NARP July 2003 Hotlines

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A comprehensive rail bill is expected to be introduced, possibly next week, by Senators Hutchison (R.-Tex.), Hollings (D.-S.C.), Carper (D.-Del.), and Lautenberg (D.-N.J.). That would follow up on the June 25 inclusion of an Amtrak and general rail "placeholder" bill in the Senate Commerce Committee's TEA-21 renewal bill. The sponsors then would work to get a significant number of co-sponsors, with the goal of offering and passing a floor amendment when the TEA-21 renewal bill is on the Senate floor. This is significant both for the pro-rail substance of their provisions, but also for inclusion (at last) of a serious rail title in the surface transportation funding process that until now generally has excluded intercity rail, both passenger and freight.

The Bush Administration has promised Senator McCain (R.-Ariz.) that its detailed proposal for Amtrak will be available soon. At the June 25 mark-up, McCain argued unsuccessfully against the Hutchision/Hollings amendment on grounds that the Committee first should see the Administration's proposal. Many members were concerned that the Senate likely would not have time to pass a free-standing Amtrak bill of any kind (as opposed to a TEA-21 amendment); many members also don't expect to like the Administration's plan, based on what DOT officials have said about it.

Amtrak says trains from Chicago to Toronto and Grand Rapids will continue at least through September 30, while the state Legislature considers a transportation budget for the next fiscal year.  Amtrak had threatened to end these runs July 1 unless the state paid it $7.1 million this fiscal year.  State law capped payments to Amtrak at $5.7 million. In May, the state Senate passed a transportation appropriations bill (S.B.265) that would lift the cap for Amtrak and pay Amtrak $7.1 million in the fiscal year starting October 1. The bill is now before a House committee. An article in the July 2 Lansing State Journal said, "Amtrak and some legislators are optimistic the cap would be lifted in time to pay the railway for the next fiscal year ..."

In Oregon, a July 1 Salem Statesman-Journal article about the future of that state's $10-million-a-year support of two Amtrak Portland-Eugene round-trips (and Thruway connections) said, "State and local leaders from across Oregon came together  [in Salem] on Monday to urge restoration of [the funds]. Gov. Ted Kulongoski included [the funds] in his balanced budget proposal, but members of the Legislature’s budget-writing committee have since removed it. If funding is not included in the final budget, Amtrak will discontinue the route immediately ... Rep. Billy Dalto of Salem said that it is the number of seniors who rely on the train service that convinced him to support the restoration ... Officials said that passenger rail service generates more than $6 million in economic benefits to Oregon businesses, workers and tourism activities."

The last Kentucky Cardinals will depart Chicago Saturday, July 5 and Louisville Sunday, July 6.  While we never like to see a route discontinued, other factors need to be considered to form a balanced picture, in this case. As planned, the train's primary revenues were to be from the express business that Amtrak is leaving. The trip is slow, though the nighttime schedule helped mask that.  Amtrak's continuing equipment availability crisis meant that equipment consistency was never a feature of this train. There is no funding source on the horizon that would allow the service to be improved quickly into something more useful (whether by upgrading tracks or extending the service to Nashville). The train had become a political liability to Amtrak and to efforts to save the rest of the nationwide system, the subject of ridicule even in the Louisville Courier-Journal. NARP's response to that editorial (published around October 6) said, "Louisville invested $600,000 to extend Amtrak from Jeffersonville to Louisville. One can ridicule this, as in your September 27 [2002] editorial, or call it an investment in the future -- insuring that Louisville is part of America's coming passenger rail revival."

Louisville is on one of the federally designated high-speed corridors. Movement of legislation, such as we have seen last week, provides hope that the federal-state funding partnership we have wanted for so long will lead to future, passenger-oriented services that are much more useful than the Kentucky Cardinal.

An anti-Amtrak editorial appeared in the Wall Street Journal, July 1 ("The Subsidy Express"), criticizing House Transportation and Infrastructure Chairman Don Young (R.-Alaska) for his support of the $2-billion-a-year Amtrak authorization bill his committee unanimously approved on June 25. The editorial concluded, "Is it too much to ask an allegedly Republican Congress to show a little restraint?"

