All Aboard: Grand Canyon Railway returns June 15
Train to operate at 30 percent capacity with other policies to promote social distancing
WILLIAMS, Ariz. — After being closed for two months, Grand Canyon Railway (GCR) announced it will begin offering daily train services to Grand Canyon National Park starting June 15.
“After working with our partners at the National Park Service, and within the parameters of current health and safety guidelines… we are able to begin running our historic train to the Grand Canyon June 15,” the company stated in a recent release.
The company plans to open the Grand Canyon Railway Hotel located next to the depot June 14.
“We are closely monitoring government policy changes, CDC guidelines, government mandates, and public health advancements, and will continue to make changes as necessary and appropriate to our operations,” the company stated on its website.
Because of concerns of COVID-19, Grand Canyon Railway closed its business operations March 20. The closure included all train operations, the hotel, restaurant, gift shop, kennel and RV Park.
According to GCR, the train will be operating at 30 percent capacity in order to promote social distancing, and only groups traveling together will be seated near one another.
GCR stated that it has developed a comprehensive set of policies and protocols to enhance safety for guests and employees.
These efforts include six feet social distancing and groups of fewer than 10 people in the guest registration area, gift shop and food to-go areas. Guests are also being encouraged to wear face coverings while in interior public spaces.
Additionally, no touch solutions are being utilized for guest transactions, including no receipt signing. Credit card transactions will be encouraged through signage. There will be limited guest capacity within elevators and staff will use stairwells when applicable.
Plexiglas register shields will be in place for guest and employee safety and hand sanitizer stations will be placed at lobby, gift shop, hotel, restaurant entrances and point-of-sale areas.
Employee precautions
Precautions to protect employee health and safety include cleaning and disinfecting every two hours and every hour in all guest areas as well as increased hand washing. Employees will use gloves when handling cleaning chemicals, cash transactions, preparing food, disposing of trash, cleaning bathrooms, if they are exposed to blood borne pathogens and when handling luggage and processing packages/mail.
All employees are required to wear washable face coverings while working and while on property in communal areas. N95 masks/particulate respirators will be made available for employees with high-risk responsibilities.
Employees will have their temperature checked upon arrival to work using a thermal forehead thermometer. Those registering a temperature of 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit or higher will be denied entry to the area and instructed to contact the local clinic for evaluation.
Laundry and housekeeping staff have been trained on procedures for handling linens based on guidance from Association for Linen Management (ALM).
Register shields have also been installed in point-of-sale areas including the front desk, gift shop and restaurants and vendors and contractors will be asked to wear appropriate PPE for the tasks they are performing on property. Receiving employees will disinfect all deliveries upon arrival and quarantine items for 24 hours.
Xanterra’s COVID-19 response plan
Xanterra has implemented a COVID-19 response plan should they need to respond to a case of COVID-19.
“Every location within the company initiated an Incident Response Team very early in the COVID-19 event,” the company stated. “These plans include employee and guest communication, super sanitation by industrial hygiene-certified cleaning companies and consultation with experts to create a safe environment.”
More information is available from Grand Canyon Railway at 1.800.THE.TRAIN or www.thetrain.com.
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