News & Commentary
Great News for Rail Passengers in Fiscal Year 2018 Budget!
March 22, 2018
Congress significantly increased funding for Amtrak, passenger rail, and transit as part of the Fiscal Year 2018 budget, a victory for passenger advocates that’s been a long time in the works. The bill includes $2.813 billion for intercity rail--an increase of $1.3 billion over last year! That figure includes $1.9 billion for Amtrak ($650 million for the Northeast Corridor and $1.3 billion for the National Network); $593 million for the Consolidated Rail Improvement, which includes $250 milli
Is Your Mayor Onboard?
March 6, 2018
As Congress finishes last year's budget process and plans ahead for next year's spending, it's critical that local cities play an active part in the process. Contact your Mayor today! Just last year, we saw efforts in both Congress and the White House to kill Amtrak's National Network. With a concerted campaign of station rallies, calls, and meetings passenger advocates were able to turn back these efforts, and secure additional funding for passenger rail in both the House and Senate. Now we n
The 2018 Passengers' Guide to Advocacy
February 8, 2018
As Congress finishes last year's budget process and plans ahead for next year's spending, it's critical that train passengers play an active part in the process. That's why the Rail Passengers Association is launching our 2018 campaign to bring the voices of America's passengers to the halls of Congress. And we need your help! The bipartisan agreement passed by the Senate this week, if passed into law, provides a real opportunity for transportation in the appropriations process. The deal would
Supreme Court Action on Freight Delays?
Justice Dept. Cracks The Door Open For Supreme Court Freight-Delay Action
January 22, 2018
The Justice Dept. has advised the Supreme Court that it does not “at this time” support review of the Association’s on-time performance case, but at the same time mostly agreed with our position on the merits of our claim – which leaves the door open for the Court to hold our petitions until a federal appeals court rules on metrics and standards issues in a related case filed by the American Association of Railroads. The office of the Solicitor General – the third-ranking official in
Contest: Your View from the Train
October 26, 2017
Since 1967, our mission has been to work toward a modern, customer-focused national passenger rail network that provides a travel choice Americans want and can have access to. Over the past five decades we’ve been through some thick, and some thin in working to preserve and expand the service we have by giving passengers a voice. 50 years hence, our trains now run through a new era, rich with multimedia, and the passenger’s voice must be broadcasted and amplified to suit how we are portra
The Trump Budget Strikes Back! (UPDATE)
September 6, 2017
UPDATED: September 7th In an unexpected move, Congress launched debate on a series of transportation amendments late last night, with NARP staff tracking movement on the House floor. We're thrilled to report that a bipartisan coalition of House Transportation leadership took a strong stance in support of America's national rail network, and all anti-Amtrak amendments were defeated. The Trump Budget proposal to end long-distance trains has been turned back again! NARP will spend today tallying t
SEPTEMBER 12th HEARING ON TRAIN DELAYS - Arm NARP's President Jim Mathews With Your Stories!
September 1, 2017
The National Association of Railroad Passengers will be taking part in a Surface Transportation Board public hearing later this month on the “widespread degradation of rail service” on CSX’s network… and we need YOUR train delay stories to help in the fight for better on-time performance! The STB hearing will take place on Tuesday, September 12, 2017, and it will give rail passengers the opportunity to tell federal officials how delays on CSX’s network have affected them. This hearin
Clock's Ticking: tell Congress to pass a transportation budget before time runs out!
August 9, 2017
Last month the Senate and House Appropriations Committees both approved positive transportation budgets, providing increased funding for Amtrak and passenger rail. However, with the end of the current fiscal year only a few weeks away, Congress is quickly running out of time to turn these bills into law.Act now to ensure that Congress passes increased funding for Amtrak and transit! You can help get these bills over the line by: Writing your elected officials Attending a town hall event held
Transportation, Amtrak Budget Gains Steam in Senate
July 25, 2017
The Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation and Housing advanced an FY2018 transportation budget in a markup earlier today, providing $1.6 billion for Amtrak and $12.1 billion for transit. Notably, today's committee action has established a bipartisan, bicameral consensus on the necessity of increasing investment in intercity rail that has been tantalizingly out of reach in the past few years. It's a feat that is all the more striking for its rejection of the Trump Administration