NARP's reply, in part, said, "By Amtrak's '$33 billion of debt (in constant 1999 dollars),' we trust you mean total federal Amtrak spending since 1971. If this was about highways or aviation, we doubt you would cite 30-year totals, and think you would properly label much spending as 'capital  investment' ... CNN/Gallup/USA Today and Washington Post polls last summer found 70% and 71% support, respectively, for continuing or increasing federal Amtrak funding. Citing the Post poll, George Will on June 4 wrote, 'Support for Amtrak is strong among all regions, ages, education levels and income groups.'  At some point, legislators have an obligation to represent the views of the people who sent them to Congress."

Association of American Railroads (AAR) President Ed Hamberger and American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) Executive Director John Horsley, in a June 23 letter, urged Senators Inhofe, Jeffords, Bond and Reid to oppose [Administration] "proposals to eliminate dedicated funding for the Section 130 highway grade-crossing program." The letter said, "at least $155 million has been apportioned each year to states" for rail/highway grade crossing improvements since 1974, with the Federal Highway Administration estimating this has saved 10,000 lives and avoided 40,000 serious injuries.

The trucking and railroad industries have a legislative truce, according to a June 26 Washington Post article by Don Phillips. The American Trucking Associations (ATA) will not "seek federal permission to run longer and heavier trucks ... for at least six years," and that AAR and ATA agreed to "spend their lobbying time and effort to promote mutually beneficial freight industry issues" -- including increased security, faster border-crossing clearances, expanded intermodal truck-rail terminals, and working "to mitigate costly environmental rules, such as diesel-fuel emission standards, that affect both industries."

German officials on June 27 announced the scrapping of a $3.8-billion maglev line in the Ruhr Valley. This was one of two successor projects to the major Berlin-Hamburg maglev project that was killed in 2000. A line between Munich and its airport remains on the books, officially, but is unlikely to be done by its official opening date, 2006, when Munich hosts the soccer World Cup. Maglev remains a speculative technology not in revenue service anywhere in the world -- not withstanding last winter's "opening" to officials (but not to the public) of a line in Shanghai financed by the Chinese government.

A House Appropriations subcommittee today approved a fiscal 2004 spending bill with just $580 million for Amtrak, which is $320 million below President Bush's request and $1.22 billion below Amtrak's request -- while exceeding the President's highway and aviation requests. One informed observer said, "I don't know anybody who expected that kind of increase for highways." The subcommittee, on Transportation, Treasury and Independent Agencies, is chaired by Ernest Istook (R.-Okla.).

No amendment was expected today, since "cardinals" (appropriations subcommittee chairmen) typically do not interfere in each other's mark-ups, and two of the subcommittee's three Republicans most sympathetic to Amtrak are cardinals. [One of the other cardinals, Harold Rogers (R.-Ky.), was extremely unhappy that Istook voted with the Democrats to defeat a Rogers amendment on synthetic fuels.]

However, a pro-Amtrak amendment is possible at the full-committee mark-up, which could be as early as Tuesday, July 15. All Representatives need to hear expressions of outrage about today's action, and support for the $1.8 billion that Amtrak needs. Click here for a list of full committee members, but even if your Representative is not on the committee, please contact him or her and urge hard work for Amtrak's $1.8 billion.

Telephone (202/224-3121) or fax are the best ways to contact legislators' offices. E-mail is less effective.  In any event, include your regular postal address, since most Members pay little attention to comments from people who do not live in their districts. [They often do pay attention to -- and "horse-trade" with -- their colleagues, which is why you should work through your own legislator, even if he or she is not on the committee.] Click here for ways to contact Representatives.

Your message can be as simple as (in your own words), "I am outraged at what the appropriations subcommittee did today (July 11) and ask you to work hard to see that this outcome is reversed when the full committee considers this bill."

The subcommittee's news release says the bill exceeded President Bush's request by "nearly $4.1 billion" overall; by $4.8 billion for highways; by $75 million for the Federal Aviation Administration; and by $100 million for the Airport Improvement Program. Similarly, the release says most programs other than Amtrak had increases over 2003 levels, with the bill's overall total up by $3.4 billion. The release says nothing about transit, which was cut approximately $58 million, with project-specific funding earmarks going only to "new starts" with full funding grant agreements. This will upset a number of members who have been getting earmarks for projects lacking such agreements.

It appears that Istook is using the appropriations process to "right" the "wrongs" he feels Oklahoma has suffered as a "donor" state (regarding federal transportation -- but not other -- funds). The release on Istook's web site proclaims, "Donor State No Longer!, $518 [million] headed to Oklahoma" and lists the Oklahoma highway projects where this money would go.

