Aug 04, 2006: Hotline #461

Both the House and Senate are now on August recess (the Senate having stayed this week).  Most Members will be having town hall meetings and other types of public events this month.  Be sure to attend, and make your views about passenger rail clear!  Go to our Action Alert Center for the specific details you need to make your voice heard.

The Senate has approved the nomination of Charles D. Nottingham to be a member of the Surface Transportation Board.  Nottingham will become the Chairman.

Two good pieces of news from the State of Florida; both concern a deal agreed to this week between CSX Transportation and the State.  First, commuter rail in Orlando will become a reality as early as 2009, with the first 32 mile segment between Volusia County and downtown Orlando.  This will be important, as parallel Interstate 4 is scheduled for a major reconstruction in 2010.  The full system will be nearly 60 miles in length and extend from Volusia south to Kissimmee, with tie-ins to the major theme parks in the area.  The second part of the deal is that Tri-Rail, the Miami-West Palm Beach commuter rail operator, will take over dispatching and maintenance responsibility for its entire route.  Freight train interference has long been a hindrance to Tri-Rail’s growth.

A massive heat wave covered much of the country this week.  Temperatures in Washington, D.C. topped out at 102 degrees on Wednesday.  The extreme heat delayed many passenger trains: most railroads instituted reduced speeds to prevent and check for “sun kinks” and other heat-induced track and catenary problems.  No power outages were reported on Amtrak’s Northeast Corridor, although commercial electrical grids nationwide nearly reached breaking points.

The New Jersey Transit Board of Directors has approved a contract for the preliminary engineering for the Access to the Regions Core program, specifically, the two new tunnels under the Hudson River.  The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey has also committed $2 billion overall to the project.  The Board also awarded a preliminary engineering contract to study the Portal Drawbridge on Amtrak’s Northeast Corridor between Newark and Secaucus Transfer.  The 96-year old bridge is in dire need of upgrade or replacement.  Its last failure on July 26 caused the cancellation of 20 rush-hour trains.

The Sunset Limited remains in limbo east of New Orleans, with service return uncertain.  The Florida Coalition of Rail Passengers is engaging in a grass-roots effort to mobilize local elected officials along the train’s route, primarily along the Florida Panhandle.  Anyone interested in assisting FCRP can visit their website for more information.  Last week, FCRP Vice President Jason Sanford taped a radio interview to be aired in Panama City, FL regarding the Sunset Limited service and efforts to bring it back.

The Train Riders Association of California held a news conference in Sacramento on Thursday, July 27 regarding the on-time performance of the Coast Starlight.  According to TRAC, “The Governor’s (Arnold Schwarzenegger-R) office had been passing off the lateness of the Coast Starlight as a federal issue outside of their concern.  TRAC brought the issue to the forefront by holding a major press conference at the Sacramento Amtrak Depot…”  The news conference was well attended by media (both print and broadcast) and rail supporters and received extensive media coverage.  NARP members in California are encouraged to contact Governor Schwarzenegger and tell him to pressure Union Pacific to improve the train’s performance.

Massachusetts Bay Commuter Railroad, the private consortium that took over operation of Boston’s MBTA commuter rail from Amtrak in 2003, has come under fire for poor service, late trains, and rude crews.  The renewed focus on MBCR’s problems comes even as need for the service increased due to road closures related to the Big Dig problems.  An emergency meeting was convened by MBTA General Manager Daniel A. Grabauskas on July 27.  According to the Boston Globe, during the “heated meeting” Grabauskas “occasionally punctuated his complaints (to MBCR) with profanity.”  MBCR has pledged to improve service, the first step of which will be to get more locomotives back in operational condition.

Detroit Tigers fans will soon be able to take a train from Pontiac, Birmingham, and Royal Oak to Comerica Park.  The Ilitch family, who own the Tigers, is partnering with Amtrak and the Detroit DOT to bring fans to four Saturday night games in August and September.  The Foxtown Tigers Train will make use of existing Amtrak trains #355 and #354.  Passengers will transfer to a rubber-tired trolley at the Detroit Amtrak station to take them to Comerica Park.  The deal, which costs $29, includes a right field box seat, a food voucher for refreshments and air conditioned round-trip transportation.  About 100 tickets for each game are now available.  The games, all starting at 7:05 p.m., will be against the Cleveland Indians, Texas Rangers, Baltimore Orioles, and Kansas City Royals. 

