International
Nothing’s Phone (2) will run on Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 series
Nothing’s presence stood in stark contrast to OnePlus at this year’s MWC. Whereas Carl Pei’s old company, OnePlus, put on a flashy launch event for…
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Nothing’s presence stood in stark contrast to OnePlus at this year’s MWC. Whereas Carl Pei’s old company, OnePlus, put on a flashy launch event for a concept device yesterday, Nothing has largely used the event to meet with vendors and other big names in the industry.
We sat down with Pei yesterday, fittingly in a meeting room inside the Qualcomm booth. Among other things, the CEO confirmed that the Nothing (2) will be powered by the Snapdragon 8 series chip — not that the topic was ever up for much debate.
The conversation — which touches on the U.S. and India markets and the smartphone industry at large — began with a quick exchange about the OnePlus concept phone. Earlier teasers of the device drew comparisons to Nothing’s first handset, the Phone (1). “People were tagging me,” Pei says, while acknowledging that the device’s illuminated cooling liquid is a distinct approach from his phone’s Glyph lighting scheme.
CP: There’s [a] company at MWC called UniHertz. A very small company. They made a carbon copy of the Phone (1). I’m gonna go check it out.
TC: Congratulations. That’s a rite of passage.
We recently worked on our vision statement. It’s, “We want to make tech fun again.” So, if we can inspire our industry to start experimenting more, that still helps with the vision.
There’s experimenting and there’s copying. Are you going to go be litigious?
No. They’re so small. That doesn’t really help anybody.
It’s been half a year since the Phone (1) was released. That’s incredibly fast, so good for them. It might be too early, but have you seen the device design influencing the category?
Another company in our industry somehow got their hands on the engineering prototype that our engineers were using for the Phone (1), ahead of release. They studied it and went to our suppliers for the glyphs (lights). They also have a phone with their own light interface on the back. It doesn’t [look] like a copy. It’s just something different in the industry. I was in India and I visited this phone collector. He’s got phones from 20 years ago, so Nokia and Sony Ericsson.
A personal phone museum.
Yeah. Back then, phones were so different. Today, everything is the same. It was kind of sad seeing all the phones from the past. So, if we can inspire our competitors, why not?
The smartphone market was on the decline before the pandemic. It got a bump from 5G and then declined again. At some point 6G will happen, but I don’t see something like foldables driving the market in a profound way. Will the market rebound? And if so, how?
The smartphone market grew initially because there was a really innovative product that was useful to customers. Now it’s starting to shrink, because my phone is good enough. Why should I upgrade?
It’s also too expensive to upgrade every two years.
Yeah. I think it’s natural that unless there’s some really useful innovation, it’s going to steadily decline. Having said that, it’s still a really big industry. It’s still very lucrative from a business perspective.
So, you don’t see anything on the immediate horizon that will profoundly drive sales?
Not profoundly. For us, we’re trying to do more and more as we build up our engineering capabilities. We weren’t able to do too much on the software side the first year. But now that we have our own team, we can start doing more and more, but it’s not going to be game changing. I don’t think in the next generation, but we’re steadily introducing something new and useful, I think. But I don’t see that iPhone moment on the horizon moment anymore. Not in the next two to three years.
Image Credits: Brian Heater
There may not be one. That was the ur-moment for phones.
Yeah. I think something around AI might be the next iPhone, but I haven’t really figured out the application.
You’re talking about AI on the phone?
No, AI as a technology to help people in general.
Obviously there have been some applications for AI on the phone, mostly for photography.
Yeah. But AI on the smartphone has only given us like 10% improvement. The picture quality is 10% better, but it doesn’t change how we interact with technology.
What are your feelings on foldables?
I personally think foldables are supply chain-driven innovation and not consumer insights.
In terms of having that initial breakthrough and then building devices around it?
Think about it from a supply chain perspective. Somebody invents OLED, and they can make a lot of money, because it’s a great technology. Then after a few years, a lot more companies make that, so they need to lower their prices. So they need to figure out what else they can sell at a higher margin. They develop flexible OLEDs, which they can sell at a higher price. Then they go and pitch it to the smartphone vendors. “We have this nice foldable, please use it.”
