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October 26, 2012

NEWS HEADLINES

AMTRAK Hits High Speeds on Section of Chicago to St. Louis Route

AMTRAK reached the first milestone for high-speed rail between Chicago and St. Louis as test trains have began operating last week along a section of track at 111 mph. The first test train had a full house with DOT Secretary Ray LaHood, Gov. Pat Quinn, Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL), and FRA Administrator Joseph Szabo on board. This is just the first step; in the next three years AMTRAK expects to have 75 percent of the route up to this speed.

Riding Public Transportation Puts More Money in Your Pocket
APTA released the October Transit Savings Report which showed that as parking fees continue to rise, public transit is saving riders even more over driving. Giving up one car and relying on public transportation saved riders on average $9,934 a year.

Public Transit on the Ballot
There are 19 transportation measures in 12 states on the ballot for Nov. 5. If you would like to get all the analysis and results, register for the APTA/CFTE webinar on Nov. 8.

SAVE THE DATE

We have wrapped the Annual Meeting and APTA has added a number of new items to the website. On APTA’s webpage you can find a toolkit to reach out to veterans in your community. And, don’t forget to participate in this year's calendar contest. The theme is "It's All About the People" and the deadline has been extended to Nov. 5!

IN THE MEDIA

Every day, veterans are returning from Afghanistan and Iraq and finding new jobs and returning to daily life in America. Recently, one returning wounded military canine found a second career. After working to keep service members safe on the front lines now he will be working to keep riders safe in DC.

Nashville Mayor Karl Dean understands where the future is headed. If you want to be able to compete economically in the future, you have to find real public transit solutions today. He mentions that choosing not to act consciously puts the city at a disadvantage in the future.

Stefanie Gray failed to make history this week as she attempted to break the record for the quickest trip through the New York City subway system. She undertook the endeavor to bring attention to the need for more public transit funding from the state government.