NEW YORK (AP) -- Amtrak ridership increased in the first six months of fiscal year 2013, but it was down on the Crescent, which stops in Gainesville, Toccoa and Atlanta.
Ridership grew 0.9 percent from October 2012 to March compared to the prior year despite disruptions from weather including Superstorm Sandy. Amtrak said 26 of 45 routes had rider increases. However, on the Crescent (which runs from New York City to New Orleans), it was down 5.3. percent.
Amtrak said Tuesday that March set a one-month record for ridership with an increase of 1.9 percent and that October, December and January set individual monthly records. Ridership on the Crescent in March increased 0.1 percent.
"The continued ridership growth on routes across the country reinforces the need for dedicated, multi-year federal operating and capital funding to support existing intercity passenger rail services and the development of new ones," Amtrak President and CEO Joe Boardman said.
Routes with ridership growth in the October-to-March period included another New York City to Georgia route, the Palmetto, up 10.5 percent, and the Coast Starlight, which operates between Los Angeles and Seattle, up 10 percent.
Amtrak said ridership was up 9.8 percent on the Illini/Saluki, which operates between Chicago and New Orleans; 8.9 percent on the San Joaquin in California, 8.6 percent on the Piedmont in North Carolina and 8.2 percent on the Wolverine route in Michigan.
(AccessNorthGa.com's Ken Stanford contributed to this story.)
Tuesday
August 5th, 2025
11:42PM
