NARP March 2000 Hotlines

#128 - March 3, 2000
#129 - March 10, 2000
#130 - March 17, 2000
#131 - March 24, 2000
#132 - March 31, 2000

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Amtrak released the first part of its "Network Growth Strategy," the first results to be released from the Market-Based Network Analysis that Amtrak has been working on for 18 months (and continues to work on), on February 28. For more detail on the Network Growth Strategy, please visit last week's hotline, as updated on February 28.

S.1144, with passenger rail "flexibility" for state use of federal transportation funds, may be on the Senate floor next week. Amendments to delete the passenger-rail provision are possible; urge your Senators to oppose them.

There is now a House counterpart to S.1900, the High Speed Rail Investment Act. H.R.3700 was introduced February 29 by Amo Houghton (R.-N.Y.). The lead co-sponsor is James Oberstar (D.-Minn.). Please ask your Representative to join the growing list of co-sponsors, or thank him/her for co-sponsoring. The other sponsors are Bachus (R.-Ala.), Boehlert (R.-N.Y.), Clement (D.-Tenn.), English (R.-Pa.), Jefferson (D.-La.), Lewis (D.-Ga.), Millender-McDonald (D.-Cal.), Rahall (D.-W.Va.), Blumenauer (D.-Ore.), Borski (D.-Pa.), Conyers (D.-Mich.), Filner (D.-Cal.), LaTourette (R.-Ohio), Matsui (D.-Cal.), Chris Smith (R.-N.J.), Costello (D.-Ill.), Frost (D.-Tex.), Thomas Barrett (D.-Wis.), Brown (D.-Ohio), Frank (D.-Mass.), Gilman (R.-N.Y.), Lampson (D.-Tex.), McNulty (D.-N.Y.), Romero-Barcelo (D.-P.R.), Sweeney (R.-N.Y.).

Meanwhile, these Senators became co-sponsors of S.1900--Edwards (D.-N.C.), Wyden (D.-Ore.), Durbin (D.-Ill.), Bryan (D.-Nev.).

The National Governors Association, at their winter meeting in Washington, on March 1 passed a resolution calling for funding passenger rail programs at fiscal 2001 at the total level authorized for Amtrak, $989 million. The White House on February 28 issued a statement supportive of Amtrak and the $989-million funding level.

House and Senate conferees have reached agreement on a long-stalled, three-year, $40-billion aviation reauthorization bill. A main sticking point has been House Transportation and Infrastructure Chairman Bud Shuster's insistence that the $10 billion in federal aviation taxes be used only on airport construction, and that a certain amount of general funds be firewalled -- restricted only for aviation use -- each year. He did not get that, but Senate conferees agreed to guarantee that aviation spending would be at least what was collected in aviation taxes. But the process would still be subject to the annual appropriations process, contrary to Shuster's wishes. Still, it appears that aviation funding is set to rise from $10 billion this year to $12.7 billion next year.

Amtrak West Capitol Corridor service changes on February 27 included a 7th Sacramento-Oakland round-trip (mid-afternoon northbound, evening southbound), a 4th Oakland-San Jose round-trip (by extension of existing trains 723 and 724).

Two Thruway round-trips connect Redmond and Bend, Ore., to/from the Coast Starlight at Chemult since January 7. They run Sundays, Tuesdays, Fridays, morning and evening. A tri-weekly bus from Portland Union Station to Redmond, Bend, Burns, Ontario, and Boise started March 2 (this bus connects at Bend for Eugene and Coos Bay).

The Denver Regional Transportation District on February 16 voted to truncate the proposed Central Platte Valley light-rail spur by about 1000 feet, because it has not been able to reach agreement with railroad and development companies to go all the way to Union Station. The resulting 1.5-mile spur, to open in summer 2001, will still serve the new Broncos Stadium and Pepsi Center. The District will still leave open the later possibility of extension in to Union Station.

More delays, possibly into 2002, are in store for the proposed twice-daily Columbus-Cleveland passenger rail service, which is supposed to provide relief during the massive reconstruction of I-71. Ohio DOT had budgeted $32 million in capital improvements, but now CSX is demanding over $60 million. Some advocates in Ohio have expressed concern that CSX is gold-plating its request.

The San Francisco Muni F-Market streetcar line extension from Embarcadero to Fisherman's Wharf begins service March 4.