Amtrak and MARC commuter rail service at Harpers Ferry, WV, will be suspended from August 31 to September 14.  The long-overdue reconstruction of the station, funded by the National Park Service, is at a point that requires work on the platforms.  Due to the location of the station, a temporary boarding site is not practical.  No other stops on the line will be affected. 

Severe flooding in and around El Paso, TX, and the resulting freight train congestion, caused Amtrak to cancel two trips of the Sunset Limited.  At this writing, full service is expected to be restored with Sunday’s departures.

Most railroads employ police to ensure law and order on trains.  Not in India.  From the Associated Press: “India’s Delhi Metro has hired a monkey to frighten off other monkeys from boarding trains and upsetting passengers… authorities have called in one of the few animals known to scare the creatures — a fierce-looking primate called the langur, the Hindustan Times newspaper reported Wednesday.  The decision to hire a langurwallah—a man who trains and controls the langurs—came after a monkey got into a metro car June 9, the newspaper reported.  In that incident, a monkey boarded a train at the underground Chawri Bazaar station and reportedly scared passengers by scowling at them for three stops. It then disembarked at Civil Lines station.  Passengers had to be moved to another car while staff chased the dexterous creature, causing delays.”

The August issue of NARP News was uploaded to the members’ section of our website today. Click on “Login” above, just below “E-mail Signup” to access the newsletter, or click “Register” if you have not yet signed up for members’ access.  Be sure to include your membership number when registering.

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Aug 11, 2006: Hotline #462

Senator Trent Lott (R-MS) announced that an agreement had been reached with Senate leadership to bring S. 1516, the bipartisan Amtrak Reauthorization bill, to the Senate floor after the August recess.  No firm date has been set for consideration, and it appears that the Senate will only be in session for two weeks in September before adjourning until after the November elections (Update: Congress will likely remain in Washington for the full month of September).  Let your Senators know that you want them to vote yes on S. 1516!  Go to our Action Alert page for more information.

British officials foiled a plot to blow up trans-Atlantic airlines flying between London and the United States.  In response, security was heavily increase in the United States for both domestic and foreign air travel.  Amtrak increased police patrols, K-9 units, and other security measures.  While some may call for draconian security measures on all forms of transport, today’s Financial Times has the following to say in its lead editorial:

“Yet no system is perfectly secure.  And even if the world’s aircraft could be made secure at a reasonable cost in time and money, terrorists will always have other options as simple as truck bombs or explosives on trains and buses.  There will be more attacks, perhaps deadly and dramatic ones. 

“The first response must be to adopt a foreign policy that saps terrorists of support without pandering to their demands.  It should not be necessary to remind either the US or the British government that it is not possible simply to kill or catch all the terrorists until there are none left—a pointless strategy based on what one might call the “lump of terror” fallacy. 

“The second response must be a sense of proportion.  More than 3,000 people died last year on UK roads, but the roads stay open.  Even the worst acts of terrorism reap their largest toll in hysterical responses.  Scotland Yard’s statement that they had disrupted a plot to cause “mass murder on an unimaginable scale” was alarmist even if it is true.  Journalists—and terrorists—are perfectly capable of spreading hyperbole without any help from the police.  The most powerful answer to terrorism is not to be terrified.”

The State of Vermont is considering participating in a demonstration project that would re-equip the Vermonter with Colorado Rail Car DMU units.  While it would eliminate through service to New York and Washington, a cross-platform transfer at New Haven would be set up.  State officials feel that the smaller train would better fit the needs of Vermont and the quicker acceleration of the DMU’s would speed up the schedule and increase the utility of the train.  “With a new train and new faster service, coupled with some marketing money, we can make it an attractive option,” Neale Lunderville, Vermont Transportation Secretary said.

