Jun 05, 2009: Hotline #607

Hotline #607
June 5, 2009

Vice President Joe Biden and U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood met June 3 with governors from eight states to discuss the future of intercity and high-speed trains in America.  The Vice President challenged the state leaders to think boldly in designing their plans, which will be funded in part by the $13 billion that President Obama has allocated for high-speed rail in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) and in his budgetary outline for the next five years.

The Washington D.C. meeting followed a series of meetings around the country designed to enable the FRA to discuss the HSR Strategic Plan with key stakeholders, such as state departments of transportation, regional planning authorities, metropolitan leaders, associations (including NARP representatives) and labor groups (ARRA rules excluded lobbyists from attending).

“Everyone knows I’m a big believer in our nation’s rail system—I’ve devoted a big part of my career doing what I can to support it—and I’m proud that this Administration is about to transform that system fundamentally,” said Vice President Biden.  “Thanks to an $8 billion investment from the Recovery Act, we’re going to start building a high-speed rail system that will loosen the congestion suffocating our highways and skyways, and make travel in this country leaner, meaner and a whole lot cleaner.”

The opportunity for 100% federal money has served as a powerful stimulant for interest in passenger rail, including Governor Sonny Purdue (R) from Georgia, a state which has made little progress with passenger trains.  Secretary LaHood testified June 4 before a Senate Appropriations subcommittee [see related story, below], Governor Jennifer Granholm (D) of Michigan offered her state’s factories to help construct the new high-speed fleet.  The crisis in the American auto-manufacturing sector seems to have created a new interest in the economic benefits of modernizing the national train network.

[For more on the bankruptcy of General Motors, read an editorial on the NARP Blog, Lessons from GM’s Bankruptcy on the Consequences of a Fly-Drive Transportation System]

“America is ready to embrace a new level of passenger rail service that offers a safe, convenient, and sustainable way to travel from city to city, and region to region,” said Secretary LaHood.  “President Obama has handed us an extraordinary opportunity – and now it is up to all of us to seize the moment.  With creative input and contributions from governors across the country, I believe we’ll be able to do just that.”


The Federal Railroad Authority has posted the presentations used in their regional high-speed rail workshop meetings.  You can find PDFs of the presentations on the FRA website.


Please ask your senator to co-sponsor S. 1036 which sets forth a series of transportation goals that NARP strongly supports, including increased use of passenger and freight trains and reduced per capita highway vehicle miles traveled.  One of the key goals calls for an “increase [in] the total usage of public transportation, intercity passenger rail services, and non-motorized transportation on an annual basis.”  If you are from a rural state you can point out that the per capita reduction is a national average which could easily be met in major metro areas without impacting rural states.  Nonetheless, the American Highway Users Federation is already attacking this bill, whose only co-sponsors right now are the two who introduced it: Commerce Chairman John Rockefeller IV (D-WV) and Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ).


The climate change bill, H.R. 2454, is expected to raise gasoline prices by 9-10 cents a gallon but none of that will go to transportation infrastructure as the bill is currently drafted.  This is in spite of the fact that 20% of the bill’s revenues come from transportation users.  Urge your representatives to tell Speaker Pelosi and House Energy and Commerce Chairman Waxman (both D-CA) that this is unacceptable.  Also, since the Senate is just starting work on a companion bill, ask your senators to see that transit and trains get at least as much of the climate change revenues as the legislation would generate in revenues from transportation users.


Congress will have to find a fix for a $5 to $7 billion shortfall to keep the Highway Trust Fund solvent through the end of Fiscal 2009 (September 30).  The account, which is funded by transportation user fees, primarily the gas tax, has been hurt by continuing spending increases over the years while user fees were not increased, and hurt dramatically in the past year by decreased revenues.

The news was first announced Tuesday by Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA) at a Committee on Environment and Public Works confirmation hearing for President Obama’s nominee to head the Federal Highway Administration.  Senator Boxer, who said she first heard the information during a conference call with White House staff last month, also revealed $8 billion to $10 billion will be needed to finance projects already authorized through the end of FY2010.  The administration’s budget projects a total need for $39.5 billion in general funds (highways and transit) to bail out the Highway Trust Fund in Fiscal 2010; see page 2 of our June newsletter.

