WASHINGTON — U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., announced Thursday he has secured language in the upcoming fiscal year’s appropriations bill for transportation to ensure Amtrak has to employ one ticket agent in every state.
The announcement comes a day after the ticket agent position at the Charleston Amtrak station was eliminated. The agent was the only person in West Virginia to offer in-person ticket services.
“When Amtrak announced it was terminating the only ticket agent position in West Virginia, I have been fighting to keep it,” Manchin said. “I know how important having a ticket agent in West Virginia is and removing the agent at the Charleston station will make it harder for Amtrak to attract new customers and retain the ones they already have.”
Tickets would have to be purchased online as a result of the elimination of the ticket agent position, which would negatively affect customer numbers because of the overall lack of internet access.