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The Passenger Rail Advisory Committee meeting originally scheduled
for June 19 has been rescheduled for August 14. The meeting
begins at 9:30 a.m. at the Quality Inn & Suites Starlight Village
Conference Center, 2601 East 13th Street, Ames.
Passenger Rail
Intercity Passenger Rail Service
Rail passenger service in Iowa is currently provided by Amtrak on the
California Zephyr from Chicago, Ill., to Oakland, Calif., and the Southwestern
Chief from Chicago, Ill., to Los Angeles, Calif.
The California Zephyr operates over the BNSF Railway Company (BNSF) tracks in
southern Iowa, providing daily trips in both directions. Stations include
Burlington, Mount Pleasant, Ottumwa, Osceola and Creston.
The Southwest Chief also operates daily in both directions over the BNSF tracks
in extreme southeast Iowa, with one stop in Fort Madison.
For information and reservations, see Amtrak's
web site, call Amtrak at
1-800-USA-RAIL, or contact your local travel agent.
 Share
stories and pictures of your experiences on Amtrak and read those of
others at Amtrak's new
Whistlestop
web site.
Feasibility
Report on Proposed Amtrak Service - Quad Cities - Iowa City, Release date April
18, 2008
Feasibility
Report on Proposed Amtrak Service - Chicago-Quad Cities (Exec. Summary), January 7, 2008
Feasibility Report
on Proposed Amtrak Service Chicago-Rockford-Galena-Dubuque, June 22, 2007
Cedar-Iowa
River Rail Transit Project Feasibility Study, November 9, 2006
Passenger Rail Links
The Midwest Regional Rail
Initiative (MWRRI) is a cooperative, multi-agency effort that began in 1996 and
involves nine Midwest states (Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota,
Missouri, Nebraska, Ohio, and Wisconsin) as well as the Federal Railroad
Administration.
Executive Report - September 2004
 - a plan to
improve and expand passenger
rail service in the Midwest
Benefiting
Iowa's Economy
- a brochure summarizing the benefits to Iowa of
the MWRRI (2006)
Economic
Benefits of the Midwest Regional Rail System
- an 8-page
pamphlet
summarizing the benefits of the MWRRI (2006)
Midwest
Regional Rail System
Midwest Regional Rail Initiative
Benefit Cost & Economic Analysis - November 2006
- an examination of the economic impact
of implementing the Midwest
Regional Rail Initiative (MWRRI)
Iowa Rail Route Alternatives Analysis
(1998)
- evaluates the potential for rail
passenger service on three key
routes in Iowa
Summary of
report
Reports
Intercity Passenger Rail Transportation, 2008 Update, American Association
of
State Highway and Transportation Officials - an update
to the 2002 report
Intercity
Passenger Rail Transportation (2002) American Association of
State
Highway and Transportation Officials - provides an overview of
intercity
passenger rail services in the United States, summarizes the
characteristics of
the current system, reviews relevant history, and projects future
plans.
Vision for the Future: U.S. intercity passenger rail network through 2050 -
the
report of the Passenger Rail Working Group for the National Surface
Transportation Policy and Revenue Study Commission, December 2007
Passenger Rail Organizations
Midwest Interstate Passenger Rail Commission
States for Passenger Rail Coalition
Iowa Association of Railroad
Passengers
Passenger Rail News
Amtrak Releases Feasibility Study of State-Supported Rail Service to Illinois
Quad Cities January 7, 2008
Annual Amtrak Ridership Sets All-Time Record; Fifth Straight Year of Increases,
October 23, 2007
Amtrak, Union Pacific Reach Agreement for Passenger Train Performance Plan,
June 20, 2007
Boone and Scenic Valley Railroad
(BSV), located in Boone, Iowa is a railroad museum and excursion railroad
featuring all three common forms of railroad motive power (diesel, electric, and
steam.) BSV offers standard rides through the
scenic
Des Moines River valley, as well as elegant dinner trains and dessert
trains, and special events, such as visits by Thomas the Tank Engine, holiday
rides and others.
Hawkeye Express, operates
a number of bi-level commuter passenger cars to move fans between
Historic Kinnick Stadium and satellite parking areas during
Iowa Hawkeye
home football games.
For additional information contact Tammy Nicholson,
515-239-1653, E-mail
tamara.nicholson@dot.iowa.gov |
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