Amtrak to Restore 12 Routes to Daily Service
March 10, 2020 - The Tennessee Association of Railroad Passengers is pleased to learn that 12 long-distance Amtrak routes are returning to daily service in the Summer of 2021.
The City of New Orleans, Amtrak's only train to serve Tennessee directly, is included in the restoration plan funded by Congress as part of the most recent COVID-19 relief funding.
The 12 long-distance routes had been reduced to tri-weekly service in October 2020 due to sharply reduced travel demand and the uncertainty of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Ridership on all Amtrak routes began a slow and steady recovery during the Thanksgiving and Christmas/New Year's holiday period. Hopeful results from the COVID-19 vaccine and an economic recovery are both helping to restore confidence and demand in the travel sector.
The return to daily service brings 1,200 furloughed Amtrak employees back to work and makes our national rail passenger system more accessible to over 500 cities, including Memphis and Newbern, Tennessee.
The City of New Orleans route, train numbers 58 and 59, will increase from the current tri-weekly schedule to a daily schedule on May 31, 2021. Tennesseans who ride Amtrak Crescent route, train numbers 19 & 20, will see daily service restored on June 7, 2021.
Click here to read Amtrak's official press release regarding the restoration of daily service.
The City of New Orleans, Amtrak's only train to serve Tennessee directly, is included in the restoration plan funded by Congress as part of the most recent COVID-19 relief funding.
The 12 long-distance routes had been reduced to tri-weekly service in October 2020 due to sharply reduced travel demand and the uncertainty of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Ridership on all Amtrak routes began a slow and steady recovery during the Thanksgiving and Christmas/New Year's holiday period. Hopeful results from the COVID-19 vaccine and an economic recovery are both helping to restore confidence and demand in the travel sector.
The return to daily service brings 1,200 furloughed Amtrak employees back to work and makes our national rail passenger system more accessible to over 500 cities, including Memphis and Newbern, Tennessee.
The City of New Orleans route, train numbers 58 and 59, will increase from the current tri-weekly schedule to a daily schedule on May 31, 2021. Tennesseans who ride Amtrak Crescent route, train numbers 19 & 20, will see daily service restored on June 7, 2021.
Click here to read Amtrak's official press release regarding the restoration of daily service.
TARP members disappointed in Senator Hagerty's Amendment #893
March 5, 2020
Dear Tennessee Rail Passengers,
As the United States Senate debated the latest round of COVID relief, we fully expected a round of amendments to show up in the process.
One particular amendment that really stood out is #893, filed by Tennessee's own Senator Bill Hagerty, to strike all funding for Amtrak.
Like you, I am disappointed to see this amendment; however, I have no worries whatsoever that #893 will gain any traction.
As we all know, Amtrak has broad, bipartisan support in both houses of Congress and most assuredly has support in the new Administration.
However, we as Tennessee rail passengers (and Tennessee voters!) deserve an explanation.
What was Senator Hagerty's reason for proposing an amendment to cut all funding for Amtrak?
Is Senator Hagerty frustrated that Amtrak received COVID-relief funds in 2020 and still cut services from daily to tri-weekly across the country? Well, we are too!
Is Senator Hagerty trying to force Amtrak to explain why hundreds of employees are still furloughed when the point of COVID-relief legislation was to keep the company in motion? We would like to know their reasoning too!
Senator Hagerty is not alone if he is disappointed by some of the decision-making at Amtrak in recent years, but this proposal to zero-out all funding is counterproductive.
Perhaps Senator Hagerty thinks that Amtrak funding is wasteful spending. If so, how does he explain Amtrak's impressive cost recovery performance and growing ridership prior to the pandemic?
Or Amtrak's yearly purchase of billions of dollars worth of products and services across the country?
Or that Amtrak provides vital service to rural areas with limited transportation options, including upper West Tennessee?
Or that Amtrak services bring tourists into key markets, like Memphis, that generate economic activity and sales tax revenue?
Or that all of the above create a wide range of American jobs in various industries?
There is also the possibility, as I heard through one source, that amendments like #893 are simply a "stall tactic". Could that be Senator Hagerty's reasoning?
Undoubtedly, the best way to get answers to these and other questions is to call Senator Hagerty's office and ask for ourselves.
Tennessee rail passengers should reach out to Senator Hagerty's office and ask for an explanation on Amendment #893.
Call or e-mail your Senator. Ask questions and be part of a good conversation. In the process, reiterate your support for our national rail passenger system. State clearly your desire for our state and nation to invest in passenger rail as part of a balanced and productive transportation system.
When and if you get a response from Senator Hagerty's office, please send an e-mail to me at tarprail@gmail.com. I want to compile and compare everybody's feedback.
