Aug 01, 2008: Hotline #564

Please urge your Senators and Representative to approve $1.9 billion for passenger trains in Fiscal 2009—the Amtrak request plus $100 million to put more cars back into service.  Also, as discussed below, tell them to reach a compromise on energy so that the authorization bill and other important legislation can begin moving again.  Go to our Action Alert center for full details.

Senate appointments to the conference committee for S. 294, the passenger train reauthorization, have been delayed and action on much other legislation has ground to a halt.  Sen. Tom Coburn (R-OK), supported by the Republican caucus, objected to Majority Leader Harry Reid’s (D-NV) request for unanimous consent to appoint the Senate conferees on the train bill.  Reid then packaged about 35 bills together.  Although a 52-43 majority voted yes, the package failed because it was short of the needed 60 votes.  All Democrats and three Republicans voted yes.  Coburn called the package “nothing but an attempt by Majority Leader Reid to distract public attention from his obstruction of common-sense energy policies.”

This refers to the refusal of Democratic leaders to allow what Republicans want in the way of floor votes to open up more U.S. areas for oil drilling.  Republicans are reacting to polls showing that Americans want more drilling.  CNN reported yesterday, “Just more than half of those polled said the ban on additional offshore drilling is a major cause of high fuel prices.  The same number cite the Bush administration and the war in Iraq as causes.”  Newly permitted drilling would impact gasoline prices in a couple of decades, if then.

Nonetheless, Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) has vowed that Republicans will block S. 294 and many other pending bills until the Senate takes up domestic oil drilling legislation.  McConnell told Congressional Quarterly, “…Right now the No. 1 issue in the country is the price of gas at the pump.  Why would we want to get off that issue and go to anything else?” 

There is a deal to be made here, particularly since Republicans reportedly have proposed “that states be allowed to opt out of continental shelf drilling off their shores” [July 8 Politico quoting “one Democratic aide”].  Democrats should consider compromising on oil drilling if there is a production tax on resulting new oil whose proceeds go to “green” transportation including passenger trains.

Ironically, further delay of S. 294 jeopardizes oil conservation efforts that the expansion of fuel-efficient passenger trains would represent.

On July 29 Senate Majority Whip Richard Durbin (D-IL) introduced the “Train CARS Act” (designated as S. 3360) to provide immediate funding for Amtrak to expand its fleet of rolling stock and address the critical shortage of railcars to meet growing demand.  S. 3360 would authorize Amtrak to issue up to $2.8 billion in bonds over four years to purchase new equipment and create a federal matching grant program for states wishing to purchase new cars.  It would also create a Rolling Stock Trust Fund by dedicating a quarter-cent of existing federal motor fuels taxes over three years, generating approximately $400 million annually.  States could also match, dollar for dollar, any railroad passenger ticket fees that would go towards procuring equipment.  All procurement would be subject to Buy America provisions and labor protections.

S. 3360 would require Amtrak, the FRA and “interested states” to convene a committee to create “specifications for a procurement standard for the next generation of passenger rail equipment.  The Committee is instructed to examine the benefits of having a public or private corporation separate from Amtrak purchase new equipment and lease that equipment to the states and Amtrak for service.”  The bill also would direct the Government Accountability Office to perform a study of the costs and benefits of electrifying the national passenger rail network.  Sen. Durbin’s news release notes that “electrifying the passenger rail system would provide a non-oil transportation alternative that could transport passengers along high-speed corridors without ever using a drop of oil.”  Finally, S. 3360 would require the Department of Labor to make any changes to existing programs that would help workers exiting the automobile and aviation industries transition into work relating to the “manufacturing, rehabilitation and maintenance” of passenger trains.

Sen. Tom Carper (D-DE) is an original cosponsor of the bill, which has been referred to the Senate Finance Committee.  The bill is consistent with NARP’s June 3 release, “Oil Prices Underline Need for More Passenger Trains,” which favored a ramp-up of passenger train investment “to give people jobs when other parts of the transportation industry are retrenching and to let Americans leave their cars at home when they want to…” 

On July 30, Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Robert Byrd (D-WV) unveiled his version of an infrastructure stimulus package.  The $24.1 billion bill includes $100 million in Amtrak capital (with language specifying funding for repairing sidelined rolling stock) and $893 million for transit agencies, out of a total of $4.8 billion for transportation.

Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-TX) has replaced Sen. Ted Stevens (R-AK) as the Ranking Member on the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee after Stevens’ July 30 indictment. 

The Bush Administration released its transportation “reform” plan on July 30 to outline White House policy ahead of surface transportation reauthorization in Congress next year.  The plan makes no mention of Amtrak, “Amtrak reform,” or intercity passenger trains.  It does mention public-private partnerships, of course, but not in the context of passenger trains.  It’s unclear whether ignoring trains is an improvement over stating wrong policies about them, but, as noted conservative and transit advocate Paul Weyrich observed in January, the views of the Bush DOT will not be relevant next year, no matter who wins the election. 

In a faint echo of the National Surface Transportation Policy and Revenue Study Commission report (by the bipartisan, blue-ribbon panel from which White House appointees dissented), the White House plan advocates distilling 108 existing federal transportation programs into just eight.  The NSTPRC recommended a restructuring into ten programs, the only mode-specific one of which would be “Intercity Passenger Rail,” to correct the decades of federal underinvestment in passenger trains.  Regarding the White House’s desire to see a wholesale shift in transportation financing from gasoline taxes to tolling and private sector instruments, Rep. Earl Blumenauer told the Wall Street Journal, “It’s basically an opportunity for people who have wanted to systematically reduce the federal participation in infrastructure.  It’s going to fall with a thud.”

The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) on July 31 released two studies regarding relocation of UP freight traffic to a new bypass between Austin and San Antonio.  The bypass would clear the way for commuter rail between the two cities and keep freight traffic away from urbanized areas.  The 145-mile bypass would cost $2.4 billion, and establish $1.4 billion in public benefits.  Establishing commuter rail would cost $600 million.

China inaugurated today the world’s fastest regularly scheduled passenger train line.  High-speed trains on the Beijing-Tianjin Intercity Railway regularly operate at 217 mph, reducing travel time on the 75-mile route from 70 minutes to 30 minutes.  Construction of the route cost $3.1 billion, and includes six domestically-produced trainsets that feature rooftop solar panels.

Westbound Amtrak Sunset Limited train 1 derailed minutes after departing New Orleans on July 28.  There were no injuries after an engine and baggage car left the tracks at UP’s Avondale Yard.  The train was delayed about three-and-a-half hours and eventually continued towards Los Angeles.

A 5.4 magnitude earthquake struck the Los Angeles area on July 29 at 11:42 AM.  The quake, centered in Chino Hills, caused limited minor injuries and damage.  BNSF, UP, Amtrak, and Metrolink operations were temporarily halted while track was inspected within a 50-mile radius of the epicenter, and Metrolink commuters suffered significant delays in the evening rush hour as many trains were restricted to 20 mph in places.  Amtrak Pacific Surfliner and Metrolink trains between Orange, Los Angeles, and Moorpark were limited to 40 mph.  Los Angeles Metro Rail trains were restricted to 15 mph for about an hour after quake, but resumed full normal operations by the evening peak.

A wildfire west of Yosemite, CA shut state route 140, the main road between Merced and Yosemite National Park, for much of the week.  Amtrak Thruway service has been periodically disrupted; check with Amtrak for the latest information.

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