Your weekly source of fresh takes on news affecting America's passengers. See also the NARP Blog.
March 4, 2016
Hotline #953 On Thursday, Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump highlighted is support for high-speed trains in the U.S. Trump noted the discrepancy between train service in China, as compared to the U.S., stating ““They have trains that go 300 miles per hour. We have trains that go chug … chug … chug.” Trumps support for high-speed rail aligns his platform with President Obama...
February 26, 2016
The Hill reported that Amtrak, as well as NARP, filed comments in response to the Surface Transportation Board’s “policy statement” on preference for freight trains. Overall, the proposed statement would reverse a federal mandate, which currently gives Amtrak preference on rail track over freights. Amtrak and NARP shared comments that highlighted that a change in preference will result in de...
February 19, 2016
NARP President and CEO Jim Mathews joined a group of elected officials, industry representatives, community leaders and federal stakeholders on the Gulf Coast Inspection Trip that Amtrak and the Southern Rail Commission conducted on February18th and 19th. The train toured the potential rail route between New Orleans and Jacksonville to help local and federal officials get a deeper understanding of...
February 12, 2016
NARP President and CEO Jim Mathews will join a group of elected officials, industry representatives, community leaders and federal stakeholders on the Gulf Coast Inspection Trip that Amtrak and the Southern Rail Commission are conducting on February18th and 19th. The train will tour the potential rail route between New Orleans and Jacksonville to help local and federal officials get a deeper under...
February 5, 2016
Positive Train Control (PTC) technology has been an important discussion for passenger rail lines, freight railroads and government regulators for years. In essence, the technology is designed to slow or stop trains that are in danger of derailment or collisions due to high speeds, and it relies on GPS and computers to monitor the train’s speed and position. In December 2015, Amtrak began operat...