PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Amtrak is rolling out a streamlined fare system with more flexible and affordable rides this week.
The new Flex tickets are fully refundable if canceled and can be changed without fees. Value tickets, though not changeable, are even cheaper.
“For example, for a trip from Washington to Philadelphia, or vice versa, before this change we had one flexible ticket price — it was $127. Now with the change, the flexible ticket starts much cheaper at $20,” explained Amtrak spokesperson Kyle Anderson.
The new fare structure was introduced in an effort to meet the needs of customers and get more people on board.
“We’ve got plans to double ridership by 2040,” Anderson added, “and I’m excited to say that ridership on the Northeast Corridor over the past year has finally started to exceed pre-pandemic levels.”
More than 23 million customers have traveled by Amtrak so far this year.
As a train books up on the new fare structure, though, ticket prices will obviously increase, Anderson said.
“But if you are planning ahead, you are going to be able to get much cheaper, flexible tickets that are only a few dollars more than our value tickets, which are affordable and have a little less flexibility,” he said.
Amtrak also has night owl fares. On select trains from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m., tickets are even cheaper than the new fares. A trip from Philly to Washington, D.C. starts as low as $9.