U.S. DOT Secretary Ray LaHood was asked about this shortfall at the June 3 House Appropriations subcommittee.  “I assure you that we will soon have a plan to address the potential trust fund shortfall this summer,” said the Secretary. “We believe very strongly that any trust fund fix must be paid for.”

When pressed by the subcommittee Chairman, John Olver (D-MA), LaHood said he has made recommendations to the White House but would not reveal what they were, instead reiterating that he was confident they would have a specific financing plan this summer.  LaHood was prominently rebuked by White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs (and then defended by House Transportation & Infrastructure Chairman Jim Oberstar, D-MN) for suggesting a vehicle miles traveled tax might be on the table as a possible solution to the chronic deficit.

In 2008, $8 billion in general funds were transferred to cover a deficit in the trust fund.


Senate Judiciary Antitrust Subcommittee Chairman Herb Kohl (D-WI) and Senate Commerce Chairman John D. Rockefeller (D-WV) reached a deal this Monday to include antitrust exemption for freight railroads as part of any future Surface Transportation Board reauthorization bill.

Rockefeller had objected to Kohl’s efforts to bring a separate antitrust repeal bill, saying the manner should be part of a comprehensive effort to reform the national surface transportation plan.  Kohl, satisfied that his objectives would be met by the Commerce committee, joined Rockefeller in asking Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) to withdraw the vote that was scheduled on Tuesday.


Passenger train and mass transit advocates are pressing Congressional House leaders to include Senate-passed language that would allow transit agencies to use Recovery Act funds to cover operating-costs.

The provision was part of the Senate version of the supplemental spending bill for the Iraq and Afghanistan war.  With city, municipal, and state operating budgets being slashed, many agencies are being forced to consider cutting staff and service, leaving them unable to handle the dramatic increases in ridership.  While ARRA was written to fund only new construction, this amendment would allow as much as 10% of the funding from the stimulus bill to go towards agencies’ salaries and maintenance, and offer a lifeline to struggling transit organizations.

House and Senate conferees will to hash out the differences in the bill, and passenger train and transit advocates are already fighting for the inclusion of this language.  A letter written by Peter DeFazio (D-OR), chairman of the Transportation and Infrastructure Highways and Transit Subcommittee, and signed by 26 other Representatives, was sent out to House, saying “In order to maintain consistent and reliable service for riders, access to operations assistance in these tough economic times is crucial.”


The Texas Legislature’s session adjourned this Monday without passing a budget or a safety-net.  In a chaotic last day, the House adjourned without letting the Senate know, allowing them to work into the night beyond the point where a resolution was possible.

While dozens of agencies are at risk, and severe cutbacks would have to be made across the board, at least three agencies will close if a fix is not passed in a special session: the Texas Racing Commission, the Texas Department of Insurance. and the Affordable Housing Commission.

“What the House did was they wrecked the TxDOT budget, and that would have put billions of dollars’ worth of projects at risk and tens of thousands of jobs at risk,” Senate Finance Committee Chairman Steve Ogden (R-Bryan) said.

The Senate expects Governor Rick Perry will call them back into a special legislative session to address the problem.


Governor Tim Kaine of Virginia announced new Amtrak service between Richmond and Washington D.C. this Wednesday.  He called the new state-supported intercity service, which comes shortly after the announcement of a new daily passenger train between Lynchburg and the nation’s capitol, as a way to ensure more passenger and freight rail transportation options.

“We cannot engage the future without a strong commitment to passenger rail in these vital corridors, providing more transportation choices for all Virginians while helping grow our economy,” Governor Kaine said in a prepared statement. “I appreciate the commitment of Amtrak, CSX and Norfolk Southern to make these new services a reality. This is a first step toward a national vision of rail and ensures Virginia’s place in that larger network.”

The Richmond to D.C. trains will begin to run December 2009.  A full list of stops and schedules can be found on the Governor’s website.


Vermont passengers, officials, and freight railroad representatives met last week to debate the future of the Vermonter.  With passenger numbers climbing, some see a golden opportunity to improve service by rebuilding a stretch of Connecticut River track with stimulus money.  The new alignment would save as much as 45 minutes.

