READING, Pa. – Amtrak officials announced the end of bus service from Reading less than three years after it began.
Effective March 18th, 2025, the company says it will discontinue the Amtrak ConnectionSM bus service between Reading and Philadelphia following an extensive evaluation of the route and service.
When the service began in 2022 to connect Reading and Pottstown to the company’s network via Philadelphia, Amtrak hoped revenue generated by ridership on the two daily roundtrips would cover the required operating costs of the bus service.
Amtrak says it did not meet the revenue levels to sustain the service, resulting in the need to cease operations.
Berks County Commissioner Christian Leinbach said the following about the end of bus service: “The bottom line is that they (Amtrak) emphasized to us and noted in their press release that cessation of the bus service will have no impact on the restoration of passenger rail service.”
A tri-county authority has been exploring the possibility of restoring rail service between Reading and Philadelphia for several years.Â