Nov 07, 2008: Hotline #578

November 7, 2008

NARP President Ross B. Capon submitted a written statement for the record of the House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee’s October 29 hearing on “Investing in Infrastructure: The Road to Recovery” (see last week’s Hotline #577).  In the news release accompanying the statement, Capon said, “The immediate economic benefits of passenger trains Capon cited include job creation, more travel choices for Americans, a transportation system that is safer, more energy efficient and more environmentally benign, and incentives for energy-efficient, pedestrian-friendly station-area real estate development.”  The statement pointed out the need to refurbish out-of-service Amtrak equipment and again echoed Amtrak’s concerns about the Access to the Regions Core trans-Hudson River Tunnel project. You can read the full news release.

With Tuesday’s election bringing a new Administration and new faces in Congress, rail advocates must redouble their efforts to call upon their elected officials to provide real leadership in funding and growing our national passenger train system.  For more thoughts, see NARP President Ross B. Capon’s blog post.  President-Elect Barack Obama is reportedly moving quickly to fill Cabinet posts, and an announcement of his choice for Secretary of Transportation could come any day.  Late breaking news this afternoon: Senator Robert Byrd (D-WV) has said that he will voluntarily step aside as chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee.  His likely successor is Daniel Inouye (D-HI).

Voters said yes to major transit issues in spite of economic fears.  Among the highlights: California’s Proposition 1A passed, and Seattle area voters said yes to a transit initiative after last year defeating a highways-and-transit package.  The biggest disappointments were in Kansas City and St. Louis.  However, according to APTA, “voters across the country in 16 states approved 23 measures out of 32 state and local public transit-related ballot initiatives, authorizing expenditures approximating $75 billion.”  That’s a 72% approval rate.

California:  Voters approved Proposition 1A by 52.2% to 47.8%.  This is the $9.95 billion bond measure to construct the first phase of the California High-Speed Rail System.  Construction of the entire system is estimated to cost $42-45 billion.  $950 million of the bond funds will be dedicated to improving and expanding existing intercity, commuter, and rail transit service.  Bonds for HSR construction cannot be sold until federal and private matching funds have been secured.  NARP promoted Prop 1A and will be encouraging Congress and the Obama Administration to provide the federal match.  See the statement from the California High-Speed Rail Authority (.pdf).

Los Angeles County voters passed Measure R by 67.4%-32.6%.  This half-cent sales tax increase is expected to generate $40 billion over 30 years for local transportation projects.  This will fund a number of Metro Rail expansions, including the first phase of the Purple Line “Subway to the Sea” extension.

Voters in Sonoma and Marin Counties passed Measure Q, a quarter-cent sales tax increase to fund the Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit commuter rail project between Cloverdale and Larkspur.  An identical proposal failed in 2006 due to California’s requirement that county sales tax increases require a supermajority of 66.67% to pass.  Measure Q garnered a combined 69.49% (including 73.5% in Sonoma County and 62.2% in Marin County).

Santa Barbara County voters approved Measure A by a huge 78.65%-21.35% margin.  This is a 30-year extension of an existing half-cent sales tax for transportation that otherwise would have expired in 2010.  Measure A backers said $25 million will be available for “commuter & passenger rail planning.”

Voters in the City of West Sacramento approved two measures that bring the city closer to building a waterfront streetcar system.  Advisory Measure V (which passed 57.5%-42.5%) extends to 2033 a quarter-cent sales tax that was due to expire in 2013.  Advisory Measure U (which passed 64.4%-35.6%) dedicates the estimated $1 million in annual tax revenues to streetcar operations and maintenance if the system is built.

The fate of Santa Clara County’s Measure B rested in the hands of 164,000 uncounted absentee and provisional ballots.  This is a one-eighth of a cent sales tax increase to generate local matching funds for extending Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) southward to San Jose.  The tallied vote percentage was 66.41%-33.59% in favor, just shy of the 66.67% requirement.

Monterey County voters rejected Measure Z, a quarter-cent sales tax increase to create a dedicated, local funding source for transportation, including regional rail projects.  The 62.17%-37.83% majority fell short of the 66.67% requirement.  A similar measure failed in 2006.  Failure of Measure Z is also expected to lead to deep cuts in local transit service due to ongoing state transit funding rescissions.

