There’s a webinar coming up for later today that should be of interest to many. If you want a sustainable planet, if you want environmental justice, if you want to get off fossil fuels, if you want an economy that rewards workers, if you want to see the public interest served, make some time to see answers to the question:
"Where Is This Train Going?" Freight Rail in the Public Interest
Start: 2023-09-12 20:00:00 UTC Eastern Daylight Time (US & Canada) (GMT-04:00)
End: 2023-09-12 21:15:00 UTC Eastern Daylight Time (US & Canada) (GMT-04:00)
A link to attend this virtual event will be emailed upon RSVP
Host Contact Info: For more information, please contact: Bakari Height, bakari@labor4sustainability.org
What would it look like to have a public transportation system that actually serves the public interest? Unfortunately, in the U.S. we don’t have such a system.
The transportation sector accounts for nearly 10% of workers in the US and is the largest contributor of US greenhouse gas emissions. And whether we're talking about motor vehicles and highways, mass transit, railroads, or school buses, it is workers, frontline communities, and our climate that are thrown into crisis by corporate greed. At the same time, a sole focus on electric vehicles won't solve the climate or frontline pollution crises, nor guarantee good union jobs, nor prevent toxic derailments.
Join the Labor Network for Sustainability to hear from railroad workers and surrounding communities and help us develop a new understanding of this vital infrastructure toward a system in the public interest.
Click on the link to RSVP.
Railroads could and should be a critical element in building a 21st Century economy we can live with in the age of climate change — but it’s not going to happen if we leave it up to freight rail corporations and the Republican Party.
Railroads spent millions to weaken regulations intended to prevent the next East Palestine rail disaster.
Union Pacific is cutting safety inspections and running trains with known safety issues.
Railroads could cut transportation emissions significantly in America by moving more tonnage by rail instead of by truck — but they are moving fewer carloads.
Meanwhile, there’s a threat to Amtrak as well. House Republicans are demanding massive cuts in government spending — including passenger rail.
Intercity Rail and Transit Funding Still in the Balance
Rail Passengers Association continues to work with members of the Senate to support the $3.4 billion in intercity rail funding included in the Senate Fiscal Year 2024 Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies (THUD) bill. The bipartisan bill passed out of the Committee on Appropriations by a unanimous vote in July, and the full Senate is scheduled to take up the THUD bill as part of a three-bill package sometime next week.
Simultaneously, Rail Passengers is working on key Republican targets in the House to secure their opposition to rail cuts included in the House GOP’s FY24 THUD bill.
We are also working hard to ensure that the rail funding proposals House THUD bill—which would slash Amtrak’s funding by 64% compared to the current year, including a shocking 92% cut to the Northeast Corridor (NEC) [do not happen]. These cuts would:
- Negatively impact as many as 20 million passengers nationwide;
- Endanger tens of thousands of operating, construction, and manufacturing jobs, with initial estimates indicating 10,000 Amtrak employees alone could be furloughed or separated due to lack of funding; and
- Halt work on scores of state-sponsored transit and intercity rail infrastructure projects that will benefit tens of millions of Americans.
emphasis added
Rail uses only a third of the energy needed to move tonnage and people compared with what gets burned up on highways. Rail can be electrified with clean energy from wind and solar, getting carbon out of transportation. Rail plays a vital role in transportation around the rest of the world, but gets little attention here from policy makers and the U.S. media — unless something terrible happens. Had you seen anything about these stories?
Biden, others unveil rail and shipping project linking India to Europe -The corridor, outlined at the annual G20 summit, would also connect India to the Middle East.
A major rail bottleneck in Baltimore dating back to the 19th Century is finally getting transformed.
A number of Amtrak trains sell out; capacity is limited by lack of equipment — but that’s finally getting some action.
A project that should have been launched decades ago is finally getting underway, the Hudson River Rail Tunnel Gateway Project.
After decades of neglect and public disinterest, it’s becoming apparent we need what railroads can do too badly to leave it solely up to market forces, the private sector, Wall Street, or Republicans.
Tune in tonight for some ideas and discussion on how America can get back on track with rail.