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Iowa Association of Railroad Passengers @iowarail.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

Just one more week until IARP’s annual meeting in Coralville. If you’re interested in what’s happening with rail, both locally and nationally, we hope to see you there. 10/3 @ 1 PM Coralville Public Library

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Iowa Association of Railroad Passengers @iowarail.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

The 1st Amtrak Airo train will run on the Cascades service on 9/30. The Cascades was effected by the Horizon cars’ issues, forcing some Amfleets to be diverted to the PNW. Finally some capacity relief for the corridor.

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Iowa Association of Railroad Passengers @iowarail.bsky.social · 05/09/2026

Ridership data for July Amtrak up 12% & transit up 4% nationally, but Iowa ridership is mixed to negative. DART's first full month under a new network saw a 13% drop in ridership, but it's hard to tell how much was due to the new network vs whatever plagued transit statewide in July.

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Iowa Association of Railroad Passengers @iowarail.bsky.social · 04/09/2026

IARP will be holding its annual meeting at 1 PM on October 3rd at the Coralville Public Library. We'll be going over some of the progress that's taken place over the past year, and what lies ahead for passenger rail in Iowa. We hope to see you in October!

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Iowa Association of Railroad Passengers @iowarail.bsky.social · 02/09/2026

The Chicago-Moline Amtrak project has received an extension to remaining federal funds. This keeps the project fully funded as we await further updates on an official timeline from IDOT. A big thank you to the FRA for extending these funds, and to everyone who voiced their support for the route.

wqad.com

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Iowa Association of Railroad Passengers @iowarail.bsky.social · 30/08/2026

Greyhound has launched an overnight bus between Kansas City and Minneapolis, with stops in Des Moines and Ames. This compliments existing Jefferson Lines service on the same route. Notably, Greyhound's Ames stop will be at a Phillips 66 station and not Ames Intermodal.

who13.com

Greyhound adds bus service between Kansas City and Twin Cities with Iowa stops

DES MOINES, Iowa — Greyhound launched a new daily intercity bus service Friday connecting Kansas City and Minneapolis, with two Iowa stops between. The route expands transit connections acros…

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Reposted by Iowa Association of Railroad Passengers

Rail Passengers Association @railpassengers.org · 26/08/2026

While the nine-day "Pause for Progress" will cause temporary issues for travelers, delays and cancellations due to track infrastructure problems will only grow in number if nothing is done.

twp.ai

media.amtrak.com

Amtrak Announces “Pause for Progress” Infrastructure Upgrade in Washington, D.C. for Nine Days This October - Amtrak Media

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Iowa Association of Railroad Passengers @iowarail.bsky.social · 24/08/2026

5 months since the FRA’s last Corridor ID progress update. It’s been almost 3 years since awards were announced, and still no progress for passengers.

railroads.dot.gov

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Iowa Association of Railroad Passengers @iowarail.bsky.social · 14/08/2026

A quick summary of the FRA's Fed-State Partnership awards.

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Iowa Association of Railroad Passengers @iowarail.bsky.social · 14/08/2026

It’s the Iowa State Fair, which means Thomas the Tank Engine is out and about at the Central Iowa Railroad Club.

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Iowa Association of Railroad Passengers @iowarail.bsky.social · 11/08/2026

It appears that intercity bus service to Fort Madison and Keokuk has been discontinued. Jefferson Lines' Des Moines-St. Louis route has been discontinued, leaving Keokuk with no intercity service. The other Iowa towns on the route are still served by Amtrak and/or Greyhound.

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Iowa Association of Railroad Passengers @iowarail.bsky.social · 10/08/2026

Iowa transit ridership for June Ridership mostly down despite a 7% gain nationwide. DART also manages a small gain as they spent about half of June under their new network.

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Reposted by Iowa Association of Railroad Passengers

Rail Passengers Association @railpassengers.org · 07/08/2026

ICYMI: Amtrak uploaded the full video of last week's Board meeting

twp.ai

www.youtube.com

Public Board Meeting: July 29, 2026

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Reposted by Iowa Association of Railroad Passengers

Rail Passengers Association @railpassengers.org · 06/08/2026

A 2nd Pennsylvanian is set to debut later this year.

twp.ai

www.cbsnews.com

Amtrak adding 2nd trip from Pittsburgh to New York

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Iowa Association of Railroad Passengers @iowarail.bsky.social · 31/07/2026

With federal funds set to expire today on the Chicago-Moline Amtrak project. We still have no word on if those funds will be extended. We will also mention that at this point federal funds are a minority of funding (est. 10-15%). Loss of funds WILL NOT kill the project, but could delay it further.