In a clear display of bad public policy, Sen. Ben Nighthorse Campbell (R.-Colo.) on February 24 introduced S.2090, a bill to end the 24-cent a gallon federal diesel fuel tax for a year or until prices return to their 1999 levels. Campbell, a former trucker, was responding to an earlier rally by independent truckers protesting higher prices. Others question how much of an emergency there really is, considering that the prices aren't that high when inflation is factored in, and considering that consumption has yet to decline. Still, the bill has the support of both the Republican and Democrat leaders in the Senate.

Last week, we reported on a three-year aviation reauthorization bill that is likely to increase aviation spending from $10 billion to $12.7 billion next year. The Senate approved it on March 8, on a lopsided 82-17 vote, with easy House passage and Presidential approval expected. This makes it even more essential for the Budget Committees to provide much higher allocations for fiscal 2001 transportation programs -- or it will be difficult or impossible for the appropriators to fund "non-protected" programs like Amtrak, the Coast Guard, and the National Transportation Safety Board.

Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D.-N.J.) opposed the bill. He said conferees in effect were saying, "Aviation proceed, and the rest of the budget be damned." At a March 9 hearing (below), he said, "This bill is misguided and, I believe, over time, the Members will discover their mistake."

The Senate Transportation Appropriations Subcommittee held a hearing March 9 on fiscal 2001 transportation funding issues, with Amtrak the main focus. Chairman Richard Shelby (R.-Ala.) complained that over $23 billion has been spent on Amtrak during its nearly 30-year history and that Amtrak likely would ask for even more capital funding in the future, whether or not it achieves "operational self-sufficiency." Shelby asked, "When do we begin damage control? When do we back away from the cliff, and start to show some fiscal responsibility with the taxpayers' money?"

But Senator Lautenberg, the ranking Democrat, warned against "looking at Amtrak without looking at what we spend on other modes." He said that $85 billion in federal funds have been spent on aviation alone in the last decade, but that "no matter what we put into the aviation system, if we think we can put unlimited numbers of people into the air without any problems, we're kidding ourselves." He said too much airspace is used by short-haul flights in markets "that would better be served by high-speed rail." Because he is retiring this year, Lautenberg said this likely was his last Amtrak hearing.

Also discussed was Amtrak's recent National Growth Strategy. Shelby complained it had no route eliminations, claiming an analysis with network growth was "against this Committee's intent." Slade Gorton (R.-Wash.) said it was "very difficult" for him to see a need for long-distance trains. Robert Bennett (R.-Utah) agreed, but was "delighted" to learn about Amtrak's efforts to compete with trucks by carrying more mail and express. Wisconsin Governor and Amtrak Board Chairman Tommy Thompson (R.) responded that past efforts by Amtrak to "shrink to profitability" failed because there were still fixed costs "unless you eliminate the entire system." He said growth strategy actions would improve Amtrak's bottom line by $65 million.

The Senate has again postponed a vote on S.1144, the bill allowing states to spend some of their federal transportation funds on passenger rail. The Senate is out of session until March 20. Delays evidently relate to an anti-passenger-rail amendment that could pass, so it's important to tell your Senator that this bill is important to you. The amendment could be offered by Christopher Bond (R.-Mo.).

Amtrak on March 3 announced it was settling a racial discrimination lawsuit for $16 million in damages and promises to change related personnel policies. The suit was brought by 13 black members of the Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employes on the Northeast Corridor. The suit alleged, among other things, that black and white employees were separated into work crews by race, with the white crews given better assignments and protection from being "bumped" by more senior black employees. While Amtrak admitted no wrongdoing in the settlement, President George Warrington said it was the right thing to do and made good business sense.

Pending appropriations bills in both houses of the state legislature in Washington include $500,000 to help Amtrak ship fruit out of the state in refrigerated cars.

The Oklahoma Senate approved Senate Joint Resolution 37 on March 6, 39-8. This bill would put a question on the November state ballot asking voters whether to finance expanded passenger-rail service in Oklahoma (and continue the Heartland Flyer) with a one-cent gas-tax increase. The bill still needs House approval -- a similar bill passed by the Senate last year died in a House committee.

The Sierra Club is looking for a November ballot issue in Denver for an extra 0.0005% city sales tax to go for diesel commuter service between Union Station and the airport.

