Grow Trains
@growtrains.org
This website brings together news, opinion, and events from around the web, of interest to those who advocate for improved passenger rail service in the United States.
I’m one of the #30percent that doesn’t drive. But I’ve been lucky to live in places with decent local transit, and connections to #Amtrak. Tell your elected representatives that rail and transit is a major priority, and a tiny percentage of our tax dollars.
"The roughly one-third of Americans who don’t drive—seniors who’ve stopped, people with disabilities, low-income households who can’t afford a car, people in transit-served cities—are subsidizing infrastructure they use little or not at all." www.fastcompany.com/91540490/gas...
The way we finance new highways and roads is no longer working
Those who use the roads should pay for the roads.
fastcompany.com
Our transportation system is built for cars and nothing else. We hope that the travelers stuck by #SpiritAirlines can get to where they need to go. We need a robust rail network!
Please donate today to any of these organizations who are advocating for better transportation options. Make a difference in 2026! allaboardnw.org/ran/rccn-org...
RCCN Organization Members
Please donate today to any of these organizations who are advocating for better transportation options. Make a difference in 2026!
allaboardnw.org
1. Funds were not always used effectively. 2. The law did not always result in less funding for polluting projects. 3. Many IIJA programs reinforced existing inequities by rewarding jurisdictions with greater preexisting resources. www.urban.org/urban-wire/r...
The Reauthorization of Federal Transportation Programs Offers Policymakers an Opportunity to Improve Effectiveness, Environmental Sustainability, and Access
Federal policymakers should consider three strategies to guide deliberations around reauthorization and improvement of Americans’ quality of life.
urban.org
A rail advocate is anyone who wants to improve passenger rail and is willing to talk to other people including elected officials about jmproving passenger trains. Attend the Pacific Northwest Rail Summit, and learn how you can be a more effective passenger rail advocate. aawa.us/news/posts/r...
Rail Advocates Mobilize for Pacific Northwest Rail Summit, Oct. 15–16 in Portland
Rail advocates from All Aboard Northwest, AORTA, and All Aboard Washington are encouraging members, allies, and community leaders to participate in the Pacific Northwest Rail Summit, October 15–16 at ...
aawa.us
Join us in Portland October 15-17 for the Pacific Northwest Rail Summit, where passenger and freight rail leaders and elected officials will discuss opportunities to improve the shared rail system that spans the Greater Northwest. Details at nwsummit.org. Register now to attend in person or online.
Home
nwsummit.org
High-speed rail has come to America. Or has it? www.cnn.com/2025/09/08/t...
Amtrak’s Mardi Gras Train Returns, Joyfully, 20 Years After Katrina arr.as/mardigras
"The US transportation system has all the balance of a two-legged stool. Adding passenger rail doesn't just add an option, it adds stability" @lakeshorerail.bsky.social
"The trains in San Francisco's Muni Metro light railway…won't start up in the morning until someone sticks a floppy disk into the computer that loads DOS software on the railway's Automatic Train Control System." www.bbc.com/future/artic...
Still booting after all these years: The people stuck using ancient Windows computers
As technology marches on, some people get trapped using decades-old software and devices. Here's a look inside the strange, stubborn world of obsolete Windows machines.
bbc.com
US railroad Amtrak cutting 450 positions, $100 million in annual costs www.reuters.com/business/wor...
Is U.S. Transportation Policy Ready For The ‘Silver Tsunami’? usa.streetsblog.org/2025/05/07/i...
Is U.S. Transportation Policy Ready For The 'Silver Tsunami'? — Streetsblog USA
America's car-dependent communities aren't prepared for the rising proportion of seniors who can't safely drive.
usa.streetsblog.org
VIA’s Canadian turns 70, operating with equipment from when it began www.trains.com/trn/news-rev...
Texas funding for Heartland Flyer on hold: Analysis www.trains.com/trn/news-rev...
