Aug 07, 2009: Hotline #616

Hotline #616
August 7, 2009

Maryland’s Governor has announced his endorsement of the light-rail option for the planned Purple Line along the Corridor Cities Transitway between New Carollton and Bethesda at an event Tuesday at New Carrollton, the proposed route’s eastern terminus.

Governor Martin O’Malley announced that the state is “moving forward with our plan to develop the light rail option,” saying the next move is to apply for federal approval.  “It’s a process” he observed.  “Some would say we’ve had 50 years of discussions.”

There has been disagreement over whether the Purple Line would come to fruition as a light rail line or bus rapid transit (BRT)—consisting of frequent buses using dedicated lanes.  BRT proponents say it will provide service almost comparable to light rail at a lower price.  Light rail advocates point to its proven track record attracting riders, and the permanence that will appeal to real-estate developers.

The Governor stressed he was respecting the locally preferred alternative with his support of light rail, backed by Prince George and Montgomery county leaders.

“This isn’t your grandfather’s light rail” said O’Malley.  “The trains are modern, sleek and low to the ground. They are places for people to meet. [The Purple Line] will generate many new jobs.”


Amtrak President & CEO Joseph Boardman presided over the introduction of the first restored Superliner railcar to be funded by stimulus funds on August 5 at the company’s Beech Grove, Indiana mechanical facility.  The reclaimed and refurbished car, a Sightseer Lounge, is the first of 21 that will be restored through $19.3 million in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funds.  $13 million more will be used in the restoration of 15 diesel locomotives.

“I was hired because of the stimulus package,” worker Greg Smith told local news station the Indy Channel.  “I think this is a blessing. I was ready to lose my house.”

The car will be used mainly on Midwestern and Western routes.  The other cars and locomotives will be introduced into service as they are ready, and all should be done by February.

Video of the car can be seen on Indy Channel’s website.


Amtrak announced last week it will publicly report its greenhouse gas emissions and voluntarily undertake an independent audit of the programs it is using to reduce its emissions. 

Amtrak will sign up with The Climate Registry, a nonprofit whose mission is to set “consistent and transparent standards to calculate, verify and publicly report greenhouse gas emissions into a single registry.”  The railroad company will also partner with Climate Counts, a nonprofit that provides independent assessment and metrics for the effectiveness of business’ greenhouse gas reducing programs.

The move was described by Amtrak President Boardman as an effort is to identify strengths and weaknesses in the company’s emission reduction programs, and identify opportunities to improve its energy efficiency.  Boardman is also likely looking for additional platforms to broadcast the superior energy efficiency of trains versus automobiles and planes.


Last week’s California budget revisions, a response to the financial turmoil wracking the state, preserved funding for intercity rail, a recognition of the important role transportation infrastructure will play in revitalizing the economy.  Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger signed the bill into law July 28.

The Governor’s line-item veto report maintained full funding for Amtrak California, at $90.4 million.  High-speed rail will receive $139.2 million from the Proposition 1A bond passed by Californians in November 2008’s election.

The language in the bill suggests the high-speed rail funds will come not from the general fund, but a transfer to the Debt Service Fund from the Public Transportation Account, whose revenue is derived in large part from a fuel tax.


Federal Railroad Administrator Joseph Szabo announced a grant worth over $1 million to Operation Lifesaver on August 6, to enable the nonprofit to better educate the public about potential hazards at grade crossings and the importance of following safety guidelines.

“Despite decreases in the number of train-vehicle collisions, promoting railroad safety is as important as ever,” Administrator Szabo said. “Through this sustained public-private partnership, OLI, with the support of the Federal Railroad Administration, will continue to draw attention to the devastating and irreversible consequences of trespassing, the leading cause of rail-related deaths in America.”

In 2008, there were 2,395 collisions at grade crossings, resulting in 287 deaths, as well as 453 deaths due to trespassing on railroads, a minor improvement over 2007.


The United Kingdom’s Secretary of Transport unveiled a multi-billion dollar plan to replace short-haul flights with high-speed rail on August 5.

