For Short Trips, More Travelers Are Hitting the Rails
Flight delays and long security lines are sending passengers to Amtrak.
Aug. 27, 2007 — -- For an increasing number of today's travelers, the preferred way to get from point A to point B is still what it was in the 19th century: the railroad.
As airline on-time performance hits new lows and security gets tighter than ever before, Amtrak has seen a spike in travel during the last 10 months, with most of the new occupancy coming from customers on high-traffic business routes centered around New York and Chicago.
Amtrak's Acela route that connects Boston, New York and Washington has seen a 20 percent passenger spike in the last 10 months, while service across all Amtrak routes is up 5.8 percent since last October. This rise is especially remarkable considering that two years ago, in the midst of an airline price war, Acela ridership declined 31 percent.
Haider Rizvi, the director of sales for Travel Treat, a New York-based travel agency that has contracts with several large companies and universities, said he has noticed that more people are looking favorably on ground transport.
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"Security is the biggest issue. There's a huge line for people getting in the plane," Rizvi said. He also said trains are particularly attractive for business travelers, who can use their cellular phones and computers to work while en route.
During June, only 68 percent of flights were on time. Over the first six months of this year, the rate fell to 73 percent — the lowest over that time period since record-keeping began 13 years ago, according to the Department of Transportation.
By contrast, 88 percent of Acela trains have been on time to date this year, according to the railroad company.
Time saved by eschewing delays and long security lines is not the only advantage enjoyed by train travelers. Airports like those serving New York, Boston and Washington are located outside the city limits and it can often take an hour to commute downtown to a meeting or tourist locale. But train hubs in those cities are located in the middle of downtown, saving travelers a big chunk of time.
