NARP November 2001 Hotlines

#215 - November 2, 2001
#216 - November 9, 2001
#217 - November 16, 2001
#218 - November 23, 2001
#219 - November 30, 2001

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Two key, immediate goals of passenger rail supporters are enactment of S.1550, the $1.77 billion Amtrak safety/security bill (with good Hutchison and McCain amendments), and S.250, the High Speed Rail Investment Act. Commerce Chairman Hollings (D.-S.C.) yesterday said he hoped S.1550 would be on the Senate floor next week. Hutchison is expected to offer an amendment with $241 million for repair or upgrade of cars that are out of service, scheduled for retirement, or in need of heavy overhauls. She will try either to add new money or divert money already in the bill. McCain will offer an amendment imposing the same harsh penalties on railroad terrorists that have long applied to aviation terrorists.

The Senate Finance Committee could mark up its "stimulus" bill on Tuesday and there is a chance that S.250, High Speed Rail Investment Act, will be included. (S.250 is a tax bill, under Finance jurisdiction.) Sen. Robert Byrd (D.-W.Va.), who is developing Senate Democrats' stimulus spending package, is likely to include a smaller, $1.2 billion version of S.1550. He is proposing $19 billion for security, of which $5.8 billion is for transportation -- $2.5 billion for highways, $1.1 billion for transit security, $1 billion for airport security. Sen. Harry Reid (D.-Nev.) had earlier called for $16.2 billion for transportation in any stimulus package, including Amtrak's entire $3.2-billion security/capacity request. However, Reid is now endorsing Byrd's smaller proposal, and is backing away from his own proposal to include high-speed rail funding in the stimulus package.
 
Legislators need to hear support for all of the above. Phone calls and faxes remain ideal, but e-mail (in light of anthrax) now is preferable to regular mail. Click here for ways to reach legislators. The House last week narrowly passed a $100-billion bill with nothing for rail.

The Senate Commerce Committee had a hearing November 1 on S.1530, the Hollings bill to reauthorize Amtrak and repeal the operational self-sufficiency mandate. Hollings said, "Those who want passenger rail to operate without federal assistance -- ultimately forcing more people onto cars, buses and airplanes -- argue that we should not 'subsidize' passenger rail. But we subsidize the building of roads and highways with tax dollars. We subsidize the building of airports and pay flight controllers with tax dollars. We consider those subsidies to be worthwhile investments in our economy and our quality of life. We must make the same investment that other countries make in creating a world-class passenger rail system."

McCain remains an outspoken opponent of any new funding other than for safety and security and sees rail as working only in the Northeast, "Far West, and maybe around Chicago." He said the California Zephyr loses $500 a passenger (a figure that actually applies to the discontinued Janesville train). Gramm (R.-Tex.), who is not a committee member but appeared as a witness, said, "I have folks in my state who say they like to see the train arrive and depart but the trouble is they don't ride ... We made a mistake to assume folks wouldn't support it if it's not in their state."

But Senate Minority Leader Lott (R.-Miss.) said, "I'm a supporter of the national rail passenger system ... If it becomes an Eastern seaboard system, I'm not going to support it." Other senators making pro-rail statements were Kerry (D.-Mass.), Durbin (D.-Ill.), Carper (D.-Del.), Biden (D.-Del.), and Cleland (D.-Ga.). Speaking about the operational self-sufficiency mandate, Durbin said, "What happened in 1997? There were forces at work who never supported Amtrak and who wanted to eliminate it on the spot.  Supporters were backed into a corner. We didn't think [the mandate] would work, but we did it so Amtrak would survive." Carper said, "At the time [Amtrak was created], people thought the subsidies would go away after a few years. But the freight railroads got out of [the passenger business] because they lost money. It's not clear why people then thought [Amtrak] would start making money." Biden spoke passionately about the need to repair the New York tunnels and Congress' traditional blind spot towards passenger rail's role in transportation.

Federal Railroad Administrator Allan Rutter said that the DOT was working on a "new vision" for passenger rail, that the Bush Administration supports $1.5 million of S.1550 (i.e., the tunnel work and nationwide security upgrades, but not the $254 million for upgrading emergency response access to New York's Penn Station and renovation of the Thames and Niantic River bridges in Connecticut). The Administration believes a new Amtrak reauthorization should be done before Memorial Day, 2002, to be available as guidance for the appropriators, and that no additional funding (including the high-speed rail bill) is appropriate now. Deputy DOT Inspector General Mark Dayton supported all of S.1550 and favored repealing the operational self-sufficiency "sunset trigger" (if not the goal of self-sufficiency), so Congress would not feel forced to reauthorize Amtrak hastily if the Amtrak Reform Council pulled the trigger. The Council is scheduled to meet November 9.

