Im Linda, and Ill be your cabin attendant taking care of you all the way to Los Angeles. Lindas cheerful spirit was contagious, giving me the first real feeling of excitement and adventure since my last trip, a food-filled exploration of Houston back in late February. If the tests go well, METRO may add the purification to the rest of the fleet.For the buses, ridership is down about 60% from pre-pandemic levels.METRO launched a joint website with regional transit systems to provide information to riders about safety protocols.This summer, expect lots of open windows on the buses too to add extra ventilation, officials said.That, this summer -- and even heading into colder months -- may be the key, according to Dr. Arnot:"Fundamentally you've got to have clean outdoor air, indoors and where could you possibly have better air than the state of Maine. According to Amtraks website, it is limiting bookings on reserved trains to allow for more social distancing (family members may still sit next to each other) in addition to carrying out extensive deep cleaning and sanitizing of trains before service. The new cars could be put into service as soon as this spring, said Michael Frezell, a spokesman for the Michigan Department of Transportation, which purchased the cars and owns much of the track Amtrak uses between Detroit and Chicago. But is train travel during the coronavirus safe? A looming question is whether once most Americans are vaccinated and people begin to return to flying, can Amtrak maintain its momentum and rebuild its ridership to pre-pandemic levels, then keep it growing. I observed room attendants entering the private rooms of passengers who were not wearing masks. If you can splurge on a private room, do it! "Two of our new buses have an air purification, a U.V. Flynn asked for a predictable and long-term source of federal funding to continue modernizing the system. (If you want to take your PPE to the next level, consider adding a plastic face shield to your packing list. National Railroad Passenger Corporation. 2023 Scientific American, a Division of Springer Nature America, Inc. However, the room was almost remarkably dated nostalgic even. 5hr 10min late. By the time I stepped onto the platform in Union Station this time in Los Angeles I was ready to go home, but already missing the train. In a case study of a bus in China, a passenger with the novel coronavirus was able to infect many other riders, including those seated up to seven rows away. 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While many parts of my experience failed to meet my expectations, there were others that exceeded them. "With the sort of substandard masks most of us wear, if you don't have good ventilation, I just think you don't have a chance.". "Ridership had dipped as low as 10% of normal volume compared to 2019 at the worst of the pandemic this winter, according to the Downeaster. For decades since, the system struggled to get funding and to upgrade service on key routes like the Wolverine, Amtraks line that links Chicago to Detroit, then runs north through Oakland County to Royal Oak, Troy and Pontiac. "We were at 2,000 PPM for the local classrooms here, and we opened the window and we were at 550 PPM," Arnot said.The doctors say the upper limit of any building you would want to be in would be around 800 PPM, measured by CO2 meters that are available online and in most home improvement stores for around $100.Some Maine schools, like in Gorham, have used federal relief bill money to install upgrade their ventilation systems. This left a total of five dining tables open (all of which must be reserved for a specific time in advance). Guidelines and suggestions only work if theyre enforced, and Amtrak has said that customers who refuse to wear a facial covering will be denied boarding, and those customers who still opt not to wear a facial covering will be provided with a full refund. Inside Ground Zero of the Coronavirus Pandemic, Oprah On COVID-19's Deadly Impact on Black America, The Governors Helping Americans Survive COVID. COVID-19 risk calculator: The safest and most dangerous things to do this holiday season; Updated number of COVID-19 deaths, cases in Bay Area; COVID-19 Help: Comprehensive list of resources . Those improvements allowed all Amtrak trains in that stretch to bump up their speeds. There seemed to be less risk of transmission, however, for people who were seated near windows and doors that could open. Increased Amtrak Police Department presence in stations and onboard trains to help enforce the federal transportation mask