» Dec 31, 1999: 1999 News Releases

Voinovich-Chafee Bill Lets States Spend Funds on Passenger Rail - May 28, 1999
Amtrak Conductor J. F. Garrard Wins Burch Safety Award - April 21, 1999
Rail Passengers Honor Wisconsin Governor Thompson - April 21, 1999
NARP Testifies for Full Funding of Amtrak and High Speed Rail in Fiscal Year 2000 - February 10, 1999
NARP Praises Amtrak Number in Clinton Budget; Is Concerned About ‘High Speed’ Funding - February 2, 1999
NARP Favors Stepped-Up Investment in Midwest Intercity Passenger Rail Corridors - January 28, 1999

VOINOVICH-CHAFEE BILL LETS STATES SPEND FUNDS ON PASSENGER RAIL
May 28, 1999

Senators George V. Voinovich (R-OH) and John H. Chafee (R-RI) yesterday introduced a bill that would let states spend their flexible "TEA-21" dollars on intercity passenger rail investments. Chafee chairs the Committee on Environment and Public Works; Voinovich chairs its Subcommittee on Transportation and Infrastructure. TEA-21 is the big highway/transit law enacted last year. The new flexibility in S.1144, dubbed the "Surface Transportation Act of 1999," applies to National Highway System, Surface Transportation Program and - in certain situations - Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Improvement Program funds. Under current law, intercity passenger rail is the only major form of surface transportation on which federal law forbids states to spend gasoline-tax-generated funds. (Some state gasoline-tax funds are spent on intercity passenger rail.) The bill also includes sections on the State Infrastructure Bank Program and a handful of other changes to transportation law.

NARP Executive Director Ross B. Capon hailed the bill, saying its enactment "would be an important step towards creating the balanced, intermodal transportation system the traveling public needs and wants, and towards giving states the right to make important choices now denied them. Today, state rail officials are handicapped when pressing for state rail investments because their work is supported by little or no federal matching funds, in sharp contrast with generous federal funding for highways and aviation. We are grateful to Senators Chafee and Voinovich for taking this initiative."

The "Amtrak flexibility" concept embodied in S.1144 was endorsed earlier this year in Congressional testimony by the National Governors Association, the National Conference of State Legislatures, the National Association of Counties, the U.S. Conference of Mayors and the League of Cities.

Original co-sponsors of the bill are: John H. Chafee (R-RI, chairman of the full committee), Jim M. Jeffords (R-VT), Daniel Patrick Moynihan (D-NY), John W. Warner (R-VA), Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-TX), Harry Reid (D-NV), Frank R. Lautenberg (D-NJ) and Patrick J. Leahy (D-VT).

In separate actions, Amtrak's Fiscal Year 2000 appropriations request of $571 million, and the right to spend these funds on maintenance work, was approved by appropriations subcommittees in the Senate (May 25) and House (May 27) and by the full Senate Appropriations Committee (May 27). The outcome of full committee action in the House - which could come as early as June 8 - was less certain.

AMTRAK CONDUCTOR J. F. GARRARD WINS BURCH SAFETY AWARD
April 21, 1999

The National Association of Railroad Passengers tomorrow will present the Dr. Gary Burch Memorial Safety Award for 1998 to J. F. "Frank" Garrard, a Jacksonville-based conductor with Amtrak. The annual Award goes to the individual judged to have done the most to enhance rail passenger safety. The award honors the memory of a victim of a 1991 passenger train derailment in South Carolina. The Burch family has sponsored the award since its establishment in 1994. The award will be presented at the Association’s annual Washington reception, at the Columbus Club in Union Station. The reception is 6:00-8:00 pm; presentation likely between 6:30-7:15 pm.

The selection committee noted Garrard’s long interest in safety. He spoke to public groups about safety while employed by Seaboard Coast Line and, after 1986, by Amtrak, all on his own initiative. Garrard received extensive training under Amtrak that enhanced his knowledge of safety and his ability as a presenter. In recent years, he has trained all Amtrak train and engine crews in his area in using fire extinguishers. For emergency response personnel, he developed a training course specific to passenger train accidents. Garrard prepares and copies his own materials; he even carries an actual passenger-car emergency window. In the past four years, he has made presentations in over 40 Florida and Georgia communities to over 3000 emergency response personnel.