A new group called the Floridians for 21st Century Travel Connections and Choices has gathered 63,000 signatures (of the half-million needed by August 3) to put an issue on the November state ballot in favor of high-speed rail in Florida. The group is backed by a wealthy, retired Lakeland businessman and Republican Party activist, C. C. "Doc" Dockery. He was chairman of the Florida High Speed Rail Commission in the 1980's. More recent plans for high-speed rail were killed by Gov. Jeb Bush (R.) in January 1999.

S.1144 is being held back from a Senate floor vote by two key Senators, according to our latest information. This is the flexibility bill to allow states the choice of spending some of their federal transportation funds on intercity passenger rail.

The House on March 15 passed the aviation reauthorization bill, 318-102, a week after the Senate. President Clinton will sign it. It adds aviation to the list of transportation programs with protected funding (like highways and transit). This puts an even bigger squeeze on programs left out (like Amtrak and Coast Guard) and makes it even more important that the first step of the budget process -- development of a budget resolution by the House and Senate Budget Committees -- include enough money to protect Amtrak.

Amtrak's Southwest Chief derailed at Carbondale, Kans., early March 15. The westbound train derailed about 18 miles south of Topeka about 2:00 am. Six passenger cars, including two sleepers, derailed and were on their sides. There were 29 injuries, all from the two sleepers, one of them critical. Also, ten mail and express cars (behind the passenger cars) derailed. A National Transportation Safety Board official said there were two rail fractures at the site, but that it was too soon to say whether the fractures caused the accident or were caused by it.

To make matters worse for the stranded passengers, a school bus carrying some of them to a hotel broadsided a car that was in its path in Topeka -- no one on the bus was injured, but they had to be transferred to another bus.

The House Transportation Appropriations Subcommittee held its annual hearing on Amtrak funding March 15. Amtrak President George Warrington discussed Amtrak's financial performance and National Growth Strategy. However, DOT Inspector General Ken Mead and Phyllis Scheinberg of the General Accounting Office questioned Amtrak's capital spending plans. Mead said that new services and equipment upgrades were good but that there were higher priorities for Amtrak's limited capital resources, pointing out particularly what he called "alarming" safety problems in New York City river tunnel emergency exits and ventilation systems.

Scheinberg echoed Mead's observations on Amtrak capital priorities and outlined a recent GAO report on how Amtrak has spent its Taxpayer Relief Act (TRA) money so far. The report says that through June 1999, Amtrak had spent $1.3 billion of the $2.2 billion, with two-thirds ($804 million) going to capital improvements (including almost $400 million for the high-speed rail program), with the rest for equipment maintenance ($427 million) and debt servicing ($48 million). The report notes that Amtrak reviews programs receiving TRA funding to be sure they are eligible, but asks that Amtrak also review eligibility of individual expenses within programs.

The Vermont Agency of Transportation and Guilford signed an agreement February 25 that would allow a rerouting of the Ethan Allen, which currently runs New York-Schenectady-Saratoga-Rutland. Instead, Vermont, which pays part of the operating cost of the Amtrak train, would prefer a New York-Schenectady-North Bennington-Rutland routing, using Guilford and Vermont Railway tracks. The new route, which could start next winter, would be 17 miles longer than the current route, but the state claims it will cut a half-hour off the total running time. A cost report for capital improvements is due in August, and then Amtrak and the two freight railroads would have to negotiate an operating agreement.

A new San Diegan station opens March 18 at Surf, Cal., between Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo.

Signals at an Illinois highway crossing where a fatal accident occurred last fall may actually have been turned off, according to the March 14 Chicago Tribune. An Amtrak train hit a car and killed two teenagers at the US 136 crossing in McLean on September 26. Witnesses had reported that the lights and gates had not been working, and the Tribune says videotape supports that. This crossing also has an experimental "dragnet" system that had been turned off for about two months for road construction. The Tribune says it has information that a Union Pacific signal maintainer had turned off the gates and lights without notifying the control center in Omaha, without posting warning signs at the crossing, and without checking his work before leaving the site. The paper also said state and local investigators are convinced the worker returned after the accident to reconnect everything and thus conceal his role in the accident. The worker was later fired by the Union Pacific.

Phoenix voters approved Transit 2000 on March 14 by an overwhelming 2-to-1 margin. The vote raises the sales tax from 7.1% to 7.5%. This should mean $2.9 billion over 20 years. Two-thirds of the revenue will go to expand the bus system; one-third to building a starter light-rail line. Among other things, this will allow the first Sunday bus service in Phoenix in perhaps 60 years, in August.

