Jeanne —

The ways you have contributed to Solutionary Rail this year have made a real difference.  You can hear it in the language used by elected officials, the ideas making their way into the press – and you can see it in the recently passed Infrastructure Bill.  

After 9 years of research and work, we are now at a moment where Solutionary Rail ideas are part of the national conversation – and, with your help, this work will accelerate.

This opportunity is urgent, because the alternative is bleak: polarization with the real potential for violence, poisoning of fenceline communities, waterways polluted, infrastructure run into the ground by Wall Street railroads, and whole communities left out.

Lock arms with Solutionary Rail, as we push for an infrastructure pathway to localization, reshoring, and resilience. 

If you’re able to, please help ensure that we have the resources we need to take the next steps, by making a tax-deductible contribution online HERE – or sending in a check to the address below.

For some inspiration, we hope you’ll take a few minutes to scan some of our accomplishments in 2021, listed below.

We are proud of our work and are grateful to you for being part of it.

– Bill Moyer, Solutionary Rail Campaign Lead

Checks can be made out to Backbone Campaign (our 501c3 fiscal sponsor) and mailed to: Solutionary Rail, PO Box 278. Vashon WA 98070

(Please write SR in the memo line so we can correctly designate your contribution.)


Some of the highlights of this pivotal year:

  • SR rallied 35 organizations and 100 leaders to cheer on, amplify, and urge further action from lead railroad regulator Marty Oberman, Chairman of the Surface Transportation Board (STB). We leveraged years of alliance building to harness Oberman’s bold statements in a historic call for Class 1 Railroads to live up to Common Carrier Obligations appropriate for 21st-Century public interests.

 

  • Solutionary Rail organized multiple briefings with Congressional and State Legislative members and staff, influencing urgently needed oversight of corporate railroad practices and freight rail policy, aspects of which made it into the Federal infrastructure bill and the Washington state transportation budget.

 

  • SR gained a seat on the National Academy of Science’s Transportation Research Board (TRB) Standing Committee for Freight Rail.

 

  • SR produced a beta version of a “True Cost Calculator,” comparing the impacts of freight transport by truck versus train – available at SolutionaryRail.org/extcostcalc

We rely on a great deal on the autonomous organizing of the “SR Hive” a collection of amazing, smart, and dedicated transportation justice activists. We deepen our collective expertise on the complex aspects of rail and transportation through public webinars.

2021’s nine interviews with rail experts explored the history of railroads and their regulatory history, emerging regional opportunities, labor perspectives, the potential of rural short lines, the Wall Street takeover of this critical infrastructure, and the complex conundrum of EVs. These recordings have helped to increase everyone’s railroad literacy and awareness of the complex issues related to freight, supply chains, infrastructure decarbonization and the public good. They’ve also prepared our movement for the rail renaissance that’s about to blossom.

These interviews plus the others we’ve done over the years can be watched at SolutionaryRail.org/interviews.

All this progress is the culmination of nearly a decade of relationship building and solidarity.  Here is what one of our allies, Ron Kaminkow, General Secretary of Railroad Workers United, said:

“Solutionary Rail has been an erstwhile ally of Railroad Workers United for a number of years now, and we salute their important work. As the private freight rail industry in the United States moves toward a stripped-down rail industry void of workers, passengers and small shippers, Solutionary Rail poses an alternative vision – one of a robust, safe, efficient, sustainable, multi-tracked, modern rail network – one that would employ hundreds of thousands and inspire – rather than demoralize – railroad workers across the country.”

So please help keep this important and urgent work growing to its potential by making a tax-deductible donation that helps re-orient rail toward service and connection and away from Wall Street profiteering.

The SR Team is grateful to you for your support and collaboration!

 

-=-=-Backbone Campaign · PO Box 278, Vashon, WA 98070, United States
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You can also keep up with Solutionary Rail on Twitter or Facebook.

-=-=-

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