Transportation Equity Network News - Help Us Protect Passenger Rail

Help Us Protect Passenger Rail This week, Congressman John Mica, Chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, introduced a draft bill, the Competition for Intercity Passenger Rail in America Act of 2011.  This bill privatizes Amtrak service in the Northeast Corridor, weakens Amtrak service in the rest of the country, and promotes privatization of the new high-speed and intercity rail program throughout the United States. Let your Member of Congress know that privatizing the rail programs in this country is unacceptable and that full funding of Amtrak and the high-speed and intercity rail program in FY 2012 will lead to the creation of thousands of new jobs in this country. Help us support passenger rail and job growth. Write your Member of Congress today. A Failed Concept We don't need to speculate about the possible effects of passenger rail privatization. Britain privatized its rail service in the early 1990's and the experiment has largely been a failure, leading to higher fares, increased costs, and little incentive to modernize infrastructure. The British government now spends more subsidizing a series of commerically unsuccessful rail operators than it did simply running the publicly-owned British Railways. Privatization of passenger rail in this country is unacceptable and we need to make that clear to Congress. Send a message today. Ask your Member of Congress to stand with Amtrak against privatization. Common-Sense Rules Unfortunately, privatization is a growing trend in cash-starved municipalities nationwide. With this in mind, Senator Dick Durbin has introduced a bill to help bring transparency and oversight to the sale of public transit systems and other infrastructure. The bill (Protecting Taxpayers in Transportation Asset Transfers Act S1230) would set important new precedents regarding the disclosure of anticipated effects on wages, employment and work rules. We at TEN applaud Senator Durbin's focus on worker protection and transparency and have signed a letter of support for this important legislation. Capitol Hill Updates We at TEN are pleased to announce a new resource designed to keep you informed about transportation issues being discussed in Washington. They're called Capitol Hill Updates and our second issue goes soon. Click here to sign up for future updates. Click here to read them on our website. Call for Papers The Transportation Research Board is looking for papers relating to the health impacts of transportation policies, procedures, and actions. Click here for more information. Employment Opportunity TEN affiliate United Congregations of Metro-East is looking for a Lead Organizer in the St. Louis area. Click here for more information. Follow Us on Twitter Join Us on Facebook

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