Thank you for your continued support on the passenger rail effort. To help us keep you better informed, we have a new website. Please go to http://www.nipra2rail.org

Thank you.

Press release from the City:

City Partners with Sen. Wyss, NIPRA to host meeting with INDOT Commissioner
Session will focus on state’s efforts to bring passenger rail service back to Fort Wayne as Midwest looks to high-speed rail network

 

State Sen. Tom Wyss (R-Fort Wayne) and the Northeast Indiana Passenger Rail Association and in cooperation with the City of Fort Wayne will host a forum with Indiana Department of Transportation Commissioner Michael Reed. Open to the public, the meeting will be at 4 p.m. July 9 at the Baker Street Station, 221 W. Baker St.

Sen. Wyss, chairman of the Senate Transportation and Homeland Security Committee, and NIPRA invited Commissioner Reed to Fort Wayne for an update on Gov. Mitch Daniels’ support of passenger rail service in Indiana and the state’s application for federal funding of high-speed rail. Reed is also scheduled to take questions from the audience.

“The Northeast Indiana Passenger Rail Association is very grateful to Senator Tom Wyss for his work in securing Commissioner Mike Reed for this most important meeting. We believe there is growing interest in our state legislative delegation to see passenger rail service restored to Fort Wayne in the near future,” said Geoff Paddock, member of NIPRA and one of the organizers of the meeting with the commissioner.

The meeting will focus on INDOT’s rail plan to connect Indiana cities to Chicago with passenger rail service. In 2002, Fort Wayne was selected as an intermediary stop on a proposed high-speed rail line between Chicago and Cleveland, but the Fort Wayne route remains in limbo until the state and U.S. Department of Transportation finalize passenger-rail plans.

“Bringing passenger rail back to Fort Wayne, in whatever form it takes, can be an engine for jobs in northeast Indiana,” said Mayor Tom Henry. “Our state is a critical link between Chicago and Ohio, and Fort Wayne should be the route. We have amazing support in our city for the return of passenger rail since we recognize the value it would add to our community.”

This is the second public forum NIPRA has hosted. In April, the rail-advocacy group held the Rally for Rail with 800 people in attendance.

It’s great to see the realization of what we’ve long suspected — Fort Wayne is ready for the return of passenger rail service. Now the real work has to begin. We all need to contact our state legislators and Governor Daniels to make this a priority. The links to these important people are on the right-hand side of this page. Won’t you take a few minutes to e-mail them to let them know how important this issue is to our community?

Thanks to everyone who has made phone calls and sent emails. This is an important opportunity for the Upper Midwest Region to re-connect itself.  Now we begin the work of ensuring that our state and local governments take full advantage that opportunity.

Here is a break down of the transportation funds:

‐ $27.5 billion for highway investments
‐ $8.4 billion for public transportation.
‐ $1.5 billion for competitive grants to state and local governments.
‐ $1.3 billion for the air transportation system.
‐ $9.3 billion for rail transportation, including Amtrak, High Speed and Intercity Rail.

This is the breakdown for intercity passenger rail:

- $8 billion for capital assistance for HSR Corridors and Intercity Passenger Rail Service. “The conferees have provided the Secretary flexibility in allocating resources between the programs to advance the goal of deploying intercity high speed rail systems in the U.S.”

- $1.3 billion for Amtrak.  Of this, $450 million is earmarked for security and life safety improvements.  The remaining $850 million is intended for projects that will increase capacity, including rolling stock rehabilitation.  No more than 60% of these funds can be spent in the Northeast Corridor.

Thanks again for your help in creating this success.

Rick Harnish
Executive Director
Midwest High Speed Rail Association
4765 N. Lincoln Ave.
Chicago, IL 60625

(Thanks to nationalcorridors.org for the break down.)

Assuming that the bill passes the Senate, the bill will move into conference committee later this week. Rep. Dan Lipinski (D – Illinois) and Rep. Corrine Brown (D – Florida) are leading the effort to get more infrastructure money in the bill. They are circulating a sign-on letter to the conference committee in that regard.

Please click here to ask your representative to sign on to the letter.

Thanks,

Rick Harnish
Executive Director
Midwest High Speed Rail Association
4765 N. Lincoln Ave. Chicago, IL 60625