Amtrak Thruway is a system of through-ticketed transportation services to connect passengers with areas not served by

Amtrak The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, Trade name, doing business as Amtrak (; ), is the national Passenger train, passenger railroad company of the United States. It operates intercity rail service in 46 of the 48 contiguous United Stat ...

trains. In most cases these are dedicated motorcoach routes, but can also be non-dedicated

intercity bus service An intercity bus service (North American English) or intercity coach service (British English and Commonwealth English), also called a long-distance, express, over-the-road, commercial, long-haul, or highway bus or coach service, is a public t ...

transit bus A transit bus (also big bus, commuter bus, city bus, town bus, urban bus, stage bus, public bus, public transit bus, or simply bus) is a type of bus used in public transport bus services. Several configurations are used, including low-floo ...

es, vans,

taxis A taxis (; : taxes ) is the motility, movement of an organism in response to a Stimulus (physiology), stimulus such as light or the presence of food. Taxes are innate behavioural responses. A taxis differs from a tropism (turning response, often ...

, ferry boats and

commuter rail Commuter rail or suburban rail is a Passenger train, passenger rail service that primarily operates within a metropolitan area, connecting Commuting, commuters to a Central business district, central city from adjacent suburbs or commuter town ...

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 Laredo ( ; ) is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the county seat of Webb County, Texas, Webb County, on the north bank of the Rio Grande in South Texas, across from Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas, Mexico. Founded in 1755, Laredo grew from a villag ...

, and the Aztec Eagle train run by N de M from Nuevo Laredo, Mexico. The following year, Amtrak launched an agreement with

Greyhound The English Greyhound, or simply the Greyhound, is a dog breed, breed of dog, a sighthound which has been bred for coursing, greyhound racing and hunting. Some are kept as show dogs or pets. Greyhounds are defined as a tall, muscular, smooth-c ...

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. Amtrak launched a significant expansion of Thruway Motorcoach services across the United States in 2014.

Routes

Northeast

Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

–

Manchester Manchester () is a city and the metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. It had an estimated population of in . Greater Manchester is the third-most populous metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, with a population of 2.92&nbs ...

( Boston Express) *Boston – Concord – Berlin, NH (through-ticketed Concord Coach Lines route) *Boston – Concord – Littleton, NH (through-ticketed Concord Coach Lines route) *Boston – Newburyport, MA – Portsmouth, NH (through-ticketed C&J route) * New Bedford, MA – Providence * New London, CT – Foxwoods Casino (through-ticketed

SEAT A seat is a place to sit. The term may encompass additional features, such as back, armrest, head restraint but may also refer to concentrations of power in a wider sense (i.e " seat (legal entity)"). See disambiguation. Types of seat The ...

route) *

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

–

Atlantic City Atlantic City, sometimes referred to by its initials A.C., is a Jersey Shore seaside resort city in Atlantic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Atlantic City comprises the second half of the Atlantic City- Hammonton metropolitan sta ...

(through-ticketed

NJ Transit New Jersey Transit Corporation, branded as NJ Transit or NJTransit and often shortened to NJT, is a state-owned public transportation system that serves the U.S. state of New Jersey and portions of the states of New York and Pennsylvania. I ...

Atlantic City Line The Atlantic City Line (ACL) is a commuter rail line operated by NJ Transit (NJT) in the United States between Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and Atlantic City, New Jersey, operating along the corridor of the White Horse Pike. It runs over trackage ...

rail route) *Philadelphia – Pottstown/

Reading, Pennsylvania Reading ( ; ) is a city in Berks County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. The city had a population of 95,112 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census and is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, fourth-most populous ...

(service provided by Krapf Coaches) *Philadelphia – Quakertown/

Allentown Allentown may refer to: Places * Allentown, California, now called Toadtown, California * Allentown, Georgia, a city in four counties in Georgia * Allentown, Illinois, an unincorporated community in Tazewell County * Allentown, New Jersey, a boroug ...

/ White Haven/ Wilkes-Barre/

Scranton, Pennsylvania Scranton is a city in and the county seat of Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania, United States. With a population of 76,328 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, Scranton is the most populous city in Northeastern Pennsylvania and the ...

