Dave’s Unforgettable Amtrak Experience

Dave at New York Penn Station

Today Dave is celebrating his four-year anniversary at Amtrak with a trip down memory lane, specifically a water-soaked lane.

Dave is a Fire and Life Safety Supervisor at New York Penn Station, which means he’s in charge of the safe movement of the more than 650,000 passengers who pass through the station every day.

When Hurricane Sandy slammed into the Northeast U.S. last fall, devastating the region with floods and bitter cold, Dave and his team were on the front lines. As part of the company’s Building and Bridges department, Dave helped safely clear flooded tunnels into New York City in the days following the historic storm so Amtrak trains could return to service quickly.

“It was very dark and the water was high in there,” he says of the memorable project.

He worked along side fellow Amtrak employees (including his Dad, Herbie!) in 100-year-old infrastructure, so the nation’s busiest corridor could restore train travel as soon as possible.

“There were about 15-20 guys on each shift,” he says of the demanding work following the storm. “There was very little sleep.”

In a particularly unforgettable moment Dave recalls shuffling through a dark tunnel below track level, stepping on an uneven surface and falling into waist-deep water. “I learned to appreciate dry socks,” he says with a chuckle.

Today Dave’s work includes what he calls two “mega projects“–the movement of Penn Station to a new train hall in the Farley Post Office called Moynihan Station and the development of a skyscraper on the station’s west side.

“We’re moving escalators and ventilation systems for the Moynihan Station project and working on foundations for the Brookfield project in west Manhattan,” he says.

We’re proud of the work Amtrak employees like Dave did after Hurricane Sandy and continue to do today to improve your train experience. To meet other Amtrak employees, go here.