NARP March 2003 Hotlines

Back to Hotline Archive index page

The annual House Appropriations hearing on Amtrak is March 20. The chairman of the newly reorganized Subcommittee on Transportation and Treasury is Eugene Istook (R.-Okla.). The new ranking member has a high profile -- Steny Hoyer (Md.) is Democratic Whip. Istook and Hoyer are new to transportation appropriations work, but worked together last year as chair and ranking member of the Treasury, Postal Service and General Government subcommittee. Hoyer has been supportive of Amtrak in the past.

While some on Capitol Hill seriously consider reducing transit's share of the well established highway/transit funding ratio of about 80/20, it appears the Bush Administration will support a better approach. Assistant Secretary Emil Frankel yesterday said DOT's six-year plan will call for spending $200 billion on highways and $46 billion on transit. Also, the Democratic Caucus of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee this week circulated "Democratic Principles for TEA 21 Reauthorization" which says "a level playing field between highways and transit must be maintained, with both programs' funding growing at the historical 80/20 ratio."

The Administration, however, has talked in the past about requiring states to pay more than 20% of the cost of a transit project, while keeping the federal/state funding ratio of 80/20 in place for highways -- a separate issue from the federal highway/transit ratio.

"Acela Regional" trains will become "Regional" trains, effective March 17. Amtrak says this is the result of customer feedback and is intended to reduce confusion between those trains and "Acela Express." A third Acela class, which was to have been called "Acela Commuter," will retain its Keystone and Clocker designations.

Supplemental funding for Missouri trains advanced as the Senate on March 4 approved supplemental bill HB515, with $800,000 for Amtrak service, as approved by the House last week. The bill now goes to conference and then to the governor. Amtrak indicates that enactment, which is expected, would remove the threat of discontinuing one of two daily St. Louis-Kansas City round trips the rest of this fiscal year (ending June 30).

Two Amtrak services in Michigan, however, may run out of money at the end of March. The Pere Marquette (Chicago-Grand Rapids) and the International (Chicago-Port Huron) are running under a six-month agreement between the Michigan DOT and Amtrak that expires March 31. Michigan DOT has more budgeted to run the service ($8.3 million) than Amtrak is asking ($7.1 million) for an entire fiscal year, but a state law (Public Act 561, Sec. 711-4) limits spending on the services to $5.7 million.

Amtrak and Michigan DOT are trying to get the legal cap lifted, but time is short. One legislator, Rep. Lauren Hager (Port Huron) was interested and has authority to "fast-track" a bill, but has not done so, apparently because he has not heard much from others in support of the service, and read a negative editorial in the Port Huron newspaper. So it's important for all Michigan residents to tell their state legislators to save the service, by asking that they urge Rep. Hager to move his bill and save the trains.

The New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority voted on March 6 to increase the base bus and subway fare, now $1.50, by 33% to $2.00. It also voted to increase commuter rail fares on Metro North and the Long Island Rail Road by 25%. The increases take effect early in May. Bridge and tunnel tolls will go up as well, by 14% to $4.00. The Authority also voted to eliminate use of tokens, which have been used on New York subways for 50 years -- but which have largely been abandoned by passengers in favor of fare cards.

Only Philadelphia already has a $2.00 base fare (for subways). Washington Metro is considering increasing its base fare by 27% from $1.10 to $1.40. Budget constraints among state and local governments are behind the fare increases, generally, but fare increases also discourage transit use in favor of driving (assuming the passenger has a choice to drive in the first place).

A bill in the New Mexico Senate, SB640, would allocate $200,000 for a study of Denver-Albuquerque-El Paso passenger rail service. The study would be performed by the state Highway and Transportation Department and the Alliance for Transportation Research. The sponsor is Sen. Bernadette Sanchez (D.-Albuquerque). The bill was approved by the Senate Education Committee and is now before the Finance Committee.

The Twilight Shoreliner is annulled south of Washington, March 3-13, in order to accommodate a CSX track project between Richmond and Newport News. Amtrak did not say why the train could not be run as far as Richmond. Trains 94 and 95 will still run to and from Newport News, but Amtrak warned that the southbound train (95) would be subject to delays up to an hour.

