Region 12 Meeting Brings Together Amtrak President, Dukakis, and Local Advocacy Groups

Around America recently, the National Association of Railroad Passengers has been holding its annual regional membership meetings.  Interest in the issue of passenger trains, as evidenced by attendance at the latest round of meetings, has been high.
The biggest meeting this year was our Region 12 meeting in Los Angeles at historic Union Station on March 17th.  Despite Southern California’s reputation as the freeway capital of the world, interest in passenger rail, from rail transit to high speed rail has never been higher.  The more than 300 attendees at the conference filled the boardroom of the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority to capacity and delighted veterans of passenger rail advocacy.

The keynote speakers were Amtrak President and CEO Alex Kummant and former presidential candidate and Massachusetts Governor Michael Dukakis, who also served on the Amtrak Board.  NARP Executive Director Ross Capon also spoke, and introduced Dukakis.  NARP co-hosted the meeting with two other advocacy groups, the Rail Passenger Association of California and the Los Angeles based Transit Coalition.  The need for every level of train service was discussed, from intercity, to high speed rail, to the local rail transit.
You can read in depth coverage about the meeting on RailPac’s website.
Kummant gave a detailed presentation on many of the challenges facing Amtrak, including track capacity on the nation’s railroads, and prospects for federal appropriations and Amtrak reauthorization bills.  Dukakis questioned California’s continued priority on road building and Governor Schwarzenegger’s opposition to the California High Speed Rail project.  Dukakis also emphasized the need to let the presidential campaigns know that passenger rail is important for America’s transportation and environmental future.
In my view, this is one of the most important lessons from the conference.  Let Congress and the men and women running for President know that we need passenger rail!  We’re facing a global climate crisis and trains are the least polluting way of moving people.  Europe and Japan have both well maintained roads and excellent rail systems that connect communities large and small.  Doesn’t America deserve the same?
Call, write, or email your Member of the House of Representatives and your Senators and ask them to support the Amtrak reauthorization bill S. 294, the Passenger Rail Investment and Improvement Act.
—Dennis Lytton
NARP Director, Los Angeles, Calif.