Former Amtrak Presidents to Speak at RailNation Miami

For Immediate Release (18-38)

October 3, 2018

Washington, D.C. - Former Amtrak presidents Joe Boardman and David Gunn will take part in a fireside chat at the Rail Passenger Association’s RailNation conference in Miami, Florida, on Friday evening, October 19. The event will be moderated by Rail Passengers Association President and CEO Jim Mathews; while Boardman will take part in the chat in person, Gunn will participate via video. Former Massachusetts Governor Michael Dukakis and Trains Magazine columnist Fred Frailey will also join the conversation via video.

“We are very excited to have four great speakers, including two former Amtrak presidents, join us at a very pivotal point for the future of passenger rail in the U.S.,” said Mathews. “With new proposals coming from Amtrak regarding service, and the Southwest Chief and Amtrak's re-authorization coming up in 2020, now is the time to discuss what the intercity and national rail network should look like both in the near-term and into the future.”

The fireside chat will take place from 6:30pm to 8:00pm on the first full day of Rail Passengers Association’s three-day event in Miami. The panelists will be asked a series of questions that pertain to various topics related to the future of Amtrak, and other passenger rail services, in the U.S. In addition, following the panelist presentations, questions from the audience will be taken.

“During the chat, we hope to learn some valuable insights from our speakers who have significant understanding of the challenges facing Amtrak and other rail services like Brightline and Texas Central Partners,” said Mathews. “Boardman and Gunn have more than 14 years combined as Amtrak’s president, and their experience and perspective will be of great interest to attendees.”

Individual tickets for the chat are available at: https://narp.z2systems.com/np/clients/narp/eventRegistration.jsp?event=120&

RailNation Miami is Rail Passengers Association's Fall 2018 Advocacy Conference on passenger rail and runs between October 19 and 21. Audience members will hear from a variety of great speakers over the three-day conference including: Amtrak Senior Director of the Gateway Program Marie Corrado; American Public Transportation Association Vice President of Policy Art Guzzetti; Brightline President and CEO Patrick Goddard; and Midwest High Speed Rail Association Executive Director Rick Harnish.

For more information or to register for the full RailNation, please visit: www.railpassengers.org/happening-now/events/rpa-fall-2018-miami.

About the Rail Passengers Association

The Rail Passengers Association, previously known as the National Association of Railroad Passengers, is the oldest and largest national organization speaking for the nearly 40 million 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 more than 28,000 individual members nationwide.