220 Cities Losing All Passenger Train Service per Trump Elimination of Federal Funding for Amtraks

[riversedge]

MichaelLoBurgio‏ @MikeLoBurgio

220 Cities Losing All Passenger Train Service per Trump Elimination of Federal Funding for Amtrak’s National Network http://www.masstransitmag.com/press_release/12322126/220-cities-losing-all-passenger-train-service-per-trump-elimination-of-all-federal-funding-for-amtraks-national-network-trains …

Link to tweet

Infrastructure
National Association of Railroad Passengers (NARP)
220 Cities Losing All Passenger Train Service per Trump Elimination of all Federal Funding for Amtrak’s National Network Trains Source: National Association of Railroad Passengers (NARP) Apr 4, 2017
16677804412 291540657a o 587f77fba25df





Donald Trump

Photo credit: Gage Skidmore
CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION

The National Association of Rail Passengers denounced the budget outline released by the Trump Administration, which slashes investment in transportation infrastructure. These cuts to Amtrak, transit, and commuter rail programs, and even air service to rural towns, would not only cost construction and manufacturing jobs, but place a disproportionate amount of pain on rural and working class communities.

“It’s ironic that President Trump’s first budget proposal undermines the very communities whose economic hardship and sense of isolation from the rest of the country helped propel him into office,” said NARP President Jim Mathews. “These working class communities — many of them located in the Midwest and the South — were tired of being treated like ‘flyover country.’ But by proposing the elimination of Amtrak’s long distance trains, the Trump Administration does them one worse, cutting a vital service that connects these small town economies to the rest of the U.S. These hard working, small town Americans don’t have airports or Uber to turn to; they depend on these trains.”

"What’s more, these proposed cuts come as President Trump continues to promise that our tax dollars will be invested in rebuilding America's infrastructure,” continued Mathews. “Instead, we have seen an all-out assault on any project — public and private — that would advance passenger rail. These cuts and delays are costing the U.S. thousands of good-paying construction and manufacturing jobs in America's heartland at this very moment."

Mathews was referring to the decision by Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao to indefinitely suspend a grant that would allow California to proceed with a commuter rail electrification project. Caltrain, the agency overseeing the project, estimates the project would create 9,600 total direct and indirect jobs. The delay also threatens the construction of a new railcar assembly plant planned for Salt Lake City, which would generate sustainable, family-wage jobs for 550 employees.

The White House budget would lead to a nightmare scenario for people who depend on passenger rail, transit, commuter rail, and even regional air service in the United States, from Wall Street to Main Street. The proposal cuts $2.4 billion from transportation, a 13 percent reduction of last year’s funding, and includes:

Elimination of all federal funding for Amtrak’s national network trains, which provides the only national network service to 23 states, and the only nearby Amtrak service for 144.6 million Americans;

$499 million from the TIGER grant program, a highly successful program that invests in passenger rail and transit projects of national significance;

Elimination of $2.3 billion for the Federal Transit Administration’s “New Starts” Capital Investment Program, which is crucial to launching new transit, commuter rail, and light-rail projects.

Long distance rail routes open up enormous economic development opportunities, which the Administration’s proposal ignores or casts aside. The plan threatens the following long distances routes:

Gulf Coast Restoration — In development

Silver Star — Daily service

Cardinal — 3 trains/week

Silver Meteor — Daily service

Empire Builder — Daily service

Capitol Limited — Daily service

California Zephyr — Daily service

Southwest Chief — Daily service

City of New Orleans — Daily service

Texas Eagle — Daily service

Sunset Limited — 3 trains/week

Coast Starlight — Daily service

Lake Shore Limited — Daily service

Palmetto — Daily service

Crescent — Daily service

Auto Train — Daily service

And, at a minimum, the proposed White House elimination of long distance routes would result in the following 220 towns and cities losing all Amtrak service:

