Planning a trip and discovering that the Amtrak trains you want to ride are sold out can be frustrating. However, there are often workarounds available. When you encounter sold out Amtrak trains, you may need to adjust your plans or consider a different departure time.
With a bit of extra effort—and sometimes paying extra—you might find an open seat at the last minute. Additionally, it’s important to note that a “sold out” status can sometimes indicate that the train has been canceled, but we will discuss that later.
Sold Out Amtrak Trains May Not Mean What You Think
No matter the transportation provider, no one likes seeing a message that disrupts their planned adventure.
However, you can sometimes find ways around these setbacks with flexibility and a willingness to compromise.
The Half Disappointment
Sometimes, only one accommodation sells out. In this case, you may still be able to travel on your desired date, but perhaps not at the price or in the accommodations you originally wanted.
I like to call this a “half disappointment”—you can still make the trip, just not in the ideal way.
For long-distance trains, there might be a potential workaround to explore.
For example, you might need to ride in coach class for part of the trip and switch to a room for another part. This approach can sometimes work on long-distance routes and even some regional trains.
The Full Disappointment
The complete disappointment is when you visit Amtrak’s site or app and see a sold out message for all accommodations. If you do not have flexibility, this could be the end of your research.
Does Sold Out Mean the train will be packed the whole route?
Not necessarily. Even if a train is marked as “sold out,” there’s a good chance that open seats or rooms may become available along the route.
Many assume that a sold-out train means every seat or accommodation is taken for the trip. This isn’t always true because people get on and off along the route. When Amtrak says a train (or a specific accommodation) is sold out, it typically means that a portion along the route between certain stops is fully booked. This section could range from just a few miles to hundreds of miles.
Once a section sells out, Amtrak stops selling tickets for anyone traveling through that portion of the route. This is why you may still be able to book a ticket to a stop just before the sold-out section. So, while one part of the route may be sold out, availability could open up before or after that point.
Do trains empty and fill up along the route?
Yes, it happens frequently. Depending on the passenger loads for a given day, a train can go from full to empty and back to full within a few stops. Running a train empty on a longer route is easier than breaking up a route.
Sold out trains still stop even if no one gets on or off
At most stations, Amtrak will still stop the train even if no one is getting on or off to maintain the schedule except for receive/depart and flag stop stations.
Because of how routes work, Amtrak must run trains even when empty. Amtrak needs to move equipment for the next run. As I said before, a train could be sold out for part of the route and run empty till the end.
So, an Acela train could be sold out from NYP to Philadelphia but empty from Philadelphia to DC. If you want to take that train from Trenton, NJ, to DC, it will say it is sold out despite being empty for a portion of the route.
Another reason you messages for Sold Out Amtrak Trains
Amtrak may claim a train is sold out if they need to cancel it quickly—for example, a flash flood, emergency, mechanical issues that prevent a train from running, or other unforeseen reasons. This has happened to me a few times with the Hiawatha.
This method seems more convenient for the Amtrak booking system to deal with last-minute issues.
Booking Hacks For Sold Out Amtrak Trains
Sometimes, you can do nothing, but occasionally, there are ways to get around “sold-out trains.” I have a few ideas, but I am not saying any of these options are easy, cheap, or possible for everyone.
You may have already thought of some of these tips, but when booking and running into issues, you can get frustrated and forget them.
Here are a few ways you might get around a sold-out message.
Pick another date to increase your chances of availability. Keep in mind that prices fluctuate.
Check if alternative trains or routes are available. Sometimes, multiple trains run on a particular route, or there are different routes that you can take to reach your destination. Although it may require some adjustments to your schedule, exploring alternate routes could be worth the effort.
If you are traveling for fun, it may make sense to pick a different destination.
Keep trying to see if things open up. Sold-out trains sometimes stay sold out because people change their plans. As accommodations become available, Amtrak will make them available for you to upgrade or purchase. However, this tip might only work for last-minute trips with a last-minute opening and only sometimes cheap.
For using the Acela example in the last section, you could take a different train from Trenton to Philadelphia and switch to the Acela there.
Advanced Booking Hacks For Sold Out Amtrak Trains
If you have some time or like a challenge, these tips may help you. The first step for all of these is to find out where the train became sold out.
How To Find Out Where The Train Got Sold Out
With a bit of digging, you can discover the sold-out point.
