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CARS Home Page

1. Mission Statement

• CARS (Citizen Advocates for Rail Service) exists for the purpose of returning useable rail passenger service to Central Pennsylvania.

2. Current Projects

• CARS is in the process of facilitating the state of Pennsylvania to do a feasibility study, for rail passenger service in Central Pennsylvania.
  
  
• CARS is also in the process of trying to get all interested groups and citizens organized into one unified effort.

3. Position Paper Of 2/17/00

Note: The following text is taken from Roger Downing's Position Paper acquired on 2/17/00

• One aim of C A R S is to have everyone take a train ride. Many in today's world have never had a train ride. The long distance trip is the best, you see more and even spend the night. But even a short ride lets you see a different world than you can see from a car, an airplane or a bus. You may like it or you may not but you should give it a 'shot'.
  
  
• C A R S is a collection of individuals whose major goal to use existing railroad lines to bring back passenger service to central Pennsylvania. In particular the 11 county SEDA-COG region. The service would go up the Susquehanna river from Harrisburg through Selinsgrove, Sunbury, Lewisburg, Milton, Muncy, Loyalsock, Williamsport, Lock Haven, and State College (via C A T A bus at Milesburg or Port Matilda) and connecting again to AMTRAK at Tyrone. This region contains 452,426 ( 1990 Census) people and is growing fast. It is a great opportunity to utilize an existing railroad to start a new trend towards a more environmentally Friendly transportation system that was abandoned in the 1970's and whose time has now come again.
  
  
• The train is the best way for the persons with disabilities and seniors to travel. The train provides more choices for travel and is more friendly and sociable than cars and airlines . A train ride is so enjoyable that there are 20 tourist railroads operating in Pennsylvania. The fact is that on a train you can move about ,sleep, eat ,drink and even be entertained while you travel.
  
  
• We in central Pennsylvania know that the car and in more recent times the S U V is king. We think it is time for the new C A R S to enter the picture and make it's presence felt. We deserve to be heard and one thing for sure we will never ever give up!
  
  
• Cars are one of our strongest loves. We can not get along without them today. Our whole world is built around the cars and trucks, all day and all night, we live in and for them. Our auto-oriented development has meant that farm land is being used up. If this continues, population and urbanization will have to be controlled at some point, to balance food production and urban sprawl. Train-oriented development is more compact and less wasteful.
  
  
• Trains (2315 Btu's per passenger-mile) are more efficient than airlines (4236 Btu's per passenger-mile). Since many cars on the road today have only one passenger the problem is even worse. An SUV with one passenger (9230 Btu's per passenger mile) . This is a major reason why trains pollute less .
  
  
• The area of Pennsylvania that C A R S is interested in is currently served by three bus companies Greyhound , Capitol Trailways and Fullington Trailways and two airline service airports. These buses and airports like all other forms of transportation, are dependent on the government for money. C A R S wants all forms of transportation to get their fair share of government money.

GOOD THINGS GOING FOR RAIL

• EFFICENT LESS BTU/MILE
• USES EXISTING RESOURCES
• LESS PULLUTION
• USES LESS LAND
• PROVIDES A MORE HUMAN ENVIRONMENT BETTER FOR DISABLED AND SENIORS
• CAN BRING FAMLIES CLOSER TOGETHER

4. Contacts

Main Contact Frank Berns- Hughesville - 570-584-2121 (email below) Other Contacts

5. Links

• Adtranz -- www.adtranz.com -- manufacturers of rail passenger equipment
• Amtrak Reform Council -- https://www.federalregister.gov/agencies/amtrak-reform-council -- recommends improvements to Amtrak
• NARP -- www.narprail.org -- National Association Of Rail Passengers