#Rally4Trains
What?
Rail Passengers are rallying to voice their opposition to the White House’s proposed infrastructure package.
Why?
In the infrastructure package, the White House proposed slashing the railroad’s budget roughly in half, from $1.4 billion to $738 million.
Where?
More than 220 communities – largely rural communities – will lose service if the funding for Amtrak’s National Network is cut.
When?
The time to act is now, before Congress passes legislation.
Albuquerque, NM
Alderson, WV
Alliance, OH
Alpine, TX
Anniston, AL
Arcadia, MO
Arkadelphia, AR
Ashland, KY
Atlanta, GA
Austin, TX
Barstow, CA
Beaumont, TX
Benson, AZ
Bingen, WA
Birmingham, AL
Brookhaven, MS
Bryan, OH
Burlington, IA
Charleston, SC
Charleston, WV
Chemult, OR
Chico, CA
Cincinnati, OH
Cleburne, TX
Clemson, SC
Cleveland, OH
Clifton Forge, VA
Colfax, CA
Columbia, SC
Columbus, WI
Connellsville, PA
Creston, IA
Cumberland, MD
Cut Bank, MT
Dallas, TX
Danville, VA
Deerfield Beach, FL
Del Rio, TX
Deland, FL
Delray Beach, FL
Deming, NM
Denver, CO
Detroit Lakes, MN
Devils Lake, ND
Dillon, SC
Dodge City, KS
Dunsmuir, CA
East Glacier Park, MT
El Paso, TX
Elkhart, IN
Elko, NV
Elyria, OH
Ephrata, WA
Erie, PA
Essex, MT
Fargo, ND
Fayetteville, NC
Flagstaff, AZ
Florence, SC
Fort Lauderdale, FL
Fort Madison, IA
Fort Morgan, CO
Framingham, MA
Fulton, KY
Gainesville, GA
Gallup, NM
Garden City, KS
Gastonia, NC
Glasgow, MT
Glenwood Springs, CO
Granby, CO
Grand Forks, ND
Grand Junction, CO
Green River, UT
Greenville, SC
Greenwood, MS
Hamlet, NC
Hammond, LA
Harpers Ferry, WV
Hastings, NE
Hattiesburg, MS
Havre, MT
Hazlehurst, MS
Helper, UT
Hinton, WV
Holdrege, NE
Hollywood, FL
Hope, AR
Houston, TX
Huntington, WV
Hutchinson, KS
Jackson, MS
Jacksonville, FL
Jesup, GA
Kingman, AZ
Kingstree, SC
Kissimmee, FL
Klamath Falls, OR
La Crosse, WI
La Junta, CO
La Plata, MO
Lafayette, LA
Lake Charles, LA
Lakeland, FL
Lamar, CO
Lamy, NM
Las Vegas, NM
Laurel, MS
Lawrence, KS
Libby, MT
Lincoln, NE
Little Rock, AR
Longview, TX
Lordsburg, NM
Lorton, VA
Malta, MT
Malvern, AR
Maricopa, AZ
Marshall, TX
Martinsburg, WV
Maysville, KY
McComb, MS
McCook, NE
McGregor, TX
Memphis, TN
Meridian, MS
Miami, FL
Mineola, TX
Minot, ND
Montgomery, WV
Mount Pleasant, IA
Needles, CA
New Iberia, LA
New Orleans, LA
Newbern-Dyersburg, TN
Newton, KS
Okeechobee, FL
Omaha, NE
Ontario, CA
Orlando, FL
Osceola, IA
Ottumwa, IA
Palatka, FL
Palm Springs, CA
Pasco, WA
Paso Robles, CA
Picayune, MS
Pittsfield, MA
Pomona, CA
Poplar Bluff, MO
Portage, WI
Prince, WV
Provo, UT
Raton, NM
Red Wing, MN
Redding, CA
Reno, NV
Riverside, CA
Rockville, MD
Rugby, ND
Salinas, CA
Salt Lake City, UT
San Antonio, TX
San Bernardino, CA
San Marcos, TX
Sanderson, TX
Sandpoint, ID
Sandusky, OH
Sanford, FL
Savannah, GA
Schriever, LA
Sebring, FL
Shelby, MT
Slidell, LA
South Bend, IN
South Portsmouth, KY
Southern Pines, NC
Spartanburg, SC
Spokane, WA
St. Cloud, MN
St. Paul-Minneapolis, MN
Stanley, ND
Staples, MN
Staunton, VA
Tampa, FL
Taylor, TX
Temple, TX
Texarkana, AR
Thurmond, WV
Toccoa, GA
Toledo, OH
Tomah, WI
Topeka, KS
Trinidad, CO
Truckee, CA
Tucson, AZ
Tuscaloosa, AL
Victorville, CA
Walnut Ridge, AR
Waterloo, IN
Wenatchee, WA
West Glacier, MT
West Palm Beach, FL
White Sulphur Springs, WV
Whitefish, MT
Williams Jct., AZ
Williston, ND
Winnemucca, NV
Winona, MN
Winslow, AZ
Winter Haven, FL
Winter Park, FL
Winter Park-Fraser, CO
Wisconsin Dells, WI
Wishram, WA
Wolf Point, MT
Worcester, MA
Yazoo City, MS
Yemassee, SC
Yuma, AZ
Contact The White House
It’s time to speak up for trains!
On February 12, 2019, the White House proposed slashing Amtrak’s budget roughly in half, from $1.4 billion to $738 million.
If funding for Amtrak’s National Network is cut, more than 220 communities will lose service, and more than 140 million Americans will be left at the station.
The Rail Passengers Association (RPA) has set up an online tool for you to let the White House know that you disagree with these proposed cuts.
Contact the White House today!
We wanted to highlight a few stats to help your efforts to save passenger rail.
More can be found in our Economic Report,
Dismantling A National Transportation Network.
A OneRail study titled “Rail Safety in the United States”, revealed that “if just one percent of the nation’s approximately three trillion annual vehicle miles traveled by motor vehicle could be shifted to intercity passenger or commuter rail, approximately 200 lives would be saved each year.”
A survey of passengers traveling on Amtrak’s long distance routes revealed that 29% were traveling for vacation or recreation and another 61% were traveling to see family and friends.
A study by the University of Michigan’s Transportation Research Institute revealed that the number of people aged 20-24 who have a driver’s license has fallen from 91.8% in 1983 to 76.7% in 2014. Another study found that Millennials are attracted to communities that offer multiple transportation choices.
There is an escalating economic cost associated with the time and fuel wasted while enduring congested roadways and skies. The cost of roadway congestion alone has been estimated at $1,200 per driver per year. Public transportation offers a safe, affordable alternative.
Cutting Amtrak funding would impact more
than Amtrak’s service offerings.
Amtrak is a large employer. More than 20,000 people in 46 states are employed by Amtrak, taking home a total of $1.5 billion each year. As with any large workforce, those salaries support purchases of housing, manufactured goods, and services provided by other American workers.
Amtrak purchases $1.6 billion in goods and services each year. Those purchases support American jobs in a variety of manufacturing and service industries.
A 2015 report on passenger rail manufacturing in the U.S. noted that at least 750 American companies in 39 states are manufacturing components for passenger rail and transit rail providers.
In 2014, Amtrak spent more than $800 million on station construction and infrastructure improvements across its network. Each $1 million spent on construction supported 23 American jobs.