No Way To Run a Railroad: Amtrak Arrests Photo Contest Participant- For Taking Photos

penn station by kerzic photo
Photo of where Dwane Kersic was standing in Penn Station. Used, I think, with permission

TreeHugger loves trains and loves Amtrak, kind of like one loves a wayward child. Thanks to underfunding and management, Amtrak gives train-haters lots of ammunition, like when it runs out of gas (a post where half of the commenters called it "incompetent"). Its latest: Amtrak Police arrested photographer Duane Kerzic for taking pictures of trains in Penn Station- for Amtrak's "Picture our Train" photo contest.

The police said he was trespassing; Kersic says he was standing on the platform in public space, but was told that “it was illegal to take photos of the trains.” Amtrak's published policy says photography is allowed in public space.

One can only agree with JMG at Grist:

Getting a grip on climate chaos is going to require a functioning rail system -- one that people will willingly use....Every time Amtrak falls apart -- which typically occurs on days ending in "y" -- it hurts us all. If Obama wants to make concrete change fast, he could do no better than to make rail revitalization a high priority.

More on Amtrak in TreeHugger:
AmTrak Carolinian: Slower But So Much Nicer
Amtrak Train Runs Out Of Fuel, Perhaps a Wake-Up Call For America?
Amtrak: Still in the Red, But There's Green At the End of the Tunnel
Taking the Train to New York: The Only Way to Fly
Alternative Infrastructure: Canals and Railways Far Surpass Highways in Efficiency
Joe Biden : Big Fan and Customer of Rail Transport, Amtrak