– With ridership declining to 23.4 million passengers in fiscal year 2002 from 23.5 million the year before, Amtrak says it will cut coach fares as much as 25 percent to boost revenue. This can be combined with Amtrak’s winter promotion that allows companions to travel for free and a 25 percent discount for those traveling alone. The deals are available for sale through Feb. 15 for travel through Aug. 28. The fare reduction is available for coach travel on most of Amtrak’s long-distance routes but not the Northeast corridor. For example, the fare from Washington, D.C., to Chicago usually is $87, but with the special deal, the fare is $66; for the solo traveler it’s $49.50 or $33 per person for the companion fare based on two passengers traveling together.