The Sunset Limited east of New Orleans is annulled for three departures this month, to accommodate a CSX track project. Trains scheduled to leave Orlando on March 16-18-20, and leaving New Orleans (eastbound) on March 14-16-18 will not run.

The Adirondack and Ethan Allen were annulled two days this week (March 4 and 5) north of Albany due to a track geometry inspection car operating on Canadian Pacific, with no alternate transportation offered. While it's not unknown for actual track work to interrupt service (see above), it's quite unusual for track inspections to interrupt service.

Viewliner sleepers still are in short supply; with spot cancellations of the cars continuing on the Twilight Shoreliner, Boston Lake Shore Limited and Three Rivers. To help Amtrak catch up on work these cars need, the Boston Lake Shore sleeper is dropped for the entire month of March.

The Surface Transportation Policy Project (STPP) this week announced the appointment of Anne P. Canby as its new president. A nationally recognized transportation leader, she was Delaware's Secretary of Transportation, 1993-2000. She also has been a Deputy Assistant Secretary of U.S. DOT, New Jersey DOT Commissioner, and Treasurer of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. She starts April 1, succeeding David Burwell, who will continue on the STPP Board. [NARP Executive Director Ross B. Capon serves on  STPP's Steering and Federal Policy Committees.]

STPP unveils its platform for TEA-21 reauthorization, "Stay the Course: How to Make TEA-21 Even Better" at a news conference March 10, at 10:00 am in 538 Dirksen Senate Office Building, in Washington.

The Ohio Mobility Partners is a new coalition that plans to encourage the state legislature to provide more funding for alternative forms of transportation, including rail.  The coalition is made up of the Ohio Association of Railroad Passengers and a wide variety of other groups.

NARP Region 4 will meet on March 15 in Baltimore, Md.

On March 12, the leaders of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee -- Chairman Don Young (R.-Alaska) and Ranking Democrat James Oberstar (Minn.) -- outlined their plans for reauthorizing the highway and transit programs. They would increase highway and transit spending to a total of $375 billion over six years (2004-09) to address congestion and safety issues of concern to the Committee.

To do that would require increasing revenues to the Highway Trust Fund. Among the ideas to be considered by the Committee will be drawing down the trust fund balance ($18 billion), diverting trust fund interest from general revenues to the trust fund ($12-14 billion), eliminating highway tax evasion ($3-4 billion), diverting gasohol tax revenues to the trust fund ($3-4 billion), bringing gasohol taxes to par with gasoline taxes ($7-8 billion), increasing gasoline taxes ($70-75 billion).

TEA-21 in 1998 diverted trust fund interest to general revenues as a condition for allowing the Highway Trust Fund to be "firewalled" from the rest of the federal budget. Gas taxes have not been raised since 1993 and, due to inflation, have not maintained their value (or purchasing power -- click here for more about that). The current tax structure will not support six years of spending at current levels.

Passenger rail was not mentioned in the Committee's written statement. Chairman Young likely will move RIDE-21 (the Young-Oberstar high-speed rail bill) and aviation and Amtrak reauthorization bills separately.

The Surface Transportation Policy Project is calling for preservation of the TEA-21 program structure. At a March 10 news conference in Washington, STPP highlighted TEA-21 success stories such as free student bus passes for low-income students in Contra Costa County, Cal., and significantly expanded transit between Contra Costa and Marin Counties, serving major employers (the old service ended at 6:00 pm) -- "Mothers who'd been out of work for years now have jobs." An American Heart Association representative said auto-dependent transportation policies help explain why the number of overweight Americans doubled in the last 20 years and the obesity rate has tripled among adolescents; today, 2/3 of Americans and 1/3 of our children are overweight, and 75% of students do not bike or walk to school.

In response to questions, STPP's incoming president, Anne Canby, said it was premature to discuss specific funding levels. However, the mayor of Charlotte strongly supported funding increases, as well as the right of cities to use some airport revenues to help set up landside transit and highway connections for airports.