In Samsung’s case, they developed the technology in-house and built the device around it. As far as I can tell, they still own the vast majority of that market right now.
Foldables [don’t] come from solving customer pain points, but it’s getting better and better. That’s great, but it’s probably not going to be something we’re going to look at.
Image Credits: Brian Heater
So, we shouldn’t expect a foldable from Nothing?
No.
There’s some talk of 6G at this year’s event, but it still feels pretty far off. What’s your sense on where the technology is?
I don’t know anything. I think for us it’s not where we need to leave. We just follow what the industry trend is on the network side. We need to lead where we can be different. If we ask our users why they bought the earphones and smartphone, the number one reason is design. So, how can we get stronger on that? Not just the hardware design, but to also adapt that to our software? So everything feels holistic. And then, how can we make our technology more useful? We have the Glyph interface on the back that looks quite nice, quite interesting. But we’ve got a lot of feedback that it wasn’t that functional. How can we build more and more functionality that’s actually usable?
In this case, you adopted a technology specifically for design reasons and then started looking for use cases?
It’s a mix, because we had a roadmap for features of the Glyph interface. But that roadmap has been executed on very slowly, because we didn’t have the engineering needed.
How big is the team now?
We’re 410. Still very small.
How many are in engineering?
Probably 350.
The vast majority.
Yeah, unfortunately, the smartphone is a very complicated product, so you need a lot of engineers.
What can you tell me about the Phone (2)?
We’re going to be using the [Snapdragon] 8 series. Earlier, I said it was going to be a premium device. But we’ve never officially acknowledged whether it’s Qualcomm or MediaTek.
Was that ever up for debate? MediaTek is good, but Snapdragon is the clear choice for most flagships.
Qualcomm has been a really good partner. From the very beginning, when we were starting the business, there was a chipset shortage, and they gave us allocation at a good price. Today it’s different. There’s now an abundance of chipsets in the market, but they’ve been a strong supplier. And their product’s not bad, so we never really considered another option, especially for a more premium device.
Is there anything else you can share on the Nothing (2) front?
We’ll have a much stronger focus on software. With our engineering in-house, there’s a lot more we can do. We have a more robust roadmap, both in terms of design and how we can make it more useful.
Given the amount of time and money that went into R&D, will the design be similar to the Nothing (1)?
In terms of cost it will probably be similar.
And in terms of design language?
That I can’t really comment on.
How did the beta go in the U.S.?
It went very well. We’ve done over 2,000 already. We shut it down. It’s enough to get feedback for the beta. I think we did 2,500 before we closed it and it’s not even a new phone.
It’s half a year old, but it’s been much harder to get in the U.S.
Yeah, but it doesn’t really support all the bands in the U.S., either. So you sometimes get 4G, or sometimes you get no signal.
A limited release like that does serve the purpose of drumming up excitement. But given that the phone was already released in other parts of the world, what’s the purpose of the beta in the U.S.? Is it different from the feedback you get in Europe?
We wanted more users to give feedback, and U.S., Europe and India users are different. I think the U.S. consumer is more focused on the experience, whereas Indian consumers more focus on the functionality, the feature set and the specs.
Image Credits: Brian Heater
What’s the difference between experience and functionality?
U.S. users would be able to talk about user experience bugs, or what didn’t work, versus “Hey, why don’t we have this thing?”
Why didn’t it launch in the U.S.?
Engineering resources.
For the bands?
Okay, actually, two reasons. One is to add additional bands in the U.S. [but that] increases the cost of the product for all our regions around the world because we have a single SKU. So if we add everything we needed for the product, it became more expensive in Europe and India as well, but they had no benefit. And the second is our internal engineering. We just didn’t have enough engineering to support the different certifications that we needed to deal with some of the carriers.
Are the bands similar in India and the U.K.?
Yeah, basically.
India is a huge market — the number two in the world. Is that why it was one of your first countries?
There was a strong affinity for OnePlus in India. From a consumer side, we knew there was interest in what we were going to build, and from the partner side, from the sales channel side, they believe in our team based on what we did in the past, so they will support us again on this new journey.
