Amtrak Posts Record Ridership – Can it Double by 2040?
Skift Take
Amtrak runs some very long routes, like the California Zephyr, but most people don't actually use them to go across the country. Instead, they use them for shorter trips, like visiting their aunt in the next state over. Amtrak is planning its growth around this.
Amtrak carried a record 32.8 million passengers in fiscal year 2024, marking a 15% increase from the previous year as the national passenger railroad pursues an infrastructure overhaul.
The U.S. government-owned corporation reported healthy revenue for the past fiscal year ($3.6 billion) but said it's still operating at a loss ($705 million).
In an interview with Skift, Eliot Hamlisch, Amtrak's chief commercial officer, said the corporation continues to work toward profitability but declined to provide a timeline.
"We continue to pursue breakeven from a train operations perspective and are working hard each and every day to do our best to get there," Hamlisch said.
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