The Railpac Lp

What The Railpac Lp does

RailPAC (Rail Passenger Association of California and Nevada), legally known as The Railpac Lp and formerly as Citizens for Rail California, is an all-volunteer non-profit passenger rail advocacy organization founded in 1978 and headquartered at a PO Box in San Francisco. The organization's mission is to expand and improve passenger rail service in California, Nevada, and the Western United States. RailPAC is governed by a Board of Directors and led by President Steve Roberts, with regional Vice Presidents covering Northern California, Southern California, and Long Distance Trains; the organization has no paid staff.

RailPAC's core products are content-based rather than technology-based. The flagship is Steel Wheels, a quarterly journal of news and commentary on passenger rail in California and the West, nationally distributed since approximately 1990. Other products include the Newswire, a daily news aggregation and editorial email service; Commentary, opinion articles on rail policy and transportation issues; a Membership Program with regular ($45/year or $4/month) and student ($25/year or $2.50/month) tiers; and the annual Steel Wheels Conference alongside regional meetings. Distribution is via website (railpac.org), Facebook (23,000+ likes), X/Twitter (93,000+ followers), email newsletter, and the Steel Wheels journal.

The business model is non-profit membership and donation funded. Revenue streams consist of recurring subscription-style membership dues and one-time donations across tiers of $25 to $250, with donations over $45 including a one-year membership. The go-to-market is community-led: engaging volunteers and members through regional meetings, the Steel Wheels Conference, and public comment submissions to government agencies such as Caltrans and Amtrak. RailPAC coordinates with peer advocacy organizations including the Rail Passengers Association, Californians for Electric Rail, All Aboard Arizona, Bay Rail Alliance, Green Caltrain, Friends of SMART, and Pacific Northwest counterparts in the Greater Northwest Passenger Rail Working Group. No revenue figure, headcount beyond volunteers, or external funding is disclosed.

Name

The Railpac Lp

Legal name

Rail Passenger Association of California and Nevada

Website

https://railpac.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1978

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

RailPAC is an all-volunteer non-profit founded in 1978 that advocates for expanded passenger rail service in California, Nevada, and the Western United States, publishing the quarterly Steel Wheels journal, a daily Newswire, and operating regional meetings and the annual Steel Wheels Conference for its individual members and donors.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Passenger Rail Advocacy

NAICS

Support Activities for Rail Transportation (48821)

SIC

Transportation Services (4700)

akta.pro primary industry

Rail Infrastructure Authorities (Track, Stations, Grade Crossings) (BPAIALAG)

Keywords

• Passenger rail advocacy
• Rail policy commentary
• Transportation nonprofit
• Membership advocacy
• Rail news publication

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Marketing or Sales, Personnel, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Fees: Annual and monthly membership dues from individual supporters of passenger rail advocacy in California and Nevada
2. Donations: One-time monetary contributions from supporters; donations over $45 include a 1-year membership

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

RailPAC is a non-profit passenger rail advocacy organization that publishes news, commentary, and policy analysis on passenger rail in California, Nevada, and the Western United States. It supports its mission through individual memberships and donations, and offers the Steel Wheels quarterly journal, a daily Newswire email service, editorial Commentary, and advocacy events including the annual Steel Wheels Conference and regional meetings.

Product overview

RailPAC (Rail Passenger Association of California and Nevada) is an all-volunteer non-profit passenger rail advocacy organization founded in 1978, operating as a single unified offering rather than a platform-plus-modules architecture. The organization's core products include Steel Wheels, its quarterly publication magazine covering passenger rail news and commentary in California and the West; the Newswire, a daily news aggregation and editorial service; Commentary, featuring opinion pieces on rail policy and transportation issues; a Membership Program offering various tiers for supporter engagement; and Regional Meetings/Steel Wheels Conference events for community and advocacy activities. These products collectively serve the organization's mission of expanding and improving passenger rail service in California, Nevada, and the western United States.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Steel Wheels: A nationally distributed journal of news and commentary on passenger rail in California and the West, published by RailPAC since approximately 1990.

