- The fifth "chapter" of my writeup of our history has been uploaded this month. Click on the Mission and History button, and then the history button on that page. Please let me know if you have any additions or corrections. This is an ongoing project, and we will revise chapters as new information is available. Many thanks to all the photographers, especially members Bob Roth and Bruce Carter.
- Could Amtrak return to Amarillo? On June 1st, the Federal Railroad Administration unveiled its "Proposed Network of Preferred Routes." If this plan comes to fruition, we could see intercity rail travel north to Denver, south to Dallas and Houston, east to connections in Kansas, and west to Alburquerque.
Passenger train service began a downward spiral on 9/11/67 when the Burlington (Fort Worth and Denver) removed the Texas Zephyr from service. the Rock Island soon followed, and the Santa Fe officially ended its passenger service with the advent of Amtrak on 5/1/71. A good summary of rail passenger service was given by our own Bob Roth. To see this, click here.
Texas Rail Advocates Board Member and former national Rail Passengers Association Director Bruce Ashton is developing and mailing invitations to elected officials to become part of a multi-community campaign to declare public support for possible new passenger rail service for both their community and Texas.
The letter explains that "recently the Federal Rail Administration (FRA) announced proposals for new passenger routes in the US including four which would be serving both the Panhandle and West Texas. I believe two routes, Houston to Denver and Phoenix to Minneapolis via Amarillo will have tremendous benefits for both Amarillo and the entire Texas Panhandle. One criterion used by FRA for developing these proposed routes was to connect large metropolitan centers while also serving rural communities along the way. For now, the FRA proposals are just that, a projection of what rail services should be for our nation. Yes, this is a strategic ten-year plan."
By expressing an interest at this time, Amarillo can stake its claim as a shareholder in this proposal. FRA is currently soliciting public comments on all proposed preferred routes.
We can only hope that the City of Amarillo politicians will respond favorably to such as proposal. One wonders if the adversarial attitude by the city toward efforts to restore the Santa Fe depot will change.
- The results of the May elections held at the Annual Business Meeting are as follows:
President - David Jusiak
Vice President/Secretary - Brian Veach
Treasurer - Jerry Michels
Our three directorships remain unchanged. These terms will end in May 2025. Our current directors are:
Tracy Ball
Kenneth Berry
Bruce Carter
