FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE (#14-02) Sean Jeans-Gail 202-408-8362 January 29, 2014 Empire Builder Passengers Are Being Left Out in the Cold In a letter sent yesterday to U.S. Secretary of Transportation Anthony Foxx, the National Association of Railroad Passengers expressed concern over the serious disruptions to passenger rail service in North Dakota and Montana that have occurred over the past several months. The train serves communities in Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, North Dakota, Montana, Idaho, Washington State, and Oregon, with some 18.8 million people living within 25 miles of an Empire Builder station. This train acts as a vital transportation link for hundreds of rural communities to essential services in urban population centers. Delays of as much as eight to ten hours have plagued the Empire Builder, Amtrak’s daily train operating between Chicago and Seattle. As a result, said Ross Capon, NARP’s president and CEO, literally thousands of Amtrak passengers and their families have suffered extreme inconvenience and often considerable personal expense. According to Capon, severe weather has been a contributing factor, but he said most of the fault lies with the logjam of rail congestion caused by hundreds of additional freight trains being pressed into service to transport North Dakota crude oil to refineries in other parts of the U.S. “Crude oil is being given priority over people,” Capon said. “We’re asking the secretary to use the power of his office to convene the concerned parties and work out a better solution. The current situation is intolerable and is depriving thousands of American citizens of their basic right of access to adequate public transportation.” Facts about the Empire Builder: · Carried 536,400 passengers in FY 2013, Amtrak’s busiest long distance service · Population of service area within 25 miles: 18,852,830 (within 50 miles: 26,340,294) · Provides direct service at 46 cities in 8 states · Longest segment: 2,256 mile corridor (Chicago, IL - Portland, OR) About the National Association of Railroad Passengers NARP is the only national organization speaking for the users of passenger trains and rail transit. We have worked since 1967 to expand the quality and quantity of passenger rail in the U.S. Our mission is to work towards a modern, customer-focused national passenger train network that provides a travel choice Americans want. Our work is supported by over 22,000 individual members. ###
Posted on: Sun, 02 Feb 2014 11:52:59 +0000
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