Association News

Congress, Looking to Avoid Government Shutdown, Extends Funding Through February 2022

Congress voted last night to extend current federal funding levels through February 18, 2022, avoiding a government shutdown with only 24 hours to spare. 

The continuing resolution (CR) will extend funding at existing levels across most federal programs, freezing funding and prohibiting new contracts, with few exceptions. The House cleared the bill by a vote of 221 yeas to 212 nays, then passed in the Senate by a vote of 69-28. This will be the second short-term budget extension for this fiscal year.

This bill will get the government through the holiday breaks, but it is important that appropriators eventually address the FY22 transportation funding bill. While much of the Investment in Infrastructure and Jobs Act’s (IIJA) funding is guaranteed across its five-year lifespan, there are also billions of dollars of new funding for passenger rail programs authorized in the IIJA that will require the action of appropriators to unlock. In FY22 alone, this new funding includes a $1.9 billion increase for Amtrak operations and capital (for a total of $3.9 billion), as well as $3 billion in competitive rail grants to fund grade-crossing improvements, upgrades to existing rail corridors, and the development of new passenger train services. With a five-year horizon, a year-long CR would mean roughly 20% of the IIJA’s increased authorization would go unrealized.

Rail Passengers will continue to work with Congress in January 2022 to ensure that this important transportation funding bill is passed into law.

Rep. Peter DeFazio, Long-Time Champion for Amtrak Passengers, Announces Retirement

Rep. Peter DeFazio, Chair of the House Committee on Transportation & Infrastructure, announced this week he will not seek reelection. The Democratic Congressman from Oregon has been a long-time champion for Amtrak and rail passengers over his 38-year congressional career, and won the Rail Passenger Association’s Golden Spike Award in 2013.

“The nation’s passengers owe an immense debt of gratitude to Chairman DeFazio for his many decades of fighting for Amtrak and—above all—a safer, cleaner, more efficient transportation network able to connect all Americans,” said Rail Passengers Association President & CEO Jim Mathews. “While we are sad to lose his leadership in the transportation sector, it is fitting that his final chapter in Congress will be to oversee the implementation of the largest investment in passenger trains in the U.S. in 50 years.”

His work for better trains and transit in the House T&I Committee—ranging from Amtrak’s intercity services to downtown streetcars—is part of the reason why trains have experienced a renaissance in the past two decades. This renaissance has directly benefited the people of Oregon and the Pacific Northwest, who have seen a steady improvement to the Amtrak Cascades corridor during his tenure. He was famous for his fiery exchanges in congressional hearings, which can often be dull affairs, and he wasn’t afraid to express his contempt for people who wanted to eliminate Amtrak (either in its entirety, or just the lines that served towns off the Northeast Corridor).

DeFazio still has a little over a year to oversee the implementation of the transportation provisions in the IIJA in his role as head of the T&I Committee.

“We look forward to working with [the Chair] over the next 13 months to ensure that America’s passengers see the benefits of the Investment in Infrastructure and Jobs Act,” said Mathews.
 

Rail Passengers Thank President Joe Biden 

Read the full letter here
 

STB To CSX: Let Amtrak Survey Choctaw Yard

(Originally posted on November 29th)

The Surface Transportation Board today ordered CSX to let Amtrak survey its Choctaw Yard in Mobile, so that Amtrak can determine whether it makes sense to rebuild the West Stub Track it previously used to layover passenger trains temporarily while the planned Mobile station – crucial to restoring Gulf Coast passenger rail service – is completed.

The order is limited to Amtrak’s survey request, and the Board is continuing to accept motions and replies between now and Christmas Eve on the larger dispute over restoring passenger service between New Orleans and Mobile.

In July CSX offered to allow Amtrak – finally – to survey the Yard, a concession which drew praise from the STB and led the Board to declare Amtrak’s original motion for survey access to be moot. But shortly thereafter CSX withdrew that cooperation. Amtrak has been trying since June to be allowed on the property to survey the track. Amtrak is trying to ascertain whether the West Stub can be rebuilt or if CSX should designate another existing track that could be used temporarily to layover those trains.

CSX earlier this month pressed STB to deny Amtrak’s request, arguing that it was an “untimely” request designed to pry information from CSX that Amtrak should have sought during the discovery process for evidence which closed in October – even though Amtrak moved early this year to get that access and CSX promised the access in July. STB today found that while Amtrak’s request might be viewed as “untimely” in the sense that the discovery period is closed, it is nonetheless “reasonable,” and STB granted Amtrak’s request “in the interest of developing a complete record.”

It's not clear whether Amtrak intends to use the survey results only to prepare for potential Gulf Coast service restoration or might also use the results as part of the evidence it is supposed to submit in reply as part of the proceeding schedule set by the STB last month. Under that schedule, Amtrak’s reply evidence is due by December 3rd, but STB said in today’s decision that Amtrak will have until December 10th to file a supplement to its reply to include any arguments related to the results of the survey.

