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NARP on April 16 submitted testimony on Fiscal Year 2009 funding to the House Appropriations subcommittee with jurisdiction over Amtrak. The statement by Executive Director Ross Capon characterized “$1.785 billion as a minimum appropriation for Amtrak for Fiscal 2009 in the absence of a responsible request by the Bush Administration,” but caveated this with an emphasis on the importance of enabling Amtrak to put back into service its substantial number of cars idled for repairs, as well as the need to address track capacity problems like the one along Norfolk Southern in northwestern Indiana.
The statement said “sold-out trains on Amtrak means we don’t have enough capacity to meet current demand, and certainly not the larger demand that is likely in the future as more people seek alternatives to high and rising gasoline prices and airline fares.”
Also on funding, the statement said: “Looking forward, we strongly urge the next Congress and Administration to take seriously the $9 billion a year recommendation of intercity passenger train investments contained in the report of the National Surface Transportation Policy and Revenue Study Commission.” Capon’s full statement is available here.
Also April 16, NARP issued a news release expressing disappointment at President Bush’s policy address on climate change Wednesday. NARP Executive Director Ross Capon said, “The framework he proposed today ignores a key problem: The United States, with just 4.5% of the world’s population, uses 25% of the world’s oil; the U.S. imports about 60% of its oil, according to the Pew Center on Global Climate Change.” The U.S. transportation sector alone emits more CO2 than the entire economy of any other country in the world except China (US Public Interest Research Group). Environmental Protection Agency data show that over 60% of CO2 emissions from U.S. transportation in 2005 came from personal automobiles. Automobiles account for 40% of U.S. oil consumption, so U.S. automobiles cause about 10% of worldwide oil consumption.
Capon noted, “With an expanded national passenger train network, Americans could shift to--or expand use of--an attractive, energy-efficient travel choice that is environmentally sound, reducing both their carbon output and U.S. dependence on foreign oil.”
An earmark for a California high-speed maglev line yesterday survived an attempt to strike it from a SAFETEA-LU corrections bill. The bill guarantees $45 million for the line’s initial segment, Las Vegas to Primm, NV, paying for environmental and other planning studies, and extends the route to Anaheim. The 78-18 vote defeated an amendment by Jim DeMint (R-SC) that would have removed new or expanded earmarks from SAFETEA-LU.
Delta Air Lines and Northwest Airlines announced a proposed merger on Monday. The combined airline would be the largest in the world, and would hope to leverage pricing power to raise fares to counteract spiraling fuel costs as the price of oil continues to reach record levels. The deal has gotten criticism from many directions.
On one hand, House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee Chairman James L. Oberstar (D-MN) says the merger “will lead to fewer choices and higher prices for travelers” and will “eliminate competition from the marketplace, without addressing the high cost of fuel.” His release stated, “Although Congress does not have the authority to halt the merger, it can compel the Department of Transportation and the Department of Justice to consider issues and evidence before making a final decision on the deal.”
Financial Times columnist John Gapper yesterday wrote that “few mergers have combined such lofty rhetoric with such meager intent.” Noting that the two airlines’ CEOs said merger benefits would come from “addition, rather than subtraction…[and would be] a win” for customers and communities, Gapper editorialized: “in other words, for unions, cheap fares and the cities from which [the merged airline] flies…There is not much hope of this merger doing much to dig Delta and Northwest out of their hole.”
As American Airlines announced more cost-cutting measures this week, American CFO Tom Horton told the FT, “There really is no playbook now for $110 oil. The revenue and expense equation is broken, and we need to go about trying to fix that. It may very well mean a smaller industry, with less capacity flying around.” The paper said American “now expects to trim its mainline capacity by 1.4% this year.”
The State of Iowa and Amtrak released a study today on the feasibility of passenger train service between Iowa City and the Quad Cities area, following on Amtrak’s study (funded by Illinois) about returning service between Chicago and the Quad Cities area. The latest study envisioned three service scenarios: current railroad conditions, and top speeds of 60 mph and 79 mph. Running time within Iowa would be 2 hours 20 minutes, 1 hour 57 minutes, and 1 hour 38 minutes, respectively. Upfront capital costs in Iowa would be $300,000, $26.1 million, and $32.5 million, respectively. Estimated annual ridership within Iowa with two daily round trips would be 43,800, 60,700, and 76,100, respectively. Along the full route between Chicago and Iowa City, projected ridership is 133,800, 163,400, and 186,900, respectively. The study news release summarizes key projections integrated from the Illinois and Iowa studies.
