Amtrak Updates Policy on Train Travel By Unaccompanied Minors

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CHamilton

CHamilton

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Posted on Facebook. The attachment referenced in the text is here (PDF).

AMTRAK UPDATES POLICY ON TRAIN TRAVEL BY UNACCOMPANIED MINORS

by Amtrak on Thursday, September 15, 2011 at 8:15am

Updating the current policy, Amtrak is establishing 13 as the minimum age of an unaccompanied minor allowed to travel on its trains. The policy change takes effect on Nov. 1.As outlined in the attached notice, anyone age 12 and under must be accompanied by someone 18 years of age or older on the same travel itinerary. Unaccompanied minors ages 13, 14 and 15 may travel in accordance with specific procedures and conditions. Children 16 and 17 years of age are exempt from the policy.

Previously, Amtrak permitted children 8 through 14 years old to travel as unaccompanied minors and for passengers as young as 15 years old to accompany a child of any age.

"This is not a response to any incidents," said Jeff Snowden, Amtrak Senior Director of Service Delivery. "Rather, as record numbers of passengers are riding Amtrak trains, we are taking this action out of an abundance of concern for the comfort and safety of all our customers."

Details of the new policy are attached. The notice will be posted on Amtrak.com, at Amtrak stations and in the new Fall-Winter Amtrak timetable, which is also effective in November.
 
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I guess the world has changed.

20+ years ago, we use to put our then 10 yo onto a train at one station, and the other parent would take him off at the other station. It greatly simplified sharing custody back then, with the other parent not needing to take a 3+ hour round trip twice a weekend.
 
Yeah, the world has changed...and not for the better. Part of the problem is liability...if a kid boards at NYP bound for WAS and is somehow not on the train when it gets to WAS (because he got off at PHL or because someone abducted him), there's every chance that someone could sue Amtrak for not noticing. Of course, I think there might be a few 13-14 year olds who get kicked off a train for misbehavior before all is said and done...I do wonder what the policy is on handling that.
 
Thank goodness! Never could trust those 8 year olds - especially the ones carrying Uzis.And at ten, a gang of them could terrorize a whole train. At least there is a hunting season for the older ones.
 
Anderson said:
Yeah, the world has changed...and not for the better. Part of the problem is liability...if a kid boards at NYP bound for WAS and is somehow not on the train when it gets to WAS (because he got off at PHL or because someone abducted him), there's every chance that someone could sue Amtrak for not noticing. Of course, I think there might be a few 13-14 year olds who get kicked off a train for misbehavior before all is said and done...I do wonder what the policy is on handling that.
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Let's please not confuse the changes of a single schizophrenic society with the state of the entire world. :cool:
 
zephyr17 said:
me_little_me said:
Thank goodness! Never could trust those 8 year olds - especially the ones carrying Uzis.And at ten, a gang of them could terrorize a whole train. At least there is a hunting season for the older ones.
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A gang of 8 year olds could definately terrorize a cafe car. I've seen it :)
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Those packs of Scouts headed to/from Raton on the SWC can really take over a Cafe/Lounge in short order!!! ^_^
 
It is sad but ill behaviour is not the fault of the 8 year old or the 13 year old. Parents of those kids today are not teaching them that there are certain rules we must all obey. My grandson is 13 and he had always been a "rule follower". If you tell him to go to bed at 9:00 pm and get up at 6:30am, you can set your watch by him because he will do it. He has some friends who are also like that but........he also has some friends who don't follow anyone's rules. When they come over (not often), an adult has to be visibly present all the time. In fact, one boy has quoted his parent as saying that he (the child) doesn't have to obey anyone's rules..not even the teacher. These are not "bad" parents, just very permissive college-educated middle to upper class parents. I have been appalled several times at the way they talk to their parents. One 6 year old told my adult daughter to shut up several times while she was talking to his father after church one Sunday. I had to walk away to keep from smacking him (the father for allowing it not the child). :eek:hboy: :eek:hboy:

BTW I've been on the train with those Boy Scouts going to Raton and enjoyed their presence immensely. Those are the boys who have parents who are paying attention.

