As Americans nationwide prepare to gather with friends and family for Thanksgiving this year – for some, for the first time since the start of the pandemic – airlines and railroads across the country are also readying for a massive influx of travelers, with Amtrak predicting passenger levels will reach 80% of its pre-pandemic rates.

But this encouraging rebound is just the start of what could be a bright new era for the nation’s largest rail system.

Thanksgiving week is “always our busiest week every year,” Amtrak President Stephen Gardner told Spectrum News in an interview Monday.

Already, he said, Amtrak’s ridership has been on the rise, returning to 75% of pre-pandemic levels in recent weeks. “We’ve really come back since the start of the pandemic,” Gardner said.

“As vaccination rates go up, and as vaccines are now available for children, people are feeling more confident about traveling again.”

But the uptick in rail travel comes as Amtrak is also slated to receive more than $60 billion in funds from Biden’s newly signed infrastructure bill – a historic investment that officials predict will drive ridership even higher.

The infrastructure bill signed into law last week provides Amtrak with an initial payment of $22 billion to replace its existing rail car fleet, improve its train stations, and reduce a backlog in repairs.

Eventually, the national rail operator will also have access to an additional $44 billion in federal grants for rail expansion projects, including ambitious plans to expand its service to dozens of new cities nationwide.

“Of course, we need to replace all the assets that are old and are ready for replacement,” Gardner said. “Then, we are going to partner with our states; partner with the Department of Transportation to find those improvement and expansion opportunities.”

The initial $22 billion in funds will also help modernize Amtrak's highly trafficked Northeast Corridor, cutting down travel time by up to 30 minutes for passengers traveling between Washington, Philadelphia, New York, and Boston.

It’s unclear how long this work will take, though Gardner said passengers will see improvements — and faster travel times— “incrementally,” as various projects are completed.

“We are expecting better performance from the trains over time,” he said.

Amtrak’s work on the Northeast Corridor alone includes rebuilding or replacing more than a dozen aging tunnels and bridges, including the replacement of a 100-year-old tunnel beneath the Hudson River, which sees an average of 400 trains per day.

“This is just a down payment, really, to catch up on the decades of under investment,” Gardner of the funds provided by the infrastructure package.

Amtrak estimates it will begin introducing the new rail cars into its fleet by 2025. And by 2031, Amtrak said it plans to have replaced nearly 40% of its current rail cars.

The new Acela trains “will be going 160 miles an hour,” Gardner said. “That is a little faster than the current Acelas.”

But new rail cars alone are not the key to more efficient passenger travel. Gardner stressed that the biggest improvements lay in making critical along the length of the railroad: upgrading old tracks on the line, for one, and replacing infrastructure, such as roads or bridges, that could be contributing to delays.

“We’re really overcoming decades of underinvestment … We’re not going to fix that overnight,” Gardner said. “So it's a combination [of projects]: some things can happen sooner; some things will take more time.”

“What's important for us is that we get a great plan and we get all these things started because rail has to do a lot more,” he added. “In this century, if we're going to address climate change, we're going to create mobility that really serves all Americans, and helps advance economic progress and opportunity, we need a more balanced transportation system. And rail is going to be a key part of that.”

In the second phase of the expansion plan, Amtrak would expand its existing service to other, underserved parts of the country.

Already, officials say they are eyeing several new routes, including corridors in Ohio and Texas that would connect three or four of the states’ largest cities, such as Dallas, Houston, San Antonio and Austin. One line under consideration would connect Los Angeles and Las Vegas; and another would link Atlanta to both Charlotte and Nashville.

“These upgrades will touch every part of the existing system,” Jim Matthews, executive director of the Rail Passengers Association, told The Washington Post in an interview earlier this month. “And we hope [it will] lay the foundation for dozens of new corridors across the U.S.”

“We are focused really on the future, putting together with our partners plans, that — whether it’s in five years or ten years — delivers a lot more options for passengers,” Gardner told Spectrum News.

Additional funds would be needed for Amtrak to fully implement the ambitious expansion plan, however — and it remains to be seen whether the next administration will be as eager to invest in rail travel as President Biden.

“There’s no question that the leadership of the president has been a huge asset to the company,” Gardner said. “But, I think there is strong support for infrastructure generally and for passenger rail specifically.”

With aging cars and not-infrequent delays, Amtrak's passengers have certainly endured a lot. But to some, the new investment offers an encouraging sign that better days — and more reliable service – are just down the track.

“It’s transformative,” Amtrak CEO William J. Flynn told The Washington Post. The new funds allocated to Amtrak, Flynn said, “[represent] more funds than have been cumulatively invested in Amtrak over the first 50 years of our history.”