Amtrak raises Northeast, Midwest fares, citing costs

Amtrak, the national passenger railroad, raised fares on 13 routes in the Northeast and Midwest by 5 percent, a spokeswoman said yesterday.

The fares were increased this month because of agreements with labor unions reached this year and the rising cost of fuel on routes served by diesel locomotives, spokeswoman Karina Romero said in an e-mail.

"Our fares are set by supply and demand, so the continued high demand and constrained capacity we are experiencing were also factors in the increase," Romero said. She couldn't immediately say when the railroad last raised ticket prices.

Amtrak carried a record 25.8 million passengers in fiscal year 2007 as crowded highways and surging gasoline prices pushed more Americans to use mass transit.

Also yesterday, Amtrak announced that 36 renovated cafe cars with new menus featuring brands popular in the Northeast started running on trains between Boston and Richmond, Va.

The cars, which had been located in the front of trains near business-class seats, have been moved closer to the center to accommodate coach passengers, who make up more than 90 percent of riders, Romero said.

The cafe cars are the centerpiece of service improvements associated with Amtrak's new Northeast Regional service, which also features refurbished business-class seats and interiors and more cleaning of trains during travel. The Northeast Regional name replaces the Regional service label.