These are items that we are asking members to take action upon.
From High Speed Rail Alliance:
Michigan needs and deserves vastly better train service. Together we can ensure that trains will play a big role in strengthening Michigan’s economy.
Please contact your representatives — right now — and tell them Michigan must have fast, frequent, and affordable trains.
www.hsrail.org/michigan-statewide-rail-plan
A message from Rail Passengers Association
“Poor service and bad dispatching practices from many host railroads are causing chronic and excessive delays for millions of riders who rely on the Amtrak system. In 2021 alone, freight trains caused 900,000 minutes of delay to Amtrak passengers—equivalent to traveling to the moon and back 100 times!
Interference by freight trains is the most common source of delay for Amtrak passengers and the largest cause of poor on-time performance of Amtrak trains. If we want the trains to run on time, we need to ensure these freight railroads follow existing legal requirements to give priority to passenger trains and run their systems on time.
We need you to ask your elected officials to hold host railroads accountable. Help us protect passengers’ right to on-time trains!”
Head over to RPA’s page to sign on to a letter informing our Senators and Representatives!
Your help is needed to encourage Congress to provide effective oversight of new and expanded passenger rail programs and ensure that appropriators fully fund rail programs at the authorized levels established by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
Visit the Rail Passengers Association’s Action Center for more information.
MARP members and supporters,
To our great relief, 2 Amtrak-killing amendments to HR 2577 were defeated in a late night Congressional session last week. However, the bill, slated for a final vote this coming Tuesday, June 9, makes deep cuts in FY2016 funding for Amtrak, local transit and the TIGER grant program that has been used so successfully by communities around the country to improve their non-road transportation infrastructure.
Please read the information below and click on the “Send a letter” button to contact your Representative in Congress. You can tailor the letter with your own comments on why this is important to you or give examples of how you benefit from trains and transit. Remember that you are writing as a individual who uses and values passenger train service and not as a representative or member of MARP.
If you are interested in how your Representative voted on the anti-Amtrak amendments offered by Rep. Brooks, click on the links here:
You can include in your message a pat on the back if your Congressperson opposed the amendment.
Please feel free to forward this to others who support trains.
Kay Chase
Note: As it currently stands, trains, transit, and non-motorized travel nodes will receive no increased funding from the $450 million transportation funding package that passed out of the House last week. The bills now go to the Senate, so the time for ACTION is now. If you can’t get to Lansing, please phone in to the number in the message below. There may be a “Go To Meeting” set up online. Contact either of the two people at the bottom of the page. Feel free to forward to others interested in trains, transit, and non-motorized transportation modes
To: Parties interested in MDOT Comprehensive Transportation FundingMichigan Public Transit
Association and the Michigan Environmental Council will host a meeting and conference call/Go To Meeting event for all interested parties at 3:30 p.m. Thursday, May 15th at the offices of the Michigan Municipal League.The purpose of this meeting is to coordinate advocacy efforts to assure all new transportation money go through the current funding formula. This will ensure that recipients of CTF funds, including public transit, will benefit from the changes being considered in the Legislature.
Gov. Rick Snyder’s office has expressed its support for this concept; now we need to work to make it happen, using our lobbying, grass roots and communications assets. If you cannot attend, you can access the meeting by a conference call at 1-888-812-9637, passcode 548-270-63-22#.
We will be determining whether we need to use the Go To Meeting tools between now and Thursday, so keep an eye open for additional emails on that topic.
The proposed agenda is straightforward. Our goal is to hold this meeting to under 1 hour.