National Association of Railroad Passengers: www.narprail.org

Hotline #415

September 9, 2005

Amtrak will raise most fares by 5 to 7 percent, effective September 20. In a press release, Amtrak cited the need to “offset higher fuel costs and other expenses.”  The biggest hikes will be for Northeast Corridor Smart Passes (monthly passes) and ten-trip tickets. The New York Times reported today that Northeast Corridor monthly passes will rise by as much as 50 percent, but Amtrak’s release is worded to obscure the actual dollar cost increases (in some cases over $300). October and November tickets are available now at the present rates; and December also will be sold at the present rates during September 16-19.

Amtrak will make several routes all-reserved on September 20, which was announced today along with the fare hike. Beginning on that date, all Empire Service, Keystone (north of Philadelphia), and Springfield Shuttle (New Haven-Springfield) trains will require reservations. The only remaining unreserved trains in the Amtrak system will be the Capitol Corridor, Clockers, Hiawathas, Keystones (for local travel west of Philadelphia), and Pacific Surfliners.

Amtrak will add three more Acela Express round-trips between New York and Washington on Monday, bringing the total number to twelve (and the number of Boston-Washington round-trips to three). There were fifteen round-trips before all Acela Express trainsets were removed from service for brake replacement in April. Weekend Acela Express service will also be increased, with Saturday service returning to full strength. For more information, see Amtrak’s press release.

Congress returned to session on Tuesday. With hurricane and Supreme Court issues, it appears increasingly unlikely that Congress would be able to dedicate much time this month to Amtrak issues. Funding for domestic programs in Fiscal Year 2006 (which begins October 1) will likely be rolled into a giant omnibus bill, as has been done for the past few years, and may not be finalized before the fiscal year begins. Please see NARP’s Action Alert page for the latest Amtrak legislative information. The top priorities are securing the funding level in the Senate committee’s bill while eliminating that bill’s damaging, micro-managing language about on-board service.

Amtrak services remain disrupted and modified in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. Please see NARP’s summary of Amtrak service changes for the latest info. New Orleans Union Passenger Terminal remains inaccessible by rail. The Louisiana Department of Corrections is currently using the city-owned NOUPT as a temporary jail facility. An Amtrak engine is supplying station power.

Amtrak ran an evacuation train from Avondale Yard in New Orleans to Lafayette on September 3. New Orleans Regional Transit Administration buses transported passengers from the city to the yard. Once aboard the trains, meals-ready-to-eat, water, and medical and security personnel were available. The train had capacity for 600 evacuees, but carried 97, who were then bussed by Houston Metro Transit to Texas. The same afternoon, federal officials called off further Amtrak evacuation train operations, as Texas shelters were at capacity and officials were unable to utilize Amtrak to send evacuees elsewhere. Amtrak has kept two trainsets (one Superliner, one Horizon) in Lafayette to be used on an as-needed basis, while bus and aircraft evacuations of New Orleans continue. Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-LA) criticized the Federal Emergency Management Agency for being slow to accept Amtrak’s initial offer of assistance last week. “When Amtrak offered trains to evacuate significant numbers of victims - far more efficiently than buses - FEMA dragged its feet,” she said.

A Department of Transportation news release, issued September 2, has this positive comment from Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta: “We have clear tracks and an empty train ready to help get residents safely out of the city.  Amtrak gives us yet another way to help move people so we can get the job done as quickly, comfortably and reliably as possible.”

The State of Louisiana’s hurricane evacuation plan did not consider the needs of the transit-dependent, according to a Gannett News Service article. “Evacuation plan failed to consider those without transportation” outlines how nearly a third of New Orleans’ 463,000 residents did not own cars and did not have the economic means to evacuate using other modes. Amtrak, Greyhound, and other scheduled transportation providers were not tapped by any level of government to assist in the mandatory evacuation of New Orleans that came prior to Hurricane Katrina.

Railroads are quickly repairing damage caused by Hurricane Katrina. Both Union Pacific and Burlington Northern Santa Fe have reopened their lines to New Orleans. Canadian National expects the direct Hammond-New Orleans line to be open by mid-September. Swift progress is also being made on the Norfolk Southern, which is now open to Hattiesburg, MS (for freight traffic). According to a CSX service update, “Work continues on CSXT’s lines between Pascagoula, MS, and New Orleans; service remains suspended along that segment of the railroad. CSXT’s network between Mobile and Flomaton, AL, and between Mobile and Pascagoula, MS, was restored over the Labor Day weekend,” although service had not resumed as of date of that message. Kansas City Southern’s lines have been cleared to the point, “where the track meets water in New Orleans and to the Port of Gulfport,” according to a service status update. The Huey P. Long Bridge, which is owned by the New Orleans Public Belt Railroad, was declared structurally sound, and was used by Amtrak’s evacuation train. Many railroads are offering assistance to employees and communities affected by the disaster.

New York Penn Station was evacuated for two hours Thursday night after a fire in an equipment room between tracks 7 and 8 spread smoke through the station. Two minor injuries were reported in the blaze, the cause of which is unknown.

Amtrak’s Downeaster carried its one millionth passenger today on the highly successful Boston-Portland, Maine route. According to the Associated Press, Ethel Hubert of Salem, NH learned that she was the milestone passenger upon boarding train 686 in Portland. The Northern New England Passenger Rail Authority, which manages the service, celebrated the occasion with gifts for Ms. Hubert and t-shirts for the passengers of train 686. Downeaster ridership jumped an astounding 58% for the month of July this year.

Passengers at Amtrak’s Kissimmee, FL station now enjoy free wireless internet access. According to the Orlando Sentinel, downtown Kissimmee is being blanketed with a wi-fi system to attract a younger, tech-savvy demographic. The Amtrak station falls within the one-square-mile system already in place, which will double in area by next year. LYNX (Central Florida Regional Transit Authority) is also experimenting with free wi-fi access on six of its buses on Link route 200 (West Volusia Express), joining the ranks of a select few transit agencies on the cutting edge of offering internet access as an incentive to ride. Amtrak already offers complimentary wi-fi access on select Capitol Corridor and San Joaquin trains through a pilot program with various vendors.

New Mexico RailRunner received its first Bombardier passenger car last week. Gov. Bill Richardson (D) and other officials cut the ribbon on the first of ten cars, after it was delivered to the Mid-Region Council of Governments in Albuquerque on August 30. Commuter service between Belen, Albuquerque, and Bernalillo will begin this fall using Bombardier bi-level coaches and Motive Power MP36PH-3C locomotives. An extension to Santa Fe is slated for late 2008. The RailRunner is the only non-road project in the $1.6 billion Governor Richardson’s Investment Partnership (GRIP), a statewide transportation infrastructure initiative.

The Los Angeles Metro Orange Line bus rapid transit will open on October 29, cutting across the San Fernando Valley. The right-of-way will be 14 miles of a former Southern Pacific branch over which Pacific Electric once operated. Resident opposition and Red Line subway cost overruns had the project shifted from light rail to bus rapid transit.