“For reasons of carbon reduction and wider environmental benefits, it is manifestly in the public interest that we systematically replace short-haul aviation with high-speed rail,” Transport Secretary Andrew Adonis told the Guardian newspaper..  “But we would have to have, of course, the high-speed network before we can do it.”

The Secretary said that plans for a route from London to Birmingham (roughly 125 miles north/northwest of London) will be publicly available before the end of the year.  The cost is estimated at 7 billion pounds (about $11.8 billion), and the government is touting public-private partnerships as a method of funding the construction.  The Guardian said the ambitious plan provides for an eventuality in which the line connects all the way north to Scotland, and that some high-speed trains could run on existing conventional-speed networks.

Adonis says the goal is to eventually phase out short-haul flights between the United Kingdom and continental Europe in favor of ultra-fast high-speed service.


Satisfaction over Wisconsin’s bold $47.5 million purchase of two train sets from Spanish manufacturer Talgo has been somewhat undercut by critics of Governor Jim Doyle’s decision not to open the procurement up to bidding by multiple companies.

Administration officials cited Patentes Talgo’s passive-tilt technology as ideally suited for the Midwestern landscape, and the need to act quickly to secure federal Recovery Act funds.  Others have noted that the jobs resulting from a clause stipulating that the assembly will be done in Wisconsin as a significant inducement.

“There were just a lot of things that were coming together … that made this more time-sensitive than it otherwise would be,” Bob Jambois, general counsel at the Wisconsin Department of Transportation, told the Wisconsin State Journal.

Republicans in the State House have criticized the deal—which still needs to be approved by the state budget committee next week.  Train manufacturers Nippon Sharyo and Alstom have also both publically expressed disappointment over not being allowed to submit a bid.

“Especially in these stressful economic times, I am very concerned with the smell test of this — the lack of accountability, the timeline being so fast, and the lack of a competitive bid,” Sen. Alberta Darling (R-River Hills) told the State Journal.

Rick Harnish, executive director of the Midwest High Speed Rail Coalition and NARP Council Member, was quoted on the unique qualities of Talgo train sets, saying their low center of gravity, individual wheel attachment rather than an axle, and passive tilting help them take turns at faster speeds.  “The Talgo really is a very different train,” he remarked.


Siemens, in conjunction with Russia’s Tverskoy Vagonostroitelny Zavod AG (TVZ) has secured a contract to supply 200 brand-new sleeping cars to Russian Railways (RZD).

Siemens is reporting that their portion of the agreement is worth 320 million Euros.  Manufacturing of the coaches is slated to start in 2010.


The Senate has approved the $2 billion extension of “cash for clunkers” that earlier passed the House.  The evaporation of most (but not all) Republican opposition might best be explained by this comment from Kevin Book, a Washington-based energy analyst quoted in the August 4 Financial Times: “Most politicians wouldn’t want to stand between a speeding car and free cash.  For politicians it is ideal: an industrial policy with quick payout to the voters.”  Other concerns get left behind:

1. the environmental costs of prematurely junking useable vehicles and artificially increasing production of new cars;
2. the economic impact of luring consumers to autos (which some can’t afford) and away from other retailers, and of advancing next year’s auto purchases to this year;
3. the social justice problems associated with the fact that some of the oldest cars on the road are not eligible, though lacking modern safety devices; and
4. the sheer nonsensicalness of ever-increasing highway industry subsidies while Congress seems headed towards a funding level that forces a hiring freeze at Amtrak just when increased gasoline prices are likely to (again) increase demands for more trains.

Further regarding social justice, Financial Times’ Lex column on August 1 wrote: “Few owners of gas guzzlers with a normal trade-in value below $3,500 or $4,500 are typical new car buyers, particularly in a recession.”
The Washington Post on August 2 and Financial Times on August 5 published excellent editorials criticizing the program.  In what we read as a hint at the need for transit investment, FT ended with this:  “…unless legislators are planning to subsidise the purchase of cars in perpetuity, this scheme will only postpone consolidation and job losses in the auto sector.  So, rather than blowing money on delaying the inevitable, the government should invest in preparing for it.  Many US workers, particularly in the Rust Belt, will need retraining.  A lesson of industrial change from around the world is that, done effectively, such support will be expensive.  This would, however, be a far better use of public money than inducements to ditch functioning old cars in favour of new ones, however green.”