Amtrak has been encouraged enough by progress in Michigan that it has offered to run two threatened trains -- Pere Marquette (Chicago-Grand Rapids) and International (Chicago-Lansing-Port Huron) -- for 45 days beyond the expiration of its contract with Michigan DOT. That means the new deadline is May 15, not March 31. While the DOT has $8.3 million in its budget, more than the $7.1 million Amtrak sought for the fiscal year, a state law caps spending on the trains to $5.7 million.

On March 12, Rep. Lauren Hager (R.-St. Clair) introduced a "fast-track" bill to lift the legal cap. It was co-sponsored by Rep. Bill Huizenga (R.-Zeeland; near Holland on the Pere Marquette route). But the state's budget problems, and negative newspaper editorials in Port Huron and Lansing, have acted to slow progress on the measure.

House Appropriations Chairman Scott Shackleton (R.-Sault Ste. Marie) told the Lansing State Journal that he's undecided on the matter. "It's not an endless barrel of money. We're going to have to take a real hard look at this. I really kind of feel like Amtrak, to some degree, is holding us hostage saying, 'Give us the money or we'll take away the service.'" However, the amount Amtrak sought for a full year of service has been known for many months.

As was the case last month in Missouri, NARP has e-mailed and written all its Michigan members urging them to take action. Michigan legislators can be reached at P.O. Box 30014 for Representatives, P.O. Box 30036 for Senators, Lansing, MI 48909 (same zip code for both). Amtrak's offer to run the trains beyond March 31 does not yet mean it will actually happen; and so far there is only a House bill. There is no Senate bill and nothing has been passed by the legislature.

Save Our Trains will hold another rally in favor of saving the International. The rally will be March 15, 11:00 am, at the Port Huron Amtrak station, 2223 16th St.

Amtrak will be making menu improvements in its dining cars, effective April 1. Each meal period will feature one choice more than offered today (including a "special" at dinner). Also, there will be three menu "cycles" (or groupings) offered across the system, with no single train having the same menu cycle in one direction as in the other -- guaranteeing that round-trip passengers won't have the exact same menu coming and going. Trains that run for two nights will have different specials and vegetables for each dinner. After six months, one menu cycle will be replaced with a new one. Certain beverages -- coffee, tea (hot and cold), milk -- will be included in the price at all meals (and juice at breakfast). Seasonings made available to chefs will be increased.

The menu restrictions that were instituted in 2002 for budgetary reasons were unpopular with frequent travelers. This new menu system will help to increase variety in the dining car.

A new poll says that 81% of Americans believe that increased investment in public transportation is good for the economy, congestion relief, and energy use. The poll was commissioned by the American Public Transportation Association, and conducted by Wirthlin Worldwide. The poll also had 72% in support of using public funds for expansion and improvement of public transportation, and 64% likely to support Congressional candidates who favor such improvements.

Mudslides disrupted Amtrak service between Portland, Ore., and Vancouver, B.C., between March 9 and 11.  The Empire Builder was turned at Everett, Wash. Alternate transportation was provided.

Elsewhere on the Burlington Northern Santa Fe, an avalanche near Essex, Mont., blocked the Empire Builder route for a few days at midweek. Parallel U.S. 2 also was closed for awhile. Amtrak trains were terminated at Whitefish and Havre on March 12 with a bus-bridge in between. Trains that were to leave Seattle/Portland and St. Paul on March 12 were annulled, with no alternate transportation. A westbound train ran Chicago-St. Paul only on March 12 (and back the next day). Trains originating March 13 were annulled between Whitefish and Havre (with bussing in between).

Due to a concrete-tie project on Union Pacific, Amtrak's Coast Starlight will detour between Marysville, Cal., and Klamath Falls, Ore., from March 15 until May 7 -- on certain trips only. Those are trains that originate March 15-24, March 31-April 9, April 15-22, and April 26-May 7. The detour route runs on the Feather River route, via Keddie and Bieber, Cal., subject to delays of about 3:30 hours. Connections will not be guaranteed.  No alternate transportation will be provided for the missed stops (Chico, Redding, Dunsmuir).

