Passenger Trains > Excess Baggage Fees at Newark Penn Station

A friend was leaving Newark Penn Station yesterday on a Regional and had to pay an excess baggage fee. Here is his report:

"We did have an incident in Newark Penn Station yesterday. Our friends dropped us at station about 2 hours before departure so they could get to work-we got something to eat and sat in these benches in the front of the station. An Amtrak employee checked someone’s bag in the lobby then came over to us and told us to put our suitcase in the “measuring box” and then he weighed it. We had to pay $20 since it was right at 50 pounds and the wheels stuck out from the box."

It sounds like this was probably a legitimate charge, which he paid at the Amtrak office, for exceeding the baggage size dimensions. Since the weight was not over 50 pounds he did not have to repack anything. Of course there was no option to check the bag to Roanoke.

In my limited Northeast Corridor travels I have never run into the "Baggage Police" before. How are other people's experiences? Are these checks done often?

Here is the Amtrak Carry-On Baggage policy:

Carry-On Baggage Information

Each passenger may bring two personal items, 25 lbs. (12 kg) and 14 x 11 x 7 inches each, and two carry-on items, 50 lbs. (23 kg) and 28 x 22 x 14 inches each, onboard. Make sure you have a tag with your name and address on the outside of all your bags.

Sounding more and more like an airline!

I don't have a problem with excess baggage fees, unless they limits get down to 10 or 15 lbs. I don't know how anyone can carry 50 lbs anyway.

swirsk53 Wrote:
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> Sounding more and more like an airline!


The fees were in place before Anderson took over.

joemvcnj Wrote:
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> "......I don't know how anyone can carry 50 lbs anyway."

Especially onto an Amfleet car at a low platform station.

I have seen many bags larger than the supposed maximum size. But never anyone checking the size.


Carry-On Baggage Information

Each passenger may bring two personal items, 25 lbs. (12 kg) and 14 x 11 x 7 inches each, and two carry-on items, 50 lbs. (23 kg) and 28 x 22 x 14 inches each, onboard. Make sure you have a tag with your name and address on the outside of all your bags.

These fees have been around for a while, just Amtrak rarely bothers to check or enforce it.

The fees exist and if it's part of Richard Anderson's business plan to enforce
them, I'm in favor of that.

Just because it's been ignored up to now doesn't mean anything. Many passengers
try to sneak onto trains with oversize bags, and overweight ones, thinking that
nobody is going to delay a busy NEC train for improper hand baggage. This may
be a proactive move on Amtrak's part.

Remember too, that if a conductor or attendant gets injured trying to lift
and stow a bag over fifty pounds, that it's against Federal regulations
and Amtrak is liable for an OSHA violation and a fine. In fact, it is a violation
even if (s)he doesn't get injured, though I have not heard of OSHA Police.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 04/25/18 18:30 by GenePoon.

Jimbo Wrote:
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>
> "We did have an incident in Newark Penn Station
> yesterday. Our friends dropped us at station
> about 2 hours before departure so they could get
> to work-we got something to eat and sat in these
> benches in the front of the station. An Amtrak
> employee checked someone’s bag in the lobby then
> came over to us and told us to put our suitcase in
> the “measuring box” and then he weighed it.
> We had to pay $20 since it was right at 50 pounds
> and the wheels stuck out from the box."
>


The correct answer is "No you may not weight it, I am a New Jersey Transit customer."

This sounds too much like "show us your papers" by the Border goons on domestic trains and buses.
90% of the people in NWK are NJT passengers and the station is owned by NJT. Amtrak has no right to walk around and summons people to the baggage office. I hope these were actual Amtrak passengers.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/26/18 06:55 by joemvcnj.

mbrotzman Wrote:
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> (SNIP)
>
>
> The correct answer is "No you may not weight it, I
> am a New Jersey Transit customer."

Yes. I was astonished about that commissioner of the Port Authority being cashiered for pulling rank on two police officers. It wasn't long ago they would have been tearing up the tickets and giving her an escort.