The release says Amtrak's $580 million "provides for continuing Amtrak operations," which Amtrak denies. The release says that $200 million of the Amtrak funds are for operating assistance, $100 million for Northeast Corridor capital improvements, and that DOT must "ensure sufficient funds for commuter operations."

At the mark-up, Istook said that states should use CMAQ and NHS funds to hire private rail operators to run trains. However, those federal programs are already stretched thin.  In any event, private freight railroads, who own most of the tracks Amtrak uses, would not allow, and are not required to allow, private rail operators access to their tracks on affordable terms. Operations of the national network is a federal responsibility, which financially beleaguered states are not going to pick up, and which -- even if they were -- would be the subject of endless debate over proper cost-sharing.

Istook accused Amtrak of being "not serious" about restructuring, and said Amtrak needs to prove itself first in high-density corridors. He also said rail users don't really want to pay for their service.

Appropriations Committee Ranking Democrat David Obey (D.-Wis.) -- who was at the mark-up -- said he has supported some other appropriations bills but could not support this one, primarily because of the low Amtrak number. He also expressed concern about Istook's "no-earmarks" approach to transit funding, noting that the Senate will have many earmarks and that he didn't want the House to be left out on this. Obey also expressed concern about the subcommittee's handling of the Essential Air Service (EAS) program which, under the bill, apparently would lose two-thirds of its funding, with service ending at half the airports now served by EAS.

The Senate counterpart subcommittee, chaired by Richard Shelby (R.-Ala.), may mark up its own bill on July 22.

The Philadelphia Inquirer ran a good article, "From Montana to Philadelphia, fears of losing Amtrak, on July 9, with a positive quote from Rep. Dennis Rehberg (R.-Mont.).

Tucson light rail may yet get onto the ballot, in November. KOLD-TV reported on June 20 that Citizens for Sensible Transportation says they've collected more than enough signatures for their transportation plan. "The city must now verify the signatures. Earlier in June the group brought a light rail car to Tucson as part of its drive for a 13-mile light rail system and expanded bus service." Federal money and tax increases would pay for the plan. The Arizona Daily Star reported on July 1 that the City Council "rejected a request by backers of a light-rail system to put their proposal on the November ballot without requiring them to get their petition signatures verified."

Honolulu's Channel 4 (KITV) reported June 28 on a plan by a Dallas developer -- Kenneth Hughes of UC Urban -- for a streetcar system linking the waterfront with the rest of downtown. The two-mile system "would be similar to one in Portland, Ore. ... Cheryl Soon, the city transportation services director, said a downtown streetcar loop would compliment the city's plan for a rapid transit bus system. Construction of the initial $50 million phase of that project -- a 6.5-mile line connecting Waikiki and downtown -- is expected to begin early next year. Gov. Linda Lingle and some other state lawmakers oppose the city bus plan, favoring the more expensive light rail option."

The House Appropriations Committee was to consider the fiscal 2004 transportation/treasury funding bill at various times (July 15, then July 21), but currently has no date scheduled. Action on the bill still could come later in the week of July 21, or in the following week. The committee's web site often gives little advance notice. The bill, which as yet has no number, was released from the Transportation/Treasury Subcommittee July 11 with a shutdown figure -- $580 million -- for Amtrak, and a transit level one-percent below 2003.

But the subcommittee -- chaired by Ernest Istook (R.-Okla.) -- greatly increased highway spending. His figure is 25% above the 2003 "guaranteed" level former Transportation and Infrastructure Chairman Bud Shuster used in 1998 to promote the TEA-21 law (which is about to expire). But because federal highway spending rose well above TEA-21's guaranteed levels, Istook's highway figure is "only" 8% above the actual 2003 level.

NARP has written House Appropriations Chairman C. W. Bill Young (R.-Fla.) in strong opposition to the Istook level of $580 million for Amtrak in 2004, and in favor of Amtrak's request of $1.812 billion.

The Surface Transportation Policy Project and about 30 other groups also wrote to Chairman Young criticizing the subcommittee's bill as it regards Amtrak and other issues. The bill reduces transit funding overall -- and "new start" (mostly rail projects) funding in particular -- below current levels. It essentially chokes off new rail transit projects that do not already have a "full funding grant agreement." The bill dramatically cuts the Job Access and Reverse Commute ("JARC") program from $150 million guaranteed this year to $85 million, "eliminating dozens of locally developed, welfare-to-work projects." Finally, STPP criticizes the bill for prohibiting states from funding Transportation Enhancements, eliminating a choice that has been available since 1991 (and which has benefited many rail stations).

