URPA Statement of
Purpose and Function
-
United Rail Passenger Alliance is dedicated to the preservation and
expansion of the present rail passenger system through good business
principles, improved marketing, and better political efforts.
-
URPA operates through a volunteer executive committee, pooling the
knowledge and wisdom of some of our country's best professional
surface transportation consultants, travel industry professionals, and
rail travel advocates to influence the operations and decisions of the
management of rail operators like Amtrak and VIA Rail Canada, and to
influence rail passenger policy-makers and law-makers to provide
appropriate policy, legislation and funding consistent with URPA
goals.
-
URPA conducts research and publishes its views of current rail
passenger operations and its plans for improvements of operations and
expansion of service, with a major focus on long distance, inter-city
rail travel and regional rail travel, and a minor focus on local
transit issues.
-
URPA is a coordinator of information between state rail passenger
associations, federal, state, and local governments working to
sustain, improve, and expand inter-city and regional rail passenger
services.
-
URPA supports and works toward public-private rail partnerships and
supports the privatization of rail passenger services and their
components when it is in the best interest of the industry.
-
URPA supports competition in all areas of passenger rail travel,
either through bids for contract operations for municipal or state
systems, or for competing systems operating long distance train
services. URPA is firmly committed to the concept that customer choice
automatically drives up levels of customer service and imposes
market-based pricing that is beneficial to passengers.
-
URPA is an advocacy group, working with private businesses, chambers
of commerce, local, state and federal government officials, and other
passenger rail organizations.