However, there has arisen a highly unusual situation in which two freight railroad companies are arguing over who gets to run passenger trains on their line.  New England Central Railroad, backed by the Vermont Rail Council, has questioned whether this plan is fair, since it would use public money to improve the track of Pan Am Southern, a direct competitor of theirs.  They asked whether the money couldn’t be used to upgrade New England Central track, on which the Vermonter currently runs. 

The answer given by the consultants hired to do the feasibility study on the route change, HDR Inc., was an unequivocal “no.”  At stake is $25 million to $30 million in federal money.

Although the change will happen on Massachusetts land, the opinion of Vermont state agencies will carry the most weight, since they essentially pay the operating costs for the route north of Springfield, MA, with a little help from Amtrak.

“[New England Central Railroad] serves our state very, very well,” Charlie Miller, Chairman of the Rail Council for the Vermont Agency of Transportation, told reporters from the Rutland Herald.  “The last thing we want to do is cause them financial harm.”  From a passenger standpoint, however, direct service up the old Connecticut River line (including Holyoke and Northampton) would take much less time.  Amherst service could be preserved using a connecting bus.


Amtrak has released their Guest Rewards “power points” for the summer traveling season.  The deals, coming through partner transactions, give passengers the chance to earn bonus points from June 1 until August 31.


Amtrak announced last Friday that their Vice-President of Security, William Rooney, has left the company.  Rooney played a key role in Amtrak’s response to 9/11, developing the company’s counterterrorism unit and reaching out to federal and international counterterrorism agencies.

Amtrak said John O’Connor, the police chief for the passenger-train service, will temporarily take over Rooney’s former responsibilities, until the police and security departments are eventually combined.

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Jun 12, 2009: Hotline #608

Hotline #608
June 12, 2009

The Rockefeller-Lautenberg bill setting environmentally sound goals for our transportation system, goals which would advance rail, still has only its two, original co-sponsors.  Please ask your Senators to co-sponsor S. 1036, the Federal Surface Transportation Policy and Planning Act of 2009, which was discussed here last week.  The Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation news release.

There is now a House version of the bill sponsored by Representatives Russ Carnahan (D-MO), Rush Holt (D-NJ), and Jay Inslee (D-WA), the National Transportation Objectives Act of 2009 (H.R. 2724) sets the same goals, but goes further by including aggressive performance standards.  Urge your Representative to cosponsor this important piece of legislation!


The head of the Federal Railroad Administration went on a podcast last weekend to talk about the vision for a uniquely American high-speed rail system.

Appearing on the online show “Let’s Talk Trains” Administrator Joseph Szabo said an American high-speed rail system will not duplicate what exists in Europe.  While transit officials in Europe kicked freight rail off the railroads, Szabo said, America has an unsurpassed freight rail network, and no one wants to displace that traffic onto our highways.

The emphasis here will not be so much on raising top speeds of passenger trains as on addressing bottlenecks and other factors which force trains to run very slowly.  The goal is to improve overall trip time.  Szabo expects improvements to happen in a fashion similar to how the Interstate system was built, with certain corridors built up in the first phase, and then supporting segments built out concentrically.

The full interview is on Let’s Talk Trains website and on iTunes.


A bipartisan group released their plan for a major transformation in national surface transportation policy June 9, calling for a mode-neutral system of funding projects that moves away from the current model dominated by the Federal Highway Administration.

The group—chaired by former Detroit Mayor Dennis Archer, former Congressman Sherwood Boehlert, former Senator Slade Gorton, and former Congressman Martin Sabo and made up of a bipartisan group of 26 diverse members—produced its plan called Performance Driven: A New Vision for U.S. Transportation Policy.  The document calls for a performance-driven system that establishes national goals of connectivity, accessibility, safety, energy security, and environmental protection

NTPP co-chair former Congressman Martin Sabo said in a statement that the challenges we face in today’s transportation climate are complex and go well beyond roads, asserting “We have to make our transportation system more fuel-efficient and cleaner, we have to deal with the carbon issue, and we have the challenge of reducing our dependence on fossil fuel.”

The full plan is available on NTPP’s website.


Visitors to Niagara Falls will have another travel choice this summer with the unveiling of GO Transit’s seasonal weekend and holiday train service to Niagara Region, starting June 27.