Virginia’s Department of Rail and Public Transportation announced funding awards last week for its Rail Enhancement Fund. CSX will receive $9.8 million – 70 percent of the project cost – towards adding capacity between Fredericksburg and Newport News to better accommodate Amtrak trains.
Officials from the “Ark-La-Tex” region held a news conference in Marshall, TX yesterday to announce the formation of a regional coalition to seek federal funding for the South Central Higher Speed Rail Corridor between Marshall and Shreveport/Bossier, with the eventual goal of service stretching between Ft. Worth, TX and Meridian, MS. Harrison County Judge Richard Anderson announced that the East Texas Council of Government would enter into a Memorandum of Understanding with the North Louisiana Council of Governments, and that the MOU would be signed on May 10, National Train Day, at the festivities to be held at the Marshall Amtrak station. Judge Anderson was joined at the news conference by elected officials from around the region, Amtrak officials, and NARP board member Christina Anderson (wife of Judge Anderson). The historic, multi-jurisdictional agreement follows a similar agreement that East Texas and Central Texas signed last August.
Utah Transit Authority’s FrontRunner commuter rail service begins on Saturday, April 26. Grand Opening celebrations will take place at all seven stations between Ogden and Salt Lake City, with free public rides beginning at 2 PM. Free rides will continue as the normal schedule begins on Monday, April 28 through Wednesday, April 30.
Canada’s Transport Minister Lawrence Cannon announced two appointments to the board of VIA Rail Canada on Monday, France Bilodeau and Anthony Perl. Perl, a former NARP intern and board member, is now director of the Urban Studies program at Simon Fraser University in Vancouver and chairs the Transportation Research Board’s Committee on Intercity Passenger Rail Systems. His latest book is ‘Transport Revolutions: Moving People and Freight Without Oil’. Perl has been a member of NARP since 1979.
Seattle’s Waterfront Streetcar line appears to be out of service indefinitely. It was originally closed “temporarily” in November, 2005 as a new, privately developed, mixed-use maintenance facility for the historic streetcars was slated for construction in Pioneer Square. Complications with the developer led to missing the slated re-opening in 2007, and now Seattle Metro officials predict the earliest date of completion of the facility would be 2010. But reconstruction of the Alaskan Way Viaduct along the Waterfront is now scheduled to begin in 2012, a massive project that would preclude any streetcar operations. That will not be completed until at least 2018, leaving the future of Seattle’s historic streetcars in doubt.
Springfield, IL plans to improve its Amtrak station with parking, lighting, seating, restroom, and other possible upgrades. A final cost has not been determined, but the city would contribute funds from a downtown tax-increment financing district. Union Pacific owns the station.
Amtrak is offering a 25% discount for travel on the three California corridors on May 10, National Train Day. Tickets may be purchased between April 23 and May 7 with promotion code V586, which is valid on the Capitol Corridor, Pacific Surfliners, San Joaquins, and most connecting Thruways.
Amtrak has announced that it will shut down track 4 of the Northeast Corridor between New Jersey Transit’s Jersey Avenue station (south of New Brunswick) and Trenton for several months, starting on May 11. This is part of the project to replace deficient concrete railroad ties. Track 4 is the southbound local track, and NJT will lengthen some schedules and reduce some service temporarily during the track work.
A group of youths discovered a potentially explosive device on Amtrak right-of-way in New Haven, CT on Tuesday evening. Amtrak, Metro-North, and Shore Line East trains were held until Amtrak and New Haven Police and the New Haven Fire Department secured the area, and a bomb technician from Yale University was dispatched. The device was eventually detonated.
Southbound Amtrak City of New Orleans train 59 was delayed about 90 minutes on Monday after a prank caller notified Hammond, LA Police of a hostage situation aboard the train. “The person supposedly in distress was not on the train,” said Amtrak spokesman Marc Magliari.
Amtrak’s Southwest Chief and Sunset Limited were both disrupted by freight derailments over the weekend. Chief passengers were bussed between Kingman and Los Angeles on Sunday, while Sunset passengers were bussed between Tucson and Los Angeles.
NARP’s final regional meeting of the season, Region 12, will take place in Sacramento tomorrow, April 19.
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