News & Commentary
A Serendipitous MTP Day in Denver
August 12, 2013
Written By Malcolm Kenton Thanks to the remarkable cooperation of Amtrak and BNSF, the Millennial Trains Project was able to work out a two-day stay for our private cars in Denver, despite the lack of proper facilities at the city's temporary Amtrak station (Denver Union Station is undergoing a major redevelopment and is scheduled to re-open to Amtrak towards the end of 2014). The appearance of a brilliant double rainbow over our train at the end of a thunderstorm last night was a tremendously
Inspiring Landscapes - Salt Lake City to Denver
August 11, 2013
Written By Malcolm Kenton Yesterday, half of the Millennial Trains Project participants got off the eastbound Amtrak California Zephyr at Salt Lake City at 3:00 AM and had a full day of exploring new frontiers there before flying to Denver in the evening (there was no way for our private cars to be parked overnight in Salt Lake). But I and the other half stayed on board the train for the world-renowned gorgeous ride through the heart of the Rockies on the former Denver & Rio Grande Western
Creating Space - San Francisco to Salt Lake City
August 9, 2013
Written By Malcolm Kenton This morning, the Millennial Trains Project group finally boarded our three private cars to head eastward (on-time) out of Emeryville, CA (directly across the Bay from San Francisco). Our original plan was to spend last night aboard the cars at the Oakland yard, but a mishap with Amtrak security forced us to find alternate accommodations. We wound up at the Marin Highlands Hostel, just across the Golden Gate Bridge, and started the day with group stretching and a group
The journey begins with lessons on making change
August 8, 2013
Written By Malcolm Kenton The inaugural Millennial Trains Project journey has officially begun with a day of learning, dialogue and exploration in San Francisco, a city which—like most American cities—owes much of its prosperity and stature to the railroads. The San Francisco Bay was the terminus for the first transcontinental railroad and has always been the United States' primary gateway to trans-Pacific commerce and migration. Though California became a state before the railroad was comp
GAO's Report On Air-Rail Connectivity Ignores Connectivity
August 8, 2013
Written By Colin Leach, Abe Zumwalt Transportation advocates have long spoken of the benefits of multimodal connectivity that allows passengers to easily transfer through different modes. Whether linking local and regional bus services with commuter rail, or intercity rail with light rail and subway transit, transportation planners look for ways to increase the number of seamless connections. This is why many transportation officials favor connecting rail services to airports. By doing so, t
Embarking on a Journey with a Cause
August 6, 2013
Written By Malcolm Kenton Tomorrow morning, I head to San Francisco to begin what promises to be a once-in-a-lifetime experience: a transcontinental train journey in private railcars with 19 other enterprising members of the Millennial generation (those born between 1977 and 2000, so named due to our coming of age at the time of the turn of the third millennium). Each of us is pursuing a different project, aiming to apply a trans-regional perspective and the kind of creative thinking that a con
Rail transit proves key to greater income mobility
August 5, 2013
Written By Colin Leach Lighter colors represent areas where children from low-income families are more likely to move up in the income distribution.While transit advocates know well the economic cost of congressional refusal to invest in public transit, it is often more difficult to quantify this refusal’s personal effect. For Stacey Calvin, it’s very easy: four hours. That’s the amount of time the Atlanta resident must spend taking a bus to catch a train, which in turn connects her to an
Rail passengers help beat back anti-train amendments!
July 31, 2013
Written By Sean Jeans Gail First things first. I want to say “thank you” to each and every single NARP Member and passenger rail supporter who has taken time to reach out to their Representative or Senator to defend trains. And thank you for putting up with the deluge of emails that we’ve sent in an attempt to give you the most up-to-date information! It is because of your efforts that the House overwhelmingly defeated Representative Paul Broun’s (R-GA) amendments to zero out Amtrak�
America's passengers are being heard in Washington!
July 30, 2013
Written By Sean Jeans Gail We've heard back from Senate offices, and America's train passengers are speaking out against the Flake (R-AZ) amendment to eliminate food and beverage service! Now, we need to make sure we have the same sort of impact on the other side of the Hill, where some members of the House are proposing amendments so extreme they would literally eliminate every single dollar of federal support for Amtrak: • Rep Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) has offered an amendment to zero out
Building for the Future: The Impact of the HSIPR Program
July 25, 2013
Written By Colin Leach The U.S. Senate is currently considering a transportation funding bill that would provide $1.45 billion for Amtrak and $100 million for the higher speed rail. The Senate proposal stands in stark contrast to the House version, which slashes Amtrak’s budget to $1.05 billion and zeroes out the higher speed rail program. As Congress debates the merit of investment in higher speed rail, it’s worth taking a look at the program’s history and successes. Created as part of