Adopted by the membership at the March 17 Annual Meeting in Los Angeles

Whereas RailPAC since its inception has been a supporter both of the existing National Passenger Rail System (“the National System”) of Long Distance and Regional trains operated by Amtrak, and of the incremental growth of that system,

And Whereas the National System is under constant threat from suspension or termination of services, reduction in federal spending, and totally unacceptable on time performance on many routes,

It is hereby resolved that:
RailPAC calls for the retention of all routes of the National System, and in particular requests the immediate restoration of the Sunset service between New Orleans and Orlando, and

RailPAC calls upon the U.S. Department of Transportation and Amtrak to take appropriate action with host railroads to ensure that passenger trains are given the priority required by federal law in order to ensure a commercially acceptable level of passenger train punctuality, and

RailPAC calls for the continued incremental growth of the National System for example and not limited to the addition in California of the “Coast Daylight” service between Los Angeles and San Francisco. The extension of the Heartland Flyer to Kansas City, and other cost-effective services that improve connectivity and equipment utilization, and

The forerunner of the Coast Daylight is Amtrak California’s Central Coast Surfliner, trains 798/799, shown here at the San Luis Obispo station.

RailPAC calls upon the U.S. Government to set up a permanent funding source for Amtrak, and to provide a source of funds or tax credits for host railroads to improve infrastructure and capacity for both freight and passenger trains.