Amtrak adds trains and staff for Thanksgiving travel surge

Driving the news: Amtrak is lengthening its Pacific Surfliner trains to provide more seating, offering complimentary checked baggage service (except at Solana Beach) and reopening the Oceanside Transit Center Nov. 25 through Dec. 2.

• The company is adding staff to local stations, and reservations are required.
• The Rail 2 Rail program will be suspended Nov. 27-Dec. 2.

The big picture: The Sunday after Thanksgiving is typically Amtrak's largest ridership day of the year.

• The heightened holiday demand comes as Amtrak posted a ridership record this fiscal year, marking a post-pandemic rebound for train travel.
• Locally, the Pacific Surfliner saw year over year gains too, but ridership is still lagging behind 2019 numbers.

For the road warriors, it's best to drive early in the morning to avoid the heaviest traffic on Tuesday, Wednesday and Sunday, according to AAA and INRIX.

• Peak congestion locally will be Saturday early evening on I-15 S as people head back to San Diego.
• Thankfully, gas prices are cheaper than last year, sitting at an average of $4.53 per gallon locally.