Hawaii:  After years of contention, voters in the City and County of Honolulu approved 50.6%-45.6% a $4.28 billion plan to build an elevated rail system (likely light rail) connecting the urban areas of Oahu.  Question 4 amends the City and County charter directing the government to “establish a steel wheel on steel rail transit system.”  Construction is expected to start on the first phase next year.  That phase is to open in 2013; a second phase is planned to open in 2018.

Missouri:  Kansas City voters rejected Question 1, which would have created a three-eighths cent sales tax to fund the construction of an initial 14-mile light rail line.  The 45%-55% result disappointed backers who were confident of passage after voters in 2006 approved a plan for a 27-mile line.  That question, however, did not include a tax increase.  North Kansas City voters approved their version of Question 1 59%-41%, but the additional sales tax will not be collected in light of the overall results.

St. Louis County voters rejected Proposition M, 48.45%-51.55%.  This would have increased the sales tax by a half-percent to support Metro Transit growth and operations, including MetroLink light rail expansion.  Without the additional funding, Metro has warned that it may have to eliminate nearly half of all bus routes and curtail MetroLink and paratransit service.

New Mexico:  Voters in Los Alamos, Rio Arriba and Taos counties approved a one-eighth of a cent gross tax receipts increase to fund New Mexico Rail Runner Express commuter operations, as well as expand local transit service.  This will generate $8 million over 15 years.  Voters in Bernalillo, Sandoval, and Valencia Counties approved an identical tax increase that will generate $26 million for public transportation, including $13 million for Rail Runner.

Rhode Island:  Voters approved Question 1, an $80 million transportation bond measure, 76.6%-23.4%.  $7 million will be dedicated to bus and commuter rail expansion.

Washington State:  Voters in King, Pierce, and Snohomish Counties (Seattle area) approved Proposition 1, a half-cent sales tax increase that will provide $17.9 billion to Sound Transit over 20 years.  Three new light rail projects and significantly higher levels of Sounder commuter rail and Sound Transit commuter bus service are in the works.  Last year, voters resoundingly rejected a package with funds for both highways and transit.  (Ed. Note—Is there a message here?)

The State of New York DOT announced on Tuesday that it is pulling $3 million in annual funding that would have been put towards adding an express Empire Service round-trip between New York and Albany-Rensselaer that would have made the trip in less than two hours each way.  The funding cut is a consequence of the state’s dire budget situation.  The Albany Times Union quoted Empire State Passengers Association President Bruce Becker on Wednesday saying, “The Empire State Passengers Association is disappointed that in the current financial situation, the state hasn’t seen fit to commit funds.  But we recognize the current fiscal situation the state is in.  Until there’s a stabilization of the financial picture, I don’t see the state committing any more funds.”

CSX will be performing trackwork in single track territory between Newport News and Richmond on November 17-20.  For that time period, trains 66 and 67 (depart Boston one night earlier) will not operate south of Washington; no alternate transportation is provided.  Train 94 will originate at Richmond-Staples Mill Road at its scheduled time and train 95 will hold at Staples Mill Road as long as one hour for a 5:45pm departure (however, train may leave earlier if trackwork is complete.  To provide northbound service from Newport News, train #82 will originate at Newport News, departing at 6:00am and stopping at Williamsburg at 6:26am and Richmond Main Street at 7:16am, then resuming its printed schedule at Staples Mill Road through to New York.

Union Pacific will replace a bridge between Eugene and Portland on November 10.  On that day only, the Coast Starlight  will have a bus bridge between Eugene and Portland and all Eugene-Portland Cascades service will be represented by buses.

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Nov 14, 2008: Hotline #579

Alex Kummant announced his resignation as Amtrak’s President and CEO today.  A statement from Amtrak can be read on their website.  NARP President Ross B. Capon said, “NARP appreciates the work that Mr. Kummant did during his tenure at Amtrak, and the good relationship that he maintained with the organization.  We are particularly appreciative of his defense of the national network of long distance trains and of Amtrak’s efforts under his leadership to get a decent resolution of issues surrounding the controversial Access to the Regions Core (ARC) project to add more capacity under the Hudson River between New Jersey and New York City..”  The interim CEO will be William Crosbie, currently Amtrak’s Chief Operating Officer.  You can read Capon’s full statement here on our website.

