HENDERSON, Ky., April 16 –Railmark Holdings, Incorporated (www.railmark.com) announced today its return to the passenger rail services sector through its subsidiary Train Travel, Inc. The company provides consulting, operating, and mechanical services to transit agencies, intercity passenger rail operations, and states seeking expansion or new passenger rail services. Train Travel, Inc has a storied 38-year past with its own passenger rail brands – Star Clipper Dinner Train and Reno Fun Train, having handled over 3.5 million passengers in its past. Train Travel, Inc. is also a fully accredited, rail centric travel agency.
This announcement also introduces Venetta Keefe as Director of Passenger Rail Services for Railmark and Train Travel, Inc. Ms. Keefe is a collaborative rail transportation professional with extensive experience in passenger rail services and safety. Prior to joining Railmark, Ms. Keefe was a Midwest Project Manager for the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) where she oversaw nearly $305 million in federal passenger rail investments.
Prior to the FRA, Ms. Keefe’s career spanned 24 years with the rail division of the Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT), finishing her tenure as State Rail Director. Ms. Keefe oversaw regulatory requirements for railroads in 89 Indiana counties and launched the first-ever state sponsored passenger rail service, Amtrak’s Hoosier State (Indianapolis–Chicago). Operating from 2013–2019, the service was run under PRIIA’s complex guidelines. Ms. Keefe co-authored a successful Corridor Identification and Development (CID) Grant in 2023 from the FRA for the Indianapolis–Chicago route, part of a new national program to fund intercity passenger rail projects.
B. Allen Brown II, Railmark President & CEO stated: “I could not think of a more qualified person to lead Railmark’s relaunch back into the delivery of passenger rail services than Venetta Keefe. Among her various talents, she is among a very small, select group of passenger rail professionals with experience managing state-funded passenger rail service under the complex federal PRIIA legislation.”