Rail Passengers continues to monitor this case very closely and to file statements when needed with the STB.

Join Rail Passengers in Thanking Congress

Donate Online with Confidence

You can donate to the Rail Passengers Association online with confidence, knowing your credit card information is secure. Fundraise Up uses industry-standard SSL technology to keep your information secure. Supply chain disruptions are impacting our print production vendor. Don’t wait for a paper appeal to donate, support the Association by donating today.

Lockbox Transition + Postal Update

NEW UPDATE
 

As we’ve been noting in the Hotline for several months, our lockbox location transitioned from Baltimore to Pittsburgh. Recently, we learned the postal facility in Pittsburgh returned some our response envelopes to the original sender, if a return address was noted on the envelope, instead of submitting the mail for processing by the Association’s financial partner. If your your membership dues or donation envelope has been returned to you, PLEASE place the original Pittsburgh envelope, the buckslip along with your check in one of your stamped envelopes and forward to the DC office. The Association sincerely apologizes for this inconvenience. We are in regular contact with the Pittsburgh postal facility and our lockbox financial partner to rectify the ongoing processing issues. We will be announcing additional lockbox changes in the near future.

Remember, you can renew your membership online by logging into your Neon account. If you can’t remember your login, please call the office for assistance.

If you’d like to make a donation online, in lieu of sending a paper check to the lockbox, you can do so by clicking here. 

Instead of sending donations/dues to our lockbox, mail can be sent directly to the office in DC.

Office mailing address:

Rail Passengers Association
Attn: Membership or Donation
1200 G Street, NW
Suite 240
Washington, DC 20005

End of Year Giving

It’s your generosity and partnership that gives us the resources and encouragement the Rail Passengers Association needs as resources grow tighter. We all hope and pray next year will be easier than the past two years. We have challenges ahead. But together, we’re in a position to prevail.

You may be considering your end of year giving, and we humbly ask you to donate to support our work. Below are ways you can help our small professional staff:

1. Make a donation, any amount will help.
   
   You can donate online here. Please consider making it monthly.
   
   Send a check donation to:
   Rail Passengers Association
   1200 G Street NW, Suite 240
   Washington, DC 20005
   ATTN: EOY Donation
    

2. Does your employer match donations? If they do, please ask them to match your contributions. An employer may match the donation from a retired employee.

3. Consider donating through a Donor Advised Fund. Learn more about ways to give my visiting myimpact.railpassengers.org.

4. Reduce your taxes by using your IRA to support rail transit. Learn more about how a Qualified Charitable Distribution (QCD) can benefit you.

5. Know someone who relies on rail transportation but is not yet a member? Encourage them to join! As our membership grows, so does our impact!

Railpassengers.org/Timetables

NOTICE: More Mail Delivery Delays
 

On October 1, 2021, the United States Postal Service (USPS) extended its standard delivery time for first-class mail up to five days. This delay could impact your membership dues and donations mailed to the DC office or lockbox.

Remember, you can renew your Rail Passengers Association membership online through “My Account” on the home page.

Get Your Own ‘Rail Passengers’ Signature Federal Credit Union VISA Card!


 

Thank You for Your Generosity on Giving Tuesday!

Hotline Links
 

• USDOT Releases State by State Fact Sheets Highlighting Benefits of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, US Department of Transportation 
  
  Check out these State by State Fact Sheets from the USDOT for information on how your state benefits from the recently passed Investment in Infrastructure and Jobs Act.
   
• Schumer to Amtrak: Use federal windfall to fix key Albany train bridge, Times Union
  
  Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) has sent word to Amtrak CEO Bill Flynn urging the prioritization of repair and modernization for the Livingston Avenue Bridge, a 120-year-old structure predating the Gateway Tunnel, that crosses the Hudson River from Rensselaer to Albany. Albany (NY) Mayor Kathy Sheehan seconds the letter from the Senator's office stating the project is shovel ready and essential to supporting commerce by road, rail, and waterway.
   
• Finally! Hudson Tunnel Project receives green light for construction, RT&S  
  
  Estimating a 2035 completion date and a $12.3 billion price tag, the Army Corps of Engineers has issued permits to begin this monumental restoration project. 
   
• White House Expected to Extend Public Transit Mask Mandate to Mid-March, NBC Chicago
  
  The public transit mask order is expected to be extended by the White House as the new COVID variant rears its head. 
   
• The Magic Returns! Santa Welcomes Back Riders to The Allstate CTA Holiday Train and Holiday Bus, Chicago Transit Authority 
  
  After a two-year wait, the legendary CTA Holiday Train is back! 
   
• Electric cars aren't enough to hit climate targets: we need to develop better public transport too, The Conversation 
  
  Vera O'Riordan, PhD Researcher in Marine and Renewable Energy from the University College Cork in Ireland, shares their take on how better public transportation, not EV, is key to a sustainable and equitable future.
  
