4 replies to this topic

[CNJRoss]

VHSR email, 12/29/17:

 

 

 

Thank you for helping to make 2017 a successful year for passenger rail in Virginia!

•    Our supporters contacted their members of Congress over 3,000 times to oppose the federal cuts to Amtrak’s national trains which would’ve reduced our passenger rail service by 44 percent.

 

 

•    Hundreds of our supporters came out to our rallies in support of the Commonwealth’s passenger rail service this summer across the state.
•    Our members submitted over 1,000 public comments in support of advancing the Washington to Richmond corridor high speed rail study.
•    Dozens of our supporters made the trek from across the state to participate in our 2017 Day at the General Assembly.

And, your support is making a difference!

•    Ridership on our passenger trains is up 1.9 percent over last year.
•    Virginia had the top three best financially performing routes in Amtrak’s entire system in 2017.
•    Service was restored to Roanoke for the first time since the 1970s.
•    In 2017, our passenger trains removed 253.2 million passenger miles from our roads, reduced fuel consumption by 11.7 million gallons, and eliminated the release of 229.6 million pounds of carbon pollution. Additionally, our passenger trains generated $1.1 billion in economic benefits which created or sustained over 11,000 jobs.

Thank you again for making 2017 a great year. I hope that you’ll consider making an end of the year contribution to help us make 2018 the year of the train! Here's a link to our 2017 Recap.

Regards, 

Danny Plaugher
Executive Director

P.S. Be on the lookout for our next report in the coming weeks. We’re going to outline our vision for increasing passenger rail service across the Commonwealth and east coast over the coming years.

  Virginians for High Speed Rail
5101 Monument Ave.
Richmond, Virginia 23230

 

[CNJRoss]

VHSR email 2/14/18:

 

About | Donate | Members

President Trump’s FY 2019 Budget: The President’s latest budget eliminates funding for Amtrak’s National trains by creating an unfunded mandate that the states pay to operate Amtrak’s national passenger rail system. This mandate could cost Virginia taxpayers an additional $161 million annually above the $83.6 billion in federal taxes Virginians already pay.

ACTION ALERT: Learn more about the President's Budget here, and quickly and easily send your members of Congress a message asking them to support America’s passenger rail network. We need to improve our intercity passenger rail system, not dismantle it.

2018 Virginia General Assembly: The legislature is in session for another 24 days and we’re tracking nearly a dozen bills. Some of them have already failed, and several more pieces of legislation are moving forward but we’re keeping an eye on any that might have an impact on the Commonwealth’s passenger rail network. We’ll let you know if anything major moves ahead.

Federal Transit Administration: Former Delegate, fmr. Congresswoman, and fmr. Director of the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation Thelma Drake has been appointed to head the Federal Transit Administration. Congrats Thelma!

Regards, 

Danny Plaugher
Executive Director

P.S.: Here's a link to our 2017 Recap and our latest Passenger Rail Report

   

Virginians for High Speed Rail
5101 Monument Ave.
Richmond, Virginia 23230

 

[CNJRoss]

VHSR email 3/12/18:

 

 

Here’s a quick update about what’s going on in the world of passenger rail this month.

Join us this Friday for a free event in Richmond "Joint Powers Authorities—The way forward for optimal private railroad, public sector partnering” featuring Sharon Greene of HDR and Tom Hickey from Virginia Railway Express.

General Assembly 2018

Great news, there was a historic bi-partisan agreement to fund Virginia’s portion of  the Washington Metro improvement program and dedicate regional funds to help improve Virginia Railway Express.

There’s no final budget and the legislature will be coming back for a special session, later this spring.

Action Items

The President’s FY 2018 budget zeroes out funding for Amtrak’s national trains. Please take a moment to ask your members of Congress to make sure our trains are fully funded.

Starting March 29th, Amtrak’s Cardinal service will indefinitely postpone service north of Washington while New York’s Penn Station rehab is underway. Ask your elected officials to make sure this temporary service disruption doesn’t become permanent.

Speaker Requests: If you need a speaker to present to your local community group (Rotary, Lions, Kiwanis, etc.) about the benefits of passenger rail, please reach out to me at Danny@vhsr.com. I would be glad to come out and give your group an update.


