IOWA ASSOCIATION OF RAILROAD PASSENGERS
3349 Southgate Court Southwest #108
Cedar Rapids, Iowa 52404-5424
(319) 362-6824                                          

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE--08/03/98

                                        
STATE RAIL PASSENGER GROUP TO MEET IN DAVENPORT

        (Davenport, Iowa)--The Iowa Association of Railroad Passengers, Inc.,
(IARP) will be holding its next meeting at the Freight House Restaurant, 421
West River Drive, Davenport, Iowa, at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday, September 19th. 
        The main presentation to the group will be by Richard Ross, Vice President
of Marketing of I&M Rail Link, Iowa's newest railroad, talking about the
challenges of contemporary railroad operations in the Midwest. 
        The group also expects to hear a summary of the report by the Midwest Rail
Initiative, a nine-state consortium looking at possible enhancements to
regional railroad passenger service, as well as other rail passenger issues.
That report is to be released just a few weeks before the meeting.
        IARP President Richard F. "Dick" Welch (of North Liberty) says IARP is a
state-wide group that supports rail passenger service--both commercial and
tourist service. Welch says the group meets at various locations throughout
the state. Previous recent meeting sites have included Cedar Rapids, Amana,
Boone, and Des Moines.
        Welch says, "The I&M Rail Link is an important railroad serving a
four-state area including Iowa. We're looking forward to hearing about
railroading from their unique perspective." Welch also says the consortium
report should be a hot discussion topic at the meeting.
        An informal lunch will begin at the restaurant at 11:30 a.m. offering
additional time for discussions.
        The meeting is open to the public and non-members are encouraged to attend.
        Membership information is available from the Iowa Association of Railroad
Passengers, Inc., 3349 Southgate Court, SW, Suite 108, Cedar Rapids, Iowa
52404-5424. Membership information will also be available at the meeting.
Information about the organization is available on the Internet at
http://www.simpson.edu/~iarp.
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