The 17-year campaign to bring passenger train service back to Carson City, Nevada, was finally realized on July 28 when Virginia & Truckee’s McCloud #18 steam locomotive pulled into a station east of the city.

The Nevada Commission for the Reconstruction of the V&T Railway has spent nearly two decades to bring back the historic line, originally a freight line for miners that converted to carrying passengers before shutting down in 1938.  The railway is expected to become a major tourist draw—the initial ridership is estimated at 80,000 riders per year, with 100,000 expected in future years.

“It’s all about getting heads in beds,” Dwight Millard, chairman of the commission and the Carson City Convention and Visitor’s Bureau, told the Reno-Gazette Journal. “It will get people flying in and staying in rooms to ride the train, and it’ll serve as another attraction to draw conventions.

The 12.8 mile line, running between Virginia City and a depot outside Carson City, cost around $55 million to reconstruct.  An additional four mile segment, to be constructed in later years, will bring the train closer to the center of Carson City.

The first trip for VIPs and local dignitaries will occur August 14, with access for the public beginning the day after.  You can find out more information at V&T Railways website .


IBM entered into a five-year contract with Amtrak to provide internet-technology support for the passenger train company.  Both companies hail the move as another step forward in improving the quality of service to Amtrak’s customers and employers all across the country

“IBM’s strong record of delivery excellence for Amtrak has allowed them to reduce operational costs and increase productivity while focusing on their core business and customers. IBM is pleased to continue working with Amtrak to delivery high-quality services that support its customers and employees” said Steve Welsh, IBM’s vice president of travel and transportation industry.


Facts about the departure of former Amtrak Inspector General Fred Weiderhold continue to surface.  An August 5 story on Politico.com reveals that he signed a separation agreement that granted $310,000 and significantly limits what he can publicly disclose about the railroad.

It is not clear what significance these limits would have were he to testify on Capitol Hill.  The revelation comes a week after the Chairman and ranking Republican member of the House Oversight Committee issued a letter calling for the removal of Amtrak’s acting Inspector General, citing internal conflicts of interest (see hotline #615).

When Politico contacted Weiderhold for comment, he characterized his departure from Amtrak as a retirement not a firing, and said it was his understanding that separation agreements were customary for executives leaving the company.

“I think, quite frankly, that I was making a difference at Amtrak,” he said. “It was work that I’m proud of.”

Amtrak spokesman Steve Kulm declined to comment, citing company personnel policy.

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Aug 14, 2009: Hotline #617

Hotline #617
August 14, 2009

Amtrak and Google have announced a partnership that will allow passengers to plan their trips online, allowing Amtrak passengers to integrate with hundreds of participating transit systems to reach their final destination.  The move will let riders move between Amtrak and mass transit seamlessly.

“Google Transit offers Amtrak’s passengers a valuable travel planning tool while introducing rail travel to a whole new audience,” said Matt Hardison, Amtrak’s chief of Sales Distribution and Customer Service. “We are always looking for new and innovative ways to serve our customers, and by guiding our customers to a transit-friendly way to connect to and travel by Amtrak, this partnership does just that.”

Google Transit is a web-based service used to calculate routes, transit time, and cost, as well as compare the trip to one using a car.  Importantly, it is accessible from mobile devices, and allows anyone with a smart-phone to update their itinerary on the fly.

“We are pleased to welcome Amtrak to Google Transit,” said Jessica Wei, Strategic Partner Development Manager at Google. “This partnership shows Amtrak’s commitment to innovating, serving their passengers, and attracting new riders. We’re looking forward to continuing to work with Amtrak to add more routes to Google Maps.”

The rollout will consist of five routes: Empire Service; Ethan Allen Express; Hiawatha Service; Pacific Surfliner; San Joaquin.  Amtrak plans to eventually have its entire network available through Google Transit.


Amtrak is celebrating the enrollment of the 2 millionth member of the Amtrak Guest Rewards program by distributing 2 million Guest Rewards points to members who travel by Amtrak on August 20.

