» Dec 31, 2004: 2004 News Releases

All news releases sent nation-wide, unless otherwise noted

Rail Passengers Respond to DOT Inspector General's Report - November 22, 2004
Florida Needs High Speed Rail: Vote "NO" On Amendment 6 - October 27, 2004
NARP Condems Tancredo's Remarks - September 17, 2004
NARP Comments on Amtrak Service Changes - September 3, 2004
Majority of Senate Supports Full Amtrak Funding - August 23, 2004
House Appropriations Affirms Subcommittee's Amtrak Action - July 23, 2004
House Subcommittee Approves $900 million for Amtrak - July 15, 2004
NARP Supports Amtrak's revised five year plan - June 29, 2004
NARP elects officers; George Chilson is president - April 28, 2004
Burch Safety Award Goes to Steven Tomlinson of Amtrak - April 21, 2004
Rail Passengers Honor Sen. Carper - April 21, 2004
Rail Passengers Honor Rep. Boehlert of New York - April 21, 2004
Bush Administration Repeats $900 Million Amtrak Request - February 2, 2004

A new report from the Department of Transportation Inspector General says Amtrak’s prospects for getting the funding it needs are bleak and suggests eliminating “unprofitable” routes.

The National Association of Railroad Passengers disagrees. We agree that preservation and improvement of the Northeast Corridor and other short distance routes are vital. But the money which could be saved by eliminating most or all national network (long-distance) routes would be insignificant when measured against corridor needs.

Moreover, the national network accounts for about half of all Amtrak travel (in terms of passenger-miles). Eliminating that network, while preserving every existing short-distance service, would create a 21-state “system” of four isolated mini-networks, significantly compromising its usefulness to the traveling public while simultaneously weakening Amtrak’s ability to get federal funding. Key Republican Senators have repeatedly made clear that survival of the national network is essential for their continued support of Amtrak, and indeed have criticized Amtrak for spending too much in the Northeast.

Amtrak’s route structure is already so skeletal that further major route cuts would end all service to several major cities and states and bring charges that the cut was politically motivated (a la the National Park Service closing the Washington Monument).

Under Amtrak President and CEO David L. Gunn since May, 2002, Amtrak has contained costs, improved financial reporting, eliminated mail and freight express operations with the goal of improving on-time performance, made selected service reductions, and improved its credibility on Capitol Hill.

Gunn’s efforts have reinforced the increased national awareness after 9/11 of the importance of passenger rail. Those factors, plus record ridership in fiscal 2004, helps explain why Congress just agreed to fund Amtrak at the higher Senate-passed figure of $1.217 billion rather than splitting the difference with the $900 million approved by the House Appropriations Committee and requested by President Bush.

If Amtrak continues to show progress in ridership and cost containment, we are optimistic that funding will be more than the Inspector General anticipates, although we recognize that the impetus for some of that funding could be a catastrophic failure—such as a temporary shutdown of New York-Boston service due to problems with the three elderly river bridges Amtrak has been attempting to draw attention to for years.

The report refers to on time performance problems, but is silent on their diverse causes:

• Acela Express (74.7% on-time performance for October-June, the first nine months of FY 2004)--While some delays relate to infrastructure problems, others stem from improvement work Amtrak is actually undertaking (such as the New York City tunnels, badly needed infrastructure work in and just to the north of Washington Union Station, and track overhauls between Philadelphia and Wilmington). This type of work, applauded by the DOT in other parts of the report, is essential and often delays trains just as highway construction slows traffic. Still other delays result from highly publicized mechanical problems with the new trains that Amtrak is addressing; these delays arguably stem from questionable investment decisions by previous management, rather than federal funding levels.

• National Network trains--Amtrak stopped handling mail partly in an effort to improve on-time performance, but the change just took place in early October, 2004. In addition, the well-publicized capacity crisis facing many of the nation's private freight railroads has heavily impacted Amtrak trains. The DOT IG is silent on one possible remedy: a federal match for railroad infrastructure investment, similar to what highway and aviation projects enjoy. It is well established that, absent public investment, the share of freight carried on the nation's private railroads will decline, creating over time an unacceptable additional burden on our highways.

The National Association of Railroad Passengers (NARP) supports the November, 2000, decision by Florida voters favoring a constitutional amendment to require construction of a high speed rail system. Unfortunately, due to the efforts of rail opponents including Governor Jeb Bush, the public must voice its support again.

Wording of the new ballot question requires high speed rail supporters to vote "NO." A "YES" vote on Amendment 6 is a vote to repeal the high speed rail constitutional amendment.

