Happy Tuesday!

Hope everyone is enjoying their summer so far, and staying cool and/or dry - depending on the ridiculous weather in your part of the world.

It’s been a bit of a slow spell here at the Rail Passengers Midwest HQ, thanks to Congress in August recess. My fellow staff members have been spending time in the field over the last few weeks (Jim & Sean were recently in Maine, Jonsie spoke at a conference in Baltimore, and then Jim was right back at it in NYC). So, I’m going to take advantage of a little downtime today to stretch the fingers and jot down some thoughts.

[insert random, obscure pop culture reference here]

I feel like I may have written this blog before because it’s something I talk about frequently with people on my work travels (or even in non-work conversations about my job).

I like what I do. I really do.

While I don’t travel as much as I have in past years, I still get to hit up locations I normally would have zero reason to visit before I got this job (which is a shame, because I do love going to new places).

For example, and as I mentioned during an interview a few years ago, one of my very favorite places in the US is Meridian, Mississippi. I have been there 3–4 times for work, including a week for our fall conference in 2023, and I personally would have had no reason to ever go there beforehand. I didn’t know anyone there, from there, or who had previously been there.

Then I got this gig.

The picture at the top that I said would be important later? Well, it’s important now. That restaurant, in a double-wide trailer in the middle of an old truck rest stop parking lot, was (sadly) home to one of the best dishes I’ve ever had in my near 47 years on earth (a very spicy bowl of fish curry) that I can still picture in my head. If it wasn’t for this job and meeting former long-time Amtrak employee and my local tour guide (and good friend) Jerome Trahan, I would have never found it on my travels preaching the good word of passenger rail advocacy.

It was on that trip back in Jan 2020 that I knew I had to get back there - work or otherwise - to find more “hidden gems” to talk about when I traveled.

Then the world stopped cold.

Fast forward to the Spring of 2023, and, thanks to Jerome, who was now on the Association Council, Meridian was nominated as a potential location for the fall meeting that year, and I waited with bated breath as the votes rolled in.

When the white smoke billowed from the chimney, we were heading to the Queen City. And it was time for me to get to work.

Okay, at this point you are asking yourself: “Self, what am I reading here and what does this have to do with Toledo? It’s in the subtitle, right?”

Well, dear reader, you have reached that part now. Don’t be so fussy. I told you I would get there.

As the staffer who is responsible for running point on the drafting, planning, and execution of the agenda and run of show for the fall meeting, I’m also the one who works with the local groups and advocates to build a theme. While each city that hosts our meetings will have its own story to tell that makes its theme unique, it was because of my time in Meridian that I came up with the heart and backbone that I start with on that blank draft page each year…

“My Hometown”

Every place is someone’s hometown. From the major cities to the one-stoplight towns. We are all from somewhere, and that place has a story to tell. Each year, after the Council votes on the winning location, I will travel to meet with members, locals, officials, etc and get the lay of the land (especially if it’s a place I have never been). And it’s during those trips that I have, as our Chief of Staff Jonsie Stone calls them, my “eureka moment” where the story clicks.

In the case of Meridian, it was the growth of the downtown thanks to the rehab of the train station in the 90s, led by Mayor John Robert Smith and the building of places like the MAX Museum. For Tucson, it was looking toward the future by building on the past of a historic railroad town that was clamoring for greater access.

For Toledo, it’s telling the story of incredibly resilient advocates who have built a statewide network in the face of decades of anti-passenger rail politicians. A story that so many of you can relate to. But I’m not the one to tell the story. They are. And that’s how I develop the agenda by talking to those on the ground and finding the best voices in each area so you can then go back to YOUR hometown and fight for the same things.

You want the funding that Kansas City got for the streetcar that brought in billions in investment. You want the station rehab like Meridian that sparked growth and expansion by businesses and universities. You want to fight the seemingly endless highway construction like San Antonioans deal with and give people the true freedom of choice in transportation.

You also want people to come find those “hidden gems.” You want people to travel there and find your version of the fish curry bowl served in a doublewide trailer in an old gravel parking lot that people will talk about for years.

Working with Congressional offices on the Hill and getting funding bills and good policy over the finish line is a massively important part of life on this tiny Association staff. As is the data, the research, the fundraising…

But for me? The “professional extrovert”? My job is to tell those stories that are behind the policy.

And I really like what I do.

(Will I see you in Toledo to hear these stories and more?)

—-

Leave a comment and let me know where your favorite “hometown” spots are - either in your literal hometown or along your own travels.