This task takes time but can be worth it. All you need to do is enter stops in the app or website until it no longer says sold out.
If you are traveling on a long-distance train, you can find the schedules, thus the stops on the route here.
Split The Trip Up
If the sold-out section is between Denver and Salt Lake, you could leave Chicago on the day you want, take the train to Dever, spend the night, and then go on the next train if that train has sold-out sections.
While this tip could break up your trip, it does take more time and could cost you more.
Connecting Train
If you have a connecting train, and that train is the issue, you could spend the night in the layover community if that train is free the next day.
Can You Leave From A Different Station?
Check and see if you can leave from another stop.
Driving further (maybe a lot or a little) than you want may be worth your time and money. While there could be a price difference, going to a different station could get you around the sold-out section.
Sometimes, this option is cheaper, although the savings could go into the gas tank. You never know until you run the numbers.
Another Way To Get Past The Sold Section
You can see if a bus or other transportation, like regional trains, can take you to stations past the sold-out point.
If I want to travel to take the Cardinal to Philadelphia from my home station of Sturtevant on a Cubs day, I might get a sold-out message for the Hiawatha. In this case, I could take the Metra to Chicago or take a bus.
You may need to take an early regional train or bus and wait.
Advanced Booking For Sold Out Amtrak Trains
Let’s say you want Amtrak accommodation, but the app or website says they sold out from where you want. You can achieve the trip with advanced booking tricks (multi-city booking).
If you can find where a room opens up, you can book a coach seat until that point and then secure the room accommodation from that point on.
You will have to get off the train and walk to the sleepers.
You can do something similar if you are on a train with multiple route numbers. For example, on the Empire Builder, you may want to go to Portland, but the 27 sleepers get sold out; leaving Chicago, you could book a Seattle sleeper and change to a Portland sleeper booked later.
This option can work in reverse: book a room until after the sold-out area and then downgrade to coach class.
This tip may not be the cheapest, and do this at your own risk.
If you have a room and your friend wants to come along, but the train says sold out, you may be able to add them to your reservation. This option means they would be in your room and cost something. If you want this, you must call or go to a station.
Sold Out Amtrak Trains Wrap-Up
A sold-out Amtrak train does not mean it is a packed train for the whole route, but at least once between where you want to start and end. Sometimes, one accommodation sells out before another. A fully sold-out train is when coach and sleeper accommodations or coach and business class have reservations for every space.
If you encounter a sold-out message when booking, you have a few options, although they are not always cheap or convenient. Some of my suggestions may not work for you, but sometimes there is nothing you can do. Learning how to use the multi-city ticket option can be very helpful.
I hope you do not let a sold-out message discourage you from traveling,
Safe Travels,
Kev
Love Train Travel? Let’s Stay Connected!
If you’re a fan of train journeys, there are two great ways to stay up-to-date and inspired:
🚉 Follow Me on the Socials – Get the latest updates, travel tips, and stories about train travel.
✉️ Join My Newsletter – Be the first to access exclusive articles, insider tips, and breaking Amtrak news in your inbox. You can check out my newsletter now!
Don’t miss out on exciting travel opportunities and helpful advice!
➡️ Sign up now and see how my newsletter can improve your next train trip.
We tried to get a ticket on a sold-out trip. At the last minute, we found availability due to cancelation. On the entire trip there were MANY seats open that never took on passengers (reiterate: the entire trip). Yet Amtrak charged a premium for their last tickets.
Is there some transportation law that they have to retain a percentage of unused seats? Do they have to retain seats for walk-ons?
A few things could contribute to open seats on “sold-out train.” Many no-shows or a large group may have canceled a trip last minute. Another reason is a train that was supposed to connect with that train was late, so people could not connect and put on another train. There is also a possibility that a car was added to the train but not to the reservation system. All of which could be last-minute reasons why a train says sold out but wasn’t when you traveled. Or the train could be sold out, but it doesn’t seem like it because people are in the Sightseer lounge or cafe car instead of their seats. Amtrak does not have to retain seats for walk-ons.
I have noticed a disruption kind of sold out recently. There was a massive snow storm that covered a large chunk of the US and on top of that, severe cold was occurring, so the Southwest Chief shut down for 3 out of 4 days and travel was disrupted in New Mexico. That caused backups, and now all trains on this route are listed as full for at least a week.
Yeah, sady it will take a few days to week to get everything worked out.