Amtrak President George Warrington said, "Operational self-sufficiency flies in the face of what every developed nation in the world has done. Only the Japanese high-speed line is profitable -- not their conventional service -- due to the $6 billion a year in government investment they get and their very high population density. It's a very unique situation. … We're running [our trains] as a public service and paying for them as best we can with cross-subsidies. But even that is difficult. We've never been capitalized as Japan and Europe has been."

NARP wrote to Chairman Hollings the day before the hearing to praise his bill (S.1530), to ask that whatever passenger-rail funding bill that passes include capacity increases across the nation, and to press for enactment of the High Speed Rail Investment Act.

The fiscal 2002 transportation appropriations bill, H.R.2299, took a step forward this week with the appointment of a conference committee (members of appropriations committees of both houses). That committee will reconcile differences in bills passed by the House on June 26 and by the Senate on August 1, but no schedule for the committee to meet has been set yet. Both bills contain $521 million in capital for Amtrak, with Amtrak getting all of it at once. Fiscal 2002 began October 1; government programs have been operating under Congressional continuing resolutions in the absence of enacted funding bills.

The planned start-up date for the Kentucky Cardinal extension into downtown Louisville is December 4. There will be a ceremony in Union Station at 10:00 am. The Kentucky-Indiana Rail Advocates are planning several activities in conjunction with the event, including a noon bus trip to the Kentucky Railway Museum, where a luncheon is planned.

A bridge project is now under way north of San Jose, causing Amtrak passengers to be diverted to bus from San Jose to Oakland, and Altamont Commuter Express passengers to be diverted to bus from San Jose to Fremont. Repairs to the Union Pacific bridge at Coyote Creek will allow speeds to increase there from 30 mph to 60 or 70 mph, and should be complete by November 9.

Amtrak's Texas Eagle is offering a two-for-one coach offer good from November 29 to December 14. Space must be reserved by December 13 (fare code X109). The offer is not good for travel local to the St. Louis-Chicago segment.

Washington's Maryland suburbs could get a light rail line by 2012, under a proposal announced October 29 by Governor Parris Glendening (D.). The "Purple Line" would run east-west for 14 miles from Bethesda to Silver Spring, College Park, and New Carrollton, and connect with an existing Metrorail line at each of those four locations. This is the furthest any suburb-to-suburb rail transit proposal has gotten in the Washington region, to date. The light-rail line would cost $1.2 billion and would link well established population centers within the Capital Beltway. However, it has been criticized by Montgomery County Executive Douglas Duncan (D.), who favors an alternative, $4-billion Metro line outside of the Beltway in areas that could see greater development in the longer term. Nevertheless, the Montgomery County Board passed a resolution in favor of the light-rail line on October 30, by a wide margin.

Earlier in October, planners at Washington Metro released a proposal for a new, $6.3-billion, 22-mile, east-west subway line running from western Arlington County in Virginia into the District of Columbia to Georgetown, Mount Vernon Square, Union Station, and Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium. This is envisioned as a new routing of the Blue Line through the District, with a branch into Arlington County, roughly parallel to the Orange Line. Planners say the Orange Line will be at capacity by 2020 -- including riders from a new branch to Tysons Corner and Dulles Airport -- and that all of Metro will reach "gridlock" state by 2025, unless capacity enhancements are made.

A bill that would have facilitated construction of an intermodal terminal in downtown San Francisco was vetoed by California Gov. Gray Davis (D.) on October 15. The bill would have transferred the state-owned land, where the Transbay Terminal now stands, to local authorities. Davis said he favored an administrative swap of land, rather than giving it to the authorities. Officials were to meet to decide what to do next.

The Amtrak Reform Council met in Washington today and approved a resolution, on a 6-5 vote, to report formally to Congress a finding that the ARC believes Amtrak will continue to require operating grants after December 2, 2002 -- in other words, miss the 1997 legal requirement of operational self-sufficiency. Under the 1997 Amtrak reauthorization law, the ARC must produce a restructuring plan for passenger rail in the U.S., and Amtrak must produce a plan for its own liquidation, both within 90 days. The law adds that if Congress does not adopt the ARC's plan (or any other plan) during the 90 days after that, a "liquidation disapproval resolution" will be put before the Senate (but the law is not clear on what would happen if the Senate does not act at that point).

