Amtrak fares up; ridership adapts

With monthly commuter pass increases as high as 59 percent, some commuters have sought alternatives.

Hoau-Yan Wang of Philadelphia ended his long-distance relationship with Amtrak last fall.

“I had had enough,” said Wang, who commutes daily to New York City.

Amtrak does not miss him much.

A year after Amtrak announced steep increases of up to 59 percent in monthly pass fares, scores of commuters have abandoned its Northeast Corridor trains for other means and, in some cases, new jobs or addresses.

Despite the defections, Amtrak has managed to rake in more money along its heavily traveled Northeast Corridor, which stretches between Boston and Washington.

Philadelphia Inquirer