I see a good long-term potential, yeah. And then the market this year, India’s economy is going to grow by 6%. And a lot of economies are shrinking. They still have a lot of growth ahead of them as a nation. And also they have a very young population, and I think the middle class . . . will keep growing in size, whereas maybe in Europe, it will decrease in size.
Apple and others focus their budget devices on the Indian market. Did you consider doing a second variant?
We did but I think that’s the easy way, but it also has long-term negative repercussions. For yourself as a company, if consumers only buy you because you’re cheap, then what’s your business model? A company needs to be profitable. So if you’re cheap today, then tomorrow somebody else can be even cheaper. And then this is like the fight for whoever makes the least amount of money or even loses money. So I think we’re taking a much more difficult route; we need to make our products different. And we need to create things that are useful for the customer. And we’ll know if it’s useful if they want to pay for it. It’ll be slower this way, but I think we’ll have a much stronger brand and much stronger product in the long-term if we do this, and also a healthier company, in terms of profitability.
Do you have any operations in India?
We have manufacturing in India. About half of the phones are made in India, and half in China. We’re building a manufacturing team in India to manage the factory. We have sales and marketing over there. And we have testing for some of our software and aftersales.
The U.S. is looking to move more U.S. product manufacturing back to its own market. Is that something you would pursue at some point as a U.K. company, manufacturing in the U.K.?
Probably not. I think this would need government policy support, and I don’t think the U.K. government has a plan there.
The U.S. seems to be injecting a ton of money into that.
I think India has a Made in India program, and the Middle East is starting to look at how they can diversify away from oil. I don’t think Europe in general has a plan for where they’re going.
Pricing is obviously a big part of it. I see companies moving from Shenzhen to Vietnam or Mexico.
I think the U.S. is not that expensive. Real estate for manufacturing is cheap compared to other places. The labor cost is higher, but the efficiency is also higher. So it kind of evens out.
How aggressively are you looking at APAC?
I think the China market is very competitive in an unhealthy way, as in it’s like a race to the bottom who can deliver the most amount of specs and features at the lowest possible price. And I think a majority are losing money in China.
And you’d be competing with these huge companies with so many resources.
I think, long-term, all the companies will become rational. When people are rational, we can consider entering the market. But it’s very irrational now. And also, if you want to operate in China, you need to have another software team because Google services are not there, so you need to build your own services. We just can’t think about all those things right now.
Image Credits: Brian Heater
What does your roadmap look like? OnePlus started small and has gradually grown its scope. Are you looking to ramp up the product release cadence for Nothing, too?
Not very aggressively, because we want to create iconic products, and we want to support the products well, in terms of software. If you make like 10 or 20 phones a year, then it’s really hard to provide that level of support. It’s almost like you get a round of consumer interest for every new product. Like that always comes. So it’s kind of like a drug that you’re addicted to. You want to keep releasing stuff. But I think if you take the harder route, the more healthy route, they really figure out the product itself.
Phone-wise, a yearly cadence makes sense.
I can’t really comment on that right now. But I think if you look at the Phone (1), there’s actually still a sustained level of consumer interest, half a year after the launch. That’s becoming more and more rare in this industry.
Any new product categories this year?
Yes.
Nothing’s Phone (2) will run on Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 series by Brian Heater originally published on TechCrunch
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International
Red Candle In The Wind
Red Candle In The Wind
By Benjamin PIcton of Rabobank
February non-farm payrolls superficially exceeded market expectations on Friday by…
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By Benjamin PIcton of Rabobank
February non-farm payrolls superficially exceeded market expectations on Friday by printing at 275,000 against a consensus call of 200,000. We say superficially, because the downward revisions to prior months totalled 167,000 for December and January, taking the total change in employed persons well below the implied forecast, and helping the unemployment rate to pop two-ticks to 3.9%. The U6 underemployment rate also rose from 7.2% to 7.3%, while average hourly earnings growth fell to 0.2% m-o-m and average weekly hours worked languished at 34.3, equalling pre-pandemic lows.