Sorry, didn't mean to get on a rant here :eek:hboy: but I said all that to say this....... I'll be surprised if the age level holds at 13 and isn't raised to 15 or 16 soon. Don't know what a conductor could/would do to a 13 year old who was out of control. :eek:hboy: :eek:hboy:
 
:hi: Totally agree about the Boy Scouts, :) just saying they can take over/clean out the cafe supplies on the SWC! :lol: If all kids were like the Scouts none of us would have to put up with the disrespect, juvenile and criminal behaviour and the out and out out of control kids that seem to be the majority now days! :eek: As was said, its the parents fault, not society!!! :help:
 
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Holy frick!!! Sorry, but I'm probably the biggest 14 year old rail fan there is. I ride the Pac Surf SOL-LAX/VNC probably at least a round trip a month. I've been riding this route since right as I turned 8 as an unaccompanied minor, and I've been incredibly responsible. All train and station staff know me by name. I turn 15 in less than 2 weeks, and I've been waiting to finally be able to NOT go through the whole interview process for years. I'm 13 days from being 15, and now I get the news that I'll have another year of this. I love all Amtrak trains, but this really pisses me off. Plenty of minors are on the Pac Surf every run of the day, and I've never ridden with any kids even remotely irresponsible. Sorry for venting, but I really hope that the personnel who know me will give me a break.

Johnny
 
johnny.menhennet said:
Holy frick!!! Sorry, but I'm probably the biggest 14 year old rail fan there is. I ride the Pac Surf SOL-LAX/VNC probably at least a round trip a month. I've been riding this route since right as I turned 8 as an unaccompanied minor, and I've been incredibly responsible. All train and station staff know me by name. I turn 15 in less than 2 weeks, and I've been waiting to finally be able to NOT go through the whole interview process for years. I'm 13 days from being 15, and now I get the news that I'll have another year of this. I love all Amtrak trains, but this really pisses me off. Plenty of minors are on the Pac Surf every run of the day, and I've never ridden with any kids even remotely irresponsible. Sorry for venting, but I really hope that the personnel who know me will give me a break.

Johnny
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Well, I'm with you. When I was 14 and 15 during the summer I'd ride my bike to the original, pre-Amtrak, Anaheim Santa Fe station (at Lincoln) and go up to LA Union Station on the San Diegan (cost a whole 90¢ round trip). Didn't have to do anything but hand my money to the agent.

Of course, my parents never knew...they'd never had let me go to Los Angeles (horror!) alone.
 
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Cho Cho Charlie said:
I guess the world has changed.

20+ years ago, we use to put our then 10 yo onto a train at one station, and the other parent would take him off at the other station. It greatly simplified sharing custody back then, with the other parent not needing to take a 3+ hour round trip twice a weekend.
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The Dansih state railways (DSB) has actually for years run a very successful "kids car" on the mainline here on Fridays and Sundays, specially catering to kids of divorced parents living in different parts of the country. A special attendant keep an eye on the kids and make sure they get off at the right station, and as many of the kids are regulars they know the attendant and each other.

I don't know what the age limit is, but I think they take them from something like 5 or 6 years old.

I guess that would be an idea for the NEC and maybe a few other corridors like the surfliners?
 
trainviews said:
The Dansih state railways (DSB) has actually for years run a very successful "kids car" on the mainline here on Fridays and Sundays, specially catering to kids of divorced parents living in different parts of the country. A special attendant keep an eye on the kids and make sure they get off at the right station, and as many of the kids are regulars they know the attendant and each other.

I don't know what the age limit is, but I think they take them from something like 5 or 6 years old.

I guess that would be an idea for the NEC and maybe a few other corridors like the surfliners?
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Here in the Northwest, I see unaccompanied minors on the Cascades quite a lot. The conductors put them in the Bistro car, where they can keep an eye on them (since the conductors use the tables in the Bistro to do their paperwork anyway). I chatted with a couple of kids a while back, and they confirmed that they traveled regularly between mom in Portland and dad in Seattle. It seems as though the Cascades personnel have the process down to a science, although I don't recall ever having seen more than 3-4 kids on any one train.
 
