Introducing Matt Melzer.

After something like a dozen years of churning out five or six posts a week, it occurred to me the other day that I would not only feel less pressure, but this could be a more interesting and informative blog if someone else’s ideas and opinions were presented here from time to time. Furthermore, if I do share some of this space, it should be with someone from the mainland, someone smart, someone young, and someone who has traveled extensively by train, both in this country and elsewhere in the world. Of course, given those criteria, I immediately thought of my young friend, Matt Melzer.
 
Matt’s from Minneapolis, MN, and has been active in passenger rail advocacy for nearly two decades. Though his day job is in digital marketing, he still manages to serve on the Boards of Directors for both the Rail Passengers Association (RPA) and All Aboard Minnesota (AAMN), working to promote train travel in his community and in the state and federal legislatures.
 
A California native, Matt has visited all 50 states, more than 20 countries, and has experience in tourism marketing, public transit planning and operations, communications, and sales. As do most of us, he envisions an America where trains provide opportunity and mobility to people in towns of all sizes, and where conventional trains and high-speed rail both serve critical economic roles in context. And, by the way, Matt hasn’t owned a car for 11 years.
 
His first contribution will be coming our way in a few days.