Amtrak Cuts Northeast Corridor Service by 60%, Cancels Canada Routes

Amtrak is cutting its frequency on the Northeast Corridor by 60% of its typical schedules between Boston, New York and Washington. The measures announced Monday are in response to plummeting demand due to the coronavirus.

Amtrak said Sunday that its Acela Express and Northeast Regional trains would continue to operate but at significantly lower frequencies. The railroad also sent an email to employees last week informing them that bookings had dropped 50% while cancellations had jumped to 300%.

While Amtrak continues to operate across the nation, here are the adjustments made for now:

Northeast Corridor: The Northeast Corridor will be operating approximately 40% of typical weekday schedules. Northeast Regional and Acela service will still operate between Boston, New York, and Washington and Northeast Corridor services that extend into Virginia, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, New York, Vermont, and other states will continue to operate but with some reductions in frequencies for certain markets referenced below.
Keystone Service: In coordination with the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, all Keystone Service is suspended as of Wednesday, March 18, and all Pennsylvanian trains as of Thursday, March 19.
Amtrak Hartford Line and Valley Flyer: The Amtrak Hartford Line and Valley Flyer Service are operating on a Saturday schedule on a daily basis.
New York State Service: Starting Tuesday, March 17, all Maple Leaf, Adirondack, Empire Service, and Ethan Allen Express are operating on a reduced schedule, with no service to Canada.
Cascades: The Pacific Central Station in Vancouver, BC is closed. As a result, Amtrak Cascades service north of Seattle is suspended until further notice. Daily thruway bus service between Seattle, Everett, Mt. Vernon and Bellingham will still operate.
Amtrak Downeaster: Service is being reduced on a temporary basis between Tuesday, March 17 and Sunday, March 22.
Winter Park Express: The Winter Park Express is cancelled for the rest of the season.

Other services may also be impacted as circumstances change and Café service will be suspended on some trains operating between Washington DC and New York City.

Customers with reservations on trains that are being modified will be contacted and typically be accommodated on trains with similar departure times or another day. Amtrak is waiving change fees on all existing or new reservations made before April 30, 2020. To change reservations, log in to your account or go to Modify Trip on Amtrak.com, or find your reservation from your account on the home screen in the Amtrak mobile app. A fare difference may apply to your new itinerary. If you want to cancel your reservation, you must call 800-USA-RAIL (not available via Amtrak.com or the app). You can see more details here.