Advocates and Officals Unite in San Antonio

For Immediate Release (25-14)
September 26, 2025
Contact: Joe Aiello ([email protected])

Advocates and Officials Unite in San Antonio to Champion Expanded U.S. Passenger Rail Service

SAN ANTONIO, TX, October 3-5, 2025 - Passenger rail supporters from across the country will gather in the Alamo City for RailNation: San Antonio, the national fall meeting of the Rail Passengers Association. Held at the Holiday Inn San Antonio-Riverwalk, the three-day event will bring together local, state, and federal leaders, transportation experts, and grassroots advocates to discuss the future of passenger rail in Texas and beyond.

Thanks in part to partnerships with Texas Rail Advocates and San Antonians for Rail Transit, the conference will feature keynote addresses, panel discussions, and presentations focused on strengthening intercity and regional rail service. The spotlight will be on Texas’ current challenges and opportunities. Notable speakers include Roger Harris, President of Amtrak, Caroline Mays, Director of Planning and Modal Programs at TxDOT, and Transportation for America Chairman John Robert Smith.

Highlights of the agenda include:

• Leadership Panel with regional mayors, judges, and commissioners discussing local rail priorities
• Southern Rail Commission updates on Gulf Coast and I-20 Corridor projects
• Amtrak presentations on customer experience and service expansion

The event underscores the importance of collaboration between national organizations and local communities in shaping transportation policy.

“Texas is one of the fastest growing states in the nation, and that kind of growth presents challenges,” said Jim Mathews, President & CEO of the Rail Passengers Association. “As the state grows more crowded, it’s critical that state and federal leaders invest in a 21st Century transportation network to protect Texans’ quality of life – passenger trains will be a necessary part of that network. We look forward to meeting with local officials and advocates to hear what kind of future they want for the towns they live in and how we can use state and federal rail programs to keep Texas moving.”

For more information, along with a full agenda, go to www.railpassengers.org/RNSAS

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About the Rail Passengers Association: with 127,000 members, donors, and supporters, the non-profit Rail Passengers Association is the oldest and largest national organization serving as a voice for the more than 40 million rail passengers in the U.S. Our mission is to improve and expand conventional intercity and regional passenger train services, support higher speed rail initiatives, increase connectivity among all forms of transportation, and ensure safety for our country's trains and passengers. All of this makes communities safer, more accessible, and more productive, improving the lives of everyone who lives, works, and plays in towns all across America.