(service provided by Martz Trailways) *

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

–

Charlottesville, Virginia Charlottesville, colloquially known as C'ville, is an independent city (United States), independent city in Virginia, United States. It is the county seat, seat of government of Albemarle County, Virginia, Albemarle County, which surrounds the ...

(through-ticketed

route) * BWI Airport –

Kent Island Kent Island is the largest island in the Chesapeake Bay and a historic place in Maryland. To the east, a narrow channel known as the Kent Narrows barely separates the island from the Delmarva Peninsula, and on the other side, the island is sep ...

/ Easton/

Cambridge Cambridge ( ) is a List of cities in the United Kingdom, city and non-metropolitan district in the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It is the county town of Cambridgeshire and is located on the River Cam, north of London. As of the 2021 Unit ...

Salisbury Salisbury ( , ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and civil parish in Wiltshire, England with a population of 41,820, at the confluence of the rivers River Avon, Hampshire, Avon, River Nadder, Nadder and River Bourne, Wi ...

/ Ocean Pines/

Ocean City, Maryland Ocean City, officially the Town of Ocean City, is an Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic resort city in Worcester County, Maryland, Worcester County, Maryland, along the East Coast of the United States. The population was 6,844 at the 2020 United States c ...

(operated by BayRunner Shuttle) * BWI Airport –

Frederick Frederick may refer to: People * Frederick (given name), the name Given name Nobility = Anhalt-Harzgerode = * Frederick, Prince of Anhalt-Harzgerode (1613–1670) = Austria = * Frederick I, Duke of Austria (Babenberg), Duke of Austria fro ...

/ Hagerstown/

Cumberland Cumberland ( ) is an area of North West England which was historically a county. The county was bordered by Northumberland to the north-east, County Durham to the east, Westmorland to the south-east, Lancashire to the south, and the Scottish ...

/ Grantsville, Maryland (operated by BayRunner Shuttle) * Portland, ME – Bangor (through-ticketed Concord Coach Lines route) * Buffalo – Jamestown, NY (through-ticketed Coach USA Erie route) * Worcester, MA –

Providence, RI Providence () is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Rhode Island. The county seat of Providence County, it is one of the oldest cities in New England, founded in 1636 by Roger Williams, a Reformed Baptist theologian and ...

East

Westport, New York Westport is a Administrative divisions of New York#Town, town in Essex County, New York, United States overlooking Lake Champlain. The population was 1,320 at the 2020 census. The town is on the eastern border of the county and is south of Platt ...

, to

Lake Placid, New York Lake Placid is a Administrative divisions of New York#Village, village in the Adirondack Mountains in Essex County, New York, Essex County, New York (state), New York, United States. In 2020, its population was 2,205. The village of Lake Placid ...

(operated by Ground Force 1) * Killington to

Rutland Rutland is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands of England. It borders Leicestershire to the north and west, Lincolnshire to the north-east, and Northamptonshire to the south-west. Oakham is the largest town and county town. Rutland has a ...

(Gramps Shuttle) *

DeLand, Florida DeLand is a city in and the county seat of Volusia County, Florida, United States. The city sits approximately north of the central business district of Orlando, and approximately west of the central business district of Daytona Beach. It is ...

, to Daytona Beach (thruway service is a taxicab provided by Tri Star Taxi) *

Orlando Orlando commonly refers to: * Orlando, Florida, a city in the United States Orlando may also refer to: People * Orlando (given name), a masculine name, includes a list of people with the name * Orlando (surname), includes a list of people wit ...

Tampa Tampa ( ) is a city on the Gulf Coast of the United States, Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. Tampa's borders include the north shore of Tampa Bay and the east shore of Old Tampa Bay. Tampa is the largest city in the Tampa Bay area and t ...

to St. Petersburg/

Fort Myers, Florida Fort Myers (or Ft. Myers) is a city in and the county seat of Lee County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 86,395; it was estimated to have grown to 95,949 in 2022, making it the List o ...

(operated by Martz First Class) *

Wilson, North Carolina Wilson is a city in and the county seat of Wilson County, North Carolina, United States. It is the List of municipalities in North Carolina, 23rd-most populous city in North Carolina. Located about east of the capital city of Raleigh, North Car ...

, to numerous cities in eastern

North Carolina North Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, South Carolina to the south, Georgia (U.S. stat ...