The two-hour train trip will being in downtown Toronto and arrive at Niagara Falls two hours later.  GO Transit will offer four round trips daily on weekends and during the summer season, from June 27 until October 12.  A single-ride adult fare will cost $15.90 (Canadian).

“This new GO rail service will bring tourists to Niagara’s wineries, restaurants, and attractions such as the incomparable Niagara Falls. Our government is expanding public transit across the province, making investments that build our economic infrastructure and put people to work,” said Ontario Minister of Transportation Jim Bradley in a prepared statement.  This is in addition to VIA’s two daily, year-round round-trips.

Find more about the service at GO Transit’s website.

Scranton-Hoboken passenger train service took a significant step forward this week.  The Environmental Protection Agency has declared a Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) for the project.  After a 30 day period reserved for public comment, the Pennsylvania Northeast Regional Railroad Authority (PNRRA) can begin to secure funding for the estimated $550 million project.  From there, it would take another four to five years to complete.

Pennsylvania’s two Democratic Senators, Arlen Specter and Bob Casey Jr., announced the project had been greenlighted June 9 in Pittston Township.  “This railroad is really about the future,” Casey said. “There are people who want to talk about the line being re-established for nostalgia ... but this is going to bring jobs and commerce and the future to northeast Pennsylvania.”

The EPA’s approval moves this project near the front of the pack of projects vying for federal stimulus money.  PNRRA says the $550 million won’t be needed in one lump sum, since the construction will happen in phases.

Amtrak is testing a pilot system that would bring Wi-Fi to their Acela train, enabling passengers to access the internet with a laptop en route to their destination.

“Presently Amtrak is testing systems on the Acela express train, and we hope to have some results on that front soon,” Amtrak spokesman Cliff Cole told the Washington Post. “Our goal is to provide Wi-Fi service.”

The move would be an important addition to make the train, which caters to business clients, more attractive.  Some low-fare bus services in the same market already offer wireless internet access.

No launch date has been announced.


Transit officials from across the country have grouped together to draft federal legislation in an effort to end the looming threat of financing deals spoiled by the credit crisis.

Transit agencies for years engaged in transactions wherein they sell financial companies their railcars and buses, and then lease back that equipment.  Called a “leaseback,” it provided financial benefits for both parties.  Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) board member Peter Benjamin told the Washington Post he estimates the 16 such deals the agency made between 1997 and 2003 earned them over $100 million.

One provision in the leases has been threatening to collapse the deals, throwing the solvency of many transit agencies into question.  The deals required that the companies that insured the agreements maintain an AAA insurance rating.  When the credit crisis hit, a number of these insurers—notably American International Group—lost that rating.  Now the lending banks are using this twist to seek payment they say their contracts entitle them to—though the agencies in question would be severely harmed in the process.

“I would have to pay $330 million of liquidated damages, which would wipe out my capital budget” WMATA’s Chief Financial Officer told PBS “News Hour’s” “Bluepring America” series earlier this year.  “So this would mean, you know, no maintenance on track, delays, cuts in service.  Repairs would go to the wayside.”

Transit officials from Washington D.C., New Jersey, and Los Angeles are drafting legislation to present to the Senate Finance Committee in order to create a financial penalty for banks that try to extort agencies.  The banks have responded to this threat by rushing to get out of the deals before any legislation could be enacted.

WMATA has sought authority to pay their way out of their 12 remaining leasebacks, four around $100,000 per lease, calling the deal “as good as it’s going to get.”

New Jersey Transit broke ground on the new Hudson River rail-tunnels on June 8, starting a project that, at an estimated $8.7 billion, is now the nation’s costliest transportation project.  The Federal Transit Authority announced on the same day that they have approved a $1.35 billion Early Systems Work Agreement (ESWA) for the project.

NJT claims the tunnels will allow them to increase the total amount of passengers they can accommodate to 255,000 a day from 170,000—allowing them to take 22,000 cars off the road everyday.

NARP applauds the commitment to train travel these tunnels represent, but has insisted that the link to Penn Station, eliminated in a 2007 revision of the project, must be reintroduced for the tunnels to become beneficial on a regional level.


This week, jet fuel prices in New York rose more than 10%, and American and Delta, citing weak demand, both announced summer service cuts beyond those previously planned. 


