An Amtrak fare plan that rewards early ticket purchases and penalizes last-minute riders has helped boost revenue for the beleaguered railroad, but ridership numbers continue to slide, officials said Thursday.
Ridership in the Northeast corridor, which runs from the District to Boston, was down in March compared to the same month last year, said Amtrak spokesman Cliff Black. Most of the decline — about 6 percent — is because the typically busy Easter was in March last year.
The railroad, under pressure from President Bush and Congress to reduce its $1 billion annual losses, implemented a “revenue management” plan in October for Metroliner train fares.
The plan made the top fare 15 percent higher than current levels for peak-period trips bought on the same day of travel. A new discount fare 15 percent below the lowest prices was provided for people willing to travel in the middle of the day or late at night, or buy tickets weeks or months in advance. The plan is similar to variable fares offered by airlines.
A passenger booking a Metroliner trip two weeks in advance from Washington to New York could save up to 15 percent on the $135 lowest fare for a $115 ticket. However, if that passenger walks up to the counter and buys what was once a $168 same-day ticket for a high-demand train, he or she could pay $193 for a ticket.
“We think the system has done quite well,” Black said. “The jury is still out on how it will be viewed by Acela customers.”
The plan was implemented for the high-speed Acela trains in February, and revenues were already up 4 percent in March compared to last year, despite slight decreases in ridership, Black said.
Black said an estimated 576,000 people bought tickets for Metroliner trains in March and 240,000 rode the Acela trains in corridor, but D.C.-specific numbers were not readily available.
