All Aboard Arizona – Fall 2026 Newsletter
Update from the President
Todd Liebman's travels through Italy and Sicily by rail, August 2026
Welcome to the All Aboard Arizona Fall Newsletter. Please save the date for the first weekend in December for the Arizona Passenger Rail Summit in Tucson. Details to follow, but we will have a solid program of speakers to discuss passenger rail issues pertinent to Arizona.
The good news is that both the daily Sunset Limited and the Tucson-Phoenix-Buckeye Sun Corridor are in the FRA Corridor ID program and, like all other Corridor ID candidates, are awaiting FRA funding for Phase II. We hope to hear something soon on the funding front.
In the spring, I traveled on the Sunset Limited and the Crescent to the Rail Passengers Association Spring Meeting. The trains were early nearly the entire way and the service was excellent. I traveled coach because the sleepers were sold out, and it was a very pleasant trip. I was able to eat several meals in the dining car and Amtrak cafe car food is much improved.
This summer, I spent over a month in Europe in Bosnia-Hercegovina, Croatia and Italy, sampling trains and ferries. My trip started with a flight from Tucson to Sarajevo with a nine-hour layover in Frankfurt -- of course I rode the S Bahn, the German version of commuter rail, into Frankfurt from the airport. Frankfurt has a train station in the airport serving both intercity trains and the S Bahn. Many airports in Europe are seamlessly integrated into the passenger rail system.
I arrived that evening in Sarajevo, and the next day took the Bosnian Railways Talgo train from Sarajevo to Mostar, widely considered one of the most scenic train rides in Europe. My purpose in Bosnia-Hercegovina was a pilgrimage to Medjugorje, where I spent eight prayerful days coinciding with the International Youth Festival. Then it was on to Split, and after two days there, I caught the overnight ferry to Ancona, Italy. From Ancona, it was back on the rails to Assisi. The Italian railways are excellent and very inexpensive -- in my experience, the trains run like clockwork. After two days in Assisi, another pilgrimage site, I was back on the rails to Rome to catch the overnight train to Cefalu, Sicily. This is the last train in Europe that is shunted onto a ferry for the trip across the Strait of Messina.
The overnight train service was excellent. I had a first-class compartment with a sink in the room. I was provided a night kit including soap, a toothbrush, an eye mask, and two bottles of water. The conductor checked tickets after departure, and the attendant brought a breakfast menu -- included in the fare. In the morning, breakfast arrived at the appointed time including a hot cappuccino. I slept through the ferry shunting and woke with our train racing along the sea. Arrival in Cefalu was right on time. We have many city pairs in the US that would be perfect for overnight train travel -- in fact, our very own Sunset Limited offers exactly this between Tucson and Los Angeles.
From Cefalu it was on through Palermo, Salemi, Trapani, Castelvetrano, and Agrigento, with bus links where rail was under repair. Ferrovie dello Stato, the Italian national railway, provided seamless substitute buses connecting to onward trains. My last train was from Siracusa to Catania for my final night before flying home.
It was remarkable to travel almost entirely by rail and bus everywhere I wanted to go. Large parts of Italy are no more densely populated than the US, yet enjoy robust public transportation -- pointing to the fact that we can and should have a much stronger rail system here. The trains were universally on time, clean, comfortable and extremely inexpensive. My train from Siracusa to Catania was eight euros, less than ten dollars. Tickets are simple to buy on the TrenItalia app or at station machines with an English language option.
If you get a chance to go to Europe, don't feel the need to rent a car. The rail and bus system will probably take you anywhere you want to go. It was a fine example of what we are working toward here in Arizona.
— Todd Liebman, President, All Aboard Arizona
Policy & Advocacy Updates
The biggest legislative fight of the year is now on the clock. The BUILD America 250 Act, which passed the House Transportation Committee in May with a strong bipartisan vote of 62 to 2, is the five-year surface transportation reauthorization bill now awaiting action by the full House and Senate. The deadline is December 11, 2026.
The bill reauthorizes the Corridor ID program and includes $64.3 billion for passenger rail over five years -- but that is nearly $48.7 billion less than the IIJA baseline. More critically, under the BUILD America 250 Act, none of the passenger rail funding is guaranteed. Under the IIJA, $71 billion of the $112.9 billion for passenger rail was guaranteed. Under this bill, zero dollars are guaranteed. That means annual appropriations fights every year -- exactly the environment that produced the Sunset Limited's three-day-a-week schedule in the first place.
The UP-NS merger is also moving through the Surface Transportation Board. Public comment closes November 18. Rail advocates -- including the Rail Passengers Association -- are watching closely. Amtrak has committed to maintaining passenger rail operations on affected corridors, but commitments on paper need to be enforced. If you want to submit a comment, go to the STB website before November 18.
Contact Senators Kelly and Gallego today. Ask them to:
- Fund Amtrak at authorized levels in FY2027
- Preserve the Federal-State Partnership for Intercity Passenger Rail
- Support S.3728 -- the Long-Distance Corridor Relief Enhancement Act
- Pass a strong reauthorization before December 11
S.3728 was introduced by Senator Tim Sheehy (R-MT) and co-sponsored by Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR). It removes the non-federal match requirement for long-distance corridors in the Corridor ID program -- a requirement that makes no sense for routes that are national in scope. Senator Kelly has been a strong supporter of Arizona rail investment. We are actively working to secure his co-sponsorship of S.3728. Call his office and ask him to sign on.
S.3728 on Congress.gov | BUILD America 250 Act analysis -- Railway Age
Conference and Meeting Highlights
RailNation Toledo
October 2-4, 2026 | Toledo Amtrak Station, Toledo, Ohio
The Rail Passengers Association's premier annual conference in partnership with All Aboard Ohio. RailNation Toledo brings together advocates, policymakers, and Amtrak leadership from across the country.
Register at RailPassengers.org
Arizona Transportation Policy Summit
October 14-16, 2026 | Sierra Vista, Arizona
Formerly the Arizona Rural Transportation Summit, this newly renamed event brings together state legislators, local elected officials, and transportation planners from across Arizona under the theme "Highways to Hyperspace." Passenger rail belongs in this conversation.
Register at azrts.org
STB Public Comment Deadline -- UP-NS Merger
November 18, 2026
Support strong passenger rail protections in the Union Pacific/Norfolk Southern merger review. Submit your comment before the deadline.
STB.gov
Rail Users Network Fall Virtual Conference
October 9, 2026 | 12:45-5 PM ET | Virtual
"View Down the Tracks: More Service or Massive Service Cuts"
Register now
AAAz Annual Passenger Rail Summit
December 5, 2026 | Ramada Tucson, Tucson, AZ
Save the date! Details and registration coming soon.
Monthly Board Meetings
Via Zoom. Contact a board member for the link.
