Reserved Keystones for Christmas?

[Train2104]

I was playing around with the website to see what schedule will be operated the next few days, and I noticed that the following Keystones are showing reserved seats (HAR-PHL test pair):

• Christmas Day: 660, 672, 663, 669
• 12/26: 662, 670, 672, 663, 665, 669

I was under the impression that Keystone reservations were for Thanksgiving only? Is this new?

 

[BCL]

I rode on Keystone about a year and a half ago, and definitely not in a holiday period. I still have the eTicket as a pass on iOS Passbook. It says NYP-EXT, Reserved Coach. I asked what this meant, and it was that a ticket is only good on a specific train, unlike unreserved routes where the ticket is still valid.

Of course it could theoretically be overbooked if there are enough multi-ride tickets used.

I'm looking up what it says for the middle of January, and it's reserved coach.

 

[BCL]

I'm also seeing a solid "sold out" for unreserved coach well into Feb.

 

[PRR 60]

I rode on Keystone about a year and a half ago, and definitely not in a holiday period. I still have the eTicket as a pass on iOS Passbook. It says NYP-EXT, Reserved Coach. I asked what this meant, and it was that a ticket is only good on a specific train, unlike unreserved routes where the ticket is still valid.

Of course it could theoretically be overbooked if there are enough multi-ride tickets used.

I'm looking up what it says for the middle of January, and it's reserved coach.

All the Keystones are reserved for travel to and from points north of Philadelphia. The Keystones are unreserved for travel between Harrisburg and Philadelphia. Since your trip originated north of Philadelphia, it was a reserved seat. Board that same train at PHL for Exton, and it is unreserved. I also don't see a booking issue with the Keystones. January and February are wide open both with the unreserved travel, and with reserved travel to and from points north of PHL.

The Keystones west of PHL are only reserved during Thanksgiving week. I can't recall that also applying to the Christmas period as well, but as the OP mention, some of the trains do show reserved seating this year. It seems like a new wrinkle to me.

 

[Barciur]

They also put out an advisory on the website about travel being reserved on the Keystones for the certain days, but no such advisory now. Weird...

 

[Barciur]

Still seems to be the deal. New Year's day, LNC to PHL:

Some are reserved, some are not.

Also, this was the first year I've ever seen $21 on that route on the holidays. Thanksgiving earlier and now for Christmas. Never used to go above $19, this year all of them were $19 (peak fare) by default and some even on $21.