Regards,


Danny Plaugher
Executive Director

  

 

[CNJRoss]

3/23/18:

 

 

 

I wanted to give you a quick update on a couple items.

 

FY 2018 Budget:

Many thanks to all of our supporters and partners who contacted your federal elected officials -- thousands of times -- over the last several weeks. Your message was heard.

 

The Omnibus funding bill includes $2.813 billion for intercity passenger rail programs including $1.95 billion for Amtrak and $863 million for various passenger rail grant programs – of which $250 million is dedicated to the implementation of positive train control to improve the safety of our rail network. We still have much work left to do, but this is a good start to 2018.

Cardinal Service:

As you may know, there is a temporary reduction in the Cardinal service so that it will now terminate/initiate from Washington instead of advancing to New York while track improvements are happening on the Northeast Corridor. Thanks to all of you who have sent hundreds of emails, our partners Friends of the Cardinal report that Congressman Evan Jenkins (R-W.VA) made the following statement in a letter to Amtrak President Richard Anderson “Amtrak has a strong history and heritage in West Virginia. Cardinal route service should be restored as quickly as possible, and the elimination of the Washington-New York Penn segment must not be made permanent”.

 

If you would like to ask your members of Congress to support Representative Jenkins efforts go to www.VHSR.com/Cardinal

Thank you to everyone who supports our work. We are only successful because of your generous contributions and help sending in emails and making calls to key decision makers. I hope you'll continue to support our efforts by making a tax-deductible contribution today.

Regards,

Danny Plaugher
Executive Director

 

 

[CNJRoss]

6/6/18:
 

 

 

 

Here is our June update on what is going on with passenger rail across Virginia and the Southeast.

Bikes at Richmond’s Main Street Station: On May 18th, Virginia’s Department of Rail and Public Transportation launched a pilot program to allow passengers to board and disembark with bikes! You must reserve in advance and there is a $20 charge for bicycles added to your ticket price.

Media link: http://wtvr.com/2018...reet-station-1/

Henrico’s Staples Mill Station Parking: There will be a ribbon cutting on June 28th to celebrate the opening of Staples Mill Station’s expanded parking and bus transit access project. We'll send more details when we get them.

Tri-Cities Station: The Federal Railroad Administration has finalized the Tri-Cities Passenger Station Study and recommended a new station in Colonial Heights. We have concerns about this decision and we are working to identify opportunities to improve or change the decision.

Media Link: http://www.chesterfi...in_Ettrick.html

UVA’s Weldon Cooper Center Newsletter: Our past President Meredith Richards wrote a very thoughtful and in-depth piece for the latest Weldon Cooper Center Newsletter and I wanted to share.

Media Link: https://vig.cooperce...vol-94-no-1.pdf

Presentations: I want to thank the Lynchburg Morning Rotary Club, Old Dominion Railroad Club, Norfolk Kiwanis Club, Petersburg Morning Rotary Club, Shepherd’s Center of Richmond, James City County EDA, Chesterfield Lions Club, Hampton Roads Chamber, and all other groups that have allowed me to give an update on passenger rail. If you’re interested in have me present to your organization, please email me at Danny@VHSR.com.

Other items:

 

Cardinal and Amtrak National Trains: There have been several changes happening with Amtrak’s National Trains, sometimes too much to keep track of, but we’re following everything that is happening to make sure that there are no negative impacts to Virginia passenger rail service. If anything happens, you know we’ll send along an action page to fight back! The Commonwealth's Amtrak National trains provide a valuable link to the Southeast and Midwest.

Richmond Bus Rapid Transit: In just a couple of weeks (June 24th), Richmond will be launching the first segment of the region’s Bus Rapid Transit Network. There will be a stop at Richmond’s Main Street Station and this will provide a very valuable last mile connection.

Media Link to more information: http://www.nbc12.com...pPuH5xk.twitter

Random Passenger Rail Factoid: Virginia is the 9th largest state by Amtrak passenger rail ridership.

Regards,

Danny Plaugher
Executive Director