Ms. Primus, returning from Ridgeland, S.C., said her bus was supposed to reach Augusta at 1:30 a.m. Monday, but instead she arrived about 3 p.m. She usually travels by bus with her 5-year-old daughter to various destinations twice a month. And though she's never taken a train before, she says she's in favor of anything that could speed up her trips.

Amtrak announced Monday that at 4 p.m. Jan. 14, it will begin offering express bus service to Savannah as part of the rail company's Thruway Service.

The new program will give travelers access to coordinated train and bus connections from Augusta to any city Amtrak serves. The Savannah train station is part of Amtrak's East Coast passenger rail route, which travels between New York and Miami.

Although passengers can currently take a Greyhound bus to the Columbia train station, there are no direct routes between the two cities.

"That's why a lot of people don't use the train," Ms. Primus said.

But just as airfare tends to be more expensive in less competitive markets, the cost of train tickets depends on the city and the service, said Amtrak spokesman Kevin Johnson.

Asked what an average ticket from Augusta to a major city along the East Coast would cost, Mr. Johnson said he didn't have "a hard and fast answer."

Based on fares quoted by an Amtrak sales representative Monday evening, a ticket from Augusta to Washington costs nearly twice as much as the same trip from Columbia.

Mayor Bob Young said he is optimistic that existing bus service will improve the city's chances of bringing an Amtrak train directly into the city.

"These are good first steps to what we hope will one day become passenger rail service to Augusta," Mr. Young said. He has been working with Amtrak officials for the past six weeks to work out the Savannah route.

But Amtrak officials are quick to point out that bus service is not a guarantee for future passenger rail.

"We can't speculate," Mr. Johnson said.

"It's something we're always looking at," he said. "We're always willing to work with local communities and provide passenger rail service where it's logical and reasonable."

RESERVATIONS

To make a reservation with Amtrak beginning Monday, call (800) 872-7245.

SCHEDULE

Amtrak/Greyhound Thruway Service, which travels from Augusta's bus terminal on Greene Street to the Savannah train station, will run according to the following schedule:

From Augusta to Savannah