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This document is an attempt to summarize photo permit
requirements for various transit systems. These rules pertain
ONLY to individual railfans taking photos with handheld
cameras; with no flashbulb or external lighting; and no tripods. THIS
DOCUMENT DOES NOT PERTAIN TO PROFESSIONAL, COMMERCIAL, OR NEWS/PRESS
PHOTO OR MOVIE SHOOTS! In any case please remember to be
respectful and use common sense when taking your pictures: no
trespassing, no flash in the motorman's face, leave when asked, stay
out of the way of passengers, etc. Also, try to avoid taking pictures of
employees, token booths, etc. without permission from the people in
the picture.
ALSO, PLEASE NOTE: nycsubway.org and its
contributors will not be responsible if you get into trouble for not
following the rules! We're also not responsible if the rules change
without notice! We're also not responsible if someone "enforces" a
no-photography rule in error!
This document is provided as a courtesy; if you know of
changes to policy that need to be mentioned in this document please
return the favor and Leave
Feedback. Information about other transit agencies not listed is
also appreciated.
| | = Photos OK |
| | = Permit Required |
 | = No Policy or No Response to Inquiry |
| System | Last Queried | Last
Answered | Permit Required? | Notes |
|---|
| Amtrak |
1/2006 |
1/2006 |
NO |
Response from Media Relations:
Photography of trains from public property - not railroad property -
is permitted. Persons not holding tickets for trains scheduled for
immediate departure may not enter station train platforms, thus
non-passengers are prohibited from photography from train platforms.
Passengers holding tickets may take photographs from train platforms
while waiting to board a specific train for which they hold tickets or
immediately after alighting from a train. "Snapshots" or other
amateur photography that does not interfere with passengers or crew is
permitted on board trains. Any other photography requires permission
obtained in advance.
|
| Atlanta MARTA |
8/2006 |
8/2006 |
|
In 8/2006 this appeared on the MARTA web site: Any request for
photography on the MARTA system must be approved by the MARTA
Communications Office. Anyone taking photographs on the MARTA system
or property without prior consent will be asked by MARTA police or
customer service representatives to discontinue the activity and
contact the Communications Office for further information. The
Communications Office will provide interested parties with information
on the Authority's photography guidelines and approval process.
Please email Cara Hodgson at chodgson@itsmarta.com or call
404-848-5157 to make your request. The guidelines also "prohibit"
photos from being posted on the Internet. However a further email
correspondence with Ms. Hodgson revealed "It is not illegal to
photograph MARTA" and that the policy is geared more toward
professional film shoots. More info: itsmarta.com.
Expect that police or MARTA employees will discourage photography of
the system.
|
| Boston MBTA |
7/2007 |
7/2007 |
NO |
Response from MBTA Customer Service:
EFFECTIVE JULY 2007. Be advised that photo permits are no longer
required to take personal photos at stations or on T
properties. However, any person taking pictures must provide proper
identification upon request of an MBTA Transit Police Officer or other
MBTA employee. The photo permit policy is not yet posted on the web.
For more information contact Customer Support Services at (617) 222-3039.
|
| Chicago CTA |
3/2003 |
3/2003 |
No |
CTA Rail Service Bulletin R146-03 states: Personal
photographers are permitted on CTA property if their activity is
incidental, does not pose a distraction to others and does not affect
any customer or employee's safety.
|
| Greater Cleveland RTA |
3/2004 |
3/2004 |
No |
Email from customer service rep: RTA does not have any policy
about photography on our system. You are more than welcome to take
pictures as long if it does not interfere with our drivers operating
the bus or train.
|
| London Underground |
6/2007 |
6/2007 |
NO |
Do
I need permission to film or take photographs on the tube? Answer:
"You may take personal photographs on the Tube, but you MUST NOT use
flash."
In 2003, this policy was in place (and still applies
for commercial photography): For safety reasons, everyone wanting
to take photos on the Underground needs to be issued with a permit.
For the permit, we need the following: 2 passport photos of yourself
and a letter of intent basically telling us what you want to take
photos of and what they will be used for. Bring the above to the LU
office at 55 Broadway (at St. James's Park Station on the Circle and
District Lines, use the Park and Broadway exit). Subject to what you
want to use the photos for, we should be able to issue you with a free
permit.
