SRC APPLAUDS SURFACE TRANSPORTATION BOARD’S FORMATION OF PASSENGER RAIL WORKING GROUP

Surface Transportation Board (STB) Chairman Martin J. Oberman announced that the STB has formed a passenger rail working group consisting of STB staff. The new working group is charged with developing plans to enhance the agency’s passenger rail oversight efforts and to ensure it will fully meet its obligations to enforce new on-time performance requirements.

“To most effectively prepare the Board for its upcoming responsibilities in monitoring and enforcing Amtrak on-time performance, we need to quickly take stock of existing resources and determine which processes will most expeditiously bring disputes to a fair resolution,” said Chairman Oberman. “The formation of an internal agency passenger rail working group will will give us a firm foundation upon which to proceed. In the long run, we look forward to working closely with Amtrak and the freight railroads in the nation’s effort to improve its intercity passenger rail system.”

The Southern Rail Commission praises this move and looks forward to the STB’s upcoming hearing on Amtrak’s request to begin passenger rail service between Mobile and New Orleans in January 2022.

GULF COAST CITIES ARE READY FOR PASSENGER RAIL

Following Amtrak’s announcement that it will be filing a petition with the Surface Transportation Board to permit operations of passenger rail between New Orleans and Mobile, Mayors and organizations across the Gulf Coast have issued statements of support:

Mayor LaToya Cantrell, New Orleans:
"Restoring passenger service between New Orleans and Mobile is a critical economic driver for our region. I pledge to work with Amtrak and the railroads to help make the service a reality. We know that to grow, we have to think regionally, and this is a step in connecting New Orleanians with destinations along the Gulf Coast."

Mayor Billy Hewes, Gulfport:
“We are proud to show off Mississippi’s newly opened aquarium and we know visitors and families from all over the region would enjoy making the trip to visit it by train. Our local businesses are more than ready for the return of passenger rail which will bring new opportunities to support our local economy.”

Mayor Andrew “Fofo” Gilich, Biloxi:
“This spring weather should inspire everyone to head to Biloxi and the Gulf Coast for fun. Our beaches and casinos are open for business and our transit center is a welcoming entry point. Step off the train and you are a couple blocks away from the beaches, the excitement of our casino resorts, and everything our community has to offer. We have been waiting for this day for years, and we thank everyone who has helped make it happen. We know daily passenger rail service will help exponentially expand our offerings to a broader audience by creating new daily service. It will create a synergy all along the Gulf Coast.”

Mayor Michael Favre, Bay St. Louis:
“Bay St. Louis has invested over $1.5 million in improvements to our downtown depot and the surrounding area to make it a year-round amenity. This investment has spurred additional plans for new restaurants and condos, but we are counting on the revival of daily passenger rail service to ignite our local economy - and it can't come soon enough. Besides boosting our economy with regular rail travelers, we also understand the importance of rail as a means of evacuation during times of disaster.”

Mayor Steve Demetropoulos, Pascagoula:
“The City of Pascagoula is thrilled about the return of Amtrak. Not only will the stop in Pascagoula be wonderful for our residents, it will also give tourists an opportunity to see what we have to offer. There are a lot of exciting developments happening in downtown Pascagoula and Amtrak’s return is another great step forward in our revitalization efforts.”

Milton Segarra, CEO of Coastal Mississippi:
“We are very much looking forward to the introduction of a passenger rail service that would not only connect our 12 coastal communities, but further connect Coastal Mississippi with our neighboring destinations of Mobile and New Orleans. The proposed rail services would have an immense economic impact on not only our region, but on the entire state. Coastal Mississippi offers such a variety of unique experiences, and we look forward to welcoming many more visitors from our neighboring states.”

Amtrak restores long-distance routes to daily service with passage of American Rescue Plan

The passage of the American Rescue Plan by the House and Senate marks a huge victory for rail proponents and member states of the Southern Rail Commission. The plan includes $1.7 billion in federal funding for Amtrak which allows for the restoration of long-distance service and the return of employees who were furloughed due to the pandemic. Amtrak announced it will commence daily long-distance service for 12 routes, including the City of New Orleans and the Crescent, in three phases in May and June 2021, just in time for the summer travel season. Over the past year, since daily service cuts were first announced, the Southern Rail Commission has very actively visited House and Senate leaders making the case for reinstating long-distance service as an essential travel option for residents in smaller towns without bus or air service, along with improvements to on-board food service and further expansion of routes and frequencies.

