Western Pennsylvanians for Passenger Rail call for more and better train service in Pittsburgh

 

Rich Fitzgerald, County Executive-elect of Allegheny County

[Updated: November 30, 2011]

The following is a brief report from NARP Council of Representatives Member Michael Alexander on the media event sponsored by Western Pennsylvanians for Passenger Rail (WPPR), November 22, 2011, held at the Pittsburgh Amtrak station, to raise awareness among locals about the benefits more frequent passenger rail service would bring to the region:

The event was held on the platform of the Pittsburgh Amtrak station, with the permission of Amtrak, on Nov. 22, 2011, 7:00-7:45 a.m.. The purpose of the event was to emphasize Pittsburgh’s need for more and better rail passenger service, as it now has only two trains: the Pennsylvanian, of which it is the western terminus, and the Capitol Limited, which stops in Pittsburgh travelling between Chicago and Washington, DC. In addition to WPPR members—including NARP Representatives Ken Joseph (PA), Chuck Riecks (WV), and Michael Alexander (PA), and longtime NARP member Henry Posner III, Chairman of the Railroad Development Corporation, as well as other WPPR members—the speakers included Rich Fitzgerald, County Executive-elect of Allegheny County, and Natalia Rudiak, Councilwoman of the Pittsburgh City Council.

Also present were staff members representing two legislators: U.S. Congressman Jason Altmire (PA-4th), who serves on the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure and the Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines, and Hazardous Materials, and State Senator Jay Costa (43rd district), who is the leader of the Democratic minority in the State Senate.

Natalia Rudiak, Councilwoman on the Pittsburgh City Council

WPXI-TV, the local NBC affiliate, KQV-AM, and the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review covered the event. In addition, KDKA-AM did a phone interview after the event with Alexander.

The occasion afforded two visuals, one planned, the other not. The event was scheduled to coincide with the departure of the sold-out Pennsylvanian for New York City, and the group recited the departure announcement, finishing just as the train started to pull out. The purpose of this recitation was in part to stress the number of points served, fifteen, between Pittsburgh and New York City. Unexpected was a Norfolk Southern freight train rumbling through during the event, pulling what must have been over one hundred piggy-back trailers—thus allowing the group to point out how many trucks the efficiency of rail was making it possible to take off the highways.

J. Charles Riecks speaks to a reporter

WPPR distributed a 33-page media packet at the event, dealing with such topics as Amtrak statistics for the nation and Pittsburgh, rail as the “green” mode of transportation, passenger rail as a potential boost for the Pittsburgh economy, and a comparison of train, plane and bus schedules between the present and ca. 1950 (showing how the number of options has declined dramatically, giving a trip from Pittsburgh to Philadelphia as an example).

—Michael Alexander

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