May 02, 2008: Hotline #551

House legislation to reauthorize Amtrak and passenger rail programs is expected soon.  On Thursday, May 8, at 2 PM, Transportation & Infrastructure Committee Chairman James Oberstar (D-MN) and Railroads Subcommittee Chairwoman Corrine Brown (D-FL) and other House members will hold a news conference to “to announce the introduction of Amtrak reauthorization legislation [and to] discuss the importance of Amtrak reauthorization and address funding needs to improve the nation’s passenger rail system.”  The event will be webcast on the committee web site.

NARP’s Spring Board Meeting took place in Washington, DC this week.  Speakers included House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee Chairman James Oberstar (D-MN) and Ranking Member John Mica (R-FL), Amtrak Chief of Corporate Communications Cliff Black,  BNSF Railway Chairman, President, and CEO Matt Rose, and Railway Supply Institute Executive Director Tom Simpson.  The meeting also included a Day on the Hill, in which directors visited their respective members and staff of the House and Senate.

NARP this week announced the winners of its annual awards.  Detective John “Jake” Mumford of the Amtrak Police Department received the 2008 Dr. Gary Burch Memorial Safety Award for his dedicated work policing Amtrak’s Capitol Corridor.  The 2008 George Falcon Golden Spike Awards went to Sen. Gordon Smith (R-OR), for being a strong supporter of passenger train development, both intercity and commuter, and for working to save a threatened freight rail line, and to Rep. John Olver (D-MA), for consistently being an articulate voice in favor of a balanced transportation system in which passenger trains play a growing role.  Both Detective Mumford and Rep. Olver were on hand at NARP’s annual Congressional Reception to receive their awards.  With the aviation reauthorization on the floor, Senator Smith was represented by his staff member Mike Smith (no relation).

Amtrak this week released station platform guidelines aimed at ending the “limbo” status that has halted work on many stations after USDOT issued its September, 2005, “Guidance” and February, 2006, “Notice of Proposed Rulemaking,” but never issued a rule.  The guidelines make clear that a platform height eight inches above the rail is acceptable for stations outside the Northeast Corridor.  The guidelines are accompanied by a January 31 letter from DOT Under Secretary for Policy Jeffrey N. Shane which states, in part:  “The Department does not view guidance, including the September, 2005 guidance document concerning rail station platform accessibility, as creating independent, legally binding requirements.  Rather, such guidance is informational in nature, explaining to interested parties and the public how the Department interprets its existing statutory and regulatory authorities.”  Within the next week, Amtrak’s guidelines should be posted on the Great American Stations site.

Missouri’s legislature preserved full funding for Amtrak operations, allocating $8 million through the state budget conference committee.

The Federal Transit Administration announced restoration of $900 million in federal funding for the Washington Metrorail extension to Tysons Corner, VA and Dulles International Airport on Wednesday, reportedly after intervention from Transportation Secretary Mary Peters.  The FTA had announced a preliminary decision in January to deny granting the modest 20% federal match, which sparked bipartisan outcry from transit advocates, politicians in Virginia, and business interests.  However, Peters stipulated that Virginia and its neighbors must find $500 million to address the Washington Metro’s unmet capital needs before it can expand, and that the Dulles project itself must stay on time and within budget.

Amtrak will restore full-route service along the Coast Starlight next week, starting with the departure of train 14 from Los Angeles on May 6 and train 11 from Seattle on May 7.  Slow orders will still be in effect through the site of the January landslide in Frazier, OR for some time.  Amtrak spokeswoman Vernae Graham told the Los Angeles Times that the relaunch of the Coast Starlight with upgraded amenities will take place on June 10 after a gradual rollout starting in late May; an official announcement is forthcoming.

The Transportation Research Board has released the latest issue of Intercity Rail Passenger Systems Update, the newsletter of its Committee on Intercity Passenger Rail Systems.  NARP Executive Director Ross Capon sits on the committee, as does NARP Communications Associate Matthew Melzer, who is also co-editor of the newsletter.

The Sierra Club has posted an online quiz that highlights the environmental friendliness of the train travel option for vacations.

Transit service in Toronto, ON, Canada resumed Sunday evening, April 27, following a surprise strike last Saturday.  After Amalgamated Transit Union Local 113 launched the strike against the Toronto Transit Commission, the Ontario Legislative Assembly held an emergency session on Sunday and, within a half-hour, passed an order to force TTC employees back to work.  TTC and ATU will head to arbitration to reach a settlement.