Those voting for the finding were Republicans Weyrich, Cox, Gleason, Connery and Chapman, Democrat Norquist (the mayor of Milwaukee, breaking a 5-5 tie). Opposed or seeking a delay were Chairman Carmichael (R), Secretary Mineta (represented by Mark Yachmetz of the FRA), and Democrats Coston, Kling, Moneypenny.

ARC's action today raises two urgent concerns. First, as some ARC members (including the Bush Administration) argued, the nation does not need the additional confusion that would be the result of any potential Amtrak liquidation. Congress and the Administration are already preoccupied with aviation issues arising from the September 11 attacks, and their immediate ability to give deep attention to a radical restructuring of passenger rail is questionable. The Administration asked the ARC to wait two or three months until it could decide what it wanted for passenger rail reauthorization starting in 2003. The ARC vote also means that an Amtrak whose resources already are stretched to the limit must find time to write its own liquidation plan, and spend more time reassuring those who hold Amtrak’s debt.

[Indeed, by law, the ARC is supposed to consider "the level of Federal funds made available for carrying out the [mandate]" and "national emergencies." There was no mention today of the fact that Congress has appropriated for Amtrak only half of what was authorized in 1997.]

Second, given recent past ARC publications, anything that the ARC proposes is likely to require significant capital funding from unidentified sources. There is no reason to think -- in the absence of such capital funding -- any ARC restructuring will be better for railroad passengers (on corridors or long-distance trains) than what exists now. In other words, the true problem is inadequate funding for passenger rail, not quasi-ideological perceptions about corporate structure.

The Senate Finance Committee, on a party-line (11-10) November 8 vote, approved the tax portion of a stimulus package that partially includes the High Speed Rail Investment Act (HSRIA), plus $2 billion for a new railroad tunnel under the Hudson River. The HSRIA portion is $7 billion over three years (technically, one year with a two-year carryover period for unexpended balances). The bill is expected on the Senate floor the week of November 13.

While Republicans have denounced the bill, it may be significant that -- at least in the comments reported by the New York Times -- Senate Minority Leader Trent Lott (R.-Miss.) did not mention rail when he was critically citing examples of pork in the bill. On November 1, Lott in the Senate Commerce hearing on Amtrak had expressed the hope that the HSRIA could emerge from the Finance Committee soon.

Please tell your legislators you strongly support the rail passenger portions of the Finance Committee's stimulus bill, and you hope this portion survives to become law. (If you support the entire bill and want to say so, be sure to single out the rail passenger portions so that Republican legislators in particular will know you place a priority on that.)  Click here for ways to contact your legislators.

Another pending item is the Hollings-McCain authorization of $1.77 billion for Amtrak safety and security, S.1550. Timing of floor consideration is unclear, but it could be next week. NARP supports a possible Hutchison amendment to include repairing existing Amtrak cars (and heavy overhauls of other cars), and a McCain amendment to impose aviation terrorism penalties on railroad terrorists.

A means of appropriating the improvements authorized by S.1550 would be the Byrd "homeland security" spending package, but it is unclear when that will come to the Senate floor. The Byrd package has $1.2 billion of the safety and security items from S.1550, and may have a slightly better chance of enactment than the full $1.77 billion from S.1550.

Amtrak reports that Acela Express/Metroliner ridership for October was 43% above a year ago and 11% above plan. Sleeping-car occupancy remains strong, with high-fare solo businesspeople traveling now where couples using cheaper fares were traveling a year ago. Thus, sleeper revenues are up even where ridership is down.

Bombardier, the builder of the Acela Express train sets, filed suit against Amtrak in federal court on November 8, seeking "at least" $200 million in damages. Bombardier claimed that Amtrak owes it for cost overruns associated with indecision and that Amtrak didn't provide "adequate" track upgrades (though tracks were approved by the Federal Railroad Administration). Amtrak responded that Bombardier failed to adhere to a process for submitting claims and hearing from a dispute resolution board before suing, and that Amtrak is allowed to assert $250 million in claims of its own against Bombardier under the terms of the 1996 contract.

