Scott Olson/Getty Images(PHILADELPHIA) — In anticipation of the pope’s visit to the U.S. next month, Amtrak is ramping up its service to accommodate the expected influx of rail passengers.
The company announced on Friday that beginning Sept. 21, it will “operate extra trains with added capacity” on the Northeast Corridor, which runs from Boston to Washington, D.C.
Amtrak also said it will “suspend maintenance activities, pre-position rescue equipment to quickly respond to any disabled trains, and continuously share real-time dispatching information with our regional transit agency partners” in order to “ensure efficient train movements for all users of the NEC.”
Pope Francis will travel to Washington, D.C. from Santiago, Cuba on Sept. 22. He will kick off his first visit to the U.S. since becoming pope by meeting with President Obama the following day.
While in D.C., Francis will address a joint session of Congress before traveling to New York City, where he will address the United Nations General Assembly, celebrate mass at Madison Square Garden and make a stop at the 9/11 Memorial and Museum.
The pope will wrap up his trip to the states in Philadelphia, visiting Independence Mall and Curran-Fromhold Correctional Facility before heading back to Rome on Sept. 27.
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