Amtrak ridership increased 4.4 percent in October, 2008.  North Carolina’s Piedmont saw the biggest gain, up an astonishing 53 percent.  Cascades ridership increased 27.4 percent.  Ridership on long-distance trains increased 14.3 percent, while short-distance train ridership (outside the Northeast) increased 10.1 percent.  Northeast Corridor ridership declined as the economic malaise reduced business and other travel in the region.  Acela Express ridership fell 6.3 percent, while Northeast Regional ridership fell 4.5 percent.  The last time combined Northeast Corridor ridership dropped was in September, 2006.  Meanwhile, Caltrans announced this week that California’s state-supported Amtrak corridors carried a record 5.5 million passengers in fiscal 2008.

Four California teenagers have been convicted of attacking an Amtrak Capitol Corridor train crew in April 2007.  The teens had been throwing rocks at the train and when the engineer exited the locomotive to confront them, he was punched and hit in the head with a glass bottle and fire extinguisher.  The four teens were found guilty of attempted voluntary manslaughter, assault with a deadly weapon and various gang-related charges.  A fifth teen was found not guilty.

The price of oil will dramatically rebound along as the economy recovers and oil will continue to become scarcer, the International Energy Agency warned as it released its World Energy Outlook 2008.  Assuming no new government policies, the IEA estimates that global energy demand will increase by 45 percent by 2030.  Oil fields will increase their rate of decline, from 6.7 percent today to 8.6 percent in 2030, a steeper decline than previously assumed.  The New York Times says that, according to the IEA report, “The global economic slump that has curbed energy demand and pushed oil prices down in recent months may provide only a short-lived respite for consumers.”  The nominal price of a barrel of oil will exceed $100 through 2015 and will reach $200 by 2030.

In unveiling the report, IEA Executive Director Nobuo Tanaka said, “We cannot let the financial and economic crisis delay the policy action that is urgently needed to ensure secure energy supplies and to curtail rising emissions of greenhouse gases. We must usher in a global energy revolution by improving energy efficiency and increasing the deployment of low-carbon energy… Despite all the attention that is given to demand growth, decline rates are actually a far more important determinant of investment needs. Even if oil demand was to remain flat to 2030, 45 million barrels/day of gross capacity – roughly four times the current capacity of Saudi Arabia – would need to be built by 2030 just to offset the effect of oilfield decline.”

The agency cited delays in energy investments arising from price weakness and the credit squeeze. Financial Times reported Nov. 13, “The energy watchdog said there was a real risk that underinvestment would cause an oil supply crunch with large gaps opening up between demand and supply after 2010 as project delays and cancellations took effect.”

And today’s Financial Times reports that “more than four out of five refinery construction projects face cancellation as the worldwide collapse in fuel demand wipes out all but those developments with strong government backing. In a report, Wood Mackenzie, the industry consultant, concluded that only 30 of the 160 refining projects announced since 2005, which should be completed in the next two to seven years, would now go ahead.” Thus are sewn the seeds of our next energy crisis.

Two Amtrak conductors were elected to state legislative seats last week.  Jay Seegmiller (D) of Sandy, UT, who has been an Amtrak California Zephyr conductor since 1987, ousted Utah House Speaker Greg Curtis (R) in the 49th District.  In Maine, Mike Shaw (D) ran unopposed and was elected for the seat of State House District 102.  Shaw, of Standish, ME, is an Amtrak Downeaster conductor.

Santa Clara County, CA Measure B was still undecided this week.  With 27,000 provisional ballots left to be counted, the sales tax increase for the BART San Jose extension was losing 66.52%-33.48%, still just shy of the 66.67% requirement.  If it fails, the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority could press ahead with a shorter initial extension to the northern outskirts of San Jose (9 miles instead of 16 miles), forgoing ridership but avoiding the costly tunneling through Downtown.  VTA would need to request a sales tax increase from the voters on a future ballot, so that the line could serve Downtown and connect with high-speed rail, Amtrak, Caltrain, and Altamont Commuter Express, and other transit services at San Jose Diridon Station.

The California High Speed Rail Authority has released its updated business plan for the proposed HSR system following last week’s passage of Proposition 1A.  According to the plan (click “2008 Business Plan” on left side of screen), California “will realize $150 billion in present value of [external] benefits by 2050—nearly triple the total present value of the cost of the project.”  The initial Anaheim-San Francisco phase will cost $33 billion to construct.  If train fares are set at 50 percent of air fares in the relevant markets, 55 million passenger trips are expected by 2030.  The expected annual ticket revenue of $2.4 billion would produce an operating surplus of $1.1 billion.