Amtrak has again updated its available, but temporary, discounts. Currently, the "Spring 1-2-Free" promotion allows two options. First, one adult paying full fare can travel with a second adult paying half-fare, and (optionally) with a third adult traveling free. Second, one adult traveling alone can get a 25% discount.  The current program, using promotion code H270, is available for sale March 16 through April 30, for use March 19 through August 28. The discount is not good on Acela Express, Metroliner, or Downeaster.

There is also a 50% discount promotion in California, sold through March 28, for travel through March 30.  The promotion code is H267. See the Amtrak web site for details.

NARP Region 4 will meet on March 15 in Baltimore, Md. On March 22, Region 1 meets in Providence and Region 6 meets in Detroit.

As the country moved into wartime status this week, and as the Department of Homeland Security raised the threat alert level to Code Orange, transportation interests tightened security. Amtrak increased police shifts and dog patrols, and is continuing its ticket identification programs. Amtrak police are in contact with the Department of Homeland Security, and they get real-time security updates from the FBI.

Late last week, House and Senate Budget Committees approved fiscal 2004 budget resolutions that would increase transportation spending by 3%. The Administration's proposal, by comparison, increases it by 2%. While there has been growing anxiety over cutting domestic spending in order to avoid deficits associated with tax cuts and wartime spending, the House based its resolution today, with the Administration's tax cuts intact.

The Senate continued debate today. The Senate Budget Committee had approved $900 million for Amtrak, half of what Amtrak says it needs in 2004, and 14% below what it got in 2003. That level also matches the Bush Administration's request.  Committee Republicans say that it is an increase over "average" funding levels of the past ten years -- but Amtrak's delicate financial situation today is a direct result of inadequate funding throughout that period, and Amtrak's 2004 request of $1.812 billion is meant to start to make up for those past deficiencies. If you pick a different era to compare to -- say, 1982-1984 -- then the Senate Budget figure is a reduction of 40% (adjusted for inflation).

Budget resolutions are, in a sense, guidelines, and appropriators will still have to debate and assign funding levels later on as they consider their own funding bills for 2004. But, in a welcome move, Sen. Robert Byrd (D.-W.Va.) introduced an amendment to increase the Amtrak level in the resolution to $1.812 billion. It was approved today, 51-49.

Several schedule changes of note will occur with the April 28 timetable change. In the Northeast, the biggest change is the elimination of the Newport News-Boston Twilight Shoreliner. It will be replaced by two trains -- a coach train from Newport News to Washington, and a coach and sleeper train from Washington to Boston. The latter will be called the Federal, which was the pre-1971 name for the night train between those cities. It will run on a schedule similar to Amtrak's old Night Owl, leaving both cities about 10:00 pm, and arriving in both at much more civilized times than the Twilight Shoreliner.

Other changes will include shorter running times on Chicago-West Coast trains, relating to the scaling back of express traffic. The Lake Shore Limited and Capitol Limited both will run later westbound and earlier eastbound.

Piedmont service is suspended Mondays through Thursdays through April 17, due to a Norfolk Southern track work project. The other train that serves the Charlotte-Raleigh route, the Carolinian, will not be affected, as it runs outside the work window for the track work each day. Amtrak and North Carolina DOT both said that Norfolk Southern had given very short notice about the service interruption.

In Michigan, H.B.4343, the bill that would lift a legal cap on what the Michigan DOT can spend on passenger rail service, is attracting more support. Some legislators, including originating sponsor Rep. Lauren Hager, have said that in return for the bill's passage, Amtrak must rehire ticket agents and put the International on a "more convenient" schedule (which could mean no through-service to Canada). A hearing on the bill will be held March 27, 9:00 am, at the Anderson House Office Building in Lansing (124 N. Capitol, 3rd floor). If the bill passes, it still needs Senate approval, and an order from the governor to the DOT to release the funds to Amtrak.

Save Our Trains will hold another rally in favor of saving the International. It will be April 5, 1:00 pm, at the Durand Amtrak station, 200 Railroad Ave.