To the growing list of federal automobile subsidies, add the Obama Administration’s June 11 announcement that it is expanding a Recovery Act tax break on new car sales to six states that don’t have sales taxes.  AP said the Administration is interpreting “the new law to include certain fees charged to new car buyers in six states without sales taxes.”


The Obama Administration announced an accelerated plan for the second 100 days of the Recovery Act during a June 8 meeting.

The various agencies under the White House’s control have committed $135 billion of the $787 billion provided in total by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act passed in February.  However, only $44 billion has actually been released.  Some of the delays have been caused by rigorous standards for the application processes, required by preexisting laws put in place to provide environmental protections.

The new plan calls for accelerating maintenance repairs on almost 1,600 highway and airport projects.

“We’re going to get more dollars out the door, more shovels into the ground and more money into the pockets of workers and families who need it most,” Vice President Joe Biden said.

In related news, the Secretary of the Department of Transportation, Ray LaHood, has called the figures posted on the White House’s recovery website a misrepresentation of the work his bureau has done 

The website shows that the DOT has $15.7 billion available, and has paid out only $175.7 million.  However, the department actually has $48 billion available to work with, and $15 billion has been obligated or approved.  The distinction is that a significant portion of the transportation projects are reimbursable, which means state agencies won’t receive payment until they submit a receipt for the construction once it is underway”

“These reports misunderstand where in the funding process job creation and purchases of materials and equipment occur,” LaHood wrote in his DOT blog. “In short, they overlook the moment when stimulus actually happens. It happens as soon as we make funds available to states, territories and transit agencies.”

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Jun 19, 2009: Hotline #609

Administration officials unveiled the much anticipated interim guidance for their high-speed intercity passenger rail program this morning, revealing more detail about what President Obama’s vision for a new network of high-speed trains will look like when it becomes a reality.

“The time has finally come for the United States to get serious about building a national network of high-speed rail corridors we can all be proud of,” said U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. “High-speed rail can reduce traffic congestion and link up with light rail, subways and buses to make travel more convenient and our communities more livable.”

Secretary LaHood, along with Federal Railroad Administrator Joseph Szabo, released the interim guidance, development of which included outreach to almost 1,200 stakeholders—state officials, non-profit advocates, rail industry representatives, and members of the public working to rejuvenate—or interested in rejuvenating—the nation’s train system. 

“The result of this outreach shows a clear understanding of what makes trains successful, by using passenger-miles [one passenger transported one mile]; convenience of intermodal connections to local transit, airports, and bus terminals; and an appropriately broad definition of benefits that includes energy efficiency, environmental, and quality-of-life improvements as key measures in evaluating applicants” said NARP’s Director of Communications, Sean Jeans-Gail.  “This plan lays the groundwork for something that can truly transform the way Americans move about in their lives.”

Details about the interim guidance are in NARP’s release.  A PDF of the HSPIR Guidance document is at on the FRA website.


Michigan’s state-supported trains clung to life in Lansing as the House Transportation Appropriations Committee recommended the governor’s figure of $5.7 million, lower than needed to preserve all service but higher than the counterpart Senate committee had approved.  The bill requires service to continue on both the Grand Rapids and Port Huron/Lansing lines, but does not require daily service.  There has been speculation that, should the $5.7 million survive, service could drop to quad-weekly on both routes with staffing eliminated at Port Huron, Flint and East Lansing stations.  Michiganders should continue to contact their state legislators demanding continuation of daily service on both routes.


NARP Council Member Kenneth Joseph will be among the witnesses testifying Monday, June 22, at a Pittsburgh field hearing held by the House Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines, and Hazardous Materials.  The hearing topic is “Expanding Passenger Rail Service” with a special emphasis on western Pennsylvania.  The 10 am hearing will be at U.S. Federal District Courthouse, 700 Grant Street (corner of 7th St. and Grant St.).  Acting chair will be Rep. Jason Altmire (D-PA).


Congress gave final passage to a supplemental spending bill for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan on Thursday with a provision to allow transit agencies to flex 10% of the funds they receive from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to cover operating costs—which had been previously prohibited by the law.  The supplemental also includes a “cash for clunkers” provision many have derided as a subsidy to auto manufacturers, dealers, suppliers and purchasers.  Interestingly, a provision which had been in both the House and Senate versions would have allowed clunker-disposers to receive public transit vouchers instead of credit for purchase of a new car. This language was not included in the war supplemental bill, however.


