As someone who deeply cares about the state of our nation's railroads, I've noticed a glaring issue - the lack of electrification in inter-city passenger rail outside of Amtrak's Northeast Corridor. Yes, there is the Keystone Corridor, but why does it stop there? The reasons are multifaceted and complex - from the collapse of Penn Central in the year 1970 to Conrail's missteps in 1983, private ownership of most railroad tracks in the United States, and an overall lack of investment in US passenger railroads.

You may think that additional electrification is not possible, but it is. The Trans-Siberian Railway is electrified from end to end as is the Eurostar. And that's without mentioning that back in the heyday of American railroads, several railroads had considered electrification, but the only the Pennsylvania Railroad and the Milwaukee Road jumped on the bandwagon. Companies like the Erie Railroad (Later Erie-Lackawanna) and the Reading Company only electrified small portions of their commuter rail networks. And most others had no electrification at all. And keep in mind, the Pennsylvania Railroad and the Milwaukee Road electrified their railroad tracks in the 1910s. Yeah, that's right, the 1910s. And both of these railroads ran both electric passenger trains and electric freight trains on their electrified lines. The Pennsylvania Railroad GG1 locomotives were used for hauling both passengers and freight. This was merely due to their tremendous horsepower, but that is beside the point.

Passenger rail doesn't need to be profitable; it needs to serve people to its fullest potential. Yet without electrification, we're not reaching that potential. In Europe and Asia, electrified railways are standard due to their efficiency and environmental benefits. In the Netherlands, almost every stretch of railroad track is electrified. And in Japan, everything is electrified. According to a study by International Energy Agency (IEA), electric trains are up to 3 times more energy-efficient than diesel trains. Electric trains can also travel at higher speeds than diesel trains.

The time has come for us as a nation to invest in our railway infrastructure and commit ourselves towards sustainable transportation solutions. By urging freight rail companies – who own most U.S railroad tracks – we can start making significant strides towards nationwide railway electrification. By 2031, we should have at least 20% or our rails electrified, and currently, we only have less than 2% of them electrified. Yes, I know that it's a long shot, but it's definitely not impossible. Far from it.

Let's take this step together for better service quality on our inter-city passenger rails while also contributing positively toward environmental sustainability. Please sign this petition today!

Part of the inspiration for this petition comes from this video, courtesy of Alan Fisher, better known as the armchair urbanist.