Albuquerque, NM

Alderson, WV

Alliance, OH

Alpine, TX

Anniston, AL

Arcadia, MO

Arkadelphia, AR

Ashland, KY

Atlanta, GA

Austin, TX

Barstow, CA

Beaumont, TX

Benson, AZ

Bingen, WA

Birmingham, AL

Brookhaven, MS

Bryan, OH

Burlington, IA

Charleston, SC

Charleston, WV

Chemult, OR

Chico, CA

Cincinnati, OH

Cleburne, TX

Clemson, SC

Cleveland, OH

Clifton Forge, VA

Colfax, CA

Columbia, SC

Columbus, WI

Connellsville, PA

Creston, IA

Cumberland, MD

Cut Bank, MT

Dallas, TX

Danville, VA

Deerfield Beach, FL

Del Rio, TX

Deland, FL

Delray Beach, FL

Deming, NM

Denver, CO

Detroit Lakes, MN

Devils Lake, ND

Dillon, SC

Dodge City, KS

Dunsmuir, CA

East Glacier Park, MT

El Paso, TX

Elkhart, IN

Elko, NV

Elyria, OH

Ephrata, WA

Erie, PA

Essex, MT

Fargo, ND

Fayetteville, NC

Flagstaff, AZ

Florence, SC

Fort Lauderdale, FL

Fort Madison, IA

Fort Morgan, CO

Framingham, MA

Fulton, KY

Gainesville, GA

Gallup, NM

Garden City, KS

Gastonia, NC

Glasgow, MT

Glenwood Springs, CO

Granby, CO

Grand Forks, ND

Grand Junction, CO

Green River, UT

Greenville, SC

Greenwood, MS

Hamlet, NC

Hammond, LA

Harpers Ferry, WV

Hastings, NE

Hattiesburg, MS

Havre, MT

Hazlehurst, MS

Helper, UT

Hinton, WV

Holdrege, NE

Hollywood, FL

Hope, AR



Houston, TX

Huntington, WV

Hutchinson, KS

Jackson, MS

Jacksonville, FL

Jesup, GA

Kingman, AZ

Kingstree, SC

Kissimmee, FL

Klamath Falls, OR

La Crosse, WI

La Junta, CO

La Plata, MO

Lafayette, LA

Lake Charles, LA

Lakeland, FL

Lamar, CO

Lamy, NM

Las Vegas, NM

Laurel, MS

Lawrence, KS

Libby, MT

Lincoln, NE

Little Rock, AR

Longview, TX

Lordsburg, NM

Lorton, VA

Malta, MT

Malvern, AR

Maricopa, AZ

Marshall, TX

Martinsburg, WV

Maysville, KY

McComb, MS

McCook, NE

McGregor, TX

Memphis, TN

Meridian, MS

Miami, FL

Mineola, TX

Minot, ND

Montgomery, WV

Mount Pleasant, IA

Needles, CA

New Iberia, LA

New Orleans, LA

Newbern-Dyersburg, TN

Newton, KS

Okeechobee, FL

Omaha, NE

Ontario, CA

Orlando, FL

Osceola, IA

Ottumwa, IA

Palatka, FL

Palm Springs, CA

Pasco, WA

Paso Robles, CA

Picayune, MS

Pittsfield, MA

Pomona, CA

Poplar Bluff, MO

Portage, WI

Prince, WV

Provo, UT

Raton, NM

Red Wing, MN

Redding, CA

Reno, NV

Riverside, CA

Rockville, MD

Rugby, ND

Salinas, CA

Salt Lake City, UT

San Antonio, TX

San Bernardino, CA

San Marcos, TX

Sanderson, TX

Sandpoint, ID

Sandusky, OH

Sanford, FL

Savannah, GA

Schriever, LA

Sebring, FL

Shelby, MT

Slidell, LA

South Bend, IN

South Portsmouth, KY

Southern Pines, NC

Spartanburg, SC

Spokane, WA

St. Cloud, MN

St. Paul-Minneapolis, MN

Stanley, ND

Staples, MN

Staunton, VA

Tampa, FL

Taylor, TX

Temple, TX

Texarkana, AR

Thurmond, WV

Toccoa, GA

Toledo, OH

Tomah, WI

Topeka, KS

Trinidad, CO

Truckee, CA

Tucson, AZ

Tuscaloosa, AL

Victorville, CA

Walnut Ridge, AR

Waterloo, IN

Wenatchee, WA

West Glacier, MT

West Palm Beach, FL

White Sulphur Springs, WV

Whitefish, MT

Williams Jct., AZ

Williston, ND

Winnemucca, NV

Winona, MN

Winslow, AZ

Winter Haven, FL

Winter Park, FL

Winter Park-Fraser, CO

Wisconsin Dells, WI

Wishram, WA

Wolf Point, MT

Worcester, MA

Yazoo City, MS

Yemassee, SC

Yuma, AZ

.>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

[left-of-center2012]

1. This story is three months old

SOURCE: (NARP) APR 4, 2017

What is the current situation?

[kcr]

7. This is a current situation

Here is a link to a more recent story:
http://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/If-Trump-has-his-way-Amtrak-s-long-run-trains-11264619.php

Sad to say, it looks pretty dire

[sweetloukillbot]

2. My MiL takes the train from Ft. Madison to Flagstaff to visit us every Christmas

I hope this doesn't come to pass...

[silverweb]

3. The reTHUGs have been at this for years.

I remember them trying to defund Amtrak even as far back as 1969, when I was using it to commute to school every day. They intensified their assault in the late 1970s and have continued sporadically, again and again, over the years. Now that they own the WH and Congress, they're finally getting their way. This is going to be devastating for a LOT of people.

[Hortensis]

12. Yes. It's literally tied up with religion for some I spoke

with once, although in short order I got that look and change of subject from people who understand too much for it to be worth trying to explain it to someone who understands nothing.

