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Amtrak Strikes Gold at WSJ; Financial Times Publishes My Letter
Friday, August 31, 2007
Today’s Wall Street Journal has a superb letter from Peter Hine of New York, under the headline “Meant to Commit Suicide, Amtrak Does a Hercules.” Some key quotes: “The notion that Northeast Corridor passenger service will somehow be improved by stripping Amtrak of its permanent capital assets is a cynical ploy…If Balkanizing railroad operations and divorcing them from integral assets such as utility corridors [and] real estate development rights is such a good idea, why don’t other Class One railroads hasten to do it?”
Hine was responding the Journal’s positive story of August 23, which ran under these headlines: “Crowds Heed Amtrak’s ‘All Aboard’; Improved Service, Air Woes
Lure Travelers in Northeast; Long Hauls Still Suffer.” It was encouraging that the only negative quotes were from the Bush Administration and JetBlue; they even had positive comments from two, prominent, former airline executives (Bethune and Crandall).
Here is the letter I submitted: “Thank you for an insightful report on the public’s growing preference for train travel in the face of the Bush Administration’s continuing opposition to Amtrak (“Crowds Heed Amtrak’s ‘All Aboard,’ August 23). With a supportive White House, ridership growth would be even greater and more widespread.
“As for the comment that some passengers are riding because ‘they think’ Amtrak is more fuel efficient than the plane—they are right! The latest Energy Department statistics—for 2005—show that airlines on average consume 20% more energy per passenger-mile than Amtrak. While the article noted that overnight trains suffer reliability problems, it did not mention the capacity problems that have faced these services as older equipment was retired and not replaced due to lack of federal commitment to the system’s capital needs. Even so, there has been ridership growth on these trains. Reliability problems do not only plague overnight trains. Unfortunately, many state corridors are also suffering, including services around Chicago where a major, public-private infrastructure project to improve both passenger and freight train performance is proceeding slowly because of miserly federal funding.”
Although the WSJ did not publish my letter, their article did result in my appearing on MSNBC the afternoon of August 24; MSNBC interviewed Amtrak President Alex Kummant the next day.
On Monday, August 27, the Financial Times published my letter which praised an August 22 op ed column by Felix Rohatyn (senior adviser to the chairman of Lehman Brothers) and Warren Rudman (former Republican U.S. Senator from New Hampshire). However, I took them to task for not including railroads or transit in their definition of infrastructure, and noted that even the Dodd-Hagel infrastructure bill which they praised did include transit (but not private railroads). I quoted the AASHTO railroad needs investment figures. My letter ran next to a picture of an Acela and under the headline “Role of railroads too often forgotten.”
—Ross Capon
Posted by NARP
Tags:Downeaster Inaugurates Fifth Round-Trip
Tuesday, August 21, 2007
Last Friday, Amtrak’s Downeaster inaugurated its fifth round-trip between Boston, MA and Portland, ME. Another five minutes was shaved off the one-way schedule; the current 2 hour 30-minute trip is fifteen minutes faster than when the service started in 2001. In FY2006, the Downeaster had the highest ridership increase (32%) and the highest revenue increase (34%) of any route in the Amtrak system.
A video of the press conference at the Portland Transportation Center has been posted to the DowneastRiders Blog:
Speakers and Guests:
Patricia Quinn, Executive Director, Northern New England Passenger Rail Authority
David Cole, Commissioner, Maine DOT
John Baldacci, Maine Governor (D)
David Fink, President, Pan Am Railways
Patricia Eltman, Director, Maine Office of Tourism
Mary Beth Mello, Deputy Regional Administrator, Federal Transit Administration
Rhoda Salemme, wife of former Amtrak Superintendant Victor Salemme
Wayne Davis, Chairman, TrainRiders/Northeast
At the end of the video, Davis (who is also a NARP Vice President) reminded the crowd that the federal Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality grant that has financed the Downeaster’s operations expires next year, and the effort to extend service northward to Brunswick has seen fits and starts.
Clearly, the political work to continue and to build upon the Downeaster’s successes have only just begun.
—Matthew Melzer
Posted by NARP
Tags: amtrak, downeasterAmtrak Leads a Transit-Oriented Honeymoon
Monday, August 20, 2007
Aaron Donovan of Streetsblog and his wife went on a cross-country honeymoon, spurning the traditional flight-based vacation, and exploring America at “see-level”:
How could two people as obsessed as we are with minimizing our transportation carbon footprints possibly justify taking so many flights for leisure travel? We didn’t take any flights. We also didn’t rent any cars or even set foot in a single taxi. We learned that thanks to the magic of transit-oriented hotel development (often inadvertent), it is entirely possible to travel this great country from sea to shining sea without any of those carbon-belching modes of travel—and still have a fantastic time.
