Your daily source of fresh takes on news affecting America's passengers. See also the weekly NARP Hotline.
November 26, 2013
Written By Malcolm Kenton As we again enter the year’s busiest week of travel, the focus of the mainstream media returns to congestion on the roads and in the skies. Trains are occasionally included in the picture, particularly on the Northeast Corridor. And indeed we spent a good 20 minutes on the phone this morning with an AP reporter interested in tips for people using crowded trains this ho...
November 25, 2013
Written By Sean Jeans Gail A Sacramento judge ruled today that the California high speed rail project, as currently constituted, cannot tap state bonds approved by voters in 2008. The decision, based on the judge’s interpretation, could cause further delays for the project, which is scheduled to break ground on construction this year. The Los Angeles Times called the ruling a “major blow�...
November 25, 2013
Written By Colin Leach Amtrak's Acela Express. Photo credit to Connor Harris via Wikimedia Foundation As might be expected, last week’s kangaroo court-style hearing into Amtrak’s food and beverage service has caused critics of the railroad to emerge from the woodwork. These critics have rehashed tired claims against passenger rail in the United States, arguing that it’s a money-losing pr...
November 22, 2013
Written By Malcolm Kenton An occasional feature looking at the archives of NARP's monthly newsletter, available to NARP members and published continuously since 1968. December 1987: NARP writes a speech calling for an increased gas tax as a “Christmas present for President Reagan” or his successor. “Our legacy to future generations must include a lifestyle that can be sustained—not one t...
November 21, 2013
Written By Abe Zumwalt Getting around just got easier. The gala launch event for RideScout happened last night in DC’s 1776 startup incubator. RideScout, developed in part by some enterprising military veterans who tired of seeing the glaring inefficiency of empty seats in cars, busses, and trains (hence the referential name). Using the magic of mobile technology, as well as an impressive coope...