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As per the Brookings study referred to in previous posts, Amtrak saw the ridership largest increases in its NEC and State Supported and Other Short Corridor trains.   The average load factor for the NEC in FY12 was 52.3 per cent, with the Acela coming in at approximately 62 per cent and the regional trains hitting just over the 48 per cent mark. The state supported trains had an average load factor of 43.0 per cent.  These numbers don't suggest that seat availability is an issue on most days for most of the corridor trains. Clearly, there are days when Amtrak sells out. But given the overall numbers shown above, they don't sell out that often.  Moreover, without knowning how many passengers are turned away completely, as opposed to how many take another train in the case of multiple daily schedules over the same route, or choose to travel on another day, it is not possible to determine whether adding additional seats would generate even more riders. Unless Amtrak gives the ride away, which it nearly does in some of the state supported markets. Amtrak spent $98.1 million on Advertising and Sales in FY08. Marketing is embedded in this cost. The spend in FY09 was $106.2 million, followed by $113.7 million in FY10, $113.2 million in FY11, and $78.5 million in FY12.  Amtrak has reduced its Advertising and Sales spend well below where it was in FY08.  A number of reasons may have contributed to this trend.  The advertising and sales spend has generated the expected results: Amtrak is getting all the incremental passengers its can handle, although again the numbers on most of the trains don't suggest this is the case, or it has reduced significantly its advertising and sales spend because of pressure from Congress to control its expenditures.
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