\n<\/p>\n
S<\/span>ebastian Caillat didn\u2019t know how fascinating the dental industry could be until he sat next to a dentist on an Amtrak ride from college in New York City to his childhood home in Washington DC in 2023. They spent the ride discussing the dentist\u2019s efforts to self-fund his own practice. Caillat was surprised to learn the extraordinary cost of dental technology equipment \u2013 but also how interesting a conversation about dental technology equipment could be.<\/p>\n In Caillat\u2019s view, that conversation represented the magic of Amtrak trains, a mode of transport that he says encourages social interaction. He also saw this dynamic play out last summer, when he rode from New York City to Philadelphia for a Club World Cup match between Palmeiras and Botafogo. Fans of the Brazilian clubs engulfed a train that traveled through New York City and New Jersey, an area home to more than 70,000 Brazilians.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was a really, really fun experience,\u201d Caillat said. \u201cFans doing full chants on the Amtrak, banners waving, and flags. It got to the point where there was green powder dust floating around in the cabins.\u201d He added that fans were respectful of other passengers, explaining to them why their train had become a giant futebol<\/em>-fueled party.<\/p>\n For this summer\u2019s World Cup, the 22-year-old soccer consultant is eyeing matches along Amtrak\u2019s Northeast Corridor, which stretches from Washington DC to Boston, that he expects to recapture that spirit. He is looking forward to the match on 19 June in Philadelphia between Brazil and Haiti, who have qualified for the World Cup for the first time in 52 years. New York and New Jersey are home to more than 250,000 Haitians.<\/p>\n \u201cOh man, that is going to be an unbelievable public transportation experience,\u201d Caillat said.<\/p>\n The world\u2019s largest sporting event could bring as many as 10 million people to the US. It\u2019s an enormous stage for a country not known for its passenger rail. While some of the 11 American host cities are better suited for train travel than others, Amtrak figures to play a big role in getting people from one city to another.<\/p>\n The World Cup, which begins 11 June and runs until 19 July, comes at a time when the national passenger rail carrier\u2019s popularity is surging. Amtrak has broken ridership records two years in a row, reaching 34.5 million passengers last year \u2013 a 5% increase on the previous year\u2019s mark.<\/p>\n But the system remains creaky. The company uses freight-owned rail lines in many parts of the country, rendering it unable to modernize and expand lines, or even run trains on its preferred schedule. It faces the potential of significant budget cuts under the Trump Administration. Meanwhile, the Northeast Corridor, where it does own the track, is near maximum capacity.<\/p>\n The World Cup is a huge test for the system\u2019s capacity and reliability. Whether Amtrak passes will say a lot about the state of rail in the US.<\/p>\n Most of Amtrak\u2019s ridership comes on the Northeast Corridor. The region saw 15 million riders in 2025 and operates around 150 trains per day. With 21 matches between Boston, New York\/New Jersey, and Philadelphia, the 457mi stretch of rail will be a popular, convenient option for matches. Even a fan in Washington DC, which is not hosting any World Cup matches, could use the train to get to Philadelphia in about two hours or New York in about three hours.<\/p>\n The Cascades route connects Pacific Northwest cities, including two trains per day from Seattle to Canadian host city Vancouver. Seattle Stadium is well-situated for rail travelers, sitting less than a 10-minute walk from King Street Station. According to W Kyle Anderson, the company\u2019s World Cup co-lead, Amtrak is seeing increased bookings out of Seattle and Vancouver around World Cup gamedays. Someone in Portland, which is not a World Cup host city, could reach Seattle in three hours by train.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is our opportunity to show why the Northeast Corridor, in particular, or the Cascades in the Pacific Northwest, are known for being America\u2019s best railroad corridors,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Amtrak has been working to get its operation ready. Anderson said Amtrak has spent $30m fixing up tracks, catenary wires, and other infrastructure on the Northeast Corridor \u2013 one of the only sections of rail owned by Amtrak \u2013 for the World Cup. It also opened its first track on the Portal North Bridge in New Jersey this spring, replacing a 116-year-old bridge.<\/p>\n Even as the Northeast Corridor operates near capacity of over 2,000 trains per day on some portion of the line, Amtrak is finding ways to squeeze every ounce of productivity out of its tracks. It introduced new trains last year on Acela, its faster service in the northeast, that can hold about 27% more passengers, plans to add coach cars to some Northeast Regional trains this summer, and ensured construction work won\u2019t impact operations on gamedays. It has also reconfigured seating on Northeast Regional trains, which allowed for increased train frequency.