To participate in the promotion, members must register at Amtrak Guest Rewards and enter the registration code 81009 or call 1-800-307-5000, select option 2 and enter registration code 81009. Once registered for the promotion, a member simply needs to travel on any Amtrak train on August 20th. Amtrak will divide the two million points amongst all eligible members who travel on that day.


Seattle officials have announced that the official start date for the second Seattle to Vancouver, B.C. train will be August 19.

The train was originally to begin service a year ago, but the Canadian Border Services Agency demanded a fee for customs inspection.  Rail advocates and government officials managed to exert enough pressure for the CBSA to suspend the fee—at least for the time being.  The second train has been guaranteed to run through the Olympic Winter Games to take place in Vancouver in February 2010.

Trains will leave from Seattle for Vancouver at 7:40 AM (current train) and 6:50 PM (the new train) seven days a week.  Trains will depart Vancouver at 6:40 AM (new train) and 5:45 PM (current train) daily.  One-way trips will take about four hours.


The implementation of the Californian high-speed rail project approved by voters in last fall’s general election has encountered some new barriers from cities along the proposed route.  The city of Palo Alto voted to hire engineering consultants to provide an independent analysis of the California High Speed Rail Authority (CAHSRA).  Also, the city attorneys of Atherton and Mountain View have filed a joint lawsuit against CAHSRA regarding the proposed alignment.

The Palo Alto city council, in a vote of 7-0, approved $50,000 in funds to hire high-speed rail consultants to independently review CAHSRA’s feasibility study of running trains underground along the San Francisco Peninsula.  The city will also spend $20,000 to host a symposium and design workshop.  The symposium will be September 12, and is intended to educate the public about railroad related urban design and planning concepts.  The workshop will occur on October 3 and 4, will be open to the public, and will involve brainstorming sessions and briefings from design professionals and national experts on high speed rail.  Palo Alto is hoping the events will be partly funded by Caltrain, Deputy City Manager Steve Emslie told the Santa Cruz Sentinel.

Atherton and Mountain View also are seeking to force CAHSRA to use the underground option, hoping that they can take advantage of an unusual clause included in the agreement that sold the right-of-way in question to Caltrain.  The stipulation gives Union Pacific the right to veto any other railroad service running along the tracks, and the two cities are hoping to convince UP to use that veto to force the line underground.

Ever since the existing route proposal’s inception, the above-ground option has been a sticking point for many of the communities along the route.  Communities are anxious about high speed rail’s effect on local property values and quality of life.  Many, however, have pointed out that the tunneling scenario isn’t a silver bullet.  Palo Alto Planning and Transportation Commission Member Karen Holman has been consistent in cautioning the public about this: “Don’t fall in love with the below-grade scenario.  There are all manner of potential impacts to that, and many are the same as above-grade.”


Amtrak has announced it will suspend service to downtown Pittsburgh during an international economic summit due to security reasons.  Service will be suspended beginning September 24 until the evening of September 26 to accommodate increased security for the Group of 20 (G-20)—an economic forum for larger industrial and emerging-market nations.

“If you try to book a train to or from Pittsburgh, it will show up as unavailable on [Amtrak’s] website,” Amtrak spokesman Tracy Connell told the Pittsburgh Tribune Review.

Passengers coming through Pittsburgh will only be allowed to disembark to make connections between the Capitol Limited and Pennsylvanian and will be confined to the platform.  “Security personnel will be there to make sure no one leaves that building, because it’s in a secure perimeter for the G-20” said Connell.

April’s G-20 summit in London was the scene of massive anti-capitalist and environmental protests.


A passenger train excursion company has expressed preliminary interest in resuming the Colorado Ski Train according to a June letter obtained by the Denver Post.

In April, Denver billionaire Phil Anschutz’s company sold the Ski Train rolling stock to a subsidiary of the Canadian National Railway Co., citing increased costs of operation.  In June Iowa Pacific Holdings LLC wrote to Union Pacific—the railroad that owns the tracks—saying they would like to resume operations along the route.  Iowa Pacific Holdings has a fleet of modern, high-capacity railcars which it operates in southern Colorado, but are largely idle during the winter.  The company also cited their $100 million in existing liability coverage for passenger operations. 