( Greenville,

New Bern New Bern, formerly Newbern, is a city in Craven County, North Carolina, United States, and its county seat. It had a population of 31,291 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. It is located at the confluence of the Neuse River, Neuse a ...

, Havelock,

Morehead City Morehead City is a port city in Carteret County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 8,661 at the 2010 census. Morehead City celebrated the 150th anniversary of its founding on May 5, 2007. It forms part of the Crystal Coast. Hi ...

, Goldsboro, Kinston,

Jacksonville Jacksonville ( ) is the most populous city proper in the U.S. state of Florida, located on the Atlantic coast of North Florida, northeastern Florida. It is the county seat of Duval County, Florida, Duval County, with which the City of Jacksonv ...

, and Wilmington) (through ticketed motorcoach operated by Southeastern Tours of Greenville). *Charlottesville to

Richmond, Virginia Richmond ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), U.S. commonwealth of Virginia. Incorporated in 1742, Richmond has been an independent city (United States), independent city since 1871. ...

(operated by Academy Bus Express) *

High Point, North Carolina High Point is a city in the Piedmont Triad region of the United States, U.S. state of North Carolina. Most of the city is in Guilford County, North Carolina, Guilford County, with parts extending into Randolph County, North Carolina, Randolph, ...

, to

Winston-Salem Winston-Salem is a city in Forsyth County, North Carolina, United States, and its county seat. At the 2020 census, the population was 249,545, making it the fifth-most populous city in North Carolina and the 91st-most populous city in the Uni ...

(operated by Piedmont Authority for Regional Transportation) *

Meridian, Mississippi Meridian is the List of municipalities in Mississippi, eighth most populous city in the U.S. state of Mississippi, with a population of 35,052 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. It is the county seat of Lauderdale County, Mississippi, ...

, to

Dallas Dallas () is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of Texas metropolitan areas, most populous metropolitan area in Texas and the Metropolitan statistical area, fourth-most ...

(through-ticketed

route) *

Harrisburg Harrisburg ( ; ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), U.S. commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat, seat of Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, Dauphin County. With a population of 50, ...

Williamsport, Pennsylvania Williamsport is a city in and the county seat of Lycoming County, Pennsylvania, United States. As of the 2020 census, it had a population of 27,754. It is the principal city of the Williamsport Metropolitan Statistical Area, which has a populati ...

(through-ticketed Fullington Trailways route) *

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, second-most populous city in Pennsylvania (after Philadelphia) and the List of Un ...

State College, Pennsylvania State College is a Borough (Pennsylvania), borough and Home rule municipality (Pennsylvania), home rule municipality in Centre County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is a college town, home to the University Park, Pennsylvania, University Park ...

(through-ticketed Fullington Trailways route) *

to Columbus/

Dayton, Ohio Dayton () is a city in Montgomery County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of cities in Ohio, sixth-most populous city in Ohio, with a population of 137,644 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. The Dayton metro ...

Indianapolis, Indiana Indianapolis ( ), colloquially known as Indy, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Indiana, most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana, Marion ...

(through-ticketed

route) *

Charleston, West Virginia Charleston () is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in West Virginia, most populous city of the U.S. state of West Virginia. It is the county seat of Kanawha County, West Virginia, Kanawha County and ...

, to numerous cities in northern West Virginia (

Sutton Sutton (''south settlement'' or ''south town'' in Old English) may refer to: Places United Kingdom England In alphabetical order by county: * Sutton, Bedfordshire * Sutton, Berkshire, a List of United Kingdom locations: Stu-Sz#Su, location * S ...

/ Flatwoods,

Weston Weston may refer to: Places Australia * Weston, Australian Capital Territory, a suburb of Canberra * Weston, New South Wales * Weston Creek, a residential district of Canberra * Weston Park, Canberra, a park Canada * Weston, Nova Scotia * W ...

, Clarksburg, Fairmont & Morgantown) (operated by Barons Bus Lines)

Midwest

Toledo, Ohio Toledo ( ) is a city in Lucas County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. It is located at the western end of Lake Erie along the Maumee River. Toledo is the List of cities in Ohio, fourth-most populous city in Ohio and List of United Sta ...

