When We Say All
All Aboard isn’t just a clever slogan
Happy Tuesday, everyone.
In my time at the Association (nearly a decade), I have written extensively on topics ranging from Amtrak equipment issues and yard moves to the passing of our founder. My off-the-cuff live videos can be seen all over our social media accounts, and my name is likely the first one you see when emails go out about events and updates. My opinions have even gotten me into hot water from time to time, but they have also led to some great conversations with the right people to create change.
As we close out June, I wanted to write about something a little different that’s been on my mind for a while: what we really mean when we say “all aboard.”
To set the table, what sparked this is the common posts I see in Facebook groups or on Reddit, where a new rider is looking for advice on how safe the train is for a “woman traveling alone.” The questions range from a standard “Where do I put my bag or purse?” to the more serious, “Will I be bothered while I sleep?”
That got me thinking. As a cis, hetero-passing white male, I have never had to worry about these things. I have never felt unsafe on a train or even when boarding a bus or subway in a new city during my travels.
I wish the same could be said for many of our friends, family, and neighbors.
Okay. The table is set. But first… look at this happy boi!
Alright.
The heart of the issue for me isn’t simply the newbies with important questions - it’s for those out there who know the system inside and out but find themselves feeling unwelcome because of the way they look, dress, etc. It’s the other posts I see, sadly with too much frequency, where people say “I didn’t feel safe,” rather than asking if they would be. It’s the comments from people who say it’s hard to ride on trains when they get grief from even the staff on board. I have, unfortunately, seen the latter with my own eyes more than once - which is more than too many times.
It’s for the shes, theys, gays, and our trans brothers and sisters who just don’t want to deal with the hassle of driving but don’t want to be hassled when on the train. All they are trying to do is get to work, school, or appointments just like everyone else.
The worst I get is looks or comments about my painted nails (which I’ve been doing for nearly 30 years at this point). But I would not be true to myself if I didn’t use that privilege for something better.
We have members and supporters of all varieties and all walks of life, and we want to make every one of them feel welcome - even those who have no idea who we are or have never seen my name on an email (oh, the horror!).
One of the ways we’ve done that has been to sell a Pride-themed “All Aboard” shirt in our online store for the past three years, inspired by the Pride Ride group on Facebook. That type of support does come at the cost of hateful messages and emails with all the usual “woke” tropes - mind you, this is a single shirt in a fundraising shop full of normal, advocacy-type gear. Even with that pushback and members threatening to cancel their memberships, the shirt remains. It might seem like a silly little thing, but I’m glad it’s there.
This is all just a typically long-winded way of trying to say what I typed out all the way at the top: in my advocacy world, it’s not just a clever railfan phrase to say “all aboard”… it’s the basis for what I do and why I do it.
There is just way too much stress in the world, with a nearly impossible-to-catch-up news cycle of terrible things happening everywhere, all the time. Can we all just take a breath and get to know our fellow travelers, even for a single-serving moment, without judgment?
Just look at all the wonderful stories coming from the World Cup. Strangers from different walks of life coming together to celebrate their national teams and party it up with locals (just look at all the traffic cones in Boston!).
Can’t we do that with our own neighbors from time to time while relaxing on a train that we all love?
That was a good article, I am a 80 year old woman who rides the rails when I can. I go solo. I have found that making friends in the lounge makes travel companions on your trip. I have many pen pals over the years. We watch out for each other. Lots of stories there.
Unfortunately, the Amtrak trains are not safe for my immunocompromised partner -- who cannot afford to get another inhaled airborne disease. They're not safe for me either: I can't afford to get an inhaled airborne disease either, because I have to take care of her and I can't risk exposing here.
They are not safe because Amtrak has terrible air quality (yes, I've checked, I have a monitor), even in the private rooms. And there's no respirator masks (N95) on anyone. So the air's full of germs.
Inclusivity needs to include people who can't afford to snort viruses. And we are excluded right now.
SEPTA has extremely high air quality standards in its trains. For comparison. Complete change of fresh air every THREE minutes, and high-MERV-rating filters cleaning out both germs and pollution. SEPTA Regional Rail is safe enough for immunocompromised people.
Amtrak does not have any of this. It's been impossible to even get the air handling information from Amtrak. I actually gave up.
We're a very long way from All Aboard. Everyone I know in the immunocompromised community, most of whom used to take Amtrak before the ONGOING airborne pandemic started, has stopped taking Amtrak and started driving because of the reckless lack of infection control on the trains. They've also stopped going to Rail Passengers Association meetings for the same reason. I have stopped going for this reason.
And after I didn't succeed in making any progress on this for a year, I resigned from the RPA advisory council and dropped my RPA membership entirely.
If you ever decide you're really serious about "All Aboard", let me know. Because right now, it really hasn't been happening. All Aboard means people who can't afford to inhale viruses, too. Right now, we're facing exclusion, both from Amtrak and, despite its nice words, from RPA.
I hope things will get better, I hope we're actually welcomed sometime in the future, but I'm done, I'm moving to another country where the trains are already safe to ride.