The gas tax holiday debate is garnering lots of attention.  House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD) said that, in response to such a holiday, “the oil companies would just raise their prices.”  Yesterday’s Washington Post report quoted Leonard Burman, director of the Tax Policy Center of the Urban Institute and the Brookings Institution:  “Every summer, the refiners are running full out.  If the price fell, people would want to drive more and there would be shortages.  It’s a basic economic principle that if the supply is fixed, the price is going to be determined by demand.”  Burman also said a windfall-profits tax on oil companies would worsen supply problems long term by discouraging exploration for and development of new oil sources.  “So a policy intended to lower prices, but which won’t do that, will be offset with a policy that’s likely to raise prices over the long term.”

US gasoline prices “are at a historical low in relation to crude oil prices, according to a study by a prominent think-tank at Rice University in Texas,” reported Financial Times on April 25.  Although gasoline prices are at record levels, these prices have not risen nearly as fast as the price of crude oil, which now accounts for 65-70 percent of the pump price, leading refiners to report earnings declines. 

Continental Airlines abandoned merger talks with United Airlines last week after United surprised analysts with a $537 million first-quarter loss.  Financial Times today reported that American, partner British Airways, and United “are in talks to forge marketing alliances with Continental, which has said it would explore alternatives to its membership in SkyTeam.”

Eos Airlines, a US-based business class airline that operated between London and New York, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection and ceased operations last Sunday.  Its fate follows that of Maxjet, a similar concern that ended last December.

National Train Day is Saturday, May 10, and events are happening across the country!  Be sure to check back with the NARP web site regularly for more details.

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May 09, 2008: Hotline #552

House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee leaders held a bipartisan news conference Thursday to announce the introduction of H.R. 6003, the Passenger Rail Investment and Improvement Act of 2008, which includes Amtrak reauthorization provisions, and H.R. 6004, the Rail Infrastructure Development and Expansion Act for the 21st Century (RIDE-21), to provide bonding authority and tax credits for high-speed rail projects.  (RIDE-21 had been introduced in previous sessions of Congress.)  Chairman James Oberstar (D-MN) was joined by Ranking Member John Mica (R-FL), Railroads Subcommittee Chairwoman Corrine Brown (D-FL), Railroads Subcommittee Ranking Member Bill Shuster (R-PA), and subcommittee members Elijah Cummings (D-MD), Grace Napolitano (D-CA), Daniel Lipinski (D-IL), and Bruce Braley (D-IA).  Oberstar’s House floor speech introducing the two bills is available here (PDF).

H.R. 6003 would provide $14.3 billion over five years for passenger rail programs, including $3 billion for Amtrak operations (starting at $525 million for Fiscal 2009 and increasing to $654 million by Fiscal 2013), $1.0285 billion for Americans with Disabilities Act Compliance, and $6.698 billion for Amtrak capital programs and state capital grants (starting at $1.202 billion in Fiscal 2009 and increasing to $1.427 billion in Fiscal 2013).  Of the capital funds, 41% would be available to states in Fiscal 2009, declining to 35% by Fiscal 2013.  There would also be $1.725 billion ($345 million annually) for Amtrak debt service.  $121.814 million would go to Amtrak’s Office of the Inspector General, and $60 million would go to USDOT to move forward with Baltimore tunnel improvements.  H.R. 6003 also allows for unspecified grants to alleviate identified chokepoints on existing passenger rail corridors.

H.R. 6003 also establishes a competitive state grant process for higher-speed rail corridor projects (at least 110 mph).  $350 million would be available for each fiscal year ($1.75 billion total) for a federal match of up to 80 percent.

H.R. 6003 also contains a provision that would compel Amtrak to, within nine months of enactment, submit a plan to Congress to restore service along the Sunset Limited route between New Orleans, LA and Sanford, FL.  According to the bill text, “In developing the plan, Amtrak shall consult with representatives from the States of Louisiana, Alabama, Mississippi, and Florida, railroad carriers whose tracks may be used for such service, rail passengers, rail labor, and other entities as appropriate.”  $1 million would be allocated for this process.

There are many differences between H.R. 6003 and S. 294, the $11.4 billion passenger rail reauthorization bill which passed the Senate last October, which the two houses would have to reconcile in conference committee.  The Senate version provides $335 million more for operations, but in chronologically descending amounts, and $386 million less for capital.  Besides funding, differences include mechanisms for resolving Amtrak on-time performance issues on freight railroads (the House version contains none), and the extent to which private operators would be allowed to bid on operating passenger service.

National Train Day is tomorrow, May 10, and events are happening across the country!  NARP thanks its volunteers who have worked tirelessly to transform the first annual National Train Day from an event focused in four large cities to one that raises awareness of train travel in communities all across the country.  For more information, see NARP’s event list and news release, and Amtrak’s NationalTrainDay.com web site.  Chairman Oberstar gave a House floor speech honoring National Train Day yesterday, which may be read here (PDF).

Missouri lawmakers have approved $5 million for capital improvement of the Union Pacific line between St. Louis and Kansas City.  The capacity expansion is aimed to improve the performance of state-financed Amtrak trains; the funding comes a week after the legislature approved the full $8 million in necessary operating assistance for Amtrak for the next fiscal year.