I googled an article explaining the conflict between trains that can only exist as part of very large government programs--and thus the hard and religious right's belief (carefully inculcated by right-wing media funded by anti-tax special interests) that they interfere dangerously with the natural order.

Plus, for a good number there is the fear that, if built, inner-city residents (presumed lazy and criminal scum, of course) would be able to move out to suburban towns and commute to work. (Any dissonance DUers might detect in this exists only in our own minds.)

[silverweb]

17. That's a very interesting point.

I agree. I've read the arguments that public transit is "socialistic" and forces people to adhere to transit's schedule rather than their own individual whims; i.e., a car gives you *freedom* to come and go where you please, when you please. Religious objections because transit interferes with "the natural order" is a new twist in my experience, but makes perfect sense from their POV.

The racist angle is also very true. I heard it from a number of people years ago when I still lived on the East Coast, including some members of my own family. I was still pretty young and had never heard racist comments from them before; however, a new transit proposal made them feel threatened and fearful in whiteburbia, so out it popped.

[Hortensis]

25. That "socialistic" meme is blown up into a huge, ridiculous

fear among today's version of the John Birchers. Some people around here are afraid trains might be used to ship conservatives off to prison camps, i.e., that their friends who "know" they are right now might turn out to be right. Big government.

But as for your family, after all, wanting to hold onto what you have and value is something we all share. As is resisting change we didn't choose but to extremely varying degrees, of course. POC are famously upset when whites move into their urban neighborhoods, but rising prices are only part of it and only the main issue in neighborhoods where prices change dramatically. Just as racism is also only a part of it as something precious to many is lost.

[Hugin]

18. Makes sense given their warped xenophobic bigoted world view...

Ultimately, I find it interesting these fears haven't extended to the airlines, yet.

I suppose the flat earthers still believe that man will never fly... or they believe that the presumed lazy and criminal scum can't afford to fly in their stuck in the 1890's time sense.

[Volaris]

4. They're going to wreck this for everyone, just to fuck California.

Because they know how dangerous it is to the current status quo.
A legit, next-century HSRLine that can get a person from one side of the country to the other in 8 hours would utterly empty a lot of 'flyover country' and the GOP will be just that much more diminished as a national party. This is why SecTransport has her job...This is the Turtles doing.

[lindysalsagal]

5. On first glance: Mostly red states. Way to create jobs. Infrastructure. NOT.

[Crunchy Frog]

16. Colorado's getting badly screwed and we didn't vote for him.

[wryter2000]

6. Nooooooooooooo!

Not the California Zephyr. Keep your tiny hands off my train!

[ailsagirl]

8. What The Hell????????

[Rollo]

9. This is so disappointing...

As I'm planning on spending at least part of my imminent retirement hopping on Amtrak and seeing as much of this great country as I can, before Donny Twoscoops completely destroys it.

[BumRushDaShow]

13. Yes yes and yes!

Me too (and I am recently retired and have been researching it).

[onecent]

10. WHAT the hell is wrong with this man???????

Can somebody stop him from all this bad stuff.......
Then he turns around and does a few good things, so we're all pumped up then that he
is going to change.

Jesus...how did WE GET HIM???????????????????????/

[WinkyDink]

20. What, pray, would those "few good things" be?

[SecularMotion]

26. Are you for real?

This must be a bot.

[oberliner]

11. This is an old story

But it's still depressing. Hopefully the budget proposals won't go through.

[BumRushDaShow]

14. Everytime a Republican gets into office as President

they gut or try to gut Amtrak.

[smirkymonkey]

15. Fuck him!

Just fuck him and all the republican politicians who are trying to gut Amtrak.

I love Amtrak! If anything, we should be making it stronger and better, not gutting it. Train travel is such a pleasant way to get from place to place. For long distances, it may not be as fast as flying, but for shorter distances it is so much less of a hassle than driving or flying.

[Doreen]

19. Has anyone thought that this may also

be a plan to keep communication and meeting each other harder? I mean to better separate us. Just a thought.

[Liberal In Texas]

23. Hence, Net Nutrality will be a thing of the past. n/t

[Doreen]

28. Yeah, I figured that one out also.

We do not have a president, we have a dictator.

[Liberal In Texas]

21. Let Them Have Private Jets

Just like us.

[Initech]

22. Fuck this whole fucking administration!!!!!!

[DAMANgoldberg]

24. Maybe this doesn't have anything to do with it...

however, the last Transportation Secretary under Obama, I don't know personally, but was a mayor here and was successful. Anthony Foxx is his name and is very black. He was responsible in part for our current Light Rail service, Uptown to I-485 and despite the delay in the north line (2018) Uptown to UNC Charlotte. Also modernizing the rest of the local transit service CATS.

[Achilleaze]

27. republicans pissing on American proles

as they so often do