HARRISBURG, Pa. — Amtrak expects a record-breaking number of passengers traveling for Thanksgiving, with the numbers reaching pre-pandemic levels.
“We’re expecting thousands of customers to depart from Pennsylvania this Thanksgiving weekend, or week from Sunday to Sunday, and 750,000 passengers nationwide traveling Amtrak,” said Beth Toll, the senior public relations manager for Amtrak.
In 2022, Amtrak reported more than 26,000 riders passed through the Harrisburg and Lancaster stations during Thanksgiving travel week. In 2023, the company expects to exceed that number.
Because of the expected increase in ridership, the company encourages people to book their tickets ahead of their desired travel date.
“The Wednesday right before Thanksgiving and the Sunday immediately following Thanksgiving are the busiest travel days of the year,” Toll said.
FOX43 spoke with Trudy Havereck who lives in Lebanon, Pennsylvania. She took the train from Harrisburg on Monday to visit her son in Pittsburgh.
“I want to get down there earlier that way I don’t have to rush around, and I can get a ride back there from my son,” Havereck said.
Havereck has taken the train for the past several years. She describes it as the most convenient way to travel.
“It’s more comfortable, it’s not as full as a bus because on the bus you’re really crowded," Havereck said.
And Toll agrees.
“There’s no middle seat, you’ve got plenty of room to stretch out and relax, you don’t have to sit in any traffic which is a nice bonus,” Toll said.
If you do decide to catch the train, remember these tips:
1. Arrive 30 minutes before your departure.
2. Locate your departure gate.
3. Know your travel destination.