Ridership numbers for Amtrak and Florida’s privately-owned railroad Brightline were up in March, as some travelers opt out of driving because of higher gasoline prices due to the Iran war.
Nearly 17.5 million riders traveled by rail nationwide in March, a roughly 5% year-over-year increase of about 814,000 riders, Amtrak said in a recent report.
Dorothy English, who switched from traveling by car to using the train, told NPR that she paid $140 in gasoline to drive from Florida to New York. That’s why on a trip this week from New York to North Carolina, she opted to take Amtrak with a layover in the District of Columbia.
“The train is cheaper. So I said, let me take the cheaper way out,” Ms. English said.
The increased rail ridership was seen in Amtrak’s Northeast Corridor, various state-supported train routes, and Amtrak’s long-distance routes.
The Northeast Corridor had a slightly higher ridership in March, at about 7.68 million riders versus about 7.6 million on state-supported routes and 2.2 million on long-distance routes, the report said.
The state-supported routes, however, had slightly higher year-over-year growth, adding 414,000 riders compared to 396,000 for the Northeast Corridor and just 4,000 for the long-distance routes.
Brightline, which runs from Miami to Orlando, set all-time records for ridership in March with 337,874 riders, representing 21% year-over-year growth, Brightline said in a report for investors.
The gasoline prices are up due to the Iran war and have hit the highest level since late July 2022, the American Automobile Association said Thursday.
On Friday, the national average gas price was $4.392, up $1.205 compared to the same date last year.
By comparison, on Feb. 26, before the start of the war, the national average gas price was $2.983, according to the American Automobile Association.
