News

Where the Railroad Meets the Farmer

August 7, 2020 A train trip through Upstate New York aboard Amtrak takes you past many farms; fields of corn, apple orchards, and dairy cows flashing by outside the window. Yet there is one place along the Empire Corridor where the state’s cornucopia of agricultural abundance comes in direct contact with our intercity passenger rail system – the farmers market at the Utica train station.

COVID-19 is Not the End of Passenger Rail

August 6, 2020 As rail advocates, we have been seeing over the past months versions of this anti-rail argument printed recently in a opinion piece from the Washington Times stating that the plans proposed by former-VP Joe Biden to build up America’s public transit and passenger rail infrastructure and services is now unworkable because of the plunge in ridership during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic that still ravages America. Of course what is ignored by these arguments is the equally collapsed demand for airlines and rideshare companies.

Amtrak Inspector General to Examine Cost-Sharing on State-Supported Routes

July 16, 2020 Amtrak's Office of Inspector General is initiating an audit of Amtrak’s processes for managing cost-sharing on state-supported routes. They're objective will be to evaluate the company’s actions to address longstanding concerns with the PRIIA 209 cost-sharing methodology and the company’s billing process with its State partners.

Stimulating the NY-NJ-CT Region’s Economy by Advancing Cost-Effective Transport Strategies

July 10, 2020 Long before the Covid-19 pandemic devastated the health and economic well-being of the 23 million persons living in the NY-NJ-CT urban region, NYC-based nonprofit IRUM called for advancing, affordable, cost effective transportation infrastructure projects and sensible operating strategies that would greatly improve the region’s mobility and stimulate its economy.

Scenic Hudson, U.S. Reps Urge Amtrak To Preserve Access To The Hudson River

July 9, 2020 WMAC reports that: "Amtrak is back at the drawing board with plans for a fencing project along the Hudson River. Railroad officials say the project is to improve safety and will include preserving public access to the river. Elected officials and environmentalists are concerned about just how much access will be included, and what it will look like"