Pending potential federal budget cuts, Yazoo City could be among hundreds of cities that could lose it Amtrak service.
A national campaign is currently underway in opposition of the proposed 2018 federal budget that would eliminate Amtrak’s long-distance train service in more than 220 cities for 140 million people. The entire state could lose all of its Amtrak service.
In response to the budget, Jim Mathews, President and CEO of the National Association of Railroad Passengers (NARP), announced the launch of a "Rally For Trains" campaign to protest the devastation of America's passenger train network.
"If Congress enacts this budget, our national passenger rail network will largely cease to exist," said Mathews. "Communities and rail passengers need to clearly and loudly tell Congress that our communities and citizens rely on trains as important travel options."
A Rally For Trains will be held in Meridian on Friday to help demonstrate support for passenger rail service across the country.
“The Rally For Trains will demonstrate the broad support for passenger rail across America and notify members of Congress the greater implications of the loss of train service, such that millions of people will be left isolated, jobs will disappear and economic growth will be lost in these impacted communities,” said John Haeling, with Xenophon Strategies.
NARP said although the threatened services are commonly called long-distance trains, they also serve as local and regional transportation for the communities they serve.
"Millions of people will be left isolated, and those who will suffer the most are those who rely on passenger rail to get to their job, for an ADA-compliant mode of travel, and for people where other transportation options are limited," said NARP Chairman Peter LeCody. "The voices of these people must be heard by members of Congress, and we plan to make that possible during our Rally For Trains."
