Amtrak and Coronavirus Safety

MaryO ♦ October 3, 2020 ♦ Leave a comment

Amtrak is leading the way by setting a new standard of travel with enhanced safety and cleaning measures. With a full-time medical director and public health and safety team who have been on the front lines throughout the COVID-19 outbreak, we have studied, analyzed and made improvements to the Amtrak travel experience – from beginning to end – for the safety and health of our people and travelers.

Ready to see how we’ve re-envisioned your ride? Watch Roger Harris, Amtrak Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing and Revenue Officer, explain how we have focused on making sure every step of your journey is safe and relaxing.

Transcript Intro: Hi – I’m Roger Harris, Executive Vice President, Chief Marketing and Revenue Officer at Amtrak. We have re-imagined every part of your experience to make travel safe and secure.

Using the Amtrak App: Our commitment to health and safety starts with the Amtrak app where you can book your ticket and view train capacity. If your train offers Reserved Seating, you can also make that selection here. Arrival Tips: Customers are encouraged to arrive 30 minutes before departure or 60 minutes if in need of ticketing or baggage assistance. You’ll receive an e-mail confirmation before your trip, highlighting reservation details and if you opt-in to trip notifications, you’ll also receive status updates.

Mask Policy: We all need to look out for each other. While in stations, onboard and in all public places, Amtrak requires customers and employees wear a face mask that fully covers the entire mouth and nose.

Station Safety Enhancements: We’re utilizing EPA-registered disinfectants and we’ve enhanced cleaning frequency of commonly used surfaces such as door handles, counter tops, seating areas and Quik-Trak kiosks. To reduce crowds, Amtrak app users who opt-in can now receive gate and track information via push notification at select stations.  We are also displaying physical distance stickers and signage throughout our stations, including seating and boarding areas.

New Onboarding Experience: There’s a new boarding process at our busiest stations to create safe spacing. Boarding times have been extended to provide plenty of time for customers to reach their seats. Our mask policy doesn’t change during the journey. All customers and employees must continue wearing a face covering or mask, unless they are in one of our private rooms. And if you’re riding on Acela, you now have peace of mind knowing passengers have a reserved seat. Use the platform floor signs to locate the best door to enter when the train arrives.

Remaining Contact-Free Onboard: Feel free to press the “automatic door open” button with your foot when moving between cars for a contact-free travel experience. We are limiting bookings on most trains to promote physical distancing. Individuals may use the seat next to them for personal belongings, while friends and family will easily find seats together. Continuing the contact-free experience, we recommend using eTickets, which conductors can scan from your device. In addition to deep cleaning and sanitizing, all of our trains are equipped with onboard filtration systems with a fresh air exchange rate every 4-5 minutes.

Café Car Enhancements: In the café car, signage, protective plastic barriers, hand sanitizer dispensers and markers leading to the counter promote physical distancing. We are also temporarily offering café service as carryout only. Disembarking Safely When the train is approaching your stop, conductors will make announcements regarding where and when to disembark to minimize door crowding.

Conclusion: Leveraging our full-time medical director, CDC guidance, and public health and safety experts, we continue to assess and improve our procedures so that you can travel with us safely.

For more information, download the Amtrak app, visit Amtrak.com/coronavirus, join Amtrak Guest Rewards and follow us on social media.

Thank you for joining us.