Use This Map to Share the Future Of Rail

by Jim Mathews / President & CEO

Sometimes a picture really CAN be worth 1,000 words. Or even more. Ever since communities around the country began raising their hands to ask for their share of the historic passenger-rail investments in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, we’ve been looking for ways to do more than just tell folks about the transformation that’s in the works, but to show it.

Rail Passengers intern (and, for this summer, Amtrak intern) Noah Kahan produced this fabulous online presentation which truly illustrates just how far we’ve come as rail advocates in advancing a vision for A Connected America.

It’s an open presentation, so you can use it yourself to tell – and to show – elected and appointed officials where you live how the new map of American rail is taking shape. This isn’t just any map, or an aspirational vision that isn’t anchored to reality. This presentation walks you through how these investments came to be, to really hammer home the idea that this is a map being drawn by Federal policymakers, state officials, and local communities working together to prioritize just how the BIL’s grant money will be used to make a difference.

Recall how a few years ago I told everyone that the AmtrakConnectsUS map was A map, and not THE map? Well, this is the beginning of THE map taking shape...and Noah’s talents allow you to see that happen before your eyes as you pull a slider across the map from the left side of the page to the right.

Use this link to see his presentation, and feel free to use it when you talk to your friends, your neighbors, your Mayors, your local legislators, and your members of Congress. Help us keep this map growing, expanding, and improving!