The ADA turned 36 on July 26, and Amtrak marked the occasion with a progress update on accessibility across its network. Most anniversary press releases are fluff. This one has numbers in it, so I read the whole thing and pulled out the parts that matter if you take the train in the US.
If you use Be My Eyes, this is probably the most useful part of the announcement. Amtrak has trained a group of staff on station layouts and accessibility resources, and blind and low-vision travelers can now reach them through the app for live help getting around the station.
It works at 51 stations so far. The press release doesn’t include a list of which ones, so check the app or ask Amtrak before you count on it for a specific trip.
Amtrak is responsible for 382 stations, and 163 of them are now fully ADA compliant. Behind that, 306 station designs are finished, 86 projects are under construction, and 132 more are scheduled through 2030.
I keep going back and forth on those numbers. A construction pipeline with actual dates attached is more than we usually get from these announcements. But 163 out of 382 also means most Amtrak stations still aren’t fully compliant, and the law requiring it is 36 years old. So if you’re booking a trip now, check your departure and arrival stations first, same as always.
The NextGen Acela trains on the Northeast Corridor were designed with accessibility in mind from the start, and it shows in the details: at-seat access panels, digital displays, and bigger bathrooms.
The Cascades route (Oregon, Washington, and up into British Columbia) gets new Airo trainsets later this year, with onboard lifts, accessible restrooms, and wider entry areas. Northeast Regional is expected to get them in 2027, with other routes to follow.
Amtrak also says accessibility is shaping the design of its future Long Distance fleet. No dates or specifics yet. But anyone who has spent a night in a Superliner accessible bedroom knows why that one matters.
Yes, slowly. There’s a quote in the release from Dr. David Handera, Amtrak’s Vice President of Accessibility, Stations and Facilities, about accessibility being fundamental to how they serve customers, which is the kind of thing every company says on an ADA anniversary. The 2030 construction schedule is the part worth holding them to, and we’ll come back to these numbers when Amtrak publishes its next update.
If you’ve taken Amtrak recently, or tried the Be My Eyes service at a station, let me know how it went. Firsthand reports from this community are usually worth more than any press release.
Want more Amtrak content? Check out Accessible Amtrak Adventures – Traveling Cross-Country (USA) as a Wheelchair User.
