News & Commentary
NARP Members Making Things Better for Passengers in Michigan
February 7, 2013
Written By Sean Jeans Gail In another instance of NARP members working to improve the experience of riding trains, Michiganmembers of NARP’s Council of Representatives have worked to install an electronic departure and arrival board for the Kalamazoo Transportation Center. The board—a repurposed flat screen television—is part of a pilot program that NARP hopes to expand to other cities: The city ofKalamazoois the first city to have the boards as part of the project organized by the Na
NARP Members Now Save 20% on Alaska Railroad Train Fares!
February 5, 2013
Written By Sean Jeans Gail Image courtesy Alaska RailroadUpdated to include: This discount cannot be combined with other discounts. NARP is pleased to announce a new partnership with Alaska Railroad that will give NARP members a 20 percent discount on all Adventure Class fares on Alaska Railroad trains, making it even easier for passengers to tour the wild beauty of “The Last Frontier” in the unique comfort and style afforded by train travel. This newly formed partnership will allow NARP
Revised NARP-Midwest HSR White Paper Depicts Value of National Network Trains
February 1, 2013
Written By Malcolm Kenton NARP and the Midwest High-Speed Rail Association (MHSRA) unveiled Tuesday a revised version of our joint White Paper, “Long Distance Trains: A Foundation for American Mobility.” The original was released September 17, 2012. Our goal with the paper is to transform the public image of long-distance trains, which is often colored by false stereotypes perpetuated by the popular culture. In reality, these trains serve multiple trip purposes in a single, highly-produc
Streetsblog "Keeping CNN Honest" -- You Can Too!
January 31, 2013
Written By Sean Jeans Gail Take a moment and head over to the Midwest High Speed Rail Association, where you can join their campaign to demand that Anderson Cooper and his producers include the critical voices of high speed rail advocates and experts in future coverage. Streetsblog’s Tanya Snyder has put together a comprehensive overview of the heated responses to CNN’s coverage of Recovery Act investment in the Vermonter service on Anderson Cooper 360. Schneider calls out reporter Drew G
World Bank Report a Boost for Passenger Train Investment
January 30, 2013
Written By Sean Jeans Gail The World Bank has released a paper stating that traditional methods of evaluating infrastructure fail to capture the significant economic benefits of high-speed rail service, and that a more comprehensive form of analysis should be given serious consideration. The paper, High-Speed Rail, Regional Economics, and Urban Development in China, defines traditional economic evaluation of transportation projects as focused on direct costs and benefits related to travel, in
“Praising and Pushing” for a Rejuvenated Chicago-St. Louis Corridor
January 29, 2013
Written By Malcolm Kenton To be an effective advocate, one must both praise and push—praise the steps that are being taken in the right direction, but at the same time push decisionmakers to kick it up a notch. There is still a significant gap between what is being done and what needs to be done for Americans to maintain our mobility and prosperity into the 21st century. NARP Director and Midwest High-Speed Rail Association President Rick Harnish effectively balances praising and pushing in a
NARP responds to Anderson Cooper's attack on trains
January 28, 2013
Written By Sean Jeans Gail NARP President Ross Capon responds directly to a CNN report that questions the value of passenger rail investment through a skewed scope. The “Keeping Them Honest” report on high-speed rail on the Jan. 25 edition of Anderson Cooper 360 presumed that investing in rail is wasteful if the trains do not go very fast and very often. Steadily rising ridership on most Amtrak services—not just the Northeast Corridor—over the past decade shows that American travel
Small Communities Rally Around Southwest Chief
January 23, 2013
Written By Sean Jeans Gail "It's part of our life. And once it's gone, it's gone." That is the promise and the threat that motivates Mayor David Crase in his efforts to preserve Southwest Chief service in Garden City, Kansas. It is a threat shared by many small communities along the line. In “A Kansas town tries to keep the train coming through,” CNN Contributor Bob Greene outlines how the Amtrak train has woven itself into the very fabric of the Garden City community, providing a vital
Trainsforming America: the transformative power of trains, from a passenger's point of view
January 7, 2013
Written By Sean Jeans Gail Guest-blogger Rebecca Sansom is joining NARP to write about the process of creating her new documentary, Trainsforming America. This film looks to spark a dialog about transportation in America, engaging the public about the many benefits of passenger trains. My parents have never been to Europe. They've pretty much lived in the South their whole lives. Which is fine, but I realized there was a disconnect when I was telling them about my travels, especially about ta
Senator Daniel K. Inouye, 1924 - 2012
December 18, 2012
Written By Sean Jeans Gail The following was republished from Travel and Trains and Other Things, a blog written by NARP Board Member Jim Loomis. Dan Inouye has died. He was 88. He was probably never fully appreciated outside of Hawaii, but Dan’s an icon here. War hero who lost his right arm in Italy. Winner of the Congressional Medal of Honor. Served in the U.S. House and then, for 50 years, in the Senate. I’m proud to say that last April, the National Association of Railroad Pas