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Connecting transportation services brand
A
Van Hool C2045L
Amtrak California Thruway Motorcoach at the
Bakersfield station
Amtrak Thruway is a system of through-ticketed transportation services to connect passengers with areas not served by
Amtrak trains. In most cases these are dedicated
motorcoach routes, but can also be non-dedicated
intercity bus services ,
transit buses , vans,
taxis ,
ferry boats and
commuter rail trains.
Train and Thruway tickets are typically purchased together from Amtrak for the length of a passenger's journey and connections are timed for guaranteed transfers between the two services.
In addition to providing connecting service to unserved areas, some Thruway services operate as redundant service along passenger rail corridors to add extra capacity.
History and purpose
Amtrak operates the Thruway network to extend the reach of its train services, offering connections to destinations not directly served by Amtrak trains. The earliest incarnation of such a service was launched in January 1973, to provide a connection between Amtrak's
Inter-American in
Laredo, Texas , and the Aztec Eagle train run by
N de M from
Nuevo Laredo, Mexico .
[1] The following year, Amtrak launched an agreement with
Greyhound allowing for passengers to buy combined bus and rail tickets for connecting services run by the two companies. These services were the predecessors of Thruway Motorcoach. The first Amtrak bus service to bear the name "Amtrak Thruway" was launched in California in 1993.
[2] Amtrak launched a significant expansion of Thruway Motorcoach services across the United States in 2014.
[1]
Routes
Northeast
Amtrak Thruway Motorcoach at
Newport News station , January 2013
Boston to
Manchester (
Boston Express )
Boston to
Concord /
Berlin, New Hampshire (through-ticketed
Concord Coach Lines route)
[3]
Boston to Concord/
Littleton, New Hampshire (through-ticketed
Concord Coach Lines route)
[4]
Boston to
Newburyport, Massachusetts /
Portsmouth, New Hampshire (through-ticketed C&J route)
New Bedford, Massachusetts -
Providence Station (through-ticketed) Operated by DATTCO Motor Coach
[5]
New London, Connecticut , to
Foxwoods Casino (through-ticketed
SEAT route)
Philadelphia to
Atlantic City, New Jersey (through-ticketed
NJ Transit
Atlantic City Line rail route)
Philadelphia to
Pottstown /
Reading, Pennsylvania (service provided by
Krapf Coaches )
Philadelphia to
Quakertown /
Allentown /
White Haven /
Wilkes-Barre /
Scranton, Pennsylvania (service provided by
Martz Trailways )
Washington, D.C. to
Charlottesville, Virginia (through-ticketed
Greyhound route)
BWI Airport Amtrak station to
Kent Island /
Easton /
Cambridge /
Salisbury /
Ocean Pines /
Ocean City, Maryland (operated by BayRunner Shuttle)
BWI Airport Amtrak station to
Frederick /
Hagerstown /
Cumberland /
Grantsville, Maryland (operated by BayRunner Shuttle)
Portland, Maine , to
Bangor (through-ticketed
Concord Coach Lines route)
Buffalo to
Jamestown, New York (through-ticketed
Coach USA Erie route)
Worcester Union Station -
Providence Station (through-ticketed) Operated by DATTCO Motor Coach
[5]
East
Westport, New York , to
Lake Placid, New York (operated by Ground Force 1)
Killington to
Rutland (Gramps Shuttle)
DeLand, Florida , to
Daytona Beach (thruway service is a taxicab provided by Tri Star Taxi)
Orlando /
Tampa to
St. Petersburg /
Fort Myers, Florida (operated by
Martz First Class )
Wilson, North Carolina , to numerous cities in eastern
North Carolina (
Greenville ,
New Bern ,
Havelock ,
Morehead City ,
Goldsboro ,
Kinston ,
Jacksonville , and
Wilmington ) (through ticketed motorcoach operated by Southeastern Tours of
Greenville ).
[6]
Charlottesville to
Richmond, Virginia (operated by
Academy Bus Express )
High Point, North Carolina , to
Winston-Salem (operated by
Piedmont Authority for Regional Transportation )
[7]
Meridian, Mississippi , to
Dallas (through-ticketed
Greyhound route)
Harrisburg to
Williamsport, Pennsylvania (through-ticketed
Fullington Trailways route)
Pittsburgh to
State College, Pennsylvania (through-ticketed
Fullington Trailways route)
Pittsburgh to
Columbus /
Dayton, Ohio /
Indianapolis, Indiana (through-ticketed
Greyhound route)
Charleston, West Virginia , to numerous cities in northern West Virginia (
Sutton /
Flatwoods ,
Weston ,
Clarksburg ,
Fairmont &
Morgantown ) (operated by
Barons Bus Lines )
Midwest
Toledo, Ohio , to
East Lansing, Michigan , via
Detroit and
Ann Arbor, Michigan (
Trinity Transportation )
Battle Creek, Michigan , to
Flint (through-ticketed
Indian Trails route)
Kalamazoo, Michigan , to
St. Ignace (through-ticketed
Indian Trails route)
Kalamazoo, Michigan to
Grand Rapids (through-ticketed
Indian Trails route)
Kalamazoo, Michigan to
Sault Ste. Marie (through-ticketed
Indian Trails route)
Kalamazoo, Michigan to
Gaylord (through-ticketed
Indian Trails route)
Port Huron to
Detroit (Hoosier Ride)
Chicago to
Rockford, Illinois /
Madison, Wisconsin (through-ticketed
Van Galder Bus Company route)
Indianapolis to
Galesburg, Illinois /
Davenport, Iowa (through-ticketed
Burlington Trailways route)
Chicago /
Indianapolis to
Louisville, Kentucky (through-ticketed
Greyhound route)
Carbondale, Illinois , to
St. Louis (Vandalia Bus Lines)
New Orleans to
Baton Rouge (
Greyhound Lines )
Kansas City, Missouri , to
Oklahoma City via
Tulsa (through-ticketed
Jefferson Lines route)
Milwaukee to
Oshkosh, Wisconsin /
Wausau, Wisconsin (through-ticketed
Lamers Bus Lines route)
Milwaukee to
Green Bay, Wisconsin , via
Appleton ,
Oshkosh and
Fond du Lac
Milwaukee to
Madison, Wisconsin (
Badger Bus )
Milwaukee to
Houghton, Michigan (
Indian Trails )
Milwaukee to
Minneapolis /
St. Paul via
Eau Claire, Wisconsin (
Jefferson Lines )
Galesburg, Illinois , to
Springfield, Illinois
St. Paul -
Minneapolis to
Duluth, Minnesota (through-ticketed
Jefferson Lines route)
Newton, Kansas , to
Oklahoma City via
Wichita .