While the proposal is still in the very early stages, it has attracted support from key players involved, including the Winter Park Resort and Governor Bill Ritter (D).

“The governor is trying to help save this cultural icon and important part of Colorado history,” the governor’s spokesman Evan Dreyer told the Denver Post.


Governor Deval Patrick’s (D) administration forced the head of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority to step down, citing safety and customer service concerns.  General Manager Daniel Grabauskas, who has served as head of the MBTA since Mitt Romney’s administration, will have to be bought out for the full remainder of his contract, worth almost $330,000.  He is to be replaced by William Mitchell, the MBTA’s general counsel, who will serve as interim GM until a permanent replacement is found.

Patrick has gone on record saying he has safety concerns following two crashes on the system’s Green Line light-rail.  Massachusetts Transportation Secretary James A. Aliosi, Jr. has absolved Grabauskas of any direct blame, but cited a National Transportation Board member who alleged the MBTA lacks “a safety culture.”

“It’s good to have fresh thinking. It’s good to have fresh approaches. It’s good to have fresh ideas,” Aloisi told the Bay State Banner.  “Part of reform is changing the status quo.”

Aloisi told reporters he thinks a change of management is necessary to fix problems as varied as construction running past schedule and over cost; lack of proper AC on the light-rail system; outdated maps at stations; and bottlenecks in bus service.

Grabauskas supporters have claimed this is a partisan move aimed at a holdover from a Republican administration.

“With due respect to the general manager, my first concern is not the general manager,” Patrick said during an appearance in Arlington last week. “I want to be respectful to him. I want to see that he is treated fairly. But my concern is about the safety of the riders.”


Travel continues to decline in the face of the tough economic times, causing a prolonged decline in ridership for both Amtrak and domestic airlines.

On August 13 the Department of Transportation’s Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) reported the number of scheduled domestic and international passengers on U.S. airlines in May 2009 declined by 9.3 percent from May 2008—down 6.2 million to 59.7 million passengers.  May marked the 14th consecutive month with a decrease in passengers compared to the same period from the previous year.

Amtrak ridership, meanwhile, dropped for the ninth straight month.  According to a report issued by the railroad company, ridership fell 8.4% in total from the previous year, or by 2.4 million people.  Long-distance ridership, which had previously resisted downward trends, fell for the third month by 4.9%.

Interestingly, while the cheaper gas prices brought about by the recession seem to be hurting Amtrak’s numbers—as people who had previously been driven from their cars by pain at the pump return to old habits—the airlines have not conversely seen any benefit from the lower jet-fuel costs.


Speaking of cars, a Financial Times column today observed that the US “cash for clunkers” program appears to have diverted consumers to cars from other products, a phenomenon that had previously been noted in Germany.

Columnist John Authers reported “retail sales excluding autos, it was revealed [August 13], fell 0.6% in July… even with buoyant spending on cars, overall retail sales were down 0.1%, far below market forecasts for a gain of 0.6%.”


Progressive Railroading has announced plans to launch HSRupdates.com, a website dedicated to the development of high speed rail in America.

“HSRupdates will be the one web site the industry can visit to find the most high speed rail-related information,” said Progressive Railroading Associate Editor Angela Cotey. “It will serve as a clearinghouse for vital, current high-speed rail information from all states that have high-speed rail plans in place.”

The state-by-state breakdown of projects and proposals will be geared towards rail industry suppliers, contractors and engineering firms, as well as state DOTs, transit agencies, freight railroads, rail associations, and other industry stakeholders.  While there will be some free content, most of it will be available only to subscribers who pay the $199 annual fee.

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Aug 21, 2009: Hotline #618

Hotline #618
August 21, 2009

Amtrak has announced that it will be forced to delay the release of a study on the restoration of train service between Ohio’s major cities, causing concern among Ohio residents who fear this will give them little time to apply for stimulus funds.

The long-anticipated route — which would run between Cincinnati, Cleveland, and Columbus (the “3-C line”) — has been on the to-do list of state transportation planners and would serve a route that is heavily traveled by road and air. The study is mandated under last year’s landmark Passenger Rail Investment and Improvement Act. Amtrak cites a backlog of other study requests and legislative mandates in explaining the poorly-timed delay.