As the population of Florida increases and ages, the existing highway network--even with planned expansion--will not be adequate for the state. High speed rail connecting major population and entertainment centers will increase mobility, boost tourism potential, create jobs, and strengthen the economy. It will also produce transportation that is generally safer and more reliable in bad weather than other forms of transportation.

NARP is a non-partisan organization funded by dues and contributions from approximately 16,000 individual members. We have worked since 1967 to support improvement and expansion of passenger rail, particularly intercity passenger rail.

On Tuesday, United States Representative Tom Tancredo (R-Colo. District 6) issued a release in which he called Amtrak, America's Passenger Railroad, "Scamtrak" and said, "When you look at those numbers, it makes almost as much sense for Congress to subsidize Nike sneakers as it does for us to ask taxpayers to subsidize rail service."

National Association of Railroad Passengers (NARP) Executive Director Ross B. Capon made the following statement today:

"Our Association believes transportation policy must be based on future needs, not those of the past. Amtrak already provides vital transportation capacity in the Northeast and a growing number of other corridors. The longer routes serve communities with limited transportation choices, and people who do not want to or who cannot fly. The need for the rail passenger alternative will grow with time, given highway and aviation capacity limits, rising energy costs, and the fact that the number of Americans age 65 or older--people who have a greater need to seek alternatives to driving--will increase by 80% in the next 20 years.

"Rep. Tancredo's charge that ' the percentage of Americans who ride the train to work each day remains roughly the same as the number who walk - just five percent' is strange. Amtrak is an intercity--not a commuter--carrier. To be sure, Amtrak runs certain local agencies' commuter trains, but on profitable contracts. Also, on a few of Amtrak's own routes, service for daily commuters is a by-product of schedules oriented to longer trips. But taking Americans 'to work each day' is not Amtrak's mission; it is absurd to criticize Amtrak for trends in local rail transit market-share.

"From fiscal year 1996 to fiscal year 2003, annual Amtrak ridership rose 22%--from 19.7 million to 24.0 million--with increases posted each year except for a slight (0.4%) drop in 2002. In 2004, through the first 11 months (October-August), ridership was up 4.7% compared with the same months in 2003.

"Tancredo complains that Amtrak has never been profitable, but the overall aviation system is not 'profitable' either and Amtrak is the rail equivalent of the airlines, airport authorities, and air traffic control system together. This is true both in the Northeast Corridor, where Amtrak owns and controls most infrastructure, and nationwide where Amtrak pays other carriers to use their infrastructure and is the sole carrier with the legal authority to do so."

The National Association of Railroad Passengers is a non-partisan organization funded by dues and contributions from approximately 16,000 individual members. We have worked since 1967 to support improvement and expansion of passenger rail, particularly intercity passenger rail.

The National Association of Railroad Passengers opposes Amtrak’s planned termination of the New York-Pittsburgh Chicago “Three Rivers” and recognizes that changes proposed for Florida have important positives and negatives.

NARP has made the following points to Amtrak regarding the “Three Rivers”:

• The eastbound train lets passengers connecting from late Western trains continue their journeys promptly rather than having to spend an unplanned night in a Chicago hotel (at Amtrak’s expense).
• The westbound train is the only long-distance train which permits a Chicago arrival early enough to attend an all-day meeting.
• The “Three Rivers” is the only daily service between Philadelphia/New Jersey and Chicago.
• State and local funding for station improvements has totaled $287,500 at Youngstown, Akron and Fostoria—stations which are now set to lose their Amtrak service come March 1. Also, Amtrak in 1994 spent $2.6 million on a track connection at New Castle, Pennsylvania, just for the “Three Rivers.”

Regarding changes in the Florida service, we:

• Applaud the restoration of decent times and a full service train to Tampa;
• Acknowledge that an attractively timed dedicated connecting bus that directly serves Gainesville (home of the University of Florida)—as well as Dade City, Ocala and perhaps Waldo—compares favorably with middle-of-the-night trains that skip Gainesville;
• Applaud plans to expand capacity on the “Silver Star” and “Silver Meteor”; but
• Regret the loss of schedule choice south of Savannah as the new schedule will see two round trips there instead of three.

We note with interest Amtrak’s statement that, “in Chicago, Toledo, Philadelphia, Washington, St. Paul-Minneapolis, Los Angeles, Jacksonville and other cities, train delays due to mail handling will be eliminated.” If this theory proves accurate, that will be a plus for passengers. Improved reliability of Western trains also could reduce the role of the eastbound “Three Rivers” as a rescue train for late Western “misconnecting” passengers, but we have urged Amtrak at least to keep “Three Rivers” on until it is clear that the promised reliability improvements are real. Mail is not the only Amtrak-controlled obstacle to on-time performance.

