CHICAGO — Sellouts in coach and high prices in sleeping cars, if space is available at all, are the rule rather than exception in a News Wire survey of Amtrak long-distance trains as summer arrives. Travelers will often face limited inventory for the rest of the summer despite marginal increases in equipment deployment.
In a statement, the company says, “Demand going into the 2025 summer travel season is as strong or stronger than last season. While there is always some variance in patterns from year-to-year, Amtrak and our partners expect we will continue to outperform the previous seasons in the major metrics driven by revenue and ridership.”
Coach sellouts near endpoints
Over the long weekend, last-minute travelers attempting to book long-distance train coach seats faced sellouts, but these occurred primarily at their originating or final terminals. Monday’s eastbound Lake Shore Limited, for instance, was “sold out” for New York or Boston-bound coach travelers because space was unavailable on the eastern portions of the split route. However, New York-bound travelers were given the option on Amtrak’s booking system of changing to the Maple Leaf at Syracuse or Utica, N.Y.
Buying tickets in advance circumvents this problem, which also occurs on long-distance trains such as the Chicago-Bloomington-Normal, Ill., segment of the Texas Eagle and Chicago-Champaign, Ill., on the City of New Orleans.
Sleeper capacity increase — plus high prices
Beginning June 9, Amtrak will be adding a second Viewliner sleeping car to the New York-New Orleans Crescent and a third Superliner sleeper to every California Zephyr departure, as previously reported [see “Texas Eagle lounge car …,” News Wire, Feb. 25, 2025]. The Zephyr’s additional six sleeping cars — there are six sets of equipment—will reduce the two Auto Train sets by three cars each (from nine to six) until around Labor Day.
Because all of Amtrak’s Superliner overnighters are running with transition sleeping cars, in which up to eight roomettes can be sold, that accommodation is generally available across the network on most dates all summer. But this inventory only exists because prices have been kept high: a typical Chicago-Spokane, Wash., roomette costs $1,498. The fare for one adult in a Chicago-Salt Lake City roomette on the Zephyr varies from $1,108 to $1,275 through September. Superliner bedrooms between the same two cities, now available after the third sleeper is added, range between $2,339 and $2,757. Keep in mind: these are just one-night trips.
Fares are demonstrably higher than previous years except on trains that still serve “flexible” meals, such as the Texas Eagle and City of New Orleans, where full-route roomettes are generally priced under $500.
Trackwork disruptions
The Eagle’s bus bridge between Marshall and Fort Worth, Texas, has mercifully ended. The bus bridge was in effect on alternate weeks for the last several months while Union Pacific performed daytime trackwork on the segment [see “Weather, fires disrupt …,” News Wire, March 16, 2025] has mercifully ended.
In the Northeast, Boston-Brunswick, Maine, Downeaster schedules that have been altered every other week due to CSX trackwork are set to return to normal in July; the next disruption occurs this week. Up-to-date information is available via service alerts in conjunction with schedules on the Downeaster website. The route has recently reinstated stops for the summer at Old Orchard Beach, Maine, south of Portland.
Meanwhile in the West, the Capitol Corridor is adding two weekday round trips to the 12 now running between Sacramento and San Jose beginning June 2, while maintaining 11 on the weekends.
Horizon update
After more than two months on the sidelines, eight Horizon coaches were recently moved from Amtrak’s Beech Grove shops to Alstom’s inspection and overhaul facility in upstate New York for structural analysis and possible rehabilitation [see “Examination of Horizon corrosion … ” News Wire April 3, 2025]. Whether they will be available to carry passengers and increase capacity is still to be determined.
And then there is the poor CARDINAL route, Amtrak’s red-feathered step-child, that it has never truly supported and has treated as a 4th-class service with tri-weekly operation and the bare minimum of cars throughout most of its existence.