“There’s a lot to do and I’m very confident we’re going to get it done,” Matt Dietrich, Executive Director of the Ohio Rail Development Commission, told the Associated Press.


On a more positive note, studies by engineers with the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) have shown that rail service on the 3-C corridor, even at a 79 mph maximum, would be trip-time competitive with driving. Taking the train from Cleveland to Columbus would take only a half-hour more than driving the same distance (not accounting for traffic congestion), while a Columbus to Cincinnati trip would take 40 minutes longer by train than by car. If Amtrak completes its study of the route in time, these findings will bolster the case for 3-C’s suitability for Recovery Act funding.

ODOT and the Ohio Rail Development Commission are continuing to gather public input on the proposed corridor. Public workshops were held in Columbus this week and public meetings will take place in Cleveland, Columbus and Cincinnati the week of Sept. 15th.


Low construction costs will benefit train passengers in the Pacific Northwest, where a surplus of transportation dollars from highway projects coming in under bid will free up enough money to buy additional rolling stock for Amtrak’s Cascades route.

The state of Oregon, which received $234 million in stimulus funds for transportation investment, has seen the costs of projects coming in at an average of 19% below what was originally projected.  That means the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) has over $44 million left to work with.

The majority—$35 million—will go to buy additional trains for the Cascades route, which runs between Portland and Eugene.  Oregon has been using equipment owned by Washington State, which now wants the Talgo trainsets back as a result of the additional daily run between Seattle and Vancouver, British Columbia.

There’s not a lot of used equipment out there,” said Kelly Taylor, administrator of ODOT’s Rail Division, told the Associated Press.

The number of new cars to be ordered, and their types, has not been announced.


Massachusetts Gov. Deval L. Patrick unveiled the South Coast Rail Economic Development and Land Use Corridor Plan last week. The document seeks to guide transportation and land development in Bristol County, located in the southeastern part of the state along the border with Rhode Island. It calls for the construction of 11 commuter rail stations and estimates the creation of 3,500 net new jobs by 2030, perhaps more, and the generation of nearly $500 million in new economic activity.


The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) has awarded Alstom $13.1 million dollar contract to renovate its entire fleet of 66 bi-level intercity passenger railcars.

The fleet, which consists of four distinct car types—cab, trailer, coach and food service—will be renovated over a period of two years at Alstom’s new Train Life Services facility in Mare Island, California, located at the northeastern end of the San Francisco Bay.  The work will include complete door replacements, wheelchair upgrades, and the repair of one wrecked car.

The project is expected to take two years. The cars, originally built by Alstom in New York in the mid-1990s, are used on the Capital Corridor and San Joaquins.


The likelihood of continued Congressional foot-dragging on reauthorizing surface transportation programs means that many states are putting expensive new projects on hold in favor of simple maintenance undertakings. The current authorizing law expires on September 30th, and the White House has asked for it to be extended until March 2011. House leaders, though, want to move forward with a six-year bill this year, with the backing of state DOTs and groups like the US Chamber of Commerce.

While many of the deferred projects are new road construction which may or may not be needed, the longer the current law is extended, the less opportunity there is to make the fundamental changes in federal policy that advocates of rail, transit, walking and cycling are seeking.


Last-minute negotiations between Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) and one of the unions representing its employees succeeded in averting a strike just before midnight on Sunday night. Representatives from Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1555 spoke with BART officials throughout the weekend. Both sides agreed to a four-year contract similar to the ones BART has with its other two unions. The strike threat was brought about by proposed labor cost savings resulting from a projected $310 million budget deficit over the next four years.

BART is the nation’s fifth-largest urban rail system, used by some 330,000 riders on weekdays. The absence of its service could have put another 60,000 vehicles on area roads.


Virginia Railway Express (VRE) has placed an order for 12 commuter locomotives with Wabtec, valued at $44 million dollars.  The commuter railroad, whose two lines feed into Washington, DC, from Fredericksburg (on CSX) and Manassas (on Norfolk Southern), originally ordered only five locomotives, but the manufacturing company reports that a federal earmark from Senator Jim Webb (D-VA) allowed VRE to expand the order.