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Amongst the list of projects receiving funding as part of the FRA’s National Railroad Partnership Program are these three items:

When I posted my blog earlier this year talking about the news that the future owner of the White Sox was looking to purchase the current Amtrak yard to the south of Chicago Union Station, while Amtrak was in talks to move their operation further south to UP’s Canal St yard - it was written with a “let’s wait and see” slant, especially with so many moving parts involved.

Well, based on what we are seeing with the above funding levels, it seems like the waiting part is just about over (at least on Amtrak’s end).

The money being doled out to the National Railroad Passenger Corporation is the first domino to fall in this overarching story, which very well could end with not only a state-of-the-art maintenance facility for railroad capital of the world, but a brand new stadium for the beloved South Side baseball team once Amtrak moves its operation a little further south.

To me, the biggest news here is money to rehab the godawful 112-year-old South Branch Bridge because, without that, absolutely none of these plans will mean anything. Anyone who has traveled in and out of Chicago knows the rusted, creaky, one-way in and out for a high percentage of passenger rail service in the city and will celebrate this funding. I would guess that most of the emails/comments I received back in March were about this bridge and it being the single most important piece in all of these talks.

We will have more on the whole USDOT/FRA story soon, but I thought this update was a good place to start for our readers.

See you on board!

—
Blog title credit goes to Moby

Oh yeah - the White Sox are in first place, and the Pope loves us.

In my time at the Association (nearly a decade), I have written extensively on topics ranging from Amtrak equipment issues and yard moves to the passing of our founder. My off-the-cuff live videos can be seen all over our social media accounts, and my name is likely the first one you see when emails go out about events and updates. My opinions have even gotten me into hot water from time to time, but they have also led to some great conversations with the right people to create change.

As we close out June, I wanted to write about something a little different that’s been on my mind for a while: what we really mean when we say “all aboard.”

To set the table, what sparked this is the common posts I see in Facebook groups or on Reddit, where a new rider is looking for advice on how safe the train is for a “woman traveling alone.” The questions range from a standard “Where do I put my bag or purse?” to the more serious, “Will I be bothered while I sleep?”

That got me thinking. As a cis, hetero-passing white male, I have never had to worry about these things. I have never felt unsafe on a train or even when boarding a bus or subway in a new city during my travels.

I wish the same could be said for many of our friends, family, and neighbors.

Okay. The table is set. But first… look at this happy boi!

Alright.

The heart of the issue for me isn’t simply the newbies with important questions - it’s for those out there who know the system inside and out but find themselves feeling unwelcome because of the way they look, dress, etc. It’s the other posts I see, sadly with too much frequency, where people say “I didn’t feel safe,” rather than asking if they would be. It’s the comments from people who say it’s hard to ride on trains when they get grief from even the staff on board. I have, unfortunately, seen the latter with my own eyes more than once - which is more than too many times.

It’s for the shes, theys, gays, and our trans brothers and sisters who just don’t want to deal with the hassle of driving but don’t want to be hassled when on the train. All they are trying to do is get to work, school, or appointments just like everyone else.

The worst I get is looks or comments about my painted nails (which I’ve been doing for nearly 30 years at this point). But I would not be true to myself if I didn’t use that privilege for something better.

We have members and supporters of all varieties and all walks of life, and we want to make every one of them feel welcome - even those who have no idea who we are or have never seen my name on an email (oh, the horror!).

One of the ways we’ve done that has been to sell a Pride-themed “All Aboard” shirt in our online store for the past three years, inspired by the Pride Ride group on Facebook. That type of support does come at the cost of hateful messages and emails with all the usual “woke” tropes - mind you, this is a single shirt in a fundraising shop full of normal, advocacy-type gear. Even with that pushback and members threatening to cancel their memberships, the shirt remains. It might seem like a silly little thing, but I’m glad it’s there.

This is all just a typically long-winded way of trying to say what I typed out all the way at the top: in my advocacy world, it’s not just a clever railfan phrase to say “all aboard”… it’s the basis for what I do and why I do it.

There is just way too much stress in the world, with a nearly impossible-to-catch-up news cycle of terrible things happening everywhere, all the time. Can we all just take a breath and get to know our fellow travelers, even for a single-serving moment, without judgment?

Just look at all the wonderful stories coming from the World Cup. Strangers from different walks of life coming together to celebrate their national teams and party it up with locals (just look at all the traffic cones in Boston!).

Can’t we do that with our own neighbors from time to time while relaxing on a train that we all love?