We note also Amtrak’s statement that eliminating mail and express cars will “reduce the number of locomotives [Amtrak] needs by shortening trains to and from Chicago.” Again, the operation of more long-distance trains with single locomotives likewise will require a higher level of maintenance to insure reliability.

Finally, we are concerned about service frequency reductions between Pittsburgh and Harrisburg, and the “ping-ponging” of the eastbound schedule, with the popular 7:15 AM Pittsburgh departure dropped next month but restored in the spring. Maintaining both frequencies through the spring would better serve public need if there is a real possibility that Pennsylvania might fund a second frequency. Extension of one of the Pittsburgh trains to Cleveland and Toledo also would be desirable.

We recognize that Amtrak, unfortunately, faces hostility on funding issues both from the White House—which still nominally supports a “shutdown,” $900 million grant for FY 2005—and from certain key members of Congress. Nonetheless, we are concerned that this latest announcement may be perceived as retrenchment rather than restructuring.

To the extent that these decisions are driven by equipment shortages, they underline the need for the federal government to fully fund Amtrak’s five-year plan, including its equipment aspects.

Today, the United States Senate voiced strong support for rebuilding America's intercity rail passenger network. In a letter to Senate appropriators, 51 Senators requested a fiscal 2005 appropriation of $1.798 billion for Amtrak capital and operating needs.

The letter, co-authored by Senators Ernest Hollings (D-S.C.) and Arlen Specter (R-Pa.), is signed by a diverse collection of Senators: Republican and Democrat, rural and urban, those with Amtrak service and those without it. The $1.798 billion level of funding is critical to avoid a shut-down crisis in 2005 and maintain Amtrak President David L. Gunn's efforts to return the railroad to a state-of-good-repair.

"Amtrak needs the money now to improve service and repair its aging infrastructure," Senator Hollings said. "We can't shut down Amtrak. Twenty-four million Americans depend on it for transportation. In these times of highway and aviation congestion and security concerns, investing in Amtrak should be a national priority."

Senator Specter said: "Amtrak plays an integral role in the future of passenger transportation. While Amtrak's fiscal needs are significant, I believe we would be severely disadvantaged without a national passenger rail system."

This letter takes on added importance given the shut-down funding level of $900 million approved by the House Appropriations Committee on July 22, 2004. A timeline for Senate action on Amtrak's appropriation will be decided upon at the end of the August recess.

A copy of the text of the letter, as well as a list of Senators who signed the letter, may be viewed at our website.

Yesterday the House Appropriations Committee approved the FY 2005 Transportation/Treasury funding bill, making no change in the "kill-Amtrak" funding level approved July 15 by the subcommittee led by Chairman Ernest Istook Jr. (R-OK).

Because the bill requires Amtrak to repay its $100 million DOT loan, the committee is:

• $100 million below the Bush Administration request (which did not require loan repayment),
• $100 million below where the committee was at this stage in last year’s process, and
• $418 million or 34% below the current level.

As Rep. John Olver (D-MA)--ranking member of the subcommittee--said yesterday, Amtrak “can’t end the [2005] fiscal year and still maintain its operations and maintenance needs.”

Amtrak says that $900 million or anything close to that level would force a shutdown by February, and that an appropriation of about $1.5 billion ($1.6 billion including loan repayment) is needed to maintain the momentum now established towards returning the railroad to a state of good repair.

NARP Executive Director Ross B. Capon said, "The Bush Administration knows $900 million will not work. At a February 2 briefing, Secretary of Transportation Norman Mineta, responding to my question, said '[Amtrak President and CEO David] Gunn is right on the numbers.'"

Istook said yesterday that "reforms" are necessary before the House attitude on funding Amtrak would change. While it is unclear exactly what reform means, it appears to include elimination of Amtrak's national network (long-distance trains), which would leave four isolated mini-networks serving a total of just 21 states.

Capon said, “The national network is a vital part of our transportation system both politically and economically. It is not credible to suggest that a modern passenger train network can be built on the 'ashes' of today's system.”

Further legislative action will not come until after Labor Day, as Congress began its summer recess today. Congress may wind up sending the White House a single bill in September that encompasses continuing resolutions for most federal agencies, and an extension of TEA-21. Last night, Congress extended TEA-21 through September 24 (for highways) and September 30 (for transit and other parts of the bill).

Washington—-The Amtrak funding process for fiscal 2005 (which starts October 1, 2004) got off to a disappointing, if expected, start this morning. The Subcommittee on Transportation and Treasury and Independent Agencies of the House Appropriations Committee approved the $900 million level requested by the Bush Administration.