The pension bill approved by the Senate and expected to go to the White House for signing boosts employer contributions to many pension plans and requires that all plans have 100% of assets to cover their liabilities within seven years.  However, Northwest and Delta will get 17 years and the right to assume an investment return on assets of 8.85%, about a third higher than other companies.  This is partly to encourage those airlines not to dump their plans on the federal government.  The Wall Street Journal reported July 31 that, “as of December, Delta’s pensions were under funded by $6.4 billion and Northwest’s by $3.7 billion.”  American and Continental get 10 years, but cannot use the 8.85% return rate.  The Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation in recent years absorbed terminated pension plans from United Airlines and US Airways, significant factors in the $22.8 billion deficit the federal agency faces.

The August 6 issue of Financial Times was even more pointed: “Senators from Texas, Ohio and New Jersey—where American and Continental have large hubs—withdrew their opposition to the more favourable treatment for the bankrupt carriers when Senate leaders promised to revisit the issue in September.” That means American and Continental get another bite at the apple.

The Amtrak station employees in Kissimmee, FL have received an Amtrak Award for Safety Excellence.  There has not been a single loss-time injury at the station since the ticket agents became Amtrak employees, believe to be in the late 1970’s.  (If anyone reading this hotline knows exactly when ticket agents became Amtrak employees in Florida, please let the NARP office know.  Thanks!)

The San Diego Trolley’s Green Line celebrated its one year anniversary this week.  According to San Diego Trolley spokesman Luis Gonzalez, 40-percent of Green Line passengers are first time users of public transportation.  In addition, the stop at San Diego State University has not only introduced a younger demographic to mass transit, but calls for later service at night to downtown San Diego.  The Trolley has listened: starting in September, the green line will run until 2am on the weekends.  The entire system itself, the first modern light rail system in the United States, is 25 years old.

Amtrak has restored same-day round trip Thruway Bus service to Yosemite National Park.  Direct service had been suspended since late May, due to rockslides on Route 140, necessitating a lengthy detour from Merced to the Park.  The new service operates from Modesto, CA, once again allowing day trips to Yosemite.

The electrical outlets on Acela Express trainsets are back in service. They were removed from service in mid-July (Hotline #459) after a problem was identified with the ground fault system.

The Wisconsin Department of Transportation, the town of Sturtevant, and Amtrak will dedicate the new station in Sturtevant, WI tomorrow, August 12.  Full service to the new station begins on Monday.  The ceremonies will begin at 11:30am and will include many local dignitaries and Governor Jim Doyle.  All are invited.  To permit people to attend the dedication by rail, Amtrak Hiawatha trains #334 and #333 (before the ceremony) and #335 and #336 (after) will stop at both the old and new stations in Sturtevant.

The new Amtrak Vacations booklet is available from Amtrak.  A new company, Yankee Holidays has taken over the popular program, which ended abruptly in late 2003 after the previous operator, Private Label Tours ceased operations.  The brochure also revives the air-rail program, where passengers take the train in one direction and fly in the other.  You can order the booklet at Amtrak Vacations’ website.

NARP announced an effort this week to coordinate the establishment of teams to promote each long distance train and establish a solid grass roots presence.  Read the full details of the project and how you can get involved.

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Aug 18, 2006: Hotline #463

It still appears likely that S. 1516, the bipartisan Amtrak Reauthorization bill, will come to the Senate floor after the August recess.  Let your Senators know that you want them to vote yes on S. 1516!  Go to our Action Alert page for more information.

This past week, Amtrak experienced a sharp increase in the number of passengers traveling by rail, due to the foiled air terror plot in Great Britain.  As ticket and security lines continued to grow due to flight cancellations and new screening procedures, many travelers began to seek alternatives to flying.  According to Amtrak, calls to their toll-free reservations line reservations line rose 14% and reservations overall were up 26% (on Thursday, August 10), as travelers explored other travel options.  While Amtrak does not extensively screen luggage or require passengers to arrive hours before their scheduled departure time, they have deployed more police officers and are conducting additional on-board verifications of identification.  NARP Assistant Director David Johnson told Reuters, “Americans certainly are looking for other options and a choice to do something else for their method of transportation…America needs passenger rail, and the American public is demanding it.”

Amtrak temporarily shut down the Northeast Corridor between Newark and New York on Wednesday after an unidentified substance was found leaking near tracks on the New Jersey side of the Hudson River Tunnel.  Service was halted around 3:30 and restored around 4:30.  An investigation revealed that the substance was hydraulic fuel that had fallen off a work train on nearby tracks.  A spokesman for New Jersey Transit said that service was back to normal around 6 p.m.

