Amtrak Pet Pilot Program Is Now Permanent
By Lynne Adkins
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Riders asked to take their pets on the train, and Amtrak gave it a try.
Well, the pet pilot program is now permanent and riders are thrilled.
Spokesman Mike Tolbert says during the pilot program 46-hundred pets took to the rails adding nearly $500,000 to the budget
"Some passengers may have had concerns up front but one of the interesting lessons we've learned from the research that passengers who actually traveled on the trains with pets did not have any complaints," said Tolbert.
He says pets 20 lbs. or less can travel on any train except the auto train for 7 hours or less, in a carrier.
Riders pay $25 for each 7 hour trip, and you must book ahead as only 5 animals are allowed on each train.
A pilot program on the Acela is underway during weekends through June.