond, Charlottesville, Lynchburg, and Roanoke to Washington, D.C., and as far north as Boston. Amtrak will operate full and extended schedules with additional frequencies and added capacity during the Thanksgiving week.
New this year is additional Amtrak Northeast Regional service to Norfolk, Va.
“With more than 500 destinations nationwide, customers can witness some of the best sightseeing opportunities the United States has to offer while getting to their holiday destination of choice,” Amtrak President and CEO Richard Anderson said. “This year for Thanksgiving, Amtrak customers can also do something good for the environment while traveling with ease to family, friends and loved ones.”
Being able to easily travel from/to city centers, Amtrak offers the freedom to use phones and electronic devices (no “airplane mode”), the ability to travel with small pets on many trains, large spacious seats with ample leg room, no middle seat, and one of the most generous baggage policies in the travel industry, applicable for two personal items and two carry-on bags.
Amtrak also offers up to 45% off when six customers travel together as part of its Share Fares deal so customers can Get Carried Away on Amtrak. Additional discounts are available for travel in Virginia.
Last year, Amtrak had its largest passenger count to date during the Thanksgiving week with over 846,000 riders on its trains across the country. Amtrak carried more than 160,000 customers the Sunday following Thanksgiving last year.
Customers can easily connect directly with Amtrak before, during and after their travels:
- Download the Amtrak app for easy booking and travel updates.
- To connect with customer service follow Amtrak on Facebook and @Amtrak on Twitter.
- For real time service alerts, follow @AmtrakNECAlerts for updates within the Northeast Region and @AmtrakAlerts for any other alerts outside of that region.
- We encourage customers to share their Amtrak experience on all social media channels by tagging @Amtrak and using the hashtag #Amtrak in their posts.
- For more information on the terms and conditions of all Amtrak discounts available to Virginia travelers, visit: amtrak.com/virginia.