...
Despite the large number of transit providers, it was Amtrak that did the heavy lifting and made our vacation possible.
Aaron keenly observes that the host railroad delays to their long-distance trains were clearly attributable to the decades of skewed national transportation priorities; he also reflects on the political challenges Amtrak has faced in recent times, despite its increasing relevancy.
His post is part one in a five-part series, and we eagerly await the next four.
—Matthew Melzer
Posted by NARP
Tags:Northern CA Capitol Corridor Riders Honor a Special Friend
Tuesday, August 14, 2007
This past Saturday, more than a hundred people came together for a special train ride on Amtrak’s Capitol Corridor from the East San Francisco Bay to the historic Sierra Nevada foothill town of Auburn, California. We came together early on a Saturday morning to honor and celebrate the life a very special man, Robert Conheim, who passed away last month.
Bob Conheim was a member of the NARP board of directors. However, he was known among train riders on the Capitol Corridor as the “Lord Mayor of the CC Riders”.
His quick wit, love of life and family, plus his passion for good passenger train service, were his hallmarks. An attorney in California State government for most of his career, he recently retired and hoped to find a niche influencing elected decision makers on the value of public investment in passenger rail, with his Capitol Corridor experience as a solid example of what we could have in many places in California and across America.
The Lord Mayor was also known for his love of a good time, as witnessed by the planning and execution of regular rider parties aboard Capitol Corridor trains, with almost any ‘holiday’ as an excuse. His title as Lord Mayor was bestowed upon him by his fellow riders during a regal St. Patrick’s Day gala on-board the train several years ago, and the title stuck. Whether it was a party for St. Paddy’s Day, Halloween, Cinco de Mayo, Christmas, the Spring Solstice, or an annual Ice Cream Social, Bob was in the midst of it.
He also recognized the value of passenger train service and the positive impact it had on his life, his community and on the life of virtually everyone who uses the train. He was willing to become politically active to work for more service and more public investment in trains, and this effort consumed what time and energy he had right up to the end.
Saturday’s specially chartered train was literally a moving tribute to Bob’s life and work. Attendees included family, train commuters, passenger rail advocates, and an Amtrak crew that volunteered their time to honor him. At the memorial service at a park in his hometown of Auburn, family, friends, and fellow CC riders related anecdotes and their admiration for this special.
As we reflect on Bob’s memory, we also remember that the advocacy that he worked for continues. During this summer Congressional break, let your Senators and Congressmembers know that you want Amtrak fully funded and to support the reauthorization bill S.294.
Dennis Lytton
NARP Director
Los Angeles, California
Posted by NARP
Tags:A Book Review: World Without Us
Sunday, August 05, 2007
During my commute to work and when I ride trains, I like to read. My latest recommendation is World Without Us by Alan Weisman.
We all know how those profiteering from the status quo always attack serious defenders of the environment (and sensible transportation) often for a quite understandable viewpoint that their business may suffer and their customers want more of the same products and services.
Weisman goes to the extreme; take humans suddenly away and see what would happen to the Earth. You read about how quickly nature would take down our cities and other man-made things without humans to tend them. It is very dramatic and may make naysayers at least discuss what is happening and what we might do about it.
While some may look at it as another doomsday screed, I think it might encourage the continuation of a responsible and thoughtful civilization. Enjoy!
—Jim Churchill, NARP Mid Atlantic Vice President
Posted by NARP
Tags:Fuel Efficiency: An Important Piece of the Puzzle
Saturday, August 04, 2007
Yesterday, I discussed an August 2, op-ed piece in the Washington Post by Rep. John Dingell (D-MI), Chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee. Another important piece of this puzzle is fuel efficiency of the cars and trucks we drive.
To make an even bigger contribution to the health of our environment, the entire auto industry must make a significant increase in vehicle economy standards. Greater fuel efficiency standards (called CAFE here in Washington) are pertinent to reducing the amount of carbon into the atmosphere and promote the use of energy efficient technology. While the cost to implement these new standards may be steep in the beginning, as time has shown the price will gradually decrease and the products making use of the technology will become even more efficient. These new standards will also generate healthy competition in the auto industry, creating new jobs and stimulating our economy.
It is quite refreshing to see that at least one member of our legislative body does have a clue as to what is needed to make a substantial difference in our fight prevent climate change. Will alternative fuels or carbon caps solve all of our problems? No, instead it will take a multi-pronged approach from the federal government, private citizens, and the private sector to make a truly meaningful contribution. We must also be sure to recognize the benefits of the various modes of transportation including passenger rail, aviation, and mass transportation. I am hopeful that a comprehensive solution will be developed soon, and the folks at NARP are committed to being apart of that solution.
