Iowa Global Warming

Plenty of leg room. Opportunity to nap, read, talk on the cell phone or work on the Internet. An attendant with a cart selling sandwiches and drinks. And lovely views of verdant, rolling pastures as we sped past.

Recent train trips in southern England reminded me just how pleasant rail travel can be – and kindled my enthusiasm for the prospect of restoring passenger-train service in central Iowa.

My husband and I, visiting a niece and her husband in Fortuneswell, a tiny hamlet on England’s southeastern coast, took a train from London to the seaside city of Weymouth, about a three-hour trip. And from there, we took a one-day sightseeing trip to Bath, about two hours away, home to such grand Georgian architecture that the entire city has been designated a Unesco World Heritage Site.

Trains were on time, the schedules were easy enough to decipher, and heck, even the restroom was clean.

Read the rest of the editorial here.

If streetcars, or trams, someday make a return to downtown Des Moines, it’ll be hard to imagine a happier group than the men who had breakfast together at The Machine Shed one Monday last month.

They were there for the inaugural meeting of Des Moines Streetcar Friends, a collection of former motormen, local historians and railroad enthusiasts with an average age of close to 80.

The gathering was arranged by one of the youngsters at the table, Earl Short, 70, of Waukee, to further discussion of building a streetcar museum in Des Moines.

For the rest of the article, go here.

After a brief train ride Saturday morning, Iowa Gov. Chet Culver promised spectators that he is on board with a proposal to extend passenger rail service from Chicago to Des Moines in the next couple of years.

Culver spoke to several dozen people at the old train depot on Fourth Street just south of Court Avenue after taking a half-hour train ride from the Valley Junction depot on a refurbished passenger train with an engine, sleeping car and dining car. Local dignitaries and transportation officials accompanied him on the trip.

“We need to modernize our infrastructure statewide,” Culver said. “We’re going to keep fighting; we’re going to get this rail line done in a couple of years.”

The event marked National Train Day and highlighted the need for expanded passenger rail service across the nation, Culver said.

Culver wants to extend service from Chicago to Dubuque, the Quad Cities and Iowa City, and then on to Des Moines, to eventually connect with Omaha.

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Right now, great things are happening for the effort to bring rail service to Iowa. After a year of hard work, the legislature appropriated $3 million towards making rail a reality for our state – the first funding of its kind in Iowa. Earlier this week, Governor Culver signed the legislation into law. And this Saturday, the Governor is holding an event in downtown Des Moines to promote the benefits of bringing rail service across the state. The details are below, if you can make it please join us!

Saturday, May 9, 2009
 
WHAT:   Governor Culver will celebrate National Train Day by leading the Governor’s Train Day Special for a special ceremony in Downtown Des Moines
 
WHERE:  Outside Des Moines Historic Depot
              4th Street South of Court Avenue
              Des Moines, IA
 
WHEN:   10:00am

Come show your support for passenger rail and be part of a historic moment!

GOVERNOR’S TRAIN DAY SPECIAL WILL ROLL INTO DES MOINES SATURDAY
 
DES MOINES – Governor Chet Culver will mark National Train Day this Saturday by bringing the Governor’s Train Day Special from Valley Junction in West Des Moines into downtown Des Moines, where he will hold a public event with local leaders and transportation officials promoting the benefits of passenger rail to the state, and read a proclamation declaring National Train Day in Iowa.
 
“Restoring passenger rail service to some of Iowa’s largest cities has been one of my key priorities as governor,” said Governor Culver.  “I look forward to leading this special train into Des Moines on Saturday, and highlighting the economic benefits of passenger rail to our state.  I invite Iowans to come to downtown Des Moines Saturday and celebrate National Train Day in Iowa.”
 
National Train Day is designed to highlight the need for expanded passenger rail service across the country.  Iowa currently is served by two passenger trains – the California Zephyr and Southwest Chief – both of which serve southern Iowa.  Efforts have been taken in recent years to bring passenger rail service back to other portions of the state, with current proposals to bring service to Dubuque, the Quad Cities and Iowa City and longer term plans to bring service to other communities such as Des Moines and West Des Moines.
 
To help spur efforts, Governor Culver’s signature legislative accomplishment – the I-JOBS Initiative — includes $10 million for multi-modal transportation projects in Iowa, including $3 million for expanded passenger rail service in the state.  In addition, the Iowa Department of Transportation will be competing for federal passenger rail funds under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.  All of these steps position Iowa to work with Illinois and Amtrak to bring new passenger rail lines to the state that connect more Iowa communities with Chicago.
 
The Governor’s Train Day Special is being provided thanks to the generous efforts of the Iowa Interstate Railroad, Ltd., and logistical support has been provided by the Greater Des Moines Partnership.  The Governor’s event will coincide with the Downtown Farmers Market.

Ames, Ia. – Steve Schainker sometimes makes his rounds as Ames city manager in a two-seater Zenn, an electric car.

The tiny vehicle, plugged in to an electrical outlet behind City Hall, tops out at 25 mph and gets 35 miles to a charge. It is one of the more visible elements of an EcoSmart program designed to save fuel and to cut carbon dioxide emissions that contribute to climate change.

Ames is one of 34 Iowa cities that have pledged to create strong local policies and programs to reduce global warming. From Shenandoah to Cedar Falls to Davenport to Des Moines, cities large and small are overhauling vehicle fleets, checking buildings for energy efficiency, and changing light fixtures to save money and cut greenhouse gas emissions.

The efforts are paying dividends at the bank and in the air.

Read the full story here