Looking on the bright side, this is $379 million or 73% more than this subcommittee, chaired by Ernest Istook Jr. (R-OK), approved last year.

Also, the subcommittee has bipartisan support for Amtrak. One subcommittee member, John Sweeney (R-NY), said after this morning’s action: “Today was the first step in an ongoing fight. We are going to continue fighting throughout this process to get Amtrak the funding it needs to support the millions of passengers each year that rely on its services.”

The full committee, chaired by Rep. C. W. Bill Young (R-FL), plans to mark up the bill on Friday, July 23. House floor action-—and possibly all Senate action—-is expected in September.

Amtrak says that $900 million or anything close to that level would force a shutdown by February, and that about $1.6 billion is needed to maintain the momentum now established towards returning the railroad to a state of good repair.

“It is high time that the House responded to public support for a balanced transportation system in which intercity passenger rail plays a major role,” said NARP Executive Director Ross B. Capon. “Passing a ‘shutdown’ budget for Amtrak takes the nation in exactly the wrong direction.”

The National Association of Railroad Passengers today announced its support for Amtrak’s revised five year strategic plan, as outlined in a briefing this afternoon. This year’s plan contains appendices highlighting challenges confronting the rail freight industry, and evaluating the “readiness” of corridors for further development.

NARP Executive Director Ross B. Capon said, “Amtrak has done an important service by quantifying ‘unsustainable’ rail freight industry trends —- growth in ton-miles while track capacity is reduced —- and highlighting specific track segments at risk. Also, by identifying eight ‘readiness criteria’ for short-distance passenger corridor development, and ‘Tier I’ and ‘Tier II’ corridors where states have completed all or most of the criteria, Amtrak highlights the need for the federal government to step forward as a funding partner for those states.”

The Association continues to endorse Amtrak’s goals to return its existing system -— both rolling stock and infrastructure —- to a state of good repair.

It is important to note that this plan does not call for the elimination of any Amtrak rail service. Rather, the plan identifies track segments where Amtrak service is threatened due to possible track abandonment or downgrading by owning freight railroads. One major segment is the 703-mile BNSF line between Newton and Dodge City, Kansas; La Junta and Trinidad, Colorado; and Albuquerque. This is a vital part of Amtrak’s Southwest Chief route, but also serves as an important safety valve for the freight network when BNSF’s main route via Amarillo, Texas, is blocked. Amtrak President and CEO David L. Gunn noted, “When you don’t make your cost of capital, you can’t afford to maintain redundancy.”

Amtrak also presented a map showing routes where freight congestion due to track capacity problems causes serious delays.

Gunn noted, “You need an industry that, when it needs a double track, has the money to put it down.”

The Corridor development and rail freight issues are related. Following Gunn’s presentation, state officials from Washington, North Carolina and California made presentations about what they have already accomplished, and future plans that depend on federal funding. Eugene K. Skoropowski, Managing Director of the Capitol Corridor (Sacramento-Bay Area), noted that state investment in track capacity motivated by passenger concerns also has increased track capacity for freight operations. Conversely, he said that freight railroads in California had invested $95 million in infrastructure on their passenger corridors.

Bill Schafer of Norfolk Southern endorsed Gunn’s statements of concern about the rail freight industry, referring to the “proverbial canary in the coal mine” -– that is, Amtrak delays are the most visible sign to people outside the freight railroad’s industry of its serious congestion problems.

NARP calls on interested parties to use this information to garner support and grow interest in expanding corridor opportunities and preserving the existing national network system, and calls on Congress and the Bush Administration to develop a meaningful transportation policy that addresses the railroad crisis.

NARP is a non-profit, non-partisan membership organization that works for more and better passenger train service in the U.S.

Note: the Amtrak plan may be view on Amtrak's website (click on “FY 2005-2009 Amtrak Strategic Plan,” the second link).

The NARP Board of Directors elected George Chilson of San Diego as President of the National Association of Railroad Passengers. He succeeds Alan M. Yorker of Decatur, Georgia. The president (who is also the association's chairman) is a volunteer position.

The board also elected as vice-presidents Arthur Poole of Coos Bay, Ore., and Robert J. Stewart of Fort Myers, Fla., and re-elected Wayne E. Davis of Yarmouth, Me., and David Randall of Alton, Ill. The new secretary is Albert L. Papp Jr. of Millington, N.J., and the new treasurer is Robert W. Glover of San Francisco, Cal.

Chilson has served on the board since 1998. Since 2000, he has been one of the association's four vice-presidents. He chaired the committee that wrote the association’s report, "Modern Passenger Trains: A National Necessity".

