The Voice of the Support the Rail Passengers Association! • Bring in a new member today! Railroad Passenger! • Upgrade your own membership! RAIL PASSENGERS • railpassengers.org/join ASSOCIATION PASSENGERS Voice spring, 2021 Vol. 55, No. 1 Amtrak Turns 50! Passengers Reflect On The Grand Experiment, Five Decades In 2021 2021 marks the 50th anniversary of Amtrak, Philadelphia and New York). Rail Passengers staff and and—as has often been the case—passengers leadership will be sharing memories of the past and find themselves asking important questions about visions for the future all year long—so stay tuned! where America’s Railroad is headed. Rail Passengers Association (or, for those of you who have been with [Have memories of Amtrak’s first years that you us since the beginning, NARP) will spend all this year want to share? Send them to Madison Butler at attempting to answer that question, drawing on the [email protected], subject line “Amtrak’s 50th.”] expertise and historical memory of our members and staff, both past and present “This certainly isn’t the 50th anniversary most of us Some may had in mind,” said Jim Mathews, Rail Passengers remember President & CEO. “As late as February 2020, we our original newsletter. were looking at yet another year of record ridership Here is and revenue and unprecedented bipartisan support an actual for service expansion and new equipment. Now, representation because of the pandemic, the global travel industry of an earlier is in turmoil and we’re working hard just to return issue from Amtrak and transit service to pre-pandemic levels. the National But that’s all the more reason to take stock of where Association we’ve come from and think about where we want Of Railroad Amtrak to be—10, 20, even 50 years into the future.” Passengers which ran in November, There are several red-letter days to point to: 1969 -- over 50 Amtrak was incorporated in Washington, D.C. years ago! on March 30th, 1971, and service was launched on May 1st of the same year (the Clocker, between 1 ©National Association of Railroad Passengers 1200 G Street, NW, Suite 240 Washington, DC 20005-3818 202-408-8362 / 202-408-8287 (fax) www.railpassengers.org • [email protected] Volunteer Leadership Ken Briers, Chairman George Chilson, Vice Chair Thomas Girsch, Vice Chair W. David Randall, Vice Chair Meredith Richards, Vice Chair Kenneth T. Clifford, Treasurer William C. Dunn, Secretary STAFF Jim Mathews (Ext. 3200), President & CEO Sean Jeans-Gail (Ext. 3201), Vice Pres., Policy Jonsie Stone (Ext. 3207), VP of Resource Development & Operations Alicia Guinn (Ext. 3205), Membership Associate Joseph Aiello (Ext. 3210), Field Coordinator Madison Butler, Communications Manager Donna Thomas, Newsletter Editor & Designer FROM The Editor As Amtrak celebrates its 50th future, we could not sit back and will be directly from you. And to Anniversary, our Rail Passengers wait for that day to come around - make sure we do this right, we Association/NARP newsletter so we are trying something a little are going to move to a quarterly begins its 55th year of publication. different and maybe something a digital schedule and each will little more familiar. have a connected theme… and Just like the Association and the “Amtrak at 50” will kick us off. railroads, the newsletter has gone Going back to the very first through a number of changes issue, this publication has been If you want to hear more from over the years - for better and known as “The Voice of the staff and get your fill of up-to- worse. Railroad Passenger” and, with date legislative news & updates, that in mind, we are returning make sure you are signed up In the last year alone, due to the stories and voices you will for our weekly Hotline - which the pandemic, we have had to see within these pages to you is delivered to your inbox every reinvent things a little and present - the passenger. You will still Friday. a 100% digital offering for the hear from staff from time to time very first time. While we are all and our President & CEO will Joe Aiello, Field Coordinator & hoping that we can get back to have a regular column but the “Newsletter Editor” the printed word again in the near pictures, themes, and thoughts Amtrak Rider Since 1998 2 FROM THE DESK OF The President Amtrak Connects America...And Could Re-Connect Us All Despite its foibles, missteps, care. Amtrak connects and bouts of legislative Heartland America to the abuse, Amtrak has made Big Cities and all the smaller it to its 50th birthday – a cities in-between. This makes milestone to recognize communities thrive and how Amtrak in many ways grow and lets everyone play represents some of the best their part in building a truly impulses of American culture, Connected America. warts and all. Without Amtrak many tribal In the years just before communities would be Congress and the Nixon isolated. A lot of folks in Administration created wheelchairs or with other