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Sep 01, 2006: Hotline #465September 1, 2006 Congress returns to Washington next week after the Labor Day weekend, and is expected to remain in session at least through September 29. This may increases chances that S. 1516, the bi-partisan Amtrak reauthorization bill, will receive consideration on the Senate floor. Our Action Alert page contains full details about this bill and how to contact your Senators. Of special note, given the uproar about late trains, is that S. 1516 would give the Surface Transportation Board the power to “investigate whether, and to what extent, delays or failure to achieve minimum standards are due to causes that could reasonably be addressed by a rail carrier over the tracks of which the intercity passenger train operates or reasonably addressed by the intercity passenger rail operator”, and to impose penalties that “fairly reflect the extent to which Amtrak suffers financial loss as a result of host rail carrier delays or failure to achieve minimum standards; and will adequately deter future actions which may reasonably be expected to be likely to result in delays to Amtrak.” The Amtrak Board of Directors on August 29 appointed Alexander Kummant to be the eighth president and CEO of Amtrak. In a news release, Amtrak Chairman David Laney said, “Alex Kummant has the outstanding credentials and experience to lead a changing Amtrak that is more customer-focused and fiscally responsible… His appointment fulfills the board’s commitment to select an extraordinarily strong and capable leader for Amtrak’s future, building on the growing national desire for more and improved passenger rail service.” His railroad experience includes three positions at Union Pacific 1999-2003 (Vice President and General Manger—Industrial Products; Vice President—Premium Operations, and finally Regional Vice President—Central Region). Also, quoting Amtrak’s release, “Kummant’s first job on the railroad came at age 18 in Lorain, Ohio, working on a track crew for the Lake Terminal Railroad at the U.S. Steel Lorain Works.” In April, 2005, he joined heavy equipment maker Komatsu America Corp. as executive vice president and chief marketing officer. His profile in the June 1, 2005, Crane’s Chicago Business began this way: “Alex Kummant has a self-confessed ‘emotional tie to big stuff in industrial settings.’ In a pipe mill he has shouldered a sledgehammer. At Union Pacific Railroad, where he managed regional operations for four years, seeing engines charge across the Great Plains gave him goose bumps. Until this year he was president of Bomag, a German manufacturer of steamrollers and other hefty machines.” Kummant comes to Amtrak from Supplier Invensys Controls, which he joined in May as vice president/general manager of Controls Americas with responsibility for the overall Americas business. Sen. Charles M. Schumer (D-NY) told the Wall Street Journal, “It’s good they finally appointed someone, but given this administration’s record on Amtrak, we need to know whether he was brought in to build up Amtrak or tear it down? We await what he’ll have to say about Amtrak’s future.” Sen. Tom Carper (D-DE) said Kummant’s hiring “should also help Amtrak to better work with its partners in the freight rail business.” Kummant reached out to NARP this week, in courtesy phone conversations with President George Chilson and Executive Director Ross Capon. Amtrak’s Capitol Corridor expanded service began this past Monday. A full schedule is available at the Capitol Corridor website. Unreserved Capitol Corridor tickets are now accepted on San Joaquin trains between Oakland and Martinez, adding four more round trip frequencies to that segment of the route. The Capitols now trail only the Northeast Corridor for service frequency of an Amtrak-operated route. Amtrak and Virginia officials met yesterday in Richmond regarding the future of passenger rail in Virginia. This meeting followed published reports that Amtrak was planning to eliminate one of two daily round trips to Newport News. After the meeting, Matt Tucker, director of the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation, told the Richmond Times-Dispatch, “As a result of this positive meeting, and the willingness of all parties to discuss the need for improved passenger rail service in Virginia, Amtrak is not planning to make any changes to Virginia service at this time.” While Virginia does not provide operating support to Amtrak for the Richmond and Newport News service, over the past few years they have begun to heavily invest in the infrastructure between Richmond and Washington. In addition, a rail investment fund has been established. Besides those pictured and mentioned on the front page of our August newsletter, projects in the near future include long-needed investment in the trackage in downtown Richmond, long a thorn in the side of Newport News service. Upgraded track, signals, and installation of a new crossover will eliminate a major bottleneck and source of delays for the Newport News service. Investments are occurring elsewhere in