The Obama Administration has come out in favor of an 18 month interim fix for the expiring surface transportation program, setting up a showdown with leaders of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee who are determined to pass a full five year reauthorization before the current program expires.

In a June 17 release, U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood admitted the primary motivation was to cover the five to seven billion dollar shortfall in the Highway Trust Fund (HTF).  The HTF—which provides federal highway funding and 80% of federal transit funds—is funded by the per-gallon gasoline and other user taxes.  Inflation has been eating into its value since the last tax increase in 1993, and in recent years the HTF has fallen short even more due to the ethanol exemption, increased use of high-mileage cars and recession-induced reductions in driving..  The Administration has vociferously opposed raising the gas tax to close this gap.

LaHood, however, did acknowledge the many dysfunctional elements of the current Surface Transportation Program, saying the 18 month stopgap should include critical reforms to improve cost-benefit analysis, focus on more investments in metropolitan areas, and promote livable neighborhoods.

The next day, June 18, Chairman James Oberstar (D-MN) and Ranking Member John Mica (R-FL),  of the House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee, held a joint news conference denouncing the 18 month delay as unacceptable, saying setback would cause uncertainty and costs jobs.  Several other Members from the Committee were in attendance.

“There are folks at the economics gang at the White House who have never had a shovel in their hands or a callus on their fingers,” Oberstar said.

They released the outline of a $500 billion, five-year reauthorization, which includes $50 billion for high speed rail.  Their white paper included this: “Unlike other major industrialized nations, Americans have limited transportation choices.  The United States has almost no high-speed passenger rail service, even though it is widely recognized that high-speed rail can significantly reduce congestion on our highways and in the air, decrease our dependence on foreign oil, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.  We invest only a fraction of the amounts invested by European and Asian countries in high-speed rail.”

The high speed rail discussion is encouraging because only a few weeks ago Oberstar told a reporter he had not considered a major rail title for the bill.  However, it appears that the envisioned high-speed rail funds would not come from the HTF.  Thus it remains unclear where either rail funds or the money needed to fix the HTF will come from.  Exact language of the bill is expected to follow next week.

However, Oberstar faces more than just the Administration’s opposition; his Senate counterpart, Environment and Public Works Chair Barbara Boxer (D-CA), has supported the Administration’s plan.  LaHood anticipated resistance to his 18 month interim reauthorization:  “I recognize that there will be concerns raised about this approach.  However, with the reality of our fiscal environment and the critical demand to address our infrastructure investments in a smarter, more focused approach, we should not rush legislation.  We should work together on a full reauthorization that best meets the demands of the country.  The first step is making sure that the Highway Trust Fund is solvent.  The next step is addressing our transportation priorities over the long term.” 

NARP will continue to work with our allies and the Legislative and Executive branch to ensure that federal policy is reformed to promote greater balance and connectivity between modes.


The inspector general of Amtrak offered his resignation to the company’s Chairman on Thursday night in an unexpected move. 

Fred Weiderhold is a long-time employee of the office that is responsible for discovering and eliminating waste, fraud, and abuse in Amtrak. There is an Inspector General for each federal agency.

“As Amtrak’s first and only Inspector General, Fred has made important contributions in helping the Board of Directors understand key issues facing the railroad and made useful recommendations to improve how we do business,” Amtrak Chairman Thomas Carper said in a prepared statement on Friday. “We thank him for his dedicated service to Amtrak and wish him well in his retirement.”

Lorraine Green, a veteran Amtrak official, has stepped in as the interim inspector general. 


Metrolink Los Angeles announced that they will run no trains on July 3, in observance of Independence Day. July 4 will see normal, limited Saturday operating service.


Amtrak’s on-time performance has soared on lines in Missouri, following a nationwide trend for the company.

In May 93% of Amtrak’s trains running between St. Louis and Kansas City arrived within 15 minutes of schedule, up from 1% in May 2008.  And 77% of trains traveling between St. Louis and Chicago this May arrived with 15 minutes of when scheduled, up from 26% from the same time last year.