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Iowa Association of Railroad Passengers @iowarail.bsky.social · 28/07/2026

Amtrak has published its new 5-year plan, which we have linked below. Notably, Amtrak has accelerated its short-term goal of 37 million passengers from 2028 to 2026. It is now projecting over 40 million passengers in 2028.

amtrak.com

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Iowa Association of Railroad Passengers @iowarail.bsky.social · 27/07/2026

The remaining federal funds for the Chicago-Moline Amtrak project are set to expire on July 31st. Illinois lawmakers have asked for an additional extension on the remaining funds so the project can move forward. As of now we have not heard any news on this request. We will relay news when it comes.

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Iowa Association of Railroad Passengers @iowarail.bsky.social · 16/07/2026

Oklahoma City’s mayor unveiled plans for commuter and light rail in central Oklahoma. The plan calls for light rail between Oklahoma City’s downtown and airport, and commuter rail between Oklahoma City, Edmond, and Norman.

aol.com

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Iowa Association of Railroad Passengers @iowarail.bsky.social · 14/07/2026

Looking at some data today, Amtrak has served 7.16 billion passenger miles over the last 12 months. This means that 2026 will be the first year U.S. intercity rail has cleared 7 billion passenger miles since the 1960's. The post-60's high was set last year @ 6.93 billion PM.

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Iowa Association of Railroad Passengers @iowarail.bsky.social · 09/07/2026

IARP currently has vacant spots on its Executive Board. If you are interested in joining the IARP board, send us a message at iarailpassenger@gmail.com.

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Iowa Association of Railroad Passengers @iowarail.bsky.social · 08/07/2026

Officially into the 2nd half of the year, and again here to report no progress in the Corridor ID Program. No updates on current corridors since March. Still no indication on a 2nd application window that we were told is coming this year.

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Iowa Association of Railroad Passengers @iowarail.bsky.social · 01/07/2026

As the Monday PRAC meeting, IDOT discussed they were working on a potential Amtrak Thruway connection via an existing Jefferson Lines bus. Currently this bus only runs as a Thruway route east of Galesburg. This diagram shows what Amtrak connections might look like using the existing JL schedule.

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Iowa Association of Railroad Passengers @iowarail.bsky.social · 01/07/2026

Another big jump for Amtrak in May, with ridership up 10%. They have added 1 million rides from March through May, their best stretch since 2024. CA Zephyr ridership was slightly down, but also suffered from short trains throughout the month.

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Iowa Association of Railroad Passengers @iowarail.bsky.social · 28/06/2026

Iowa's Passenger Rail Advisory Committee is meeting Monday as the IDOT headquarters in Ames on Monday. The meeting starts at 1:00 PM. IARP plans on being in attendance.

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Iowa Association of Railroad Passengers @iowarail.bsky.social · 12/06/2026

Looks like Jefferson Lines will be starting a daily bus service between Chicago and Clear Lake on June 30th. Intermediate stops will be in Dubuque and Waterloo. This service will finally connect Dubuque to the rest of Iowa's intercity bus network. Check out Jefferson Lines for more details.

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Reposted by Iowa Association of Railroad Passengers

Yonah Freemark @yonahfreemark.com · 11/06/2026

The bipartisan US House transport bill—which passed through committee—would: —Eliminate all guaranteed funding for new transit projects, forcing transit to fight for appropriations —Reduce *potential* transit funds by 15% & *potential* rail funds by 44% —Increase highway’s share of federal funds

urban.org

Congress’s Transportation Reauthorization Bill Would Drastically Underfund Transit and Rail Projects

As currently drafted, BUILD America 250 would likely reinforce the United States’ car dependence, depriving Americans of affordable travel options and degrad…

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Iowa Association of Railroad Passengers @iowarail.bsky.social · 09/06/2026

Iowa DOT has released their 2027-2031 Transportation Inprovement Program. FY27 will see $1.07 billion in funding for the Highway Improvement Program. Passenger rail will get $0.

iowadot.gov

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Iowa Association of Railroad Passengers @iowarail.bsky.social · 05/06/2026

Very good ridership for Amtrak in April, with year over year growth above 10%.

