Hotline
Your weekly source of fresh takes on news affecting America's passengers. See also the RPA Blog.
Hotline #904
March 27, 2015
Support Stand Up 4 Transportation Day on April 9 The Stand Up 4 Transportation coalition is urging Congress to pay for a long-term investment in the nation’s transportation infrastructure under the fiscal year 2016 budget for the departments of Transportation and Housing and Urban Development (THUD). To that end, NARP is among a group of organizations gathering across the country on April 9 to send a message to Congress: It’s time to provide long-term investment for America’s transporta
Hotline #903
March 20, 2015
Senate leaders suggested this week that rail provisions could be included in a surface transportation reauthorization-- a bill that must move forward before June due to the scheduled expiration of the federal gas tax. “If we do a multiyear reauthorization of the surface transportation, the highway bill, there's generally a rail title in that, so that could be a vehicle,” Senate Commerce Committee Chair John Thune (R-SD) told Bloomberg BNA. “And I guess we haven't gamed that out exactly whe
Hotline #902
March 13, 2015
In a victory for passengers, the Supreme Court vacated a lower court decision, reinstating metrics and standards for Amtrak service that will protect the rights of train passengers. In doing so, the court agreed with the “Friend of the Court” brief filed by the National Association of Railroad Passengers and the Environmental Policy & Law Center in U.S. Department of Transportation vs. the Association of American Railroads. "This is a good day for U.S. passenger rail as it means that the
Hotline #901
March 6, 2015
Amtrak funding elimination foiled, runaway success of the ski train, PTC delays, and much more in this week's #NARPHotline
Hotline #900
February 27, 2015
For the big nine-oh-oh, we cover the slew of Amtrak amendments filed to the big House rail bill, good news for the Southwest Chief, an attack on a PRIVATELY funded passenger rail project (aka, government shackling the hands of entrepreneurs with over-regulation), and how modern train equipment saved lives in California's Metrolink accident.
Hotline #899
February 20, 2015
NARP President Jim Mathews (far left) looks on as Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx speaks (Foxx is flanked by Mayor Muriel Bowser and Amtrak President Joe Boardman). U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx hit the road this week to raise awareness of the looming infrastructure crisis that threatens our mobility and the U.S. economy. A highlight of the tour was a stop in Charleston, South Carolina, where Foxx—along with special guest Vice President Joe Biden—called for Congress t
Hotline #898
February 13, 2015
Plowing out the MBTA's B Line after record snowfalls. Outrage over widespread delays led MBTA's chief to resign this week. Full story below. The House Committee on Transportation & Infrastructure passed a rail reauthorization bill that caps investment in Amtrak by unanimous consent on February 12. The bill ignores the larger investment issues that have stifled capacity growth, despite steadily growing ridership and surging demand for more choice in transportation among the American publi
Hotline #897
February 6, 2015
A map of the potential location of Texas Central Railway's Dallas train station. Full story below. The House Committee on Transportation & Infrastructure released the Passenger Rail Reform and Investment Act of 2015 (PRRIA 2015) yesterday. After analyzing the proposed legislation, NARP found many commonsense reforms but remains concerned that there are serious questions that are not addressed. The most serious of these is that PRRIA 2015 caps Amtrak’s funding at existing levels. The b
Hotline #896
January 30, 2015
The state of Indiana and Amtrak announced they have reached an agreement that will keep the Hoosier State running until April 1, beating an end-of-January deadline by a day. Amtrak’s 60-day contract extension with the Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) will give all sides more space to reach an agreement on a long-term contract. Early reports indicate that Amtrak will continue to manage operations of the Indianapolis – Chicago train, with INDOT contracting out portions of the se
Hotline #895
January 23, 2015
President Barack Obama made a strong economic case for more investment in U.S. transportation in his January 20 State of the Union, saying "21st century businesses need 21st century infrastructure — modern ports, stronger bridges, [and the] faster trains" The call proved to be one of the few areas of bipartisan accord, with Representative Bill Shuster (R-PA) responding that there is broad, bipartisan agreement on the need to modernize America’s infrastructure. "I believe that it is i