The changes come from the addition of an extra track to a bridge spanning the Gasconade River constructed by Union Pacific, a public-private partnership between UP and the state and federal government to improve track conditions, as well as UP’s evident decision to improve handling of all Amtrak trains after enactment last October of the federal reauthorization of Amtrak, including provision that permits the Surface Transportation Board to assess damages against railroads that don’t keep passenger trains on schedule at least 80 percent of the time.

“It really comes down to how well we operate on their tracks under their control,” said Amtrak spokesman Marc Magliari to the St. Louis Dispatch.


Amtrak ridership dropped for the seventh straight month according to statistics released by the company July 17, with long-distance routes showing a decline for the first time in over a year.

Overall ridership for May of this year fell 9.8% from May 2008.  The total number of passengers on long-distance trains fell 9.4% during May compared to the same period the year before.  That is the first decline on long-distance routes since April 2008. 

“We still feel that the current economic climate is the overriding factor,” Amtrak spokesman Clifford Cole told Bloomberg News.

Amtrak has set records for ridership for the past six fiscal years.


In response to last week’s drug bust at an Amtrak station in Springfield, IL, Amtrak officials say it wouldn’t be feasible to institute the same kind of security procedures that exist in airports.

Responding to the media inquiry that followed the arrest of a man transporting 183 grams of marijuana from Chicago to Springfield, Amtrak spokesman Marc Magliari told the State Journal Register that, while the company has security procedures designed to fight drug trafficking and ensure the safety of passengers, airport-style screening would be impractical given the number of stations Amtrak services.

In the release of President Obama’s Vision for High-Speed Rail in America, the President was notably quoted as saying “Imagine boarding a train in the center of a city.  No racing to an airport and across a terminal, no delays… no taking off your shoes.”  Amtrak is unlikely to move away from the existing security procedures with that kind of endorsement.


The Surface Transportation Board released statistics on Tuesday showing that total railroad employment is down 8.33% from May 2008, and a down 1.77% from April 2008.  Total Class I railroad employment in May stood at 151,136 jobs.

The position that took the biggest hit was train crews.  Employment in that profession fell to 56,370 in May, down almost 18% from May 2008.

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Jun 26, 2009: Hotline #610

Hotline #610
Friday, June 26, 2009

Washington D.C. experience its deadliest Metrorail crash ever this past Monday, killing nine people and injuring 80.  The crash happened when a train heading northeast into Maryland on Metro’s Red Line north of the Fort Totten station slammed into a stopped train that was on the same track.  This section of Metro is bracketed by CSX tracks used by Amtrak’s Capitol Limited and MARC’s Brunswick line. 

The MARC service stopped about the time of the crash Monday and resumed on Wednesday.  Metro halted service over part of the line but, starting yesterday, allowed single-track operation through the area of the accident until 10 AM and again from 3 PM to 10 PM. 

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is investigating and often takes a year or more to issue a final report in an accident of this magnitude.  Preliminary findings point to failure of a track circuit that should have detected the presence of a stopped train.  Metro now is checking all 3,000 of its track circuits, meaning that the entire system will be limited to 35 mph and manual operation for now.

An analysis of the tracks shows that the driver of the train, Jeanice McMillan, engaged the emergency brake before impact.  McMillan was one of the fatalities.

Responding to restated NTSB criticism regarding of the crashworthiness of Metro’s oldest cars, and which were in the striking train, as well as to a specific request from its union, Metro is proceeding to rearrange trains so that these 1000-series cars are in between the newer cars.  Metro owns almost 300 of the 1000 series cars, which comprise about one-quarter of the fleet.  They are scheduled to be replaced within about five years at a cost of about $900 million.  Metro General Manager John Catoe met yesterday with Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood and then said, “I didn’t walk away with a suitcase of money, but I did walk away with a commitment from Secretary LaHood.”

NARP President Ross Capon was interviewed in connection with the accident on Washington’s Channel 9 (local CBS affiliate) the morning of June 24 and by Pacifica Radio today.  He has reminded people that this is only the second train accident with passenger fatalities in Metrorail’s 32-year history, but also that this tragedy underlines the need for adequate funding for transit.  .


The struggle for control over the future of the U.S.’s transportation system continues to rage in Washington this week, with both the White House and the House Committee on Transportation & Infrastructure continuing to promote their separate plans for reauthorization of the expiring Surface Transportation Program.

