Amtrak reservations for its Acela Express high-speed trains in the northeastern US have risen 40 percent since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks as airlines reduce service and some travelers shun flights.
The national passenger railroad sold out at least five of the 18 Acela trains between Boston and Washington last week, spokeswoman Karina Van Veen said. Amtrak ridership on overnight trains rose five times faster than before the jetliner hijackings.
The added passengers may help Amtrak close a budget gap that forced the railroad to borrow US$300 million in May to pay operating costs. Amtrak faces a December 2002 deadline to cover the costs and received US$521 million in US aid for the year ended Sept. 30.
The attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon raised airline security costs, grounded flights and hurt ticket sales.
"Many long-distance trains are selling out in coach and sleepers because they are being considered more" as a travel option, said Ross Capon, director of the National Association of Railroad Passengers lobbying group. ``Anyone who isn't on a tight schedule and is the least bit nervous about flying will probably consider the train even if they hadn't done so before.'' The 40 percent rise in Acela reservations represents the increase in seats saved for next week over those in the week before the hijackings, Amtrak said without breaking out the numbers. The average daily increase in long-distance travel for the week ended Oct. 7 was five times the 2 percent year-over-year rise in the 10 days before the attacks, Van Veen said.
Acela trains began operating 10 months ago between Washington and Boston at speeds as high as 240kmh, cutting travel time by as much as 25 percent from conventional trains.
Amtrak's overall sales rose as much as 17 percent in the first week after the hijackings. Business travelers between New York and Washington turned to trains as Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport remained shut until Oct. 4 as a precaution.
All major US airlines except Southwest Airlines Co scaled back schedules 20 percent or more after the attacks. Planes have been flying half full on those reduced schedules, the carriers said.
Amtrak hasn't yet released results for the fiscal year ended Sept. 30 or disclosed passenger and revenue totals for last month.
The railroad last year carried 22.5 million passengers and had ticket sales of US$1.1 billion. Based on those numbers, a 10 percent increase would represent about 190,000 more riders a month and added sales of US$92 million.
Amtrak is receiving US$521 million in federal subsidies to cover losses in the fiscal year that began Oct. 1. Congress in 1997 gave the railroad a December this year deadline for covering all of its operating costs or face the possibility of liquidation.
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