Commercial Film Liaison Manager
London Underground Press Office
55 Broadway
London SW1H 0BD
Email: filmoffice@tube.tfl.gov.uk
|
| Miami
Metrorail |
5/2009 |
5/2009 |
NO |
"MDT is not aware of any federal, state, or local law which would
prohibit personal photography at our facilities. Miami-Dade County
Code 30(B).... requires permits for commercial photography. MDT
also requires permitting for photography when it involves equipment
other than a hand-held camera (i.e. tripods, cables/wires, screens,
etc.), which could pose a potential safety hazard to other
patrons. Although not prohibited, security personnel and/or any MDT
employee are encouraged to inquire as to what objects/images a patron
is photographing. This is done not with the intent of harassing
patrons or station occupants, but rather as a means of ensuring the
security of our infrastructure and the general public and ensuring
that commercial activity is not being performed."
Source: Subchat post
|
| New Jersey Transit |
1/2006 |
1/2006 |
No |
Quote from a letter from George Warrington, Executive Director of
NJ Transit, dated 12/30/2005: Effective immediately, we will return
to our historic practice, which enables hobbyists and other
non-commercial photographers to take pictures in public areas
throughout the NJ Transit system without obtaining permission or
providing prior notice. There will also continue to be no restrictions
on journalists in public areas of the system. HOWEVER -- It is
unlikely that police and staff will cease investigating photographers
so beware!
|
| New York City Transit |
5/2003 |
5/2003 |
No |
NYCT Rules
of Conduct on the Official MTA Site (see section 1050.9(c). which
states "Photography, filming or video recording in any facility or
conveyance is permitted except that ancillary equipment such as
lights, reflectors or tripods may not be used. Members of the press
holding valid identification issued by the New York City Police
Department are hereby authorized to use necessary ancillary
equipment. All photographic activity must be conducted in accordance
with the provision of these Rules. Also, some details about a ban
which had been proposed but never approved is here.
|
| New York City MTA Long Island
Rail Road, MTA
Metro-North Railroad, MTA Staten Island Railroad |
3/2006 |
3/2006 |
No |
Thanks to the efforts of rail photographer/historian Bob Andersen
and the New York Civil Liberties Union, there is documentation
available that clearly indicates that these MTA operations have no
photography bans in place. A collection of the correspondence is
available on Bob Andersen's LIRR History web site here.
|
| New York/New Jersey PATH |
2/2003 |
... |
YES |
Verified by P.Darlington
|
| Philadelphia PATCO |
5/2000 |
5/2000 |
No |
Verified by P.Darlington
|
| Philadelphia SEPTA |
|
10/2008 |
See notes |
Update 10/2008- John Casey, head of SEPTA, states non commercial
photography is indeed permitted on SEPTA property and a permit is only
needed if the photos are for commercial use; but also states that
police will question photographers to determine their intent. 2003
reply from SEPTA Media Relations: Photography on SEPTA property and
of its vehicles is permitted depending where and what you would like
to photograph. However, you must obtain and sign a photography release
form. This form will grant you permission to photograph for one day at
a time. Please contact Ms. Sylvana Hoyos in our Media Relations
Department (shoyos@septa.org 215.580.8367--office, 215.580.7590--fax)
and provide the exact dates and specifics on what and where you would
like to photograph. If approved you will need to meet with Sylvana to
sign the release form as well as providing picture ID.
|
| San Francisco Bay Area BART |
2/2003 |
... |
|
Reply from BART Customer Service: Images captured may not be
posted to e-bulletin boards or used in any publications without
expressed written permission of BART. Other than that vacation
photos/memories and casual pictures are fine. One must take care to
not congest passenger traffic in stations or on platforms, and access
is allowed only to stations and platforms.
|
| Washington, D.C. WMATA |
3/2006 |
3/2006 |
No |
WMATA's Media Relations Office writes Permits are not
required. Tourists come in and take photos all the time. Snapshots are
fine with us. No tripods. No exceptions. It relates to insurance
issues. If someone trips on your tripod, we don't want them to sue us,
so no tripods. The other thing: stay away from the platform edge for
your own safety. We don't want anyone falling in and getting hurt--or
worse. A document describing the policy is located
here
(pdf).. The exact wording: Still photography that does not
require a tripod, special lighting, film crews, models, impair the
normal ingress/egress, or operation of Authority services, and can be
accomplished by a hand-held camera by one person is not regulated.
(Subpart D, Section 100.8.2, Allowable Activities - Filming and Photography.)
Office of Media Relations, 2G-04
Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority
600 Fifth Street, NW
Washington, DC 20001
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