Rally 2 The Roundhouse
Train enthusiasts will be holding rallies tomorrow (Friday) in 25 cities across our country to protest the MAJOR cuts to AMTRAK funding proposed by President Trump in his budget request. 225 cities spanning 23 different states are slated to LOSE ALL passenger railway service if Congress goes along with this trump budget deal. "Rally for Trains" protests will be held in cities like Cincinnati & Denver, which would lose ALL AMTRAK service, as well as places like Chicago & Washington, DC, where rail lines would remain in operation but still face the cuts. $630 million would be cut from subsidies for long-distance AMTRAK service which, in my opinion, would be a disaster for Shelby & the entire Hi-Line! Trump touts removing the funding to long-distance rail service like our Empire Builder because HE claims it's not always on time & it operates at a loss. "They're" saying that AMTRAK's long distance trains like "The Builder" don't serve a vital transportation purpose & are a vestige of when train service was the only viable transcontinental transportation option. But for the riders like us here on the Hi-Line, AMTRAK is a key regional connector. it gets worse..."Across the country, some 140 million people would no longer have access to passenger rail service" according to Sean Jeans-Gail, VP of NARP! The VP says, "If you look at these towns it's not like you just go to the local international airport. It's AMTRAK or NOTHING!:My suggestion? Run to the roundhouse & rally for OUR trains tomorrow. The "Builder" is our "lifeline" here on the Hi-Line.
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