Undeterred by the devil in the detail, the algos sprang into action once exchanges opened. Market darling NVIDIA hit a new intraday high of $974 before (presumably) the humans took over and sold the stock down more than 10% to close at $875.28. If our suspicions are correct that it was the AIs buying before the humans started selling (no doubt triggering trailing stops on the way down), the irony is not lost on us.
The 1-day chart for NVIDIA now makes for interesting viewing, because the red candle posted on Friday presents quite a strong bearish engulfing signal. Volume traded on the day was almost double the 15-day simple moving average, and similar price action is observable on the 1-day charts for both Intel and AMD. Regular readers will be aware that we have expressed incredulity in the past about the durability the AI thematic melt-up, so it will be interesting to see whether Friday’s sell off is just a profit-taking blip, or a genuine trend reversal.
AI equities aside, this week ought to be important for markets because the BTFP program expires today. That means that the Fed will no longer be loaning cash to the banking system in exchange for collateral pledged at-par. The KBW Regional Banking index has so far taken this in its stride and is trading 30% above the lows established during the mini banking crisis of this time last year, but the Fed’s liquidity facility was effectively an exercise in can-kicking that makes regional banks a sector of the market worth paying attention to in the weeks ahead. Even here in Sydney, regulators are warning of external risks posed to the banking sector from scheduled refinancing of commercial real estate loans following sharp falls in valuations.
Markets are sending signals in other sectors, too. Gold closed at a new record-high of $2178/oz on Friday after trading above $2200/oz briefly. Gold has been going ballistic since the Friday before last, posting gains even on days where 2-year Treasury yields have risen. Gold bugs are buying as real yields fall from the October highs and inflation breakevens creep higher. This is particularly interesting as gold ETFs have been recording net outflows; suggesting that price gains aren’t being driven by a retail pile-in. Are gold buyers now betting on a stagflationary outcome where the Fed cuts without inflation being anchored at the 2% target? The price action around the US CPI release tomorrow ought to be illuminating.
Leaving the day-to-day movements to one side, we are also seeing further signs of structural change at the macro level. The UK budget last week included a provision for the creation of a British ISA. That is, an Individual Savings Account that provides tax breaks to savers who invest their money in the stock of British companies. This follows moves last year to encourage pension funds to head up the risk curve by allocating 5% of their capital to unlisted investments.
As a Hail Mary option for a government cruising toward an electoral drubbing it’s a curious choice, but it’s worth highlighting as cash-strapped governments increasingly see private savings pools as a funding solution for their spending priorities.
Of course, the UK is not alone in making creeping moves towards financial repression. In contrast to announcements today of increased trade liberalisation, Australian Treasurer Jim Chalmers has in the recent past flagged his interest in tapping private pension savings to fund state spending priorities, including defence, public housing and renewable energy projects. Both the UK and Australia appear intent on finding ways to open up the lungs of their economies, but government wants more say in directing private capital flows for state goals.
So, how far is the blurring of the lines between free markets and state planning likely to go? Given the immense and varied budgetary (and security) pressures that governments are facing, could we see a re-up of WWII-era Victory bonds, where private investors are encouraged to do their patriotic duty by directly financing government at negative real rates?
That would really light a fire under the gold market.
Government
Trump “Clearly Hasn’t Learned From His COVID-Era Mistakes”, RFK Jr. Says
Trump "Clearly Hasn’t Learned From His COVID-Era Mistakes", RFK Jr. Says
Authored by Jeff Louderback via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),
President…
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Authored by Jeff Louderback via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),
President Joe Biden claimed that COVID vaccines are now helping cancer patients during his State of the Union address on March 7, but it was a response on Truth Social from former President Donald Trump that drew the ire of independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
During the address, President Biden said: “The pandemic no longer controls our lives. The vaccines that saved us from COVID are now being used to help beat cancer, turning setback into comeback. That’s what America does.”
President Trump wrote: “The Pandemic no longer controls our lives. The VACCINES that saved us from COVID are now being used to help beat cancer—turning setback into comeback. YOU’RE WELCOME JOE. NINE-MONTH APPROVAL TIME VS. 12 YEARS THAT IT WOULD HAVE TAKEN YOU.”
