WASHINGTON — As the nationwide average price of gasoline climbs above $4 a gallon, passenger railroads in the U.S. are seeing notable increases in riders. Amtrak reported a 5% rise in March ridership compared with a year earlier, while Florida’s privately owned Brightline said its March numbers jumped by more than 20%.
“It usually would be shorter to drive, but the gas prices are high,” said Joshua Newman, 20, of Washington, D.C., as he waited to board an Amtrak train at Union Station for the first time. Newman was traveling to a festival in North Carolina and said he preferred the train to avoid high driving costs and other expenses.
The average price of a gallon of gas reached $4.30 this week, the highest level since the conflict in Iran began two months ago. For many travelers, that increase is changing the travel calculus. “It’s really ridiculous,” said Dorothy English, who recently drove up the East Coast. “Let me tell you, I actually spent $140 to fill up, from Florida to New York. I mean, like, every time we went to another state, we were filling it up.” She chose to take the train from New York to North Carolina this week, with a stop in Washington, citing cost savings. “I’m not going to pay that much to travel anymore,” she said. “The train is cheaper. So I said, let me take the cheaper way out.”
Amtrak, which has recorded strong ridership over the past two years, said it commonly sees riders shift from cars to trains when fuel prices rise. “We typically see some shift to rail as fuel prices rise, and we’re seeing that pattern here as well,” Amtrak spokesperson Beth Toll said, adding that continued growth highlights rail’s role in connecting communities along the Northeast Corridor and across the nation.
Brightline, which has operated service to Orlando for under three years, called March a record month. “March ’26 was the best month in our history by every measure,” said Patrick Goddard, CEO of Brightline Florida. Goddard pointed to several factors behind the surge, including long airport security lines, competitive fares and, increasingly, the cost of driving. “I think gas prices were a factor for the Miami-Orlando trip,” he said. “When guests do the math of gas, tolls and then parking — if they’re going to Orlando, they’re parking at a theme park for anywhere from two to five days — Brightline typically wins.”
Whether Amtrak, Brightline and other rail operators can keep these riders if fuel prices fall again is uncertain. For now, the higher cost of driving appears to be pushing more travelers onto trains.