Dec 11, 2021 - Politics & Policy

Amtrak warns of service reduction due to vaccine mandate

Erin Doherty

An Amtrak worker keeps watch from aboard an Amtrak train during a station stop on December 9, 2021 in Fullerton, California. — An Amtrak worker keeps watch from an Amtrak train during a station stop on Dec. 9 in Fullerton, California. Photo: Mario Tama/Getty Images

Amtrak faces the threat of a service reduction in January if more employees don't receive the COVID-19 vaccine, the company's president said, per AP.

Driving the news: About 95% of Amtrak workers are at least partially vaccinated ahead of the Jan. 4 vaccination deadline set for employees of federal contractors by the Biden administration, per AP.

"We anticipate proactively needing to temporarily reduce some train frequencies across our network in January to avoid staffing-related cancellations," Amtrak's president Stephen Gardner warned if employees resist getting the shots before the deadline.

The big picture: Gardner's remarks come after Amtrak cut its workforce significantly after travel on Amtrak slowed due to the pandemic, AP writes. Passenger traffic is up to about 70% of what it was before the pandemic, Gardner said.

White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said Thursday that she is not concerned about potential disruption to services due to the vaccine mandate, per AP.
"We don’t expect these requirements will cause disruptions to services that people depend on,” Psaki said during a briefing. "There is some time to implement it."

Add Axios on Google

Amtrak warns of service reduction due to vaccine mandate

What to read next