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VP for Finance & Treasurer
University of Pennsylvania
Suite 731 Franklin Building
3451 Walnut Street
Philadelphia, PA. 19104

215.898.9844 (Phone)
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[ Financial Policy Manual ]

2356 TRAVEL AND ENTERTAINMENT REIMBURSEMENT POLICY- RAIL TRAVEL
Effective:: July 1, 2008
Responsible Office: Purchasing Services
Approval: Chief Procurement Officer
View PDF Version

Purpose

To provide travel guidelines with regard to the procurement of rail tickets for business travel.

Other policies are provided for specific Travel and Entertainment (T&E) topics in the policy number series 2351 through 2370 and are listed at 2351.1 Travel and Entertainment Reimbursement- Detail Listing.

Scope

The T&E policies and procedures apply to all individuals, including employees, students, and non-employees, traveling and entertaining on behalf of the University and seeking reimbursement for related expenses from the University regardless of the funding source.

Traveler and Entertainer Responsibility

It is the responsibility of Penn travelers to book the lowest logical rail fare consistent with their itinerary and the business purpose of their trip. Travelers should strive to be as flexible as possible and to make their travel plans as early as possible, thus taking advantage of lower fares.

Transaction Authorization Card (TAC) Holder Responsibility

The TAC (Transaction Authorization Card) holder assists the travelers and entertainers, as well as their higher level approver, with understanding and complying with the process outlined below and ensures that all documentation requirements have been met prior to submission of reimbursement requests to the central processing organization.

The TAC holder is also responsible to monitor ticket usage and to ensure that travelers are not reimbursed for Amtrak tickets charged to purchasing cards.

Policy

The mode of rail travel is expected to be the least costly option consistent with the itinerary and particular University business involved.

1. Reserved trains on the Northeast Corridor are permitted and should be used for most Amtrak. "Coach Class" and "Business Class" (reserved seating) is permitted on these trains.



2. Acela trains are the high speed trains. Appropriate usage of Acela service between Philadelphia, New York and Washington, DC is the responsibility of each department and these trains should only be used when time is of the essence. Business class seats on Acela trains are the acceptable class of service.



3. Use of first class service on Amtrak trains is not permitted. Any exception to this policy requires a completed Reimbursement Justification form that is approved by the head of the school or center (or their designated representative).



4. If necessary, roomette accommodations may be used for overnight travel, although airline travel is usually faster and less expensive and should be used, whenever possible.

Click here for Chapter 5 in the Procedure Manual. How to Complete a T&E Reimbursement (C-1) form.