U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood and DOT Policy Director Roy Kienitz each appeared before members of Congress promoting the White House’s request for a $20 billion, 18 month temporary extension of SAFTEA-LU, the legislation set to expire September 30 of this year.  LaHood said the Obama Administration is committed to paying for the bill for this in a responsible manner, and that it will include the blueprint for eventual reform.  The Secretary has, however, had to defer questions about the specific mechanisms for funding the $7 billion deficit in the Highway Trust Fund created by a decline in gasoline consumption, saying only that the White House is currently drafting their plan.

Chairman James Oberstar (D-MN), meanwhile, released a 775 page draft of the Transportation & Infrastructure Committee’s Surface Transportation Reauthorization Act of 2009—a $500 billion piece of legislation which will look to increase the total percentage of transportation infrastructure that is in a state of good repair, increase investment in rail and transit, and streamline the approval process for projects.

Both parties have found common ground in arguing that certainty is of paramount importance for state’s ability to plan for future transportation projects.

“We can’t do infrastructure on the cheap,” Governor Ed Rendell (D-PA) testified at a June 23 Senate Commerce Committee hearing on high speed rail.  “We have to find the political courage to find a way to pay for this.”


House Speaker Nancy Pelosi was predicting that The American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009 would pass the House today.  The Administration hopes for final passage before the August recess.  The Senate, is generally considered to be a higher hurdle for passage.  “The White House yesterday shifted into high gear to persuade wavering Democratic lawmakers” to vote for the bill (Financial Times, June 26).  No vote had occurred as of this posting. 

The bill has no earmark for rail, but in its current version would let a state spend up to 10% of its emission allowances on “green” transportation (transit and bicycles).  Transit advocates doubt this will wind up meaning much.

The bill would require the U.S. to reduce emissions to 17% below 2005 levels by 2025.  It would also set up a market in carbon permits—commonly known as cap-and-trade—to stimulate investment in green energy. 

The current version of the bill is the product of heavy compromise to attract Democrats representing agricultural and coal districts.  Republicans, however, have come out against the legislation, calling it an energy tax that would cripple the competitiveness for American companies trying to do business abroad, and send jobs to China.

This is despite two studies, done by the Congressional Budget Office and the Environmental Protection Agency, which put the cost of the bill at an increase of electricity fees by 22 cents to 48 cents a day.

China announced that they have opened up their jealously guarded domestic railway sector to foreign companies according to a state media report on June 25.

As a part of China’s plans to spend hundreds of billions of dollars on improving and expanding the country’s rail network, the government is suggesting that they will combine $44 billion in assets into a company that would raise investment capital through an initial public offering.  The Financial Times reports that the assets in question are likely to be the Beijing to Shanghai high-speed rail line, one of China’s most profitable routes. 

No timeline has been announced.  An alternate plan would inject these assets into an investment vehicle owned jointly by the government and a private insurer.


Representatives of GE Transportation announced they are ready to move quickly to construct an American fleet of Evolution-based high-speed locomotives in an appearance before a Congressional hearing on Monday.

The U.S. House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure’s Subcommittee on Railroads’ field hearing, which took place in Pittsburgh, was concerned with the future of passenger rail in the nation.  The $13 billion investment in high-speed rail proposed by President Obama has drawn a surge of interest in manufacturers, both domestically and abroad. 

NARP Council Member Kenneth Joseph of Pittsburgh testified, as did GE Transportation President Lorenzo Simonelli. 

GE Transportation has had success building the Evolution line of freight locomotives, which were introduced in 2005, and they have been touted for their fuel efficiency and ability to slash emissions.  While the Evolution’s top speed is 75 mph, Simonelli said they can quickly modify the model to attain speeds between 110 mph and 124 mph.

“GE is prepared to build in northwestern Pennsylvania the next generation high-speed diesel-electric passenger locomotive which will support the high-speed rail initiative, create U.S. passenger rail manufacturing capacity, and provide well-paying jobs” said Simonelli. 


Amtrak has announced a partnership with Rearden Commerce, a business management software company, to better serve business travelers, and—through Rearden’s digital platform—allow employees real-time faring and the ability to immediately purchase a train ticket, all after corporate discounts and policies are applied.

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