The Paducah & Louisville Railway operated a special passenger train from Louisville to Cecilia, KY on November 8 as a demonstration for potential future commuter service.  Elected officials surveyed the route of approximately 50 miles, which runs through Fort Knox, on a trip that took about 90 minutes each way, topping out at 35 mph.  $50-75 million in capital improvements would be needed to for equipment, stations, and increasing track speed to 60 mph.

The Occupational Health and Safety Administration of the U.S. Department of Labor last week ordered Amtrak to “pay back pay, interest and punitive damages to an employee who was suspended in violation of the whistleblower provision of the Federal Rail Safety Act of 2007.”  An Amtrak employee in Seattle had alleged that Amtrak suspended her for 30 days for reporting a work-related injury, and that Amtrak terminated her for filing a complaint regarding the suspension to OSHA.  “This case sends a clear message that OSHA will not tolerate retaliation against whistleblowers,” said OSHA regional administrator Richard S. Terrill in the news release.  “Employees need to be able to report on-the-job injuries without fear of reprisal.”  Amtrak was further ordered to post an OSHA fact sheet entitled “Whistleblower Protection for Railroad Employees.”

Amtrak and the Missouri DOT have launched a contest to rename the Missouri Service and Mules trains between St. Louis and Kansas City.  Until December 10, contestants may submit their route name ideas online, after which a panel of judges will select five finalists for postcard or online voting between December 16 and January 16.  The winning route name will be announced by January 30, 2009.

A deluxe, express motorcoach service from linking three Pittsburgh area locations including downtown with Harrisburg (State Capitol and Transportation Center) will begin on Monday, November 24.  The Steel City Flyer, a subsidiary of Railroad Development Corporation is being launched specifically to fill the gap left by US Airways abandoning the Pittsburgh-Harrisburg route in September, one that it or its predecessors had served continuously for 70 years.  Moreover, the two daily round-trips are designed to connect with Amtrak’s Harrisburg-Philadelphia-New York Keystone trains.  According to the Steel City Flyer web site, the one-way fare will be $69, and amenities will include “continuous wi-fi service along the route, laptop desks, pillows, movies, and attendant service. The Flyer will also have reclining seats, footrests, armrests, a restroom, and overhead audio speakers, reading lights, and air vents at every seat.”

Amtrak has released details of its service plan for the Thanksgiving holiday.  As in years past, there is a special timetable for the Northeast Corridor (.pdf).  3000-series Holiday Extra trains will use borrowed commuter equipment.  The modified schedules are in effect November 25-December 1.  Also on those dates: Keystone Corridor and Pacific Surfliner trains will operate all-reserved. 

November 26-30, the Capitol Corridor will operate on a weekend schedule.  Also on those dates, Empire Service trains 250, 257, 259, and 261 will operate between New York and Albany-Rensselaer.  Trains 232, 241, 243, and 245 will not operate.  Lake Shore Limited train 49 will depart New York at 3:45 pm. 

On November 26, 27, and 30, Rail 2 Rail privileges for Metrolink ticketholders on Pacific Surfliner trains will be suspended (except for trains 768 and 799). 

On November 26, special Thruway motorcoaches will operate between Goleta and Los Angeles (connecting with trains 578 and 579), and again on November 30 (connecting with trains 578 and 583). 

Extra Cascades trains will operate between Seattle and Portland utilizing Horizon coaches and a café car (one extra round-trip November 26, 27, and 29, and two extra round-trips November 30).

Amtrak reinstated staffing at its Texarkana, AR/TX station this past Monday.  Ticketing and checked baggage service is available, and package express service will be added at a later date.

Amtrak northbound City of New Orleans train 58 derailed about a mile short of Chicago Union Station on November 9.  Amtrak called the derailment “very minor.”  Passengers were eventually transported the rest of the way to Chicago.

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Nov 21, 2008: Hotline #580

Sens. John Kerry (D-MA) and Arlen Specter (R-PA) introduced S. 3700, the High-Speed Rail for America Act of 2008, on November 19.  The bill would create an Office of High-Speed Rail within the FRA, headed by an Associate Administrator for High-Speed Rail, to guide federal high-speed rail policy and determine eligibility of potential HSR projects to receive revenues from new bonding sources.  Specifically, S. 3700 would authorize $8 billion in tax-exempt bonds and $15.4 billion in tax-credit bonds that would go towards worthy HSR investments.  The bill also calls for a Department of Treasury study on potential “excise taxes” to “offset expenses” related to HSR.  Sen. Kerry intends to reintroduce the bill next year given the short remaining time for consideration of bills in the current Congress.  For more information, see Sen. Kerry’s news release.