The Southern Rail Commission issued the following statement:

We applaud the bipartisan efforts of our Congressional leadership who supported this critical funding for Amtrak’s long-distance network. We have long advocated for the expansion of the national long-distance passenger rail network because we understand the significant economic, tourism, and mobility benefits that come to small and rural communities when they are connected to passenger rail corridors,” said Knox Ross, Mississippi Commissioner. “We are incredibly excited about the potential upcoming capital investment by Amtrak along the Gulf Coast route connecting our cities Mobile and New Orleans and the smaller communities in between.”

SRC Applauds Biden's Nomination of Buttigieg as Transportation Secretary

This week, President-elect Joe Biden announced his nomination of Pete Buttigieg to serve as U.S. transportation secretary. The Southern Rail Commission offers our sincere and enthusiastic congratulations to Buttigieg, and we look forward to working with him and the new administration to expand passenger rail service across our southern states.

As the former mayor of South Bend, Indiana, Buttigieg’s focus was on creating quality jobs, spurring local investment and building resilient infrastructure. We anticipate a productive working relationship to expedite progress on our rail projects underway that will result in economic investment and expanded mobility options.

During the announcement Tuesday, the SRC was especially pleased to hear Buttigieg describe his own "personal love of transportation, ever since childhood."  

“More than once, as a college student, I would convince a friend to travel nearly a thousand miles back to Indiana on Amtrak, though I know that in this administration I will at best be the second biggest train enthusiast," Buttigieg said as he looked at Biden, who earned the nickname "Amtrak Joe" for taking thousands of round trips on Amtrak during his time as senator and vice president.

Vice President-elect Kamala Harris praised Buttigieg's "sharp intellect and deep commitment to uniting people across party lines," while also speaking to plans for a passenger rail renaissance.

“We will transform our roads and bridges, transit systems, railways, ports and airports, while powering them with clean energy,” Harris said. “We will spark a renaissance in American passenger rail that will not only connect our country, but unlock job creation and growth across our manufacturing sector.” 

Southern Rail Commission Commends Montana’s Formation of New Rail Authority

Twelve Montana counties have executed a joint resolution to officially form The Big Sky Passenger Rail Authority, a new entity advocating for the return of passenger rail service along the former North Coast Hiawatha Route in southern Montana. The formation of the new authority marks the first step towards creating a multi-state rail commission that would be modeled after the congressionally authorized Southern Rail Commission.

SRC commissioners participated in the Big Sky Passenger Rail Summit held virtually in September in Missoula and offered their encouragement and support for Montana to join with other adjacent states North Dakota, Idaho and Oregon who have long sought to restore passenger rail service across the Pacific Northwest.

“We commend Montana for taking this initial step in forming The Big Sky Passenger Rail Authority, and we hope other states take notice and jump on board,” said SRC Chairman Wiley Blankenship. “The successes of the Southern Rail Commission are not only due to the combined bipartisan support from our governors, Congressional leaders and other local officials and governmental agencies across our three states, but they also stem from our unique authority enacted by Congress unlocking access to federal funding for passenger rail projects.”

According to a Missoula County media release, the Montana authority is chartered to investigate, analyze, seek funding for and develop long-distance, intercity rail service to support the health, safety, welfare and economic prosperity of communities throughout Montana.

Momentum is building as other regions across the country, such as Denver to Albuquerque, West Virginia and Ohio, and areas across upper New York State, have also expressed interest in creating multi-state rail authorities. Forming these new independent authorities could create a strong passenger rail caucus in Washington, D.C., with numerous states united on passenger rail priorities and with the ability to secure federal funds and create impactful legislation.

In a recent interview with Missoula Current, Missoula County Commissioner Dave Strohmaier said Congress has an opportunity to create additional rail commissions as part of the reauthorization of the surface transportation bill.

“That could be a nice compliment to what we’re trying to do in state by way of the rail authority in terms of creating a cross-state collaboration that would really look at this as a regional collaboration,” Strohmaier said. “We think making our national system stronger is going to involve public investment at some point.”