» Dec 31, 2000: 2000 News Releases

High Speed Rail Enactment Urged by Four Organizations - December 6, 2000
Rail Bill Gathers Momentum in Senate - September 18, 2000
Alan M. Yorker, New NARP President - September 13, 2000
Jack Martin, 64, President of NARP for Over 21 Years, is Dead - September 2, 2000
Rail Passengers Honor New Jersey's Senator Lautenberg - April 26, 2000
Rail Passengers Honor Ohio's Senator Voinovich - April 26, 2000
Burch Safety Award Goes To Amtrak Chef Allan Thomas - April 25, 2000
NARP Statement on Amtrak's "Network Growth Strategy" - February 28, 2000
NARP Supports Clinton Rail Request - February 7, 2000
NARP Hails Boston Electric Trains - January 31, 2000
NARP Statement on Amtrak Reform Council Report - January 24, 2000

Washington -- The American Passenger Rail Coalition (APRC), High Speed Ground Transportation Association (HSGTA), Railway Progress Institute (RPI) and National Association of Railroad Passengers (NARP) renewed their call for enactment this year of the High Speed Rail Investment Act (HSRIA), which allows for bond-financed passenger rail investments over ten years.

The HSRIA (which passed the House as part of its tax bill) garnered 167 sponsors as freestanding H.R.3700; the Senate bill, S.1900, has 57 sponsors (not counting Senate Finance Chairman William Roth who strongly supports it). Support has come from across the political spectrum. The impressive list of HSRIA supporters -- public officials, newspapers, and other organizations -- is at
<http://lautenberg.senate.gov/highspeed/letter.html>.

Discussions about just what to enact this month are continuing. The key players are: Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott (R-MS) and Minority Leader Tom Daschle (D-SD); House Speaker Dennis Hastert (R-IL) and Minority Leader Dick Gephardt (D-MO); White House Chief of Staff John Podesta; and OMB Director Jacob Lew. These people need to hear from their colleagues about the importance of doing the rail bond bill this month.
 
The HSRIA may be the only practical way to secure a reasonable level of passenger rail capital investment in the next few years. Amtrak's FY 2001 capital budget is so tight that expenditures on heavy overhauls of rolling stock will be dramatically reduced from the FY 2000 level.

Meanwhile, a public disillusioned with overburdened air and road facilities is turning increasingly to trains -- even trains that are slow
by world standards. Amtrak just completed its fourth consecutive year of ridership growth nationwide. On the Pacific Northwest "Cascadia" corridor (top speed: 79 mph), ridership has grown 180% from 226,400 in 1993 to an estimated 633,000 this year.

HSRIA capital investments will produce substantial economic benefits, expanded business opportunities and new jobs in states and regions around the country.

Enacting the HGSRIA is a critical step towards achieving the truly balanced passenger transportation system in the U.S. that Americans eagerly await. The bill will enable planning by the states and Amtrak to move forward now.

The bill would let Amtrak sell $10 billion in bonds over ten years, to be invested in partnership with states. The Department of Transportation must approve projects, and states must provide a 20% match. Bondholders get tax credits in lieu of interest payments; the Joint Committee on Taxation estimates the cost to the federal government over 10 years at $3.26 billion.

Washington -- Chairman William Roth (R-DE) of the Senate Finance Committee today indicated that he plans to ask his committee on Wednesday to approve incorporating the High Speed Rail Investment Act as part of H.R. 4923, the Community Renewal and New Markets Act of 2000. The House has already passed its version of H.R. 4923. The rail bill provisions generally track those in S.1900 and H.R. 3700. They allow for bond-financed passenger rail investments over ten years. S.1900, the High Speed Rail Investment Act, has 54 Senate sponsors; a House companion bill, H.R.3700, has 155.

"Railroad passengers appreciate the continuing commitment shown by Chairman Roth to passenger rail," said NARP Executive Director Ross Capon. "It is important that this bill be enacted this year so that planning by the states and Amtrak can move forward now for the stronger, more effective passenger rail network that Americans eagerly await." The bill would let Amtrak sell $10 billion in high-speed rail bonds over ten years, for passenger rail capital investment. Of the funds, 90% would be for lines designated as high-speed rail corridors; the Northeast Corridor could get no more than 30%. The Department of Transportation must approve projects, and states must provide a 20% match. Bondholders get tax credits in lieu of interest payments; the Joint Committee on Taxation estimates the cost to the federal government over 10 years at $3.26 billion.