“Baseball is a lot like life. It’s a day-to-day existence, full of ups and downs.” - Ernie Harwell

If you asked me for a list of things that are part of the true essence of this country, in all honesty, trains and baseball would be pretty damn high on the list. Not only that, but the two are forever linked in our history (just ask the Baseball Hall of Fame).

It was because of that history, back in 2018, our Summer By Rail tour was all about America’s Pastime (one of the first major projects I was directly involved in after I was hired).

And it’s not just trains, but public transit in general. Look at the number of accessible stadiums in the league - Target Field (Minneapolis), Yankee Stadium and Citi Field (NY), Wrigley Field and Rate Field (Chicago), Fenway Park (Boston), Chase Field (Phoenix), T-Mobile (Seattle)… just to name a few. And that doesn’t include the countless minor league fields that you can get to by train.

Alright, Joe. Baseball. Trains. A trip nearly a decade ago. Where are you going with this?

Good question, random reader.

BUT FIRST!

A quick personal history side note….

Welcome to Armour Square on Chicago’s Southside. My old hood. The big blue circle was the site of the original Comiskey Park (aka the “Baseball Palace of the World”), a building where Pope Leo and I have seen many ballgames together. That small red circle, a block and half away, is the house I grew up in. The city park in-between is where I played tee-ball, various sports with friends, went to day camp, and never once got caught causing trouble as a teenager.

And as any lifelong and long-suffering White Sox fan will tell you, I absolutely despise our owner.

Which then brings me to the actual topic I want to write about this week.

Based on the number of social media comments, emails, and phone calls I have received in the past week - I am sure that most of you reading this have heard the news: the future (not current) owner of the Sox is in discussions, through his private equity firm, to purchase Amtrak’s 47-acre 14th Street rail yard. At the same time, Amtrak has been in discussions to leave their current spot and build a brand-new facility at Union Pacific’s Canal Yards.

For those who don’t know the area: the yellow circle is Union Station, the orange box is the current Amtrak and BNSF/Metra yards, the red area is the “78” where the Chicago Fire’s new soccer stadium is being built along with a new entertainment district. The green section is UP’s yard.

The point of this blog isn’t to take an official Association stance or anything, but it’s a topic of interest for someone who grew up less than 4 miles from Union Station and a mile from the freight yard. And there are a few things I wanted to clear up.

I think the most important thing to remember is that none of this is happening any time soon. In fact, Justin Ishbia might not even be the majority owner of the Sox until 2029 AT THE EARLIEST and has zero official input into the team until then. For now, Jerry Reinsdorf and team claim they are still focused on a new stadium at the 78 even though the Fire has beaten them to the punch with a 100% privately funded building (which I am extremely excited for).

There have also been comments about the fact that the Sox play in a building that is only entering its 35th season. True that it is not that old when compared to Fenway or Wrigley, but it is the last of an era of before the “retro” style took over the league (ironically enough, the original architect for the current Sox park left the project and went on to design/build Camden Yards in Baltimore which opened a year later). Part of the larger issue with the current location is that the team would like to develop an entertainment district (restaurants, open space, hotel, etc.) that could be used as a revenue source year round (like Jerry is doing with the United Center, a building he co-owns with the Wirtz family). However, the state owns the property and won’t let them build.

The final piece to all this is that Amtrak actively wants to leave the current yard and to build a brand-new facility that could handle a modernized fleet, like they are currently in the process of doing around the country. This becomes very important when linked with the news that they are (finally) set on a complete replacement of their long distance fleet - which would, of course, be primarily housed in Chicago. With all the mechanical issues, sadly on a regular basis these days, stemming from Amtrak’s current set-up I would think a fresh start might be welcomed news.

We might even see a replacement for that damn Canal Street railroad bridge, which would be a bonus, and maybe they could even be able to have a (GASP!) year-round washer.

This is all a very long-winded way of saying let’s all see how this plays out in the next year or so. There are so many details we don’t know yet and not a single pen to paper for even a back of the envelope design of any sort. It’s like the comments I saw immediately after the long distance fleet announcement - we all just need to have a little patience and see how the chips land before we start tearing things apart.

But if we (Sox fans) can get a new stadium, with new ownership, built over rail lines (remember the whole baseball and trains being forever linked together?), with the greatest skyline in the world as a backdrop - within walking distance of public transit and multiple things to do pre- and post-game? All while Amtrak ends up with a state-of-the-art maintenance yard?

That would be a home run (you all saw that coming, right?).

“I don’t ever go to the park where I don’t have a good day. I don’t like losing. But I don’t think I ever go to the park where I have a bad day. I don’t think once.” - Bob Uecker