You know the heat must be on...

mbrotzman Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Jimbo Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
>
> >
> > "We did have an incident in Newark Penn Station
> > yesterday. Our friends dropped us at station
> > about 2 hours before departure so they could
> get
> > to work-we got something to eat and sat in
> these
> > benches in the front of the station. An Amtrak
> > employee checked someone’s bag in the lobby
> then
> > came over to us and told us to put our suitcase
> in
> > the “measuring box” and then he weighed it.
>
> > We had to pay $20 since it was right at 50
> pounds
> > and the wheels stuck out from the box."
> >
>
>
> The correct answer is "No you may not weight it, I
> am a New Jersey Transit customer."

Who cares what customer you are of whom? If their is a weight limit, it is a limit, and all bags are then subject to being weighed.

Try that kind of attitude at an airport and you will not be boarding any plane, you will be talking at length to law enforcement.

joemvcnj Wrote:
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> This sounds too much like "show us your papers" by
> the Border goons on domestic trains and buses.
> 90% of the people in NWK are NJT passengers and
> the station is owned by NJT. Amtrak has no right
> to walk around and summons people to the baggage
> office. I hope these were actual Amtrak
> passengers.

Reading the OP, it clearly states so.

joemvcnj Wrote:
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> I don't have a problem with excess baggage fees,
> unless they limits get down to 10 or 15 lbs. I
> don't know how anyone can carry 50 lbs anyway.


Obviously, you haven't seen some of the grips Amtrak Engineers carry.

jst3751 Wrote:

> Who cares what customer you are of whom? If their
> is a weight limit, it is a limit, and all bags are
> then subject to being weighed.
>
> Try that kind of attitude at an airport and you
> will not be boarding any plane, you will be
> talking at length to law enforcement.

You don't know what you're talking about.

This is Newark Penn Station, not Newark Airport, and it is owned by NJT, not the Port Authority.
Amtrak is a tenant and their imposed weight limit does not apply to NJT, PATH, Megabus, Greyhound, Trailways, and whatever else serves the facility.

That is the way; it is not an "attitude".

joemvcnj Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> jst3751 Wrote:
>
> > Who cares what customer you are of whom? If
> their
> > is a weight limit, it is a limit, and all bags
> are
> > then subject to being weighed.
> >
> > Try that kind of attitude at an airport and you
> > will not be boarding any plane, you will be
> > talking at length to law enforcement.
>
> You don't know what you're talking about.
>
> This is Newark Penn Station, not Newark Airport,
> and it is owned by NJT, not the Port Authority.
> Amtrak is a tenant and their imposed weight limit
> does not apply to NJT, PATH, Megabus, Greyhound,
> Trailways, and whatever else serves the facility.
>
>
> That is the way; it is not an "attitude".

Maybe try rereading the original post. He is talking about Amtrak passengers.

Just got to love people that try to argue their point when it does not even apply.

Newark Penn used to be one of the most heavily policed places in NJ. Almost as many police as Secaucus Transfer.

Port Authority police on the two PATH platforms. There were Amtrak police, but they are rare today. Hordes of NJT officers, sometimes 10-12.

Newark police on the sidewalk, keeping an eye on the taxi rack, the hustlers and panhandlers, etc

Posted from Android

Despite the tall, manned police desk right there, the so-called ticketed waiting room is still 50/50 a homeless shelter; the men's room about 80%.

Lackawanna484 Wrote:
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> Newark Penn used to be one of the most heavily
> policed places in NJ. Almost as many police as
> Secaucus Transfer.
>
> Port Authority police on the two PATH platforms.
> There were Amtrak police, but they are rare today.
> Hordes of NJT officers, sometimes 10-12.
>
> Newark police on the sidewalk, keeping an eye on
> the taxi rack, the hustlers and panhandlers, etc
>
> Posted from Android

Maybe during the week.
I took an uber to Penn Station Newark from the airport on a Sunday evening and arrived about an hour before my train.
I know better then to sit in the waiting room so went up to the track 3 platform. I estimate being approached once every two minutes for money, twice by the same people in one instance. Never really felt threatened but over an hour it gets pretty tiresome.
I saw a single policeman in the underground walkway, none outside and none in the waiting room.