<\/p>\n The scale and cost of transport have been significant issue in the runup to this World Cup. NJ Transit plans to sell 40,000 round-trip tickets from New York to MetLife Stadium per match. At $98 \u2013 a decrease from their original $150 \u2013 the NJ Transit matchday tickets are more expensive than some matchday Amtrak roundtrip trains from DC to New York at time of writing.<\/p>\n <\/span>New Jersey Transit has come under scrutiny for the price of its train tickets to and from MetLife Stadium.<\/span> Photograph: Olga Fedorova\/EPA<\/p>\n Amtrak\u2019s dynamic ticket pricing has been a point of contention among riders. However, rail travel is often the more affordable option compared with air travel and driving. As gas prices increase due to the war in Iran, Amtrak and Brightline, a privately-operated rail route in Florida, have seen ridership increase. As of early May, fans could take Amtrak from DC to New York same-day roundtrip on 19 July to see the World Cup final for $160 ($177 for a flight).<\/p>\n Brightline can transport fans from Orlando, which is not a World Cup host city, to Miami in less than four hours, making it time competitive with driving. Ticket costs are around $260 ($287 for a flight) from Orlando to Aventura Station near Miami Stadium for same-day round trip tickets for the third-place game on 18 July. While similarly priced to flights, the trains are pricier than a high-speed train from Shanghai to Beijing, which typically costs about $80 and covers more than 800mi in around four hours and 30 minutes.<\/p>\n Anderson said Amtrak\u2019s ticket pricing structure, which is based on demand, won\u2019t change for the World Cup.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ve really been treating it like Thanksgiving,\u201d Anderson said. \u201cThanksgiving is Amtrak\u2019s busiest time of the year. We move so many people from that Monday before Thanksgiving all the way through Sunday afterwards.\u201d While trains don\u2019t typically sell out during Thanksgiving, Amtrak is still encouraging customers to book trips as early as possible for the World Cup.<\/p>\n Adie Tomer, senior fellow at Brookings Metro, said there will be some natural balancing. While Amtrak hasn\u2019t recommended regular travelers in the northeast pursue alternative options \u2013 NJ Transit did when announcing its World Cup plans \u2013 they may end up avoiding the train during the event. Tomer added that this is a unique World Cup. <\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cWith how big the country is compared to most host countries, this is going to be nothing like traveling for other major global soccer events,\u201d he said. \u201cPeople keep making this comparison to the Olympics. I would throw all those out. That\u2019s ridiculous. That\u2019s a one-city thing.\u201d<\/p>\n Tomer added that travelers make rational decisions based on time and money, and rail in the US \u2013 a country that has prioritized investments in air and car travel \u2013 can\u2019t always compete.<\/p>\n Indeed, as service in the northeast has advanced, it has lagged in much of the rest of the country. Multiple Amtrak routes have been cancelled since the US last hosted the World Cup in 1994. Dallas and Houston \u2013 two cities separated by 250mi and set to host a combined 15 matches \u2013 had a direct Amtrak route that took six hours in 1994. That route was cancelled in 1995. It now takes about 23 hours to get between the cities by train. On the west coast, a ride from Los Angeles to Seattle is doable, said Sean Jeans-Gail, the vice-president of government affairs at the Rail Passengers Association. At 34 hours, though, he says it is an \u201cacquired taste\u201d.<\/p>\n Anderson said Amtrak has \u201capplied an aggressive fleet preparedness approach leading up to Summer 2026\u201d, including train set health assessments, additional inspections and preventative maintenance. However, given the age of the equipment, failure is always a concern, according to John Robert Smith, who served as chair of Amtrak\u2019s board of directors from 2001 to 2003.<\/p>\n \u201cIt just saddens me to think of the impact passenger rail could have, if this country had invested in passenger rail the way it should have over the years,\u201d Smith said.<\/p>\n Smith, now a senior policy advisor at Transportation for America, said the service could perform much better with upgraded fleets and equipment.<\/p>\n \u201cAmtrak is doing all that it can do at this time to prepare itself to be an option for our guests to use for the World Cup,\u201d he said. \u201cTheir ability to respond is constrained by the total lack of additional equipment that you would normally put into service to increase your ridership and revenue\u201d during an event like the World Cup.<\/p>\n Jeans-Gail said Congress consistently gives Amtrak less than it requests. For example, it received $2.4bn in fiscal year 2023 when it requested $3.3bn. The agency has faced additional headwinds under the Trump administration, with a recent report showing the White House\u2019s proposed 2027 budget would slash passenger rail funding by 82%.<\/p>\n <\/span>Travelers wait to board Amtrak trains in Los Angeles.<\/span> Photograph: Jae C Hong\/AP<\/p>\n In Jeans-Gail\u2019s view, the USDOT and Amtrak could have accelerated certain projects in time for the World Cup. For example, new Siemens-made Airo trains with greater capacity won\u2019t roll out in the Pacific Northwest until after the tournament.