Subject: Railroad Passengers April Newsletter
From: "Ross Capon" <[email-masked]>
To: "Ross Capon" <[email-masked]>
Date: Tue, 24 Apr 2012 07:58:11 -0400

To our friends at Amtrak:

Our April newsletter is attached. The contents are listed below. Also, I am resending invitation to our Capitol Hill reception today, 5:30-7:30. Secretary LaHood is expected around 6:00.

--Ross B. Capon, President & CEO
National Association of Railroad Passengers
505 Capitol Court NE, Suite 300
Washington, DC 20002-7706
202-408-8362 (mobile 301-385-6438)
www.narprail.org<http://www.narprail.org>

Page One-Senate Appropriations Committee approves slight increase in Amtrak funding, plus $100 million for high performance passenger train projects and $500 million for TIGER multimodal grant programs where rail has competed effectively
--California High-Speed Rail Advances; Pricetag Lowered
--Federal Railroad Administrator Joseph Szabo talks up the long-distance trains in Whitefish MT
--NARP's statements to the appropriations subcommittees

Page Two-NARP Members Tour Hyundai-Rotem USA plant in South Philadelphia

Page Three-Successful Kansas City Rail Symposium aims at restoring through service between Fort Worth, Oklahoma City, and Kansas City
--Treasury Dept. Calls for Transportation Investment
--Amtrak's Pacific Northwest Cascades service to be managed as a unit by Washington/Oregon

Page Four-Florida East Coast plans for Miami-Cocoa-Orlando passenger trains that could start running in 2014 [Note: the route south of West Palm Beach may be on FEC's own tracks, not Tri-Rail as stated in this article. We will run correction next issue if needed.]
--Wisconsin Talgos May Not Operate - Brand new trains may sit idle in spite of Amtrak's desperate need for more capacity, thanks to actions of the Wisconsin legislature and governor
--Devils Lake Bridge to be Replaced this summer - Empire Builder long-term service to Grand Forks, Devils Lake and Rugby, ND, seems assured

Page Five-New Sunset Ltd. schedule effective May 7, including one change in day of operation (New Orleans departure on Saturday instead of Friday, Los Angeles arrival on Monday instead of Sunday)
--Florida Addresses Amtrak Liability Issue
--Chicago-St. Louis Development Continues - partial 110-mph operation should begin this summer

Page Six-Ground Broken on new double-track bridge near Jefferson City, MO, making the entire St. Louis-Kansas City route double-track, improving passenger-train reliability
--Travelers Advisory re California Zephyr track-work related delays and detours, New York-Boston adjustments for same reason, Michigan trackwork (on the Norfolk Southern portion) causes delays and cancellations