Amtrak is making travel easier for nursing mothers by adding dedicated lactation suites at five major train stations. Four of the suites will open in time for the busy summer travel season, with a fifth scheduled for early fall.
The new suites will be installed at stations in Washington, D.C., Baltimore, Philadelphia and Chicago in the coming weeks, and one will debut at New York Penn Station in early autumn.
Each suite is designed for comfort and privacy. They include a padded bench, a fold-down table, an electrical outlet for a breast pump and a lockable door. The pods, designed by Mamava, will be ADA-compliant to ensure accessibility for all users.
David Handera, Amtrak’s vice president, highlighted the company’s motivation: “These new lactation suites demonstrate Amtrak’s ongoing commitment to better accommodate the needs of our customers and their families while traveling with us. It is important for Amtrak to provide mothers with a secure, clean, dignified and private space.”
Sascha Mayer, CEO of Mamava, added that the company is pleased to support nursing mothers at Union Station. “We believe that all mamas deserve a comfortable place to use a breast pump or breastfeed distraction-free — anywhere, anytime. Mamava pods provide flexibility for facilities and easy access for moms,” Mayer said.
In addition to the physical suites, Amtrak updated its policies to support parents more broadly. Mothers will be allowed to breastfeed and express milk while in Amtrak stations and aboard trains. The railroad has also implemented a New Parental Leave Income Replacement Policy for employees, offering up to 12 weeks of wage replacement benefits following the birth of a child.
These changes aim to make rail travel and the workplace more accommodating for families, giving nursing parents safe, private places to feed and pump and offering financial support for employees during the early months of parenthood.