(The following article by Sean O’Sullivan was posted on the News Journal website on August 26.)
WILMINGTON, Del. — Amtrak passengers should expect an increased level of security and allow more time for trips over the next week because of the Republican National Convention.
From Saturday to Thursday, passengers will have to make reservations 24 hours in advance for nearly all trains and all bags must have identification tags. This includes all carry-on luggage including laptops, briefcases and even bags to carry shoes. “Everything that goes on the train needs to have a name on it,” said Ron Edwards, manager of customer relations at Amtrak’s Wilmington station. Those bags may also be subjected to search. Edwards said there are ID tags available at the station.
While the security measures have been put in place for New York City, they will affect all Amtrak trains that are either headed to, or returning from that area, meaning every Amtrak train that goes through Wilmington, Edwards said.
The increased security is needed because the convention at Madison Square Garden is on top of Amtrak’s Pennsylvania Station, the rail carrier’s central hub in New York City.
Passengers will need to provide photo ID when buying tickets and there will be more police at train stations, including K-9 units. There also will be security sweeps of trains before departure and there may be police inspections en route.
At Pennsylvania Station in New York, passengers and their bags will be going through airport-like screening by the Transportation Security Administration and a number of entrances at the station will be closed. Only the Seventh Avenue entrance at 32nd Street and at 34th Street will be open during the convention.
Exemptions to the weeklong reservation policy are the weekend Keystone trains and the weekday Keystone and Clocker trains between New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania. Also, multiride tickets or monthly passes still will be honored on trains that currently accept them.
About 2,500 people a day ride the 35 Amtrak trains from Wilmington to New York City, said Edwards. More than 1,000 trains move in and out of Pennsylvania Station on a typical weekday.