AMTRAK change the policy back. A 16 year old can ride without restriction but can't sit on the train with a 12 and 14 year old sibling???? You have really stuck it to people who depend on the trains for their children's travel. Why not have a class or something so a kid can become a "certified rider" charge 50 bucks a kid... who cares.. parents would pay it. Then you could weed out the kids that aren't responsible enough to follow the rules. You are punishing responsible kids.
 
To be clear, there's nothing that would stop the 16 year old from riding, a child 13-15 would just have to be checked in as a minor. I'd be willing to guess that happens on a regular basis.
 
Jenn said:
You have really stuck it to people who depend on the trains for their children's travel.
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Its been two years. You must not have depended upon Amtrak trains all that much, if you only noticed it now.
 
battalion51 said:
To be clear, there's nothing that would stop the 16 year old from riding, a child 13-15 would just have to be checked in as a minor. I'd be willing to guess that happens on a regular basis.
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OP mentions 12 year old who can't ride under the rules, and a 14 year old who would be subject to significant restrictions.
 
*sigh*

Amtrak: now giving parents a reason to get fake IDs for their kids. Administrators never think about the unintended consquences when they add a policy which "is not a response to any incidents".
 
Thank goodness! Never could trust those 8 year olds - especially the ones carrying Uzis.And at ten, a gang of them could terrorize a whole train. At least there is a hunting season for the older ones.



A gang of 8 year olds could definately terrorize a cafe car. I've seen it

Those packs of Scouts headed to/from Raton on the SWC can really take over a Cafe/Lounge in short order!!!


hi.gif
Totally agree about the Boy Scouts, just saying they can take over/clean out the cafe supplies on the SWC!
laugh.gif
If all kids were like the Scouts none of us would have to put up with the disrespect, juvenile and criminal behaviour and the out and out out of control kids that seem to be the majority now days!
ohmy.gif
As was said, its the parents fault, not society!!!


Indeed. When I went up to Camp Makualla in Oregon (LAX-CMO) we had a whole Superliner to ourselves--we were a couple of Scout troops. On the way back, the cafe car was practically exhausted before SBA.

And, trust me, as a senior Scout... Scouts do plenty of disrespecting and juvenile behavior. Hopefully not criminal, though.
 
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jimhudson said:
You can take the Boy out of the Scouts but you cant take the Scouts out of the Boy! (Tomorrows Leaders! ;) )
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Agreed. My step-son is an Eagle Scout. First job after graduate school degree in fire protection engineering had him designing the fire safety system for the new SF 49ers stadium under construction in California.
 
jimhudson said:
You can take the Boy out of the Scouts but you cant take the Scouts out of the Boy! (Tomorrows Leaders! ;) )
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chakk said:
jimhudson said:
You can take the Boy out of the Scouts but you cant take the Scouts out of the Boy! (Tomorrows Leaders! ;) )
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Agreed. My step-son is an Eagle Scout. First job after graduate school degree in fire protection engineering had him designing the fire safety system for the new SF 49ers stadium under construction in California.
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I'm glad someone still believes in the program!

Scouting does instill good values; without a doubt it is a very positive experience on most, me included. I've been a youth member for 8 years and I'm working towards my Eagle rank. I can attest to the fact that we have quite a few rubble rousers, but generally they are all good kids... but, naturally, boys will be boys.
 
Cho Cho Charlie said:
I guess the world has changed.
20+ years ago, we use to put our then 10 yo onto a train at one station, and the other parent would take him off at the other station. It greatly simplified sharing custody back then, with the other parent not needing to take a 3+ hour round trip twice a weekend.
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back when I was a kid and I'd visit my Mom for a weekend in Silver Spring Maryland, she'd put me on the Metro and let me ride all day to keep me out of her hair, I was 9-12 then... I'd never do that now with my 13 year old.. even thought he can probably recite the Metro stations (as well as just about any Amtrak route) by heart. Times have changed.
 
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