National Association of Railroad Passengers: www.narprail.org

Fact Sheet: The Grid and Gateway

A parity in route miles

• There are currently 22,000 route miles of rail lines (one land mile = one route mile, regardless of how many tracks are on that mile of land)
• NARP’s proposal will bring the number of route miles to 45,000 – roughly the same size as the current interstate highway system.
• The interstate highway system has grown from its initial 41,000 miles to 47,000 miles in 2004.

An increase in communities served

• Today, many big metro areas have little or no Amtrak service.
• NARP’s proposal would have meaningful service in all major metropolitan areas and a majority of the smaller ones.

Providing a transportation choice people demand

• In 2006, a Harris poll indicated that 79% of adults would like to see an increasing proportion of traffic going by intercity or commuter rail.
• According to a 2005 study by the Surface Transportation Policy Project, people living in communities with few transportation options devote the greatest share of their family budget to transportation costs.