September 4, 2026
| The Honorable Ted Cruz Chair Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation U.S. Senate | The Honorable Sam Graves Chair Committee on Transportation & Infrastructure U.S. House |
| The Honorable Maria Cantwell Ranking Member Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation U.S. Senate | The Honorable Rick Larsen Ranking Member Committee on Transportation & Infrastructure U.S. House |
Dear Chair Cruz, Chair Graves, Ranking Member Cantwell, and Ranking Member Larsen,
On behalf of the frontline workers at Amtrak responsible for safely convening passengers within railway stations on onboard trains, we are writing to express our deep concerns about Amtrak’s recent policy changes regarding the transport of firearms. Amtrak has announced that it intends to allow passengers to carry firearms across all of its routes beginning January 1st, 2027. While there may be a way to safely implement this policy in some places, such as the Auto Train, we do not believe it is possible to meet the current level of safety onboard Amtrak under the procedures currently envisioned. We hope that you will intervene to ensure rail workers’ and riders’ safety is never in doubt.
As of September 1, Amtrak is allowing passengers to transport unloaded firearms and ammunition onboard the Auto Train. Firearms must be 1) declared to Amtrak at least 6 hours in advance of travel; 2) carried in a double locked container which meets the standards set by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA); this case must be locked by both the owner of the firearm and Amtrak personnel; and 3) secured in firearm owner’s vehicle, which will be inaccessible for the duration of the trip. While these rules present many training, staffing, and logistical issues, they are substantially similar to the rules currently in place at Amtrak for checked baggage, as well as TSA’s rules governing air travel.
Amtrak does NOT intend to meet this clear, demonstrated standard for routes that do not have checked baggage cars, including service on the Northeast Corridor when the policy goes into effect on January 1st, 2027. As published, Amtrak’s new rules allow passengers to carry firearms and ammunition in the passenger car with them. A faulty case, an unsecure lock, or simple brute force could enable anyone to access these firearms while traveling. This will put the lives of our members, as well as the travelling public, at risk. We do not believe it is possible to safely implement this policy onboard trains without a checked baggage car or checked baggage process and we strongly oppose implementing this change for those services.
Furthermore, for the Auto Train and other services where firearms could be safely transported under the appropriate procedures, we believe that Amtrak must provide clear, purpose-built, and immediate training to all of the workers responsible for the declaration forms, lock boxes, and overseeing baggage onboard the train. In many places, we believe that Amtrak will also need to increase staffing to adequately process firearms in a timely manner. Simply announcing this policy change will not ensure it is safely implemented if the frontline workforce is not provided the tools and training we need to enforce these rules.
Our concern is not with the transport of firearms itself. Where Amtrak has built a process around advance declaration, secure containment, and trained personnel, like it has on the Auto Train or the existing checked baggage process, a workable model exists and we stand ready to work with the company to staff and administer it properly. What we cannot support is extending that policy to services where none of those safeguards are in place. A change of this magnitude requires the participation of every stakeholder responsible for carrying it out: Amtrak, law enforcement, and the unions representing onboard service workers, conductors, and station personnel. An incident arising from an inadequate policy would be more than an avoidable tragedy; it would undermine public confidence in rail travel for years to come. We respectfully urge you to intervene before Amtrak implements this policy as written, and to keep the safety of our members and your constituents at the center of your consideration.
Sincerely,
Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen (BLET-Teamsters)
Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation-Transportation Division (SMART-TD)
Transportation Communications Union-International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (TCU-IAM)
Transportation Trades Department, AFL-CIO (TTD)
Transport Workers Union of America (TWU)
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