News & Commentary
A Crucial Week for The Southwest Chief in Colorado
April 14, 2015
The Joint Budget Committee meets next week to resolve differences between the House and Senate versions of the budget. If the six-member Senate Budget Committee concurs with the House version then we finally will have the financial support of the State of Colorado – joining twelve SE Colorado communities, Kansas, Amtrak and BNSF at the table. In other words, it's crunch time! You've helped already and you've made a huge difference at the Capitol. Legislators have commented about how impresse
Who Will Save The Cascades?
April 1, 2015
When NARP asked for your help to save trains in the past, we’ve asked you to help us with routes that some politicians (wrongly) claim are lightly travelled: the Hoosier State in Indiana, the Southwest Chief in Kansas, Colorado and New Mexico, and others come to mind. But today, we need your help to save one of the country’s most popular routes: the Cascades service between Eugene and Portland, Oregon. But why would the Cascades be in trouble? In the past, we’ve touted the route as a
Gulf Coast Service: This Time It Actually Is Different
March 25, 2015
For only 12 years -- between 1993 and 2005 -- Amtrak operated the nation’s only coast-to-coast passenger train. Running more than 2,700 miles between Orlando and Los Angeles, the Sunset Limitedconnected big cities including Orlando, New Orleans, Houston, Tucson and Los Angeles, with small towns such as Crestview, Florida, Sanderson, Texas, and Benson, Arizona. Unfortunately, 2005’s Hurricane Katrina caused significant damage to the railroad line along the Gulf Coast, forcing Amtrak to su
Passenger Rail in Colorado Needs Your Help!
March 24, 2015
NARP has received intelligence from local advocates that a bill to save the Southwest Chief will be heading to the Colorado Legislature's Senate Appropriations Committee very soon. We need you to contact key legislators today to help save Amtrak service in Colorado! As you may know, NARP has teamed up with ColoRail over the past several years to save passenger rail in Kansas, Colorado, and New Mexico. After a lot of hard work, we now have a bill that gets the fight to preserve Amtrak’s South
Late-Filed Amendment Cuts All Amtrak Funding! Call Now!
March 3, 2015
NARP warned you about anti-Amtrak amendments yesterday, but the worst-case scenario just got a lot worse. A late-filed amendment by Rep. Tom McClintock (R-CA) would eliminate all funding for Amtrak. If Rep. McClintock’s amendment becomes law, it will mean the end of trains in America. No more long-distance trains, no more state services, no more Northeast Corridor. Voting happens today. We need you to call your Representatives NOW and tell them to oppose all amendments to H.R. 749. Anti-ra
Anti-Amtrak Amendments Coming - Call Today!
March 2, 2015
Last week, NARP warned that the U.S. House is scheduled to vote on a number of anti-Amtrak amendments to the passenger rail authorization (H.R. 749). That vote takes place Tuesday, March 3—and we need your help to defeat these attacks on America’s trains! The message is simple: ask your representative to vote “NO” on all amendments to H.R. 749. By beating back anti-Amtrak amendments and ensuring clean passage of this bill, you’ll be sending a clear message to your elected official: A
You're Invited: A Live Online High-Speed Rail Forum
January 14, 2015
Tune In This Friday! Coming to you live from the Southwestern Rail Conference, Millennial Leaders voice their support for high-speed and improved U.S. transportation infrastructure. Read More to get the details! WHEN AND WHAT Join us online on Friday, January 16th and be part of the conversation, as the National Association of Railroad Passengers (NARP) and the Texas Rail Advocates host NARP’s first live-stream forum, highlighting Millennial leaders on rail and transportation. For one hour
'Friends' Offer Hoosier State A Little Help
January 12, 2015
Only weeks away from expiration of a contract extension to keep the train running, Indiana passengers who stand to lose their service on the embattled Hoosier State line between Chicago and Indianapolis are getting a little boost from their neighbors in West Virginia. West Virginia’s “Friends of the Cardinal” formally called on “all parties involved with the continuation of The Hoosier State to work carefully, completely, and above all quickly, to resolve any differences left outstandin
Your Year End Giving Makes a Difference!
December 17, 2014
As 2014 comes to a close, NARP President Jim Mathews reflects back on the work done by NARP members to build a modern, customer-focused passenger rail system that Americans want. As 2014 comes to a close, I am truly inspired by the generosity of NARP donors and their continued commitment to supporting the preservation and expansion of our nation’s passenger rail service. Your gifts and willingness to volunteer help fuel our efforts. During my short-term as NARP President, we have already s
Forget the sleigh; Santa opts to use Amtrak in upstate New York this year
December 11, 2014
By Logan McLeod This past weekend, it wasn’t sleigh bells the children in upstate New York were listening for. Oh no, this year Santa was arriving with the sound of whistles blowing. Sure, what you saw approaching in the distance was red, but it sure wasn’t Rudolph’s nose you were looking at. It was a Canadian Pacific GP-38-2 #7307 locomotive hauling an Amtrak Train with three baggage cars packed with over 1,000 bundles of collected toys, hats, food items, and assorted clothing for the