Amtrak Thruway Motorcoach

Thruway Motorcoach is Amtrak's system of Amtrak-owned intercity coaches, locally contracted transit buses, through-ticketed local bus routes, and taxi services to connect Amtrak train stations to areas not served by its railroads, or stations which are disconnected temporarily due to service delays or track maintenance issues. Train and Thruway Motorcoach tickets are purchased together from Amtrak for the length of a passenger's journey, and the connections are timed for convenient dedicated and guaranteed-reliable transfers between the two services. In addition to providing connecting service to unserved areas, some Thruway Motorcoaches operate as redundant service along well-established passenger rail corridors to add extra capacity.

A Van Hool C2045L Amtrak California Thruway Motorcoach at the Bakersfield, California, station
An Amtrak California Express Thruway Motorcoach in Sacramento
Amtrak California Thruway Motorcoach used for San Joaquin trains

From 1999 to 2019, California state law[1] only allowed tickets for California routes to be sold as part of train journeys.[2] However, Governor Gavin Newsom signed SB 742 on October 8, 2019, which repealed this bill.[3]

Amtrak establishes temporary Thruway Motorcoach service when normal rail service encounters disruptions.[4]

Routes

Northeast

Southeast

Midwest

West

Pacific Northwest

California
Passengers boarding a YARTS bus at the Merced, California station operating as Amtrak California Thruway Motorcoach route 15 to Yosemite.

Substitution for Amtrak trains

Thruway Motorcoaches are also substituted in place of an Amtrak California train on the following unnumbered segments:

Thruway Motorcoaches can also be used as an alternative to the Amtrak Downeaster on the following segments:

  • Boston (North Station) to Dover, Exeter, or Durham/UNH – one northbound (Bus 8619) and one southbound (Bus 8618) (C&J bus)- this segment can be reserved through Amtrak ticketing systems
  • Boston (South Station) to Portland, Maine – Portland/Boston Flexpass is valid on Concord Coach or Downeaster runs between Portland and Boston – no reservations required (The Downeaster serves Boston-North Station, while Concord Coach serves Boston-South Station

References
  1. SB 804 (Perata) 1999
  2. "California Thruway Buses Reach Hot Vacation Spots". Amtrak. Retrieved 18 June 2013.
  3. https://www.gov.ca.gov/2019/10/08/governor-newsom-issues-legislative-update-10-8-19/
  4. "Thruway Motorcoach Service and Accessibility". Amtrak. Archived from the original on 2006-02-20. Retrieved July 27, 2008.
  5. Berlin and Conway, NH, Concord Coach Lines. Retrieved 2017-08-25.
  6. Littleton and Plymouth, NH, Concord Coach Lines. Retrieved 2017-08-25.
  7. Vermont Shires Connector, Vermont Translines. Retrieved 2017-08-24.
  8. Amtrak, Trailways team up to serve towns off the tracks, Times Union. Retrieved 2019-11-10.
  9. Route 5, Piedmont Authority for Regional Transit. Retrieved 2017-08-25.
  10. Vacations in North Carolina by Train and Thruway Bus, Amtrak. Retrieved 2017-08-25.
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