Passenger rail advocates from across the nation will head to the Queen City in October for RailNation: Meridian hosted by Rail Passengers Association.

The RPA is a national organization that advocates for more trains for more people in more places across the US.

During RailNation: Meridian, which is set for Oct. 6-8, Rail Passengers staff will be joined by experts in the field, Amtrak leadership, the Southern Rail Commission, regional mayors and keynote speaker Federal Railroad Administration’s Amit Bose. Members, locals, and rail enthusiasts are all encouraged to attend to learn more about passenger rail expansion and how they can strategically support extensions and new service where they live, work and play.

Amtrak and the SRC announced a partnership in March to seek funding from the FRA to study a new passenger rail expansion along the Interstate 20 corridor stretching from Meridian to Texas. The new route, which would be an expansion of Amtrak’s Crescent train, would connect New York City, Atlanta and Dallas/Fort Worth by passenger rail.

RPA President and CEO Jim Mathews said the RailNation: Meridian meeting is all about giving advocates practical tools for the work they do, wherever they live.

“It’s important for everyone working across America for more and better trains in their hometowns to be able to see and experience a hometown that has invested big in passenger rail and succeeded,” Mathews said. “Those first-person stories make a huge difference, so our members and supporters will be able to go back home and tell their local elected and appointed leaders about the phenomenal growth and improvement Meridian has seen over the years thanks to their faith in rail.”

With support from local companies including A&B Electric, Mississippi Power, Structural Steel Service and Mississippi First Credit Union, the RPA has been able to bring the conference to Meridian, which is rich with railroad history. The Meridian Station went through a successful, albeit controversial, improvement thanks to the efforts of a former mayor, John Robert Smith. A passionate rail advocate and current Chairman of Transportation 4 America, Smith will join Mathews at the close of the event for a “Fireside Chat,” discussing the current rail renaissance brought by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.

Smith said the Meridian Amtrak station, known as Union Station, has helped forge the city’s downtown identity and kickstarted further downtown revitalization projects that have breathed new life into the downtown area.

“Meridian’s Union Station creates a valuable transportation choice for every citizen —seniors, young families, our residents with disabilities, those of limited means — but its greatest impact has been to create a sense of place in our downtown that is authentic and compelling,” he said. “Union Station was essentially a flag planted to say our downtown defines us, and we have a rich story to tell, and the Riley Center Opera House, the MAX, the Threefoot Hotel, and the restored City Hall all followed in the wake of that flag.”