(The Associated Press circulated the following on January 28, 2009.)
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Amtrak says it carried fewer passengers than expected in recent months as struggling businesses cut back on travel and more Americans returned to the roads as fuel prices declined.
The national passenger railroad said Wednesday that it carried about 7.05 million passengers from October through December, the first quarter of fiscal year 2009.
That’s about 12,000 fewer riders than the same period last year. The number of trips was nearly 5 percent below what the company expected for the quarter.
Amtrak says revenue for the first quarter was 7 percent below expectations for the 37-year-old government-owned corporation.