The Daily Populous Friday November 21st, 2025 day edition
Authored by masstransitmag.com and submitted by slocol

Amtrak closed fiscal year (FY) 2025 (October 2024 – September 2025) with record ridership and revenue. The company provided 34.5 million customer trips during FY25, a 5.1% increase over FY24, and increased network capacity by 4.3%. Amtrak also saw $2.7 billion in adjusted ticket revenue, which was 10.4% higher year-over-year.

According to Amtrak, it saw $3.9 billion in total operating revenue that includes payments from state partners for state-supported routes, a 9.1% increase over FY24. The company also saw unaudited adjusted operating earnings improve by 15.1% over FY24.

“Amtrak’s operational success is not just about moving more people, it’s about moving them better,” said Amtrak President Roger Harris. “These results show what’s possible when we lead with purpose. By prioritizing reliability and the customer experience, we’re laying the foundation for the next generation of passenger rail in America.”

Other accomplishments in FY25 include launching new services, expanding accessibility enhancements, improving service reliability and more.

Amtrak notes Northeast Regional trains reached their highest on-time performance in recent years this September. According to the company, it surpassed systemwide customer service goals, with historical bests in Wi-Fi, food and beverage, train status communications and station signage. Amtrak says new car wash facilities in Seattle, Boston, New Orleans and Chicago boosted cleanliness while faster terminal turn times and improved communications enhanced the travel experience. The company achieved 87% completion for the Superliner Refresh Program, enhancing comfort and amenities for long-distance customers and introduced major updates to the Amtrak mobile app, enhancing value and ease for guests throughout their journeys.

Amtrak passengers logged 6.9 billion miles in FY25, a new all-time high. The company launched Mardi Gras Service along the Gulf Coast between Mobile, Ala., and New Orleans, carrying over 18,000 riders in its first month and restoring Gulf Coast service for the first time in nearly 20 years. Borealis service between Minneapolis and Chicago carried nearly a quarter million riders in its first full year, fueling a 227% year-over-year surge in corridor ridership since its FY24 launch.

State-supported services such as the Pacific Surfliner, Amtrak Cascades and Empire Service achieved record gains and long-distance routes saw increased capacity and strong ridership on iconic trains like the California Zephyr, Sunset Limited and Coast Starlight. Amtrak guest rewards also surpassed 20 million enrolled members, who now represent over half of all riders. NextGen Acela welcomed more than 60,000 riders in its first month of service.

Amtrak also surpassed one million riders on Capitol Corridor for the second consecutive year, with 1.13 million passengers in FY25 – a 10% increase over the prior year. Capitol Corridor service also expanded, with more peak-period departures between Sacramento and Oakland, as well as Oakland and San Jose, Calif. The Downeaster surpassed 10 million riders since its inaugural trip in 2001.

Alongside the Virginia Passenger Rail Authority, Amtrak helped break ground on the New River Valley Rail Project in Christiansburg, Va., which will extend Amtrak Virginia service from Roanoke and restore passenger rail to the region for the first time since 1979. Amtrak also expanded Winter Park Express service to five days a week to meet the rising demand for travel between Denver and Fraser, Colo.

In FY25, Amtrak saw a record $5.5 billion in capital investments – up nearly 25% year-over-year – in major projects and state-of-good-repair initiatives. The funding includes $1.1 billion for track, catenary, signal and structural maintenance, plus progress on major bridge, tunnel and station projects like the Portal North Bridge, Connecticut River Bridge, East River Tunnel and William H. Gray, III 30th Street Station in Philadelphia.

Rail yard upgrades to support the new Airo fleet advanced in Seattle and along the East Coast. Station modernization and Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) compliance efforts, which included more than $182 million invested in FY25 alone, continued as well. Amtrak also deployed new, faster ALC-42 diesel locomotives for long distance trains.

Amtrak advanced the Hudson Yards Concrete Casing Project past its halfway mark and began value engineering analyses with the Federal Railroad Administration on the Sawtooth Bridges, Susquehanna River Bridge and B&P Tunnel Replacement projects, identifying ways to improve efficiencies and reduce costs.

The company enhanced the customer experience at Washington Union Station in partnership with the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT), helping travelers move safely and smoothly. Improvements included signing over a dozen new retailers, boosting Amtrak Police presence, launching station refresh and cleanliness initiatives and strengthening overall operations.

It also partnered with the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, along with other stakeholders, to begin construction on the Newark Airport Station Access Project.

Amtrak brought 19 stations into ADA compliance, with 50 more targeted for completion in FY26. It also advanced 145 station designs and 70 construction projects as part of its commitment to achieving full accessibility by 2029.

In partnership with the Federal Railroad Administration and in cooperation with the town of Westport, N.Y., and the Canadian Pacific Kansas City Railway, Amtrak completed accessibility improvements to the Westport Station as part of a $3 million investment to upgrade the customer experience.

The company continued advancing critical improvements at Latrobe and Greensburg stations, two historic train stations located in western Pennsylvania, and continued upgrading the Lancaster Station in coordination with the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, implementing key safety and efficiency enhancements to improve access and functionality.

Amtrak says it delivered a successful summer of service for itself and New Jersey Transit customers following $40 million in infrastructure upgrades between Trenton, N.J., and New York Penn Station – including the replacement of nearly 2,000 hardware components. It replaced catenary wires and upgraded electrical systems at Dock Bridge to enhance summer reliability.

Amtrak used many resources to increase safety on its trains, including:

Professional_Let8175 on November 21st, 2025 at 03:36 UTC »

Been taking the one from Seattle to Portland instead of driving for occasional stuff. Easy and convenient.

ivanreyes371 on November 21st, 2025 at 02:54 UTC »

Fuck yeah! Trains are so comfortable and relaxing to ride.

TeuthidTheSquid on November 21st, 2025 at 02:42 UTC »

The children yearn for the rails