The contract agreed to by Bombardier and Amtrak in 1996, for the most part, was based on performance specifications based on getting a train from Boston to New York on the route in three hours. Most of the infrastructure work Amtrak had to perform after 1996 involved the New Haven-Boston overhead electrification. A significant delay in train testing came in the summer of 1999, when wheel-wear and truck-hunting problems were identified. The first train sets were delivered for revenue service late in 2000, and Amtrak and Bombardier have been in talks since then to determine whether Bombardier would be subject to penalties for the late deliveries.

Thanksgiving is coming, and Amtrak has released its plans for this year. The biggest change is on the spine of the Northeast Corridor, where for the first time ever, all trains will be converted to "reserved-only" status -- except for some Keystone, Clocker, and New York-Albany trains. On most trains, however, no unreserved tickets will be honored, and no tickets for another train will be honored.

This apparently is a move on Amtrak's part to eliminate the numerous -- but fare-paying -- standees on the Northeast Corridor trains. They have been common in past years, particularly on Wednesday and Saturday of that week. The change should make it easier for people boarding at mid-point stations to get a seat (or even board the train). As before, extra equipment will be deployed, including borrowed commuter cars. Some trains on those two days are already selling out. Peak fares will be in effect for the entire period (Tuesday, November 20-Monday, November 26). If you are traveling by train that week, plan ahead and book as soon as possible.

Amtrak is considering a limited extension of its Pacific Surfliner corridor south a few miles to National City, according to a recent article in the San Diego Union Tribune. This would be done in conjunction with the establishment of a facility to allow cleaning and light maintenance of trains that currently spend the night in the station in San Diego. There is no start-up date yet, but plans for the facility could be ready in January.

The Secretary of Transportation and Construction in Massachusetts, Kevin Sullivan, wrote to that state's Congressional delegation on October 26 to express support for the North-South Rail Link in Boston. He asked them to work for an appropriation of $60 million to be used to complete the link's design, engineering, and environmental permitting; and to begin preliminary construction.

A former employee of Nava-Hopi Tours in Arizona has created a new bus company to fill some of the void left by Nava-Hopi's demise in October. However, it's too soon to say if the new carrier will take over any of the Amtrak Thruway routes Nava-Hopi used to operate -- Flagstaff (Amtrak)-Grand Canyon, and Flagstaff (Amtrak)-Camp Verde-Phoenix (three locations). According to a wire story, the chamber of commerce and the visitors' bureau in Flagstaff are looking for a carrier that can pick up the Flagstaff-Grand Canyon route. The Grand Canyon Railway's van/rail Thruway service from the Williams Junction Amtrak stop is still in place.

Houston voters on November 6 adopted Proposition 1, allowing the light-rail project now under construction to proceed, but also requiring future rail extensions to be subject to voter referenda. The referenda would be required by state law anyway, since the extensions would be paid for with bonds issued by Houston Metro. The measure passed with about 74% of the vote. A competing measure, Proposition 3, got only about 46% of the vote, and would have called for a referendum on the current light-rail project. Such a referendum had been thought illegal, since Houston Metro is not issuing bonds for the starter line. The line is now about one-quarter completed.

The economic stimulus package (H.R.3090) that was approved by the Senate Finance Committee is being prevented from floor consideration by a partisan stalemate. Nevertheless, Senators -- and House members -- still need to hear support for the passenger rail portions of that package; particularly the three-year, $7-billion version of the High Speed Rail Investment Act. Of that, no more than $2 billion can go to the Northeast Corridor or any single state (including Northeast Corridor states). "Non-corridor" projects and the Alaska Railroad are included. States must contribute 20% (except Alaska) and the Secretary of Transportation must approve projects.  The committee also included $2 billion in tax-credit bonds for a new trans-Hudson rail tunnel. Click here for ways to contact legislators.

The Senate stimulus package now has less than $900 million in direct spending for passenger rail safety and security. The House Appropriations Committee rejected an amendment by David Obey (D.-Wis.) which would have increased the House amount for Amtrak security from zero to $125 million; this may be offered on the floor -- possibly as early as November 19 (as an amendment to the Defense appropriations bill).