Now retired, his professional career included working for General Mills in Minneapolis as a product manager (1965-69); for MJB Company in San Francisco as Manager, New Products (1969-71); and for Plus Products, Los Angeles, as Vice-President of Sales and Marketing (1971-1979). From 1979-98, through the Chilson-Rose Corporation, he was a business owner in the apartment and hospitality industries.

A native of Kingston, New York, Chilson holds an A.B. in economics from Princeton (1963), and an M.B.A. from Stanford (1965).

The elections took place on Friday, April 23, in Washington, D.C.

The Dr. Gary Burch Memorial Safety Award for 2003 will be presented tomorrow evening to Steven Tomlinson of Forksville, Pa., for his work as a safety liaison for Amtrak. He currently serves in that capacity full-time for all Amtrak maintenance-of-way (track) supervisors.

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, in the Starlight Room in Union Station. The reception is 6:00-8:00 p.m., and this presentation is likely between 6:15 and 7:00 pm.

Tomlinson works to ensure that Amtrak track maintenance employees and supervisors understand and comply with rules designed both for workplace safety and for safe installation and operation of critical track elements.  He also trains field managers and supervisors in these vital areas. He has worked for Amtrak for over 30 years, starting as a trackman. Amtrak President David L. Gunn wrote, "It is our belief that Mr. Tomlinson has made unique contributions to the safety of railroad passengers."

NARP is a non-profit, non-partisan membership organization that works for more and better passenger train service in the U.S.

The National Association of Railroad Passengers will present its George Falcon Golden Spike Award to Sen. Thomas R. Carper (D.-Del.) tomorrow evening. The award will be presented at the Association's annual Washington reception, in the Starlight Room in Union Station. The reception is from 6:00 to 8:00 pm and Senator Carper is expected to receive the award between 6:15 and 7:00.

The award is presented in appreciation for Senator Carper's "tireless" work as representative, governor, Amtrak board member, and senator "to broaden support for America's national rail passenger system."  Continuing from the wording on the plaque: "His never-ending willingness when on the Amtrak board to make the case for Amtrak to legislators, his commitment as governor to Delaware's investment in the Northeast Corridor, and his indefatigable work in 2003-2004 to get a rail title into the next surface transportation authorization deserve special mention."

"As a daily Amtrak passenger and as someone who has always loved trains, it is with sincere gratitude that I accept this award," said Senator Carper. "We stand at a crossroads right now in the history our nation's transportation policy. If we provide for a strong Amtrak and push for a federally backed system to fund rail infrastructure, we could be looking at a new rail renaissance in this country. America needs a strong Amtrak and strong freight railroads if we are to maintain the economic prosperity and mobility that we have come to expect."

NARP is a non-profit, non-partisan membership organization that works for more and better passenger train service in the U.S.

The National Association of Railroad Passengers will present its George Falcon Golden Spike Award to Rep. Sherwood L. Boehlert (R.-N.Y.) Thursday evening. The award will be presented at the Association's annual Washington reception, in the Starlight Room in Union Station. The reception is from 6:00 to 8:00 pm and Representative Boehlert is expected to receive the award at about 6:15.

The award is presented in appreciation for Representative Boehlert's "tireless work over many years for high speed rail development and for our national rail passenger system. He is one of the reasons Amtrak is alive, well and improving." The wording on the plaque also notes that "largely due to his efforts," Utica, N.Y., has a fine passenger terminal and notes that Boehlert has sponsored high-speed rail bills, signed pro-rail appropriations letters, and written op-ed columns about Amtrak and passenger rail.
NARP President Alan M. Yorker said, "The Association appreciates Representative Boehlert's strong efforts to maintain a nationwide passenger rail system in the United States and develop new, high-speed corridors."

NARP is a non-profit, non-partisan membership organization that works for more and better passenger train service in the U.S.

The Bush Administration's Fiscal 2005 budget has $900 million for Amtrak, the same amount requested for Fiscal 2004. This amount is:

• $318 million or 26% below the Fiscal 2004 level
• $900 million or 50% below the $1.8 billion that Amtrak requested for Fiscal 2004

Heavy maintenance literally refers to periodic overhauls on rolling stock needed to maintain their reliability. In this context, however, it also means progress on bringing Amtrak's infrastructure back to a state of good repair, including replacement of three river bridges (two movable) on the Boston-New York line before they become inoperable and force a cessation of service.

The Administration continues to press the case for "reform." Given the strong ridership growth which Amtrak has posted under Gunn the last eight months, and his success in cleaning up both Amtrak's shops and its financial statements, NARP believes that the right course is to support Gunn's efforts to bring Amtrak to a state of good repair.

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