This is news that makes me so happy! It was so hard to set up the trip we have in June because service days were cut. This will make a big difference. I feel pretty confident that this trip is going to happen. The one to Europe in (now) October, not so much.WASHINGTON — Daily service will be restored to long-distance Amtrak trains starting in May, and hundreds of furloughed employees will be called to report back to work as early as next month, the passenger railroad announced Wednesday after Congress passed a pandemic relief package that includes $1.7 billion for the carrier.
Amtrak ended daily service last year to hundreds of stations outside the Northeast as part of cost-saving measures that followed a precipitous drop in ridership and revenue amid the coronavirus pandemic. Most Amtrak long-distance trains have been operating three times a week since October.
The company said it will begin to notify more than 1,200 furloughed employees this month to report to work as early as April.
The $1.7 billion for Amtrak will help the company restore some service that could be critical in luring back passengers amid increased vaccinations. Wednesday’s House vote sent the bill to President Biden, who signed it Thursday.
The additional money is a boost for the railroad, which has not experienced any significant rebound in ridership a year into the pandemic. As of this week, travel on Amtrak is down about 70 percent compared with pre-pandemic levels, Amtrak officials said.
(Foggy, if you think this should go into Volkanski's thread on Infrastructure, that's fine.)