Amtrak is preparing for another busy travel weekend.
Amtrak will add cars to some Northeast Regional trains, and there will be increased trip frequencies on the Northeast Corridor to accommodate extra travelers for the busy holiday season.
Beth Toll is Amtrak’s senior public relations manager. She says travel – including those traveling through Wilmington – have increased in recent years.
"So last year, nationwide, we saw more than a million customers taking Amtrak across the entire network east to west coast,” said Toll. “Here in Wilmington, we're seeing steady growth in 2022, we saw nearly 17,000 customers taking Amtrak. In 2023, we saw nearly 20,000 taking Amtrak. So we're seeing 17 to 18% growth in ridership just during this travel period."
While Tuesday and Wednesday are the busiest prior to Thanksgiving, Sunday is the busiest day coming back home, and Toll recommends how to improve your trip home.
"If you haven't bought your ticket yet for that trip, you want to go ahead and reserve that as quickly as you can to make sure you get a good seat on the train that's most convenient for you to travel. But certainly the early morning trains and the later evening trains - not the peak hours - are probably going to be your best bet if you're looking for maybe a less expensive fare or just more space on the train," said Toll.
Toll notes you can go to Amtrak’s website and app for booking and travel updates.
Also, Toll advises riders that are traveling back home on Sunday to purchase those tickets now, so you can secure the best times.
