July 8, 2025 - TRA Newswire -

DC-based Rail Passengers Association announces that their national fall meeting will be held October 3-5 in the Alamo City.

It's called RailNation: San Antonio, and it bring together passenger rail advocates and supporters from around the country to discuss transportation issues. Texas' lack of support for intercity and regional passenger rail and how advocates can advance issues will be a focus of the conference. 

The association is offering a discounted "early bird" conference fee of $96 until August 1st, when the full rate goes up to $192. The host hotel is the San Antonio Holiday Inn on the Riverwalk. The general public can register through this link  for the meetings and should use the discount promo code SAS50 on the payment screen, until August 1st. A link for the Holiday Inn with a rate of $161 a night is also included on the page. 

Texas Rail Passengers Council Representation Bruce Ashton, a San Antonio resident, said "recognize that our national passenger rail system is under attack. Taking the challenge to fight this is a lot easier when you know there are others who share your concern. Now, as never before, each of us needs to be involved in some way. This is true for passenger rail issues both nationally and here in Texas," according to Ashton. "We have just experienced the Texas legislature not funding the Heartland Flyer, a partnered service of the Oklahoma and Texas DOT's, that had been running since 1999 and gaining ridership and revenue."

The Rail Passengers Association (RPA), formerly known as the National Association of Railroad Passengers (NARP), is a non-profit advocacy organization dedicated to promoting and improving passenger rail service in the United States. It serves as a voice for some 40 million train passengers, working to influence policy and build support for a more robust and efficient national passenger rail network. 

Information on presentations will be posted to the RPA website link: https://railpassengers.org/happening-now/events/railnation-san-antonio/

Editor's note: Texas Rail Advocates is a contributing supporter of the RailNation: San Antonio conference