S.1900, the High Speed Rail Investment Act, has two new co-sponsors -- John Warner (R.-Va.) and Joseph Lieberman (D.-Conn.), bringing to 36 the number of Senators whose names are on the bill. H.R.3700 has 30 Representatives on it.

The new Acela Regional trains are doing very well, according to a March 14 Amtrak release. It said that February ridership on the two all-electric Washington-Boston round-trips was between 45% and 65% above that of the February 1999 ridership of NortheastDirect trains that the new trains replaced. On-time performance was 85%, though it was consistently over 90% later in the month. Total New England ridership was up almost 7%, boosted in part by the new trains and the new Route 128 station outside Boston.

As for the high-speed Acela Express train-sets, Amtrak told a House panel on March 15 that the manufacturing consortium was advising that the first service could be in July.

Business Class on NortheastDirect trains will have some amenities restored effective today. Complimentary newspapers and non-alcoholic beverages will be restored, matching what is done on the two existing Acela Regional round-trips.

The world's first use of a communications-based train control system to control trains in revenue service will be inaugurated March 27 on the Amtrak-owned segment of the Chicago-Detroit line. For now, the speed limit remains 79 mph, but this system eventually will support 110-mph service.

Amtrak has announced it will make up to 1,500 extra seats available in the Northeast if there is a US Airways strike on March 25. Also, seats have been added to the Silver Palm, Carolinian, Crescent, and Lake Shore Limited through April 4 (to be extended if strike-induced demand warrants). Strike or not, Amtrak has been getting great, free publicity as the media repeats US Airways' statement that its tickets will be honored "by major airlines and Amtrak."

The Georgia Senate approved a bill March 20 that would prioritize 18 proposed passenger rail projects. The House passed a similar bill last month. Some in the Georgia DOT expressed concerns at that time, pointing out that a delay to any given project would permanently stall projects lower down on the list. In the final hours of the 2000 session of the Georgia General Assembly, the bill has been through a reconciliation process. It now identifies the 18 corridors without prioritizing them. The two corridors getting the most initial attention are Athens-Atlanta and Macon-Griffin-Atlanta.

The Kingdome in Seattle will be demolished March 26, in the morning. Because it will happen so close to Amtrak's King St. Station, there will be a disruption in train service around the time of the implosion. Southbound trains 751 (for Portland) and 11 (Coast Starlight) will originate in Tacoma. Northbound train 760 (for Vancouver) will originate in Edmonds. Westbound train 7 (Empire Builder) will terminate in Edmonds. Amtrak will provide shuttle buses to and from the Seattle Greyhound station (811 Stewart St.) to connect with these trains at Tacoma and Edmonds. The situation should be back to normal by noon.

Amtrak and Tri-Rail had to terminate several trains in Hollywood, Fla., on March 21 after a CSX derailment between there and Miami blocked the line. The derailment happened late on March 20 and spilled flammable, undiluted hydrogen peroxide. Clean-up attempts meant closing nearby I-95 as well.

The Surface Transportation Board announced a 15-month railroad-merger moratorium on March 17. This was discussed at a Senate subcommittee hearing March 23. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison (R.-Tex.) said she did not think Congress would be content to simply renew funding of the STB this year without changes to its authority. She said, "Congress must tackle the competitive issues that have resulted from consolidation when we reauthorize the STB. If Congress had adopted the standard to assure competition, the board may not have had to invoke a moratorium."

Reuters said that Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D.-W.Va.) and Byron Dorgan (D.-N.Dak.) also spoke in favor of legislation to bring back competition, which railroads have lobbied heavily against. Again quoting Reuters -- "Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott said he was cautious about rushing into legislative solutions. He supported the moratorium, but said he was confident the current service problems would eventually be overcome. 'I certainly don't believe that we need to permanently end mergers.' ... During the 15 months, the STB will develop new merger rules. The board expects to issue a notice of proposed rulemaking by April 6." STB Chair Linda Morgan said of the moratorium, "The decision is quite clear and speaks for itself and I am quite proud of it."