The Missouri legislature has sent Governor Holden a supplemental funding bill that contains (among other things) the $800,000 intended to let Amtrak keep running both St. Louis-Kansas City round-trips through the fiscal year (June 30).

The Texas House of Representatives has a bill before it, HB3381, which would direct the Texas Transportation Commission to create a "border region" high-speed rail authority. The authority would have the power to accept public grants, issue bonds, and hire a train operator. The trains would have to run at 150 mph or more. The bill was introduced March 14 by Rep. Tommy Merritt (R.-Longview).

MARC will open its new Silver Spring, Md., commuter-rail station on March 24, adjacent to Metro's Silver Spring Red Line station and a major bus hub.

Flash flood warnings across the Southeast on March 20 wreaked havoc with passenger trains using both CSX and Norfolk Southern tracks. Orders in the 15-25 mph range were in effect over wide territories -- from Atlanta and Savannah north to Alexandria. Amtrak annulled some trains; others ran hours late. MARC and VRE both cancelled several trains, but were to run normal schedules today.

VRE Chief Operating Officer Pete Sklannik and Amtrak President David Gunn both wrote letters to VRE passengers to complain of CSX treatment, pointing out that CSX kept running its own freight trains at 40 mph.

A record snowstorm crippled Denver on March 19, but Amtrak ran through it, no more than two hours late. However, on March 20, a rockslide west of Denver forced a detour of the California Zephyr through Wyoming (with trains having to back up to Denver and Salt Lake City, causing several hours' delay).

NARP Region 1 will meet on March 22 in Providence, R.I.; and Region 6 will meet in Detroit. On March 29, Region 5 meets in Fayetteville, N.C., Region 7 meets in Lake Delton, Wis., Region 10 meets in Denver, and Region 12 meets in San Diego.

The Michigan House Transportation Committee on March 27 approved HB4343, by a 12-2 vote. This is Rep. Lauren Hager's bill to lift the legal funding cap on what Michigan DOT can spend on passenger trains. That is important if Amtrak is going to run the International or Pere Marquette beyond March 31 (or May 15, as Amtrak has offered to do). The vote followed a well attended (reportedly standing-room-only) hearing that was generally positive in tone. NARP wrote to each member of the committee in support of the bill.

Earlier in the week, Michigan DOT offered to extend Amtrak's contract to run the two trains another six months (through the end of fiscal 2003, September 30) -- but at a funding level consistent with the legal cap. At the hearing, Amtrak pointed out that it accepted the first six-month contract at a level below what it needed, in the hope that the funding cap would be lifted later.

The Surface Transportation Board has once again ruled in Amtrak's favor in the issue of what running speeds track-owner Guilford should allow for Downeaster service in Maine and New Hampshire. After a multi-year process, the STB ruled on January 31 that Amtrak could run at 79 mph (as opposed to the Guilford-imposed limit of 60 mph) wherever the track is maintained "in accordance with FRA Class 4 track safety standards." STB also ruled that Amtrak had met all previous STB conditions, and that FRA still has jurisdiction over safety matters. Guilford petitioned for reconsideration on February 20, but on March 19, the STB denied that petition.

The newest orders by STB to allow Amtrak to run at 79 mph took effect March 25. But the next day, Guilford asked the federal court of appeals for the District of Columbia circuit to set aside the orders "on the ground that they are arbitrary, capricious, not in accordance with law and in excess of the statutory jurisdiction of the STB." Guilford has refused to implement the order so far. To get a formal stay of the order, Guilford would need to petition the court. Amtrak and Maine are considering their next steps.

Amtrak and Virginia Railway Express have reached an agreement with CSX over the way that passenger trains are handled in certain weather conditions. Last week, CSX held passenger trains to 15 mph over broad swaths of territory because of flash flood warnings -- while freight trains were allowed to go 40 mph. The new policy lets passenger trains go up to 50 mph, at the engineer's discretion. A 15-mph order will be imposed on both passenger and freight trains only in more localized areas where high water has been observed or is believed to be imminent.