Toledo, Ohio , to
Chicago, Illinois
West
Albuquerque to
El Paso (through-ticketed
Greyhound route)
Denver to
Colorado Springs /
Pueblo (through-ticketed
Greyhound route)
Denver to
Glenwood Springs, Colorado (through-ticketed
Greyhound route)
Denver to
Buffalo, Wyoming (through-ticketed
Express Arrow route)
Flagstaff to Williams/
Grand Canyon (through-ticketed
Groome route)
Flagstaff to
Phoenix (through-ticketed
Groome or
Greyhound route)
Flagstaff to
Sedona (through-ticketed
Groome route)
Kingman to Laughlin, NV and Las Vegas, NV (through-ticketed
Vegas Airporter route)
Lamy, New Mexico , to
Santa Fe, New Mexico
Longview, Texas , to
Shreveport, Louisiana
Longview to
Houston /
Galveston
Houston to
Galveston (through-ticketed
Kerrville Bus route)
Maricopa to
Phoenix (through-ticketed
Stagecoach Express route)
Oklahoma City to
Kansas City, Missouri , via
Tulsa (through-ticketed
Jefferson Lines route)
Raton, New Mexico , to
Denver (through-ticketed
Greyhound route)
Salt Lake City to
Boise (through-ticketed
Greyhound route)
Salt Lake City to
Las Vegas via
St. George (through-ticketed
Greyhound route)
San Antonio to
Laredo (through-ticketed
Greyhound route)
San Antonio to
McAllen (through-ticketed
Greyhound route)
Temple to
Killeen /
Fort Cavazos
Pacific Northwest
California
Passengers boarding a
YARTS bus at the
Merced, California , station operating as Amtrak Thruway route 15A to
Yosemite .
References
^
a
b
"Historic Timeline — Amtrak: History of America's Railroad" . history.amtrak.com . Retrieved November 25, 2021 .
^ Munson, Jeff (April 27, 1993).
"Amtrak offers link to valley" .
The Union Democrat . Retrieved November 24, 2021 .
^
Berlin and Conway, NH
Archived August 26, 2017, at the
Wayback Machine ,
Concord Coach Lines . Retrieved August 25, 2017.
^
Littleton and Plymouth, NH
Archived August 26, 2017, at the
Wayback Machine ,
Concord Coach Lines . Retrieved August 25, 2017.
^
a
b
"Amtrak Introduces New Round Trip Bus Service for New Bedford and Worcester, Mass. Via Providence" (Press release). Washington, DC:
Amtrak . August 3, 2023.
^
Vacations in North Carolina by Train and Thruway Bus ,
Amtrak . Retrieved August 25, 2017.
^
Route 5
Archived August 26, 2017, at the
Wayback Machine , Piedmont Authority for Regional Transit. Retrieved August 25, 2017.
^
"Cascades (Portland-Eugene) - POINT" . Retrieved October 11, 2021 .
^
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
i
j
k
l
m
"Thruway Bus Routes" .
San Joaquins . San Joaquin Joint Powers Authority. May 15, 2022. Retrieved September 26, 2022 .
^
a
b
c
"Capital Corridor Connecting Bus Schedule" (PDF) .
Capitol Corridor . Capitol Corridor Joint Powers Authority. August 15, 2022. Retrieved September 26, 2022 .
^
"Public Review Draft 2024 SJJPA Business Plan Update" (PDF) . San Joaquin Joint Powers Authority . pp. 18–21. Retrieved March 8, 2024 .
^
a
b
"Connecting Amtrak Thruway Bus Service" .
Pacific Surfliner . LOSSAN Rail Corridor Agency. May 25, 2022. Retrieved September 26, 2022 .
^
a
b
"Amtrak Rt 21 Reinstated Bus Service" (Press release). AmericanStar Tours. November 1, 2020. Archived from
the original on December 2, 2020. Retrieved September 26, 2022 .
External links
Services Infrastructure
Organization History