Virginia as well, including a new track connection in Charlottesville that will enable the Cardinal to stay on Norfolk Southern tracks all the way to the Charlottesville station, which should shave between 30 and 40 minutes from the train’s schedule, even taking into the needed back-up move. A U.S. Census survey released August 29 shows that the average daily commute in the United States has slipped from 25.5 minutes to 25.1 minutes, or a reduction of 48 seconds per day. Despite this “massive” reduction, John B. Towsend II of AAA Washington told the Associated Press, “We spend more time stuck in traffic and commuting (each year) than we spend on vacation.” The reduction may be a pure statistical manipulation, as it has been documented that more jobs are leaving urban cores and radiating out to suburbs, which of course encourages rural sprawl. Two statistics of concern: solo driving increased from 75.7% to 77% and carpooling dropped from 12.2% to 10.7%. Mass transit use stayed virtually flat at 4.7%. It is important to note, however, that most of these statistics do not take into account recent gas price spikes (and thus the observations of many transit agencies that ridership is up). Transit’s market share is growing in the national capital region, however, and most of the Washington Post’s front-page coverage of the Census data elaborated on this. “The Washington area, where 13% of workers get to their jobs by bus or rail, ranks behind only New York and San Francisco in use of mass transit. The region has zoomed past Boston and Chicago since the 2000 Census. Two-thirds of workers still drive to their jobs alone, but that share appears to have leveled off since 2000. The popularity of carpools continues to fade…Alan E. Pisarski, a transportation consultant…said…the region’s increasing use of mass transit is a turnaround from the 1990s, when it dropped. That contrasts with much of the East Coast, Pisarski said, but transit use is soaring in many western states where routes are opening.” The owner of New London Union Station now wants Amtrak and Greyhound to stay, but needs help in covering expenses. Todd O’Donnell told the Norwich Bulletin this week that he does not intend to evict Amtrak or Greyhound from Union Station, but that he needs the public sector to address the losses he is incurring operating the facility. “This station has been in operation for over 120 years. Hopefully it will stay as a train station,” O’Donnell said, “(but) we cannot continue to provide public services at private expense.” One example he cited was the $40,000 a year he spends maintaining the station’s bathrooms. Canadian Pacific is performing a trackwork project near Portage, WI. Monday-Thursday, September 11-October 26, the eastbound Empire Builder will hold at La Crosse for one hour, or until 11:37am, to allow the track gang to clear, then operate into Chicago. All connections are still guaranteed and Amtrak will handle any missed connections in Chicago. Hurricane/Tropical Storm Ernesto has caused problems for Amtrak trains all week. Today, after departures of trains from Richmond this morning, service south of Washington, DC was cancelled (except for the Cardinal and Crescent) due to heavy rains, flooding, and power outages in Tidewater Virginia and the Carolinas. Here is how the service is returning: Special trains on the Silver Meteor schedule between Miami and Savannah are running southbound today and tomorrow, and ran northbound today. Trains originating Saturday will operate normally, except: #98 (northbound Silver Meteor) will not run, #90 (Palmetto from Savannah) will not have Business Class; #194 will originate in Richmond instead of Newport News; and trains 82, 88, and 66 will originate in Washington rather than Virginia. Trains originating Sunday will operate normally except that #98 (northbound Silver Meteor) will not run. Sep 11, 2006: Hotline #466September 8, 2006 (first paragraph updated September 11, 2006) S. 1516, the bipartisan rail passenger reauthorization, is likely to be before the Senate in the upcoming weeks. We will update the Action Alert section of our web site as more information because available. We expect three bad amendments. One by John Sununu (R-NH) would kill the long-distance network by requiring Amtrak to discontinue trains that lose more than a certain amount of money per passenger. Another Sununu amendment would allow an entity other than Amtrak or the host railroad to petition FRA to replace Amtrak as the operator of a route. This is unlikely to have a substantive impact because freight railroads have no incentive to (or benefit from) giving such access rights to such an entity. However, the amendment could create problems by antagonizing both the freight railroads and rail labor. Finally, an amendment by Jeff Sessions (R-AL) would strike language aimed at facilitating reduction of Amtrak’s debt. In May, 2005, then DOT Inspector General Kenneth Mead testified told a Senate appropriations panel that Amtrak was paying interest rates as high as 9.5% on some debt, and that Congress should consider discharging portions of Amtrak’s debt where that was financially advantageous. S. 1516 tries to make that happen, but Sessions apparently doesn’t want it to. Contact your Senators and urge them to support S.1516, but oppose the both Sununu amendments and the Sessions amendments. NARP President George Chilson, who lived in Arizona part of the time she headed the state’s DOT, said, “I had the pleasure of working with her when she was director of the Arizona Department of Transportation. I found her to be smart, creative and action oriented as well as open minded and willing to listen. I was most impressed by the fact that she had a strong belief in multi-modal transportation. I believe she understands that rail will become an increasingly important component of our transportation system as we confront the dual challenges of intractable congestion and rising oil prices.” See the NARP blog for entries about Peters by NARP Board member Mike Garey of Peoria, Arizona; NARP Executive Director Ross Capon; and NARP President George Chilson. On September 1, 2006, Governor John Baldacci of Maine signed an executive order to study the expansion of Amtrak’s Downeaster line to areas north of Portland. This was in response to growing ridership on Amtrak’s Downeaster and increased congestion on Maine’s highways. The order is a product of hard work by TrainRiders Northeast President (and NARP Vice President) Wayne Davis and Northeast New England Passenger Rail Authority Executive Director Patricia Douglas. The order focuses on three critical issues: economic development surrounding existing and planned train stations; the economic impact of passenger rail service on economic growth; and possible service expansion to points north, including Brunswick and Lewiston-Auburn. Through the first 10 months of Fiscal 2006 (October-July), Downeaster ridership was up 27% from the same period a year earlier. The train handled slightly more riders in those 10 months (275,100) than in all of fiscal 2005 (275,000). Baldacci clearly understands that passenger rail service is an attractive and logical alternative to crowded highways and $3 gasoline. Other states throughout the country should follow Maine’s example and realize how important passenger rail is to improving the efficiency of the nation’s mobility. Amtrak recently reactivated the floodgates that protect the Hudson River and East River tunnels in New York City. In the event of a flooding situation—be it a natural disaster or terrorist attack—the gates could be lowered and thus prevent mass destruction in lower Manhattan. The New York Daily News reported that the gates had been allowed to fall into disrepair, but recent work returned them to service. The project is part of Amtrak’s efforts to upgrade life safety features of the Hudson and East River tunnels. A passenger on the California Zephyr died near Glenwood Springs, Colorado of natural causes. However, his daughter, traveling with him, hid his body from the crew and other passengers in their sleeping car room until the train’s arrival in Chicago. When questioned by authorities in Chicago, the passenger said that her father had terminal cancer and that she could not have afforded to ship his body home. The Silver Star was delayed in Jacksonville on Monday while police investigated accusations of suspicious activity amongst several passengers. The train, minus the two rear coaches, eventually departed Jacksonville nearly six hours late. Some passengers were housed in Jacksonville overnight and put on the next day’s train. Five passengers involved in the suspicious activity were initially detained and questioned, but later released. Hammond, LA, along the route of the City of New Orleans, will be staffed seven days a week, up from five, effective today. Hours will be 10:00am to 5:15pm and checked baggage service once again will be offered. A reminder: Amtrak and MARC commuter rail service at Harpers Ferry, WV, is suspended through September 19. The long-overdue reconstruction of the station, funded by the National Park Service, is at a point that requires work on the parking lot and drop-off area. Due to the location of the station, a temporary boarding site is not practical. No other stops on the line will be affected; the closest station for most Amtrak passengers is Martinsburg, WV. Trackwork in Oregon has been completed ahead of schedule, therefore the Coast Starlight is no longer holding in Klamath Falls, OR for the track gang to finish the day’s work. All scheduled times are as shown in the printed timetable. A number of long-time critics of Amtrak put out a September 5 news release, which included a letter to the NARP Board of Directors, and a note promoting Joseph Vranich’s latest anti-Amtrak book. This diatribe contains several factual errors and misrepresentations, as discussed on our Blog. Sep 15, 2006: Hotline #467S. 1516, the long-awaited rail passenger reauthorization, could be on the Senate floor next Tuesday, Sept. 19, or any time thereafter. For more information on the three bad amendments, take the link from today’s Blog item. For more information on the bill itself, go to our Action Alert Center, which also has a link to our amendments discussion. The Sununu “shut-down-the-system” amendment would prohibit federal support for any route losing more than $200 the first year, $175 the second year, $150 the third year, $125 the fourth year and $100 any subsequent year. This would leave nothing except Auto Train and Palmetto standing at the end. The amendment would hurt Amtrak financially. The “Southwest Chief,” one of two routes that would fail Sununu’s first-year test, is actually the system’s fourth strongest-performing long-distance route in terms of loss per passenger-mile (a measure of economic performance; behind Auto Train, Palmetto, Empire Builder). Sununu’s “loss per passenger” measure is simply a rough proxy for average trip length of passengers using a given route. Thus, this amendment clashes with the underlying bill’s goal of moderately reducing the operating grant over six years (FY 2006-2011). The Sessions amendment would eliminate from S.1516 the authority for the Secretary of Treasury to “discharge such Amtrak debt as would be financially advantageous.” The section merely enables Treasury to do this, it does not force such action. This is a chance to save the taxpayers money on debt the federal government otherwise would pay; some Amtrak debt is as high as 9.5%. This is not a windfall for Amtrak’s authorization, since its authorization would be reduced by the amount of any resulting debt service savings. Amtrak President and CEO Alex Kummant, whose first day on the job was September 12, will testify September 28 before the Railroads Subcommittee of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. Amtrak and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania announced completion of improvements to the Philadelphia-Harrisburg line this week. New expanded service, including new frequencies, 90 minute express service, and all-electric operation, will begin on October 30. Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell said, “A quality transportation system is essential for economic development and growth as well as improving the quality of life for our residents. Upgrading the Keystone Corridor is an example of the positive investments we are making.” Appropriations’ On-Time Language: While S. 1516 is clearly the top priority right now, be aware that the DOT appropriations bill passed earlier by the Senate Appropriations Committee has good language dealing with on-time performance. Freight railroads are pushing to get this language dropped. Union Pacific did well handling the Coast Starlight this week. Of six southbound trips originating Friday, September 8 through Wednesday September 13, Los Angeles arrivals ranged from 46 minutes late to 19 minutes early. During the same period, Seattle arrivals ranged from 32 minutes early to 2 hours 8 minutes late. Time will tell whether this lasts, and whether it spreads to other Amtrak trains on UP. Rail and Transit Security: Yesterday, the Senate on a 98-0 vote passed its Port Security bill (S. 4954) late yesterday afternoon. According to Sen. John McCain’s (R-AZ) web site, “the McCain rail security amendment is based on S. 1379, the Rail Security Act of 2005. A nearly identical bill passed the Senate by unanimous consent during the 108th Congress, and a similar measure was reported by the Senate Commerce Committee during the 107th Congress. This legislation authorizes resources to ensure rail transportation security receives a high priority in our efforts to secure our country from terrorism. It also authorizes funding to address long-standing fire and life-safety needs for several tunnels along the Northeast Corridor.” Transportation Weekly said the bill “authorizes $1.15 billion…for passenger and freight rail security activities, including both capital and operating security grants for rail carriers and Amtrak tunnel upgrades along the Northeast Corridor.” The bill also “authorizes $3.5 billion…for public transportation security activities, including both capital and operating security grants for local public transit agencies.” It is unclear how much of this authorized funding will actually get appropriated. New York Penn Station was briefly evacuated due to a security scare on September 11, the fifth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. An unattended package was later deemed to be harmless. The anniversary reminds us that a transportation policy focused on air-and-highway-only planning is foolish and that trains can, and should, play an increasing role in policy vision. The American Society of Civil Engineers has given the United States infrastructure a grade of “D”. The annual rating, part of the Association’s annual conference, evaluates, “aviation, bridges, dams, drinking water, energy, hazardous waste, navigable waterways, public parks and recreation, railroads, roads, schools, security, solid waste, transit and wastewater,” and the physical condition of each. The report found that while some progress has been made, 1 in 4 highway bridges is “deficient” or “obsolete.” NARP’s Ross Capon was on the air briefly in a Marketplace Morning Report segment on Amtrak September 12. Capon’s article on Amtrak on-time performance appears in the September-October issues of Association Highlights, a journal of the Association of Transportation Law Professionals. Marketplace, the American Public Media radio program on many public radio stations, normally does a good, well-balanced reporting job. However, their observance of Kummant’s first day on the job was devoted solely to a lengthy interview with Joseph Vranich, who again castigated Amtrak for starting an empty train in Wisconsin “not long ago” – he was referring to the Chicago-Janesville Lake Country Ltd. which actually started over six years ago, and lasted less than two years. Vranich also has an anti-S.1516, anti-Amtrak column in today’s New York Sun. Sep 22, 2006: Hotline #468September 22, 2006 S. 1516, the long-awaited rail passenger reauthorization, remains a possibility for the Senate floor the week of September 25, the Senate’s last week before the election recess. The later we wait, the less likely the bill will come to the floor. Therefore, if you have a Republican senator, please ask him or her to press Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-TN) to bring the bill up. For more information on the bad amendments, click here. For more information on the bill itself, go to our Action Alert Center, which also has a link to our amendments discussion. (The next two paragraphs primarily repeat material from last week.) The Sununu “shut-down-the-system” amendment would prohibit federal support for any route losing more than $200 per passenger the first year, $175 the second year, $150 the third year, $125 the fourth year and $100 any subsequent year. This would leave nothing except Auto Train and Palmetto standing at the end. The amendment would hurt Amtrak financially. The “Southwest Chief,” one of two routes that would fail Sununu’s first-year test, is actually the system’s fourth strongest-performing long-distance route in terms of loss per passenger-mile (a measure of economic performance; behind Auto Train, Palmetto, Empire Builder). Sununu’s “loss per passenger” measure is simply a rough proxy for average trip length of passengers using a given route. Thus, this amendment clashes with the underlying bill’s goal of a modest reduction in the operating grant over the six-year period FY 2006-2011. The Sessions amendment would eliminate from S.1516 the authority for the Secretary of Treasury to “discharge such Amtrak debt as would be financially advantageous.” The section merely enables Treasury to do this, it does not force such action. This is a chance to save the taxpayers money on debt the federal government otherwise would pay; some Amtrak debt is as high as 9.5%. This is not a windfall for Amtrak’s authorization, since its authorization would be reduced by the amount of any resulting debt service savings. Mary Peters got a warm reception from the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation at her September 20 confirmation hearing. Answering a question from Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ), she said “I…agree we need a national rail passenger system.” Sen. Conrad Burns (R-MT) urged Peters to put some people at the Department of Transportation who understand that Amtrak must be in the overall transportation mix. “They say no one rides the train. I say, ‘Just try getting a reservation on the Empire Builder.’” Sen. Olympia Snowe (R-ME) noted that Maine’s right to use Congestion Mitigation Air Quality funds to support the Downeaster expires in 2009. Snowe wanted Peters’ views on letting Maine continue using those funds for passenger rail. Peters, who once headed Arizona DOT, responded that, “as a former state DOT official I encourage that. Having that kind of flexibility and state involvement will be critical in the future.” Chairman Ted Stevens (R-AK) concluded the friendly hearing by observing, with a smile, “You’ve made a lot of promises you can’t keep, but that’s O.K.” NARP issued a news release on the hearing and sent a letter supportive of Peters to Chairman Stevens. Amtrak announced that former acting President and CEO, David Hughes was leaving the company. New Amtrak President and CEO Alexander Kumant, praised Hughes in a message to Amtrak’s employees saying that Hughes “helped improve safety and revitalize Amtrak’s infrastructure program.” Hughes’ departure coincides with the completion of an investigation by the Amtrak Inspector General of the company’s engineering department when Hughes served as its’ chief engineer in 2005, briefly mentioned in The Wall Street Journal on September 18. Amtrak officials declined to discuss the findings of the report or make the report public. Mr. Hughes served as acting president and CEO after David L. Gunn, a veteran transit turnaround expert, was fired by Amtrak’s board last November. Upon taking over the reigns of Amtrak, Kumant stated that Hughes would remain with Amtrak in an unspecified position. Several brokerage firms awarded the rail industry with favorable stock ratings due to increased shipping demand this fall. Wall Street insiders are even forecasting a solid sector performance in the event of an economic slowdown or a recession. Citigroup initiated buy ratings on shares of BNSF Railway, Norfolk Southern, CSX, and Canadian National, while Union Pacific, and Canadian Pacific were assigned hold ratings. Citigroup analyst John Kartsonas said, “Burlington Northern should continue to benefit from shipping coal from western states, that Norfolk Southern will likely enjoy the lowest operating ratio among U.S. railroads, and that CSX appears undervalued as it increases productivity and exhibits better flow in its network.” A high-speed maglev train derailed in Northern Germany today killing at least 21 people and injuring others. The train which was reportedly traveling around 120 mph, derailed after colliding with a maintenance vehicle that was parked on the track. High-speed magnetic levitation trains are propelled by electrically charged magnets that allow the train to hover just above the track, eliminating friction. The train is capable of reaching 280 mph. Japanese railway officials are investigating a train accident that is believed to have been caused by a tornado. Inspectors from the Land, Infrastructure and Transport Ministry’s Railway and Aircraft Accident Investigation Committee arrived in Nobeoka and began an examination of the carriages that derailed on the JR Nippo Line. The accident occurred on Sunday when two front carriages of the five car train derailed and rolled over. The driver was quoted as saying, “I applied the emergency brakes after seeing trees that were swaying violently, but the carriage I was in was lifted up as soon as the train stopped and rolled over to the right.” Fortunately, only six people were slightly injured. Plans to construct a train station at Harrisburg International Airport are re-gaining momentum after Amtrak approved agreements which allow the airport to seek more money to build the station. The airport has about half of the $16.5 million needed for the project, and hopes to receive the rest from government sources. So far, the state has earmarked $8.7 million for the station, including $2.2 million from the federal government. Corridor One, the region’s proposed commuter rail system has also chipped in with $4.5 million. However, Amtrak is not providing any money, according to Amtrak spokeswoman Tracy Connell. The station would increase passenger use of the airport, especially by business travelers who would find it more convenient to take the train than a car to HIA. Susquehanna Area Regional Airport Authority board Chairman John Ward said he “believes the station can lure more business travelers who now fly out of Philadelphia or Baltimore/Washington.” Amtrak wants to close its station in Middletown when the new station opens. The Blackhawk Area Railroad Coalition announced that a feasibility study being conducted to lure passenger rail service back through northwest Illinois will likely be completed by February 2007, according to co-chair Janet Fisher. In a meeting with coalition members on Monday, Fisher announced that the study should be completed sometime between December and February. After the study is completed the organization will begin to push for support and funding from the state and federal governments. The group is pushing for the resurrection of Amtrak’s Black Hawk line, which ran from Chicago to Dubuque, Iowa, until 1981 - including stops in Rockford, Freeport and Galena, along with other destinations. The next meeting of the coalition is set for 6:30 p.m. Nov. 14 at Rockford City Hall. For more information on this project, visit the group’s Web site. The start of CREATE (Chicago Region Environmental and Transportation Efficiency Project), officially began on Monday when local, state, and federal officials gathered on the Southwest Side of Chicago. The event took place at the Brighton Park Junction, a 19th century-era crossing where four major rail lines converge. All trains, from 100-car freights to Amtrak and Metra trains, must come to a complete stop at the busy intersection until a switch-tender working inside a shed clears them to proceed. The project will begin with funding for only about a fifth of the estimated $1.5 billion cost of the entire CREATE project. The initial $300 million will be used for preliminary and engineering work, plus some start-up construction to increase the speed of freight trains delivering goods from the West Coast. Congress, which provided a $100 million in SAFETEA-LU, will not invest any more money for at least three more years, when the next multiyear federal transportation-funding bill should take effect—a shockingly sad commentary on the inability of the U.S. to address its highest priority rail infrastructure needs expeditiously. The Music City Star, which connects the cities of Nashville and Lebanon, Tennessee, made its debut on Tuesday morning. According to the Regional Transportation Authority, 345 passengers put the new $40 million route to use Tuesday morning. RTA spokeswoman Teresa McKissick said the rail line was not sweating numbers at the moment, but focusing on customer service, getting riders to and from Nashville dependably and comfortably. There were a few mishaps reported, including a ticket machine dispensing a receipt instead of a ticket to one customer, and trash truck breaking the arm of a rail crossing signal. Overall, a majority of the passengers were very satisfied and happy that they did not have to deal with rush hour traffic. The temporary, one-hour-later schedule for the Heartland Flyer has been extended through October 13 to allow completion of a BNSF Railway trackwork project. Both the southbound and northbound trains will depart all stations one hour later than printed in the timetable. San Diego Chargers fans can once again ride Amtrak and the San Diego Trolley to home games at Qualcomm Stadium. On game days, extra Pacific Surfliners will stop at the Old Town station in San Diego, where Amtrak ticket holders can transfer for free to the San Diego Trolley to get to the stadium. Use code X544 when booking your Amtrak ticket. Talk about service going to the dogs. Several New York City Subway “Q” trains were delayed on Tuesday by a dog who was walking in the middle of the tracks. According to the New York Times, the pooch, “had led the Q train in a weird sort of herding exercise for several stops, striding unfazed in front as the train inched along behind…It stuck inside the two rails, stayed clear of the electrified third rail, and appeared, for quite a while, well, headed to a breakfast meeting in Manhattan.” Transit officials eventually rescued the dog and service was restored. Sep 29, 2006: Hotline #469S.1516 is part of a long list of hoped-for pieces of work that have fallen by the wayside on Capitol Hill, at least for now. The bill is unlikely to come to the Senate floor before the Senate’s election recess begins today or tomorrow. Congress will reconvene for a “lame duck” session, probably November 13. Only one appropriations bill (Defense) will be signed by President Bush prior to October 1, the beginning of Fiscal Year 2007. This contains a Continuing Resolution to fund the rest of the government, including the Department of Transportation and thus Amtrak, through November 17. Amtrak will be funded at the House-approved level of $1.114 billion, which should not be a problem because the level is temporary, and each agency normally gets retroactively the full value of its finally-decided funding level. However, since the Transportation appropriations bill is not complete, the danger remains that attempts to slash Amtrak funding may occur after the elections, especially in light of increased budgetary pressures since the final defense bill leaves $5 billion less for domestic priorities than Senate committees assumed. During the next month leading up to the November elections, House and Senate members will be in their home districts, campaigning (one-third of the Senate and all House members are up for re-election) and holding town hall meetings. Tell your elected officials that you want Amtrak’s fiscal 2007 appropriation to be at the Senate committee-approved level of $1.4 billion and tell Senators that you want S.1516 to come to the Senate floor in November. Go to our Action Alert Center for full details. On Monday September 25, the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee approved Mary Peters to be the next Transportation Secretary. Ms. Peters was praised by both Democrats and Republicans at a September 20 hearing before the committee, leading to a unanimous vote in her favor. The full Senate is expected to confirm her, possibly today or tomorrow. Details on Peters’ confirmation hearing are in last week’s hotline [UPDATE: Peters was confirmed by the full Senate late Friday evening and will be sworn in either this weekend or Monday]. On Thursday, the House Subcommittee on Railroads held a hearing titled “New Hands on the Amtrak Throttle”—the first hearing for new Amtrak President and CEO Alex Kummant. He got a warm welcome from the subcommittee. Kummant’s brief opening statement included this: “I believe long-distance trains are an important part of the nation’s transportation network, and I believe it is our challenge to run them in the most efficient and effective way. That said, I understand how important these trains are as a form of basic transportation to many small communities across the nation.” Of course, we will be watching with interest to see how he defines “efficient and effective.” He also commented on the importance of rail corridors to Amtrak’s growth and continuing to partner with states on expanding passenger rail service. The subcommittee had a wide range of questions for Kummant, ranging from labor issues to railroad security. When questioned by Chairman Steve LaTourette (R-OH) regarding solutions to on-time performance problems and capacity, Kummant responded: “In the end, the answer has to be capital…We need to sit down with the freights [railroads] and ask them to come up with a plan. But we do have contracts, and we have to hold them to those contracts.” Rep. John Mica (R-FL) never misses a chance to criticize Amtrak, even doing so in