IOWA ASSOCIATION OF RAILROAD PASSENGERS
3349 Southgate Court Southwest #108
Cedar Rapids, Iowa 52404-5424
(319) 362-6824  Voice, (319) 362-7734 Fax                                       

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - 12/14/98
                                       
State  Rail Passenger Group to Meet in Iowa City

        (Iowa City, Iowa)--The Iowa Association of Railroad Passengers, Inc.,
(IARP) will be holding its next meeting at the Radisson Hotel/Highlander
Plaza, 2525 North Dodge Street (Highway 1 at Interstate 80), Iowa City,
Iowa, at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday, January 23rd. 

        The main presentation to the group will be Doug Christy, President and CEO
of Iowa Interstate Railroad. Christy is expected to discuss two different
proposals to run passenger service across central Iowa through Iowa City.
These include a proposal as the preferred route of the nine-state Midwest
Regional Rail System as well as a possible Amtrak passenger and freight
route. Christy is also expected to give a detailed profile of Iowa
Interstate Railroad which is based in Iowa City and provides rail service
from Council Bluffs to Chicago along the former Rock Island Lines route.

        The meeting will also include election of officers for the coming year.

        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 Davenport, Cedar
Rapids, Amana, Boone, and Des Moines.

        Welch says, "The Iowa Interstate Railroad's route through the most
populous part of Iowa offers some unique advantages for additional rail
passenger service for Iowa. Iowa Interstate Railroad operates nearly 300
miles of track in Iowa through key population centers."
 
       An informal lunch will begin at the restaurant at 11:30 a.m. offering
additional time for discussions. The lunch and meeting will be held in the
Mirror Room of the Radisson Hotel/Highlander Plaza.

        The meeting and lunch are 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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