Please urge your Republican Representative to speak to Appropriations Chairman Bill Young (Democratic representatives speak to ranking member David Obey), indicating he or she cannot vote for the transportation appropriations bill with Amtrak at $580 million. Your Representative should ask his or her appropriations leader to work for the highest possible Amtrak number. If you do that by phone, the Capitol switchboard is 202/224-3121. Click here for other forms of contact (such as individual phone and fax numbers).

There is a possibility that the Senate Transportation/Treasury Subcommittee, chaired by Richard Shelby (R.-Ala.) will mark up its own fiscal 2004 funding bill as early as July 22. Therefore, messages to Senators in favor of Amtrak's $1.812-billion request are in order. Click here for ways to make contact (including individual phone numbers).

NARP has released a list of "Amtrak Facts and Myths" that may be helpful to some of you who are writing to your legislators and to the President.

The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee may start circulating a draft of its TEA-21 (surface transportation) renewal bill around July 25, for committee mark-up early in September. It will exist in such draft form without being formally introduced (and thus available to the public through normal channels). It may still be a six-year bill, rather than a shorter-term extension that kicks the issue into next year, though there is a widespread belief in Washington that a long-term bill is not possible this year.

Deputy Transportation Secretary Michael Jackson will resign from that post on August 1 (Washington Post, July 8). He has represented Secretary Norman Mineta at most Amtrak board meetings and Amtrak-related Congressional hearings -- and indeed, according to the Post, "basically ran the department while Mineta was out with back problems."

The Brookings Institution recently released a report that says the share of highway costs covered by user payments is falling, contrary to what many on Capitol Hill believe. The report, "Improving Efficiency and Equity in Transportation Finance," by Martin Wachs (of the University of California, Berkeley) says, "Revenues from fuel taxes have for three decades been rising more slowly than program costs as legislators become ever more reluctant to raise [fuel taxes] to meet inflation." As a result, "America's system of transportation funding is quietly being restructured."

Citing STPP statistics on state and local transportation funding, Wachs says the 1995-1999 period saw a 92% growth in state borrowing, while other local taxes including sales taxes grew 58% but state user fees rose only 18%. Wachs notes that gasoline taxes "generally ... do not increase automatically when the cost of living rises ... On average, fuel taxes in the 50 states would have to rise about 11 cents per gallon just to recoup their 1957 buying power" [For more on the purchasing power of gas tax revenues, click here.]

Oregon's legislative season is likely to extend into August, which is very unusual, as lawmakers struggle with producing a budget. Amtrak's Portland-Eugene trains remain very much in danger, as the $9.3 million (for two years) proposed by Gov. Ted Kulongski still needs to be restored to the budget bill. The Association of Rail and Transit Advocates (AORTA) reports that it has forwarded to legislators over 1,300 written statements of support generated by its leaflets in Oregon stations (with many more, no doubt, being sent directly).

The Boston North Station-South Station Rail Link was promoted at a news conference July 14 hosted by the Sierra Club and former Gov. Michael Dukakis. Speakers supported the link as away to connect environmentally friendly intercity and commuter rail services throughout the Boston area and New England, and criticized the current governor, Mitt Romney, and his administration for doing everything possible to kill the proposal. The administration's attitude seems to be that now that the multi-billion, highway-only "Big Dig" is completed, it's too bad for rail passengers (including commuters). Supporters also criticize the administration for inflating the cost of the rail link, while minimizing the costs (and inflating the utility) of other "priorities," such as the Urban Ring through the Boston suburbs (which has no technology or right-of-way associated with it yet).

A New Jersey Transit derailment delayed Northeast Corridor trains -- both for Amtrak and NJT -- for most of July 14 and into July 15. A Manhattan-bound Trenton train lost a wheel and derailed near Secaucus, causing minor injuries to 13 people. The train had previously stopped in Edison after tripping a trackside heat detector, but the crew examined the train at that point and found nothing wrong. Preliminary investigation concluded that a seal on a bearing box broke somewhere south of Edison and caused lubricant to leak out and heat the wheel's bearing box.

A Union Pacific freight train collided head on with a stationary Amtrak train in the Sacramento station early today (about 2:15 am). The Amtrak train was not in revenue service, but two crewmembers were treated for minor injuries. Six of the nine Amtrak cars derailed. The Amtrak train was actually two San Joaquins that earlier had terminated at Stockton because of a different freight accident (on Burlington Northern Santa Fe) and that were being moved to Oakland.