Amtrak, America was on the physical challenges would verge of losing something Jim Mathews, President and CEO, Rail Passengers Association be homebound. People in precious. Under a common Photo Credit: Rail Passengers Association poorer communities might be law concept called “common shut out of a better life. Amtrak’s carrier,” private railroads are benefits are more than economic. obligated to run passenger “Amtrak connects people, Amtrak represents the fundamental service to all comers. By the late linking students to universities, fairness of giving everyone their 1960s, under the onslaught of grandparents to grandkids and chance to grab their little piece of taxpayer-funded highways and the American dream, the decency subsidized airline infrastructure, workers to opportunities.” and dignity of Americans voting they were struggling to keep the —Jim Mathews year after year to spend their tax lights on. Much of the country dollars to stitch their fellow citizens was losing passenger service. together. Then, as now, remote policy Passengers to make this reality makers felt that highways and and was instrumental in shaping Don’t believe me? Go stand airplanes were good enough. the legislation that created on a platform in Greenwood, And if rural America or those Amtrak in 1971. Miss., and watch as an Amtrak with special needs were left conductor gently helps an elderly behind? Well, they could always Thanks to this, today hundreds of grandmother aboard a coach move. communities are not left behind, to see her grandkids. Whether millions of Americans have access spurring commerce along the The Federal government created to travel and Amtrak creates Nation’s economic aorta in the Amtrak expressly to step in and economic benefits to the United Northeast Corridor or keeping preserve vital service to parts of States of at least $8 billion every ordinary Americans affordably the country where private industry year. connected to family, friends and could not afford to profitably American life, Amtrak represents provide it. Amtrak absorbed Without hyperbole, we can the best of America. That’s what the private railroads’ common- declare that Amtrak makes Amtrak means to me. carrier obligations to operate the us stronger. That’s because services – along with their ragtag Amtrak is about a lot more than collection of mismatched rolling trains. Amtrak connects people, stock, railroad employees and the linking students to universities, rail companies’ associated debts grandparents to grandkids and Jim Mathews and liabilities. Our Association’s workers to opportunities. Amtrak President & CEO, founder Tony Haswell created the brings tourists to our national Rail Passengers Association National Association of Railroad treasures and veterans to medical Amtrak Rider Since 1973 3 Customers SHARE THEIR EXPERIENCES IN HONOR OF.... Amtrak’S 50TH ! (Photo Credit: David Van Horn) David Van (Photo Credit: Chicago Union Station • Photo Credit: Ken Briers Ken Briers, Chairman, Rail Passengers • Train Rider Since 1950 I’VE BEEN INVOLVED WITH AMTRAK for all its adequate funding to expand services and replace 50 years. In 1971 I was a Passenger Trainman in the fleet. Once daily service is being suggested as Philadelphia. Through 1972 I was a Rider, a travelling the minimum. I would argue that twice daily service troubleshooter, on Metroliners. In 1973, I became should be the minimum if we are going to offer it to a Fireman, and ultimately, a Northeast Corridor every station at a reasonable time of the day. Locomotive Engineer. In 1988 I became a consultant and spent 23 years working on passenger rail projects. Currently, the Rail Passengers Association is working with Amtrak to move support for Amtrak away from the Through almost all those years I have been a Rail flawed concept of a “someday profitable” operation Passengers Association member, and a Board member to one that creates value in the towns and cities that since 1988. The time has been one of disappointment, the trains serve, and should serve, through IMPLAN, a with Amtrak struggling to hold on, with minimal funding. software tool that can define this value for a city, or a route segment, and for multiple trains. The support of But this is an exciting time! The Biden Council members will be key to achieving this goal. Administration is expressing a level appreciation of the value of passenger rail that we have never I’m looking forward to the continuing success for the seen before. The Administration desires to secure Association and the growth of passenger rail. Kim Williams, Director, Rail Passengers • Train Rider Since 2006 AMTRAK MEANS A LOT TO ME as a carless, city- It is how my friends and I enjoy the rest of the East dweller. It means getting out of the craziness of DC, Coast, and how my dad came to visit me from visiting friends and family, and peaceful journeys Louisiana (before funding ran out after Hurricane across the country.