Railroad Forums
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Dear Jeffrey,and the related Mailchimp link in the email:
I’d like to take a few minutes to address some rumors around our April 30th membership benefits suspension announcement.
We are NOT taking away the discount on Amtrak. At no time has that ever been communicated to our members. The 10% every day discount remains in force and can be used today, or tomorrow or when you feel comfortable traveling by rail.
You are NOT losing your Amtrak Guest Rewards points. While we work closely with Amtrak, we are not the railroad. We have no power over how you use your Amtrak Guest Rewards points in any way. Those policies are set by Amtrak. Nothing we have done would prevent you from using the points you have been saving up. If you have a trip you want to take with those points, Amtrak will honor them.
Our announcement on April 30th was only about the bonus points that we, as a nonprofit association, make available to our dues-paying members from time to time. We have typically awarded points in two ways: we have given members bonus points for their annual renewal, and we have run promotions a couple of times a year where we might offer extra point totals for buying a membership at a certain level. This has nothing to do with Amtrak having the points program or letting you use points to travel.
To clarify: we are TEMPORARILY suspending awarding bonus Amtrak Guest Rewards points for memberships. With the economic crisis facing the country, we have seen our income and donations decline and we had to find ways to economize. Once the financial situation improves, we fully expect to restore points.
When you give us money (as a member or as a donation) you are NOT giving money to Amtrak; you are supporting the Rail Passengers Association. We work to educate our members and the general public about rail travel, and we help our members support Amtrak by reaching out to their congressmen and Senators and other leaders asking them to support Amtrak. We do not own nor manage Amtrak or the Amtrak Guest Rewards program.
I hope you'll understand that we have to do things to preserve the financial health of your Association so that we can continue to fight for more trains, better trains, restoration of important routes and new equipment, and all of the rest of the things our staff does every day to make sure that Amtrak passengers' voices are heard in Congress, at the Federal Railroad Administration and in Amtrak's executive offices.
Stay healthy and safe!
Jim Mathews
President & CEO
Dear <<First Name>>,
My fervent hope is that my note finds you and yours well, healthy and taking the best possible care of yourself. I write to you today to share the impact of the coronavirus outbreak on the operations of the Rail Passengers Association.
Association staff has been following recommended guidelines and working from home since early March. I couldn't be prouder of their commitment to the mission and hard work each and every day to make sure passenger rail doesn't become an afterthought during this crisis. As you can see from the following, we've been busy.
Staying engaged and connected with key congressional offices, we were able to ensure the CARES Act included funding for passenger rail - $1 billion for Amtrak and $16 billion for urban transit systems, with another $4 billion dedicated to rural transit.
Conducted a Virtual Day on The Hill on March 31st delivering our message to 132 House offices and 53 Senate offices.
Members of Congress asked for our help in identifying the top priorities in rail transit if additional funding should become available.
Yesterday, I testified in front of the Federal Railroad Administration to share the Association's thoughts on the Metrics and Minimum Standards for Intercity Passenger Rail Service.
With all of the successes, like many businesses and nonprofits, your Association has been financially hurt by COVID-19. Memberships are down and donors have restrained their giving decisions. We're making adjustments as we can and planning contingencies to minimize any damage to our small staff and to our policy effectiveness. This has forced us to make some tough, but temporary cost-cutting decisions.
Effective May 1, 2020:
The Amtrak Guest Rewards points benefit will temporarily be suspended. We know this is a popular benefit, but we have to purchase those points, so it's not a benefit we can responsibly continue to provide while revenues are down.
Production and mailing of the printed version of the Passengers Voice newsletter will temporarily cease. The Passengers Voice will still be available digitally online and as a downloadable PDF. You can find current and past editions here. For those of you who have paid extra to receive a mailed copy of the newsletter, we will extend your subscription by the number of months we are interrupted.
These were not easy decisions, but ones that had to be made. Other cost-cutting measures have also been implemented; we are a small organization with very little "fat" in our budget, so any cuts will be painful ones. When the business environment recovers, we look forward to reinstating these benefits.
I sincerely appreciate your support and understanding. Your advocacy efforts and financial support have made us bigger, stronger and louder in legislative offices at the local, state, and federal levels. I'm convinced that with your continued support, we will come out of the pandemic stronger than ever.
Sincerely,
Jim Mathews
President & CEO
