 |
| Photo by Freeimages.com/Kevin LeVan |
Pope Francis will visit Philadelphia in September, marking his first-ever visit to the United States. Amtrak has released some important information for travelers headed to the city.
As Philadelphia braces for more than 1.5 million visitors the weekend of the visit, September 26 to 27, Amtrak will be adding trains to help travelers get around the city.
Additionally, Amtrak has released a "know before you go" guide to special procedures in place for the Papal Visit:
- Download the special service schedules for trains traveling to Philadelphia:
- All Amtrak trains will require reservations September 26 - 27, 2015. Book tickets as far in advance as possible.
- Amtrak will operate extra trains with added capacity to meet the anticipated demand on Saturday, September 26 and Sunday, September 27, 2015. On Saturday and Sunday, some of these trains will provide service to and from New Jersey Transit's Hamilton Station, where Amtrak does not normally stop.
- Increased security measures will be in place. The event has been designated a National Special Security Event (NSSE) by the Department of Homeland Security.
- Adult travelers should be prepared to present valid photo ID upon request when traveling on Amtrak.
- Allow extra travel time to reach your destinations — many area roads will be closed to the public for cars and foot traffic.
- Customers should be prepared to walk significant distances from the 30th Street Station to an event.
- There will be no taxi service to/from the 30th Street Station during the weekend of September 26 - 27, 2015.
Travelers must make reservations ahead of time at www.amtrak.com.