New Zealand has renationalized its rail and ferry operations, ending its foray into privatization that began in 1993.  According to the Financial Times, “Rail privatization was never popular in New Zealand and Tranz Rail, the company set up to run the system, ran into financial and political difficulty after its owners stripped it of capital and under-invested in the railway system.”  The government purchased the operating assets back from the Australian company Toll Holdings for $522 million USD after renationalizing the physical plant in 2004.

ARINC announced on Wednesday that it won a contract from Amtrak to upgrade the Northeast Corridor Centralized Electrification and Traffic Control (CETC) system.  The value of the contract was not disclosed.

Queens, NY Borough President Helen Marshall has called on Amtrak to immediately repair a Northeast Corridor bridge at Broadway and Northern Blvd. in Woodside Queens after continued reports of concrete chunks falling off the bridge to the streets below.  In a letter sent to Amtrak on Tuesday, Marshall said, “The potential for a catastrophic accident caused either directly or indirectly by falling chunks of concrete is very real and, at this point, very preventable.”  Amtrak said engineers have evaluated the bridge, and that crews will work to repair the concrete over the next week.

Norfolk Southern Railway will showcase its Exhibit Car in 23 cities in its network through 2008.  Details can be found on the NS web site.

264 passengers and 30 crew members of VIA Rail Canada’s eastbound Canadian train 2 were quarantined on Friday in Foleyet, Ontario following the death of a passenger who had suffered flu-like symptoms.  Other passengers reportedly fell ill.  The Ontario Ministry of Health released a statement saying that there is “no evidence of an infectious disease outbreak.”  Sick passengers were reportedly concentrated within two cars of the train; one was airlifted to a hospital, while five were isolated for assessment aboard the train.

Three people were injured on a Shore Line East commuter train in Branford, CT on Wednesday after a rough coupling incident.  The engine of train 1632, which was en route from New Haven to Old Saybrook, apparently decoupled and recoupled to the passenger cars while in motion.  About 80 passengers were reaccommodated on another train.  Amtrak operates Shore Line East trains.

The Northeast Corridor was shut down for about an hour on Monday near the Newark Liberty International Airport Rail Station as law enforcement acted on a tip that a man wanted in connection with the slaying of a Philadelphia police officer was in the vicinity.

The mainline serving Amtrak’s Pacific Surfliners and Metrolink’s Orange County and Inland Empire-Orange County lines was shut down for approximately three and a half hours this morning and afternoon after construction crews working in Irvine, CA ruptured a natural gas line.  Several trains were annulled, with some alternate transportation provided.

Amtrak Capitol Limited service was disrupted after a CSX freight derailment in South Huntingdon, PA, east of Pittsburgh, on Sunday.  Train 30 was turned to train 29 in Pittsburgh, with eastbound passengers bussed.  The next train 29 from Washington was annulled, with no alternate transportation provided between Washington and Pittsburgh.

A New York City Subway train suffered a minor derailment near Central Park on Sunday.  449 passengers on the Queens-Brooklyn train were reaccommodated on a rescue train.

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May 16, 2008: Hotline #553

On Tuesday, May 20, at 2:30 PM, the House T&I Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines, and Hazardous Materials will mark up H.R. 6003, the Passenger Rail Investment and Improvement Act of 2008.  The mark-up will be web cast on the committee web site.  This bill was introduced May 8, and was the subject of a subcommittee hearing on May 14.  The video of that hearing, links to witness statements, and “full summary of subject matter” are available here.

The bill is significant partly because of its co-sponsorship.  It was introduced by full committee chairman James Oberstar (D-MN) on behalf of himself and the subcommittee chair Corinne Brown (D-FL) and the ranking members John Mica (R-FL, full committee) and Bill Shuster (R-PA, subcommittee) and 34 other original co-sponsors.

During the hearing, Amtrak President and CEO Alex Kummant gave a forthright, pull-no-punches answer when Rep. Albio Sires (D-NJ) observed, “There is a lot of talk about construction of a new ARC [Hudson River rail] tunnel going into the City, and I just want to know what impact it’s going to have on Amtrak. And are you going to be able to work with New Jersey Transit when this is done?”

Kummant:  “Our biggest concern is the total capacity on a north-south basis through New York. And so, I think a legitimate question to ask is, ‘Is there going to be a tunnel that reaches into Penn Station and allows the total Northeast Corridor capacity to expand?  Or is it only something for New Jersey going into the City?’  I think that’s something we continue to have fairly strong feelings about and would like to continue a dialogue on…If there is an overall design and structure that precludes any capacity expansion on north-south, I would say that’s an issue for the entire region. It’s not just Amtrak’s issue, and that’s something we need to be talking about.”

