Regional transit officials back U.S. rail plan inclusion

SPRINGDALE — The Ozark Regional Transit Authority agreed Thursday to back an effort to get Northwest Arkansas included in the national rail network, which is being updated.

“The overall question I think we’d be driving here is does Ozark Regional Transit want to continue to push and support being part of a national rail passenger gateway,” said Joel Gardner, executive director.

Mike Lanier, board chairman, said it’s important the region make clear it wants to be included.

“I think it’s a good idea for us to fall in behind this. This is at the early planning stages, and I think it’s important that we kind of get out in front of this and show that we are supportive of being connected with the railway system,” Lanier said. “This is probably not going to happen in my lifetime, but you’ve got to get started and you’ve got to make your intentions known to the people and the policymakers.”

John McCurdy, who represents Rogers on the transit authority, agreed, noting the area needs to be on the federal radar to be eligible for a lot of potential funding.

“There is no downside to integrating Northwest Arkansas into this plan and a whole lot of potential upside,” McCurdy said. “I agree it’s probably not going to be in my lifetime either, but we absolutely need to be part of this national plan.”

The board then unanimously approved encouraging Arkansas Department of Transportation officials to include the Northwest Arkansas Metropolitan area in its update of the Arkansas State Rail Plan and to incorporate the region into the Regional Passenger Rail Network Plan of the Federal Railroad Administration.

Board members said they’re concerned the Federal Railroad Administration planning process hasn’t incorporated Northwest Arkansas into any of the current Regional Passenger Rail Network Plans. Little Rock and Texarkana have passenger train service.

“The growth of the NWA metropolitan region typifies the nature of the economic expansion of the major metropolitan areas of Arkansas and suggests a rational justification for the need to connect the state’s major metropolitan areas to the National Passenger Rail Network, especially the NWA metropolitan region,” according to a letter to the Transportation Department.

Letters were also sent to the state’s Congressional delegation and state officials.

The letter goes on to say the region is the home of several Fortune 500 corporations that can benefit from being connected to a well- designed multimodal transportation system with a national passenger rail component.