An outspoken critic of President Trump’s COVID response, and the Operation Warp Speed program that escalated the availability of COVID vaccines, Mr. Kennedy said on X, formerly known as Twitter, that “Donald Trump clearly hasn’t learned from his COVID-era mistakes.”
“He fails to recognize how ineffective his warp speed vaccine is as the ninth shot is being recommended to seniors. Even more troubling is the documented harm being caused by the shot to so many innocent children and adults who are suffering myocarditis, pericarditis, and brain inflammation,” Mr. Kennedy remarked.
“This has been confirmed by a CDC-funded study of 99 million people. Instead of bragging about its speedy approval, we should be honestly and transparently debating the abundant evidence that this vaccine may have caused more harm than good.
“I look forward to debating both Trump and Biden on Sept. 16 in San Marcos, Texas.”
Mr. Kennedy announced in April 2023 that he would challenge President Biden for the 2024 Democratic Party presidential nomination before declaring his run as an independent last October, claiming that the Democrat National Committee was “rigging the primary.”
Since the early stages of his campaign, Mr. Kennedy has generated more support than pundits expected from conservatives, moderates, and independents resulting in speculation that he could take votes away from President Trump.
Many Republicans continue to seek a reckoning over the government-imposed pandemic lockdowns and vaccine mandates.
President Trump’s defense of Operation Warp Speed, the program he rolled out in May 2020 to spur the development and distribution of COVID-19 vaccines amid the pandemic, remains a sticking point for some of his supporters.
Operation Warp Speed featured a partnership between the government, the military, and the private sector, with the government paying for millions of vaccine doses to be produced.
President Trump released a statement in March 2021 saying: “I hope everyone remembers when they’re getting the COVID-19 Vaccine, that if I wasn’t President, you wouldn’t be getting that beautiful ‘shot’ for 5 years, at best, and probably wouldn’t be getting it at all. I hope everyone remembers!”
President Trump said about the COVID-19 vaccine in an interview on Fox News in March 2021: “It works incredibly well. Ninety-five percent, maybe even more than that. I would recommend it, and I would recommend it to a lot of people that don’t want to get it and a lot of those people voted for me, frankly.
“But again, we have our freedoms and we have to live by that and I agree with that also. But it’s a great vaccine, it’s a safe vaccine, and it’s something that works.”
On many occasions, President Trump has said that he is not in favor of vaccine mandates.
An environmental attorney, Mr. Kennedy founded Children’s Health Defense, a nonprofit that aims to end childhood health epidemics by promoting vaccine safeguards, among other initiatives.
Last year, Mr. Kennedy told podcaster Joe Rogan that ivermectin was suppressed by the FDA so that the COVID-19 vaccines could be granted emergency use authorization.
He has criticized Big Pharma, vaccine safety, and government mandates for years.
Since launching his presidential campaign, Mr. Kennedy has made his stances on the COVID-19 vaccines, and vaccines in general, a frequent talking point.
“I would argue that the science is very clear right now that they [vaccines] caused a lot more problems than they averted,” Mr. Kennedy said on Piers Morgan Uncensored last April.
“And if you look at the countries that did not vaccinate, they had the lowest death rates, they had the lowest COVID and infection rates.”
Additional data show a “direct correlation” between excess deaths and high vaccination rates in developed countries, he said.
President Trump and Mr. Kennedy have similar views on topics like protecting the U.S.-Mexico border and ending the Russia-Ukraine war.
COVID-19 is the topic where Mr. Kennedy and President Trump seem to differ the most.
Former President Donald Trump intended to “drain the swamp” when he took office in 2017, but he was “intimidated by bureaucrats” at federal agencies and did not accomplish that objective, Mr. Kennedy said on Feb. 5.
Speaking at a voter rally in Tucson, where he collected signatures to get on the Arizona ballot, the independent presidential candidate said President Trump was “earnest” when he vowed to “drain the swamp,” but it was “business as usual” during his term.
John Bolton, who President Trump appointed as a national security adviser, is “the template for a swamp creature,” Mr. Kennedy said.
