News & Commentary
Station to Station: Coined by Bowie, Seized by a Generation
September 9, 2013
Written By Malcolm Kenton The Summer of 2013 may mark a meaningful rediscovery of the cultural significance of Long Distance Train Travel The late summer of 2013 may mark the beginning of a new era that could see American transcontinental journeys used as vehicles for encouraging expression, generating ideas, and making statements. And this can only be a good thing for our cause as it raises broader awareness about passenger trains, long-distance ones in particular, both as a smart way to trav
Balanced transportation = healthier people
September 6, 2013
Written By Malcolm Kenton Michael Huber, a cardiovascular health consultant with Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota, made an important, often overlooked point at the 24th Annual CTS Transportation Research Conference in St. Paul, which focused on the role of transportation policy in improving human health: I would like to see a more conscious balancing of the transportation modes. It’s not about forcing people to walk or bike. It’s about giving them a choice so they can make a decisio
Hoosier State Train On the Brink
September 5, 2013
Written By Ross Capon Bad things happen when a train dies. Communities depending on the service loose their connection to the world around them. Men and women who support themselves and their families working on the train lose their livelihood. And it can happen quickly. A blink of an eye compared to the decades it took to build up the service, maintain and improve the stations and the equipment, build up a loyal ridership. But if Indiana Governor Mike Pence fails to provide needed financia
Americans *do* ride trains
September 3, 2013
Written By Colin Leach A recent feature on The Economist’s blog attempted to answer the age-old question of why Americans do not travel by train as much as Europeans. But in doing so, the paper did not take into account certain realities concerning Americans’ changing travel preferences as well as current use of rail travel. Ultimately, The Economist’s analysis presents an incomplete picture that is based on an imperfect understanding of passenger rail demand. Large group boards a Wolver
Hoosier State must be saved before service can be improved
August 27, 2013
Written By Malcolm Kenton Dave Bangert’s column in this morning’s Lafayette (Indiana) Journal-Courier, while sympathetic to the cause of improving service on the Chicago-Indianapolis corridor, misses the point about why passenger advocates are fighting to preserve the existing Hoosier State service. It’s not sepia-toned nostalgia that motivates the Save the Hoosier State movement; it’s the simple fact that if the Hoosier State disappears, it becomes ten times more difficult to get bette
Local backing for Hoosier State on display at Lafayette summit
August 23, 2013
Written By Phillip Streby NARP Council Representative Phil Streby filed the following report from the Passenger Rail Summit that took place in downtown Lafayette, Indiana, on Wednesday (Aug. 21). We present it to you as part of our ongoing campaign to convince the Indiana Department of Transportation to commit to paying its share of the Chicago-Indianapolis Hoosier State's operating costs in fiscal 2014 and beyond, as the first step towards bringing faster and more convenient train service, and
Experience-seeking millennials question car dependence, turn to trains
August 22, 2013
Written By Colin Leach Detroit’s automakers have long counted on new generations purchasing their wares as readily as their parents. And with good reason: car culture has been an integral part of Americans’ lives for so long. For so many, coming of age included getting a driver’s license and the first in a succession of many personal cars. Owning a car was understood to be as American as apple pie. Photo by Colin Brace on Flickr.com.But for the millennial generation, car ownership is not
Meet the Summer Interns: Colin
August 20, 2013
Written By Colin Leach NARP has been pleased to host University of Maryland, Baltimore County graduate student Colin Leach as our summer intern. If you come to this site regularly, then you’ve probably already read some of his excellent work. But we wanted to take a moment to introduce him to you directly so you can understand the ideas and passions that motivate his work. Colin Leach presents to Amtrak Government Affairs. Photo by Ross Capon.Working with NARP this summer has been a natural
Final Stops and New Beginnings: Pittsburgh to Washington, DC
August 19, 2013
Written By Malcolm Kenton The Millennial Trains Project (MTP) private cars arrived early Friday morning (August 16) in the Steel City of Pittsburgh behind Amtrak’s eastbound Capitol Limited, and a Norfolk Southern diesel switched them onto track 2 (one of the two stub-end tracks at the former Pennsylvania Railroad station), in front of two other private cars which appeared to be unoccupied. Shortly after arrival, we headed out to explore a city that has done a lot to reinvent itself after the
Reframing the Debate in Chicago
August 17, 2013
Written By Malcolm Kenton Millennial Trains Project participants had a relaxed Wednesday morning riding into Chicago aboard the California Zephyr, watching the sun-dappled farm fields and small towns of Iowa and Illinois whisk by and give way to suburbs, and finally the skyscrapers, factories and massive freight rail yards of the Windy City, the nation's railroad hub. We took in iconic views of the Midwestern countryside from the Silver Lariat's dome and enjoyed the fresh breezes through the op