, to

East Lansing, Michigan East Lansing is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. Most of the city lies within Ingham County, although a small portion extends north into Clinton County. At the 2020 census, the city had a population of 47,741. The city is located immediate ...

, via

Detroit Detroit ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Michigan, most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated on the bank of the Detroit River across from Windsor, Ontario. It had a population of 639,111 at the 2020 United State ...

and

Ann Arbor, Michigan Ann Arbor is a city in Washtenaw County, Michigan, United States, and its county seat. The 2020 United States census, 2020 census recorded its population to be 123,851, making it the List of municipalities in Michigan, fifth-most populous cit ...

( Trinity Transportation) *

Battle Creek, Michigan Battle Creek is a city in northwestern Calhoun County, Michigan, United States, at the confluence of the Kalamazoo River, Kalamazoo and Battle Creek River, Battle Creek rivers. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city had a tota ...

, to

Flint Flint, occasionally flintstone, is a sedimentary cryptocrystalline form of the mineral quartz, categorized as the variety of chert that occurs in chalk or marly limestone. Historically, flint was widely used to make stone tools and start ...

(through-ticketed Indian Trails route) *

Kalamazoo, Michigan Kalamazoo ( ) is a city in Kalamazoo County, Michigan, United States, and its county seat. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, Kalamazoo had a population of 73,598. It is the principal city of the Kalamazoo–Portage metropolitan are ...

, to St. Ignace (through-ticketed Indian Trails route) *Kalamazoo, Michigan to

Grand Rapids Grand Rapids is the largest city and county seat of Kent County, Michigan, United States. With a population of 198,917 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census and estimated at 200,117 in 2024, Grand Rapids is the List of municipalities ...

(through-ticketed Indian Trails route) *Kalamazoo, Michigan to Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, Sault Ste. Marie (through-ticketed Indian Trails route) *Kalamazoo, Michigan to Gaylord, Michigan, Gaylord (through-ticketed Indian Trails route) *Port Huron, Michigan, Port Huron to

(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

route) *Carbondale, Illinois, to St. Louis (Vandalia Bus Lines) *New Orleans to Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Baton Rouge (Greyhound Lines) *Kansas City, Missouri, to Oklahoma City via Tulsa, Oklahoma, 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, Wisconsin , Appleton, Oshkosh, Wisconsin , Oshkosh and Fond du Lac, Wisconsin , Fond du Lac *Milwaukee to Madison, Wisconsin (Badger Bus) *Milwaukee to Houghton, Michigan ( Indian Trails) *Milwaukee to Minneapolis/Saint Paul, Minnesota, St. Paul via Eau Claire, Wisconsin (Jefferson Lines) *Galesburg, Illinois, to Springfield, Illinois *Saint Paul, Minnesota, St. Paul-Minneapolis to Duluth, Minnesota (through-ticketed Jefferson Lines route) *Newton, Kansas, to Oklahoma City via Wichita, Kansas, Wichita. *

, to Chicago, Illinois

West

*Albuquerque, New Mexico, Albuquerque to El Paso, Texas, El Paso (through-ticketed

route) *Denver to Colorado Springs, Colorado, Colorado Springs/Pueblo, Colorado, Pueblo (through-ticketed

route) *Denver to Glenwood Springs, Colorado (through-ticketed

route) *Denver to Buffalo, Wyoming (through-ticketed Express Arrow route) *Flagstaff, Arizona, Flagstaff to Williams/Grand Canyon (through-tickete
Groome
route) *Flagstaff, Arizona, Flagstaff to Phoenix, Arizona, Phoenix (through-tickete
Groome
or

route) *Flagstaff, Arizona, Flagstaff to Sedona, Arizona, Sedona (through-tickete
Groome
route) *Kingman_station, Kingman to Laughlin, NV and Las Vegas, NV (through-tickete
Vegas Airporter
route) *Lamy, New Mexico, to Santa Fe, New Mexico *Longview, Texas, to Shreveport, Louisiana *Longview to Houston/Galveston, Texas, Galveston *Houston to Galveston, Texas, Galveston (through-ticketed Kerrville Bus route) *Maricopa, Arizona, Maricopa to Phoenix, Arizona, Phoenix (through-tickete
Stagecoach Express
route) *Oklahoma City to Kansas City, Missouri, via Tulsa, Oklahoma, Tulsa (through-ticketed Jefferson Lines route) *Raton, New Mexico, to Denver (through-ticketed

