National Association of Railroad Passengers: www.narprail.org

Hotline #489

Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH) is the newest co-sponsor of S.294. Please encourage your Senator to sign on as well!  Full information about S.294 and Amtrak funding is available in our Action Alert Center.

The Federal Highway Administration is preparing to order a rescission of nearly $3.4 billion in unspent highway funds, or “unobligated balances”.  The rescission affects each state proportionately.  The real danger of the rescission is that good highway programs, like Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Improvement Program (CMAQ) and Transportation Enhancements (TE, funding for such programs as bikeways and pedestrian-friendly projects), will be targeted, with little or no effect on actual highway construction.  The Surface Transportation Policy Partnership gave an example from the fiscal 2006 rescission order, “states rescinded $880 million in CMAQ funds and $1.182 billion in Bridge funds. Together, these programs were targeted for about 55 percent of the total rescissions during Fiscal 2006, even though these two programs represent about 20 percent of the apportioned funds to the states in any given year.” 

Get in touch with your state transportation leaders and ask how they plan to satisfy the rescission requirement and tell them that you want the rescission to be taken proportionally from all programs, not just those with the biggest account balances. Tell them as well that CMAQ and TE funds should not bear the brunt of the rescission. This is particularly important if your state has non-attainment areas for air pollution.

The Northeast Corridor-wide power failure last May was caused not by old, obsolete equipment,but by a four-year-old component.  Amtrak Vice President of Operations William Crosbie told the New York Times that the failure of a computer designed to prevent system overloads led to the overload of the system and a domino effect of cutting power to the entire railroad.  Compounding the problem was that some of the electrical apparatus could not be restarted until they received power themselves.  Amtrak has revised its internal procedures to prevent a reoccurrence of such a catastrophic failure.  The Times article ended with this:  “But the failure would have been much less likely to happen before the days of computer controls, Mr. Crosbie said.  ‘In the old days, you had switches and gauges,’ he said, and a glance would show if one was not as it should be.”

The Vermont House has agreed to a proposed state purchase of new, self-propelled diesel rail cars, but included language aimed at confining service to the current one train a day.  The state’s rail officials, and NARP, agree that the second frequency planned for most of the Vermonter route is essential to mitigate introduction of a forced transfer at New Haven.  Efforts will be made to get the Vermont Senate to eliminate the unfortunate House language; Vermonters should contact their state senators.  The state has been pursing the railcar option because it appears that costs would be prohibitive for continuing the existing, locomotive-hauled Washington-St. Albans through service. 

Opponents to the construction of a new railroad by the Dakota Minnesota and Eastern Railroad are preparing to offer legislation to stop the project.  Under legislation sponsored by U.S. Senators Norm Coleman (R-MN) and Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), the Federal Railroad Administration would be barred from making a loan exceeding $1 billion without specific approval from Congress.  In a statement, Coleman said “We believe that transportation loans of this magnitude should be voted on by Congress.”

The New Mexico Department of Transportation has decided that the Rail Runner extension to Santa Fe will run in the median of Interstate 25.  Other alternatives, including an “at grade” routing paralleling I-25 were considered.  State Transportation Secretary Rhonda Faught said, “This route will have the least impact on communities while serving a majority of residents in and around Santa Fe area.”  Service may begin as early as 2010.

Rail advocates in Oklahoma and Kansas are working to extend the Heartland Flyer from Oklahoma City to Wichita, Newton, and Kansas City.  A group called The Northern Flyer Alliance has begun a letter writing campaign to Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius (D.) urging her to support the expansion.  A major stumbling block will be a statutory restriction that may prohibit Kansas from spending state money on operating support for passenger rail service.  Wichita last had Amtrak service in 1979, when the Lone Star was discontinued.

Escalating costs and delays have caused the Federal Transit Administration to warn Hampton Roads Transit that funding for a proposed light rail line in Norfolk, VA may be in danger.  The agency downgraded the project to “medium” after finding that “Remaining uncertainties… do not provide FTA with the necessary confidence” it needs to fund the project.  HRT officials are counting on a federal contribution of $128 million to fund the $232 million project.  FTA officials have repeatedly questioned whether the agency can stay within a budget that many view as very aggressive; further cost overruns could put the entire project in jeopardy.

London, England Mayor Ken Livingstone has expanded the size of a downtown zone that assesses a tax of eight pounds ($15.70 US) on cars that enter downtown London.  The zone now includes Harrods department store, the Royal Albert Hall, and several more neighborhoods.  While some are upset with the plan, traffic has been reduced by over 20% since the plan was first implemented last year.

To celebrate the 100th birthday of the State of Oklahoma, Amtrak, Oklahoma DOT, and the Oklahoma Centennial Commission are offering a companion free fare program on the Heartland Flyer through December 13, 2007.  Riders must ask for code H711 when booking and the promotion is blacked out for Easter, Memorial Day, and Thanksgiving holiday travel periods.