The New York State Senate’s Task Force on High Speed Rail is moving along with its plans to consolidate control of the rail corridor between Schenectady and Poughkeepsie.  The task force is in the process of seeking bids for a study on the most practical way for the state to acquire the facilities and right-of-way between the two cities from CSX.  In January when the task force released its’ recommendation on how to speed up passenger rail between Albany and New York City, unifying the operations along the Empire Corridor was chosen as the best option.  Currently, CSX owns the track that Amtrak operates its’ passenger trains on between Poughkeepsie and Schenectady.  The Metropolitan Transit Authority’s Metro North commuter rail service owns the track from Poughkeepsie south to the Bronx.  Finally, Amtrak owns the track from the Bronx south to Penn Station in Manhattan.  Officials believe that both passenger and freight rail will be better off under the control of one entity.  According to the task force, the cost of the study is expected to range between $350,000 and $650,000.  Even though the task force is moving ahead with the study, CSX has said it is not interested in selling its facilities or right-of-way.

Amtrak’s Capitol Corridor continues its impressive growth. On August 28, new frequencies will be inaugurated and several trains will be extended to San Jose.  The full schedule is available on the Capitol Corridor website.  In addition, a new Thruway bus service will be inaugurated between San Jose and Monterey, operated by Monterey-Salinas Transit.  Three buses will operate, timed to meet Capitol Corridor and CalTrains service.  The buses will also stop at Gilroy, Morgan Hill, Prunedale, Seaside, and Monterey.  A schedule is available on MST’s website.  Finally, the ACE commuter train service is adding another frequency between San Jose and Stockton; it will also serve the purpose of replacing a San Joaquin thruway bus.

St. Louis will open its Cross County light rail line on August 26 with several ribbon cutting ceremonies and free rides on the new line.  Full revenue service begins August 28.

The California Zephyr detour through Wyoming has been extended two additional weeks. The trains that originate in Chicago and Emeryville on August 16, 17, 21, 22, 23, and 24 will take the alternate route.  Additional bus service will be made available to Provo, Helper, Green River, Grand Junction, Glenwood Springs, Winter Park, and Granby; contact Amtrak for full details.

A temporary schedule is in place for the Pere Marquette to allow for CSX trackwork between Grand Rapids and Benton Harbor.  The westbound train will depart Grand Rapids an hour earlier and have 30 extra minutes of time in its schedule.  The eastbound train will still leave Chicago at 5:20pm, but also have 30 minutes added to its running time.  These changes are effective August 14 through September 7, but may be extended further.

There’s still time to sign up to participate in a team to promote each long distance train.  Many thanks to those who have already responded!  Read the full details of the project and how you can get involved.

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Aug 25, 2006: Hotline #464

This is the last full week for legislators to be in their home districts for August recess.  Speak out in support of Amtrak, and S.1516 in particular.  Go to our Action Alert page for more information.

On August 21, 2006, Robert L. Sumwalt was sworn in as Vice Chairman of the National Transportation Safety Board, where he will serve until December 31, 2011.  Prior to his service with the NTSB, Mr. Sumwalt was the Manager of Aviation for the SCANA Corporation, a Fortune 500 company. He has also worked in a variety of positions for U.S. Airways, including airline check airman, instructor pilot and air safety representative.  A trained accident investigator, Mr. Sumwalt has spent a significant portion of his career focusing on aviation safety and security.  Besides serving as a member of the Air Line Pilot’s Association’s Accident Investigation Board, he has conducted aviation safety research as a consultant to NASA’s Aviation Safety Reporting System.

The push for passenger rail service in Tulsa, OK is heating up. As highways become more congested and airline security lines grow even longer due to security threats, Tulsa councilman Rick Westcott believes that Tulsa should invest in passenger rail service.  Westcott, a Republican, made a presentation to the Tulsa City Council this week in support of a resolution requesting the Oklahoma Legislature try to join Missouri in a federal Amtrak expansion study.  The resolution was approved.  Wescott said, ‘We need to see what the cost is, what the benefits would be and what the public wants to do. I think the timing is right to really go after this.”  The Missouri Department of Transportation recently requested Amtrak look at extending service from St. Louis to Springfield, Wescott also wants the study to explore extending the service to Tulsa.  Tulsa is the fifth-largest metropolitan area in the country without passenger rail service. 

