Hotline
Your weekly source of fresh takes on news affecting America's passengers. See also the RPA Blog.
Hotline #863
May 23, 2014
By Sean Jeans-Gail Congressional House appropriators met May 21 to markup the fiscal year 2015 transportation and housing budget. From the pro-train amendments offered, it’s clear that Representatives heard the voice of passengers who have been bombarding Congress with messages of support for Amtrak and high performance rail. Key committee actions included: Congresswoman Nita Lowey (D-NY) offered an amendment to add $825 million to fund railroad safety technology, which would help implement
Hotline #862
May 16, 2014
By Jenna Jablonski The Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation held a hearing on May 15 exploring the impacts that transportation investment has on states, local communities, and users of the transportation system. Unsurprisingly, the mayors in attendance—the elected officials directly charged with meeting the transportation needs of average Americans—were direct and unequivocal in expressing the need for stronger public investment in passenger trains. These local leader
Hotline #861
May 9, 2014
By Sean Jeans-Gail The House Appropriations Committee released a fiscal year 2015 Transportation, Housing and Urban Development funding bill earlier this week that would further tighten the budgetary screws on the national passenger rail network, precluding any chance to improve service and grow the system. In the subcommittee draft, rail is funded at $1.4 billion, representing a reduction of $193 million below what was enacted last year. That number includes $340 million for Amtrak operations
Hotline #860
May 1, 2014
By Sean Jeans-Gail Following the NARP national leadership meeting, held this week in Washington, D.C., we will be presenting an abbreviated version of this week’s Hotline. We’ll return with a full news roundup next week. President Barack Obama sent his $302 billion investment plan for road, trains, and transit to Congress this week. As NARP reported earlier, the Generating Renewal, Opportunity, and Work with Accelerated Mobility, Efficiency, and Rebuilding of Infrastructure and Commun
Hotline #859
April 25, 2014
By Sean Jeans-Gail Photo via Wikicommons (Author: Steve Wilson) U.S.Senators Tom Udall and Martin Heinrich of New Mexico and Mark Udall of Colorado announced this week they are working to marshal congressional support for investment in long distance trains and the preservation of the Southwest Chief. The trio of Democrats issued a letter to the Chairman and Ranking Member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development in advance of the Fiscal Year
Hotline #858
April 18, 2014
By Sean Jeans-Gail When Florida East Coast announced it was privately funding a fast and frequent train service between Orlando and Miami via the East Coast, there was widespread support for the project from all corners. In recent weeks, we’ve seen a small-but-vocal minority initiate a campaign to kill the train. NARP has launched a campaign to rally support for the project, because the fact is: All Aboard Florida represents the best chance Floridians have at having convenient and reliable
Hotline #857
April 11, 2014
By Sean Jeans-Gail Governor Pat Quinn of Illinois announced on April 10 that the state will invest $223 million to introduce Amtrak service between Rockford and Chicago, with service scheduled to start in 2015. The infrastructure investment will create hundreds of jobs, and return intercity passenger trains to communities that have gone without service since 1981. “Next year, rail service between Rockford and Chicago will finally be a reality,” Governor Quinn said. “This funding and a ne
Hotline #856
April 4, 2014
By Sean Jeans-Gail NARP issued a press release today condemning Representative Paul Ryan’s proposal to eliminate Amtrak’s operating grant—part of a comprehensive budget plan—calling it an irresponsible attack on America’s passengers that would hurt the U.S. economy if enacted: Representative Ryan’s budget directs Congress to eliminate operating subsidies for Amtrak, on the pretext that operating funds have been “insulating Amtrak from making the structural reforms necessary to st
Hotline #855
March 28, 2014
By Sean Jeans-Gail Image via Texas Central Railway Today the mayors of Houston, Dallas, and Fort Worth announced their joint support of high-speed rail service between Houston and Dallas-Fort Worth, a project led by Texas Central High-Speed Railways. At a press conference today, the mayors cited numerous reasons to seize the opportunity for a high-speed route, including stimulating the economy, reducing travel time, reducing congestion and cutting harmful emissions. “With Houston and Dal
Hotline #854
March 21, 2014
By Sean Jeans-Gail Siemens’s announced this week that it has secured a $225 million contract for 32 locomotives, the components of which will be procured and manufactured exclusively in the United States. We looked at this story in a NARP Blog post, “When we build trains, we build jobs:” Under the terms of the contract signed between the German manufacturer and a five-state consortium consisting of Illinois, California, Washington, and Missouri, the firm will build at least 32 high-spee