Key facts
- The Transport Workers Union represents 360 onboard service workers at Amtrak.
- Under the plan, a station agent would add an Amtrak-owned combination lock to a passenger's gun case, and an agent at the arrival station would remove it.
- The policy would extend carry-on lockbox storage to an additional 1,500 trains a day, TWU staff representative Brian Delucia said.
- About 750,000 people travel daily on Amtrak's Northeast Corridor routes, which include Washington, New York and Boston services, per the union.
- The union said many Amtrak stations lack Amtrak staff or law enforcement to respond if something goes wrong.
The Transport Workers Union, which represents 360 onboard service workers at Amtrak, criticized a planned policy that would let passengers bring firearms onto US intercity trains in personal lock boxes. The union said the policy is scheduled to begin in January 2027. Amtrak had previously said it was considering the change under pressure from the Trump administration to ease restrictions on transporting weapons, but had not announced a timeline.
Under the arrangement described by the union, gun owners would bring their weapons in cases to an Amtrak station agent, who would add an Amtrak-owned combination lock. Passengers would take the weapons onboard, and a station agent at the arrival station would remove the Amtrak lock. "A case or lock could be defective, or an enraged rider could use brute force to access a weapon," said John Feltz, International Rail Division director of the Transport Workers Union. "Either scenario will endanger the lives of riders and our members working on trains."
Amtrak currently allows passengers to take guns on a few long-distance trains, stored in secure baggage cars. The new policy would permit passengers to take guns to their seats in lockboxes on an additional 1,500 trains a day across the US, said Brian Delucia, staff representative at TWU International. That includes routes used by about 750,000 people a day in Amtrak's Northeast Corridor, which includes its busiest services connecting Washington, New York and Boston.
The union called on the federal government to reverse the policy, noting that many Amtrak stations do not have Amtrak staff or law enforcement present to respond if something goes wrong. Amtrak did not immediately respond to a request for comment.