Amtrak

[As published By John Previsich And Edward Wytkind in Milwaukee Wisconsin Journal Sentinel] It’s been more than 150 years since railroad fever first brought rail service to the Badger State. And while just about everything else has changed in the last century and a half, one thing hasn’t: Wisconsinites still love trains and in particular are fans […]

[As published By John Previsich and Edward Wytkind in St. Louis Post-Dispatch] Stark divisions have defined our national politics for some time. But there are many transportation issues that unite Americans across political lines, and one of those is overwhelming support for passenger rail in this country, and in particular, for Amtrak. Recent polls in America’s […]

[As published by Edward Wytkind in the Huffington Post] Ebenezer Scrooge would love America’s approach to funding its transportation needs, but the miserly refusal by too many of our leaders to invest in transportation could haunt us for decades to come. That’s why our nation’s holiday wish list for 2014 must include a comprehensive vision […]

[As published by Edward Wytkind and John Previsich in the Nov. 24 Altoona Mirror] In the first half of the 20th century, the Pennsylvania Railroad was the most heavily traveled railroad in the United States, and at one point it was the largest publicly traded corporation in the world. Times have changed, but Pennsylvanians, including those […]

A poll conducted by a transportation union found that 58 percent of voters in Kentucky have a favorable opinion of Amtrak. The poll, which was conducted by the Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation (SMART) union, found voters in Kentucky supported Amtrak by a 58percent to 10 percent margin, despite the rail company having few […]

[As published by TTD President Edward Wytkind and SMART Transportation Division President John Previsich in Kentucky.com] Passenger rail has a long, proud history in Kentucky and Amtrak in particular enjoys support from Kentuckians, regardless of their political views. That’s the clear message of a recent poll that finds bipartisan support for maintaining or expanding Amtrak […]

Members of Congress responsible for our nation’s transportation systems, including our national passenger rail system, are once again considering the reauthorization of Amtrak. The choice is clear: give Amtrak the resources it needs, or choose the routine ritual of starving it and wondering why we don’t have faster trains and more service. As a backdrop, […]

[As published by TTD President Edward Wytkind and SMART Transportation Division President John Previsich in the Des Moines Register] While politicians can’t agree on much, Iowans and the majority of Americans surely agree on one thing: They want more Amtrak service, not less. On the heaviest traveled passenger rail corridor in the nation, the Northeast […]

[As published by Keith Laing in The Hill] A poll conducted by a transportation union found that 70 percent of voters in a group of eight moderate congressional districts backed federal funding for Amtrak. The poll, which conducted by the Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation (SMART) union, surveyed voters in Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, […]

[As issued by SMART-TD Oct. 10] Political Party Labels Aside, Americans Want to Ride Amtrak Research Shows Strong Majority Favor Federal Funding of Amtrak   WASHINGTON — New polling shows that Americans across the ideological spectrum support more public funding of Amtrak passenger rail service. “We polled people who mostly do not live in large […]