Amtrak ridership continues its peak during this years Thanksgiving weekend with trains across the county and some Missouri sold out.

Traditionally, the day before Thanksgiving is the busiest day.  That trend is shifting though to the Tuesday before and the Sunday after.

This year is the first time e-tickets are available, which people can use on their smart phones, scanning them to board the train.

Amtrak is adding extra cars on some routes and adding more back-and-forth trips in some areas to accommodate the extra travelers. He says the week will be one of sold-out trips for Amtrak.

Those on overnight trips will see a few special menu items on the dining car — turkey, cranberry sauce and pecan pie with maple sauce.

Although gas prices are low right now, Amtrak ticket prices are more predictable year round. He says passengers can purchase tickets nearly a year in advance, locking in the set price for the trip so there are no surprises.

And he says a lot of passengers are happy to avoid the congested roadways during the weeks of Thanksgiving and Christmas.