#Amtrak to furlough 2,000 workers as travel declines amid COVID-19

Amtrak will furlough more than 2,000 workers as a result of the steep decline in travel demand from the coronavirus pandemic.

House Transportation Committee Chairman Peter DeFazio said the workers were notified this week they would lose their jobs. In May, Amtrak said it needed a new $1.5 billion bailout and disclosed plans to cut its workforce by up to 20 percent in the coming budget year.

Ridership and revenue levels are down 95 percent year-over-year since the pandemic began, Amtrak has said. Amtrak did not immediately comment Wednesday.