Fido and Fluffy did just fine in the Illinois experiment

[MattW]

If pee and droppings are not enough concern, how about the chance of incessant meowing and barking, especially once the carrier gets shoved under the seat and the train begins moving. Unlike a screaming baby, there's no taking the critter to the Lounge to mellow it out. And I have been in cars with cats enough to know what that is all about.

So how do the airlines handle this particular situation? They have motion AND pressure changes to deal with.

 

[Bjartmarr]

Just imagine spending hours confined in a railcar loaded to the rafters with incontinent cats.

Why would I need to imagine that, when you are clearly imagining it well enough for both of us?

 

[Big Iron]

I see the lunatic scaremongers are out in force.

Hopefully Amtrak will expand this to other corridor routes soon. Milwaukee-Chicago and St. Louis-Chicago would be the obvious next steps, followed by St. Louis - Kansas City. Or perhaps the Michigan routes.

Please note that with a $25 surcharge per "pet ticket", this could be a *serious* moneymaker for Amtrak if expanded.

Amtrak needs revenue and people love their pets, expanding this program to other routes is a no-brainer. I consider the $25.00 surcharge to be extremely cheap. I've paid two and three times that amount at hotels when travelling with my hound. Admittedly there were some times that I felt I was getting bent over. There comes a point where a higher surcharge could be higher than the human rail fare. Pet owners are used to paying more for travelling with a pet and $25.00 is a bargain compared to kennel rates.

 

[fairviewroad]

I personally don't relish the thought of sharing a coach compartment with a non-service animal, even if that animal

was caged. That said, if you could guarantee me a seat in a non-pet car then I am fine with this. If this makes Amtrak

more useful and brings in more revenue, without sacrificing the customer experience for the majority of people who don't

need this amenity, then go for it.