The Air Transport Association reports domestic passenger boardings fell 22.3% in October, when Amtrak's overall ridership fell 1%. Sleeping-car demand was strong but potential travelers faced capacity reductions (compared to 2000), including no third sleeper west of Denver on the California Zephyr and many City of New Orleans trips with no dorm (meaning crew occupied some revenue space). Coach travel was flat at Amtrak West, although Pacific Surfliner posted its highest October ridership in eight years. Coach travel was down elsewhere (including Acela Regional).

It appears that October trends continued in the first full week of November for both Amtrak and the airlines, with Acela Express, Metroliner and sleeping cars remaining strong. Airlines face lower load factors (64% that week vs. 69% a year earlier) despite sharp service cutbacks (600 planes -- 10% of the fleet -- have been parked since mid-September). Also, the average airfare dropped 18.7% in September (ATA) and fares "probably have fallen an additional 5% to 15% since then, [pushing up] the average break-even [load factor] to 83%" (Robert J. Samuelson, Washington Post, November 15).

"When the bailout bill was passed two months ago, airline executives and members of Congress portrayed the action as an emergency fix, a one-time solution to a short-term liquidity crisis" (Washington Post, November 14), but the Treasury Department has given big airlines a second extension (to January 1) to pay $1 billion in ticket taxes. Dow Jones on November 13 said airlines hope to defer about $4 billion in taxes until January 15.

Some legislators have noticed the contrast between quick Washington support for airlines and the rhetoric frequently used to justify starving Amtrak for funds. For example, at the November 1 Senate Commerce hearing, Peter Fitzgerald (R.-Ill.) -- who has not been an Amtrak supporter -- said, "I agree we should put a tight rein on Amtrak, but I would point out what we recently gave the airlines."

Due to last week's Amtrak Reform Council vote, Standard & Poor's on November 13 "placed its ratings on Amtrak on CreditWatch with developing implications … If Congress implements legislation that improves and ensures Amtrak's long-term operating and capital funding and eliminates the existing self-sufficiency requirement, then ratings could be raised or affirmed. Ratings could be lowered if the unfolding ARC and legislative processes reduce Amtrak's ability to meet its financial obligations" (S&P release). S&P also said Amtrak's "important public service role" and the changed environment after September 11 (that "probably broadened public and political support for Amtrak") work in Amtrak's favor and "offset a weak financial profile."

On November 14, the ARC placed on its web site a staff-prepared "Evidence" document that was available to Council members before their November 9 vote. This document includes some allegations that appear to veer from the ARC's traditional approach ("structure-is-the-problem, not labor-and-management") to an attack on management, in some cases for the wrong reasons. ARC says "about 25% of total Taxpayer Relief Act (TRA) commitments were used for expenditures that most companies would treat as ordinary operating expenses;" "Amtrak's financial performance is worsening;" "Although Amtrak was given authority to cut unprofitable routes, it has not done so."

ARC acknowledges that Amtrak got only $2.8 billion of the $5.2 billion authorized from 1997 to 2002, but then counts the $2.2 billion in TRA funds and concludes that funding fell only $150 million short of the 1997 authorization. However, TRA money was meant to be in addition to the authorizations; indeed, it was enactment of the authorization was what triggered release of the TRA funds.

The operational self-sufficiency mandate and the ARC with its enforcement role were created in an ideological atmosphere that demanded that the public sector minimize its spending on passenger rail, and that blamed Amtrak for not increasing its market share in the face of ever increasing federal spending on highways and aviation. However, if the ARC's final report is like its last one, it will recommend a number of structural alternatives that ARC agrees would require significant increases in federal capital funding. It is unclear what the ARC's role is after it submits its restructuring recommendations to Congress (90 days after November 9). The law says members' terms run for five years.

Thanksgiving is upon us. Amtrak is adding 75,000 seats across the country, 15% above normal capacity. As we reported earlier, Amtrak will have reserved-only space on the main spine of the Northeast Corridor (Washington-New York-Boston) November 20-26, with no on-board ticket sales. Amtrak is recommending: (1) arrive at the station an hour before train time, (2) bring photo identification if you are picking up tickets at the station or checking baggage, (3) purchase a round-trip ticket (so you don't have to be in a ticket line twice), (4) avoid that Wednesday and Sunday if at all possible, and (5) bring no more than two carry-on bags. Also -- as always -- call Amtrak for a train status report before leaving for the station if you are boarding a long-distance train mid-route.

