WASHINGTON – With a new normal, comes a new way for consumers to travel – and with that new travel comes new standards to uphold. With a full-time medical director and public health and safety team, Amtrak has studied, analyzed and made improvements to the Amtrak travel experience – from beginning to end.
With enhanced safety and cleaning measures that keeps customers and employees top of mind, we are delivering a new standard of travel. Here are five helpful tips to keep in mind when preparing for your next Amtrak trip:
- The Amtrak app is your friend – Whether you’ve always had the app or never used it, there’s something for everyone. To make trips contactless and encourage physical distancing at stations, Amtrak encourages boarding with eTickets, which conductors scan from the Amtrak app. To reduce crowds at departure boards, Amtrak app users can now receive gate and track information via push notification at select stations.
- Find the best seat in the house – We are limiting bookings on most trains to allow for more physical distancing in seating areas. Individuals traveling alone may use the seat next to them for personal belongings, while friends and family members will easily find seats together. Likewise, private rooms, offered on many routes across the country, provide the perfect option for customers seeking privacy and space on a short trip and added comfort and amenities when traveling overnight.
- Face coverings required – To ensure everyone’s safety, Amtrak is requiring that all customers and employees in stations, on trains and Thruway Buses wear facial coverings throughout their trip. Face masks can be removed when customers are in their private rooms.
- Expect a clean scene – In addition to following industry recommendations for deep cleaning and sanitizing of its trains prior to, during and after service, all of our trains are equipped with onboard filtration systems with a fresh air exchange rate every 4-5 minutes. We’ve also removed all non-safety materials from seatback pockets to reduce exposure and will be installing hand sanitizer dispenses in café cars.
- You don’t have to watch what you eat – The onboard dining experience has been re-envisioned all in the name of safety. Signage, protective plastic barriers and markers leading up to café counters are being added to promote physical distancing and hand sanitizer dispensers are being installed for customer use. We are also streamlining our onboard food and beverage services–temporarily offering café service as carryout only and flexible dining service on long distance routes (with the exception of the Auto Train). While customers in private rooms are encouraged to opt for complimentary room service, dining and lounge seating will remain available on select long distance routes with physical distancing protocols in place.
Amtrak continues to evaluate current practices and launch new initiatives to support personal safety. For more information, follow Amtrak on social media, sign up for Amtrak Guest Rewards and visit Amtrak.com/coronavirus to stay updated on the latest news and important information on our services.
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