Shortly after the above exchange, Chairwoman Corinne Brown (D-FL) asked, “Mr. Kummant, the intercity passenger rail opportunities that are present along the Southeast Corridor to improve connections and improve our economics along the East Coast, do you want to respond to that?”

Kummant said that, for example, if he was given $10 or $20 billion, “one of the first things I would look at, actually, is going South, rather than necessarily changing things in the North.  We obviously want to do all the state of good repair [NEC and existing system], but we all know that DC to Richmond is one of the most congested corridors in all modes in the country, and would be a very natural place to put capital in.  And then, you frankly imagine an electrified system from DC down to Atlanta.  North Carolina has a wonderful rail program and I’m sure would embrace that.  I think of it in tranches from DC to Richmond, Richmond to Charlotte, Charlotte to Atlanta.  But I think that would be an enormous opportunity for the whole region and tie these high-growth population centers.  And then we truly have an Eastern Corridor, not [just] a Northeast Corridor.  So, I think that would be an enormous opportunity.”

As we reported last week, Oberstar also introduced H.R. 6004, again on behalf of himself and Brown/Mica/Shuster.  This bill is known as RIDE-21 (the Rail Infrastructure Development and Expansion Act for the 21st Century).  It would provide for bonds for high speed rail (including Maglev) and for the Alaska Railroad to be issued by a state, group of states or interstate compact.  For each year from FY2009 to FY2018, there would be $1.2 billion in tax exempt bonds and $1.2 billion in tax credit bonds.  H.R. 6004 will not be marked up on May 20.

Towards the end of Wednesday’s hearing, Chairman Oberstar reported that he had met with House Ways & Means Chairman Charles Rangel (D-NY), who “is very supportive” of the tax credit bonds (for HSR) but reported that the Congressional Budget Office requires offsets of at least $4 billion.  Said Oberstar, “Our two committees will have to work on that.  That wasn’t the answer I was hoping for.”

NARP Board Member Steve Musen has compiled summaries of both H.R. 6003 and H.R. 6004, which are available here.

A bill to reauthorize the Federal Aviation Administration died in the Senate last week.  A cloture attempt failed due to Republican opposition to other provisions in the bill, including one dealing with the Highway Trust Fund’s potential insolvency.  This bill also included $2.7 billion in tax credit bonds for high-speed rail.

National Train Day was celebrated at sites across the country on Saturday, May 10.  See the NARP Blog for photos and perspectives from some of the events.  NARP again thanks its volunteers who worked tirelessly to transform the first annual National Train Day from an event focused in four large cities to one that raised awareness of train travel in communities all across the country.  Collectively, our volunteers brought the message of rail advocacy to thousands of citizens last week.

Earlier this month, six Northeastern Governors sent a letter to Amtrak President Alex Kummant protesting Amtrak not offering alternatives during next month’s four-day shutdown of the Northeast Corridor between New Haven and Boston, when the new Thames River Bridge will be installed.  The line will be closed June 14-17.  On Saturday, June 14, Amtrak will offer no New York-to-Boston service at all, and only one “change-at-Springfield” service in the reverse direction.  On June 15-17, Amtrak is operating one daily train between New York and Boston on the Inland Route.

Amtrak is arranging no substitute bus services, and is leaving New London and Providence “high and dry.”  Amtrak simply has notified bus providers (with no assurance of increased capacity on their part). 

The letter, written by Gov. Jodi Rell (R-CT) and co-signed by Govs. Jon Baldacci (D-ME), John Lynch (D-NH), Jon Corzine (D-NJ), David Paterson (D-NJ), and Jim Douglas (R-VT), calls Amtrak’s plan “unacceptable” and notes that it will have impacts for travelers beyond the states where the line is closed.  It says the disruptions “will represent a hardship for thousands of business and other travelers.  As Governors, it is our responsibility to ensure that the public interest is well served.  We are writing today to strongly urge you to work with our respective Departments of Transportation to find alternative service while the work is completed.”  NARP strongly supports the Governors’ position and had previously urged Amtrak to work with regional stakeholders just as the Governors request and to provide some level of substitute service.

SNCF, the French national railway, may soon purchase a 49 percent stake in Italy’s Ferrovie Nord Cargo, a freight and passenger carrier and Italy’s second-largest rail operator behind national railway Trenitalia.  According to the Financial Times, “SNCF’s strategy resembles that of Deutsche Bahn, which has grown aggressively by buying the freight arms of state railways in the Netherlands and Denmark, buying or taking stakes in operators elsewhere and taking over Schenker, the logistics company.”

New Buffalo, MI will soon break ground on its new Amtrak station following an official announcement on Monday from Amtrak and Mayor Bob Westergren.  The station will be a significant improvement from the current platform.  The central location will allow Blue Water and Wolverine trains to serve the city.  The Pere Marquette only passes the current station and will discontinue its stop.

