Amtrak will cut service later this year on most of its long-distance routes nationwide to three times a week instead of the current daily service because ridership has fallen significantly during the coronavirus pandemic.
Amtrak spokeswoman Kimberly Woods said Wednesday that the cuts will take effect Oct. 1 and remain in place until at least the summer of 2021, but daily service could be restored if demand improves along its long-distance routes.
The train routes being cut to three days a week include the California Zephyr, Capitol Limited, City of New Orleans, Coast Starlight, Crescent, Empire Builder, Lake Shore Limited, Palmetto, Southwest Chief, and Texas Eagle. The Sunset Limited and Cardinal trains already operate three times a week.
Amtrak said its Auto Train, which runs from the Washington, D.C., suburbs to the Orlando, Florida, area, is the only long-distance route that will continue to operate daily.
The downsized operations come as Amtrak prepares to cut up to 20% 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 lockdowns.
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"Congress is not going to support us indefinitely to run mostly empty trains," Roger Harris, Amtrak's executive vice president and chief marketing and revenue officer said in the memo to employees. "We need to demonstrate that we are using our resources efficiently and responsibly."
Amtrak said last month that it needs nearly $1.5 billion in supplemental funding from the federal government to maintain "minimum service levels," anticipating that ridership will not recover to pre-pandemic levels in fiscal 2021. Even with the supplemental funding, the company said, it would need to cut service and personnel to stay afloat.
Amtrak estimates that ridership in the next fiscal year may reach 16 million, or about 50% of pre-pandemic levels.
Ridership was down 95% during the pandemic and the Northeast Corridor, which had several virus hot spots, was hit especially hard. Even as states begin to reopen, ridership remains down 90%.
While the company's plan to slash long distance daily service was not a surprise, some rail advocates said Amtrak is wrong to reduce daily service to communities across the country, some places in which the train is the only transportation option.
"Let's be clear, this is penny-wise and pound-foolish," Jim Mathews, president and chief executive of the Rail Passengers Association said in a statement. "The long-distance services declined the least among Amtrak's three business lines during the coronavirus-induced slowdown, and its services remain essential to the hundreds of small communities across the United States with fewer options than Philadelphia or Boston or New York City."
The long distance service, which includes 15 routes, is Amtrak's least profitable. It also is the most dependent on government subsidies. But the routes also have a strong fan base of train aficionados who take to the tracks to travel across America and of people from parts of the country where airports are not easily accessible.
The Auto Train, which travels from the Washington suburbs of Lorton, Va., to the Orlando, Fla., area, is the only long-distance route that will continue to operate daily, Amtrak said.
The following routes will go from daily operations to three times a week: California Zephyr (Chicago to San Francisco), Capitol Limited (Washington to Chicago), City of New Orleans (Chicago to New Orleans), Coast Starlight (Seattle to Los Angeles), Crescent (New York City to New Orleans), Empire Builder (Chicago to Seattle), Lake Shore Limited (New York to Chicago), Palmetto (New York to Savannah, Ga.), Silver Star (New York to Miami), Southwest Chief (Chicago to Los Angeles), and Texas Eagle (Chicago to San Antonio).
Information for this article was contributed by staff members of The Associated Press and by Luz Lazo of The Washington Post.