According to the Washington Post, CSX also has agreed to install new switch heaters on the Alexandria-Fredericksburg route to facilitate commuter service during winter storms, and will have a new policy, within a few weeks, on heat-related speed restrictions.

Until this week, Acela Express reliability had dramatically improved, with missed trips down to one in 150 (compared with one in 30 last July). However, cancellations rose this week and, next week, several Acela Express schedules are likely to run with Metroliner train sets.

A Coast Starlight detour was discussed here two weeks ago, but some changes have been made. The current situation is that the southbound train (11) will run on its normal route and miss no stops during the entire work period. The northbound train (14) may run on the detour route at certain times -- trains that originate in Los Angeles March 31-April 9, April 15-22, and April 26-May 7, but only if the train is already operating 45 minutes late (or more) that day. The detour between Sacramento and Klamath Falls results from an extensive Union Pacific concrete tie project.

As wartime travel jitters and rising fuel costs eat into airlines' already thin finances, airlines are facing tougher times. The Air Transport Association has projected "war-related" losses of up to $13 billion. The group says that airline travel dropped 23% for the week ending March 23, mostly for international travel. Domestic travel was down 7%. Some Members of Congress are already promoting up to $13 billion in relief, including a "holiday" from paying federal fuel taxes and reimbursement for increased security costs.

With declining airline finances and with more general-fund money going to the aviation system, it is harder for rail critics to isolate Amtrak as the only "unprofitable" mode of transportation enjoying government largesse. Yet the pot of general-fund money available arguably gets smaller.

The Oklahoma Senate Transportation Committee approved HB1385, a bill to ask voters in 2004 whether to raise the state gasoline tax, on March 25. The bill, to raise the tax five cents, already has House approval. Non-highway projects, including passenger rail, would get 40% of the revenue raised.

Indiana House Bill 1489 may be voted on in the Senate on March 31 or April 1. It would require the state DOT to spend at least 10% of the federal funding Indiana gets for planning and research for development of high-speed rail. That is would be up to $1.3 million annually. Indiana residents should tell their state Senator to support this bill.

The Florida House Transportation Committee approved a bill on March 26 that would ask state voters to repeal the 2000 constitutional amendment that requires the start of construction of a state high-speed rail system by fall 2003. Gov. Jeb Bush (R.) supports the repeal, in the belief that voters did not understand that a rail system would have a significant cost.

Former New York Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan died March 26 in Washington. He was 76. Moynihan served in the Senate for 24 years, until 2001. He was an important figure in transportation policy and served as chairman of the Senate Environment and Public Works Surface Transportation Subcommittee during formation of the landmark ISTEA legislation in 1991. Moynihan was the author of ISTEA's flexible funding provisions -- including for intercity passenger rail, though House conferees later stripped passenger rail from flexible funding.

NARP awarded Moynihan its George Falcon Golden Spike Award in 1998 for his role in ISTEA, for his help in getting additional capital funds for Amtrak in 1997, for his role in helping preserve Washington Union Station, and for his work in promoting "an architecturally significant" Amtrak station for New York. In fact, yesterday Mayor Bloomberg and Governor Pataki said the new facility, to open in 2008, will be named for Moynihan.

Amtrak will begin using rebuilt turbotrains on some Albany-New York runs in mid-April, according to the Schenectady Gazette, on a trial basis, before making permanent assignments.

Canadian Transport Minister David Collenette announced on March 26 a US$296-million transportation package for southern Ontario. This includes improvements to GO Transit's commuter rail network and to the "Quick Start" phase of the York Region Rapid Transit Plan. Track capacity and train frequency will be increased, some grade crossings eliminated, and enhancements to connecting VIA Rail service will be made. "This urban strategy demonstrates the federal government's commitment to a balanced and integrated transportation system for the economic prosperity of this region," Collenette said. "This will enable more commuters in [Greater Toronto] to leave their cars at home and take advantage of the excellent service provided by GO Transit."

NARP Region 5 meets on March 29 in Fayetteville, N.C., Region 7 meets in Lake Delton, Wis., Region 10 meets in Denver, and Region 12 meets in San Diego.