Election 2016: What it means for transit

November 9, 2016

Following a contentious election, American voters have given control of congress to the Republican Party, which has taken the White House and retained control of the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives. Given the disparity between Donald Trump’s infrastructure proposals and the 2016 Republican Party Platform, there is a lot of work NARP staff will need to do to map out a strategic plan for securing passenger-friendly policy in the 115th Congress. However, even at this early date, we are

D.C.-Maryland-Virginia Passengers—Speak now, or forever hold your piece! (DEADLINE TODAY!)

October 25, 2016

In the wake of a series of serious safety incidents, WMATA launched a “SafeTrack” accelerated track work program to address a growing maintenance backlog. SafeTrack accelerates three years' worth of work into approximately one year, by closing earlier and introducing extended service outages during the week. Now, WMATA executives are saying they need to reduce service even more to meet longterm maintenance goals—and that these service cuts will be permanent. Metro is proposing closing the

Vote for Amtrak Guest Rewards Card on USA Today Poll

October 25, 2016

Those who prefer to travel by rails can benefit from the Amtrak Guest Rewards World Mastercard. Perks include a 20,000-point bonus offer, no foreign transaction fees, a 5-percent points rebate on Amtrak redemption travel and bonus points per dollar spent on Amtrak or other qualifying travel. And now, you can vote in support of Amtrak Guest Rewards World Mastercard at USA TODAY, where it has been nominated in USA TODAY’S 10 Best Readers’ Choice Award for the best co-brand credit card! Vote

Hey, Candidates: What about infrastructure???

October 8, 2016

No matter who you plan on voting for, it’s important that voters get a chance to hear about how presidential candidates would deal with country’s problems if they were elected to the White House. Unfortunately, the first debate was light on substance about one critical issue: infrastructure. The American Society of Civil Engineers estimates there is a $3.6 trillion backlog in transportation infrastructure project needs, for both state-of-good-repair (SOGR) and expanded capacity. Transit alo

VOTER ALERT: Infrastructure Projects Coming to a Ballot Near You

September 28, 2016

While the presidential and congressional elections dominate the national headlines, state ballot measures across the U.S. are attempting to remedy the deficit in transportation investment created by federal inaction. On November 8, voters across the nation will consider more than $200 billion worth of transportation related ballot measures—and pollsters are saying, due to public frustration with the growing gap between investment needs and public funding, the majority of these ballots are well

ACTION ALERT: Help Amtrak beat this month's budget deadline!

September 6, 2016

Passenger trains need your voice in pre-election talks With the deadline to pass a budget just weeks away, and none of the 12 annual regular appropriations bills passed, Congress is gearing up to pass a short-term budget extension (a Continuing Resolution, or CR) to avoid a shutdown before the election. NARP is asking passenger advocates to support the White House's request to fully fund Amtrak at $1.39 billion using the new accounting structure approved by Congress last year. This sensible

Making Money the Old Fashioned Way: Amtrak Industry Day at Baltimore Penn

August 12, 2016

Amtrak's entry into leveraging its properties for additional revenue begins with a fanfare of private industry interest, and therefore a solid showing of the economic value passenger trains have on the communities they serve

Congress Adjourns for Summer Break With Hearings on Amtrak and High-Speed Rail

July 15, 2016

As both houses of Congress adjourn for an election-year recess, they’ll leave Washington without passing one of the 12 annual appropriations measures. As NARP has been reporting, ancillary partisan battles halted progress on positive, bipartisan transportation appropriations bills that would increase funding for Amtrak, passenger rail, and transit. The Senate had already passed its version, and was simply waiting on the full House to vote before reconciling the bill before sending it to the Pr

California High Speed Rail: Let's Talk Facts

California High Speed Rail: A Bargain For Modern Mobility & Development

June 6, 2016

By delivering a new, better and more reliable mobility choice at upwards of 75% less cost for an exploding population, California High-Speed Rail is a bargain not a "boondoggle," as the Wall Street Journal claims.

Calling all Cyclists! Help launch Summer by Rail in New York Penn Station - this Sunday!

May 13, 2016

Sunday, May 15th - 2:00 PM NARP is teaming up with the East Coast Greenway Alliance and national bicycle advocates to launch NARP's Summer By Rail campaign! We're sending our intern, Elena (and her bike, Stevie!) on a cross-country, 38-day rail trip using multi-modal transportation to show the power of a Connected America. They'll visit 20 cities in 15 states, and document each step (and pedal) of the journey. The very first leg of her adventure will feature a tour of Manhattan's bikeways le