  In this piece, O'Riordan highlights how car dependent culture can be made obsolete by investing in our communities and developing equitable resources.
   
• VIA Rail Showcases First Siemens Test Train, RailwayAge
  
  Are we looking at Amtrak's future in our VIA Rail friends to the north?
   
• RTA's Strategic Planning Public Survey, Regional Transportation Authority 
  
  Our friends in the Chicago area (our Field Coordinator's hometown!) - the RTA is looking for your opinion to help shape the next Regional Transit Strategic Plan for CTA, Metra, and Pace.
   
• State appeals court rejects long-standing challenge to California bullet train, LA Times
  
  Striking down a civil lawsuit filed by a local farmer and a former high-speed rail Chairman, a state appeals court has affirmed that the California High-Speed Rail project did not violate the California Constitution with its segmented planning approach.

AmazonSmile For The Holidays

Your holiday shopping can help make a difference, at no additional cost to you!

When you shop at smile.amazon, or in the Amazon app with AmazonSmile turned on within Settings, you’ll find the same products and same low prices as the Amazon you already know - plus, they donate a portion of your purchases to your chosen charity.

You can select us as your AmazonSmile charity by visiting: smile.amazon.com/ch/36-2615221 

#ICYMI - In Case You Missed It:

If you aren’t following along on social media, join us via Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, and our blog posts on RailPassengers.org  We are covering all the breaking news America’s passengers need to stay informed on local, regional, and national issues. 

Rail Passengers Staff Updates

Where are we and what are we working on? This section will update you on what Rail Passengers HQ is up to...even when we’re all working online or from home

• Jim Mathews, President & CEO, worked alongside Sean Jeans-Gail on thank-yous and follow-ups across industry and government, as well as engaging in a now-familiar mix of fielding questions from elected officials and sitting for press interviews. In addition, the Dept. of Homeland Security named Jim to a Federal advisory committee working on using our Nation’s surface-transportation networks to support a national “Plan of Action” to respond to medical emergencies and pandemics. These urgent projects are kicking off immediately, with two working sessions scheduled next week and a third scheduled for the week after.
   
• Sean Jeans Gail, Vice President of Policy, has been working to thank the many elected and appointed officials who helped get the Investment in Infrastructure and Jobs Act across the finish line (use Rail Passengers’ handy advocacy tool to say THANK YOU to your elected officials directly!). He also helped identify next steps for ensuring the successful launch of the new rail programs in the IIJA, which will form the basis of Rail Passengers’ advocacy work in the first quarter in 2022.
   
• Jonsie Stone, Vice President of Resource Development & Operations, spent the week processing membership dues and donations, collaborating with the Finance Team, managing the Association’s Giving Tuesday campaign, developing end of year messages and tending to Association administrative needs.
   
• Joe Aiello, National Field Coordinator, after enjoying some time with family in the PNW last week, Joe has been busy helping staff plan out our end-of-year efforts as well as preparing for next week’s “office hours” and monthly board meeting.  Joe is also looking towards the future and already working with our supporters on a number of topics for 2021.  
   
• Madison Butler, Communications Manager, collaborated with the Resource Development and Policy teams to finalize end of year content, graphics, and media.

Member & Donor Notices

• The Rail Passengers Association is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization. Our federal tax identification number is 36-2615221
   

• To help facilitate dissemination of electronic thank you receipts in 2021, please make sure your contact information, specifically your email address, is up-to-date in your Neon profile.
   

• If you need assistance with your membership, please call the Office at 202-408-8362.
   

• While our staff continues to work remotely, we are unable to provide permanent membership cards. You can print a temporary membership card by creating an account at www.railpassengers.org (select “My Account” on the homepage). 
   

• Complete all information! -- Before sealing your envelope, PLEASE double-check the credit card information on the buck slip!

  • Print credit card information clearly.

  • Include an expiration date, month and year, as well as the CVV number. 

  • Without COMPLETE information your membership renewal or donation can’t be processed. 
     

• If you have your financial institution send a check on your behalf, without a buckslip, PLEASE instruct them to add:

  • a notation in the memo field if the payment is for membership dues or a donation, AND,

  • your Rail Passengers Association member ID. If we have multiple members with the same name, i.e., John Smith, it can be hard to identify the correct member to attribute the payment, without the member ID.

The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act includes new tax incentives for charitable giving. --- We’ve provided a quick overview here and encourage each of you to seek advice from a financial planner.

If you have a donor advised fund, please consider recommending a grant from your fund to be the Rail Passengers Association. It is a great way to maintain flexibility with your support throughout the year. For more information, go to http://myimpact.railpassengers.org/daf. As always, please feel free to contact Jonsie Stone if you have any questions. 
 

The Rail Passengers Association would like to
thank our Annual Partners for their support!