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Liveblogging National Train Day
Saturday, May 10, 2008
The first annual National Train Day is underway at stations all across the country today. Amtrak originally conceived the event to make a marketing splash in four of their biggest cities, but thanks to the tireless work of rail advocates and civic boosters working on the local level, communities all across the country are celebrating National Train Day as a call to action to increase train travel options in cities large and small. Google News current shows 255 articles on the event, a sign of the great interest it has generated.
NARP Vice President Jim Churchill and I are staffing our table at Washington Union Station today. I’ll be updating this entry as the day progresses. If you’re in the area, please feel free to stop by! And if you have photos or tidbits from other events, please feel free to e-mail me at mmelzer (at) narprail.org.
UPDATE, 10:32 AM: Amtrak President and CEO Alex Kummant opened the event with a brief speech thanking the event partners, including NARP. AAR President Ed Hamberger remarked on the environmental need to move more goods as well as passengers by rail. But the crowd was mostly anxious to get a photo with Al Roker!
UPDATE, 11:19 AM: The turnout so far is great, with many families who are not traveling. The line to tour an Acela trainset and private cars is stretching well into the station. Amtrak’s ARTE environmental mascot and Screech, the Washington Nationals mascot, are greeting fans. Amtrak also has computers with Microsoft Train Simulator in Acela mode set up.
--Matthew Melzer
Posted by NARP
Tags: amtrak, churchill, melzer, national train day, washington union station,Liveblogging National Train Day, Part 2
Singer-songwriter Sara Bareilles just finished her concert in the Great Hall here at Union Station, playing to an enthusiastic crowd following Al Roker’s introduction.
Here are some more shots of the exhibitors, followed by a view of the line to tour the Acela train and private cars (which stretched back for several hundred feet).
NARP Board Member (and Virginia Association of Railway Patrons President) Mike Testerman sent the following report from the event in Richmond:
The VARP, VHSR, DRPT and City of Richmond event at Main Street Station was a first-time-out success. Counting passengers and event guests, there were close to 50 participants. Remarks were delivered by Vickey Badger and her husband Chip, on behalf of the city and DRPT, respectively. Marc LaFountain read Mayor Wilder’s NTD proclamation. VHSR executive director Danny Plaugher gave a vision of Main Street Station’s future in the new Golden Age of Rail, coming to Virginia and the nation. NBC Channel 12 TV showed up after the ceremony, but in time to interview Vickey Badger and film #194 running about 50 minutes late. (# 67 was about 40 minutes late.)
There was a 20 foot banner, poster of NARP’s Grid and Gateway map for Virginia, and posters with watercolor renderings of high speed trains at Main Street Station. The Executive Summary of the Passenger Rail Working Group’s report was among the many handouts.
Amtrak furnished National Train Day badges and stickers, which children of all ages enjoyed. VHSR provided refreshments with a special National Train Day cake from Ukrop’s and punch.
--Matthew Melzer
Posted by NARP
Tags: amtrak, national train day, sara bareilles, washington union station,Liveblogging National Train Day, Part 3 of 3
The exceptionally large crowd has trickled out of Union Station and the displays are gone, but we sincerely hope that the first annual National Train Day events here and elsewhere have raised citizens’ (especially young ones’) consciousness about passenger trains. Certain events in the country were designed to focus primarily on the advocacy angle, but Jim and I were grateful to speak with the countless folks who came by our table to find out how they could join the fight to increase train service. Some of the recurring themes we heard included the high price of Amtrak fares on the Northeast Corridor (necessitated by political realities and market demand), the need for dedicated rights-of-way for very-high-speed passenger service wherever feasible, and incredulity at the fact that it has taken so long for politicians to catch up with the traveling public’s demand for more train travel options. Several visitors from foreign countries also praised the fact that the US has not privatized or dismantled Amtrak, including the long-distance routes.
Thanks again to all our volunteers across the country for their great efforts leading up to today! We look forward to hearing more about the other events, and to building upon this year’s success for the second annual National Train Day in 2009.
UPDATE, 4:06 PM: Click here to read about a Jacksonville, FL event from Jerry Sullivan of the Sunset Marketing and Revitalization Team (SMART). NY1 has coverage of the New York Penn Station event.
Several folks have already uploaded photos to Flickr from today’s events!
UPDATE, 10:52 PM: Click here to see Andy Smith’s photos and commentary from the event at Los Angeles Union Station. News coverage of events continues to trickle in via Google News. We’ll have more photos and commentary from our volunteers on Monday!
--Matthew Melzer
Posted by NARP
Tags: amtrak, national train day, washington union station,©2006 National Association of Railroad Passengers | » NARP website
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