Amtrak's Sunset Limited is going through three north Florida counties (Leon, Jefferson, Madison) faster this week, as CSX makes some selective increases in speed limits for all trains. The goal is to provide a more constant speed limit through the area in order to save on fuel, by reducing continual acceleration and deceleration. Passenger train speeds will be increased 10-29 mph in several places; freight train speeds by 10 mph. The increases will occur in 5-10 mile increments over three weeks, starting November 14.

The southbound Ann Rutledge (Amtrak train 303) will run 1:25 earlier through December, to accommodate ongoing, state-sponsored track improvements in Illinois. The train will leaves Chicago at 7:05 am (not 8:30) and will sit in St. Louis (if necessary) until its regular departure time at 3:00 pm.

For some time, Amtrak has run the Empire Builder equipment through Chicago to become the City of New Orleans, and vice-versa. However, the two trains' equipment needs were never a good match. Starting November 14, Amtrak has, on a trial basis, broken the equipment link between the two trains, with the Texas Eagle and City of New Orleans sharing equipment instead.  This, however, cuts City of New Orleans sleeper capacity.  NARP has asked Amtrak for its reasoning on that cut.  The City of New Orleans will use somewhat less of the St. Charles Airline (just south of downtown Chicago) than it does now, and will use a small part of the route toward Joliet as it backs in and out of Union Station. This should save about 10 minutes for that train.

The Capitol Corridor will be ten years old in December. To mark that occasion, Amtrak and the corridor's Joint Powers Board will offer a 10% discount on all regular fares throughout that month.

Caltrain, the San Francisco-San Jose-Gilroy commuter rail operator, said November 13 that it plans to shut down on weekends for two years in order to accommodate a large construction project. Caltrain plans to spend $100 million to turn a double-track railroad into one with long stretches of third track that will allow the operation of express trains (comparable to Metra's Chicago-Aurora line). Some weeknight operations also will be disrupted as Caltrain repairs existing track by converting to single-track operation at times. Construction will begin in April 2002 and end in spring or summer 2004. About 17,000 riders use the trains on typical weekend days.

Amtrak is accepting reservations for the new Boston-Portland, Me., service that starts December 15. Amtrak's web site has a complete list of station codes (North Station is BON; Portland is POR).

The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) ruled November 7 that the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) must restore Green Line "E" light rail service from Heath St. to Arborway in Forest Hills, Boston. Service on the segment was "temporarily" suspended in 1985 due to construction elsewhere on the line. The DEP ruled that MBTA's years-long efforts to prove the service restoration "infeasible" had failed, and wants a restoration plan and timetable by December 31.

The current 90-day "ticking clock" started by the Amtrak Reform Council's negative finding on November 9 mandates that Amtrak submit a liquidation plan -- and that ARC itself submit a restructuring plan -- to Congress within 90 days. There is concern that this 90-day process, depending on the reaction of Amtrak's lenders, could force Congress to act precipitously rather than have through next September (end of fiscal 2002) to debate and decide policy for 2003.

An effort has been launched to get Congress to eliminate the requirement for drafting the liquidation plan, and declaring that Amtrak will not be liquidated. Tell your senators and representative you support such provisions, as well as emergency funding for Amtrak's security and safety needs. Amtrak already is incurring substantial, unbudgeted security costs. Click here for ways to contact legislators; telephone or fax are best; in light of anthrax-related disruptions on Capitol Hill, e-mail is better than regular mail.

Twenty-one Senators wrote to the White House, saying they were against any attempt to liquidate Amtrak. The November 16 letter said, in part, "Amtrak cannot be liquidated without the Senate's approval, and we will oppose any effort to do so, ... We hope you will join with us in reassuring Amtrak's creditors that liquidation is not an option." The Senators expressed concern that the ARC finding, while not automatically leading to Amtrak's liquidation, was hurting Amtrak's credit and thus increasing its operating costs.

The 21 were: Breaux (D.-La.), Specter (R.-Pa.), Kerry (D.-Mass.), Biden (D.-Del.), Torricelli (D.-N.J.), Sarbanes (D.-Md.), Cleland (D.-Ga.), Schumer (D.-N.Y.), Jeffords (I.-Vt.), Hollings (D.-S.C.), Carper (D.-Del.), Collins (R.-Me.), Murray (D.-Wash.), Mikulski (D.-Md.), Durbin (D.-Ill.), Clinton (D.-N.Y.), Snowe (R.-Me.), DeWine (R.-Ohio), Rockefeller (D.-W.Va.), Reid (D.-Nev.), Boxer (D.-Cal.).