The locomotives will be built in Boise, Idaho. Construction is scheduled to begin next summer.


Two Amtrak Thruway Bus Service routes will be discontinued on the new timetable due to low ridership. The changes were presented by Andrew Felden, Amtrak’s Manager of Northern California Bus Operations, in a detailed report to the San Joaquin Valley Rail Committee. Bus schedules 3701 and 3704, between Sacramento, CA, and Medford, OR (page 82 of the current timetable), will cease to operate and running times for buses between Sacramento, Reno and South Lake Tahoe will be adjusted to reflect traffic on the roads the buses use. From now until their termination, Amtrak is offering a 30% discount on tickets for the Sacramento-Medford buses.


A westbound Amtrak Empire Service train broke down around 9 PM on Monday night midway from Syracuse to Rochester, NY. The train, bound for Niagara Falls, came to a stop for a reason that has yet to be determined. Passengers were forced to spend two hours in the train without air conditioning or functioning toilets. The crew handed out bottled water and ice until a CSX locomotive came to tow the disabled train to Rochester, where many passengers boarded buses to continue their trips.


A Chicago-bound Amtrak Lincoln Service train, no. 306, struck and killed a person trespassing on the tracks 20 miles south of Joliet, Ill., on Sunday night. The 130 passengers on board were delayed 6 hours as a result, arriving in Chicago at 5:15 AM Monday morning. Other trains using the same route also experienced delays on Monday morning.


Summer discounts on Northeast Regional have been extended until December 16th, while fare cuts on Acela Express will expire Sept. 3. The 25-percent fare reductions cover all Northeast Regional trains between Washington and Boston. A discounted one-way ticket from Washington to New York costs $49. These fares still require 14 days advance purchase and will not be available on Labor Day weekend or during the Thanksgiving holiday.

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Aug 28, 2009: Hotline #619

Hotline #619
August 28, 2009

The deadline for the next phase of high-speed rail development saw an intensification of focus by state applicants in their competition for federal stimulus funds.  While July’s first round of “pre-applications” saw over a $100 billion in proposed projects, the final application deadline for Tracks 1, 3, and 4 projects (for definitions of each track, see Hotline #613) on August 24 saw state transportation agencies announcing less than $7 billion in high-speed rail projects.

The precipitous decline demonstrates how much work the Federal Railroad Administration has been doing to encourage state transportation agencies to submit only truly shovel-ready projects.  States with more ambitious plans will likely resubmit these projects into the Track 2 pipeline, designed for long-term development of corridors, the deadline for which is October 2.

Echoing Americans’ desire for high-speed trains, U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood declared “If you build it, they will come.”

Some developments of note:

While California saw the biggest drop—from the original $20 billion in projects—the proposed new high-speed railroad from Los Angeles to San Francisco still led the way with the highest dollar request at $1.1 billion.

Despite a press release by the Coalition of Northeast Governors stating the contrary, the Northeast States seemed to marginalize development of the NEC for the most part, the most significant request being for a $60 million engineering study on the Baltimore Potomac Tunnel.

Louisiana passengers are bitterly disappointed that Governor Bobby Jindal’s administration has decided to cease efforts to develop a New Orleans to Baton Rouge service.  Louisiana’s Transportation Secretary William Akner has stated that the move was solely motivated by concern over operating costs.  Many observers, however, have labeled the move a political one; Governor Jindal, tapped as a potential Republican nominee for President in 2012, has been a vocal critic of the efficacy of the stimulus bill.

Here is a list of the applications that NARP has been able to confirm:

California—$1.1 billion— Transbay Terminal “box,” upgrades to sections of the San Francisco-Anaheim main line in preparation for major work

Connecticut—$64 million—New Haven to Springfield commuter service, miscellaneous projects

Delaware—$17 million—Third track between Wilmington and New Haven

Florida—$270 million—Construction of Sun Rail commuter rail line

Illinois—$550 million—CREATE Project, upgrading of sidings between Chicago and St. Louis, nine miles of double-tracking

Indiana—$71 million—Indiana’s section of a Chicago to Detroit line

Maryland—$360 million – Engineering study for the replacement of the Baltimore Potomac Tunnel, planning to redevelop BWI station, increase capacity at Union Station, region wide bridge work

