Train EATS Act

House Bill

H.R. 264

119th Congress

Train EATS Act

In Committee

Introduced:Jan 9, 2025

Primary Sponsor

David P. Joyce

Representative

Republican

OH-14

Cosponsors

6

Quick Stats

Summary

This bill requires Amtrak to provide a range of dining services on overnight routes. Amtrak must offer traditional table service dining where practicable, plus an affordable alternative food and beverage option. Unused traditional dining capacity must be offered to coach passengers for a fee. Traditional dining must include healthy meal options and allow passengers to preorder meals accommodating dietary restrictions. The Department of Transportation must issue implementing regulations. The bill aims to restore and improve dining quality on long-distance trains.

Latest Action

Referred to the Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines, and Hazardous Materials.

SponsorDavid P. Joyce (R-OH)

Introduced1/9/2025

StatusReferred to the Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines, and Hazardous Materials.

ChamberHouse

Data from Congress.gov

See this page through your district lens

Enter ZIP to personalize representatives and vote context.

Stay on top of this issue

Subscribe for weekly bill and representative updates.

Vote Prediction

Train EATS Act

This bill requires Amtrak to provide a range of dining services on overnight routes. Amtrak must offer traditional table service dining where practicable, plus an affordable alternative food and beverage option. Unused traditional dining capacity must be offer

Community Breakdown

Pass

0%

Fail

0%

0 predictions

This bill requires Amtrak to provide a range of dining services on overnight routes. Amtrak must offer traditional table service dining where practicable, plus an affordable alternative food and beverage option. Unused traditional dining capacity must be offered to coach passengers for a fee. Traditional dining must include healthy meal options and allow passengers to preorder meals accommodating dietary restrictions. The Department of Transportation must issue implementing regulations. The bill aims to restore and improve dining quality on long-distance trains.

Bill Number: 264
Sponsor: David P. Joyce (R-OH)
Introduced: 1/9/2025
Status: Referred to the Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines, and Hazardous Materials.

Data from Congress.gov

AI-generated summary

Fact Sheet

Title: Train EATS Act
Bill Number: 264
Sponsor: David P. Joyce (R-OH)
Status: Referred to the Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines, and Hazardous Materials.
Introduced: 1/9/2025
Summary: This bill requires Amtrak to provide a range of dining services on overnight routes. Amtrak must offer traditional table service dining where practicable, plus an affordable alternative food and beverage option. Unused traditional dining capacity must be offered to coach passengers for a fee. Tradit

Data from Congress.gov

AI Summary

Plain-English explanation of this bill

This bill requires Amtrak to provide a range of dining services on overnight routes. Amtrak must offer traditional table service dining where practicable, plus an affordable alternative food and beverage option. Unused traditional dining capacity must be offered to coach passengers for a fee. Traditional dining must include healthy meal options and allow passengers to preorder meals accommodating dietary restrictions. The Department of Transportation must issue implementing regulations. The bill aims to restore and improve dining quality on long-distance trains.

Last updated: 1/4/2026

Official Summary

Congressional Research Service summary

Train Establishment of Appetizing Table Service Act or the Train EATS Act This bill requires Amtrak to provide a range of dining services to passengers on overnight routes.Specifically, Amtrak must make available (1) traditional dining (i.e., table service), to the extent practicable; and (2) an alternative food and beverage service that is more affordable than traditional dining.On each overnight route, Amtrak must offer any traditional dining capacity not otherwise used by first-class or business-class passengers to passengers in coach class for a fee. In addition, Amtrak must ensure that traditional dining on overnight routes includes (1) a healthy meal option, and (2) the option for passengers to preorder meals that satisfy their dietary restrictions.The Department of Transportation must issue any necessary regulations.

Key Points

Main provisions of the bill

Requires traditional dining service on Amtrak overnight routes
Mandates affordable alternative food options
Opens unused dining capacity to coach passengers
Requires healthy meal options and dietary accommodation
DOT must issue implementing regulations

How This Impacts Americans

Potential effects on citizens and communities

For Amtrak passengers: Improved dining options on overnight routes. For coach travelers: Access to traditional dining when capacity available. For passengers with dietary needs: Preorder options for special meals. For Amtrak operations: Service standards to meet and maintain. For long-distance rail travel: Enhanced experience competitive with other modes.

Policy Areas

No policy areas assigned yet.

Scope & Jurisdiction

Jurisdiction Level

federal

Congressional Session

119th Congress

Citation Reference

264, 119th Congress (2025). "Train EATS Act". Source: Voter's Right Platform. https://votersright.org/bills/118-hr-264

Public Opinions

Community submissions related to this bill.

Share your opinion

No public opinions yet. Be the first to submit one for this bill.