House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee Minority Leader John Mica (R-FL) held a roundtable meeting on high-speed rail this week.  The series of briefings were intended to clarify issues surrounding Section 502 of H.R. 2095, the Passenger Rail Investment and Improvement Act (Amtrak reauthorization and rail safety bill).

Section 502 is the provision that mandates the U.S. DOT to issue a Request for Proposals (RFP) from private companies or consortia to establish high-speed rail (HSR) service on any of the 11 federally-designated HSR corridors within 60 days of bill enactment.  The proposals must call for improvement in trip-time by at least 25 percent relative to current service, or, in the case of the Northeast Corridor, make the trip between New York and Washington in no more than two hours.  The proposals must be limited to 75 pages (plus appendices), and identify any necessary financial or regulatory assistance from the government.  DOT is expected to release the RFP next month, with submissions due in September, 2009.  Stakeholder commissions would be convened for each corridor to evaluate any proposals received, and the DOT would submit the commissions’ recommendations to Congress in April, 2010.

Thursday’s section of the roundtable meeting focused on the Northeast Corridor.  Rep. Mica called Amtrak “essential” to any public-private partnership (PPP) developed on the Corridor.  The resulting new system must be “interoperable with the full [current] system.”  Mica emphasized today that there should be no adverse impacts on commuter operations which, if anything, should be enhanced by new HSR operations.

House Railroads Subcommittee Ranking Member Bill Shuster (R-PA) posited that private passenger rail didn’t fail through mismanagement by freight companies, but because the environment at the time made it an inherently unprofitable business.  He said, “Let’s use this as an opportunity to see if the climate has changed, and whether privately run rail is feasible.”

Associate Federal Railroad Administrator Mark Yachmetz said that Federal Railroad Administrator Joseph Boardman is “committed to meeting the [statutory] December 15” deadline for RFP issuance and that President-Elect Obama’s transition team is “fully aware” of the process.  FRA Office of Passenger and Freight Programs Director Paul Nissenbaum today praised the construction of Section 502, calling it “very well thought out.”

Nissenbaum addressed concerns that environmental and other permits will be tough to acquire, especially for projects in densely-populated areas.  He said that the FRA is aware of the difficulty.  They don’t expect the permits to be acquired at time of proposal consideration, but rather for the expression of a strategy to acquire those permits.

Amtrak COO and Acting President William Crosbie asserted, “We know how to do high speed rail.”  He said Amtrak is the country’s first HSR operator, with crews and teams with first-hand experience and institutional knowledge of the hurdles and the bottlenecks to HSR.

Today’s section of the roundtable meeting focused on national issues.  Rep. Jim Costa (D-CA) noted that, for each of the 11 federally-designated corridors, “Population densities are different and circumstances are different.  Therefore, one size won’t fit all.”  Rep. Mica concurred as said that Congress left room for “creativity” in the proposals.  Nissenbaum praised the construction of Section 502, calling it “very well thought out.”

Rep. Costa expressed optimism that “we’ll see a host of efforts that will come together” for funding in the 111th Congress.  Possible sources include economic stimulus, climate change legislation, and the S. 3700 (see previous story).  Bipartisan support for HSR in Congress is fairly new, and PPPs have played a major role in that.  While he expressed hope that Congress will move forward in “assisting all 11 corridors,” he noted that California HSR in particular will be ready to go “quite rapidly.”  Rep. Mica later noted that “the Speaker has asked us to identify ready-to-go projects” for the next economic stimulus package, “and I’d certainly call California [HSR] ready to go.”

Edward R. Hamberger, President of the Association of American Railroads, view HSR Freight railroads “as an opportunity” and want to work as “stakeholders.”  He also expressed a desire for the industry to work with passenger rail advocates to “speak with one voice” on Capitol Hill going forward.

The governments of Morocco and France announced a joint venture last week for the French to partially finance the construction of a $2 billion TGV high-speed line between Casablanca and Tangier (about 310 miles).  France is contributing a $792 million loan for rolling stock and infrastructure.

