TARP News Special Alert
March 11, 2021
Newsletter of the Tennessee Association of Railroad Passengers
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Daily Service Returning to 12 Amtrak routes! |
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March 10, 2020 - The Tennessee Association of Railroad Passengers is pleased to learn that 12 long-distance Amtrak routes are returning to daily service in the Summer of 2021.
The City of New Orleans, Amtrak's only train to serve Tennessee directly, is included in the restoration plan funded by Congress as part of the most recent COVID-19 relief funding.
The 12 long-distance routes had been reduced to tri-weekly service in October 2020 due to sharply reduced travel demand and the uncertainty of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Ridership on all Amtrak routes began a slow and steady recovery during the Thanksgiving and Christmas/New Year's holiday period. Hopeful results from the COVID-19 vaccine and an economic recovery are both helping to restore confidence and demand in the travel sector.
The return to daily service brings 1,200 furloughed Amtrak employees back to work and makes our national rail passenger system more accessible to over 500 cities, including Memphis and Newbern, Tennessee.
The City of New Orleans route, train numbers 58 and 59, will increase from the current tri-weekly schedule to a daily schedule on May 31, 2021. Tennesseans who ride Amtrak Crescent route, train numbers 19 & 20, will see daily service restored on June 7, 2021.
Click here to read the official press release from Amtrak.
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Reach out to Senator Bill Hagerty |
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We encourage all TARP members and other Tennessee rail passengers to contact Senator Bill Hagerty.
As you may recall, Senator Hagerty proposed Amendment #893 on the Senate floor during negotiations for the latest COVID-19 relief package. Amendment #893 was a motion to zero-out all funding for Amtrak.
We are disappointed in the Senator's amendment; however, it is critical that we contact his office, express our support for passenger rail, and ask for an explanation.
It goes without saying that Amendment #893 failed and the final relief package send to the President will be helpful to Amtrak. By Amtrak, we mean all passengers, employees, suppliers and stakeholders who keep our national rail passenger system in motion!
It's worth noting also that Amtrak has broad, bi-partisan, multi-state support, not-to-mention a traveling public that desires a broader selection of travel options. Our job is to see that all of Tennessee's elected representatives hear of our support as well!
To send an e-mail to Senator Hagerty using a provided on-line form, go to the Senator's webpage at the link below:
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To speak with a staff member by telephone, call the office closest to your home, or call the Washington, DC office.
Letter-writing is another option, but we recommend sending by fax rather than through the postal service.
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Chattanooga
Joel W. Solomon Federal Building
900 Georgia Avenue
Suite 260
Chattanooga, TN 37402
Phone: 423-752-5337
Fax: 423-752-5342
Jackson
Ed Jones Federal Building
109 S.Highland Avenue
Suite 216
Jackson, TN 38301
Phone: 901-544-4224
Memphis
Clifford Davis-Odell Horton Federal Building
167 North Main Street
Suite 1068
Memphis, TN 38103
Phone: 901-544-4224
Knoxville
Howard H. Baker, Jr.
U.S. Courthouse
800 Market Street
Suite 112
Knoxville, TN 37902
Phone: 865-545-4253
Fax: 865-545-4252
Cookeville
L. Clure Morton Federal Building
9 E. Broad Street
3rd Floor
Cookeville, TN 38503
Nashville
3322 West End Avenue
Suite 120
Nashville, TN 37203
Phone: 615-736-5129
Fax: 615-269-4803
Tri-Cities
Tri-Cities Regional Airport
2525 Highway 75
Suite 101
Blountville, TN 37617
Phone: 423-325-6240
Fax: 423-325-6236
Washington, DC
Russell Senate Office Building
Suite SR-B11
Washington, DC 20002
Phone: 202-224-4944
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Support TARP in 2021!
- We depend on you, our paying members, to keep TARP in motion!
- Your annual $25 dues help us provide a website, an e-mail blast newsletter, brochures, handouts, and cover basic operating expenses.
- TARP is a voice for passenger rail and balanced transportation with a 42-year history!
- Many state-level passenger rail organizations are dormant or inactive, but TARP is fully operational!
- Support TARP in 2021 with your $25 annual dues.
Or, you can send a $25 check/money order to TARP, PO Box 585, Cowan, Tenn. 37318.
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