An Amtrak San Joaquin Thruway motorcoach traveling northbound on a two-lane highway in Nicolaus, CA (between Sacramento and Marysville) was involved in a fatal accident last Friday.  The driver of a coupe attempted to pass the bus in heavy traffic, causing an oncoming van to swerve into the path of the bus.  The driver of the van was killed, and two passengers in the coupe were injured.  Another motorcoach came to carry the Amtrak passengers to their destinations.  According to media reports, Captain Jim Young of the California Highway Patrol gave the Thruway driver credit for maneuvers that may have avoided further casualties.  The driver of the coupe could face manslaughter charges.

Amtrak’s annual Picture Our Train Photo Contest kicked off this week.  The first prize winner will have their picture displayed on Amtrak’s 2009 wall calendar, and will receive a $1,000 Amtrak travel voucher.  Entries are due by July 11, 2008.  Details are available on Amtrak’s web site.

Wednesday was the last day on staff for NARP Intern Darryl Yates, who had worked at the NARP office since 2006.  Darryl is joining the staff of Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-MD).  Darryl had previously worked as an intern for Cummings, who sits on the House Transportation & Infrastructure Railroads Subcommittee.  Darryl’s new responsibilities will include transportation.  Congratulations, Darryl!  Best of luck in your new endeavor, and thank you for your hard work!

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May 23, 2008: Hotline #554

Yesterday, May 22, the House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee approved H.R. 6003, the Passenger Rail Investment and Improvement Act of 2008, at its markup of the bill.  A T&I Railroads Subcommittee markup on May 20 sent the measure to the full committee without amendments.

In the full committee, a manager’s amendment (.pdf) was approved that adds language requiring several studies.  The Surface Transportation Board would be required to examine the “effectiveness” of ensuring the preference of Amtrak over freight trains on freight railroads and to submit “recommendations with respect to any regulatory or legislative actions that would improve such effectiveness.”  Amtrak’s Inspector General is to report within nine months of enactment “on utilization of its facilities, including the Beech Grove [equipment maintenance] facility in Indiana” and “including any attempts to provide maintenance and repair to other rail carriers.”  Finally, USDOT is to complete an alternatives analysis of the Southeast High-Speed Rail Corridor, and a feasibility analysis regarding the expansion of the South Central High-Speed Rail Corridor to the Port of Houston, TX.

In lauding the progress on H.R. 6003, committee Republicans emphasized the provision for soliciting proposals to bring high-speed service to the Northeast Corridor.

H.R. 6003 now goes to the House Rules Committee for consideration for floor time in the full chamber.  Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD) indicated that passage of the bill will be a priority this summer before the House breaks for August recess.

Currently, there are 41 cosponsors on the bill.  Ideally, the bill needs 218 or more co-sponsors (more than half of the chamber).  Contact your House of Representatives member and ask him or her to co-sponsor H.R. 6003!  For more information, see our Action Alert center.

NARP thanks members of the blogosphere for shedding light on this important measure and our efforts.  An action alert diary on Daily Kos was, as of this morning, the fourth most recommended entry on the site.  Streetsblog followed up with a post with links to NARP and the Daily Kos entry.

American Financial Group, Inc. has brought a federal lawsuit against Amtrak to seek compensation for its 5.2 million shares of Amtrak common stock, which the insurance holding company originally acquired by taking over Penn Central.  AFG wants monetary damages and a declaration that Amtrak has violated AFG’s Fifth Amendment rights that require the government to pay just compensation for taking private property.  In the alternative, $52 million plus interest or, based on calculations of Jon Newberry, reporter whose story is in today’s Business Courier of Cincinnati, $300 to $900 million based on interest rates of from five to eight percent.  Depending on what interest rate Amtrak contends that the stock is “essentially worthless.” 

NARP Executive Director Ross Capon is quoted in the Cincinnati journal calling AFG’s claim wacky: “Oh give me a break!  These guys are priceless.  Everyone who knew anything knew that Amtrak was not going to be profitable.  That was just a fig leaf to allow (President) Richard Nixon to sign off on it.  The idea that these guys are whining about this in 2008…takes the cake for chutzpah.”

Cost pressures on airlines intensified this week as crude oil briefly passed $135 a barrel.  American Airlines on Wednesday announced that it would be the first airline to charge for the first piece of domestic checked baggage.  Non-elite coach passengers not paying full fare will be charged $15 for the first bag.  American also plans bigger service reductions, with domestic capacity in the last quarter expected to be 12% smaller than a year earlier (systemwide capacity will drop as much as four percent).  More planes will be parked and thousands of jobs eliminated. 

