Amtrak holiday ridership back above pre-pandemic levels

Travelers are hitting the rails again in record numbers this Thanksgiving season, as Amtrak reports ridership is up 15% over pre-pandemic levels.

So many riders are traveling by train that the railroad has added extra cars and scheduled extra trains, Amtrak CEO Stephen Gardner said Tuesday from Union Station’s cavernous Great Hall.

“I think it’s because people enjoy taking the train. It’s convenient, it’s comfortable, flexible. And certainly it’s not easy to fly or drive these days,” Garnder said.

Amtrak is also looking to acquire funding for some major projects soon. 

President Joseph Biden could soon sign a bill to deliver funding for the Chicago Hub Improvement Project, which includes a major overhaul to Amtrak’s Union Station.

“We are waiting for some federal grant decisions made hopefully in the next several weeks in Washington that would provide funding to Amtrak and our state partners here in Illinois and around the Midwest to improve and expand the concourse,” Gardner said.

The project, which promises faster travel between Midwest cities, aims to secure a $872.8 million grant from the Federal Railroad Administration’s Federal/State Partnership Program, made possible by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.

The project would improve access of Amtrak trains to Union Station, and would convert unused platform space formerly used by the U.S. Postal Service for passenger use.

Gardner says it could “bring back some of the grandeur and capacity” of Union Station from years past.

Amrak is also close to adding an additional train to its Empire Builder route between Chicago and Twin Cities in Minneapolis, Gardner said.

The project is in the final design phase, and construction could begin as early as next year, according to the Wisconsin Department of Transportation.

“We’re working hard and really looking forward to having that additional train which will connect the Twin Cities to Milwaukee to Chicago,” Gardner said.