News Release

May 2, 2008

Celebrate National Train Day

AMES, Iowa – Celebrate National Train Day May 10 by taking a few minutes to consider Iowa's rail transportation system.

Trains bring farmers fertilizer to nourish their soil, and haul Iowa's grain to market. They haul ethanol that fuels our vehicles, coal that generates much of our electricity and chemicals that purify the water we drink. Railroads bring lumber and steel to build our homes and businesses, and raw materials for Iowa's manufacturing plants. Railroads play a vital role in our everyday lives.

Travel by train is a comfortable alternative to air and motor vehicle travel, offering a modern, environmentally friendlier way to get to where you are going. Nationally, Amtrak ridership has never been stronger and interest in additional passenger rail routes is rapidly growing.

Each year, trains haul the equivalent of 3.5 million semi trailer truckloads of freight into and out of Iowa. And, trains are fuel-efficient; they can haul a ton of freight over 430 miles on a single gallon of diesel fuel.

Freight railroads are private companies that also invest in Iowa by employing nearly 3,900 Iowans, and paying both income and property taxes. Railroads reinvest 25-30 percent of their revenue. In Iowa that's a long-term investment of nearly $400 million annually to maintain and improve the rail infrastructure.

Vital to our economy, efficient and clean – give Amtrak and the 19 freight railroads operating on nearly 4400 miles of Iowa track a rousing round of applause on National Train Day, May 10, the day in 1869 when the golden spike was driven at Promotory Summit, Utah, to form the first transcontinental railroad.  

For ticket information for Amtrak, go to www.amtrak.com or call 800-USA-RAIL.

For further information on Iowa's freight rail system, including maps, go to www.iowarail.com.

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