Amtrak trains selling out ahead of pope visit to Philadelphia

(Harrisburg) — As Pope Francis’s visit to Philadelphia nears, Amtrak is seeing more business — a lot more.

The three morning trains on the Harrisburg – Philadelphia line for Sunday September 27th are already completely booked.

There’s also a limited supply of tickets available for the day before the pope’s public Mass on the Ben Franklin Parkway.

“For this far out in advance, we’re seeing a stronger than typical level of bookings,” says Amtrak’s Craig Schulz.

Amtrak still has Harrisburg to Philadelphia tickets for both days, though nearly all cost $42 – about $15 more than the usual fare.

The rail carrier might add more cars to trains so more people can get to Philly for Pope Francis’s visit.

“So we’ll make some trains longer so there’s extra seats and we’ll look into the possibility of running some extra trains as well,” says Schulz.

“All of that is here in the final planning and review stages.”

Schulz says it also has had a task force working on logistics for months.

Schulz says passengers should expect more security on the weekend of September 26th.

The rail line is working with the U.S. Secret Service on plans.

Pope Francis’s visit is part of a six-day stay in the United States.