Products and services

• Steel Wheels Steel Wheels: Passenger Rail in California and the West is a nationally distributed quarterly journal of news and commentary on passenger rail advocacy, featuring articles by knowledgeable rail advocacy writers, research, trip reports, and rail photos throughout the western United States. It is intended for individual members, rail advocates, and industry professionals.
• Newswire RailPAC's daily news aggregation service that gathers passenger rail and transit news from multiple sources, supplements it with editorial commentary, and distributes it via email newsletter to subscribers.
• Commentary Opinion and editorial articles on rail policy, rail projects, and transportation issues affecting California, Nevada, and the western United States.
• Membership Program Annual and monthly membership options that give advocacy supporters access to RailPAC's publications, events, and community involvement opportunities. Regular membership is priced at $4/month or $45/year and student membership at $2.50/month or $25/year.
• Regional Meetings & Steel Wheels Conference In-person and virtual events offering opportunities for rail advocates to interact, view presentations by agency staff and legislators, and participate in the organization's annual Steel Wheels Conference.

Named customers1 record

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered minor and moderate.

• Bay Rail AllianceminorOthersNorthern California rail advocacy group focused on the San Francisco Bay Area rail network
• Green CaltrainminorOthersAdvocacy group promoting sustainable Caltrain service improvements
• Friends Of SMARTminorOthersAdvocacy group supporting Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit in Marin and Sonoma Counties
• All Aboard ArizonaminorOthersArizona rail advocacy organization; RailPAC coordinates on rail initiatives including Sun Corridor passenger rail and daily Sunset Limited service
• Californians for Electric RailmoderateStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint advocacy on rail electrification issues; co-authored responses to media articles on California high-speed rail
• Streets for AllminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-authored governance reform letter for Southern California rail
• Rail Passengers AssociationmoderateOthersNational rail passenger organization (formerly National Association of Railroad Passengers); RailPAC coordinates nationally on long-distance train issues
• All Aboard WashingtonminorOthersWashington state rail advocacy organization; part of Greater Northwest Passenger Rail Working Group
• Association of Oregon Rail and Transit Advocates (AORTA)minorOthersOregon rail advocacy organization; part of Greater Northwest Passenger Rail Working Group

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• Rail Passengers Association: The national US passenger rail advocacy organization (formerly National Association of Railroad Passengers), which RailPAC explicitly partners with on long-distance train issues. Directly comparable as a membership-driven, all-volunteer/lean-staff advocacy group focused on Amtrak and intercity passenger rail policy, but operating at the national rather than CA/NV level.
• Friends of SMART: An advocacy group supporting Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit in Marin and Sonoma Counties, listed as a RailPAC partner. Directly comparable as a regional passenger rail advocacy peer focused on a single commuter rail corridor in Northern California.
• Streets for All: A Southern California advocacy organization that co-authored a governance reform letter with RailPAC. Comparable as a Southern California transit/rail advocacy peer addressing overlapping Los Angeles-area passenger rail governance issues.
• Californians for Electric Rail: A California-focused rail advocacy organization with which RailPAC has a moderate-tier strategic partnership, including co-authored responses on California high-speed rail. Directly comparable as a California passenger rail advocacy peer operating in the same policy battlespace and partnering on joint commentary.
• Green Caltrain: A Caltrain-focused advocacy group promoting sustainable Caltrain service improvements, listed as a RailPAC partner. Directly comparable as a single-corridor passenger rail advocacy peer with overlapping members and overlapping commentary on Caltrain service and electrification.
• Bay Rail Alliance: A Northern California rail advocacy organization focused on the San Francisco Bay Area rail network, listed as a RailPAC partner. Directly comparable as a regional passenger rail advocacy peer serving an overlapping geographic and policy community.

Broad incumbents

• Transportation for America: A national transportation advocacy coalition promoting multimodal and transit-oriented federal policy. Comparable as a broader incumbent in the US transportation advocacy space that overlaps with RailPAC's mission on passenger rail but operates across all modes (transit, walking, biking, road safety) at the federal level.

Regional players

• Association of Oregon Rail and Transit Advocates (AORTA): Oregon's rail and transit advocacy organization, listed as a RailPAC partner in the Greater Northwest Passenger Rail Working Group. Comparable as a state-level rail advocacy peer with similar coalition-style structure, but focused on Oregon rather than California/Nevada.
• All Aboard Washington: A Washington state rail advocacy organization participating in the Greater Northwest Passenger Rail Working Group alongside RailPAC. Comparable as a state-level passenger rail advocacy peer focused on the Pacific Northwest rather than California.
• All Aboard Arizona: An Arizona rail advocacy organization that coordinates with RailPAC on Sun Corridor passenger rail and Sunset Limited service issues. Comparable as a state-level passenger rail advocacy peer but operating in a different geography (Arizona rather than California/Nevada).

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/railpac
• Facebookfacebook.com/RailPAC
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/railpac

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles14 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Railpac Lp