The five Amtrak stations in Chester County are not among the hundreds of stations outside the Northeast that will no longer receive daily service as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, writes Luz Lazo for The Washington Post.

Starting Oct. 1, the passenger railroad service will start operating most of its long-distance trains three times a week instead of daily. However, Paoli, Exton, Downingtown, Coatesville, and Parkesburg are among the stops that are currently exempt from these changes.

The carrier will also enter the next fiscal year with a reduced train frequency in the Northeast Corridor and on its state-funded routes. It will also cut its staff by up to 20 percent.

The main reason for these decisions is the drastic drop in ridership. Amtrak estimates that the number of riders will go down to 16 million in fiscal year 2021, which is about half of its pre-pandemic levels.

“Congress is not going to support us indefinitely to run mostly empty trains,” said Roger Harris, Amtrak’s executive vice president and chief marketing and revenue officer. “We need to demonstrate that we are using our resources efficiently and responsibly.”

Read more about Amtrak in The Washington Post here.

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