Massachusetts—$69 million – Upgrade of Springfield to Worcester line, restoration of service along the Connecticut River for the Vermonter

Michigan—$830 million – Upgrade of route between Chicago and Pontiac, new stations

Missouri—$201 million – Upgrades on tracks between Kansas City to St. Louis

New Jersey—$39 million – Replacement of the Portal Bridge (part of the Access to the Region’s Core project)

New York—$565 million – Third track around Rochester, improvements along Albany to Buffalo and Albany to Montreal, elimination of Schenectady bottleneck

North Carolina—$76 million – Raleigh to Virginia route improvements

Pennsylvania—$28 million – Engineering study for Harrisburg to Philadelphia speed upgrades

Texas—$1.8 billion – “T-bone” corridor (includes connections between San Antonio, Dallas, Houston, and Austin)

Vermont—$52 million – Improvements to tracks between St. Albans and Brattleboro

Virginia—$75 million – Construction of third track between Arkendale and Powell’s Creek

Washington—$435 million—Upgrades to tracks between Seattle and Portland

Special thanks to the work done by the Transportation Politic


A crowd of over two dozen people held a rally in front of the East Lansing Amtrak station, protesting a proposed $3.6 million cut to train service in Michigan.
Matt Marderosian, head of Save Our Trains Michigan (and NARP member), organized the rally to warn passengers about the cuts, which he fears could set up a chain-reaction that could eliminate passenger trains in the state.
“I’m standing up for the passengers who want to keep the service,” Marderosian told the Lansing State Journal.
The Republican-led State Senate has proposed a budget which would halve the state’s current $7.3 million outlay for the Blue Water and the Pere Marquette.  Senate Democrats, along with Democratic Governor Jennifer Granholm, have proposed an alternate budget which would cut Amtrak funding to $5.7 million.  Amtrak has not announced what the exact implications of these proposed cuts would be.

Ridership on the Blue Water route grew by more than 68 percent between 2003 and 2008, serving 136,538 passengers in 2008 alone.  Amtrak spokesman Marc Magliari attributed the soaring ridership to a decision by the company to focus on serving those traveling within the state, though he warned about the negative effects that cutting service, potentially to less-than-daily, could have on ridership..

“You can lose momentum, because then the passengers aren’t sure that the train’s travel days meet their needs… daily is easy to remember.”


Amtrak is offering a two-for-one deal on the Downeaster between now and December 28.  If you buy one adult-fare (at least three days in advance), you can get a second ticket free.  The Downeaster runs between Boston, Massachusetts and Portland, Maine.

You can find complete details and restrictions Amtrak’s Website.


Amtrak has announced a Glacier National Park Sweepstakes, a nine-day vacation for two aboard a train from Chicago to Glacier National Park in Montana.  The trip is worth nearly $6,000.

Enter to win at Amtrak Vacations’ website.


The Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC) has urged the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) to adopt new safety guidelines for high-speed rail grade crossings.  The ICC is recommending uniform systems for regulating both moving vehicles and vehicles stopped at a crossing, modeling a system in existence only on the Northeast Corridor.

The ICC calls for three new HSR grade crossing principles: elimination of all redundant or unnecessary grade crossings that cannot be made safe due to crossing geometry or proximity of complex highway intersections; installation of either four-quadrant gate or barrier gate safety systems that are equipped with presence/intrusion detection and tied to the new Positive Train Control systems; elimination of or grade-separate all grade crossings where trains speeds exceed 110 mph.


Virgin Atlantic Airways announced an e-ticketing arrangement with Eurostar, a high-speed rail operator with destinations in England, France, and Belgium.

Passengers will be able to easily coordinate booking for Eurostar trains on Virgin Atlantic’s website, allowing for easy connections.

Alan Lias, Head of Loyalty, Virgin Atlantic, told reporters: “This new agreement gives Virgin Atlantic passengers even more flexibility.  They can quickly and effortlessly book Eurostar tickets when booking a flight, and experience the delights of Eurostar’s key destinations - London, Lille, Paris and Brussels.”

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