The London-based Centre for Global Energy Studies, cited in the November 19 Financial Times (FT), said a year-on-year decline in global oil demand in 2008 and 2009 was now “a very real possibility for the first time in 25 years…With people fearful for their jobs and income prospects, a 25-30% fall in gasoline prices will not change their new driving habits.”

Meanwhile, the November 19 FT had additional evidence that the oil-price decline is setting the stage for future oil supply and price crises.  “The world’s national oil companies expect oil prices to fall further and will cancel most planned investment projects even at current levels, said the head of a Chinese state-owned group.”  The official, Fu Chengyu, CEO of China National Offshore Oil Corporation, said about 27 companies from 23 countries attended a recent meeting of national oil companies in Beijing.  He said break-even oil prices among deep-sea projects planned by state-owned companies ranged from about $60 to $90 a barrel.  Texas West Intermediate closed today at $50.44 a barrel.

And FT’s Lex Column noted that the November 15 hijacking of Sirius Star, a super-tanker with four times the capacity of the next-largest ship seized thus far by Somali pirates, and the fact that the ship was hijacked on the Cape of Good Hope and 420 nautical miles offshore (both factors thought to minimize the danger of piracy) means that insurance rates will rise, as will the economic impact of ships taking longer routes (even though the Sirius Star incident shows that such routes are no guarantee of safety).  Crew size and security costs also may rise.  One expert told Warren Olney on NPR’s To the Point on November 18 that shipping companies have pared crew size to the bone to cut costs—FT said Sirius Star carried a crew of 25.  The ship has a capacity of two million barrels of oil and is fully loaded.  Its owner, Vela International Marine, is a subsidiary of Saudi Aramco and is based in United Arab Emirates.

On November 14, a settlement was announced in the leaseback conflict between the Washington Metropolitan Transit Authority and KBC Bank of Belgium that arose from the collapse of AIG.  The terms of the settlement were undisclosed by both sides end litigation between WMATA and KBC, which had demanded an immediate $43 million payment from WMATA following the downgrading of AIG’s credit rating.  Leaders of other transit agencies were on Capitol Hill this week lobbying for protection in similar leaseback deals.

Amtrak finally began utilizing the new St. Louis Gateway Transportation Center on Wednesday, and a grand opening ceremony was held today.  This is the first time in 30 years that Amtrak passengers will enjoy a non-“temporary” station in the Gateway City.  However, there is very little long-term parking in the station area, and Amtrak and the City of St. Louis are working to resolve the issue.  For more information on the opening, see Amtrak’s news release.

Amtrak will resume Auto Train service tomorrow after service was suspended in both directions following a mechanical inspection on Tuesday that uncovered cracks in the underframes of auto carrier cars.  Amtrak cancelled service as a precaution and began repairs on Wednesday.  Amtrak announced resumption of service in a news release.

Amtrak Police have entered into an agreement with Wilmington, DE Police for joint law enforcement and patrols in the Wilmington station area over the next year.  The joint policing agreement applies to a three-block radius around the station and will be in effect for one year.

Transit and commuter rail passengers in the New York City area may face steep fare hikes and service cuts next year as the New York City Metropolitan Transit Agency proposes to plug a yawning budget deficit that is projected to reach $1.411 billion next year and balloon to $2.972 billion in 2012.  MTA has been particularly vulnerable to declining revenues because the financial crisis has hit New York City hardest.  Base fare on local services may increase from $2 to between $2.50 and $3, the highest in the nation, and the W and Z Subway lines would be eliminated (with other lines covering lost segments).  Other lines’ headways would increase, Metro-North and Long Island Rail Road service would be reduced, and several bus lines would be cut.

Amtrak is marketing the Carolinian and Piedmont as “Santa Trains” for tomorrow only.  Passengers may board train 80 in Charlotte or Kannapolis and greet Santa Claus in Salisbury, where entertainment and refreshments will also be provided.  They may return south on train 73.  Passengers may also board train 73 in Raleigh, Cary, Durham, or Burlington to greet Santa at Greensboro, and return on train 80.  For more information, see Amtrak’s news release.

Amtrak will operate Missouri Mules trains 311 and 316 with Superliner cars from November 20 to December 1.  Accordingly, Business Class service and bicycle space will not be available.

Amtrak will once again offer a turkey dinner special and pumpkin pie in its long-distance train dining cars this holiday season.  The meals will be offered November 20-29, and again December 20-January 1.