The Triangle Transit Authority is ready to stop the planning process on its proposed Raleigh-Durham regional rail line; $140 million has already been spent on the planned 28-mile route.  In response to a recommendation from General Manager John Claflin, the Triangle Transit Authority is asking the Federal Transit Administration to remove the project from FTA’s New Starts process, due to recent changes in the federal “cost-effectiveness” formula.  The project which is estimated to cost upwards of $630 million has faced numerous obstacles including the rising cost of steel and concrete.  In order to finish this project, the Triangle Transit Authority will explore other funding options, including public-private partnerships.  The authority also has the option of rejoining the FTA’s new starts process.  Over 90% of the land needed to complete the project has been acquired, and all of the design and engineering plans have been completed.  Under an agreement with FTA, the land will be held by the Triangle Transportation Authority for future transit use.

As the first anniversary of Hurricane Katrina’s landfall in New Orleans approaches, federal officials and Amtrak are working together to ensure that citizens are not stranded in the city during this year’s hurricane season.  Amtrak’s offer to help evacuate citizens fell on deaf ears last year as the last passenger train departed the city nearly empty.  Cox News Service reported this week that under a $700,000 contract, Amtrak has refurbished 24 out-of-service railcars and brought them to the New Orleans train station, where they are on standby for this year’s hurricane season.  This agreement was put into action and financed by FEMA’s new evacuation plan; a single train can take as many as 1,600 people out of the hurricane’s path of destruction.  The Transportation Department also has a contract with Dallas-based Coach America for $33 million to keep 200 buses in the Gulf Coast region prepared for immediate rescue needs. 

The Richmond Times Dispatch is reporting that Amtrak may be considering elimination of one of the two round trips between Washington and Newport News, VA with the October timetable change.  Virginians For High Speed (and NARP) strongly oppose any curtailment of services, especially in light of the upcoming 400th anniversary of Jamestown, which will bring millions of visitors to the Williamsburg-Yorktown-Jamestown triangle over the next year and a half.  An Amtrak spokesman said that elimination of one of the two round trips is a “possibility that we’re looking at. But it’s not a done deal.”

The owner of New London Union Station is threatening to evict Amtrak and Greyhound if the City does not step in and provide financial assistance.  Todd O’Donnell bought Union Station in June 2002 and refurbished the building.  However, the anticipated office tenants have not materialized. “We did not ask for any grants or tax breaks,” O’Donnell said.  It appears that the State and other local officials are willing to work with O’Donnell on a solution.

Paul Lundberg has stepped down as General Manager of Massachusetts Bay Commuter Railroad. He was responsible for the management and operation of commuter rail in eastern Massachusetts.  Complaints about MBCR’s management of MBTA commuter rail, which they took over from Amtrak in 2002, have increased dramatically since an influx of passengers hit the system after parts of the Big Dig tunnel under downtown Boston were closed.  MBCR is facing other challenges besides the Big Dig: an ever-aging fleet and the pending opening of the Greenbush Line, which will increase daily locomotive and passenger car in-service requirements.

Citing security concerns, the Union Pacific railroad has banned photography from Chicago-area Metra commuter rail stations along its routes.  The Railroad Club of Chicago blasted the ban, saying, “UP is targeting those who are most likely to observe, and report something out of the ordinary… This ban conflicts with the policy of the Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BNSF) Railroad, which at the same time is recruiting, registering and encouraging rail fans ‘to report suspicious activities, trespassers or individuals’ to BNSF’s Resources Operations Command Center.”  The club also points out that bans enacted in Baltimore and New York have been withdrawn after legal protest.

Service between New York and Boston was disrupted on Wednesday when an automotive shop in the Bronx caught fire.  Some trains were returned to Penn Station to wait for open track, while southbound passengers were offered transportation on Metro-North Railroad to Grand Central Terminal.

VIA Rail Canada will begin selling a monthly commutation pass with a twist: users will get an income tax credit.  The program is in response to recent changes in the Canadian tax code which makes those who use public transportation on a daily basis eligible for a tax break.  Users will be eligible for a credit of 15.25% of the value of their pass.

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