Downeaster Makes It 'Big Time' in National Amtrak Publications
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- Created: 24 March 2017 24 March 2017
Amtrak Ink, a monthly publication for and about Amtrak employees and the national train service's economic impact along its routes, allotted a lot of 'ink' to the Downeaster in their January and February editions.
In January, Saco, Wells and Portland scored in the top 20 stations with the highest eCSI (electronic Customer Satisfaction Index) Go here for the graphic.
The February edition had two impressive articles - "Employees On the Downeaster" and "Economic Impact of the Downeaster." It is good to see our crews get the national attention they deserve.
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National Association of Railroad Passengers Opposes Proposed Amtrak Budget Cuts
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- Created: 18 March 2017 18 March 2017
The recently released Trump budget proposal would eliminate Amtrak's long-distance train service as well as significantly reducing other rail funding. NARP's latest bulletin takes this on by pointing out that more the 200 communities would lose this service and tens of thousands of jobs would be lost.
This is a perennial Republican proposal that has regularly lost in the past Congresses, but with the GOP controlling both houses of Congress as well as the White House, it's time for all passenger rail interests to contact their Washington delegation to point out the folly of this proposal.
Good News: The Downeaster Set a Ridership Record for the Month of January!
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- Created: 08 March 2017 08 March 2017
January & February are normally lean months for Downeaster ridership, so it was a pleasant surprise to learn that "America's Favorite Train" set a January record. NNEPRA Executive Director Patricia Quinn reported the numbers at 37,915 as compared to 30,979 for January of 2016.
February is expected to set a new record as well (Amtrak has yet to release those numbers). Attendees to the Patriots parade in Boston on February 6th packed the trains - an extra coach was even added to one of the trainsets.Congratulations to the NNEPRA staff, the Amtrak crews and the dedicated passengers who chose to "ride the rails" rather than fight traffic and take out a second mortgage for parking.
Here's the full Board Packet that was distributed at the meeting.