CSX will close its main line in Florida overnight, over many days during the summer, between Jacksonville and Auburndale. Therefore, Amtrak will have the northbound Silver Star leave Miami (and most other Florida stations) 59 minutes earlier than normal, July 22-29 and August 5-14. Also, Amtrak is annulling the Sunset Limited entirely east of New Orleans, because it determined that it could not service that train's Superliner cars at Jacksonville (or Tampa) and could not reach that train's normal base at Sanford (shared with Auto Train, which runs outside of the CSX work hours). Sunset trips will be replaced by buses (on that segment) for Los Angeles departures of July 20, 23, 25, August 1, 3, 6, 8, 10; and Orlando departures of July 24, 27, 29, August 5, 7, 10, 12, 14. CSX is doing the work overnight at Amtrak's request, to minimize the number of passenger trains affected.

Amtrak will offer a 50% discount to high school students traveling to colleges on inspection visits.  The offer includes up to two parents or guardians. The discount involves a coupon that must be printed out from the Campus Visit Discount Coupon web site, and then tell Amtrak agents to use discount code H178 (offer not available for on-line ticket purchases).

MARC expanded its quiet car program on July 14, to positive reviews. Now, all morning trains have a quiet car. MARC is considering having such a car on more afternoon trains (there is just one now).

The newest historic streetcar operation begins tomorrow in San Pedro (Los Angeles), Cal. An opening celebration for the Waterfront Red Car Line will be 10:00 am - 2:00 pm, followed by free rides the rest of the weekend.  Normal service will be Friday-Monday, 10:00 am - 6:00 pm, year-round.  The line is in a port area that has cruise-line service.

The fiscal 2004 transportation/treasury appropriations bill, as approved by the House Appropriations Committee on July 24, increases Amtrak funding over an earlier version of the bill. But $900 million -- the same level as proposed by the Bush Administration -- is still a shutdown level.

The House adjourns today until September, but it is still possible that the Senate appropriations subcommittee and full committee will act on a transportation/treasury bill the week of July 28.The terrible House outcome makes it even more important that your Senators hear strong, immediate messages in favor of Amtrak's $1.812 billion request. Click here for ways to make contact.

The House bill, as approved by the Transportation/Treasury Subcommittee on July 11, originally only had $580 million for Amtrak -- less than a third of Amtrak's request of $1.812 billion to continue efforts to bring the railroad to a state of good repair (for the first time ever). Of that $580 million, $100 million was meant for Northeast Corridor capital (and nothing elsewhere in the system); $200 million for operations (but only for the Northeast and West Coast corridors); and $280 million for debt servicing ($160 million for principal payments and $120 million for interest). No funds were provided for the massive shutdown costs that would accompany ending so many services.

The new, $900-million level includes $400 million for operations (it's not known yet if the previous restriction is still in place) and $373 million for Northeast Corridor capital. That leaves $127 million. [By comparison, Amtrak has requested $279 million for debt service ($163 million principal; $116 million interest) which must be paid.] During the committee meeting, Subcommittee Ranking Democrat John Olver (Mass.) offered an amendment to further increase the Amtrak funding level to $1.4 billion. It was defeated on a voice vote (meaning no record of how members voted).

The subcommittee bill also gave the Department of Transportation stronger veto power over long-distance routes than the 2003 bill did -- though with no money appropriated for the routes, that may have been a moot point. The bill directed the DOT to auction off state-supported Amtrak routes. It's not clear how, if at all, the new bill changes that. In any event, no private party would want to run routes absent any capital or operating grants. Likewise, states would not want to pay more to make up for the missing federal funding, and private railroads generally are hostile to extending Amtrak's track access rights to other parties.

The subcommittee bill, as written by Chairman Ernest Istook (R.-Okla.) drew such a furor over Amtrak and other issues -- like the elimination of the Transportation Enhancements program, transit funding cuts, and Essential Air Services cuts -- that the meeting was postponed twice and the bill changed significantly. The new version took $700 million from highways, but that level is still about $4 billion higher than in 2003. Although Istook's onerous new rules for transit "new starts" remain, the committee added about $200 million for them, bringing the transit total to $7.23 billion, $52 million above the actual 2003 level, and $5 million above the Bush request.

