Press Advisory on High Speed Rail

Press Advisory from MOPIRG and the Sierra Club:

   *For immediate release
*Contact: Andrew Bailey, transportation advocate*

*Phone:  314-454-9560
E-mail:  abailey@mopirg.org

*The Right Track: *

*Building a 21st Century High Speed Rail System for America*

*Who:* Andrew Bailey, transportation advocate, MoPIRG

Ginger Harris, Transportation Chair, Missouri Sierra Club
           Thomas Shrout, Executive Director, Citizens for Modern Transit

*When:*  Tuesday, Feb. 9, 2:00 pm

*Where:* Gateway Multimodal Transportation Center

MoPIRG, the Missouri Sierra Club, and Citizens for Modern Transit will
hold a press event at Gateway Multimodal Transportation Center to
discuss the future of high speed rail in Missouri and to release /The
Right Track/, a new MoPIRG research report which quantifies the benefits
of high speed rail and sets 11 recommendations for future investment.

Last month, the Obama administration announced that 31 states will
receive a portion of $8 billion in funding to build and plan for high
speed rail under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. Missouri
received $31 million for rail from Kansas City to St. Louis and will
also benefit from a $1.1 billion grant for high-speed rail from St.
Louis to Chicago.

High speed rail in Missouri has the potential to create tens of
thousands of jobs, alleviate congestion, and reduce oil use and carbon
emissions.  The new MoPIRG report will highlight these benefits and
recommend further commitment to high speed rail development.
And speaking of public transit, check out the cool new TV ad from Citizens for Modern Transit: