|
||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Jun 01, 2007: Hotline #503Legislators return to Washington next week and one of the top items on the legislative agenda will be the Fiscal 2008 appropriations bills. Tell your members of Congress that you want to see Amtrak fully funded, without micromanaging legislative language. Full details are in our Action Alert Center. Oak Ridge National Laboratories released updated data on transportation energy efficiency this week, and the news is good for passenger rail. The 2005 data show that the automobile consumed 27.2% more energy (British Thermal Units) per passenger-mile than Amtrak, and that domestic airline services consumed 20.5% more than Amtrak. These figures reflect actual air and Amtrak load factors. If federal policy encouraged more people to ride the train, the Amtrak showing would be even stronger. Cars now are less efficient than airplanes. Private vehicles fare even worse when widely-used light (2-axle, 4-tire) trucks are considered, since they consume 41% more BTUs per vehicle mile than cars. Read NARP Executive Director Ross Capon’s statement issued today, as well as a page here on our website giving more detail about the Oak Ridge numbers. The Federal Railroad Administration operated their T-18 test car over parts of CSX Transportation’s “S Line” this week—the route of the Silver Star south from Cary, NC (just west of Raleigh) to Savannah, GA (via. Columbia, SC). The first 85 miles tested resulted in most of the line having 10 mph slow orders placed on it. As a result, until further notice, the Silver Star is detouring from Selma to Hamlet. The extent of this detour may well grow as the T-18 car moves south and more railroad is inspected. Motorcoach service is being provided for the missed stops—Raleigh, Cary, and Southern Pines. Job cuts at the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation have worried rail advocates across the Commonwealth. On May 11, VDRPT Rail Director Matthew Tucker laid off eight of the agency’s 37 member staff. Tucker argued that the cuts were necessary since the agency had not had a strategic plan or business plan review in over 15 years. The results of that recent plan recommended laying off staff and bringing consultants in to focus on specific specialty projects. Many worry that the institutional knowledge VDRPT lost, including passenger rail director Alan Tobias and his staff, bodes ill for the future. “The thing I don’t understand about the department’s decision is, the people with the greatest experience in passenger rail left the department,” Lynchburg Chamber of Commerce President Rex Hammond said. “If you’re removing a skill set, what are they going to replace it with?” Tucker assured stakeholders that state investment in rail will continue to grow and projects, such as the Trans Dominion Express, will move forward. The Trans Dominion Express would run from Bristol to Lynchburg with separate branches to Richmond and to Charlottesville-Washington. Here is new information about the California Zephyr’s schedule change, and about dates for the Wyoming detour (updates to previous items in this hotline and NARP News):
Amtrak will sell more rooms in Transition Dorm sleepers on Superliner-equipped trains, effective May 24. Last year, more space was opened up for summer sales; that program will now extend year round with as many as eight rooms being available during peak summer travel time. At least four rooms will be available on all trains (except Auto Train) year-round. VIA Rail Canada and the Providence of Alberta are working on plans for a high speed rail line between Edmonton and Calgary. VIA participated in a feasibility study. According to CEO Paul Cote, “This is not a VIA Rail decision…But we don’t want to disassociate ourselves from development of research and design of this project.” Cote does not foresee much if any federal funding for the project, placing the burden on the Provincial government. The first TGV from Paris to Frankfurt operated last Friday. Revenue service begins June 10. The route is envisioned as a major part of an eventual high speed rail network from Barcellona to Budapest. Most European countrys have high speed rail service, but there is not an extensive network of international links. Travel time from Frankfurt to Paris will be 3 ½ hours, versus 6 ¼ hours with conventional service. One major marketing push for the new service is the environmental benefits of rail travel versus air travel. General Electric presented its newest hybrid locomotive to the public this week. The new unit is the first hybrid engine designed for mainline operation (there have been several hybrid switcher locomotive designs). The locomotive uses a series of batteries to collect energy generated by dynamic braking and will use up to 10% less fuel than a comparable locomotive. In addition, an onboard computer manages fuel consumption and turns on and off the hybrid motive feature. President Bush yesterday did a U-turn on climate change, asking the world’s leading economies to join the US in agreeing on a global target for carbon dioxide emissions reductions before he leaves office. Financial Times editorialized today, “The rest of the industrialized world already has such a target…and has had it for over a decade…Mr. Bush is right to insist that China and India eventually play their part in reducing emissions. Both remain poor countries, however, and will not act any time soon. That will not change until the US takes the lead rather than asserting that it is already a leader.” The President remains opposed to adoption, at the next week’s Group of Eight nations meeting, of language limiting permissible increases in global temperature. German Chancellor Angela Merkel wants the G8 to lead an effort to limit the rise in global temperatures to two degrees C. The Germans suggest, and Europeans have agreed, a target of 50% cut in greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 and 20% improvement in energy efficiency by 2020. The Financial Times editorial also said Bush “should have acknowledged that innovations large and small respond to incentives…The key incentive for innovation should be a credible price on carbon, whether through emissions permits or…a carbon tax.” The White House, however, still rules out carbon trading, even though 10 of the largest U.S. companies in January urged the President to embrace mandatory carbon emissions caps. Also, the Bush Administration “continues to contest the right of 12 states, including California, to set targets to reduce their car emissions – policies which would require a federal waiver” (FT news report today). Nonetheless, the new position is a positive step and a vast improvement over 2001, when then-White House Chief of Staff Andrew Card said—after Bush’s first Europe trip—“The emperor Kyoto was running around for a long time and he was naked. It took President Bush to say, ‘The guy doesn’t have any clothes on.’” But NASA Administrator Michael Griffin apparently still has the 2001 mindset. Today’s Washington Times reports that, in an NPR interview taped Wednesday and broadcast yesterday morning, Griffin said, “I am not sure that it is fair to say that [global warming] is a problem we must wrestle with.” Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-CA), a leading supporter of a US carbon cap-and-trade system, yesterday congratulated the president on accepting her proposal to convene a 12-nation summit: “I stand ready to assist him with the summit and negotiations in any way I can.” Also, Dow Jones reported that, in response to Bush’s statement, the price of European carbon-dioxide permits today reached 24.10 euros a ton on the European Climate Exchange, 4.8% above yesterday’s average price “and continuing a steady rise in carbon prices since February.” Jun 08, 2007: Hotline #504On Monday afternoon at 3:00, the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies will consider its fiscal 2008 funding bill. Democratic leadership has vowed that all bills will be completed and passed by the full House before the Fourth of July recess and that they will work six day weeks to accomplish that if necessary. Democrats are setting up for a showdown with President Bush after Office of Management and Budget director Rob Portman said that he will recommend that the President veto any appropriations bill that exceeds his budget request. Nearly all bills—including the Transportation bill—will exceed the President’s request, so tough fights and possible veto override efforts loom in the future. The message to your legislators still needs to be to fully fund Amtrak’s request and to support S. 294. Go to our Action Alert Center for all the details and links to contact your Members of Congress. Amtrak and GrandLuxe Rail Journeys (formerly American Orient Express) have announced a joint venture where regularly scheduled Amtrak trains will pull seven GrandLuxe cars. GrandLuxe invites passengers to “travel back in time to a more sophisticated, relaxed era when getting there was half the fun. Escape into the attentive service, delicious cuisine, and elegant decór of the GrandLuxe Express with our new, attractively priced service between some of America’s favorite cities.” Initially, service will be offered on the California Zephyr, Southwest Chief, and Silver Meteor, operating two or three times a month. The arrangement is mutually financially beneficial to Amtrak and GrandLuxe. The lack of progress in Amtrak’s negotiations with its unions continues. Yesterday, Transportation Communications Union (TCU) head Robert Scardelletti wrote a letter to his members saying that he believes “that the only way we will get fair contracts with Amtrak is by striking…We are as far away from voluntary settlements today as we were when talks opened in 2000. In fact, we are farther apart than ever. With each year that goes by the cost of retroactive pay gets that much higher.” The tone of Scardelletti’s message seemed to indicate that the TCU does not intend to continue negotiations: he promises his members a full push for release from mediation and a leafleting effort to make passengers aware that a strike, in his words, “is a near certainty.” However, a strike—if it ever took place—is a long way off. First, the National Mediation Board (NMB) must release the parties. Then, if the NMB proffers arbitration and either party refuses to arbitrate, there is a 30-day “status quo” period. If the dispute threatens interstate commerce (as a nationwide Amtrak shutdown would—especially because of impact on commuter agencies), President Bush could establish an Emergency Board to investigate the dispute and make recommendations within 30 days. Parties are free to strike or lockout 30 days after the Emergency Board’s report, and of course Congress can legislate a settlement at the request of the President if the parties fail to reach agreement. The “great commuter rail wall of New York Penn Station” may be closer to coming down. Starting in 2009, Metro North Commuter Railroad plans to run trains through from its New Haven line to Secaucus Junction in the New Jersey meadowlands. From there, passengers would transfer initially to a bus, then after construction of a rail branch a train, to the Meadowlands Sports Complex. The service would operate for New York Giants and New York Jets games and has the potential to serve NASCAR racing fans if a long-proposed speedway at the Meadowlands is built. California’s Washington Congressional delegation has sent a letter to California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger (R.) requesting full funding of high speed rail in his budget. Rep. Jim Costa (D-Fresno) spearheaded the effort, which he called, “a strong signal from Washington that California is serious about high-speed rail.” Schwarzenegger’s budget calls for slashing high speed rail and public transportation funding, while boosting highway spending. The budget request is at complete odds with Schwarzenegger’s public statements and legislative action to curb carbon emissions and improve the environment. Norfolk Southern Corporation has announced plans for the “Crescent Corridor” connecting New Jersey and the southeast United States. The 1,400 mile line would roughly parallel Interstate 81 and may divert as many as 1 million trucks per year from the Interstate. NS is looking for public-private partnerships to fund the project, much like the current “Heartland Corridor” project on the ex-Norfolk and Western Norfolk-Cincinnati mainline (which is raising tunnel clearances to permit double-stack trailers). Virgin Rail in the United Kingdom operated the first revenue passenger train to be pulled by a locomotive operating on bio diesel fuel this week. The modification of a trainset, used in service between London and North Wales, was accomplished as part of a pilot project and includes an initial waiver of the 50 pence of additional tax per litre on bio diesel fuel. New Prime Minister Gordon Brown inspected the train and told reporters that if the project is successful, his government will look at modifying the fuel tax structure for transport operators. Former Massachusetts Governor and Presidential Candidate Michael Dukakis scolded Massachusetts political leaders for their lack of attention to the state’s public transportation network and lauded a plan put forth by state legislators to heavily tax gas-guzzling vehicles to pay for transit improvements. According to the Worcester Telegram, “The proposal would raise registration fees on higher emissions vehicles such as SUVs and light trucks, and lower fees for low emission cars and hybrids. It would dedicate $175 million annually toward…rail projects.” Dukakis told the paper, “We are not talking about a huge amount of money here. You are talking about relatively modest fee scaled depending on the environmental impact of the vehicle you drive…It deals with serious environmental issues by creating an economic incentive for low-emission vehicles.” Next Thursday, June 14, the Pennsylvania Railroad Technical & Historical Society will mount and dedicate a plaque at the Princeton Junction train station to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the first high speed rail operations in the United States. The current Amtrak-owned Northeast Corridor line from a point just north of Trenton to a point just south of New Brunswick has been known for years as “the racetrack” and has featured tests of the original Metroliners, Amfleet cars, Acela Express, and other high speed demonstration equipment. The event is at 1:30pm in the station building on the east (New York-bound) side of the station. It may be of interest to attendees that the 2:29pm New Jersey Transit departure from Princeton Junction to New York City (Train #3952, non-stop express to Newark Penn Station) is scheduled to operate with the new Comet VI bi-level rail cars. At this week’s Group of Eight industrialized nations’ meeting, President Bush promised the US would be “actively involved, if not taking the lead, in a post-Kyoto framework, post-Kyoto agreement,” and leaders agreed begin talks on a follow-up to Kyoto at a UN meeting in Bali. Bush’s statements a week ago had been interpreted as arguing for a climate change agreement outside the UN, but under the G8 declaration the UN will control negotiations, and this pleased many. For example, Hans Verolme, of the environmental group WWF, said, “The US signing up to the G8 agreement is a significant shift.” But Philip Clapp, president of the US National Environmental Trust said, “There is no question that the president wants to make sure that a new international agreement, even if it comes after he has left office, includes as little in the way of binding commitments [on emissions cuts] as possible.” [Quotes from today’s Financial Times.] G8 did not commit to halving emissions by 2050 as German Chancellor Angela Merkel had wanted, but she called this week’s summit a “big success…All of us have made concessions so that we could send this strong signal.” Jun 15, 2007: Hotline #505A new threat to Amtrak and intercity passenger rail has just emerged in the form of an amendment by Rep. John Boozman (R-AR) that would essentially eliminate Amtrak’s preferential access rights to freight lines unless the U.S. Secretary of Transportation first certifies that implementation of said access rights would not cause increased highway congestion, fossil fuel usage, air pollution or greenhouse gas emissions. Boozman seemingly is fixated on the notion that Amtrak trains increase pollution by interfering with freight movements. Please tell your own representative of your strong opposition to this amendment, which Boozman intends to attach to a climate change bill that the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure (T&I) expects to consider (“mark up”) next Wednesday or Thursday (June 20 or 21). T&I at 75 members is the largest committee on Capitol Hill, so chances are good that your rep is either a committee member or good friends with one or more. Go to our Action Alert Center for all the details and links to contact your Members of Congress. The House Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development on June 11 approved legislation that will increase discretionary spending by $2.8 billion for community housing and transportation projects. The legislation would provide $1.4 billion in direct payments to Amtrak, $106 million more than Amtrak got for this year and $600 million more than President Bush requested. Appropriators also would provide $50 million to provide 50% federal matching grants for state investments for inter-city passenger rail projects. The bill is “clean,” but that could change at future steps in the process. On June 12, Amtrak President and CEO, Alex Kummant, along with Chairman David Laney testified before the House Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines and Hazardous Materials. The hearing focused on Amtrak’s strategic initiatives. Amtrak President and CEO, Alex Kummant was optimistic that Amtrak could expand and improve its service as long as it received the necessary federal funding. Amtrak Chairman, David Laney noted that the two most important issues surrounding the growth and vitality of Amtrak are the on-time performance of its long distance trains and the procurement of new equipment. Since coming to Amtrak in the fall of 2006, Kummant has focused on expanding service through the enhancement and development of state corridors. Kummant noted that this can be a challenging endeavor. “While we have enough equipment to serve today’s needs, we lack the equipment it takes to foster corridor development.” Kummant said the Northeast Corridor “is in the best condition it has been in decades,” and that Amtrak will continue to invest in it, even as more attention is afforded to growing state corridors. Both Chairman James Oberstar of the full committee and Rep. John Mica, ranking full-committee member, expressed interest in the possibility of raising the top speed on the Northeast Corridor, and Mica asked whether the corridor should be privatized and leased to an outside entity to expedite its improvement. Kummant said he did not expect to see an increase in the top speed, but there remained significant opportunities to improve running time by eliminating segments of slow running, such as 20-25 mph in the Baltimore tunnels. The ongoing labor dispute between Amtrak and its employees was also a point of contention. When asked about the current contract negotiation, Kummant said that he was optimistic that a deal would be reached soon, and that the issue of back pay is the only major hold-up. He said one contract is out for ratification now, another he believes is near a “hand-shake,” and there is agreement with a third union to commence high-level discussions. Subcommittee Chair Corinne Brown (D-FL) pressed Kummant on restoring service east of New Orleans. She noted that “my office has been full of people who come and talk about it.” Kummant said that he “would like to eliminate the Sunset Ltd. as a lightning rod (for criticism of Amtrak) and focus on corridors along” the New Orleans-Jacksonville route. He also said, “We also have different approaches to” the Sunset Limited west of New Orleans. The New Hampshire House voted 189-120 to establish the New Hampshire Rail Authority. The NHRA would be responsible for studying and overseeing the restoration of commuter rail service from Manchester and Nashua to Boston. The 25-member board will also have authority to buy land, accept grants and loans, and negotiate service contracts with the Massachusetts Bay Transit Authority and the Pan Am Railways Company (formerly Guilford). Even though the idea of passenger rail has been received with open arms by New Hampshire’s voters, there are some state officials who feel that the new service is too costly. Commenting on the amount of state subsidies needed to fund the new service said, Rep. Neal Kurke said, “at that point we’re practically hostages.” Rep. Micheal O’Brien, a major supporter of the bill is a little more optimistic saying, “We are at an important crossing for future of our state, and this bill is definitely on track.” The Chicago Community Development Commission on Tuesday voted to provide a $59 million subsidy to help finance the $457 million redevelopment of Chicago’s Union Station. Currently, the station at 210 S. Canal St. is underused. The new project will inject new life into this building and the surrounding area. The developer, Jones Lang LaSalle Inc., responsible for the redevelopment of Grand Central Terminal in New York and Washington’s Union Station, hopes to build an 18-story tower above the train station that would house a Hilton Hotel, condominiums, as well as the headquarters of American Medical Association. Many people have criticized the idea of using public money for private projects, but officials point out the economic benefits such a project would have on the surrounding community. The project is expected to begin next June, with the hotel scheduled to open in fall 2009. The City Council still must approve the grant. The NARP Board’s May 3 resolution expressing concern about the future of passenger facilities at the Chicago station, and especially the Great Hall, is here on our website. Last week, Amtrak entered into a partnership with the United States Army’s Partnership for Youth Success Program. This program provides career opportunities to soldiers after they have completed their military service. The Army will screen and select soldiers to receive transportation related training throughout the course of their military career and guarantee them an interview with Amtrak upon the completion of their military commitments. Amtrak will then conduct interviews and offer jobs to qualified soldiers. Amtrak has resumed its regular service from Richmond, VA to Raleigh, NC after repairs were made on about 60 miles of track in North Carolina owned by CSX Corp. Last Thursday, freight carrier CSX lowered train speeds from 60 mph to 10 mph after the Federal Railroad Administration found track defects south of Raleigh to Hamlet, NC, near the South Carolina state line. The inspection focused on track width and strength. Amtrak had to reroute passengers, using bus service as an alternative so passengers could reach their destinations. Last Friday, Gov. Christine Gregoire of Washington, and British Columbia Premier Gordon Campbell appeared at Seattle’s King Street Station to announce that Amtrak will be adding another daily round trip to its Cascades service. The new service will run between Vancouver, British Columbia and Portland, Oregon beginning in 2008, in addition to the existing daily service between Seattle and Vancouver. The two leaders also signed an agreement to address climate change and ocean conservation issues. Switzerland has opened the world’s longest rail tunnel. The 34 kilometer Loetschberg tunnel will travel under the Swiss Alp’s reducing travel time between Germany and Italy by a third. The tunnel was built by the Swiss government in order to reduce freight congestion on the roads, as well as to reduce the number of cars traveling through the mountain range. The tunnel will be fully operational in December, and is expected to handle 42 passenger trains and 80 freight trains per day. The estimated cost of the 8 year project was approximately $3.5 billion. A second tunnel is being constructed now and is due for completion in 2015. It will run parallel to the Loetschberg tunnel, and measure 60 kilometers long, making it the longest in the world. It will also cut the travel time from Zurich to Milan to only two-and-a-half hours. The Paris-Strasbourg high speed line that opened June 10 is “the first where potential buyers can see SCNF’s TGV, built by France’s Alstom, run regularly on the same track as Deutsche Bahn’s ICE3, built by Germany’s Siemens,” according to a June 9 story in the Financial Times. The story quotes an Alstom official boasting about TGV’s superior energy efficiency and says Siemens officials “deride the TGV…as 30-year-old technology.” Jun 22, 2007: Hotline #506On Wednesday, the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee approved H.R. 2701, the Transportation Energy Security and Climate Change Mitigation Act of 2007 (the “climate change bill”). The mark-up was originally scheduled for June 14, but was delayed when GOP members unexpectedly announced that they would be offering 14 amendments.
The White House announced that White House Budget Director Rob Portman will be leaving his position in August to spend more time with his family in Cincinnati, Ohio. Portman will be replaced by former House Budget Committee Chairman Jim Nussle, a republican from Iowa. Before he can direct the Office of Management and Budget, Nussle must be confirmed by the Senate. Unlike Portman, Nussle has the reputation of being a “combative partisan”, who will likely bump heads with the new Democratic-controlled Congress. The switch takes place as President Bush attempts to control spending while democrats plan to spend $23 billion more than Bush’ $933 billion limit for Fiscal Year 2008 appropriations bills. Many Democrats had positive words for Portman including House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer who said Portman was “one of the best members with whom I served, a person of keen intellect, a responsible legislator.” When asked about Nussle, Hoyer replied, “I don’t know Mr. Nussle well.” On Thursday, the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee approved the Federal Railroad Improvement Act of 2007. The bill authorizes $18 million for the Transportation Technology Center Inc. to build a training facility in Pueblo, CO. The facility would have a tunnel for training emergency workers in handling accidents and terrorist attacks on underground railroads and stations. The Center is already recognized as one of the world’s leaders in training emergency workers in how to deal with rail, truck and barge accidents that could release hazardous materials. The head of the center’s training operations, Ruben Pena, said that the idea to create a tunnel simulation was sparked by the tragic events of September 11, 2001. This project has been pushed by Rep. John Salazaar (D-CO) and is also supported by Sens. Ken Salazaar (D-CO) and Wayne Allard (R-CO). The center still faces a big fight as other states seek to secure funding for their own railroad safety training and research projects. The TTCI is a for-profit subsidiary of the Association of American Railroads, which leases the Pueblo Center from the Federal Railroad Administration to do research and testing for its members and other clients in the U.S. transportation industry and foreign countries. The Baltimore Metropolitan Council, which consists of Baltimore City Mayor Sheila Dixon and elected officials from the surrounding region are calling on Gov. Martin O’Malley to develop a strategic plan to expand MARC services as the state prepares for a population boost due to planned military base realignments. The group also would like the governor to consider laying extra track for future expansion of the commuter rail service. MARC ridership has steadily increased over the past decade, but its capacity has been constrained by track capacity on the Amtrak and CSX lines it uses. Amtrak owns the Penn Line between Perryville and Washington, while CSX controls the Baltimore-Washington Camden Line and the Washington-Brunswick-Martinsburg line. The state of Maryland stands to benefit from the realignment of the military bases, especially in the areas surrounding Fort Meade in Anne Arundel County and the Aberdeen Proving Grounds in Harford County. Unfortunately, the rapid influx of new commuters will also put a strain on the already overburdened MARC service. The council also urged the Governor to study the idea of a new MARC station in East Baltimore, as well as adding additional parking to the Odenton station, the closest MARC station to Fort Meade. Union Pacific and Amtrak announced a joint agreement to reduce the maximum number of minutes Amtrak trains can be delayed on tracks being repaired by Union Pacific. Amtrak pays freight railroads for using their tracks, including incentives for trains arriving on time. This is the first agreement mandating a specific process for carrying out track repairs and taking schedules into account. Seventy percent of the tracks that Amtrak uses are owned by the freight railroads, including the 5.4 million miles owned by Union Pacific. Amtrak spokesman Marc Magliari said that the company is interested in exploring similar deals with the other railroads. Officials from Union Pacific say that the agreement is necessary because of the lack of capacity and growing demand for freight movements. Union Pacific has not earned incentives for on-time performance from Amtrak for several years, and the agreement should help the railroad improve in that area. Amtrak’s agreement with Union Pacific also includes a new schedule which immediately goes into effect for the Chicago-Bay Area California Zephyr. The new schedule adds about three hours to the trip, and will help Amtrak trains arrive and depart on time. Correction to a story run in Hotline #504. The bio-diesel train operated by Virgin Trains in the United Kingdom was not the first such operation in the world. Since its inception, Albuquerque, New Mexico’s Rail Runner has been powered by bio diesel fuel. A new round trip, two stop Acela Express train begins on July 9. Train #2105 departs New York at 6:50am, stops at Philadelphia at 7:55am, and arrives Washington at 9:25. Train #2120 departs Washington at 3:55pm, stops at Philadelphia at 5:23pm, and arrives in New York at 6:30pm. Both trains will operate Monday-Friday and are now available for sale. Amtrak will offer a 50% discount for firefighters traveling to Charleston, SC, between now and July 1 to pay tribute to the nine firefighters killed in a furniture warehouse blaze on Monday. A valid firefighter ID is required and the destination of the trip must be Charleston. On Tuesday the Vatican released a 36-page document called “Guidelines for the Pastoral Care of the Road” which included 10-commandments for driving. The commandments cover everything from drinking and driving to using a car as “a place of sin”. The document also urged drivers to pray while operating their automobiles. The Vatican City does not have to worry about most of the problems addressed in the document because the small sovereign state only has about 1,000 vehicles and the speed limit is only 30 km (about 19 mph). The last traffic accident in Vatican City was a year and a half ago and it only resulted in minor damage. Late last month, German officials were alerted by an electronic signal that a train stopped in between stations with no driver (engineer) on board. After some time, investigators found the operator dead on the side of the tracks a couple hundred meters away from the train. However, when they found him his pants were open. Investigators now believe that the operator fell from the train, which was traveling at 70 mph, after opening the door to urinate. A spokesman for the train driver’s union, Maik Brandenburger said, “It is not at all unusual that staff relieve themselves out of an open door while driving. With only one driver they cannot take a leak otherwise.” Jun 29, 2007: Hotline #507NARP is celebrating its 40th Anniversary by releasing its vision for the growth and expansion of passenger rail in the next 40 years. “In the near future, road and air congestion, worldwide competition for oil, and growing environmental concerns will make $4 a gallon gas seem cheap, today’s traffic jams modest, and affordable flights a distant memory,” said George Chilson, president of NARP. “Modernizing our rail network through a public-private partnership in which the federal government takes the lead is one of the most effective things we can do today to ensure our quality of life tomorrow. The U.S. is falling further behind the rest of the world in building a modern rail system. We know what is coming. We have an obligation to act now before it is too late.” Visit the NARP Vision page here on our website for full details, including a map of proposed new routes. Share this Vision with your elected officials! The Fourth of July recess provides an excellent time to interact with your Members of Congress, as most will be in their home districts. Our Action Alert Center has details of this and other hot legislative issues. On June 26, the House Transportation and Infrastructure’s Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines, and Hazardous Materials held a hearing on the “Benefits of Intercity Passenger Rail”. NARP Executive Director Ross Capon testified along with a diverse group of state and local officials, civic leaders, environmentalists, and transportation experts. Subcommittee Chairwoman Corrine Brown (D-FL) conducted the hearing, which was generally positive and which centered on benefits as well as the need to expand and upgrade the service. A “summary of subject matter” issued in advance of the hearing is on the Committee’s website. Brown’s opening statement included this: “We were once the premiere country in the world in passenger rail service and now we are dead last…We need to start with reauthorizing Amtrak.” Her full statement is at Bill Shuster (R-PA), the subcommittee’s ranking member, said in his opening statement that “we need to find a way to build enough rail capacity to reduce freight congestion and permit the efficient operation of Amtrak routes…We need to develop a new national infrastructure program, and public-private cooperation is essential to this.” Speaking on the first panel, Montana Lieutenant Gov. John Bohlinger described the diverse kinds of people who ride the Empire Builder, and noted that people drive hundreds of miles from off-line cities to reach the train. Noting that Montana already has the nation’s ninth highest gasoline tax and 10th highest diesel fuel tax, he urged Congress not to require low-population states to pay for long-distance trains. He also said a system without such trains “is not a national passenger rail system.” Also, Illinois State Rep. Elaine Nekritz testified that “the public is ahead of the policymakers.” On the second panel, Wisconsin DOT Secretary Frank Busalacchi said, “If gasoline went to $7 and there was a mass exodus of people wanting to ride transit and passenger rail, we would not be ready. We are not ready two years from now. We’ve got to get on the stick.” Indiana State Senator Robert Jackman (R.) expressed the sentiments of the entire panel when he said, “that the only way to expand passenger rail service is with an investment by the federal government.” In his spoken comments, Capon noted three obstacles to getting the public investment needed to increase track capacity on the freight railroads: the budget types who always say “we can’t afford it,” those who argue that spending public money to help profitable, private railroads makes no sense, and the railroads’ intense opposition to any government action that affects their competitive relationships with each other. He said the last point was the hardest one to answer. (Capon’s written statement can be read here.) He also clarified that Amtrak’s California Zephyr has had zero on-time performance not because of freight congestion but because Union Pacific fell way behind in its tie program, with miles and miles of 40 mph “slow orders” across Nevada. Kevin Brubaker of the Chicago-based Environmental Law & Policy Center noted that when Springfield, IL lost commercial air service to Chicago’s Midway Airport, the president of the Springfield chamber of commerce basically shrugged, and that such a reaction would have been unthinkable just a few years ago. [WAND (NBC affiliate in Decatur, IL) reported on June 13 that Springfield Chamber President Gary Plummer reacted this way: “If the ridership was low, that means that people were finding other ways to get there and so maybe the impact will be proportionate to the ridership. You know with the Amtrak service improved I think a lot of people are traveling that way.”] Brown’s subcommittee has scheduled two more Amtrak hearings—July 11 at 10 a.m. on “Amtrak’s Capital Funding Needs,” and July 26 at 2 p.m. on “Amtrak labor negotiations.” Hearings normally are webcast on the full Committee’s website. A press conference was held to promote legislation that would provide railroads with tax credits to encourage infrastructure investment. The Freight Rail Infrastructure Capacity Expansion Act of 2007 (H.R. 2116) is co-sponsored by Reps. Corrine Brown (D-FL), Kendrick Meek (D-FL), Eric Cantor (R-VA) and Kevin Brady (R-TX). This is a companion bill to S. 1125 introduced April 18 by Senators Trent Lott (R-MS) and Kent Conrad (D-ND). Progressive Railroading magazine said the bill would make eligible such investments as “tunnels, signals, certain locomotives, bridges, yards, terminals and transload facilities” for the tax credits. Brian Souter, chief executive of Stagecoach (a United Kingdom-based transportation provider) told Financial Times that amongst his company’s British operations, they are seeing, “definite signs that people were switching from cars and air travel to buses and trains because of environmental concerns.” Souter also, “detected a shift from air for journeys up to 300 miles, and some signs of a move even for greater distances.” This is on top of strong revenue earnings, however Stagecoach’s main United States operation, MegaBus, lost $1 million. The American Public Transportation Association released its “Green Travel Forecast.” It estimates that “90 million American adults will travel to large American cities this summer. On average, one out of three, will tour green by using public transportation.” While gas prices were an important deciding factor, a majority of respondents (62% and 61% respectively) said that public transit would be less expensive than a taxi or rental car and that they would not have to deal with the hassle of finding a parking space. APTA President Bill Millar said, “With almost 40% of travelers surveyed saying they will use transit this summer because of environmental concerns, tourists are discovering that getting around a city by public transportation can provide for a greener environment and can help them keep more green in their wallet.” VIA Rail Canada service is suspended between Montreal and Toronto and Ottawa and Toronto due to a protest blockade erected at Marysville, Ontario. VIA has provided bus transportation for the three trains en route at the time the blockade was erected Thursday evening, but no alternate transportation is being provided today. The blockade is part of the National Day of Action, a protest event organized by the First Nations tribe. Service is expected to resume Saturday or Sunday. West-of-Albany Empire Corridor schedules will change effective July 2 to accommodate CSX trackwork. To preserve the trains’ slots on Metro-North south of Poughkeepsie, trains will opeate between 15 and 45 minutes earlier eastbound and 10 to 45 minutes later westbound. The Maple Leaf and Lake Shore Limited are not affected, but may encounter delays due to the work. The new train schedules are in Amtrak’s computer system. Amtrak will operate a late evening train from Milwaukee to Chicago for Summerfest, an annual music concert on the banks of Lake Michigan. Train #344 will depart Milwaukee at 11:59pm with stop at Milwaukee Airport (12:09am), Sturtevant (12:23am), Glenview (1:00am), and Chicago (1:28am). This extra train will depart Milwaukee on June 29 and 30 and July 6 and 7. |
|||||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||
Printable Version