mandate. Amtrak was created by the Congress in 1971 when the nations existing railroads said theyd no longer carry passengers. Texas Eagle Train 21 which departed Chicago (CHI) on 2/27, is currently being delayed in Taylor (TAY) due to law enforcement activity ahead. In fact, I had taken my inaugural journey on the bucket-list route back in early February, riding south from San Francisco to San Luis Obispo and then, a few days later, catching the train down again to the end of the line in Los Angeles. By the time I reached the dining car, I was relieved to see that Sandy, the dining room attendant, was masked and wiping down tables. The new coaches, built in the U.S. by the German multinational company Siemens, will be pulled by almost-new Siemens Charger locomotives, which Amtrak began introducing in the Midwest in 2018 and 2019, according to Amtrak officials. This summer, expect lots of open windows on the buses too to add extra ventilation, officials said. Despite these rules, the woman directly behind me left her nose poking out over the top of her mask as she carried on an animated conversation with her traveler partner. Amtrak put out a video highlighting its air filtration system, citing numbers that it cycles air through the train cars on average 44 times an hour, replacing with fresh air about every 5 minutes. This time, I was in one of the private bedrooms located on the second floor of the trains two-bedroom sleeper cars. Most major cities subways and trains constantly recirculate a mixture of fresh air and older air, both of which are pulled through a filter rated on the MERV (minimum efficiency reporting value) scale. (FILE CHIP UP) SOME SCHOOLS -- LIKE IN GORHAM -- HAVE USED CARES ACT MONEY TO INSTALL THE C-0-2 SENSORS (CG: HEATHER PERRY, GORHAM SCHOOLS) 01:26 WE'RE SETTING THOSE CO2 SENSORS TO THE LOWEST POSSIBLE LEVEL, WHICH IS ENSURING THAT OUT SYSTEMS ARE EXCHANGING AIR, AT THE FASTEST POSSIBLE RATE." 7 In March 2020, the US Food and Drug Administration issued Emergency Use Authorizations to several manufacturers for helmet use in acute hypoxemic respiratory failure from COVID-19. Amtrak will restore traditional dining car service on six western routes and the Auto Train on June 23. With flying, COVID risk really comes down to how closely one sits to other people and for how long, whether or not everyone is wearing a mask, and how infectious any passengers are at the time. Still, a handful of case studies have found that limited transmission can take place onboard. Arnot said he has submitted a proposal to the Biden Administration to mandate carbon dioxide meters in public indoor spaces like bars and restaurants. Experts worry safe ventilation overlooked as coronavirus capacity limits, mask mandates lift, WMTW NEWS 8'S STEVE BOTTARI REPORTS THERE'S ANOTHER PIECE OF THE SAFETY PUZZLE: VENTILATION. "We were at 2,000 PPM for the local classrooms here, and we opened the window and we were at 550 PPM," Arnot said. In fact, the whole room looked like what I would have expected to find in a first-class suite on an international flight back in the 1970s (if they made them this big). But many planes have excellent high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filters that capture more than 99 percent of particles in the air, including microbes as SARS-CoV-2, the coronavirus that causes COVID. Passenger train operator Amtrak claims to cycle air through cabins 44 times an hour. Instead of eating in the dining car, I took advantage of Amtraks new room service option and had all my meals delivered right to my room at a time of my choosing. Schools have been some of the first places to take a hard look at their ventilation. It was WWII. Book travel, check train status, access your eTicket and more through theAmtrak app. This finding assumes the infected passenger is wearing a surgical mask, however, and it does not account for the dangers involved in removing the mask for meals or talking or in moving about on the plane. Time: How much of it will you be spending in a place where you could get infected? "It's as if people were walking into burning buildings and we didn't have smoke detectors", "We know this is an airborne virus. While this reserved seating option doesn't apply to your local, commuter train, you can follow the same best practices. I had 29 and a half hours to go. An NEJM study in March reported on a Thai taxi driver who fell ill and tested positive for the coronavirus after driving some tourists who had been coughing but wearing a mask. METRO has partnered with the University of Southern Maine to carry out