Dysfunction At Lancaster Station Threatens Region’s Reliable Transportation System
In Letter, Casey Calls on Amtrak to Outline a Plan to End Lockouts For Good
WASHINGTON, DC – Today, U.S. Senator Bob Casey (D-PA) called on Amtrak to immediately fix problems that led to riders being locked out of the train station earlier this week. This week’s lockout marked the third time this year that residents have been wrongly kept out of the station.
In a letter to Amtrak President and CEO Joseph Boardman, Senator Casey called on Amtrak to immediately review its procedures and outline a plan to ensure that Lancaster’s residents are no longer locked out from the station.
“Efficient and reliable transportation is essential to Lancaster’s economy, and the Amtrak station’s disorganization is harming the business commuters who rely on it,” Senator Casey said. “Amtrak needs to take immediate action to figure out why riders have been locked out 3 times this year and put in place measures that will ensure it doesn’t happen again.”
Residents were locked out of the Lancaster Amtrak station on Monday, causing them to unsafely cross the track instead of accessing the platforms through the station.
The full text of Senator Casey’s letter to Amtrak can be seen below:
Mr. Joseph Boardman
President and CEO
Amtrak
Dear Mr. Boardman:
I write to express my concern on behalf of my constituents who were locked out of the Lancaster Amtrak station yesterday.
Regular commuters and those who depend on Amtrak to deliver reliable service to travel to Philadelphia and its suburbs were unable to enter the station. Because the doors were locked, passengers were forced to walk across the tracks instead of safely accessing the platforms through the station. This put my constituents at risk and caused considerable apprehension among the group.
It is my understanding that this is the third time since October that Lancaster passengers have been locked out of the train station in the early morning due to staffing problems among Amtrak employees. This is unacceptable. I respectfully request a timely written response that outlines Amtrak’s plans to prevent this type of situation from happening again in the future.
Thank you for your attention to this matter.
Sincerely,
Robert P. Casey, Jr.
United States Senator
###
