 | NARP blogTRAINS: A travel choice Americans want |
» Visit the Official NARP Website
C-SPAN Poll on Amtrak Funding
Monday, October 29, 2007
As the Senate debates S.294, the Passenger Rail Investment and Improvement Act that would reauthorize Amtrak, C-SPAN has a poll on its CapitalNews web site asking, “Should Amtrak receive federal funding?” So far, over 1100 respondents have voted, with “Yes” leading “No” by a margin of 74% to 26%.
While this is not a scientific poll, we encourage you to vote and show your support for passenger rail and parity in transportation funding!
Most importantly, please contact your Senators’ offices by telephone tomorrow after 9 AM Eastern time. The Senate should move to a final vote on S.294 by tomorrow, and Wednesday morning at the latest. As was the case last week, the message to your Senators continues to be: Please support S.294 and please vote against any other anti-passenger rail amendment that is offered, especially amendments to cut funding or add micromanaging language to the bill. Press reports today indicate that Sen. Wayne Allard (R-CO) may offer an amendment to reinstate the disastrous “Self-Sufficiency” language from the 1997 Amtrak reauthorization. (S.294 specifically eliminates this requirement.)
—Matthew Melzer
Posted by NARP
Tags: amtrak reauthorization, c-span, polls, senate action,Trains Help Revitalize America’s Cities and Towns
Monday, November 12, 2007
I recently took Amtrak’s Pacific Surfliner train from San Diego to Los Angeles Union Station, one of America’s great scenic train rides and Amtrak’s busiest route outside of Boston to New York and Washington, D.C.
During the trip into Los Angeles, I discovered that there was a large contingent on the train heading to a concert at the recently opened Nokia Theater at the new
L.A. Live
center in Downtown Los Angeles, which is just a short distance from Union Station via the Metro Rail. Before the Nokia Theater opened, these folks taking the train would have had to drive to non Metro Rail accessible concert venues scattered across the Los Angeles area. Whether they came from San Diego or San Luis Obispo or the many suburban and rural communities along the route of the Surfliner, the train allowed them to avoid traffic and ride in comfort.Downtown Los Angeles is undergoing a renaissance of residential, entertainment, and commercial development. Thousands of new residences are being built in Los Angeles’ long neglected center.
Planners now realize that America’s neglected city and town centers should revitalized as a sustainable strategy to accommodate growth into the future. This pattern, emulated around the country, is usually called smart growth or transit oriented development. Intercity rail and rail transit play a large role in this. Those that have access to trains put out much less climate changing carbon emissions than people who have to drive more.
And as anyone who can take the train regularly for work or pleasure can attest, train travel leads to much better quality-of-life than driving and flying exclusively. Whether you’re taking a commuter train or the spectacular Empire Builder across Montana, train travel is a much more civilized, sensitive way to experience our great country.
Recently our Executive Director Ross Capon was interviewed on NPR’s The Diane Rehm Show to discuss Senate Bill 294, Amtrak, and other passenger rail issues. One caller to the show lamented that, while she would like to take the train to Cleveland, Ohio, the early morning time of the train’s arrival combined with the economically distressed state of downtown Cleveland dissuades her.
Trains thrive especially on vibrant destinations in America’s cities and small towns. Recently our board of directors traveled to North Carolina and took the state supported Amtrak route The Piedmont. North Carolina’s DOT over the past few years has undertaken renovations at many of the region’s old railroad stations. Once run down stations are now assets to their communities and focal points for the revitalization of their host communities, from cities to small towns.
What can you do to help? Call your member of the House of Representatives and let them know that you support Senate Bill 294, the Passenger Rail Investment and Improvement Act. This bipartisan reauthorization of Amtrak recently passed the Senate by a resounding 70 votes to just 22 against. It must now be introduced in the House’s Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and voted out for consideration by the House Rules Committee and, eventually, the full House. It’s important that this vital piece of legislation get to the President soon.
By increasing investment in Amtrak in partnership with the states, S.294 will help Amtrak connect communities and improve them – just as it is already doing along The Piedmont in North Carolina and along the Pacific Surfliner route in Southern California.
—Dennis Lytton
NARP Board Member
Los Angeles, California
Posted by NARP
Tags: amtrak reauthorization, dennis lytton, transit-oriented development,Senate Politics Impeding Rail Safety and Reauthorization Bill
Friday, September 26, 2008
On Wednesday, the House passed by voice vote H.R. 2095, which combines the Rail Safety Improvement Act of 2008 and the Passenger Rail Investment and Improvement Act of 2008 (the latter incorporating provisions from S. 294). Yesterday, Sen. Tom Coburn (R-OK) placed a hold on the bill, preventing an up-or-down vote in the Senate without cloture.
In a Wall Street Journal article posted yesterday afternoon, “Senator Holds Up Bill on Train Safety Device,” Sen. Coburn is quoted saying “Amtrak loses $2 billion a year subsidizing food.”
This is an absurd figure, since Amtrak’s total operating grant is under $500 million—$490 million in the FY 06 and 07 appropriations bills, and $475 million this year.
No one thinks operations generate a $2.5 billion profit that mostly goes to offsetting food losses, yet that’s what Coburn’s math implies.
While Amtrak has reduced food losses since the June 9, 2005 House hearing on this issue, it is important to remember what Amtrak Senior Vice President—Operations William L. Crosbie said in his testimony then: “Amtrak’s food and beverage service is a fundamental part of the service that we offer on board the majority of the trains that we operate on a daily basis. Its primary purpose is to enhance ticket sales and ridership, not serve as a profit center.”
It would be nice if Senators could get the facts right, especially ones who are trying to deny the Senate the chance to vote on this bill.
—Ross Capon
Posted by NARP
Tags: amtrak, amtrak reauthorization, news media, safety, senate action, wall street journal,Good Week for Trains
Thursday, October 02, 2008
On Monday, the Senate voted 69-17 to cut off debate, clearing the way for the long-sought up-or-down vote on the Rail Passenger Investment Act (now named for and including the rail safety provisions). On Wednesday evening, the Senate gave final approval to the bill 74-24 (actually, one vote stronger than the financial overhaul bill that followed, which passed 74-25).
The roll call of how senators voted Wednesday night will be of great interest. It can be viewed here.
The members-only section of our web site has a more user-friendly version of the roll call, alphabetical by state, and side-by-side with other Senate votes of interest to us. (Update: It also has a stand-alone chart for the Senate vote on H.R. 2095.)
On Tuesday, Transportation Secretary Mary Peters traveled to Richmond on the train with Federal Railroad Administrator Joseph Boardman to announce the $30 million in grants to 13 states, the first-ever such set of grants. She also emphasized strong ridership growth on trains and transit, and the decline in driving. Details, including list of the grants, are available here.
—Ross Capon
Posted by NARP
Tags: amtrak reauthorization, fra, safety, usdot,©2010 National Association of Railroad Passengers | » NARP website
» Recent Entries
» Blogroll
» Terms of Service for Comments
You may register to post comments in response to NARP-generated postings on the Blog. By registering you agree 1) that all comments will be relevant to the respective posting and 2) not to post any messages that are obscene, vulgar, slanderous, hateful, threatening, or that violate any laws. We reserve the right to permanently block postings from any user who does not abide by the above terms. NARP reserves the right to remove, edit, or move any messages for any reason.
» Monthly Archives