A successful committee "mark-up" Wednesday could set the stage for enactment of the rail provisions this year, possibly as part of a big "omnibus" bill. Another chance to improve the national passenger rail network in a way that provides much needed relief to the beleaguered highway and aviation networks may not come again soon. American travelers can't afford the wait that a failure to act this year likely would cause.

Washington--Alan M. Yorker of Decatur, Ga., is the fourth president of the National Association of Railroad Passengers.  The Association's executive committee elected him to serve until April 2002, completing the term of Jack Martin, who died September 1, after 21 years of service as NARP president.

Yorker, 52, has served on the NARP Board since 1986, and on its executive committee since 1996.  The NARP Board elected him to be one of four association vice-presidents in April.  Yorker is president of Georgians for Transportation Alternatives and the Georgia Association of Railroad Passengers.

A retired family therapist, he served 15 years on the board of directors of the Georgia Association of Marriage and Family Therapists.  From 1986 to 1991 and from 1998 until last month, he chaired that association's legislative affairs committee.  From 1991 to 1998, he served on and then chaired the Georgia Composite Licensing Board for Social Workers, Professional Counselors, and Marriage and Family Therapists, a position to which he was appointed by then-Gov., now U.S. Senator Zell Miller. He is also the Past-President of the Columbia University Alumni Club of Atlanta.

He is a passionate believer in the need for more and better passenger trains of all kinds.  He is the father of three children, Ben, 28, Margaret, 21, and Jonathan, 15.  He is a member of the Steamship Historical Society of America, the Ocean Liner Museum in New York City, and the Southeastern Railroad Museum in Duluth, Ga.

Yorker says he is determined to build on the "legacy of strength, integrity, clarity and commitment, not to mention pure brilliance" that Jack Martin left and which he says "will serve as a guiding light to further our journey towards the day when America's passenger rail system is the truly world-class network it deserves and needs to be."

JACK MARTIN, 64, PRESIDENT OF NARP FOR OVER 21 YEARS, IS DEAD
Saturday, September 2, 2000

Washington -- John R. “Jack” Martin, who served as president of NARP since April, 1979, and board member since 1975, died in Atlanta yesterday morning. He had quadruple bypass heart surgery in San Jose on August 8, and returned home on August 29. In his memory, all Amtrak locomotives will sound their horns at 5:00 pm (Eastern) tomorrow, time of the memorial service at H.M. Patterson & Son Funeral Home in Atlanta.

Though a volunteer officer, he devoted countless hours to the passenger-train cause, particularly after his early (voluntary) retirement from The Coca-Cola Company in 1995. He was Senior Counsel there when he retired. His train efforts included both NARP-specific work and work as an informal (again volunteer) consultant to Amtrak. His level of knowledge about trains was matched by the dignity and poise with which he chaired board meetings. He earned a degree in mechanical engineering (from Georgia Tech) and worked two years as a DuPont engineer while getting his law degree from Temple University. He worked as a DuPont lawyer, then joined Coca-Cola in 1966. During his college years, he took summer jobs in operations with three different railroads.

He was also a member and former chairman of the Georgia Rail Passenger Authority, a state agency created to develop passenger rail service in Georgia. He is survived by his wife, Faye; two sons, Mark and Matthew, of Atlanta; and a daughter, Mimi Addy, a Chicago attorney. The family asks that contributions in his memory be made to NARP and/or the Atlanta Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society, whose address is P.O. Box 1267, Duluth, GA 30096-0023.

RAIL PASSENGERS HONOR NEW JERSEY'S SENATOR LAUTENBERG
April 26, 2000

Washington--The National Association of Railroad Passengers tomorrow will present the George Falcon Golden Spike Award to Senator Frank R. Lautenberg (D-NJ). The award will be presented at the Association's annual Washington reception, at the Columbus Club in Union Station, on Thursday, April 27, at about 6:30 pm.

This is the first time that the Golden Spike has gone to the same person twice: Lautenberg also received it in 1988.  The plaque which will be presented to him tomorrow honors "a long, distinguished career of successfully and significantly increasing federal funding for passenger rail." The plaque continues, "He has also been a consistent leader in seeing that both New Jersey and the entire nation received a much stronger passenger rail system than would have been possible without his efforts."

