WASHINGTON – U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth and two other members of the Illinois congressional delegation have sent Amtrak CEO Richard Anderson a letter expressing their unhappiness over the recent incident in which passengers using wheelchairs were quoted a price of $25,000 to travel from Chicago to Bloomington, Ill.
Amtrak, which initially stood by that price as the cost of modifying equipment to accommodate extra wheelchair passengers, subsequently reversed course and accommodated the passengers at no additional charge. [See “Amtrak backs away from $25,000 charge, will carry Illinois passengers in wheelchairs at regular price,” Trains News Wire, Jan. 21, 2020]. At the time, Duckworth — a U.S. Army veteran who lost both legs during service in Iraq — commented about the situation on Twitter and asked for a meeting with Anderson.
In the letter sent Monday, Sens. Duckworth and Dick Durbin and Rep. Jesus Garcia, all Democrats, wrote, “The time has come for Amtrak to hold itself accountable for making intercity passenger rail readily accessible to all Americans. … Amtrak’s decision to shift accommodation costs onto disabled commuters undermined trust with loyal customers and damaged the Corporation’s brand.” While acknowledging support of Amtrak’s reconsideration of its initial stance, the letter adds, “We hope that this unfortunate incident will serve as a turning point in the long-standing effort to make sure Amtrak customers with disabilities can travel as seamlessly as any other passenger on the national network.”
The full letter is available here.
