According to Trains news wire Amtrak has released a new photography policy. The new policy states that only photographers with tickets may photograph from station platforms. According to the article this comes in the wake of the photographer who was harassed in New York’s Penn Station and is to establish a uniform policy system wide.
So what does this mean for Vancouver where so many people photograph? Well strictly speaking its off limits to photographers without tickets. Does this make sense for a platform like Vancouver? I don’t believe so because there is really no way for Amtrak to enforce the policy. Sure, the agent can run people off if they are out on the platform, but honestly do they have the time?
Does this policy make sense in Penn Station, 30th Street, or any of the major stations where platform access is strictly controlled? I think so because Amtrak has monitored entrances to these locations and can easily verify the passengers ticket status. Additionally with the volume of trains that visit these stations moving and controlling people is very important so allowing unticketed passengers to remain on the platform may cause confusion or even a safety issue (have you seen how small the platforms are in Penn Station?)
What about all the platforms at stations without an agent? How would those be monitored? Where does the platform stop and start? Sadly I think this policy raises more questions than it answers. One thing is for sure the policy is clear so if you don’t have a ticket and you are on a platform be prepared to be asked to leave. Now will you get run out of Bingen Wishram or Essex…hard to say?
Technorati Tags: train, railroad, photo, photography, amtrak, photo, policy
{ 8 comments }