NARP President John R. Martin, who will present the award, said, "The nation is the better for Frank Lautenberg's 18 years of service as a U.S. senator from New Jersey, and in particular for his persistence and his hard work on behalf of passenger rail. As it becomes increasingly obvious that roads and airports cannot by themselves meet our transportation needs, the value of the senator's work on passenger rail likewise will become more obvious to more people. We are pleased to honor a stalwart ally in the fight for better passenger rail."

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

RAIL PASSENGERS HONOR OHIO'S SENATOR VOINOVICH
April 26, 2000

Washington -- The National Association of Railroad Passengers tomorrow will present the George Falcon Golden Spike Award to Senator George Voinovich (R-OH). The award will be presented at the Association's annual Washington reception, at the Columbus Club in Union Station, on Thursday, April 27, at about 6:30 pm.

Senator Voinovich will be honored because, quoting the plaque, he "has worked hard to secure for states the right to invest their federal transportation funds on intercity passenger rail projects. We appreciate his persistence in getting S.1144 adopted in committee and in working for passage of the bill."

NARP President John R. Martin, who will present the award, said, "Senator Voinovich deserves praise for his hard work to secure for states a right they should have been granted years ago. Three times in the past nine years, the Senate has voted to give states this right and the House has blocked final enactment. This is an idea whose time has come. We appreciate the persistence of Senator Voinovich and remain hopeful that success in the Senate this year will result in enactment, and thus mark an important step forward in the quest for balanced transportation."

BURCH SAFETY AWARD GOES TO AMTRAK CHEF ALLAN THOMAS
April 25, 2000

Washington -- Allan Thomas, a chef on Amtrak's City of New Orleans, on Thursday will receive the Dr. Gary Burch Memorial Safety Award for 1999. 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 funded and presented the award since its establishment in 1994. Again this year, the award will be presented at the annual Washington reception of the National Association of Railroad Passengers, at the Columbus Club in Union Station. The reception is 6:00-8:00 pm; presentation is likely around 6:30.

The selection committee noted the initiative shown by Thomas in the area of safety. He has been the leader in arranging the last two Amtrak employee safety fairs held in New Orleans, and worked as chef at them. On his own time, Thomas participates in the City of New Orleans product line safety committee. He put together a safety manual used by all of Amtrak's Gulf Coast employees. He and the committee conducted an accident drill with emergency response agencies in Jackson, Miss., and conducted community outreach events in the Memphis, Tenn., and Greenwood, Miss., schools. [The City of New Orleans runs daily between New Orleans, Jackson, Memphis, Fulton, Carbondale and Chicago; more information at <www.amtrak.com>. The Association is a membership organization that has worked since 1967 for more and better passenger train service in the U.S.]

NARP STATEMENT ON AMTRAK'S "NETWORK GROWTH STRATEGY"
February 28, 2000

Washington -- The National Association of Railroad Passengers believes that Amtrak's effort to expand its route structure is long overdue. We welcome that effort. We believe that Amtrak must become a much greater factor in the movement of people throughout the United States, not just in select corridors.

At 22,616 route miles, Amtrak's system is 23% smaller than the 29,433-route-mile total intercity passenger rail network of 1978. There are numerous, significant passenger markets that Amtrak does not serve today.

Without having seen Amtrak's final report, we cannot comment in detail. We understand that Amtrak proposes to add new routes and services. Part of the necessary equipment for this expansion is to come from repair of existing cars which have long been out of service, and we applaud that. Part of the equipment is to come from selective downsizing of existing trains. We can support that only if such downsizing is temporary.

During the past five years, the size of Amtrak's long-distance passenger car fleet declined, as Amtrak retired many old long-distance cars. This, combined with the recognized need to expand the network, constitutes a strong case for ordering new long-distance equipment. We urge Amtrak to place those orders promptly.
 
 

NARP SUPPORTS CLINTON RAIL REQUEST
February 7, 2000

Washington -- President Clinton today unveiled a Fiscal Year 2001 budget that would fund intercity passenger rail programs at the $989 million level authorized for Amtrak. The request divides this amount between two programs.