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Reposted by Iowa Association of Railroad Passengers

Rail Passengers Association @railpassengers.org · 04/06/2026

The ribbon-cutting "reopening" celebration for the updated Mt. Pleasant (IA) station took place last week.

twp.ai

www.southeastiowaunion.com

Mt. Pleasant Amtrak Station celebrates $5.5 million in improvements

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Iowa Association of Railroad Passengers @iowarail.bsky.social · 01/06/2026

Amtrak has completed $20 million in upgrades to Mount Pleasant and Ottumwa stations. These upgrades include new concrete platforms, accessibility upgrades, and renewed canopies on the Ottumwa platforms.

masstransitmag.com

Amtrak completes accessibility upgrades at two Iowa stations

The $20 million in upgrades to enhance the passenger experience include a level surface for wheeled mobility device, stroller and rolling luggage users.

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Iowa Association of Railroad Passengers @iowarail.bsky.social · 30/05/2026

Out and about at the Iowa City Farmers Market this morning.

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Reposted by Iowa Association of Railroad Passengers

Rail Passengers Association @railpassengers.org · 20/05/2026

The 2nd in a series that takes a look at the draft of the House T&I Committee's "BUILD America 250 Act" and what it spells out for the post-IIJA future of passenger rail - this time looking at "Amtrak reform" and "Passenger Rail Policy" Read here: twp.ai/E5AyKP

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Iowa Association of Railroad Passengers @iowarail.bsky.social · 17/05/2026

Another rail extension opening tomorrow. KC Streetcar is opening a 1-mile extension to the north end of their streetcar line. This is the 2nd extension to the line in the last 7 months, which has roughly tripled the length of the original line.

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Iowa Association of Railroad Passengers @iowarail.bsky.social · 17/05/2026

Changes are coming to the 380 Express on June 1st. A 2nd route between Cedar Rapids & North Liberty will open with 4 daily round trips. Service between Cedar Rapids & Iowa City will be reduced from 22 to 19 daily round trips. Fares will increase from $3.50 a ride to $4. More info linked below.

380express.com

Campaign Landing Page - 380 Express

Commuting the Corridor with the 380Express New Route Connects Cedar Rapids, North Liberty, and Coralville! Beginning June 1st several changes to the 380Express will begin. The current route will be c...

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Iowa Association of Railroad Passengers @iowarail.bsky.social · 08/05/2026

Iowa transit ridership for March. Ridership generally increased in March, powered forward by CyRide while Iowa City/Cambus saw minor declines. Also, Davenport Citibus passed Sioux City Transit to become the 6th largest transit agency in Iowa by annual ridership.

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Iowa Association of Railroad Passengers @iowarail.bsky.social · 07/05/2026

Amtrak ridership snapshot for March. Overall a great month for Amtrak nationally, but Iowa's routes both saw declines in ridership.

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Iowa Association of Railroad Passengers @iowarail.bsky.social · 23/04/2026

Interesting news in Decorah. NEICAC is piloting a deviated fixed route bus in Decorah across 3 Saturdays this spring. 2 days have already passed, with the final day of pilot service coming up on May 2nd.

neicac.org

Transit - Northeast Iowa Community Action Corporation

NOTIFYING THE PUBLIC OF RIGHTS UNDER TITLE VI

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Iowa Association of Railroad Passengers @iowarail.bsky.social · 20/04/2026

The FRA’s CRISI grant program is open. This has apparently jumped ahead of Corridor ID in the admin’s grant calendar.

railroads.dot.gov

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Reposted by Iowa Association of Railroad Passengers

Rail Passengers Association @railpassengers.org · 15/04/2026

Amtrak has officially submitted their RFP for the brand-new single-level long distance fleet. The future begins now.

twp.ai

www.youtube.com

Amtrak Advances New Long Distance Train Fleet

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Iowa Association of Railroad Passengers @iowarail.bsky.social · 14/04/2026

Amtrak ridership snapshot for February. In part due to some severe snowstorms, Amtrak suffered their first systenwide ridership loss since the Covid pandemic. Iowa's 2 routes saw above-average declines as a result.

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Iowa Association of Railroad Passengers @iowarail.bsky.social · 10/04/2026

Iowa transit ridership for February Ridership mostly up across the state, with Iowa City/Cedar Rapids losing a bit.

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