On Wednesday, the New York Times highlighted contraction in Essential Air Service, noting that “[federal] subsidies have not risen fast enough to cover the jump in jet fuel costs, and passengers have resisted paying higher prices for plane tickets, prompting carriers to pull out of a number of cities, including Hagerstown,” a western Maryland town which lost all commercial air service two months before it opened a new, 7,000-foot runway at a cost of $61.4 million.  Jean-Cyril Spinetta, Chairman and CEO of Air France-KLM, told the Financial Times yesterday that the industry will change “profoundly.”  He said, “There will be major restructuring.  Things are changing violently and quickly.”

Top critics of the stalled Central Florida commuter rail plan have sent a letter to Amtrak requesting cost and operational estimates for statewide intercity corridor service.  According to the Orlando Sentinel, Senate Majority Whip Paula Dockery (R-Lakeland) and Rep. Dennis Ross (R-Lakeland) wrote Amtrak President Alex Kummant to solicit a proposal that would allow “Florida to quickly and cost-effectively implement a reliable intercity passenger rail service” between Orlando, Tampa, Jacksonville, and Miami “so that we can work in the upcoming regular and/or special legislative sessions to bring about a beneficial transportation alternative for our state.”  Amtrak officials will reportedly meet with lawmakers in Tallahassee June 16-18.

Washington’s State Legislature has approved a $15 million grant to extend a BNSF siding through Stanwood along the Amtrak Cascades route between Seattle and Vancouver, BC.  This will allow Amtrak to utilize a new platform in Stanwood when work on both the siding and the platform finish by summer of 2009.

Williston, ND has approved a plan to improve its Amtrak station, served daily by the Empire Builder.  The first phase will cost $108,000, while the second phase will cost $109,000.

Sound Transit will herald the opening of its Mukilteo, WA Sounder commuter rail station on Saturday, May 31 with free rides on its Home Run Service to the Mariners baseball game in Seattle.  Operation Lifesaver will be present at the celebrations.  Regular commuter service to Mukilteo starts Monday, June 2.

Mystic, CT will celebrate the 30th anniversary of restoring its 1905 station on Saturday, May 31.  Municipal leaders will host an open house and greet the crew of Amtrak Regional train 161, which will make a special stop at 10:51 AM.

Amtrak has removed the purchasing restrictions on its USA Rail Passes.  US citizens may now purchase the passes, which were formerly available only to international visitors.

A new page on the Amtrak site allows visitors to analyze on-time performance data of every train on every route, including a breakdown of delay type by host railroad.  Amtrak offers the data “as an opportunity for you to follow along as we work with those railroads on the path to improvement and to assist you in planning your trip.”

Discount bus carrier Megabus will abandon its Los Angeles-based West Coast market within the next month.  While the service has enjoyed strong growth in the Midwest and is expanding in the Northeast, ridership on the West Coast was weak.  Megabus has already abandoned its routes to Phoenix and San Diego, and will end service to San Francisco and Las Vegas by June 22.  Megabus will begin service between Washington, DC and New York City on May 30, utilizing Gray Line’s bus bays in the Washington Union Station parking garage and stopping directly in front of New York Penn Station.

Major Union Pacific trackwork near Springfield will affect Amtrak service between Chicago and St. Louis from today, May 23, to May 31.  Lincoln Service trains 301 and 306 are cancelled, with no alternative transportation.  Other schedule modifications and bus bridges will be in place.  The Texas Eagle will detour, bypassing Springfield, with substitute motorcoach and taxi service provided.  See the service advisory (.pdf) for more details.

Due to Norfolk Southern trackwork, Amtrak’s Piedmont will be bus-bridged between Charlotte and Salisbury June 8-11, June 15-18, and June 22-25.  The Carolinian and Crescent will not be affected.  See the service advisory (.pdf) for more details.

Amtrak Southwest Chief train 3 will detour over Union Pacific tracks between Riverside and Los Angeles on Sunday as BNSF does signal work to bring a third main track online at Bandini, CA.  Passengers bound for Fullerton will take the next southbound Pacific Surfliner train from Los Angeles.  Surfliner trains 564 and 571 will also be cancelled while the work is completed.

Amtrak’s Sunset Limited will miss its Ontario, CA stop due to Union Pacific trackwork June 1-8, and again June 16-23.

A BNSF train carrying hydrochloric acid derailed in Lafayette, LA last Saturday, forcing 3,000 residents to evacuate.  Amtrak’s Sunset Limited detoured over Union Pacific tracks between Lake Charles and New Orleans, with motorcoaches covering the missed stops.

The NARP Board will meet in Portland on Friday and Saturday, October 17 and 18, at the Doubletree Hotel at Lloyd Center, 1000 NE Multnomah.  A pre-meeting tour is planned for Thursday, October 16, including MAX light rail and Portland Streetcar, the Westside Express Service, sky tram, the first new American streetcar plant, and Talgo equipment. There also will be a reception at the Portland Amtrak station.  Most Board meeting sessions are open. Please let us know if you would like to receive registration information about the tour and/or the meeting.