RAIL PASSENGERS HONOR WISCONSIN GOVERNOR THOMPSON
April 21, 1999

The National Association of Railroad Passengers tomorrow (Thursday) will present the George Falcon Golden Spike Award to the Governor of Wisconsin and Chairman of the Amtrak Board, Tommy G. Thompson. The award will be presented at the Association's annual Washington reception, at the Columbus Club in Union Station, at about 6:15 pm.

The Award honors Governor Thompson as a "champion" of "intercity passenger rail improvements nationwide" and for his recognition of the need for a true national system, and notes that he has devoted an "impressive amount of time...to his work as Chairman of Amtrak."

NARP President John R. Martin, who will present the award, said, "we particularly appreciate Governor Thompson's effective, persuasive and tireless efforts in carrying to Congress the message that passenger rail enjoys broad, bipartisan support. The Governor also deserves much of the credit for instituting a state passenger rail program in Wisconsin and for that state’s leadership role in the Midwest Regional Rail Initiative.  Equally important, he continues to advance the concept of giving all states the flexibility to spend their federal transportation funds on passenger rail."

NARP is a non-profit, non-partisan, independent membership group dedicated to educating the public about the benefits of rail travel.

NARP TESTIFIES FOR FULL FUNDING OF AMTRAK AND HIGH SPEED RAIL IN FISCAL YEAR 2000
February 10, 1999

In testimony today before the House Appropriations Subcommitee on Transportation, Ross B. Capon, Executive Director of the National Association of Railroad Passengers, strongly urged Chairman Frank R. Wolf (R-VA) to provide full funding for Amtrak at $571 million and high speed rail at $99.25 million. The latter figure includes a total of $44 million authorized for FY 1998 and FY 1999 but never requested or appropriated.

President Clinton’s budget released last week included the full $571 million called for in Amtrak’s business plan ($38 million below the current level). However, his budget severely shortchanged high-speed rail. He requested just $12 million in regular, "general funds," compared with $24 million today, plus $5.75 million in hazard-elimination (mostly grade-crossing) funding "guaranteed" by the big TEA-21 transportation law. The Clinton budget also gives high-speed rail $35 million in so-called "revenue-aligned budget authority," which NARP supports but Congress may not accept.

Capon thanked Wolf for his role in securing full funding for Amtrak during the current year. Capon said, "not only does rail get the short end of the stick in federal transportation funding, but -- whereas road and aviation programs are structured to encourage maximum contributions at the state and local level -- rail passenger programs are not." He said an important step towards change would be to provide high-speed-rail planning money, which would go to the states. Planning has been authorized at $10 million a year starting in FY 1998 but never funded.

Capon submitted a written statement (available on request) which noted that high speed rail funding will help improve Amtrak’s bottom line, and that travel on Amtrak trains is growing for the third straight year, passenger revenues for the fourth straight year. Passenger revenues rose 3% in FY 1996, 7% in FY 1997, 4% in FY 1998 and 7% in the First Quarter of FY 1999. Travel (measured in passenger-miles) rose 2% in FY 1997, 3% in FY 1998 and 1.5% in the First Quarter of FY 1999.

NARP PRAISES AMTRAK NUMBER IN CLINTON BUDGET; IS CONCERNED ABOUT 'HIGH SPEED' FUNDING
February 2, 1999

The National Association of Railroad Passengers expressed satisfaction that President Clinton’s fiscal 2000 budget, unveiled today, includes the $571 million for Amtrak promised in Administration testimony a year ago. At the same time, the Association expressed concern about the amount and form of high speed rail funding for corridors nationwide.

Excluding $5.25 million a year in "guaranteed" funding for hazard-elimination work in designated high-speed corridors, $89 million should be appropriated for all work in such corridors, including a total of $34 million authorized but never appropriated for fiscal years 1998 and 1999.

Out of this, the Administration proposes proposes only $12 million in "real funds." This is for a much-reduced technology improvements program (the so-called "Next Generation High-Speed Rail program," authorized for $25 million a year and funded this year at $24 million). Nothing is proposed for planning (authorized in the big TEA-21 transportation law at $10 million a year).

