National Association of Railroad Passengers: www.narprail.org

Hotline #429

Congress will adjourn sometime this weekend or early next week for Winter Recess.  Many members of Congress—particularly those seeking re-election—will be holding town hall meetings over the next month.  Check your local media outlets for announcements and attend if possible.  NARP’s top legislative priorities are 1) enactment of a S. 1516 and introduction of companion legislation in the House and 2) appointment of a full, bi-partisan slate of Amtrak Board of Directors members. Go to our Action Alert center for this and all pressing legislative matters.

The first grants from Virginia’s Rail Enhancement Fund (June 24, 2005 NARP Hotline) were awarded this week.  Among the projects approved are an overhaul of the south end of Acca Yard’s interlocking (improving speeds of trains traveling to Newport News), construction of a connection in Charlottesville to permit the Cardinal to leave and enter the Norfolk Southern mainline in Charlottesville rather than Orange (saving 15-20 minutes and avoiding an ever-deteriorating stretch of track used only by the Cardinal) and the first phase of project work for a layover facility and wye near Richmond Airport (which will permit extension of trains terminating in Richmond to serve Main Street Station).

A mandate to reduce food service and sleeping car losses is in the new appropriations law.  Unless the DOT Inspector General can certify by July 1, 2006, that Amtrak has achieved “operational savings,” federal funds would not be available after that date to underwrite on-board food and sleeping-car service.  Some early steps to achieve such savings began December 7.  The Texas Eagle and City of New Orleans began serving pre-plated meals in the dining car (with reduced crew sizes).  Silverware and cloth napkins remain.  Amtrak says food will be similar to what diners have been offering.  However, food will be pre-plated before it gets to the train.  Individual items will be pre-cooked so that when heated in on-board convection ovens (not microwave), everything will become ready-to-serve at the same time.  This type of service will be expanded to the Capitol Limited and Sunset Limited next month.  Our December newsletter will carry more on this subject.

The New York Times reported December 11 that Rep. Joseph Knollenberg (R-MI) said he will work to repeal a provision in the fiscal 2006 appropriations law which gives Amtrak $8.3 million for “a revenue service demonstration of not less than 5,500 carload shipments of premium temperature-controlled express.”  Knollenberg said he also would work to rescind that funding.  He said neither he nor his staff were previously aware that, as The Times put it, “a 2003 agreement between [Michigan-based] ExpressTrak and the law firm Foley & Lardner, which handled the company’s dispute with Amtrak and also lobbied for the $8.3 million earmark, called for a sharp reduction in the law firm’s fees if ExpressTrak received less than $8.2 million.”

Air marshals patrolled Amtrak and transit facilities in eight cities this week as part of a pilot project sponsored by the Transportation Security Administration.  The program, dubbed “Viper” for “Visible Intermodal Protection and Response” teams featured a mix of TSA officers wearing agency jackets and undercover officers.  The action was not taken in response to a specific threat; rather, it was done to test the ability of the TSA to step in at short notice if intelligence revealed a threat.  NARP Assistant Director David Johnson appeared on CNBC’s “On The Money” Wednesday night to speak in support of the efforts to increase passenger rail security—but he strongly emphasized that air and rail security are different and that an airline-style security approach is unlikely to work in a rail environment.

The program was scaled back after two days due to a lack of communication between TSA and local law enforcement.  Some transit agencies also express reservations about air marshals patrolling transit systems.  Rep. Allison Schwartz (D-PA) said, “working in rapid transit or a passenger rail system is different than working in a closed system of the airport. My question I’m going to raise with the TSA is: Are they coordinating with [the] local transit authority?”

The New York City Transit System is facing a strike as early as tonight. Bargaining efforts with several unions have not been fruitful and unions are targeting two private bus companies in Queens for an initial phase of striking that could quickly expand to all NYCTA buses and subways.  Workers have demanded an 8 percent annual raise (over three years) and improved terrorism training in light of the transit attacks in Madrid and London.  NYCTA employees are not allowed to strike by law and face losing two days pay for every day they strike.  Negotiators for both sides have been at work virtually around-the-clock for the past several days.

Amtrak is facing labor problems of its own. The Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employees is threatening to strike next year if agreement on a new contract is not reached.  Under the Railway Labor Act, existing contracts continue until replaced or until the National Mediation Board releases the parties to engage in self-help (i.e., management imposing new agreements, unions striking).  Over the past couple of weeks, BMWE members have held informational pickets at Newark, Philadelphia, and Washington Amtrak stations.  The union says that Amtrak’s offer would eliminate overtime and reduce compensation for union employees who are injured on the job.  An Amtrak spokesman countered that the offer made was, “fair to workers, contains costs and make us more efficient.”  Some observers fear that a strike in the present political environment would play into the hands of Amtrak’s enemies and potentially destroy the railroad.

Raul Claudio, the man who threw a suitcase at a New York Penn Station ticket agent on July 24 claiming that he had a bomb, pleaded guilty to attempting to falsely report an incident and will likely be sentenced to 1 ½ to 3 years in prison.  The incident happened just three weeks after the July 7 transit bombings in London and caused the evacuation and shut-down of Penn Station for over three hours.

What amounts to a new “drive-don’t-take-the-train” program begins Monday, courtesy of the United States Customs and Border Protection.  Its program for foreign visitors called “US-Visit” will begin at Niagara Falls, NY on Amtrak’s Maple Leaf.  Machines, already in place at airports, will require non-US and Canadian citizens to detrain from the Maple Leaf at the border to scan their passports, have electronic fingerprints and photographs taken, and have a one-on-one interview with Customs officers.  There will also be a $6.00 fee collected, payable in cash or travelers check only.  None of the above procedures are in place at the companion highway border crossings.

The California Zephyr struck a semitrailer which had been driven onto the tracks in eastern Utah, killing the truck driver, injuring five passengers, and derailing the lead locomotive.  The accident occurred on Wednesday and resulted in a six and half hour delay to the train. 

Streecars will return to New Orleans on Sunday. It will be a hybrid restoration of sorts: the Canal Street and part of the Riverfront line will reopen, using cars from the St. Charles Line.  The newer Canal and Riverfront Lines cars suffered heavy damage in the storm, while the St. Charles carbarn was relatively undamaged.  The same cannot be said for the St. Charles Line; the infrastructure was virtually destroyed.  The new service will operate free of charge through March.

In observance of the upcoming holiday celebrations, the weekly NARP Hotline will be published on an amended schedule.  Next week’s hotline (#430) will be published on Thursday, December 22.  There will be no hotline the week of December 30; the first hotline of 2006 will be #431, published on January 6. NARP wishes all our members a safe and happy holiday season!