The President's request for Amtrak is $521 million in general funds. While Amtrak and the Administration have said this so-called "glide-path" figure would be enough to continue Amtrak's efforts to achieve operational self-sufficiency by 2003, we have concerns that it will not be sufficient to achieve that goal, and that such a low figure might even result in service reductions. Furthermore, we are concerned that this level of funding would not permit any meaningful service expansion, which is vital if passenger rail is to become a more important component of the transportation market.

Another $468 million would be provided for a new "Expanded Intercity Rail Passenger Service Fund," to be available to Amtrak and/or states. This fund would draw from a small part of the $3 billion in gas-tax revenues the federal government now projects that it will collect in 2001 in excess of estimates used in TEA-21. Amounts from these excess revenues are called "revenue-aligned budget authority" or "RABA." Under current law, RABA revenues must be spent for highway programs that already got a huge boost from TEA-21. The proposed use of RABA would require amendment of TEA-21.

We believe it would be sound public policy for Congress to make this change in TEA-21. Many states are looking for a federal partner to develop intercity passenger rail services as a means to complement their congested highway and aviation systems. As currently written, TEA-21 provides such a federal-state partnership for every form of surface transportation except intercity passenger rail. By adopting the Administration's request, Congress would alleviate this imbalance and provide resources to expand services in a way that the Administration's general-fund Amtrak request does not.

Americans have called repeatedly for improved passenger rail service, and have shown their willingness to use it when it is offered. Now is the time to provide what state DOT officials call "adult federal money" to accelerate the development of a passenger rail system comparable to the systems already in place in other developed countries. The Administration's budget request would be a step in the right direction, and we call on Congress to support it.
 
 

NARP HAILS BOSTON ELECTRIC TRAINS
January 31, 2000

Today is a historic day in passenger railroading: the introduction of Amtrak’s electric passenger train service to Boston. Four-hour Boston-New York running times are possible with elimination of the diesel/electric locomotive change at New Haven. This marks the start of Amtrak’s role as a major player in another of the nation’s highest-volume air-travel markets, giving harried travelers a much more comfortable travel choice, and providing Amtrak with revenue that will improve its bottom line. The service is another reminder of what rail can do, and strengthens the case for badly-needed rail passenger investments across the nation.

Two "Acela Regional" round trips (one pair daily, one pair Monday-Friday) today replaced two existing NortheastDirect round trips. The trains depart Boston’s South Station at 6:15 am weekdays, 5:00 pm daily; and depart New York eastbound 8:35 am weekdays, 4:55 pm daily. More four-hour schedules will be added as new locomotives are delivered. Later this year, Amtrak plans to add "Acela Express" trains that run Boston-New York in roughly three hours using brand new trains that will hit 150 mph.

The Acela Regional trips just added serve Back Bay, Route 128, Providence, New London, New Haven, New York (Penn Station), Newark, Philadelphia, Wilmington, Baltimore, BWI Airport, New Carrollton (Capital Beltway) and Washington. Three of the four trips serve Kingston, Metropark (Garden State Parkway) and Trenton.
 
 

NARP STATEMENT ON AMTRAK REFORM COUNCIL REPORT
January 24, 2000

The National Association of Railroad Passengers released the following statement in response to the First Annual Report of the Amtrak Reform Council.

At today's Council meeting, Chairman Gil Carmichael and Vice-Chairman Paul Weyrich repeatedly made clear their desire to see Amtrak succeed and add more routes. The report's tentative recommendation that Amtrak expand its mail and express business seems consistent with that desire. The Council is correct to condition this recommendation on confirmation that this business is -- or soon will be -- profitable. In addition, Amtrak must reduce the time added to schedules for handling this business, and the number and extent of delays this business has caused.

However, we don not believe that the law requires Amtrak -- to meet the "test of operating self-sufficiency" -- to cover depreciation and progressive overhaul costs with commercial (or other non-federal) revenues. It will be a significant challenge to reach operating self-sufficiency without covering these two items. Raising the bar by $567 million (Amtrak's fiscal 2002 estimate for those items), as the report hints may be required, would insure that Amtrak could not meet the test.

We obviously want Amtrak to be successful. We oppose changing the test in a manner that likely rules out success. We appreciate that the report, in the Council's words, "does not reach any conclusions," and that Chairman Carmichael, in discussing depreciation this morning, said that the Council "is not disagreeing with Amtrak." We urge the Council to lay the depreciation issue to rest as soon as possible.

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