Happening Now
MEDIA ADVISORY: Gulf Coast Rail Restoration Briefing in Mobile
July 11, 2019
Rail Passengers Association To Take Part in Hearing on Returning Trains to Gulf Coast
For Immediate Release (19-11)
Contact: Xenophon Strategies - (202) 289-4001
Who: Southern Rail Commission, Rail Passengers Association, Amtrak
What: Briefing on Mobile to New Orleans Regional Passenger Rail Service Friday July 12th, 2019
When: 9am–12pm
Where: Mobile, Alabama | Arthur Outlaw Convention Center, Room 202 AB
Mobile, AL—The Rail Passengers Association will take part in a July 12th briefing on restoring Gulf Coast regional passenger rail service between Mobile, Alabama and New Orleans, Louisiana. The briefing, hosted in Mobile by the Southern Rail Commission, will also present information on recently awarded federal rail grants associated with this proposed service.
Rail Passengers President Jim Mathews will be on hand to talk about success stories in state-supported rail services. Mathews will highlight the return on investment experienced by rail-served communities, looking at the direct and indirect benefits experienced by local businesses and regional economies.
The briefing, provided primarily for Alabama officials, will provide facts, details, methods, and professionally-assessed considerations on needs, impacts, costs, and benefits of bringing daily intercity passenger rail service between Mobile and New Orleans.
The agenda will include presentations from Amtrak, Rail Passengers Association, Transportation for America, and the Southern Rail Commission. Topics will include:
- Amtrak service summary for Mobile to New Orleans
- Economic benefits
- Examples of success – case studies of select existing passenger services
- Federal Rail Grants summary regarding infrastructure and operations
- Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements Program (CRISI) Grant Application in support of needed infrastructure improvements
- Restoration & Enhancements (R&E) grant program which provides federal support for the initial three years of regional train service
Ample time will be available for detailed discussions, questions, and answers.
Members of the media will be provided a focused time for Q&A following the briefing.
For more information, contact:
Wiley Blankenship | Southern Rail Commission - (251) 436-8822 - [email protected]
Bob Brady | Xenophon Strategies - (202) 289-4001
"It is an honor to be recognized by the Rail Passengers Association for my efforts to strengthen and expand America’s passenger rail. Golden spikes were once used by railroads to mark the completion of important rail projects, so I am truly grateful to receive the Golden Spike Award as a way to mark the end of a career that I’ve spent fighting to invest in our country’s rail system. As Chair of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, it has been my priority to bolster funding for Amtrak, increase and expand routes, look to the future by supporting high-speed projects, and improve safety, culminating in $66 billion in new funding in the Bipartisan infrastructure Law."
Representative Peter DeFazio (OR-04)
March 30, 2022, on receiving the Association's Golden Spike Award for his years of dedication and commitment to passenger rail.
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