Amtrak offers discounts to CIAA Tournament Fans

February 8, 2006

WASHINGTON - By making the right "traveling" call, hoops fans can save money and see some of the nation's most exciting basketball during the 61st Annual Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) Men's and Women's Basketball Tournament in Charlotte.

Amtrak is offering a 20% discount off the best available rail fare to students, alumni and fans for travel to Charlotte for an exciting tournament week of basketball, step shows, fashion shows, battles of the bands, concerts and many other tournament events during the week of February 27 through March 4, 2006.

The "SEE-I-double-A," as the tournament is widely known, is America's oldest historically black college athletic conference and is made up of 12 schools located along the Eastern Seaboard. The CIAA will be hosted for the first time at the new Bobcats Arena in Charlotte.

Amtrak tickets are on sale now and discounted travel to and from Charlotte is available from February 20 through March 13, 2006, by using Discount Code V657 on the Crescent (trains 19 & 20) with daily departures from New Orleans, Atlanta, Charlotte, Washington, New York and other cities; the Carolinian (trains 79 & 80), with departures from New York, Philadelphia, Washington, Richmond and 11 cities in North Carolina to Charlotte and the Piedmont (trains 73 & 74), with departures from Raleigh, N.C. and seven other North Carolina cities to Charlotte.

Discounted adult coach fares range from as low as $68.80 each way from New York City, from $51.20 each way from Washington, from $33.60 each way from Charlottesville, from $30.40 each way from Richmond, from $17.60 each way from Raleigh and from $11.20 each way from Greensboro, subject to availability.

Children ages two to 15 years old are half-fare when traveling with a paid adult and additional discounts are available based on age, disability and/or traveling as a group.