Metrolink San Bernardino line train 306 sideswiped the rear of a BNSF freight train that was pulling into a siding in Rialto yesterday.  Metrolink characterized the incident as “minor;” five passengers were injured.  The cause of the incident was not immediately known, but it was less serious than the September 12 head-on collision between Metrolink and Union Pacific trains in which 25 people were killed.

Fires in Southern California affected major transportation routes last weekend.  The Sylmar fire forced Metrolink’s Antelope Valley Line to shut down Saturday and Sunday.  Metrolink also suspended the Inland Empire-Orange County Line on Sunday.  Amtrak’s Thruway route between Los Angeles and Bakersfield did not run on Saturday.

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Nov 26, 2008: Hotline #581

Amtrak’s Board of Directors selected Federal Railroad Administrator Joseph Boardman to take over as Amtrak President and CEO, effective today.  Amtrak made the announcement yesterday.  William Crosbie, who had been serving in the interim since Alex Kummant’s November 14 resignation, resumed his duties as Chief Operating Officer.

Chairman Donna McLean’s quote in yesterday’s Amtrak release begin this way:  “In an attempt to maintain the momentum at Amtrak, while finding a permanent CEO candidate, the board has appointed Mr. Boardman for one year, but will conduct a search in the coming months for a permanent CEO.” 

Deputy Administrator Clifford Eby will be acting Federal Railroad Administrator until January 20.

NARP President Ross B. Capon issued the following statement yesterday:

“NARP applauds the Amtrak Board’s quick action in appointing a distinguished, knowledgeable and hard-nosed leader like Boardman.  There is a desperate need for passenger trains to be properly represented in any stimulus package under development. Thus it is essential right now to have a forceful, well-known person at the helm of Amtrak.  We believe Joe Boardman fits the bill.

“As the Amtrak Board continues its recruitment process for a permanent CEO, NARP urges the Amtrak Board to stay focused on the funding and operational challenges facing Amtrak as demand for our national passenger train system continues to increase, and to make decisions that foster such growth in a sustained, long-term manner.”

Boardman yesterday asked Capon to tell NARP members, “I believe that a national intercity interconnected passenger rail system is one of the most important core and fundamental strengths of Amtrak.  Without it, Amtrak will not be what it is and can become.  National connectivity comes together with Amtrak.  Period.”  He said much the same thing in a quotation in Amtrak’s release yesterday, and in a message he sent to Amtrak employees today, his first day at Amtrak. 

NARP sent a letter to Transportation Secretary Mary Peters on November 21 urging her to not to allow the Federal Transit Administration to sign a Record of Decision in New Jersey Transit’s Access to the Region’s Core project, and included documentation (.pdf) to support NARP’s position.  This letter also was circulated to U.S. Senators and Representatives and mayors from Virginia to Maine.

As we explained in a message to members yesterday, and at length in our May NARP News, ARC is a New Jersey Transit (NJT) project to add rail capacity near New York City’s Pennsylvania Station and bore two new tunnels under the Hudson River.  The official cost of project cost is $8.7 billion dollars, with the federal government expected to provide at least $3 billion.

However, in June, 2007, NJT announced that the connection between the new tunnels and New York City’s Penn Station had been dropped from the project.  This connection, which NARP regards as essential, and which Amtrak tried hard to defend, was dropped as of June, 2007.  As NARP President Ross Capon observed in a statement submitted for the record in House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee Chairman Jim Oberstar’s (D-MN) October 29 hearing, “Amtrak is reduced to haggling with NJT over who shall get use of particular ‘slots,’ and to saying that fifth and sixth tunnels will be needed before 2030.  This is no way to plan a railroad!”  Yet NJT’s summary of Amtrak’s earlier comments on the ARC said “the new ARC tunnels will likely be the last rail tunnels constructed under the Hudson River for many generations” (emphasis added).

The new tunnels will connect only to a deep cavern, dead-end station 15 stories under 34th Street (two blocks north of Penn Station), to be used only by New Jersey Transit.  There also are no provisions for a connection to Grand Central Station. 

Please contact your Members of Congress, especially if you live in the Northeast.  Tell them to:

• 1.  Urge Secretary Peters and her successor not to allow the Federal Transit Administration to sign a Record of Decision in New Jersey Transit’s Access to the Region’s Core project and
• 2.  Urge that any federal infrastructure spending legislation include necessary funding for the ARC, conditioned on restoration of the connection between the new tunnels and Penn Station.

