What Amtrak prices are looking like this December — and how to save

Arianna Flynn was aghast that her early November Amtrak ticket cost $200 round-trip from Philadelphia to New York.

For years, the 27-year-old health-care marketing professional has taken the train every couple months and said she couldn’t recall ever seeing a fare that high, even for last-minute bookings. Whether traveling to New York or Washington, D.C., she said she usually pays no more than $100 round-trip.

“I love public transportation and trains and how easy they are,” said Flynn, who lives near Northern Liberties. But “the prices on Amtrak have become ridiculous.”

She has considered following friends’ advice in the future and driving 30 miles to Trenton to take NJ Transit into Penn Station, which costs around $40 round-trip.

Flynn is among the local train travelers who have taken to social media in recent weeks to bemoan what they say feels like higher, more unpredictable Amtrak fares than they experienced around the same time in recent years. Some consumers point to the fare structure changes that Amtrak implemented a year ago, and say they wonder whether those have made an impact. One woman told The Inquirer she flew to Boston over Thanksgiving because the flight was cheaper than traveling by train.

Amtrak officials said they couldn’t say whether Philadelphia passengers on average are seeing higher, lower, or similar fares to those they saw this time last year.

“This varies based on when customers book their holiday travel, what their destination is and how full the trains are at time of booking,” spokesperson Beth Toll said in a statement. “In many cases, we have seen our average fare decrease year over year.”

In Old City, Kristin Adams, a 32-year-old lab manager, said she hasn’t taken Amtrak in about two years because the prices are never within her budget. She was just talking with a friend in Stamford, Conn., about how the pair would like to see each other more, but neither can justify the prices of Amtrak, which they see as the easier and more environmentally friendly alternative to driving.

“It’s not worth paying $150 each way for a long weekend visit,” Adams said. “If prices were even $100 round-trip, that would be worth it for us. It makes it hard especially when we’re last minute.”

By the time Adams is looking for tickets, she said they’re usually at least $200 round-trip.

“Even if they lowered prices a little bit, we would use it so much more often than we do now,” she said.

In October 2023, Amtrak unveiled its new fare structure, which streamlined the number of ticket tiers from three — Saver, Valuable, and Flexible — to two, Value and Flex. Value is the cheaper option, and comes with a 75% refund if a customer cancels before scheduled departure. Flex is, you guessed it, more flexible. Customers who purchase in this tier pay more for the ability to cancel and get a full refund, or to change their travel plans with no added fees.

Sometimes the difference between Flex and Value fares is only a few dollars, Toll said, and each seat on any Northeast Corridor train is available as a Flex or a Value. Before the new pricing structure took effect, fewer customers purchased Flex fares, which could be five or six times the price of the cheapest available ticket, Toll said. Now, she added, about half of Amtrak passengers opt for Flex.

For travelers looking to save money on their Amtrak travel this holiday season, the company recommends booking as early as possible. Prices fluctuate based on demand.

“The best fares are typically found on trains that haven’t sold a lot of tickets,” Toll said. “The more tickets sold on a train, the better chance the price will begin to increase.”

Passengers traveling with friends or family can also use Amtrak’s Share Fares program, which comes with discounts of up to 60% for groups of eight.

Kathryn Chornak, a 26-year-old accountant, has seen firsthand how unpredictable Amtrak pricing can be. She took Amtrak from Philadelphia to New York four to five days a week for about six months in 2022, and then relocated to Princeton. After her move, she’d travel to work via NJ Transit or Amtrak, depending on whether Amtrak was stopping at her station and whether the price was comparable. Usually, it was NJ Transit, but there were some exceptions.

“A lot of what I would notice is in the dead of winter, after the holiday season, I could get a ride home for $10 to $20″ on Amtrak, she said. “In February, nobody is really caring about going to New York.”

Chornak now lives and works in Lancaster. She might use Amtrak more for last-minute weekend trips to Philadelphia or New York if prices were cheaper.

“I wish it was more accessible, more affordable, and more of a thing,” Chornak said.