Amtrak Ridership Statistics
The Rail Passengers Association tracks Amtrak ridership trends across the national network, using data from Amtrak's monthly performance reports and annual reports to Congress.
Why Ridership Matters
Ridership data is central to our advocacy work. We use it to:
- Demonstrate demand for passenger rail service and justify investment
- Identify underperforming routes where service improvements or marketing could grow ridership
- Document the impact of service cuts, fare increases, or infrastructure failures
- Hold Amtrak accountable for meeting its mission to serve all Americans
Key Findings
Research consistently shows that when frequency of service increases, ridership grows at a faster rate than costs — meaning more trains is a financially sound strategy, not just a social good.
Adding a second daily round trip to a corridor can increase revenue by 25–40% while adding less than 15% to operating costs, because infrastructure, overhead, and overhead costs are spread across more trains.
Data Sources
Our statistics draw from:
- Amtrak monthly performance reports
- Amtrak annual reports to Congress
- Surface Transportation Board filings
- Bureau of Transportation Statistics
- Federal Railroad Administration data
Ridership by Route
For the most current ridership data by route and region, see Amtrak's publicly available monthly performance reports.
Request Data
Members and researchers seeking specific ridership data or analysis should contact us at members@railpassengers.org.