Cameras on Stations

[abdnz]

Any problems with taking train photos while standing on station platforms ? question from first time Amtrak traveller from overseas.

 

[cirdan]

Any problems with taking train photos while standing on station platforms ? question from first time Amtrak traveller from overseas.

I've taken many pictures from platforms before, sometimes with Amtrak staff looking on, and have never been told it wasn't allowed. Mostly, in my experience, Amtrak is pretty relaxed about people taking photographs. Some commuter railroads may be stricter though.

However in some stations, especially the larger ones, you cannot actually access platforms if you're not catching a train as they have airport style gates to control platform access. I don't think Amtrak knows the concept of a platform ticket as they have in the UK. If you get lucky and the person at the gate is understanding, they may let you slip past anyway. But this can be a hit and miss thing. Also, in such stations, they often don't let you onto the platform until the train has actually arrived (or shortly before that). So there's no point in turning up early hoping your ticket to travel will give you free access to all platforms.

 

[TinCan782]

Your mileage may vary ...

http://discuss.amtraktrains.com/index.php?/topic/59326-more-photography-harassment-in-maryland/

 

[Ryan]

Yep. There's non-zero chance that someone is going to give you a hard time about it. There's a small grouop of people that somehow are deluded into thinking that photography = ZOMGTERRARISTS!!!

Personally, I've only had a problem once and it wasn't on Amtrak.

As long as you're aware of and comply with Amtrak's photo policy you'll be fine.

http://www.amtrak.com/photography-video-recording-policy

The important part:

Ticketed Passengers on platforms may photograph or video record during the time they are preparing to board or immediately after alighting from a train. Equipment is limited to hand-held devices. Such photography, including equipment set-up will be done in a reasonable, safe and timely manner.

Ticketed passengers on board trains may take photos or video record on a train when it does not interfere with passengers or crew and in accordance with any directions given by Amtrak onboard train personnel.

 

[jis]

Be careful though. Amtrak's photo policy applies only at stations that are managed by Amtrak. Typically the photo policy of the outfit that operates a facility applies at that facility. So for example on the NEC in New Jersey, in general the photo policy of NJ Transit applies at all the stations, even those served by Amtrak, because NJT owns and operates the facilities. NY MTA in the form of LIRR and Metro North also seem mostly not to care.

In my experience NJT has become much more relaxed after the terror known as Bober was fired by NJT, and its policy is well aligned with Amtrak's, and in effect actually more relaxed than Amtrak's. You can for example stand at the end of platforms at Princeton Jct., Trenton, Metropark or even Secaucus Jct. and shoot away to your heart's content, even when huge crowds headed to NFL game was being security checked by the TSA upstairs.

But further north on the corridor I'd be careful at MBTA facilities around Boston. They have been less than good to photographers and do have a more restrictive photography policy. I have been accosted inside the station building in New Haven for taking picture of the main hall. And apparently you have to be careful further south too.

Also at almost any place there is small likelihood that one runs into a self-important bully of a person shows up wearing an official looking uniform and throws around his or her weight some. The guys who bothered me in New Haven were rent a cops. There was the famous story of a rent a cop at Washington Union Station trying to eject an Amtrak executive from the building. Of course said rent a cop did not retain his job with the cop rental agency for too long after that either.

 

[TraneMan]

I've done a few photos/video of my trips, and had no issues but one.

The one issue I had I was just taking a video as I was walking from one end to the other end of the train on the Viewliner since it was my first time on it.. Later a crew member came to me and asked me to not do that again by a request from a passenger. I was puzzled about that since I was not pointing the camera directly at any passengers. I would suggest if you are going to do the video, walk behind the people not towards them.

 

[SubwayNut]

Abdnz if your referring to Vancouver, BC and taking pictures during your stop to pick up your tickets at Vancouver Central Station don't try. VIA Rail Canada (who owns the station) has posted Photography prohibited signs. The trains that leave there are both behind gates, with no platform access except for ticketed passengers. Amtrak passengers boarding trains there (not buses – you'll stop at the border) clear Canadian immigration and customs when they arrive and U.S. immigration (southbound train still briefly stops at the border to clear customs) and these trains stop at an extremely secure fenced off, separate platform.

During the rest of trip particularly when your already a ticketed passenger on your train, click away. I have a hobby photographing train stations and have photo essays of over 200 Amtrak stops at and just by being discrete and only time I can think of getting stopped was by the overzealous station agent at Paoli, PA. The caretaker (a non-Amtrak employee) who opens and closes the Brattleboro, VT station is similarly inhospitable to photographers. I've been there twice to try and get pictures and there seems to be no way to reason with him.

 

[chakk]

Well, on my trip on the Canadian from Vancouver last winter, I photographed the First Class Lounge and the Park Car on the end of the train from the platform while boarding and Via Rail employees were quite accomodating -- even pausing so that they didn't inadvertently walk into my viewfinder.

Sent from my iPhone using Amtrak Forum

 

[NS VIA Fan]

Abdnz if your referring to Vancouver, BC and taking pictures during your stop to pick up your tickets at Vancouver Central Station don't try. VIA Rail Canada (who owns the station) has posted Photography prohibited signs

Are you sure that sign isnt referring to the Customs Pre-Clearance Area of the station....same as any other Border facility. Ive never had any problems taking pictures in other areas of the station:

 

[greatcats]

Many years ago a Transit Cop on the New York subway told me not to take pictures within a subway station. Those were the days when I took pictures of anything and everything.

 

[George Harris]

In many places outside a few major city stations the platforms are open to the world. As someone noted, the concept of the platform ticket is unknown in the US, so in the larger manned station you may have some procedures, but these are parculiar to the location not common to the system. for example, in our regular travels which are almost all on the San Joaquin trains in Central California you can go to the platform when and where you feel like it even at the manned stations. Some of the minor "stations" are nothing more than a platform with some signs and a few adjacent parking palces. The speed of freight trains passing these minor station platforms can be up to 70 mph (that's 112 km/h if you are thinking SI) To see a long double stack container train going past you up close and personal at this sort of speed is not for the faint of heart, and not really a good idea, either. Step back some.)

The stations we use in our normal travels are Emeryville and Fresno, both manned stations. Emeryville is the collection/distribution point for the crossbay bus routes and used by both the San Joaquin and Capitla Corridor (that is Sacramento) trains, so is quite busy. There are signs requesting you to stay back from the platform as there are two tracks, but they are generally ignored and I have never seen any attempt at enforcement. Photography? So what? The other station is Fresno. It has one wide platform with multiple points of access. It is common for there to be upwards of 100 people on/off there for any given train, which means about that many people milling around on the platform as train time approaches. Again, no attempt to control people movement, photography or anything else so long as you don't attempt to get on the track. This is nto to say everything is ignored. There was a suspicious package event once as we were there to take the train back to San Fran. The city police came out. Trains were held out, people were asked to back up a goodly distance. The city's bomb sniffing dog reacted, Analysis was done, the package was picked up and hauled off and normalcy resumed, somewhat delayed. It is to be noted that there were people taking pictures of these goings ons. The officialdom involved seemed to think that had more important things to do than aggravate the customers.

I cannot speak for anything in the Eastern US or much beyond this specific route.