National Association of Railroad Passengers: www.narprail.org

Hotline #577

The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee held an all-day hearing October 29 to consider “Investing in Infrastructure: The Road to Recovery.”  There was a bipartisan consensus that the federal government, having helped out Wall Street, now needs to help Main Street by giving states funds for ready-to-go projects that will put construction workers back on the job and not require a state match.  With less than a week to go before Election Day, there was a small turn-out of legislators, with Ranking Member John Mica (FL) and Candice Miller (MI) the only Republicans.

The witnesses included Amtrak Chief Operating Officer William Crosbie, whose PowerPoint presentation identified $410 million in “immediate capital needs.”  The $130 million identified for rolling stock included $71 million to put 69 Amfleet cars back into service.  Coupled with funds Amtrak already has budgeted to return 12 such cars, this would put all 81 parked Amfleet cars back in service.  Among the long-term items identified were: about $300 to replace 75 baggage cars and 25 Heritage diners, and about $52.5 million for 15 new single-level sleepers to expand capacity on New York-based long-distance trains.

There was discussion between Chairman James Oberstar (D-MN) and Gov. Jon Corzine (D-NJ) about the Hudson River tunnels.  Oberstar said he was disappointed they have taken so long to get started, and he knew Federal Transit Administrator James Simpson was similarly unhappy.  NARP continues to believe that the tunnels must connect with New York Penn Station, as New Jersey Transit plans called for until June, 2007.  Given the amount of money that the federal government is spending to fix economic problems, the additional billion dollars which NJT claims a connection would cost should now be doable.  .

To view the House hearing, or read the committee’s summary of the subject and the prepared statements of witnesses, click here.

Information about the House Ways and Means hearing, also October 29, on “Economic Recovery, Job Creation and Investment In America” is available here.

At that hearing, Gov. Corzine and Gov. David Paterson (D-NY), advocates of federal investment, were met with disagreement from Gov. Mark Sanford (R-SC) who opposed such action.

House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee leaders sent a letter yesterday to Treasury Secretary Hank Paulson and Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke urging them to intervene (.pdf) on behalf of transit agencies affected by the collapse of AIG.  (See the first item of last week’s Hotline #576).  The letter, signed by Chairman Oberstar, Ranking Member John Mica (R-FL), and Highways and Transit Subcommittee Chairman Peter DeFazio (D-OR), notes the existing authority to act granted to Paulson and Bernanke under the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act (also known as the bailout bill).  The move follows a similar letter of October 24 to Paulson and Bernanke from Sens. Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ), Robert Menendez (D-NJ), Richard Durbin (D-IL), and Barbara Boxer (D-CA).  Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) told Reuters that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) has spoken with Secretary Paulson about the fallout of AIG’s relationships with transit agencies.  “My understanding was the Secretary agreed to the Speaker’s request to immediately review the situation,” he said.  Van Hollen also said the Treasury Department is reviewing its authority under the bailout law to help.

At Wednesday’s House hearing, Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) complained that, in a meeting earlier in the week, Treasury officials showed “no sense of urgency” about the transit agencies’ plight.

Yesterday, a U.S. District Court judge signaled a willingness to grant a restraining order requested by the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Agency, which would have had to pay $43 million in leaseback penalties to KBC Bank of Belgium by today.  This would have jeopardized WMATA’s immediate solvency.  KBC responded by agreeing to defer its claim for 10 business days.  The court will hear WMATA’s request for an injunction on November 12.  About 40% of Washington Metrorail peak hour passengers are federal employees, according to WMATA. 

House T&I Chairman Oberstar and Railroads Subcommittee Chair Corrine Brown (D-FL) sent a letter to Transportation Secretary Mary Peters yesterday requesting that she suspend rulemaking that would tighten restrictions on the Railroad Rehabilitation and Improvement Financing (RRIF) program.  According to the news release, “Among the additional preconditions DOT is considering are: requiring an equity contribution of between 20 and 30 percent; capping the cumulative outstanding balance of loans and loan guarantees to a single borrower [to $500 million]; and requiring [applicants in excess of $250 million] to obtain a credit rating or assessment prior to receiving financial assistance.”  The letter claims the rulemaking could jeopardize the entire RRIF program and adversely affect unmet rail transportation needs, including passenger trains.

The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials called on Congress to significantly increase surface transportation funding when SAFETEA-LU is up for reauthorization next year.  In its October 24 news release, AASHTO calls for $545 billion over six years.  Significantly, they are requesting $35 billion in dedicated funding for intercity passenger rail.  This translates to $5.83 billion a year—less than the $9 billion a year the National Surface Transportation Revenue and Policy Study Commission recommended in January—but significantly higher than current federal funding for passenger trains.  AASHTO’s announcement comes on the heels of the launch of the Transportation for America campaign whose five-point Build for America plan enumerates the following as its first point: “BUILD TO COMPETE with China and Europe, by modernizing and expanding our rail and transit networks to reduce oil dependence, connect the metro regions that are the engines of the modern economy.”