An Olver amendment to preserve the Transportation Enhancements program was defeated on a recorded vote of 29-33, with Republicans Ray LaHood (Ill.) and Michael Simpson (Ida.) joining Democrats to vote for the program. Whereas the subcommittee bill forbid use of highway funds for enhancements -- like bike trails, pedestrian overpasses, and development of historic train stations -- the full committee allows this but eliminates the 10% set-aside, making it easier for states to do nothing in this area.

Nothing further will happen with the bill in the House until after summer recess, in September. It is possible there will be a floor amendment to further increase the Amtrak figure. It is also possible the bill will get caught up in end-of-fiscal-year turmoil and become a catchall bill. Tell your Representative (as you also ought to have done your Senators) that $900 million is an inadequate shutdown figure, and to continue working for the full $1.812 billion. For ways to make contact, click here. For an action leaflet you can print out and distribute, click here. Contact us if you would like us to send you a quantity of printed leaflets.

Secretary of Transportation Norman Mineta may unveil the Administration's Amtrak authorization bill on July 28. Consistent with earlier DOT testimony on Capitol Hill, the bill supposedly will split Amtrak into two "for profit" companies (operating and infrastructure); states will fund service and infrastructure via compacts; the bill calls for "such sums as may be required"; there is a transition period to allow Amtrak to hold its "monopoly" for a period of time before "franchising" begins.

An infrastructure bill with increased transit funding and a passenger-rail bond program was introduced by 36 Democrats on June 26, the day after the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee approved Amtrak authorization and high-speed rail bond bills (H.R.2572 and H.R.2571). The new bill, H.R.2615, includes an Amtrak bond program with $1.4 billion a year for ten years. Bonds would require a state match, and would be for development of new services. For current Amtrak services, $2.5 billion is authorized for the current fiscal year.  Sponsors said the entire bill would create 2.3 million jobs and spur $310 billion in economic activity.

The Amtrak station in Burlington, N.C., moved across the tracks to a new location on July 18. A new facility is in the historic (1868) Engine House, 101 N. Main St., which is being renovated by the North Carolina Railroad (to be completed in August). North Carolina DOT contributed to the cost of the waiting room. The station is served by the Carolinian and Piedmont. Amtrak passengers had used an interim facility since 1999.

Los Angeles MTA will open its 13.7-mile Gold light-rail line tomorrow, from Union Station to Pasadena. Most of the line uses former Santa Fe right-of-way, used by Amtrak's Southwest Chief until 1994 (when that train was rerouted through Fullerton). Important connections are available at Union Station -- Amtrak, Metrolink commuter trains, and the Red Line subway. Los Angeles now has four rail transit lines -- Red (subway), Blue, Green, Gold (all light rail). Two of the lines connect to only one other line, making for a rather segmented system that requires more transfers than might have been the case if the system had been built more as a network. For example, a person traveling from Pasadena to Los Angeles International Airport must use each of the four rail transit lines, plus a bus at the end of the Green Line.

The investigation continues into the derailment of a New Jersey Transit commuter train on the Northeast Corridor on July 14. A wheel fell off at Secaucus after heating up as a result of losing the lubricant in its bearing box. The train had stopped earlier in Edison after tripping a trackside heat detector, but the crew examined the train at that point and found nothing wrong. NJT and the United Transportation Union disagree on the result of a July 15 reenactment of the inspection, in which the conductor applied a Tempilstik (a wax pencil used to detect metal overheating) at the wrong spot on the first wheel he checked, but applied it correctly to the other axles he checked. The union also says NJT's field training is inadequate. NJT says federal regulation does not require such training for use of Tempilstiks, but that such training had already begun for newly hired conductors before the accident. In any event, passenger railroads are redoubling efforts to make sure that conductors -- who can go a long time without ever seeing a "hotbox" -- know exactly how to use the Tempilstiks.

Heavy storms that included tornados brought trees down across CSX right-of-way south of Albany on July 21. Signals also were affected by power outages. Several Amtrak trains were delayed while the line was cleared up, including an eight-hour-late Maple Leaf that arrived in New York the next morning.

Colorado Railcar is taking its prototype DMU (diesel rail car) on a tour of Alaska. Equipment displays in various places start today, through August 9 (see our events page for remaining stops). That will be followed by a tour in Texas starting in San Antonio on August 26.

Americans are spending a higher portion of their budget just to get around, according to a new report by the Surface Transportation Policy Project. In 28 metropolitan areas examined, they spend 19.3% of their budgets on transportation (including transit and driving) -- second only to housing, and greater than food and health care put together.