Phone calls are ideal, but any communication will help—e-mails, faxes, letters. (If you use the postal service, it is best to write to a district office, not to Washington, DC.)

Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) has requested that the FRA grant an emergency waiver to Metrolink to allow unilateral deployment of collision avoidance systems such as Automatic Train Stop without the approval of freight railroads or Amtrak.  Feinstein sent the letter on November 20, the same day as the Metrolink-BNSF sideswipe incident in Rialto, CA.

News media in Florida today reported on a potential near-collision between Amtrak’s southbound Silver Star train 91 and northbound Tri-Rail commuter train 632 on October 20.  The Tri-Rail engineer reportedly made an emergency brake application after departing West Palm Beach and seeing Amtrak fouling the same track beyond a red signal at which it was supposed to stop, where the Tri-Rail train was to take a crossover.  Without permission from the dispatcher, the Amtrak engineer made a reverse move to get behind the signal and crossover, and both trains proceeded with minimal delay.  However, no members of either crew reported the incident to the CSX dispatcher or to their respective managers.  Tri-Rail management did not learn of the incident until November 4.  The Tri-Rail crew, employed by Veolia Transportation, was removed from service pending an investigation, as was the Amtrak crew.  The Palm Beach Post reported today, “At least six administrators and employees received suspensions or letters of reprimand.  The Federal Railroad Administration is investigating…  A state Department of Transportation employee happened to be on one of the trains, and reported it to superiors, who began asking questions about the incident.”  Miami CBS affiliate WFOR has posted a memo to the South Florida Regional Transportation Authority Governing Board, as well as a joint investigation of managerial response (both .pdf) to the incident.  WFOR and sister station WPEC called the sequence of events following the incident a “cover-up.”

Santa Clara County, CA Measure B cleared the hurdle for victory last week.  The sales tax increase to fund operations of the future Bay Area Rapid Transit San Jose extension passed 66.78%-33.22%, exceeding the 66.67% requirement.  The measure was seen as losing in the days following the election, but absentee and provisional voters disproportionately favored BART funding.  About one hundred votes remained to be counted as of last week, not enough to affect the outcome.

Dallas Union Station was officially rededicated after a $23 million renovation at a ribbon-cutting ceremony on November 20.  Many of the improvements were cosmetic and oriented towards marketing surplus space for special events.  The renovation coincides with a major overhaul of Reunion Tower, on the other side of the station tracks and connected to the station by a pedestrian tunnel, which is expected to be completed early next year.

A VIA Rail Canada schedule change will take effect on December 1.  The major change is the addition of significant padding to the Canadian between Toronto and Vancouver, which will go from being a three-night journey to a four-night journey.  The schedule of westbound train 1 will be lengthened by 10 1/2 hours, while the schedule of eastbound train 2 will increase by nearly 13 hours.  The padding is being added in response to ongoing performance problems on the Canadian National Railway.

Several Amtrak Thruway schedules operated by Indian Trails of Michigan have changed.  Bus 8555 departs Flint at 3:25 PM (one hour 40 minutes later than in the current timetable) and now connects with Wolverine train 355 in Kalamazoo instead of Battle Creek.  (Other connecting schedules at Battle Creek are adjusted.)  Bus 8364 has 25 minutes added to the schedule, arriving St. Ignace at 11:45 PM.  Bus 8539 from will depart Milwaukee at 10 PM (one hour later than in the timetable) and arrive Houghton, MI at 8:17 AM (52 minutes later than in the timetable).

Amtrak began handling checked baggage at Bellingham, WA on Monday.  All Cascades trains serving Bellingham accept baggage. Trains 516 and 517 now carry baggage at intermediate stations, whereas before baggage was accepted only at Seattle and Vancouver, the two endpoints.

The station building in Hinton, WV is temporarily closed for up to a month as the city renovates the building.  Cardinal passengers will not have access to restrooms or a waiting room until renovations are complete.

Additional adjustments are in effect today on Amtrak’s Capitol Corridor to handle Thanksgiving crowds.  Trains 551 and 553, which normally operate Sacramento-Oakland, will operate all the way to San Jose.  Trains 542 and 553 will operate with borrowed Caltrain commuter equipment to increase capacity on other trains.  No food service will be available, but snack packs and bottled water will be on hand.

The December 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.

Have a happy and safe Thanksgiving!

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