Railroad Passengers Honor Maine Senators Snowe and Collins

Railroad Passengers Honor Maine Senators Snowe and Collins

Release #11-12—May 4, 2011

Contact: Sean Jeans-Gail, 202-320-2723

Washington, DC—The National Association of Railroad Passengers yesterday presented Golden Spike Awards to Maine’s two U.S. senators, Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins.  The two Republicans were honored for their work in support of passenger train service generally and of Amtrak’s highly successful Downeaster, which has run between Boston, New Hampshire, and Portland, Maine, since 2001.

“Both Snowe and Collins have exerted every effort to establish, improve and extend Downeaster, which serves as a vital transportation link and economic development generator for the many communities it connects,” said NARP Chairman Bob Stewart of the senators.  They have served over 16 and 14 years in the Senate, respectively.  NARP President Ross Capon and Council Member Wayne Davis assisted in the presentation; Davis also is chairman of TrainRiders/Northeast.

Presentation photograph available on request.

The Association’s Golden Spike Award honors individuals, usually public officials, for their work in support of strengthening and expanding the nation’s passenger train network.  A list of past winners is available on NARP’s website.
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About the National Association of Railroad Passengers

NARP is the largest citizen-based organization advocating for train and rail transit passengers. We have worked since 1967 to expand the quality and quantity of passenger train service in the U.S. Our mission is to work towards a modern, customer-focused national passenger train network that provides a travel choice Americans want. Our work is supported by over 20,000 individual members.