the tests on those devices. Wundermans advice for travelers considering taking trains this holiday season is to book a roomette or fly instead. Since then, ridership crept partway back to its pre-pandemic level while Amtrak operated fewer trains and strictly enforced social distancing in coaches that could carry twice as many passengers. Many buses have HVAC (heating, ventilating and air-conditioning) systems similar to those on subways and trains, with one additional factor: buses are more likely to have windows that open. Travel tips you can trust. As I set my things down, the train rolled into motion. At New York Penn Station, Amtrak installed new wayfinding signage and an Ultraviolet Germicidal Irradiation System in one of the Heating, Ventilation and Air-Conditioning units in the Amtrak concourse, refreshed platforms and completed the second and final phase of the Ticketed Waiting Area refresh in conjunction with NJ TRANSIT. 00:27 THESE ARE OUR MOST SOPHISTICATED INTERIOR SYSTEMS, AND THERE DESIGNED TO CYCLE AIR ON AVERAGE 44 TIMES AN HOUR 00:3 AMTRAK EVEN PUT OUT THIS VIDEO -- HIGHLIGHTING THEIR SYSTEM -- SOMETHING THE DOWNEASTER SAYS HAS BEEN HELPFUL FOR RIDERS. Nearly 500 Police and Sheriffs departments across 43 states and the District of Columbia joined the Amtrak Police Department and Operation Lifesaver Inc. to conduct Operation Clear Track, the single largest railroad safety law enforcement detail in the U.S. Amtrak also trained 3,052 employees in Safety Starts with Me, an internal safety program. I wanted to determine if my experience was more the exception or the norm. "There is a lot of exchange," said Patricia Quinn, executive director of the Northern New England Passenger Rail Authority, which operates the Downeaster. Copyright 2022 Travel + Leisure Co. All Rights Reserved. If another passenger somehow ends up sitting or standing too close to you, politely ask them to moveor, better, move yourself. "We're investing in some additional CO2 sensors, we're setting those CO2 sensors to the lowest possible level, which is ensuring that out systems are exchanging air, at the fastest possible rate," Superintendent Heather Perry said in our report on schools last August. Although no mode of public transportation is completely safe, there are some concrete ways to reduce risk, whether on an airplane, train or busor even in a shared car. In a letter dated Jan. 22, Amtrak CEO Bill Flynn, who took the top job last spring, sent a letter to each member of Congress, citing Amtraks 50th anniversary this year. The curtain of my cabin was closed, and not wanting me to miss the view, Linda hopped on our cars intercom to make an announcement. With COVID-19s onrush, that hope was shunted to a political siding. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law enacted by the Biden Administration and Congress is a historic investment that will benefit customers and communities and prove that Amtrak is an important part of a larger solution to help America tackle the climate crisis, create economic opportunity and expand mobility.. light filter, and we are testing that," said Denise Beck, Marketing and Community Outreach Manager for Greater Portland METRO.METRO has partnered with the University of Southern Maine to carry out the tests on those devices. Why a Daily Dose of Awe Might Be the New Prozac, What 35-Year-Olds Should Know About Perimenopause. Of course, you may have good reasons for getting away from home, and putting one foot in front of the other just isnt going to get you very far. And in Michigan, the on-time rate was just 43%. Amtrak's ridership hit an all-time record nationwide in 2019, then skidded by about 90% in April when cases of COVID-19 began soaring. Theres not enough data on either to say which is safer, but the same risk factors are at play. They even had a decent selection of vegetarian and gluten-free options. METRO launched a joint website with regional transit systems to provide information to riders about safety protocols. That study went on to point out the potential threat existed even with a mask. 3hr 15min late into Wilmington (WIL) due to earlier police activity and rail congestion. And a Plains teen girl borrowed Jimmy Carters clothes. So Flynn also asked Congress to give Amtrak the right to sue freight rail operations in federal court, so we can ensure our customers are not unnecessarily delayed by freight trains, and arrive on time.. What Is Normal When It Comes to Menopause? If the lawmakers see it Amtraks way, many more travelers may ride the rails for reasons other than COVID-19 concerns. In