A similar letter went to President Bush from the chairman and ranking members of the House Subcommittee on Railroads, Jack Quinn (R.-N.Y.) and Bob Clements (D.-Tenn.). The letter said, in part, "The strict time constraint now in place [as result of ARC vote] will inhibit the Congress and your Administration from thoroughly assessing the many fundamental questions regarding the future of Amtrak and our national passenger rail system. A more rational and orderly process for discussing and resolving these critical issues is needed and we look to your assistance in developing such an opportunity." Separately, Quinn said, "The Amtrak Reform Council's decision could not have come at a worse time. After the attacks on September 11, thousands of Americans have come to depend on passenger rail service as an essential component of our transportation network."

Indeed, a front-page story on yesterday's Washington Post was headlined, "Uneasy Travelers Shift to Road and Rail."

As always at Thanksgiving, Amtrak has borrowed commuter cars to augment its fleet in the Northeast Corridor. People riding in those cars, which often have less comfortable seating, will get coupons worth 20% off future Northeast Corridor travel.

This is the first time Amtrak has required reservations for all trains on the main spine of the Northeast Corridor. Based on sales patterns, Amtrak added several trains beyond what was printed in the special November 20-26 timetable.  Here is a partial list:

Saturday, Acela Regional 135, leaving Boston 2:00 pm for Washington;
Saturday, Acela Regional 1068 (advance 178), leaving Washington 4:00 pm for Boston;
Saturday, Acela Regional 165, leaving Boston 4:10 pm for Washington;
Sunday, Metroliner 209, leaving New York 10:00 am for Washington;
Sunday, Acela Regional 1099 (advance 99), leaving New York 1:00 pm for Washington;
Sunday, Acela Express 2245, leaving Boston 12:30 pm for Washington;
Sunday, Acela Express 2244, leaving Washington 12:45 pm for Boston;
Sunday, Acela Regional 165, leaving Boston 4:10 pm for Washington.

Also Saturday and Sunday, there will be an extra Seattle-Portland round trip, departing Portland at 7:15 am and returning from Seattle at 6:00 pm.

Call Amtrak or check its web site to learn about any last minute changes, and of course which trains are sold out.

A trial commuter service was rejected by the Vermont Joint Fiscal Committee on November 15. The three-month trial was to run from St. Albans to slightly south of Essex Junction, terminating at an IBM plant that is a significant employer in the Burlington region. The segment is part of Amtrak's Vermonter route.  State transportation officials said they'd put the project on hold and try again.

Washington Metro began daily bus service from the Greenbelt Metro station to BWI Airport and BWI Business District, November 13. Given Amtrak's high fares, this may be especially useful on weekends and holidays when MARC trains do not run. Route B30 costs $2, runs every 40 minutes and takes 30 minutes airport-Metro. Greenbelt departures start at 6 am (weekends/holidays: 8:40); last trip 10 pm.  Return trips leave the airport starting at 7 am (9:40 weekends/holidays); last trips all days: 10:20 and 10:50 pm (the only deviation from 40-minute intervals). All trips use "wheelchair-accessible or lift-equipped buses."

MARC commuter rail service is coming to Frederick, Md. December 17 is the start of Brunswick Line service at Frederick and Monocacy, with three daily round-trips; two new and one diverted from Brunswick. Frederick trains will use a new wye track at Point of Rocks (gentler curve than the old wye) and will not stop there. Trains will run the entire new schedule starting December 10, but -- for crew training purposes -- will not handle passengers that first week at the new stops.

Without having completed all annual appropriations bills, Congress passed its fifth extension of funding for federal programs, good through December 7. The current fiscal year, 2002, began October 1.  The transportation bill is among those pending.

Congress is back in session. Talks have resumed to try to reach agreement on an economic stimulus package, both between House and Senate leaders, and within the Senate (which has not passed a bill). The House-passed bill is focuses on tax cuts. The bill passed by the Senate Finance Committee, H.R.3090, includes $7 billion in tax-credit bond for high-speed rail (similar to the High Speed Rail Investment Act), and $2 billion for a new Hudson River passenger-rail tunnel.

