Kentucky-Indiana Rail Advocates Minutes
Joint meeting Kentuckiana Rail Task Force and Tennessee Association of Railroad Passengers at Bowling Green, Kentucky Feb 22, 1997
In attendance - Martin Jones, Bowling Green Area
Chamber of Commerce, Kirsteen Jaggers, Barren River Area Development
District,
Jon Owen, Eustace Durrett, Tom Colton,
Charles Castner, Kentuckiana Rail Task Force, Keith Perry Region
Five Director National Association of Railroad Passengers,
Doctor Arthur Cushman, John Kennedy and Robert
Thurman, Tennessee Association of Railroad Passengers
and Reporters Daily News , Bowling Green ,
Kentucky
Meeting held in offices of BRADD , Bowling Green, Kentucky
Purpose
-To share with above named organizations
data on recent Amtrak Thruway Service from Chicago to Louisville;
- Explore extension of that service to Bowling Green, Nashville and Beyond.
- Review other Passenger Rail possibilities for entire region;
- Agree on ways organizations might share current rail passenger developments as well as general rail news and undertake mutually beneficial programs and /or projects.
Following Discussion these items were agreed upon:
1- TARP will research Greyhound service in, out of Nashville, also interest among public, area travel agents for Thruway extensions from Louisville and to Birmingham for Connections to the Crescent.
2- Bowling Green Chamber of Commerce will review
Greyhound's total rider ship in and out of Bowling Green, and interest of
Western Kentucky University students, and the
interests local travel agents might have in
Amtrak Thruway Bus Extension to Indianapolis and Chicago
3- KRTF/ Louisville will lend support, offer appropriate support to above projects and act as liaison with Amtrak
4- All groups will write Amtrak and copies of the
letter to our senators and congressman urging the carrier to continue
Chicago - Cincinnati- Washington D.C. train service
now provided by the Cardinal.
Krtf members will ride
the Cardinal in Kentuckiana to circulate questionnaires to passengers
5- KRTF- and TARP will explore how current news will be shared and a joint newsletter be produced with editors Ralcon Wagner , Eustice Durrett and Charles Castner
6- KRTF and TARP memberships will become reciprocal and details of such joint memberships will be fleshed out by membership chairpersons
7- KRTF will represent both groups at the region
five meeting March 14 and 15 in High Point North Carolina to represent
Kentucky and Tennessee's interests
Owen and Durrett will attend in lieu of Keith
Perry who will be elsewhere and to represent Tennessee and Ned
Williams (recently Deceased)
8- TARP will advise of proposed Railroad Days Weekend in Nashville and KRTF will assist in its activities
Continuing Long Term Projects
1. Midwest to Florida Train
2. Cincinnati to Birmingham Train or turn of day train connections between the Cardinal and the Crescent
3. Offer our help in the Bowling Green, Ky L &N/ Amtrak Station
4. Assist in the revival of passenger rail support group in Indiana to of set recent demise of the Indiana Association of Rail Passengers
5. Explore mainline excursion opportunities with Amtrak, CSX along the former Floridian and Georgian Corridors
