Train FOOD Act

This bill, called the Train FOOD Act, focuses on improving Amtrak’s onboard food and drink service by following recommendations from an expert working group. Amtrak must create an advisory committee within one year to review how these recommendations are carried out. The group will include Amtrak, unions for onboard food staff, passenger nonprofits, and states that help fund Amtrak routes, and it will end once the final progress report is submitted.

Amtrak must publish a yearly progress report and send it to Congress. Each report has to say what’s been done, what can’t be done and why, and give cost estimates if money is the problem. The report must also describe how food service has changed and include comments from the advisory committee. These reports must be posted on an Amtrak website so the public can see them. In addition, the Government Accountability Office will issue its own report on Amtrak’s progress within two years.

• Who is affected: Amtrak riders; onboard food and beverage workers; states that fund some routes.
• What changes: A new advisory committee; public, yearly progress reports; a federal review of progress.
• When: Advisory committee within one year; Amtrak reports every year until the work is done or found impractical; GAO report in two years .