NORFOLK, Va. — This week is one of the busiest travel periods for people across the country and Hampton Roads as families reunite for the Thanksgiving holiday.
Travelers are heading out by plane, car, and train, although there were no long lines or big delays at the Amtrak Train Station in Norfolk.
Quangie Vallesteros was dropping a friend off for her trip.
“Yes, it is a quiet day,” she said.
For those who decided to travel by rail this Thanksgiving, they say it’s a strategic choice.
“Anytime I try to take a plane out from Norfolk it either gets delayed or canceled,” Saniyah Greene said. “So that’s why I’m taking a train now because I want to go back home to Boston without a canceled flight and crying in the airport.”
It did get busy at the rail station in the morning: almost 600 people traveled through this station, alone, according to an Amtrak employee. He said trains left around 6 a.m., 9 a.m., and 1 p.m. with more than 200 people per train.
Rail travelers say it’s an easier process than heading home by plane and running into potential delays and cancellations that can sometimes come with Thanksgiving flights.
“Delays, lines, and you gotta go through too much that you may miss your flight, even if you get there on time,” traveler Derrick Carr said.
Trains are arriving in Norfolk tonight around 5 p.m., 7 p.m., and 10:30 p.m. - each with around 200 people on board, according to the Amtrak employee.
Meanwhile, Wednesday is expected to be one of the busiest travel days for airports across the country. AAA expects 4.7 million people will fly over Thanksgiving. When it comes to the roadways - it’s much higher: AAA expects more than 49 million people to drive this holiday.