Monday, May 26 is Memorial Day.  Amtrak will mark the National Moment of Remembrance as its engineers sound the horns of trains enroute at 3 PM local time.  The NARP office will be closed on Monday.

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May 30, 2008: Hotline #555

An allocation for intercity passenger trains is needed in S. 2421, the Lieberman-Warner climate change bill that is expected on the Senate floor in June.  Please urge your senator to support such an allocation.  It is vital that passenger trains get a share of cap-and-trade revenues when climate change legislation is finally enacted because other ways to increase passenger train funding remain uncertain.  See our March NARP News article on S. 2421.

H.R. 6003, the Passenger Rail Investment and Improvement Act of 2008, awaits action in the House Rules Committee for consideration for floor time in the full chamber.  Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD) indicated that passage of the bill will be a priority this summer before the House breaks for August recess.

Currently, there are 41 cosponsors on the bill.  Ideally, the bill needs 218 or more co-sponsors (more than half of the chamber).  Contact your House of Representatives member and ask him or her to co-sponsor H.R. 6003!  For more information, see our Action Alert center.

The House T&I Railroads Subcommittee will hold a hearing on “Historic Preservation of Railroad Property and Facilities” on Thursday, June 5 at 2 PM.  The hearing likely will be webcast on the web site.

Merger talks between United Airlines and US Airways broke down this week, just weeks after United failed to reach a deal with Continental Airlines.  The latest development puts into the doubt the prospects of a broad wave of consolidation following the proposed Delta-Northwest merger.  The daunting task of sorting out union representation and seniority is said to be a major hurdle; US Airways still has yet to successfully settle these issues following the 2005 merger with America West Airlines.  An AP article last week noted that “analysts rate US Airways as the most likely to be pushed into bankruptcy, followed by United Airlines parent UAL Corp.”  It also said, “Even though most of the big airline companies have large cash stockpiles, analysts suggest they could burn through their cash and go bankrupt by early next year.”

Following the announcement of American Airlines’ cost-cutting initiatives last week, American Chairman, President, and CEO Gerard Arpey told the Financial Times, “The airline industry as it is constituted today was not built to withstand oil prices at $125 a barrel, and certainly not when record fuel expenses are coupled with a weak US economy.  Our company and our industry simply cannot afford to sit by hoping for industry and market conditions to improve.”

Amtrak will undertake a $30 million renovation of its Wilmington, DE station on the Northeast Corridor.  Built in 1907, the station has already been stripped of many historical features (the last renovation was in 1984) and will feature more modern fixtures by the time Amtrak completes the makeover in 2011.  Clarence E. Wright, program director of Main Street Wilmington, told Preservation Magazine, “[The station is] not 100 percent authentic, but it has the character of an old train station.  I’m not very happy with the plans that are on the table.”  The situation contrasts with Seattle’s King Street station, which is currently having its historical features restored after years of a shabby, dated, “modern” appearance from the 1960s.  Amtrak is categorizing the work in Wilmington as being for State of Good Repair and Americans with Disabilities Act compliance.

Amtrak is in the process of “relaunching” its Regional service in the Northeast Corridor, a process that is expected to be publicized next month.  Already, changes have included standardization of the food service car to recently refurbished all-table dinettes, positioned in the middle of the consist.  A new café menu has been rolled out.  Still in store is rebranding of the service to Northeast Regional, “tighter [on-time performance] tolerances,” “adjusted seat inventory to better accommodate monthly and multi-ride ticket holders,” and a “restructuring” of Business Class amenities.  Amtrak plans to overhaul more Amfleet coaches, make further modifications to food service cars, increase the available fleet, and make variable consist sizes a standard practice to meet demand (as opposed to previous policy of having five coaches [not counting Business Class and café] on most trains).

Effective today, Amtrak is once again selling tickets for local travel on northbound Coast Starlight train 14 between Eugene and Seattle.  Sales had been blocked for a lengthy period of time due to inconsistent on-time performance, leaving only two trips on the Cascades corridor between Eugene and Portland.  Since the Starlight has resumed running its full route this month after Union Pacific tracks reopened through the Frazier, OR landslide site, on-time performance has been good.  This sensible, passenger-friendly policy change is consistent with practice along long-distance routes that overlap with other corridors, including the Los Angeles-San Luis Obispo and San Jose-Sacramento segments of the Starlight route, the Northeast Corridor between Washington and Richmond, and corridors from Chicago to Galesburg, St. Louis, and Carbondale.  Amtrak characterizes the Starlight change as “permanent.”

