Amtrak Is Making It Easier to Travel for Thanksgiving — Here’s How

Amtrak will be increasing service on the morning of Thanksgiving and for the duration of the weekend.

Amtrak will add more trains leading up to the Thanksgiving holiday to make travel easier for millions of Americans throughout the weekend.

“To accommodate more in-person events and same-day travel, Amtrak is adding more service on Thanksgiving morning and will increase the number of trains operating from Nov.18 – 28,” Amtrak wrote on its website.

The increased service comes as more than 54 million people are expected to travel over the Thanksgiving holiday period, numbers that nearly match pre-pandemic levels. Of those, most are expected to drive, but more than 1.4 million travelers are expected to travel by train, bus, or even cruise ship.

This year’s travel volumes are expected to be a 1.5% increase from 2021.

In addition to more trains, Amtrak is also increasing service across the country. In July, Amtrak returned to Canada, resuming the key Maple Leaf train, traveling between New York City's Penn Station and Toronto Union Station.

The company also launched the Ethan Allen Express train with service to the Vermont cities of Burlington, Vergennes, and Middlebury in July.

“Customers can also take advantage of additional service in the Northeast, Virginia, and between Portland, Ore., and Seattle – plus newly restored service for those traveling to and from Vancouver and Toronto,” the rail company wrote.

There are advantages that come with riding a train, like no holiday traffic jams, high gas prices, or long Transportation Security Administration lines. But Amtrak does encourage passengers to follow its alert channels on social media for the latest real-time service information. Travelers can follow @AmtrakNECAlerts for the Northeast region, and follow @AmtrakAlerts for information on all other trains, including long distance and the Pacific Northwest.

Amtrak has extended waivers on change fees for reservations made by Feb. 28, 2023. However, some cancellation fees still apply and travelers who cancel a Saver Fare ticket after 24 hours of purchase, for example, are only eligible to receive 75% of the amount in the form of a non-refundable eVoucher.

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