IOWA ASSOCIATION OF RAILROAD PASSENGERS
3349 Southgate Court Southwest #108
Cedar Rapids, Iowa 52404-5424
319-362-6824 Voice, 319-362-7734 Fax or (Wulff Home 515-276-8888)
www.simpson.edu/~iarp  henrywulff@aol.com


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 05/09/01



         State Rail Passenger Group to Meet in Cedar Rapids

         (Cedar Rapids, Iowa)--The next meeting of the Iowa Association of 
Railroad Passengers (IARP) is scheduled to be held at the Railroaders 
Reunion in the Schoolhouse at Ushers Ferry Historic Village, 5925 Seminole 
Valley Trail Northeast, Cedar Rapids at 1:00 p.m., on Sunday, June 3, 2001.
         Kevin Burke, Superintendent of Operations of the Cedar Rapids and 
Iowa City Railway Company (CRANDIC), will be the keynote speaker at the 
meeting. Burke is expected to talk about the proposal for rail passenger 
service between North Liberty and Coralville and Iowa City on the CRANDIC 
tracks. He is also expected to give an overview of the railroad's operations.
         IARP President Henry C. Wulff of Urbandale says the group will 
also hear updates on the two proposals for rail passenger service across 
the state. These include the Des Moines to Chicago Amtrak Mail & Express 
train as well as the Council Bluffs/Omaha to Chicago trains which would be 
part of the nine-state Midwest Regional Rail System.
         Wulff recently returned from a national meeting in Washington, 
D.C., dealing with rail passenger service across the country. Other IARP 
representatives were at a meeting in the Quad-Cities last month where 
Amtrak, Iowa Department of Transportation and Illinois Department of 
Transportation officials updated members of the Bi-State Regional Planning 
Commission and others about regional rail passenger proposals.
         The meeting is open to the public. Attendees will need to pay 
admission to the Ushers Ferry Railroaders Reunion, which is $3.00 for adults.
         Food will be available at the concession stand at the Ushers Ferry 
Historic Village. A swap meet and other events will be ongoing on the 
grounds as part of the Railroaders Reunion. Gates open at 11:00 a.m. This 
year's Railroaders Reunion theme is "Celebrating the last 25 years of 
Railroading in Cedar Rapids and Eastern Iowa."
         The Iowa Association of Railroad Passengers is a statewide, 
nonprofit citizens' organization which supports rail passenger serviceboth 
commercial and tourist service. IARP supports a solid rail infrastructure, 
quality freight service by rail and intermodal. The group was formed in 
1981 to strengthen the voice of the rail user in Iowa. The group meets at 
various locations throughout the state. It's most recent meetings were in 
Des Moines, Burlington and Amana. Many IARP members attended a regional 
meeting of the National Association of Railroad Passengers held last month 
in Grinnell.
         IARP is affiliated with the National Association of Railroad 
Passengers in Washington, D.C. Membership information is available by 
writing to the Iowa Association of Railroad Passengers, 3349 Southgate 
Court, SW, Suite #108, Cedar Rapids, Iowa 52404-5424 or by calling (319) 
362-6824, or at the group's website at www.simpson.edu/~iarp.

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