Your daily source of fresh takes on news affecting America's passengers. See also the weekly NARP Hotline.
July 26, 2012
Written By Sean Jeans Gail It seems a common reaction emerging to yesterday’s unveiling of Amtrak’s Washington Union Station Master Plan has been: “That’s a fine concept, but it’s too much to spend on one station given the equipment and infrastructure needs of the network as whole.” It’s certainly an understandable response. If you live in a town with an open-air station, service...
July 25, 2012
Written By Sean Jeans Gail “Make no little plans,” said the great American architect Daniel Burnham. “They have no magic to stir men's blood and probably will not themselves be realized." Burnham certainly held true to this sentiment in the work he did on Washington, D.C.’s Union Station. The structure, which began serving passengers in 1907, features a multitude of classic elements tha...
July 24, 2012
Written By Sean Jeans Gail Your caption text hereAs election season looms, it is tempting to fall into the trap of seeing every issue through a partisan filter—to try and find a place for every tough question on a red/blue spectrum. Recently released letters from the American Road & Transportation Builders Association serve as important reminders that there’re other ways of approaching pr...
July 19, 2012
Written By Sean Jeans Gail AARP had a nice feature last month on passenger rail titled "5 Tips for Saving on Train Travel." Of course, if you want a reliable 10 percent discount, you can just join NARP—and support a robust national train network in the process. Still, intercity rail and rail transit are incredibly important in providing America's senior citizens with a high quality of life...
July 18, 2012
Written By Malcolm Kenton The late former President of NARP, John R. (Jack) Martin, penned this analysis of the battle that train advocates have always fought against the notion that passenger trains are "subsidized" while other travel modes are not, or aren't to the same extent for a Trains Magazine feature on Amtrak in the May 1986 issue. Sadly, his words are just as true today as very little...