Vermont, Dr. Arnot advised some of the local school districts on how to improve their air quality."We were at 2,000 PPM for the local classrooms here, and we opened the window and we were at . Our editors handpick the products that we feature. I grabbed a cup of freshly brewed coffee, and put in my order for lunch. "Maine is known as an outdoors place, as a fresh air place, as a natural place.". The collision occurred at an unguarded rail crossing on a section of Quarry Road that only serves . We talked to Amtraks corporate medical director, Ann Kuhnen, MD, as well as two epidemiologists about why these precautions matter, and what else you should know before booking a trip. WASHINGTON (AP) The military services are still reviewing possible discipline of troops who refused the order to get the COVID-19 vaccine, defense officials told Congress on Tuesday, and they . The only reason I needed to leave my roomette was to use the restroom, a regularly cleaned compartment about the size of an airplane bathroom at the end of the hall. Doing so allows outside air to flood in each time the doors open. On top of that, you may have heard that Amtrak recently announced enhanced safety and cleaning measures intended to protect passengers during their rail journeys. Feb. 28, 2023, at 5:33 p.m. Tractor-Trailer Driver Ticketed in Collision With Train. Id spent the day watching the outside world flicker by like a silent film, a few minutes at a time. Some Maine schools, like in Gorham, have used federal relief bill money to install upgrade their ventilation systems. Fresh air is helpful to keep droplets from lingering, but it still won't protect you from a direct hit of a cough or sneeze. (CG: DENISE BECK, GREATER PORTLAND METRO) 04:04 TWO OF OUR NEW BUSSES HAVE AN AIR PURIFICATION, A UV LIGHT FILTER -- AND WE ARE TESTING THAT. Another safety factor? Follow Sophie Bushwick on TwitterCredit: Nick Higgins, Tanya Lewis is a senior editor at Scientific American who covers health and medicine. "Youll have much more control over your environment and you can go a long way without being in contact with other people. He adds, Weve seen this in studies of flu transmission on airplanes. While the flu virus doesnt necessarily spread throughout the entire plane, a sick person who expels the virus into the air is likely to spray contaminated droplets on the people in the seats around them. However, she adds, I dont think many people realize that the trains have very sophisticated ventilation. An onboard filtration system continuously refreshes the space every four to five minutes, removing air from the cars interior and replacing it with new, conditioned, external air. That, this summer -- and even heading into colder months -- may be the key, according to Dr. Arnot: "Fundamentally you've got to have clean outdoor air, indoors and where could you possibly have better air than the state of Maine.". One advantage to taking a train over a plane is that there are often fewer crowds and queues. "We have been waylaid by the CDC with 'wash all this stuff,'" Dr. Arnot said. Keeping the windows open and making sure the air system is set to take in outside air instead of recycling it should reduce the risk. For homes and many businesses, the solution may be as simple as keeping all the windows open as much as possible. If the tests go well, METRO may add the purification to the rest of the fleet. "Maine is known as an outdoors place, as a fresh air place, as a natural place. Amtraks ridership hit an all-time record nationwide in 2019, then skidded by about 90% in April when cases of COVID-19 began soaring. We have new procedures that ask people to stay seated and listen for directions for on how to detrain, says Kuhnen. Being in a crowded airport or taking a taxi to get there could be a bigger concern, though. The virus is thought to be spread primarily by small droplets, called aerosols, that hang in the air and larger droplets that fall to the ground within six feet or so. "With the sort of substandard masks most of us wear, if you don't have good ventilation, I just think you don't have a chance." That time, I had bought a business class ticket, an upgrade that came with two free bottles of water, an onboard food credit, and even a free early evening wine tasting. Initially some researchers blamed the metropoliss bustling subwaywhich carried 5.5 million commuters on a typical pre-COVID weekdayfor making it the epicenter of the pandemic in the U.S. Air to flood in each time the doors open at their ventilation in each the... 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