For the remaining programs -- hazard elimination work (including highway/railroad grade crossings), and new programs for "positive train control" and "nationwide differential global positioning system" -- a total of $35 million in "soft money" is designated, that is, money the Administration wants to earmark from "excess" gasoline-tax revenues. It is not clear whether Congress will accept these redesignations, as TEA-21 contemplates all of the "excess" going to highways.

Said NARP Executive Ross Capon: "Within the past three months, Secretary of Transportation Rodney Slater has given three strong, upbeat speeches on developing rail corridors: in New Orleans on November 18, in Charlotte on December 1 and in Chicago last Thursday. These speeches have raised expectations. They have substantially increased the route mileage eligible for federal high speed funds, and thus the need for these funds. To have President Clinton's request fall so far short of the authorized level is disappointing, to say the least. We believe planning funds are vital. We strongly support the concept of reallocating some 'extra' gasoline-tax revenues to rail, but we do not want adequate funding for passenger rail held hostage to the outcome of this debate."

The Clinton proposal should be seen in the context of continuing big increases in other parts of the transportation department:
 

		($ millions)
	Fiscal 1999 enacted	Fiscal 2000 Clinton request	percent change
Federal Highway	27,367	28,549	+ 4
National Highway Traffic Safety	360	404	+12
Federal Aviation	9,754	10,131	+13
Federal Transit	5,388	6,088	+13
Federal Railroad (includes Amtrak)	778	746	- 4

Congress has the opportunity to increase high speed funding, as it has increased Amtrak funding in many past years. These factors are relevant:

• The Congressional Budget Office on January 29 announced new projections that "non-Social-Security-accounts" would have a budget surplus of nearly $800 million over the next ten years.
• The public strongly supports improvements in intercity passenger rail service.
• Congress allows only Vermont to spend flexible surface transportation funds in TEA-21 on intercity passenger rail (although this money can be spent on most other forms of surface transportation).
• The $42 million in added dollars needed to fully fund existing high-speed rail authorizations equals just 0.15% of proposed FY 2000 federal highway spending.
• A major part of work on high speed corridors improves highway safety as well by eliminating highway/railroad grade crossings or upgrading the equipment that warns motorists or protects against collisions.

NARP FAVORS STEPPED-UP INVESTMENT IN MIDWEST INTERCITY PASSENGER RAIL CORRIDORS
January 28, 1999

The National Association of Railroad Passengers strongly supports aggressive investment to improve frequencies, speeds and comfort levels for intercity rail travelers in the Midwest. We applaud the $25 million commitment Amtrak announced today as a vital early step. This includes $5 million for a South Chicago rail connection giving Carbondale/New Orleans trains direct access to Chicago’s Union Station (ending a circuitous back-up move), and a total of $5 million for important station work in St. Louis, Kansas City and Milwaukee. That improvements are so badly needed is largely a reflection of the fact that the federal government provides a generous share of funding -- usually 80% -- for major state highway and aviation projects but does not do this for rail projects.

Indeed, Congress repeatedly has refused to allow states to use flexible surface transportation funds for intercity passenger rail, although these funds can be used for most other types of surface transportation, including bicycle paths and pedestrian walkways. The one "crack in the wall" is that Vermont gained full flexibility to use these funds for intercity passenger rail in the FY 1999 appropriations law.

The "base" of federal funding from which we must build includes winning these key items in the FY 2000 transportation appropriations bill:

• Full funding of Amtrak’s $571 million request;
• Full funding of the federal nationwide high speed rail program at $89 million (including $34 million authorized for Fiscal 1998 and 1999 but never appropriated).

The President will announce his Fiscal 2000 budget request Monday [February 1]. Full funding for both Amtrak and high speed rail would make it more likely that Midwestern rail travelers will see visible improvements in the near future and would encourage states to provide more funds.

The American people repeatedly have indicated their strong support for modern passenger trains. The public will be well served if today’s event leads to concerted action by Amtrak, the federal government and the states to create a system that will command the ridership forecast in the Midwest Regional Rail Initiative’s report.

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