With ridership significantly lower than usual because of the pandemic, Amtrak continues to roll out deeply discounted fares.
Its “Track Friday” sale offers 50% off travel through early spring, though the discount does not apply to popular weekend travel dates.
The sale applies to tickets purchased until Nov. 30, and covers travel between Dec. 8 and April 30.
Sale fares include D.C. to Philadelphia for $28 one-way, or $57 on Acela; D.C. to New York for $35, or $79 on Acela; D.C. to Chicago for $53; and D.C. to Richmond for just $15 each way.
The discount does not cover travel on Fridays or Sundays on Northeast Regional or Acela trains. Blackout dates for the fare discounts are Dec. 23-24, Dec. 26-28, Jan. 3-4, Jan. 19-21, April 2 and April 5.
In addition to its East Coast network, the newest Amtrak sale also applies to most of its nationwide network.
This week, Amtrak touted its “new standard of travel,” featuring improvements to sanitization and safety protocols it developed with Georgetown University’s Milken Institute School of Public Health.
Amtrak’s ridership remains at about 25% of pre-COVID levels, according to Bloomberg News. It forecasts ridership and revenue will improve to about 37% of pre-pandemic levels by the end of fiscal 2021, which ends in September of next year.