Thank you, Wisconsin. Check out these photos from Thinking About Wisconsin Passenger Rail last week! Thank you to everyone who joined us, and thank you to everyone who helped make this event a success. #passengerprincess

One week to go! 🚄 Check out the full agenda for THINKING BIG ABOUT WISCONSIN PASSENGER RAIL and get your tickets TODAY at: www.hsrail.org/events/think...

Executive Director Rick Harnish speaks at the City Year Transit Advocacy forum today (May 30) at the Lozano Branch Library in Chicago - with organizer Siddharth Reddy Beduduri, and Alex Perez of the Active Transportation Alliance. Knowledgeable audience, interested in the future of high-speed rail.

Registration is OPEN for our upcoming BIG advocacy conference in Milwaukee: THINKING BIG ABOUT WISCONSIN PASSENGER RAIL Check out our growing roster of star speakers! More to be announced.

HSRA member and "220 by 2/20" raffle winner Jack wants to bring great trains back to Madison, WI - as there should be! Thank you for being a part of our movement, and thank you for collaborating with us on this project. #madison #wisconsin #regionalrail #highspeedrail #trains

With strategic upgrades and political will, the Wolverine corridor from Chicago to Detroit and Pontiac, MI could be built for hourly train service. The foundation is already there.

Our outreach manager Jordan Pokorney visited Hammond, IN today for the ribbon cutting and first ride on the Monon Corridor, the South Shore Line extension to Dyer. He chatted with Dave Dech, president of the Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District, and Indiana Gov. Mike Braun.

Avis Lobdell (1882-1942) worked for Union Pacific Railroad in 1935, riding the Challenger from Chicago to Los Angeles, asking passengers what would make their ride better. She found that women had trouble while traveling alone or with only their children. (1/2)

Bonnie Leake (1945-2021), an office clerk and crew dispatcher, was the first woman accepted by the Union Pacific Railroad to train as a locomotive engineer, in 1974. After six months of instruction, she began running trains from Las Vegas to Milford, UT, and Yermo, CA. #WomensHistoryMonth

Great shot of a NextGen Acela crossing the new Portal North Bridge in New Jersey, taken by 908 Drone Photography. Learn more about the bridge opening on our blog: www.hsrail.org/blog/northea...

Visit www.hsrail.org/blog/tell-sp... to tell your Illinois legislators to cosponsor the Passenger Rail Planning Act. This legislation would be a critical step towards the high-frequency regional rail system we all deserve - not just in Illinois, but throughout the Midwest and beyond.

Executive Director Rick Harnish, quoted in the Chicago Sun-Times, defends the railroad property south of Chicago Union Station, which will be needed to expand passenger rail service around the Midwest. chicago.suntimes.com/white-sox/20...

Olive Dennis (1885-1957) was the first female civil engineer hired by the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad. She made train travel comfortable by introducing reclining seats, stain-resistant upholstery, dimmable lighting, individual window vents, and air conditioning. #WomensHistoryMonth2026

Andrew Jackson Beard, who had lost a leg in an accident coupling rail cars, patented several automatic rail car coupler inventions from 1887 to1905, allowing rail cars to be connected and disconnected without an employee having to stand between them. #BlackHistoryMonth2026

The High Speed Rail Alliance was at the Illinois Capital in Springfield today, promoting the Passenger Rail Planning Act, which would direct the state to plan for frequent trains. Here, Executive Director Rick Harnish listens while State Rep. Rita Mayfield speaks at a press conference.

The Passenger Rail Planning Act would raise expectations for American railway planning by directing the Illinois Department of Transportation to plan for high-frequency trains throughout the Midwest. Tell your legislators to support HB4279 and SB3285 at www.hsrail.org/blog/tell-sp...

You can help get Amtrak to replace and expand its aging fleet of long-distance rolling stock. Visit highspeedrail.us/long-distanc... to urge Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy to buy more trains.

Rodney E. Slater served as U.S. secretary of transportation from 1997-2001, overseeing the designation of 11 proposed high-speed passenger rail corridors throughout the country, and the institution of Amtrak Acela service on the Northeast Corridor. #BlackHistoryMonth2026

Elijah McCoy – born in Canada in 1844 to American parents, educated in Scotland – invented an automatic lubricator for oiling the steam engines of locomotives and ships, patented in 1872. By 1899, McCoy lubricator was in use on almost all North American #railroads. #BlackHistoryMonth2026

Regional rail connects people and communities by fast, frequent, and affordable trains throughout the day. NER and SEPTA footage courtesy of Stephen Hudgins #regionalrail #trains #highspeedrail

Granville T. Woods (1866-1910) was an inventor who created a system for safer third-rail contacts for electric trains. This month, we honor the contributions of Black Americans to the railroads. #BlackHistoryMonth2026 HighSpeedRail.US

New webinar incoming! On Friday, Feb. 20, Swedish architect Fredrik Skåtar will present how passenger rail shapes everyday life, drawing on European examples from Berlin, Stuttgart, and the Flemish Diamond. Register at us06web.zoom.us/webinar/regi...

The Black History Month NJ Transit train at Short Hills, New Jersey. Throughout this month, we will highlight Black innovators who shaped the history of American railroads. #BlackHistoryMonth2026 HighSpeedRail.US

An effort to establish regional rail between Chicago and Milwaukee via Kenosha and Racine has been revived. Learn more about this exciting development brewing in the Badger State. #milwaukee #racine #kenosha #wisconsin #trains

We’re going to California – but not for the 🏈 #SuperBowl! This week, a High Speed Rail Alliance delegation of elected leaders from the Midwest will meet with California officials on #highspeedrail development, rail car procurement, and thinking BIG about #trains at the state level. Let's gooo!

What exactly is high-speed rail? Our outreach manager Jordan Pokorney returns to tell you all about it. Shinkansen 🎥 courtesy of Stephen Hudgins #highspeedrail #trains #transit

Want to help bring great trains back on American rails? Become a High Speed Rail Alliance member before 2:20 p.m. CST on Friday, Feb. 20 to receive a notebook - and the chance to appear in an upcoming TikTok! Learn more and join us at www.hsrail.org/220-by-220/

A High Speed Rail Alliance delegation, led by Executive Director Rick Harnish, is going to California next week. We will educate Midwestern elected officials about the newly electrified @caltrain system and California High-Speed Rail, and urge them to think BIG about state-led rail endeavors.

What goes into creating the world's best train stations? On Friday, Feb. 6, you have the chance to find out on a webinar with Stephan Helmbold from DB E.C.O. North America. Register at us06web.zoom.us/webinar/regi...