Happening Now
Rail Passengers' 2026 Advocacy Week Gets a New Look
March 16, 2026
Rail Passengers Association will be hosting a series of high-impact, two-day regional advocacy workshops in Washington, DC the week of April 20th-24th.
In response to feedback from participants last year, we’ve restructured our spring advocacy summit to feature a mid-week gathering of the entire Rail Passengers Council of Representatives. This will provide a space for passengers from all over the country to gather in one place to discuss the state of rail advocacy in the U.S. and the direction of the Association.
However, we’re still committed to goal of high-impact advocacy regional workshops that focus on specific and achievable goals. To support that, we’ll be asking attendees to come to a full-day briefing at Rail Passengers’ headquarters in downtown Washington, DC, followed by a full day of prescheduled meetings with elected officials on Capitol Hill.
To help interested attendees better understand this new structure, Rail Passengers staff is hosting a series of live web briefings over the next month to discuss meeting structure, give legislative updates, and walk through how to schedule meetings (briefings will be recorded and accessible online for those unable to attend live).
If you’re interested in taking part, you can register for the meeting now!
[Please note: due to the space limitations of our office, each of the sessions is limited to 20 tickets and there will be no on-site or virtual registration. Please attend the session for the state you reside in. Registration ends at Midnight eastern on Friday, April 10th.]
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Monday, April 20th |
- Northeast + South Legislative Briefing and Advocacy Workshop |
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Tuesday, April 21st |
- Mid-Atlantic + Midwest Legislative Briefing and Advocacy Workshop
- Northeast + South Day on the Hill |
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Wednesday, April 22nd |
- Council Business Meeting
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Thursday, April 23rd |
- Southwest, Northwest + Mountains & Plains Legislative Briefing and Advocacy Workshop
- Mid-Atlantic + Midwest Day on the Hill |
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Friday, April 24th |
- Southwest, Northwest + Mountains & Plains Day on the Hill |
Schedule of Web Briefings
(click here to register for the Webinars listed below)
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Passenger Rail Advocacy Week Launch Meeting (Eastern Time)
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Date: Monday, March 23rd Time: 7pm Eastern Session Description: Hear from Rail Passengers staff about the structure of this year’s week of advocacy in Washington, D.C. We’ll provide an overview of logistics, survey the 2026 policy landscape, and take questions from attendees.
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Passenger Rail Advocacy Week Launch Meeting (Pacific Time)
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Date: Tuesday, March 24th Time: 7pm Pacific Session Description: Hear from Rail Passengers staff about the structure of this year’s week of advocacy in Washington, D.C. We’ll provide an overview of logistics, survey the 2026 policy landscape, and take questions from attendees. |
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Rail Passenger Day on the Hill Meeting Scheduling and Logistics
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Date: Monday, March 30th Time: 7pm Eastern / 4pm Pacific Session Description: Our D.C. summit is about getting America’s train passengers in front of policymakers to advocate for a better rail network. To support that goal, this briefing focus on getting meetings scheduled (on Capitol Hill and in offices at home), and familiarizing yourself with legislative materials.
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Rail Transportatin Legislative Brief
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Date: Tuesday, April 7th Time: 7:00 pm Eastern / 4:00 pm Pacific Session Description: With a surface transportation authorization due in September, a proposal for an Amtrak restructuring on the table, and a mega-merger between two Class I freight railroads, 2026 promises to be a pivotal year for U.S. rail. Rail Passengers policy staff will give an overview of the issues we’re prioritizing in the coming year.
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Final Brief and Q&A (Eastern Time)
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Date: Monday, April 13th Time: 7:00 pm Eastern Session Description: Rail Passengers staff will give a final update on the agenda, and field last minute questions from attendees.
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Final Brief and Q&A (Pacific Time)
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Date: Tuesday, April 14th Time: 7:00 pm Pacific Session Description: Rail Passengers staff will give a final update on the agenda, and field last minute questions from attendees.
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"Thank you to Jim Mathews and the Rail Passengers Association for presenting me with this prestigious award. I am always looking at ways to work with the railroads and rail advocates to improve the passenger experience."
Congressman Dan Lipinski (IL-3)
February 14, 2020, on receiving the Association's Golden Spike Award
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