Italy's new high-speed rail line looks to reverse depopulation, lift southern economy www.reuters.com/world/europe...
How Japan Built a 3D-Printed Train Station in 6 Hours As Japan’s population shrinks, maintaining rail service in remote small towns is becoming a challenge. Is this the answer? arr.as/3dstation
How Japan Built a 3D-Printed Train Station in 6 Hours (Gift Article)
As Japan’s population shrinks, maintaining rail service in remote small towns is becoming a challenge. Is this the answer?
arr.as
House Bill 848 just moved forward by a vote of 61 to 39 in the Montana House thanks to the extraordinary efforts of Representative Denise Baum with the support of our chairman and Missoula County Commissioner Dave Strohmaier.
Amtrak Scrambles After Pulling ‘Horizon’ Fleet From Service railfan.com/amtrak-scram...
Amtrak Scrambles After Pulling ‘Horizon’ Fleet From Service
Amtrak’s decision to remove 70 passenger cars from service this week has disrupted passenger service from the Midwest to the Pacific Northwest.
railfan.com
The User-Pay Myth: Everyone — Not Just Drivers — Pays for Our Roads usa.streetsblog.org/2025/03/27/t...
The User-Pay Myth: Everyone — Not Just Drivers — Pays for Our Roads — Streetsblog USA
It's sort of the central myth of American transportation. Let's debunk it once and for all.
usa.streetsblog.org
US infrastructure improved with Biden-era spending but there’s a long way to go apnews.com/article/infr...
US infrastructure improved with Biden-era spending but there's a long way to go
The American Society of Civil Engineers said that the state of U.S. infrastructure had improved, though just a little.
apnews.com
Amtrak's future is uncertain at best. @reuters.com reports that "A White House official told Reuters [Amtrak CEO] Gardner had been asked to step down. An Amtrak spokesperson declined to comment on whether he had been asked to leave." www.reuters.com/world/us/us-...
US passenger railroad Amtrak CEO abruptly steps down
Amtrak CEO Stephen Gardner said Wednesday he will step down immediately after more than four years as head of the U.S. passenger railroad, citing concerns about maintaining the carrier's support from President Donald Trump's administration.
reuters.com
A White House official told Reuters Gardner had been asked to step down. An Amtrak spokesperson declined to comment on whether he had been asked to leave. www.reuters.com/world/us/us-...
US passenger railroad Amtrak CEO abruptly steps down
Amtrak CEO Stephen Gardner said Wednesday he will step down immediately after more than four years as head of the U.S. passenger railroad, citing concerns about maintaining the carrier's support from President Donald Trump's administration.
reuters.com
This ambitious proposal would radically reinvent Europe’s rail system www.fastcompany.com/91296348/sta...
This ambitious proposal would radically reinvent Europe’s rail system
Starline is a new high-speed rail network concept from think tank 21st Europe that aims to make Europe stronger and more connected.
fastcompany.com
Sneak a peek at AAWA's new discussion board for rail advocates in the Pacific Northwest. Register to post and comment at aawaforum.org Full speed ahead!
We have published a new option for communicating among rail advocates. We hope that it will evolve into "the" place where active discussions happen among @aawa.us @AORTArail.org, and other orgs in the PNW. This is a "soft launch." Go to aawaforum.org and click on Register at the top right.
Lessons learned from the missed opportunities of the Biden Administration t4america.org/2025/03/04/l...
Lessons learned from the missed opportunities of the Biden Administration - Transportation For America
With the Biden presidency in the rearview mirror, we can look back at where the administration succeeded and failed and what lessons we can take for the future. Joe Biden promised to tackle the climat...
t4america.org
State Transportation Agencies Can Still Lead on Sustainability and Equity. Here’s How. nextcity.org/urbanist-new...
State Transportation Agencies Can Still Lead on Sustainability and Equity. Here’s How.
Op-ed: Federal policy has become hostile to sustainability and equity. A new framework shows how state and local DOTs can take up the baton.
nextcity.org