Amtrak Falls Short For Passengers With Disabilities

Many people with disabilities prefer traveling by train over airplanes, but a new report finds that the nation’s passenger railroad provider has significant work to do to meet their needs.

Auditors with the Amtrak Office of Inspector General examined every aspect of the booking and train riding experience for people with disabilities. They also visited eight stations, met with disability groups and reviewed customer complaints and survey data.

The resulting report, released this summer, identified problems with almost every step of the process.

Seating areas designated for passengers with disabilities are frequently used for storage, onboard amenities like food service are often inaccessible and it is not always possible to request assistance at a station, the inspector general found.

The report also noted that information about specific stations is limited during the online booking process and the quality of audio and video messaging at stations is inconsistent.

Auditors recommended that Amtrak better train employees, noting that nearly 40% of accessibility related complaints stemmed from poor assistance with boarding or deboarding. In addition, Amtrak is urged to improve communication and do more to provide people with disabilities access to amenities.

The inspector general’s report advises that Amtrak develop a strategy to address deficiencies and to better track complaints and analyze data in order to improve service.

Amtrak President Roger Harris told the inspector general that the company is already working on a strategic framework, which is expected to be finalized by the end of March. The company also agreed with recommendations related to training employees, factoring people with disabilities in efforts to improve communication, assessing the feasibility of improving access to amenities and better tracking and resolving disability complaints.