Station Volunteers Doing More to Support Community in FTW

For Immediate Release (19-15)

Contact: Madison Butler (859) 382-9417

Rail Passengers to Revitalize its Station Host Volunteer Program

Open House on December 14

(Fort Worth, TX) – The Rail Passengers Association, the nation’s oldest and largest organization speaking for the nation’s 40 million annual users of rail and transit, is launching a new partnership with Amtrak, Trinity Metro, and DownTown Fort Worth, Inc. and local rail passenger advocates to recruit and train enthusiastic volunteers to help travelers at the Fort Worth Central Station.

While the station is fully staffed by Amtrak ticket and station agents, the Rail Passengers Association is expanding its nationwide station volunteer program to enhance the passenger experience for customers traveling on Amtrak, TexRail and TRE to and from the station. Rail Passengers and its partners are hosting an open house on Saturday, December 14, 2019, at the station to introduce the Station Host Volunteer program to the community and to recruit enthusiastic volunteers to lend a hand expanding the numbers of volunteers who already support the station.

“The Station Volunteer program comes down to customer experience and helping Amtrak passengers with a service that makes them feel welcomed into the community,” said Rail Passengers Association President and CEO Jim Mathews. “This is a unique program that couldn’t exist without the commitment made by amazing volunteers, and we hope to keep expanding the program to other cities and towns throughout the country.”

The Station Host Volunteer Open House will take place on December 14 at the Fort Worth Central Station at 1001 Jones Street. The event will run from 12 noon to 3:00 p.m. The Open House will welcome community members and volunteers to the station and will include refreshments and giveaways for guests. Members of the Rail Passengers Association, Amtrak, Trinity Metro, and Downtown Fort Worth Inc. will be on hand to provide information and answer questions.

The program is set up to have volunteers available to assist passengers using Amtrak’s “Texas Eagle” and “Heartland Flyer” trains traveling through the Fort Worth station. Volunteers will staff the station before train arrival and after train departure for the twice daily Texas Eagle and Heartland Flyer trains.

Trains #21/421 – Texas Eagle Southbound/Westbound Chicago to San Antonio to Los Angeles

• 1:25 p.m.

Trains #22/422 – Texas Eagle Northbound/Eastbound Los Angeles to San Antonio to Chicago

• 1:58 p.m.

Trains #821/#822 – Heartland Flyer Southbound/Northbound Oklahoma City to Fort Worth

• 8:25 a.m. and 5:25 p.m.

During service, station volunteers wearing ID badges and safety vests will be able to answer travelers’ questions about Amtrak trains and services and about how trains fit in to the communities they serve. They’ll also highlight local attractions, foster a spirit of hospitality and promote an inviting atmosphere at the station.

"I enjoy serving as a volunteer station host because I enjoy helping people, promoting passenger rail travel, and promoting Fort Worth because I am proud of the city in which I live. Station hosting allows me to combine all of these pleasures", said J.R Price, long time Fort Worth station volunteer.

As it has already done in diverse communities from Michigan to the Midatlantic, Rail Passengers is working with local organizations to recruit and train enthusiastic volunteers to make train travel more enjoyable and easier. In Fort Worth, Rail Passengers is working closely with Amtrak, Trinity Metro, and DownTown Fort Worth, Inc. in an effort spearheaded by local members of the Rail Passengers Association.

“This major undertaking has involved many key partners to make sure the volunteer program continues to grow,” said Mathews. “We look forward to expanding it to other stations whose communities would benefit from the help of community volunteers.”

The Rail Passengers Association is looking for sponsorship partners for the Station Volunteer Program in Fort Worth as well as future locations across the country. If you are interested in learning more about funding the program, please contact Jonsie Stone at 202-408-8362 x3207 or [email protected].

Anyone interested in becoming a station volunteer is welcome to attend the Open House, or they can email [email protected]. Anyone interested in becoming a member of Rail Passengers Association can visit us online or sign up right at the station during the Open House. All volunteers will receive training supplied by Amtrak.

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About the Rail Passengers Association

The Rail Passengers Association is the oldest and largest national organization speaking for the nearly 40 million users of passenger trains and rail transit. We have worked since 1967 to expand the quality and quantity of passenger rail in the U.S. Our mission is to work towards a modern, customer-focused national passenger train network that provides a travel choice Americans want. Our work is supported by more than 28,000 individual members nationwide.