At 7 Amtrak Way, passengers pulled the emergency brake after the doors were left closed at the Baltimore/Washington International Airport Thurgood Marshall Airport stop. The high-frequency shuttle runs every 6 to 15 minutes and is a major route on the Northeast Regional train. The emergency brake was applied due to a potential delay that could have caused several passengers to miss their flights from BWI Airport.
An Amtrak employee stepped in and took exception to the passengers’ decision, citing the incident as a potential misdemeanor. A passenger on the route shared the full account of what happened on the route between Union Station and the BWI Airport stop.
Amtrak Passengers Pushed The Emergency Brake After The Doors Were Locked At The BWI Airport Stop
On June 7, passengers used the emergency brake after a malfunction at the BWI Airport station stop. According to a passenger on the route from DC’s Union Station, the doors failed to open once the train reached its destination.
“As the train was slowing down, a sizable group walked up the aisle to make our way to the first 5 cars since they announced the first 5 cars were the ones whose doors were opening. No surprise there, since that’s the way Amtrak operates at stations for whatever ridiculous reason. The gangway doors on either side of the car would not open no matter how many times we pushed the buttons. There was no one to call. No one came to help. We were stuck on the train with nowhere to go.”
As the train continued, passengers agreed to pull the emergency brake for fear of missing their flights. Ultimately, an employee came to open the doors, and the passengers were able to get off the train several cars ahead.
The passenger added, “We all looked at each other realizing we couldn’t get off the train and we were all going to miss our flights. Someone pulled the emergency brake and the train stopped. We were left with no other choice. It was only then that an employee came over and opened the gangway doors so we could walk up several cars and get off the train.”
Amtrak’s Main Northeast Corridor Route
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The decision to pull the emergency brake has met with mixed reactions. Another Amtrak employee took exception to the passengers’ decision, calling it a misdemeanour and not an emergency.
An Amtrak Employee Was Not Pleased With The Emergency Brake Stoppage
Although passengers were able to exit the Northeast Regional 88 train, it could have come with consequences, including a steep fine. An Amtrak employee told passengers that the issue was not an emergency.
“He told us only the first 5 car doors opened. I told him it was the gangway doors that were locked. He then told us that pulling the emergency brake is a misdemeanor if it’s not an emergency.”
The Amtrak passenger argued that missing a flight should be regarded as an emergency and a valid reason to pull the emergency brake. However, given recent incidents involving a hard stop by Amtrak, those cases were far more severe.
Under The Emergency Brake Rules, Passengers Should Not Have Stopped The Train
Misuse of the stop may result in removal from the train and additional penalties. Looking at recent incidents involving the emergency brake, they included a person being caught in the door, a fire, collision risk, and derailment. Those situations clearly warrant using the emergency brake. Others online argued that the brake should not have been used for a missed stop.
One person reacted, “It’s not an emergency, period. That was an ignorant, dangerous thing to do. Shame on you.”
Another person reacted that missing the stop would not have been as severe as the passenger suggested.
“The gangway doors can be opened. It may take a bit of elbow grease, but they’re not locked. I’ve had to do this a few times myself. Also, BWI is only a half-hour tram ride from downtown. If you were really going to miss your flight from that sort of a delay, you didn’t leave enough time to begin with.”
A controversial decision, and one that may have Amtrak rethinking its punishments for pulling the emergency brake. In this instance, on the Northeast Regional, passengers were able to exit at BWI Airport from DC’s Union Station, but many agree with the Amtrak employee that the passengers did not follow proper protocols.
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