News & Commentary
CrossRail Chicago: Game Changer
November 1, 2013
Written By Ross Capon Taking a page from London, the Midwest High Speed Rail Association has applied the moniker “CrossRail Chicago” to their “game-changing plan for transforming transit in our area.” The plan is strategically incremental, designed to become exponentially more effective with each step completed. The heart of the plan is a trunk line carrying electrified express trains between McCormick Place, Union Station and O’Hare Airport. The link would facilitate new, cross-tow
Vincent Price: A Mad Man About Trains
October 31, 2013
Written By Logan McLeod “Darkness falls across the land, the midnight hour is close at hand” NARP wishes its members and passenger train advocates everywhere a Happy Halloween! Here’s an interesting fact for you: did you know that Vincent Price was one of NARP’s original members? He was as passionate about trains as he was about scaring people. He sat on NARP’s first Council Advisory Board, back when Tony Haswell established the National Association of Railroad Passengers in 1967.
'Swank, Whole New' sleeping accomodation isn't new (but still quite nice)
October 30, 2013
Written By Abe Zumwalt QUEENSLAND, AUSTRALIA-- A new tilt train in Australia is making headlines for its speed, but also for its ‘unique’ accommodations: “The Spirit of Queensland departed Roma Street Monday afternoon and will reach Cairns six hours sooner than its counterpart has done since 1953.The new tilt train will cover the 1861km in 25 hours, at speeds of up to 160km/hr. Passengers can choose standard seating, or more swanky recliner "railbeds". Executive General Manager of Cus
Megabus Expanding; But Most Towns Left Out
October 30, 2013
Written By Sean Jeans Gail With ticket sales on Megabus and its intercity passenger bus lines booming, the company is setting its sights on expansion. But if you live outside a major city or college campus, don’t expect to see any benefits Yesterday’s Financial Times describes how the company is looking to take advantage of trends drawing young people away from cars—the same trends that have led to unprecedented growth on passengers trains. Stagecoach, the bus line’s parent corporati
The future is multi-modal: Miami edition
October 29, 2013
Written By Malcolm Kenton A major project, 20 years in the making, to bring all of the ground transportation modes serving America’s 7th-largest city together within easy reach of Miami International Airport, the world’s 28th busiest and the nation’s 12th-busiest airport, and a major international gateway to the Americas, is finally coming together. The $1.7 billion Miami Intermodal Center (MIC, commonly pronounced “mick”) will bring together the second-biggest car rental facility in
NARP defends Amtrak's rural routes
October 28, 2013
Written By Colin Leach Amtrak's westbound Southwest Chief near Trinidad, CO. Photo credit to Steve Wilson via the Wikimedia Foundation. Readers of our blog know that one of the most common criticisms aimed at Amtrak is its requirement for federal subsidy. At hearing after hearing, congressional passenger rail critics such as John Mica, Jeff Flake, and Paul Broun have claimed that the railroad is a huge burden on the taxpayer, particularly with respect to the long-distance routes. Why, they
Airlines Put the Squeeze on Passengers
October 24, 2013
Written By Sean Jeans Gail As if you needed another reason to take the train, the Wall Street Journal is reporting that airlines have been shrinking the average size of plane seats to cram more passengers in, and maximize profits: Airlines' push to lure high-paying fliers with flatbed business seats and premium economy loungers is leaving economy-class passengers with less space. A push over the past decade by carriers to expand higher-fare sections has shrunk the area devoted to coach on
Roads less travelled become railroads more travelled
October 17, 2013
Written By Colin Leach Amtrak's Empire Builder near East Glacier, MT. Credit to Steve Wilson via Wikimedia Foundation. How should we pay to maintain highways? This question no longer has a straightforward answer. As a recent article in theEconomist suggests, state and federal governments are finding it increasingly difficult to raise the needed revenues to maintain roads. For most of our history, highways have been paid for through straightforward gas taxes: Under these, a portion of eac
Train advocacy in the Sunshine State
October 17, 2013
Written By Malcolm Kenton Image: Wikimedia Commons Tomorrow afternoon, I will board Amtrak's southbound Silver Star here at Washington Union Station to travel overnight to Jacksonville, Florida, where NARP will hold its annual Fall Meeting on Saturday and Sunday. Every October, the NARP Council of Representatives--an all-volunteer advisory body--meets in a different city in the country, and all NARP members are invited to join them. These meetings offer not just an opportunity for leaders i
Amtrak Says “Thank You” to America’s Passengers for Best Year Ever
October 16, 2013
Written By Sean Jeans Gail What’s the best way to celebrate a record year of train ridership in the U.S.? Riding more trains, of course. Amtrak is thanking the passengers that helped set a record ridership of 31.6 million trips in Fiscal Year 2013 by offering a 31% discount on companion rail travel: To take advantage of this discount, passengers must purchase tickets between Oct. 15 through Oct. 21, for travel Oct. 22 through Dec. 12. The discount is available on regular full adult fare