<\/p>\n Kansas City is looking for a temporary fix. The Missouri Department of Transportation, Amtrak and Union Pacific, which owns the railroad, are adding cars to two trains in both directions during the World Cup. Deborah Fischer Stout, executive director of the Northern Flyer Alliance, a group advocating for passenger rail on the I-35 corridor, would like to see state departments of transportation go a step further and run trains from Kansas City to Dallas during the World Cup.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t see what\u2019s holding them back other than vision,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n On the west coast, California has been investing in passenger rail, including added service to the Pacific Surfliner in southern California. However, it takes roughly nine hours to get between LA and San Jose on Amtrak, despite the state\u2019s decades-long effort to build a high-speed rail line that would connect the San Francisco Bay Area and LA in less than three hours.<\/p>\n Meanwhile America\u2019s peers, such as the Britain, France, <\/strong>Germany and Spain, have far superior systems, with all having recently hosted large-scale sporting events, or are due to soon. A person could take a three-hour train from Barcelona to Madrid \u2013 roughly the same distance as San Francisco to LA \u2013\u2013 for around $100 on average. \u201cPeer countries tended to better maintain their network and fund operators than the US did throughout the middle to end of the 20th century,\u201d Tomer said. He added that private freight companies own most of the rail in the US and prioritize freight over passenger rail traffic. \u201cIt\u2019s typically the reverse in other countries,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n But it\u2019s not all bleak. The 2021 Bipartisan Infrastructure Law invested $66bn in passenger rail and is beginning to have an impact. Amtrak fully electrifying the Northeast Corridor in 2000 has largely been a success. Brightline launched a higher speed train from Miami to Orlando in 2023, and aims to complete its LA-to-Las Vegas bullet train by 2029. Amtrak\u2019s Mardi Gras line connecting New Orleans and Mobile, Alabama, smashed ridership expectations. States such as Minnesota, Virginia and North Carolina are breaking records too.<\/p>\n All of this means that the experience using rail for this summer\u2019s World Cup will come down to which country you support. Danny Navarro parses World Cup transportation options for followers of his TravelFutbolFan social media accounts. After attending the 2022 World Cup in Qatar where matches were at most 45 miles apart, he wondered how a continental tournament might play out.<\/p>\n \u201cI had a suspicion that fans were going to have trouble navigating the space,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Navarro lives in DC and supports Colombia. He was \u201cbegging\u201d for the team to land in Group I, which would have meant matches in the Northeast Corridor.<\/p>\n \u201cIt would have been fantastic on the Amtrak,\u201d he said. \u201cI would have been your No 1 proponent after Joe Biden.\u201d The former president is famously a prolific Amtrak user, taking it from DC to his home state of Delaware.<\/p>\n Instead, Colombia are in Group K with matches in Miami and Mexico. Nonetheless, Navarro is advising fans supporting teams playing in the northeast to use Amtrak. France play in Boston, New York and Philadelphia. While it\u2019s not the Train \u00e0 Grande Vitesse that zips riders from Paris to Marseille in less than four hours, Amtrak will likely be the most convenient travel option for Les Bleus. It could be the most entertaining travel option, too.<\/p>\n \u201cI highly anticipate the French fanbase to basically paint those trains blue,\u201d Navarro said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Sebastian Caillat didn\u2019t know how fascinating the dental industry could be until he sat next to a dentist on an Amtrak ride from college in New York City to his childhood home in Washington DC in 2023. They spent the ride discussing the dentist\u2019s efforts to self-fund his own practice. Caillat was surprised to learn<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":49718,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[49],"tags":[24595,130,3540,4737,251,24596,4899,550],"class_list":{"0":"post-49717","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-business","8":"tag-amtrak","9":"tag-cup","10":"tag-handle","11":"tag-ready","12":"tag-records","13":"tag-ridership","14":"tag-smashing","15":"tag-world"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49717","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=49717"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49717\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/49718"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=49717"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=49717"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=49717"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}The Northeast Corridor<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Beyond the northeast<\/strong><\/h2>\n
The fan experience<\/strong><\/h2>\n