Scott Gottlieb, who President Trump named to run the FDA, “was Pfizer’s business partner” and eventually returned to Pfizer, Mr. Kennedy said.
Mr. Kennedy said that President Trump had more lobbyists running federal agencies than any president in U.S. history.
“You can’t reform them when you’ve got the swamp creatures running them, and I’m not going to do that. I’m going to do something different,” Mr. Kennedy said.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, President Trump “did not ask the questions that he should have,” he believes.
President Trump “knew that lockdowns were wrong” and then “agreed to lockdowns,” Mr. Kennedy said.
He also “knew that hydroxychloroquine worked, he said it,” Mr. Kennedy explained, adding that he was eventually “rolled over” by Dr. Anthony Fauci and his advisers.
MaryJo Perry, a longtime advocate for vaccine choice and a Trump supporter, thinks votes will be at a premium come Election Day, particularly because the independent and third-party field is becoming more competitive.
Ms. Perry, president of Mississippi Parents for Vaccine Rights, believes advocates for medical freedom could determine who is ultimately president.
She believes that Mr. Kennedy is “pulling votes from Trump” because of the former president’s stance on the vaccines.
“People care about medical freedom. It’s an important issue here in Mississippi, and across the country,” Ms. Perry told The Epoch Times.
“Trump should admit he was wrong about Operation Warp Speed and that COVID vaccines have been dangerous. That would make a difference among people he has offended.”
President Trump won’t lose enough votes to Mr. Kennedy about Operation Warp Speed and COVID vaccines to have a significant impact on the election, Ohio Republican strategist Wes Farno told The Epoch Times.
President Trump won in Ohio by eight percentage points in both 2016 and 2020. The Ohio Republican Party endorsed President Trump for the nomination in 2024.
“The positives of a Trump presidency far outweigh the negatives,” Mr. Farno said. “People are more concerned about their wallet and the economy.
“They are asking themselves if they were better off during President Trump’s term compared to since President Biden took office. The answer to that question is obvious because many Americans are struggling to afford groceries, gas, mortgages, and rent payments.
“America needs President Trump.”
Multiple national polls back Mr. Farno’s view.
As of March 6, the RealClearPolitics average of polls indicates that President Trump has 41.8 percent support in a five-way race that includes President Biden (38.4 percent), Mr. Kennedy (12.7 percent), independent Cornel West (2.6 percent), and Green Party nominee Jill Stein (1.7 percent).
A Pew Research Center study conducted among 10,133 U.S. adults from Feb. 7 to Feb. 11 showed that Democrats and Democrat-leaning independents (42 percent) are more likely than Republicans and GOP-leaning independents (15 percent) to say they have received an updated COVID vaccine.
The poll also reported that just 28 percent of adults say they have received the updated COVID inoculation.
The peer-reviewed multinational study of more than 99 million vaccinated people that Mr. Kennedy referenced in his X post on March 7 was published in the Vaccine journal on Feb. 12.
It aimed to evaluate the risk of 13 adverse events of special interest (AESI) following COVID-19 vaccination. The AESIs spanned three categories—neurological, hematologic (blood), and cardiovascular.
The study reviewed data collected from more than 99 million vaccinated people from eight nations—Argentina, Australia, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, New Zealand, and Scotland—looking at risks up to 42 days after getting the shots.
Three vaccines—Pfizer and Moderna’s mRNA vaccines as well as AstraZeneca’s viral vector jab—were examined in the study.
Researchers found higher-than-expected cases that they deemed met the threshold to be potential safety signals for multiple AESIs, including for Guillain-Barre syndrome (GBS), cerebral venous sinus thrombosis (CVST), myocarditis, and pericarditis.
A safety signal refers to information that could suggest a potential risk or harm that may be associated with a medical product.
The study identified higher incidences of neurological, cardiovascular, and blood disorder complications than what the researchers expected.
President Trump’s role in Operation Warp Speed, and his continued praise of the COVID vaccine, remains a concern for some voters, including those who still support him.
