Amtrak To End Daily Service To Hundreds Of Stations

The Washington Post reports:

Amtrak is ending daily service to hundreds of stations outside the Northeast, and you can blame the coronavirus pandemic, the railroad said this week.

Starting Oct. 1, most Amtrak long-distance trains will operate three times a week instead of daily, the company said in a memo to employees. The carrier is also planning to enter fiscal year 2021 with reduced train frequencies in the Northeast Corridor, the busiest in its network, and on its state-funded routes, the company said.

The downsized operations come as Amtrak prepares to cut up to 20 percent of its staff in response to the financial crisis left by the pandemic. Demand for service — and the company’s revenue — plummeted to historic lows starting in mid-March as states implemented strict coronavirus shutdowns.

Amtrak is cutting the Coast Starlight (Seattle to Los Angeles) and Empire Builder (Chicago to Seattle) from daily runs to three days a week. https://t.co/Qpofe62hAJ

— The Seattle Times (@seattletimes) June 17, 2020