WASHINGTON — An Amtrak train left a large number of passengers behind when it departed Washington Union Station for New York on Dec. 26, the Washington Post reports, reportedly after doors to the station platform were never opened to allow customers to board.
A passenger posted on the social network Reddit that passengers received a message at 9:40 p.m. that it was time to board the 10 p.m. train from Roanoke, Va., to New York — the last Northeast Regional train of the night — but people were still waiting for the gate to open when they received word the train had left at 10:15. An Amtrak employee eventually told them the train had left because no one had come to the platform to board. The poster indicated an Amtrak employee said 110 people were affected.
The Post said it had contacted the passenger, who had provided a copy of his ticket but declined to speak on the record. Amtrak spokeswoman Kimberly Woods confirmed in a statement that the train had departed “before all passengers were able to board,” and said “Amtrak sincerely apologizes for the miscommunication that resulted in customers missing their train. We provided customers service on the next train, food and beverages, hotel accommodations, and full refunds.”
In a followup, the Reddit poster said “ticket agents were more than accommodating” in rebooking onto an Acela the next morning. The individual confirmed receiving a ticket refund and “a healthy amount in Amtrak credit.”
Amtrak took over management of Washington Union Station earlier this year and said it planned to introduce “modified boarding procedures to reduce congestion” [see “Amtrak begins management …,” Trains News Wire, July 30, 2024]. The long lines of the boarding process have long been an issue with passengers.
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