Some Michigan state legislators want to increase the amount of funding available for the International, so that Amtrak won't reroute the train away from Lansing and Flint. Amtrak announced on February 28 that the train would run instead through Ann Arbor and Dearborn, where Amtrak believes it will have lower operating losses. Amtrak's operating contract with Michigan DOT expired March 31, 1999. Amtrak says it needs $4.7 million to run the train on the current route. The current draft budget includes $2 million, though a couple representatives are trying to increase that to $3 million. The law requires Amtrak to give six months' notice before discontinuing a state-supported train.

According to a Washington Post story today, the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) has found unsafe conditions on several CSX lines used by passenger trains. The finding resulted from a two-week, systemwide track audit about a month ago done by the FRA after a 60% increase in track-caused accidents over five years on CSX. One problem cited by the FRA is "wide-gauge." The FRA found instances of track being up to 1.5 inches too wide, which increases derailment risk unacceptably. Ineffective inspection and tie problems were among the possible causes. The FRA said wide-gauge caused the January 30 Capitol Limited derailment near Connellsville, Pa. Problem areas with passenger service include Albany-Cleveland, Rocky Mount-Florence, Jacksonville-Pensacola, Washington-Alexandria, and Orange-Clifton Forge, Va.

CSX responded by calling the conditions "unacceptable" and said it would do "whatever is necessary." That includes slow orders -- for example, the Cardinal is now being held to 40 mph on the 125-mile Virginia segment, down from 60 mph. That is not enough. CSX must also improve its tracks immediately to restore them to minimally acceptable speed standards for existing Amtrak passenger-train service.

Several gas-tax bills in the Senate would cut the federal gasoline tax by varying amounts. Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott (R.-Miss.) introduced them. S.2262 repeals 4.3 cents of the 18.4 cents-per-gallon federal gas tax from April 15 to December 31, 2000 (with similar cuts for diesel and aviation fuel). S.2263 reduces the same taxes for the same period of time, but without specifying an amount. S.2285 has the temporary repeal of the 4.3 cents along with suspending all federal tax if the price for gas rises above $2.00 a gallon. It also uses the budget surplus to restore "lost revenues" to the highway and aviation trust funds.

Gasoline is nowhere near an all-time price high when inflation is accounted for. Moreover, rising prices should help stem the growth in fuel consumption -- and already have caused an increase in transit usage. Programs like Amtrak not protected with trust-fund status (like highways, transit, and aviation) already face an unacceptable budget squeeze in 2001. Gas-tax holidays would make that situation even worse.

The House passed a 2001 budget resolution last week. The Senate plans to take up its resolution April 4. We understand it assumes the $521 million for Amtrak that is barely enough to keep it going next year, but the fate of the other $468 million authorized for Amtrak is unclear. That's the money the Clinton Administration proposed to take from the highway trust fund, a concept that has -- predictably -- been greeted with hostility on Capitol Hill.

S.1900, the Senate bill allowing $10 billion in bonds for passenger rail, has 37 sponsors. The newest is Dorgan (D.-N.Dak.). The House counterpart, H.R.3700, has 33.  The newest are Clyburn (D.-S.C.), Kleczka (D.-Wis.), Owens (D.-N.Y.).

The Michigan House late last week approved $4.7 million to support Amtrak's International (on its present route) and the Pere Marquette in 2001. This is the amount Amtrak says it needs for 2000. The state has other funds on hand that could pay for 2000, if Amtrak and the state ever reach agreement.

The Pere Marquette got full cafe service on March 2, replacing the automat car, and will soon get Business class. The automat car will have some work done to it and will be assigned to another route in May (possibly one of the Network Growth Strategy routes).

The House of Representatives in Washington State has cut $3.5 million from their budget proposal earmarked for the second Seattle-Vancouver train. The Senate budget still has the money, so the matter will have to be worked out in conference. The cut resulted from last fall's Initiative 695, which cut vehicle registration fees and made funding transportation programs harder this year.

The House Appropriations Committee in Oklahoma killed Senate Joint Resolution 37 on a 13-17 vote on March 29. The bill would have put an initiative on the November ballot asking whether to continue and expand passenger rail service with a one-cent gas tax increase. The bill passed the Senate March 6. A similar bill met the same fate last year.

The tornadoes that struck downtown Fort Worth March 28 came close to the 100-year-old Amtrak station, but did not damage it or disrupt operations.

Indiana Gov. Frank O'Bannon was scheduled to sign into law a bill allowing Indiana to join the Midwest Interstate Passenger Rail Compact. This is the formal body that will coordinate the efforts of nine states participating in the Midwest Regional Rail Initiative.