Las Vegas, Nev. – U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) sent a letter to Amtrak President Richard Anderson to advocate for continued service of the California Zephyr line and to support expanding service to a new station in West Wendover. This letter is a continuation of the Senator’s efforts to promote the importance of Amtrak service for Northern Nevada’s rural communities. During Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee hearings earlier this year, the Senator has repeatedly pressed Amtrak officials and nominees on their commitment to maintaining service on the California Zephyr line.
“As Amtrak evaluates its current budget and operations, I strongly urge you to avoid any downgrades or reductions in service along the California Zephyr line,” said Cortez Masto. “In fact, it is my understanding that Amtrak has previously approved expanding service to a new station on this line in West Wendover, Nevada. While this has never been completed, I firmly support expanding service to this new station, which would provide a cost effective, regular means of transportation for rural Nevadans and other travelers.”
“Mayor Daniel Corona, a fourth generation resident of West Wendover, firmly understands the needs of his community, as well as the opportunities created for residents and visitors to our state and the region,” continued Cortez Masto. “This reality is also reflected in Amtrak’s own figures showing that tens of thousands of tourists utilize your service, sustaining our rural economies and communities with hundreds of thousands of dollars in additional spending.”
PDF of the letter is available HERE and below:
Dear Mr. Anderson:
As the National Railroad Passenger Corporation (Amtrak) evaluates its current budget and operations, I strongly urge you to avoid any downgrades or reductions in service along the California Zephyr line. In fact, it is my understanding that Amtrak has previously approved expanding service to a new station on this line in West Wendover, Nevada. While this has never been completed, I firmly support expanding service to this new station, which would provide a cost effective, regular means of transportation for rural Nevadans and other travelers.
Amtrak’s own statistics show consistent increases in ridership over the past five years, including over 88,000 Nevada boardings and alightings in Fiscal Year 2017. This indicates that there is great interest in this passenger rail line in Northern Nevada. But numbers alone cannot demonstrate how important this service is to our rural residents. Current stops in places like Elko and Winnemucca are heavily utilized by seniors and veterans to reach vital medical services in larger communities such as Reno, NV.
Recently, concerned over potential service reductions on the California Zephyr line, Winnemucca Mayor Di An Putnam wrote me directly to underscore the importance of the Zephyr line’s transportation service to her community and region. In the letter she states, “The train service is an important part of the economic vitality and social fabric of my community.” Mayor Putnam highlighted, as have other leaders in rural Nevada, that Amtrak’s service is imperative when other public transportation options for rural communities are dwindling.
These reasons demonstrate why providing strong consideration to West Wendover’s request for an Amtrak stop along the California Zephyr is so important. Mayor Daniel Corona, a fourth generation resident of West Wendover, firmly understands the needs of his community, as well as the opportunities created for residents and visitors to our state and the region. This reality is also reflected in Amtrak’s own figures showing that tens of thousands of tourists utilize your service, sustaining our rural economies and communities with hundreds of thousands of dollars in additional spending.
I urge you to consider this additional stop and understand how detrimental any reduction in Zephyr line services would be to the entire region of Northern Nevada. I look forward to working with you on Amtrak operations and appreciate your attention to these issues.
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