The National Transportation Safety Board removed Positive Train Control (PTC) for major railroads from its list of Most Wanted Safety Improvements on Tuesday following the passage of H.R. 2095.  PTC had been on the list since 1990.  NTSB Acting Chairman Mark Rosenker said, “We are thrilled to see this long-needed technology being mandated and a timeline for its implementation being given.  Many lives will be saved as a result of this legislation.”

The government of China unveiled plans this week to invest approximately $300 billion (in US Dollars) to bolster its national passenger and freight railway network as an economic stimulus measure.  China plans to have an additional 22,000 miles in its route network online by 2010.

Germany this month postponed an initial public offering of national rail company Deutsche Bahn that was supposed to have gone forward on Monday due to the economic crisis.  Financial Times called the postponement “a potentially fatal blow to Germany’s biggest privatization in eight years,” though the government vows that the sale of 25 percent of DB will move forward.

Amtrak is seeking arbitration to resolve disputes with Union Pacific Railroad over scheduling and dispatching of Amtrak trains on UP-owned tracks, according to the Chicago Tribune.  Also at issue are speed restrictions on the Lincoln Service and Texas Eagle routes, which UP has not fixed as Amtrak had expected them to per a previous agreement.  Neither Amtrak nor UP are publicly commenting on the matter.

A full Amtrak California timetable is now available (.pdf).  For the first time in several years, Caltrans has produced one timetable brochure containing the schedules for all three Amtrak California corridors, their connecting Thruways, and Amtrak national routes operating in the state.  Amtrak also for the first time ever has its full national system timetable available for download as one file (caution: 9.27 MB .pdf file).

Another Amtrak Northeast Regional train now stops at Aberdeen, MD, effective yesterday.  Northbound train 130 serves Aberdeen at 7:39 AM on weekdays.

Amtrak has retracted its plans to end the perk for Northeast Corridor multi-ride ticket holders (ten-trips and monthly passes) that has allowed passengers to upgrade to Acela Express trains within 30 minutes of departure for $20.  Instead of ending on November 1, the perk will continue for the time being.

Amtrak Coast Starlight detours will continue next month due to ongoing UP track work.  On the following dates, trains 11 and 14 will detour between Los Angeles and Sacramento via Tehachapi Pass and the UP Valley Line:  November 8, 10, 12, and 14.  [This affects southbound trains originating in Seattle one day earlier than the days shown.]

UP track work will affect Amtrak service between St. Louis and Kansas City.  On November 8, 9, 10, 11, 13, and 14, Kansas City Mule train 311 will operate between Jefferson City and Kansas City.  Motorcoaches will carry passengers and make all stops between St. Louis and Jefferson City.  Missouri Service train 314 will operate between Kansas City and Jefferson City.  Motorcoaches will carry passengers and make all stops between Jefferson City and St. Louis.  On November 12, trains 313 and 316 will operate one hour later.

Next year Amtrak will again operate the West Palm Beach Safety Patrol Trains using regular runs of the Silver Meteor.  The general public will not be allowed to travel on trains originating on the following dates:  Train 98 on January 15, 21, and 29, and train 97 on January 18 and 24, and February 1.

Passengers on Washington, DC Metrorail and Metrobus will be subject to random inspections of bags and personal items, the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Agency announced on Tuesday.  The inspections by Metro Police purport to target explosive materials, and Metro claims to have legal precedent based on rulings protecting similar measures in New York City and Boston.

Vehicle-miles traveled in the United States declined by a record 5.6 percent in August 2008, U.S. DOT announced on October 24.  The decline represents 15 billion fewer VMTs than August 2007.

The Department of Justice on Wednesday announced its approval of the proposed merger between Delta Air Lines and Northwest Airlines.  Northwest is now a wholly owned subsidiary of Delta, and the airlines plan to begin integration next year.  Lufthansa announced on Wednesday its acquisition of British Midlands Airways (BMI).  U.S. DOT’s Bureau of Transportation Statistics also announced on Wednesday that average domestic airfares increased by 8.1 percent in the second quarter of 2008, a record year-over-year increase since the government began compiling such data in 1995.

A 26 year-old man on a French TGV train got his arm stuck in a train toilet on Sunday in an unsuccessful attempt to retrieve his cell phone, which had fallen in.  Due to the powerful vacuum suction of the toilet, paramedics had to remove the man from the train with the toilet still attached to his arm (after having separated it from the waste retention system).  Fortunately, they were able to saw off the toilet, leaving his arm intact.  It is not known how his cell phone fared.