Krista Cobb is a 40-year-old mother in western Ohio. She voted for President Trump in 2020 and said she would cast her vote for him this November, but she was stunned when she saw his response to President Biden about the COVID-19 vaccine during the State of the Union address.
“I love President Trump and support his policies, but at this point, he has to know they [advisers and health officials] lied about the shot,” Ms. Cobb told The Epoch Times.
“If he continues to promote it, especially after all of the hearings they’ve had about it in Congress, the side effects, and cover-ups on Capitol Hill, at what point does he become the same as the people who have lied?” Ms. Cobb added.
“I think he should distance himself from talk about Operation Warp Speed and even admit that he was wrong—that the vaccines have not had the impact he was told they would have. If he did that, people would respect him even more.”
International
There will soon be one million seats on this popular Amtrak route
“More people are taking the train than ever before,” says Amtrak’s Executive Vice President.
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While the size of the United States makes it hard for it to compete with the inter-city train access available in places like Japan and many European countries, Amtrak trains are a very popular transportation option in certain pockets of the country — so much so that the country’s national railway company is expanding its Northeast Corridor by more than one million seats.
Related: This is what it's like to take a 19-hour train from New York to Chicago
Running from Boston all the way south to Washington, D.C., the route is one of the most popular as it passes through the most densely populated part of the country and serves as a commuter train for those who need to go between East Coast cities such as New York and Philadelphia for business.
Veronika Bondarenko
Amtrak launches new routes, promises travelers ‘additional travel options’
Earlier this month, Amtrak announced that it was adding four additional Northeastern routes to its schedule — two more routes between New York’s Penn Station and Union Station in Washington, D.C. on the weekend, a new early-morning weekday route between New York and Philadelphia’s William H. Gray III 30th Street Station and a weekend route between Philadelphia and Boston’s South Station.
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According to Amtrak, these additions will increase Northeast Corridor’s service by 20% on the weekdays and 10% on the weekends for a total of one million additional seats when counted by how many will ride the corridor over the year.
“More people are taking the train than ever before and we’re proud to offer our customers additional travel options when they ride with us on the Northeast Regional,” Amtrak Executive Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer Eliot Hamlisch said in a statement on the new routes. “The Northeast Regional gets you where you want to go comfortably, conveniently and sustainably as you breeze past traffic on I-95 for a more enjoyable travel experience.”
Here are some of the other Amtrak changes you can expect to see
Amtrak also said that, in the 2023 financial year, the Northeast Corridor had nearly 9.2 million riders — 8% more than it had pre-pandemic and a 29% increase from 2022. The higher demand, particularly during both off-peak hours and the time when many business travelers use to get to work, is pushing Amtrak to invest into this corridor in particular.
To reach more customers, Amtrak has also made several changes to both its routes and pricing system. In the fall of 2023, it introduced a type of new “Night Owl Fare” — if traveling during very late or very early hours, one can go between cities like New York and Philadelphia or Philadelphia and Washington. D.C. for $5 to $15.
As travel on the same routes during peak hours can reach as much as $300, this was a deliberate move to reach those who have the flexibility of time and might have otherwise preferred more affordable methods of transportation such as the bus. After seeing strong uptake, Amtrak added this type of fare to more Boston routes.
The largest distances, such as the ones between Boston and New York or New York and Washington, are available at the lowest rate for $20.
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Uncategorized3 weeks agoAll Of The Elements Are In Place For An Economic Crisis Of Staggering Proportions
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Uncategorized3 weeks agoCalifornia Counties Could Be Forced To Pay $300 Million To Cover COVID-Era Program
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International4 days agoEyePoint poaches medical chief from Apellis; Sandoz CFO, longtime BioNTech exec to retire
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Uncategorized2 weeks agoApparel Retailer Express Moving Toward Bankruptcy
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Uncategorized4 weeks agoIndustrial Production Decreased 0.1% in January
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International3 days agoWalmart launches clever answer to Target’s new membership program
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Uncategorized3 weeks agoRFK Jr: The Wuhan Cover-Up & The Rise Of The Biowarfare-Industrial Complex
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Uncategorized3 weeks agoGOP Efforts To Shore Up Election Security In Swing States Face Challenges