route) *Salt Lake City to Boise, Idaho, Boise (through-ticketed

route) *Salt Lake City to Las Vegas via St. George, Utah, St. George (through-ticketed

route) *San Antonio to Laredo, Texas, Laredo (through-ticketed

route) *San Antonio to McAllen, Texas, McAllen (through-ticketed

route) *Temple, Texas, Temple to Killeen, Texas, Killeen/Fort Cavazos

Pacific Northwest

*Seattle to Vancouver, British Columbia (through-ticketed Cantrail route) *Seattle to Bellingham, Washington, Bellingham (operated by MTR Western) *Seattle to Vancouver Island/Victoria, British Columbia (through-ticketed Victoria Clipper ferry route) *Portland, Oregon, Portland to Eugene, Oregon, Eugene-Springfield, Oregon, Springfield (through-ticketed Public Oregon Intercity Transit, POINT route) *Portland, Oregon, Portland to Astoria, Oregon, Astoria (through-ticketed POINT route) *Spokane, Washington, Spokane to Boise, Idaho, Boise (through-ticketed Northwestern Trailways route) *Seattle to Wenatchee, Washington, Wenatchee/Spokane (through-ticketed Northwestern Trailways route) *Seattle to Port Angeles, Washington, Port Angeles (through-ticketed Travel Washington route) *Portland to Pendleton, Oregon, Pendleton/Boise, Idaho, Boise (through-ticketed

route) *Portland/Albany, Oregon, Albany to Corvallis, Oregon, Corvallis/Newport, Oregon, Newport (through-ticketed Valley Retriever route) *Redmond, Oregon, Redmond to Chemult, Oregon, Chemult (operated by TAC Transportation) *Klamath Falls, Oregon, Klamath Falls to Brookings, Oregon, Brookings (through-ticketed POINT route) *Eugene, Oregon, Eugene to Bend, Oregon, Bend/Ontario, Oregon, Ontario (through-ticketed POINT route) *Eugene, Oregon, Eugene to Coos Bay, Oregon, Coos Bay (operated by TAC Transportation) *Klamath Falls, Oregon, Klamath Falls to Ashland, Oregon, Ashland

California

* Route 1: – – – * Route 1C: Bakersfield – – – University of California, Los Angeles, UCLA – * Route 3: – – – Stockton * Route 6: Stockton – – Santa Cruz, California, Santa Cruz (some Stockton – San Jose services operated by Altamont Corridor Express trains, San Jose – Santa Cruz operated as Highway 17 Express by Santa Cruz Metropolitan Transit District) * Route 7: – Napa, California, Napa – Santa Rosa, California, Santa Rosa – Arcata, California, Arcata * Route 10: Santa Barbara – Bakersfield – RTC Transit#southstriptransferterminal, Las Vegas, Nevada (through-ticketed Alvand Transportation route) * Route 15A: – Yosemite National Park, Yosemite (through-ticketed Yosemite Area Regional Transportation System route) * Route 15B: – Yosemite (through-ticketed Yosemite Area Regional Transportation System route) * Route 17: – – Santa Barbara * Route 18: Santa Maria, California, Santa Maria – San Luis Obispo – – Visalia, California, Visalia (through-ticketed AmericanStar Trailways route) * Route 19: Bakersfield – Pasadena, California, Pasadena – – * Route 20: Sacramento – Colfax – /Sparks, Nevada * Route 20C: Sacramento – South Lake Tahoe, California, South Lake Tahoe (through-ticketed El Dorado Transit route) * Route 21: San Jose – San Luis Obispo – Santa Barbara (through-ticketed AmericanStar Trailways route) * Route 39: – – Coachella Valley * Route 99: Oakland/ – San Francisco As a result of a 2019 state law, most Thruway routes in California are available to passengers using only buses without connecting to an Amtrak train.

References

External links

Transit Unlimited ProfileAmtrak Thruway Connecting Services
{{LA Mass Transit, state=collapsed Amtrak, Thruway Motorcoach Intercity bus companies of the United States Bus transportation in the United States