I will also be reaching out to Senator Hagerty. Not only do I represent and work on behalf of Tennessee's rail passengers, I too am a Tennessee taxpayer and a voting constituent. I respect Senator Hagerty and I intend to maintain a positive relationship with him and with his staff members. At the same time, I am disappointed in his proposal of Amendment #893.
Let's show our strength and our resolve to promote passenger rail in the Volunteer State where we live, where we vote, and that we love!
Sincerely yours,
L. Jarod Pearson,
President, Tennessee Association of Railroad Passengers
Regional Director, Southern Region, Rail Passengers Association
Click on the link below to reach out to Senator Hagerty:
Dear Tennessee Rail Passengers,
As the United States Senate debated the latest round of COVID relief, we fully expected a round of amendments to show up in the process.
One particular amendment that really stood out is #893, filed by Tennessee's own Senator Bill Hagerty, to strike all funding for Amtrak.
Like you, I am disappointed to see this amendment; however, I have no worries whatsoever that #893 will gain any traction.
As we all know, Amtrak has broad, bipartisan support in both houses of Congress and most assuredly has support in the new Administration.
However, we as Tennessee rail passengers (and Tennessee voters!) deserve an explanation.
What was Senator Hagerty's reason for proposing an amendment to cut all funding for Amtrak?
Is Senator Hagerty frustrated that Amtrak received COVID-relief funds in 2020 and still cut services from daily to tri-weekly across the country? Well, we are too!
Is Senator Hagerty trying to force Amtrak to explain why hundreds of employees are still furloughed when the point of COVID-relief legislation was to keep the company in motion? We would like to know their reasoning too!
Senator Hagerty is not alone if he is disappointed by some of the decision-making at Amtrak in recent years, but this proposal to zero-out all funding is counterproductive.
Perhaps Senator Hagerty thinks that Amtrak funding is wasteful spending. If so, how does he explain Amtrak's impressive cost recovery performance and growing ridership prior to the pandemic?
Or Amtrak's yearly purchase of billions of dollars worth of products and services across the country?
Or that Amtrak provides vital service to rural areas with limited transportation options, including upper West Tennessee?
Or that Amtrak services bring tourists into key markets, like Memphis, that generate economic activity and sales tax revenue?
Or that all of the above create a wide range of American jobs in various industries?
There is also the possibility, as I heard through one source, that amendments like #893 are simply a "stall tactic". Could that be Senator Hagerty's reasoning?
Undoubtedly, the best way to get answers to these and other questions is to call Senator Hagerty's office and ask for ourselves.
Tennessee rail passengers should reach out to Senator Hagerty's office and ask for an explanation on Amendment #893.
Call or e-mail your Senator. Ask questions and be part of a good conversation. In the process, reiterate your support for our national rail passenger system. State clearly your desire for our state and nation to invest in passenger rail as part of a balanced and productive transportation system.
When and if you get a response from Senator Hagerty's office, please send an e-mail to me at tarprail@gmail.com. I want to compile and compare everybody's feedback.
I will also be reaching out to Senator Hagerty. Not only do I represent and work on behalf of Tennessee's rail passengers, I too am a Tennessee taxpayer and a voting constituent. I respect Senator Hagerty and I intend to maintain a positive relationship with him and with his staff members. At the same time, I am disappointed in his proposal of Amendment #893.
Let's show our strength and our resolve to promote passenger rail in the Volunteer State where we live, where we vote, and that we love!
Sincerely yours,
L. Jarod Pearson,
President, Tennessee Association of Railroad Passengers
Regional Director, Southern Region, Rail Passengers Association
Click on the link below to reach out to Senator Hagerty:
Fulton, Kentucky on track to receive new Amtrak station
August 10, 2020: FULTON, KY -- The Fulton County Transit Authority has announced that Amtrak will design and construct a new railway passenger station at the site of the current Fulton station.
Fulton City Manager Mike Gunn believes a partnership of any kind with Amtrak is a positive for the area.
“Whether it’s a new station or enhanced services, we are truly proud to have been a part of this project with Amtrak to raise the bar for rail traveling visitors to the City of Fulton,” Gunn said.
“This station enhancement will be something that improves their customers’ experiences and should bring in traveling visitors to our community which helps drive the region’s economy.”
Click here to read the entire article provided by WPSD Local 6 News.
Fulton City Manager Mike Gunn believes a partnership of any kind with Amtrak is a positive for the area.
“Whether it’s a new station or enhanced services, we are truly proud to have been a part of this project with Amtrak to raise the bar for rail traveling visitors to the City of Fulton,” Gunn said.
“This station enhancement will be something that improves their customers’ experiences and should bring in traveling visitors to our community which helps drive the region’s economy.”
Click here to read the entire article provided by WPSD Local 6 News.