A striking new book of photography consists entirely of views taken out the windows of Amtrak trains.  Jarret Schecter’s America Off Track captures unique trackside views of urban and rural America.  The few paragraphs of text in the 128-page coffee table book are devoted almost entirely to pondering why America has not undertaken greater investment to make quality train travel a more widely available option for travelers.  America Off Track (Trolley Books, ISBN 9781904563655) retails for $60 and is distributed in the US by Prestel USA.

Amtrak has released details of planned production tasks during its four-day shutdown of the Northeast Corridor between New Haven and Boston June 14-17.  There have been important changes since our May newsletter when we reported that we had asked Amtrak to consider Boston-New York through-train via Springfield.  That train will run Sunday-Monday-Tuesday, but on Saturday the westbound schedule will require change of train at Springfield.  Amtrak is not showing any eastbound service on Saturday because of the long Springfield layover that would be required to connect with the Springfield-to-Boston section of the Lake Shore Limited (which originates in Albany).  NARP sent a letter to six Northeastern governors praising their efforts to reach out to Amtrak to plan more alternate service.  Also see NARP’s communications to Amtrak last month.

Amtrak Capitol Corridor service will be modified June 3-28 to accommodate Union Pacific crosstie replacement between Benicia and Suisun-Fairfield.  Weekdays trains 533 and 534, and weekend trains 745 and 746, will be suspended during this time with no alternative transportation provided.  Some trains will bus-bridge between Suisun-Fairfield and Martinez, while others will operate on a modified schedule.  The California Zephyr and Coast Starlight will not be affected.  For complete details, see the service advisory and temporary schedule.

CSX is beginning to use a third track between Washington, DC, and Alexandria, VA this weekend.  This project to add passenger and freight capacity will subject Amtrak trains south of Washington to delays of up to 30 minutes through Sunday.  Virginia Railway Express commuter trains terminated at stations in Virginia today, where passengers transferred to and from Washington Metrorail trains.

There were four passenger train and rail transit incidents resulting in derailments within the span of 30 hours this week.

Southbound Amtrak City of New Orleans train 59 struck a garbage truck in Crystal Springs, MS on Tuesday afternoon after the driver of the truck attempted to cross the tracks on a rural road.  One crew member and one passenger were hospitalized overnight.  The two Waste Management employees in the truck were hospitalized in critical condition.  MS Emergency Management Agency reported that 24 people were injured total, with 14 hospitalized.  There were 96 passengers and 11 crew members on-board.  Uninjured passengers were placed on chartered motorcoaches to continue south.  The front axle of the locomotive and the rear axle of the rear coach (which was unoccupied) derailed, both locomotive and coach remaining upright.  NTSB is investigating.

Northbound Amtrak San Joaquin train 717 was struck by a truck carrying lemon peels on Wednesday afternoon in Guernsey, CA, south of Hanford.  The driver apparently went around functioning crossing gates near where a BNSF freight train was in a siding waiting for the Amtrak train to pass.  According to the Hanford Sentinel, “The 1989 Peterbilt [truck] collided with the passenger car immediately behind the locomotive, derailing the right front wheel of the train car and causing the vehicle to sideswipe the stopped freight train…  The locomotive detached from the passenger cars and was unable to stop until passing Kent Avenue.  Emergency brakes were activated on the passenger cars, forcing the vehicles to stop sooner while keeping them upright on the track.”  Amtrak says 31 passengers were treated and released from a hospital.  The conductor and engineer of the BNSF train, and the truck driver, were also injured.  81 passengers were taken by bus to the Hanford station for alternate arrangements.

One outbound MBTA Green Line trolley rear-ended another in Newton, MA Wednesday night.  MBTA Operator Terresse Edmonds, 24, was killed.  According to the Boston Globe, “The accident resulted in one passenger being flown to Boston Medical Center with serious injuries, said Joe Pesaturo, spokesman for the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority.  Six others were taken by ambulance to nearby Newton-Wellesley Hospital with serious injuries not believed to be life-threatening.  Five passengers were treated at the scene for cuts and bruises. Others walked away, some bleeding, only to wander into hospitals on their own…  The crash happened at about 6 p.m.  The pair of two-car trolleys were heading outbound from Boston, near the end of the D branch in Newton.  The first trolley was stopped at a red signal, just before Woodland Station.  It was hit from behind by the second train.  Edmonds was at the front of the second train, which bore the brunt of the impact.”  About 200 passengers were aboard both trains total.  According to news reports, Edmonds may have been using a cell phone at the time of the collision, one of many potential factors NTSB will investigate.

A Chicago Transit Authority Green Line train derailed at 59th Street on the South Side of Chicago on Wednesday morning.  14 passengers were hospitalized with non-serious injuries.  Two cars of the southbound four-car train left the tracks as the train passed over a junction switch.

The June issue of NARP News has been uploaded to the members’ section of our web site.  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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