United Rail Passenger Alliance

Volume 1, Number 11

When is a passenger train like a jet airplane? Read more…

Volume 1, Number 10

1. The usual suspects are aghast at the prospect of Amtrak not owning the Northeast Corridor in the future. Good heavens! How will the Republic survive without Amtrak owning the NEC and it being under “private” ownership? Actually, quite well, thank you, because the proposal of the Chairman of the United States House of Representatives Transportation and Infrastructure Committee simply wants to transfer ownership from one government entity to another – from Amtrak to the United States Department of Transportation. It’s tough to see anywhere in there private ownership comes into play.A somewhat sometimes lazy local and national news media, instead of gathering information on its own, relies on misinformation from others and has bought into this misconception. Many in the news media doesn’t seem to be in much of a hurry to correct the bad information.The other really silly debate arising from this proposal is that “privatization of the NEC and some of the routes would bankrupt Amtrak.”Hmmm … how do you bankrupt a company which is in every way – except technically by going through a federal court procedure – already bankrupt?Since Amtrak does little to help itself earn revenue in many instances and instead is often content to live off the largess of free money from the federal trough, how could anyone declare Amtrak isn’t already bankrupt in just about every sense?

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Volume 1, Number 9

Not a moment too soon, here’s the latest press release from United States House of Representatives Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure Chairman John Mica of Florida. Read more…

By J. Bruce Richardson

Volume 1, Number 8

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Volume 1, Number 7

What were those allegedly crazy guys at the Seaboard Coast Line Railroad headquarters in Jacksonville, Florida doing in 1970 running all of those long, passenger-filled trains every day of the week?

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Volume 1, Number 6

Founded 35 years ago in 1976, URPA is a nationally known policy institute which focuses on solutions and plans for passenger rail systems in North America. Headquartered in Jacksonville, Florida, URPA has professional associates in Minnesota, California, Arizona, New Mexico, the District of Columbia, Texas, New York, and other locations. For more detailed information, along with a variety of position papers and other documents and a compendium of This Week at Amtrak, visit the URPA web site at http://www.unitedrail.org.

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By J. Bruce Richardson

Volume 1, Number 5

Oh, my. This is interesting.

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Volume 8, Number 7

From the Editors…

Recently, Amtrak released its updated fleet strategy plan. What a difference a year makes. Read more…

By J. Bruce Richardson

Volume 1, Number 4

Mark Twain, who was really Samuel Langhorne Clemens and lived well into the 20^th Century, told us 19^th Century British Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli famously uttered there are three types of lies: Lies, Damned Lies, and Statistics. Later confirming research tells us the esteemed Prime Minister likely didn’t utter the phrase, but Sir Charles Wentworth Dilke, also one of the Queen’s subjects, most likely did. Sir Charles left this world for a better place in 1911, a year after Messrs. Twain/Clemens expired.

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By J. Bruce Richardson

Volume 1, Number 3

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