Over the past few years, since Covid, the CARDINAL trains have operated with two Amfleet II Coaches, a Cafe, a Viewliner Sleeper and Baggage/Dorm. Earlier this Spring, Amtrak announced it was adding coaches and sleepers to various trains around the system. The CARDINAL was to receive a 3rd Amfleet II Coach, boosting seating capacity from 116 seats to 174 seats per train. However, after several weeks of having the 3rd coach, and providing desperately needed additional seating space to meet higher Spring/Summer demand, Amtrak has now REMOVED the 3rd coach, and seating capacity has again dropped back to 116 seats, presumably for the remainder of the peak travel season. No explanation has been given by Amtrak for the equipment reduction, but the consist change has been verified by multiple videos from railfans who regularly film the CARDINAL. Other previously announced car additions, on other Amtrak routes, may have now been removed as well.
This is another example of how Amtrak management fails to run trains that offer space and on-board amenities that would make the service attractive to more potential riders, AND generate more revenue to cover the costs of operation. Amtrak has kept the CARDINAL equipment assignments so constrained over the years, that potential riders, and even diehard train lovers, often give up their attempt to book a seat or a room, when every time they try to reserve space, trains 50 & 51 are sold out!
This also verifies that Amtrak management “discriminates” against the public on certain long-distance routes, by not offering an equivalent numbers of seats (or rooms, or food service) The CARDINAL hasn’t had a Dining Car for a decade or more. And a 2nd Sleeper hasn’t been operated for the past few Summers, even though the single Viewliner Sleeper is constantly sold out weeks in advance.
As example, here are comparisons of seating space on some Eastern trains —
* LAKE SHORE LTD #48 — 5 coaches = 290 seats per train, 2030 seats per week.
* FLORIDINA #40 — 4 coaches = 232 seats per train, 1624 seats per week
* CRESCENT #20 — 3 coaches = 174 seats per train, 522 seats per week
* CARDINAL #50 — 2 coaches = 116 seats per train, 348 seats per week
You would think that if Amtrak operated a tri-weekly train, it would at least run MORE coaches on it, so as to carry as many passengers as possible on the fewer days the train runs. But Amtrak management doesn’t look at maximizing revenue by selling more space, they just raise fares on the few seats that are offered. Amtrak could easily pull 1 coach off 6 corridor trains (that operate with 8 or 9 coaches) and use those 6 cars to add 3 coaches to each CARDINAL train on a route that has the bare-minimum service. It’s a shame all long-distance trains are not treated equally!
CORRECTION to above —
* CRESCENT #20 — 3 coaches = 174 seats per train, 1,218 seats per week
The dates for added sleepers seem rather arbitrary. Surely there are already some that are ready for passenger service? Why is it that Amtrak does not add the cars as soon as even 1 extra becomes available? Is it a problem betting a SCA? Seems like Amtrak is throwing away possible revenue? Is the reservations system so antique that it cannot figure out an extra car just on certain days?
Is the reservation system so out of date that adding an extra car for just one day is impossible?
Good news to hear, if only they had more equipment. First class fares are refunded 75% with a voucher when cancelled less than 2 weeks out. They are refunded the same 75% back to a credit card if earlier. Lowest rate airline tickets which most people try to get are non refundable.
Everybody remember that these LD sleeper fares are NON REFUNDABLE! So if you give Amtrak thousands of dollars, and you have to cancel, you’re screwed. You’ll only get a voucher for 25% less. I’m not booking Amtrak LD anyway because of multiple equipment failures. I guess it should be expected with 30 year old equipment. Too bad these high sleeper prices are supporting management bonuses.
Planning a family trip from New Orleans to Washington DC in the near future and hoping to ride the Crescent. Roomettes were over a grand one way but coach in the mid $300 range. Won’t be in a Roomette that’s for sure.
It would have been nice had Amtrak stuck with the tried and true Viiewliner and Superliner car designs and not tried to reinvent the wheel.
Big WHOOP. “”One” extra pullman on the Crescent. While it may make their metrics look good, I’ll still drive or fly as will the 99 percent unless I want a scenic trip out West . Most people look at these pullman fares and laugh.
Go to an airline web site and type in two western cities Enter an imaginary trip even to cities Amtrak serves (not many). United Airlines can get you from any to any through its Denver hub for several hundred dollars in eight hours. At the Denver layover you could get a choice of meals at the various restaurants at each concourse.
For the most part Amtrak can’t get you there. If they did the trip would be so long that most people would want a sleeper, at a cost of thousands. Even coach would cost as much as flying.