Amtrak announced the expansion of its pets program on the Vermonter, allowing more options for customers to travel with their pets. Small dogs and cats can now join their owners on the entire Vermonter route from Washington D.C. to St. Albans, VT, as long as the trip duration is no more than seven hours (see requirements). Previously, pets were not able to travel on the Connecticut portions of the route.
More than 15,000 pets and their human companions have traveled around the country since the program launched on the Northeast Corridor in October 2015. Record ridership was achieved for the month of July with more than 2,000 pets and owners traveling onboard. The program has also generated more than $1 million in revenue since its inception.
“VTrans is pleased that Amtrak riders will now be allowed to bring carry on pets along the entire Vermonter route,” said VTrans Rail Director, Dan Delabruere. “Our customers were asking for this and VTrans agrees that this will make it a much more enjoyable trip for the entire family.”
Dogs and cats travel requirements include:
Pet reservations are available for Coach Class accommodations for trips up to seven hours.
The maximum weight of pet including the carrier is 20 pounds.
Owners can reserve a space for their pet for $25; one pet per passenger.
Pets must remain in a carrier at all times and carriers should remain under their seat.
Five pet spots are allotted per train and are booked on a first-come, first-served basis.
Pets are not allowed on trips to/from Canada at this time.
Amtrak continues to welcome service animals on board at no charge. For more information about Amtrak’s Pet policy, visit Amtrak.com.