Wednesday’s hearing on aviation finance (he is the chairman of that subcommittee), “(I am) a strong supporter of long distance passenger rail, and high-speed rail. However, I am not in favor of the Soviet Style current Amtrak system.” Referring to aviation infrastructure, he said, “I hope this isn’t run with the ineptness of our quasi-government run passenger rail system.” Mica argued again for segregating the Northeast Corridor and allowing the private sector the opportunity to help build and expand service. But subcommittee ranking member Corrine Brown (D-FL), took the opposite tack, saying “the Bush Administration tried to destroy [Amtrak] from within, by splitting the Northeast Corridor off…I’m glad the board has backed off on those efforts for now.” At the end of his comments, Mica again used the “Soviet style train experience” analogy. But the hearing was mostly upbeat. Brown called Kummant, “a bright spot in this administration and Amtrak. I am looking for very positive things.” Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) concluded, “I’m hopeful we’ll be able to work with you and a full board, by the next Congress, to be able to realize the potential you describe. In spite of some in Congress, the public favors it too strongly to let it die.” The Maryland Department of Transportation has allocated $25 million toward acquiring and refurbishing a Baltimore maintenance yard now owned by CSX Corporation. This move will eventually help improve and expand the MARC commuter services. This item was the largest single addition to the department’s six-year Consolidated Transportation Program. Transportation Secretary Robert L. Flanagan said the planned acquisition of the CSX Riverside facility on the Camden Line in South Baltimore could help MARC gain more control over its operations. For years, MARC officials have claimed that the maintenance of their equipment has been overlooked on the list of priorities for Amtrak and CSX, which own the lines on which the commuter trains operate. Maryland transportation officials feel that acquiring this facility could help in the long term with an expansion of capacity on MARC, which has experienced a steady growth of ridership in spite of its often-inconsistent service. MARC officials are also moving along with a sorely needed renovation and expansion of the Halethorpe station (on the southwest side of Baltimore). Amtrak and state officials have finally agreed on major terms of the $12-million project. Amtrak owns the tracks and right-of-way MARC uses as well as the air rights over the tracks. The Halethorpe station is one of 13 stops on the MARC Penn line, which runs between Perryville, Md., and Washington’s Union Station. The Halethorpe station is one of the most heavily used on MARC’s Penn Line, yet it only has a two-car long platform, and no disabled access. Earlier this week a chartered train carrying the Washington Nationals back from their series in New York derailed. No one was injured, but the teams travel plans were delayed. According to Amtrak, the train derailed around 1:30 a.m. near Wilmington, Del., when the locomotive’s rear wheels went off the track. According to Amtrak spokeswoman Tracie Connell, “the rear wheels of the locomotive lost contact with the tracks. There was no leaning [of the cars]. Everything remained upright.” Mark Rogoff, a Nationals spokesman who was a member of the traveling party, said not all members of the team even felt a jolt when the train derailed. The team was transferred to an Acela train just after 3 a.m., causing the team to arrive Washington’s Union Station about 1 hour and 45 minutes late. Since arriving in the District last year, the Nationals have traveled exclusively by chartered train between Washington, Philadelphia and New York, and almost all players have said it was their preferred method of travel. Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich on Monday unveiled details of the new Amtrak trains that will connect Carbondale with Chicago beginning Oct. 30. The Saluki, named in honor of Southern Illinois University’s canine mascot, will depart northbound from Carbondale at 7:30 a.m. and arrive from Chicago at 2:45 p.m. Existing Amtrak schedules for Carbondale - 3:16 a.m. and 4:05 p.m. departures and arrivals there of 9:35 p.m. and 1:21 a.m. - will remain the same. The added passenger rail service is part of $12 million expansion in the amount of money Illinois government pays Amtrak to run trains within the state. The increase in the number of state trains is designed to give travelers more options and stimulate business and tourism. Maine Governor John Baldacci announced a fifth frequency that will be added to the Downeaster service, effective October 30. Until new passing sidings are built on Pan Am Railways (former Guilford) trackage, the new service will be operated with motorcoaches. The new frequencies will fill two holes in the current Downeaster schedule. In addition, timing of other trains will be changed, including shifting the first train to arrive in Boston before 8:30 a.m. |
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