—Darryl Yates, NARP Transportation Assistant
Posted by NARP
Tags:Paying for the Damage We Do To The Environment
Friday, August 03, 2007
The national debate on climate change is heating up. An issue that was once a fleeting thought in the mind’s of most American citizens has quickly found its way to the forefront of our political, social, and economic debates. A country that once prided itself on doing everything “big”, including our hulking, gas-guzzling automobiles, has had a change of heart.
Today, the “green” movement has swept across the nation, alerting citizens to the damage that is being done to our environment on a daily basis. As a result, some of the most popular automobiles on America’s roads are less harmful hybrid vehicles, while an increasingly larger section of the population has decided to park their cars, depending on mass transit for their daily work commutes and social outings. Nonetheless, the American people should be applauded for making the extra effort to save what’s left of our environment, but lifestyle changes alone will not be sufficient to reverse decades of harm and neglect.
How do we pay for new environmentally friendly technology? One proposed solution involves a tax on carbon emissions, as was suggested in an August 2, op-ed piece in the Washington Post by Rep. John Dingell (D-MI), Chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee. Acknowledging the enormous amount of time and money needed to reduce carbon emissions, Chairman Dingle suggested that the best way to fund these improvements is by creating a carbon emissions fee, as well a gas tax increase. There are a couple of advantages to both of these options.
First, the cap-and-trade system will force the biggest “carbon culprits” to be accountable for their emissions. Not only will they be accountable, but the taxes or fees can then be used for furthering the study and development of new carbon neutral technology. Second, an increase in the gas tax will also generate money that can be used for new technology, or even to fund large scale transportation and infrastructure projects. An increase in the gas tax would also make the decision for citizens to car pool or use mass transportation a little easier. As the old saying goes, you would be “killing two birds with one stone”. Gas tax increases are never politically popular but as the tragic events in Minnesota on Wednesday illustrate, we have a serious disinvestment gap here in America.
I’ll talk more about fuel efficiency—another important part of this puzzle—tomorrow.
-Darryl Yates, NARP Transportation Assistant
Posted by NARP
Tags:GM’s Health Abroad: A Warning Sign for the Future of Oil
Thursday, August 02, 2007
If you follow business news in the US, you probably hear frequent reports about the financial maladies of our domestic auto makers and the attempts of the Big Three to restructure and stave off foreign competition (many of whom now manufacture right here in the States).
General Motors provides an excellent case study not only in the state of domestic auto production, but also in the future of global oil consumption and the environmental impacts of developing nations.
According to their own numbers, GM will have laid off nearly 21,400 US workers through the closing of 11 plants by 2008. The most recent 10-K filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission shows that GM North America went from a net income of $1.357 billion in 2004, to a whopping net loss of $8.233 billion in 2005. Sales increased slightly in 2006, but losses still exceeded $4 billion.
Where is GM making its money? Overseas, in the booming auto markets of the developing world. According to the Energy Information Administration (a branch of the US Department of Energy), world energy consumption in all sectors is set to increase by 57% by 2030; demand by non-OECD countries will increase by 95%, while increasing 24% for OECD nations.
(Energy Information Administration)
GM’s overseas numbers—which represent one manufacturer in one niche of one segment of a given economy—already play out these projections anecdotally. GM Latin America/Africa/Mid-East went from profits of $50 million in 2004, to $490 million in 2006, an astonishing 980% increase. More press has been given to GM’s growth in China, where in 2005 they became the number one selling foreign automaker. GM Asia Pacific profits grew 162% between 2004 and 2006, from $731 million to $1.186 billion.
GM’s domestic decay does not portend a lack of demand of energy in the US, but clearly shows that Detroit is setting its sights overseas where even more explosive growth will strain both energy markets and our changing environment—something to think about after the price of a barrel of oil hit a record high of $78.70 this week.
—Matthew Melzer
Posted by NARP
Tags:Airlines and the Environment
Wednesday, August 01, 2007
The July 28 Washington Post business section has a feature article about U.S. airlines’ efforts to promote their “greenness.” A graph shows improvement in passenger-miles per gallon in recent years.
But the article does not explain the difference between energy efficiency and greenhouse gas emissions, and does not explain radiative forcing, that is, the fact that airline carbon emissions must be multiplied by between two and four to get the climate impact, which is magnified when CO2 is emitted at high altitudes.
There’s extensive coverage of the issue of carbon emissions in the August issue of NARP News, available on our members-only website back on the regular NARP homepage.
—Dave Johnson
Posted by NARP
Tags:©2010 National Association of Railroad Passengers | » NARP website
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