An amendment to H.R.3090 contemplated by Senate Appropriations Chairman Byrd (D.-W.Va.) would have provided $15 billion in "homeland security" funding, including $760 million in safety/security funding for Amtrak. However, Byrd has dropped plans for such an amendment to the economic stimulus package and may introduce his homeland security package as a separate bill. The Amtrak number is down from a previous Byrd proposal of $1.2 billion, and down from the October Hollings-McCain authorization proposal (S.1550) of $1.77 billion.

Floor action on the Hollings-McCain rail security bill, S.1550, was anticipated a month ago, but now is more likely as part of debate on S.1214, the Port and Maritime Security Act. This would authorize $1.77 billion (but not appropriate, see above) for Amtrak security and safety needs. Several amendments relating to Amtrak are expected, including a beneficial one from Hutchison (R.-Tex.) restoring authorization of funds to repair wreck-damaged cars. However, action in December is doubtful.

Conferees on the transportation appropriations bill, H.R.2299, broke a longstanding logjam on the issue of inspecting trucks from Mexico. The House passed the conference report this morning, including $521 million scored at 100% for Amtrak. Senate consideration is expected December 6.

Northeast Corridor service was disrupted on November 25 -- the busy Sunday of the Thanksgiving weekend -- when the last two cars of an empty CSX trash train operating on an adjacent track derailed and knocked out Amtrak's overhead power wires. The accident occurred early in the afternoon on the Amtrak-owned segment of line in the Bronx, between Penn Station and the Metro North junction at New Rochelle. Amtrak used diesel engines to ferry trains -- normally electric powered -- through the area, but some trains were delayed by over two hours. Electric power over one track was restored early November 26, and over the second track later that day.

A Pacific Surfliner struck a farm tractor at a private crossing at Camarillo, Cal., on November 23. The tractor's driver was killed, and 12 on the train had minor injuries. The train was running in "push mode," with the cab-car running forward. The lead truck on the cab car derailed, but the rest of the train stayed on the track. That car and the one behind it had some fire damage as well.

Amtrak stopped four Southwest Chiefs the evening of November 27, in response to a bomb threat. Local police in each location swept the trains to ensure they were in no danger, and the trains proceeded after some delay.

The Kentucky Cardinal will be extended into Louisville December 4 (first revenue trips leave both Chicago and Louisville that evening). A non-revenue train will run from Jeffersonville to Louisville that morning (with dignitaries on board) for a 10:00 am ceremony at Union Station, to mark the return of train service there after a 25-year absence (Amtrak served a different location, south of the city, 1976-79). That day is also the start of a Thruway service, connecting with the train in both directions, to and from Elizabethtown, Bowling Green, and Nashville.

The National Transportation Safety Board on November 27 released an abstract of its final report on an Amtrak Empire Corridor-CSX collision near Syracuse on February 5. The report itself is still pending. The abstract said that the probable cause was the Amtrak engineer's inattention -- a wire story added that he had been looking at paperwork and otherwise had a clear record. The train passed a signal showing a restricting speed (15 mph) that the engineer read as medium approach (30 mph), but the train was actually going 35 mph. It struck the rear of a CSX train going 7 mph, derailing parts of both trains and injuring 62. The investigators felt that if the Amtrak train had been going 15 or 30 mph, it would have been able to stop in time. The NTSB will ask the Federal Railroad Administration to study instances in the U.S. where passenger trains operate with lone engineers (as in this case) on railroads without a Positive Train Control System. The NTSB wrote that such a system, with its redundancy features, could have compensated for the engineer's inattention in the Syracuse collision.

The NTSB has yet to issue a report on the accident at Bourbonnais, Ill., in 1999, in which a truck derailed the City of New Orleans, killing 11 passengers.

Trinity Railway Express commuter rail service will be extended from Dallas through Richland Hills into Fort Worth, starting December 3. A ceremony marking the event was to be held at the Centreport Station today. TRE will serve two downtown Fort Worth locations -- the Intermodal Transportation Center at 9th & Jones (where a grand opening ceremony will be January 12), and the old T&P terminal on Lancaster Ave. Free rides will be offered on TRE on December 3 and on December 8.

A two-state high-speed rail commission had its first meeting November 28 in Raleigh. Transportation officials from Virginia and North Carolina met to discuss strategies for getting their priority -- the Washington-Charlotte segment of the Southeast Corridor -- to the top of the list for federal funding. However, officials acknowledged, there is no source for federal funding, and without it, they can do little (passage of the High Speed Rail Investment Act surely would help them and other states).