Amtrak to be required to allow pets on trains

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The five-year highway appropriations bill that Congress reportedly agreed to on Tuesday instructs Amtrak to develop a policy allowing pets on passenger trains, the Huffington Post reported.

The provision would create a pilot program for the government-subsidized rail system. According to the legislation, Amtrak will have to dedicate at least one car per train “in which a ticketed passenger may transport a domesticated cat or dog in the same manner as a carry-on baggage,” according to the report.

The dog or cat would have to be “contained in a pet kennel” that complies with Amtrak size requirements for carry-on bags and the passenger transporting the pet will have to pay a fee, which would offset Amtrak's cost of accommodating pets, the Huffington Post reported. For the full story, click here.