NARP December 2003 Hotlines

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Though Congress is supposed to return briefly next week before adjourning for the year, it's not at all clear they will act on the omnibus funding bill (H.R.2673), which now includes the 2004 transportation/treasury appropriations bill (H.R.2989). The omnibus now also includes a 0.59% across-the-board cut to offset $3 billion in new spending that was loaded onto the omnibus when it was created. That would reduce Amtrak's funding from $1.225 billion to $1.218 billion. It's possible Congress will do nothing next week, and let matters ride until next year, as the latest continuing resolution extends funding for programs covered by the omnibus through January 31.

Text for the omnibus bill, including a final version of the transportation bill, has been published and is available as part of the November 25 issue of the Congressional Record (starting at page H12323, posted on the "Thomas" web site). The final bill has $37.4 million for the Next Generation High-Speed Rail program, more than either the House or Senate bill and up from $30.3 million in 2003. However, $5 million is earmarked for maglev development and several other earmarks are for grade-crossing projects not located on designated high-speed routes. Subtracting those items brings the $37.4 million down to around $28.7 million for items that actually will help future high-speed rail services.

The bill reserves $60 million of Amtrak's funding "to respond to the cessation of commuter rail operations" in the event of an Amtrak collapse. No one really knows how much it would cost to keep commuter trains running in such an event. The Surface Transportation Board is directed to order continuation of commuter operations. If there is no financial crisis, Amtrak on July 1 may apply to get the funds (as happened with commuter-reserved funds in fiscal 2003, when the amount was set administratively at $40 million).

Amtrak must submit to Congress a business plan for fiscal 2004 within 60 days of enactment of the omnibus. This report should explain what capital projects in Amtrak's 2004 $1.7-billion plan will not be funded. It must include accounting information for each separate Amtrak service. The bill continues the conditions of the June 2002 loan from the DOT, including a ban on planning new services.

Another provision in the bill arises from Herzog Contracting Corporation's attempt earlier this year to bid on running the current Amtrak operation between Kansas City and St. Louis. The attempt failed when Herzog confronted higher Union Pacific track charges and Amtrak's refusal to let Herzog use its station or reservations facilities. The bill gives U.S. DOT the power to force Amtrak to allow other parties to use its assets with "reasonable compensation." The bill also directs the U.S. DOT to "implement a procedure for fair competitive bidding by Amtrak and non-Amtrak operators for State-supported routes," by January 1, 2004, using up to $2.5 million of the Amtrak operations grant to pay for setting that up. The bill does not address whether a freight railroad can be forced to accept a new operator under the same terms as an Amtrak service, or, indeed, under any terms.

Effective January 6, Amtrak is making several changes in its discount policies.One is a slight improvement in the 10% military furlough discount, which will be good on all weekend Metroliner and Acela Express trains (the first time this discount has applied to any of those trains). The military discount is available to all active members of the U.S. military (including career people with desk jobs) and to National Guard and Reserves with active-duty orders.

The 50% discount for accompanied children (ages 2-15) that is now good on all Metroliners and certain, off-peak Acela Express trains will instead be limited to weekend Metroliners and Acela Express trains.

Amtrak is reducing from 15% to 10% the discount for seniors (age 62 and over). The senior fare does not, and will not, apply on Auto Train.

Discounts apply to the rail fare only, not to accommodations or Auto Train vehicle charges.

About 600 workers at Amtrak's Beech Grove maintenance facility went on strike on December 3, alleging that Amtrak broke their contract by hiring outside contractors. The employees belong to the Transport Workers Union and Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employes, and members of other unions honored their picket line. Train traffic was not affected. Amtrak sought a temporary restraining order to stop the local strike, saying that the contract workers did not result in furloughing any union workers and that the strike violated established conflict resolution procedures. A federal district court judge heard both sides' arguments yesterday and ruled today to grant Amtrak the temporary restraining order.

The removal of the sleeping car from the Boston-Washington Federal has been extended through December and January. The car was removed "temporarily" during November to help ease a systemwide shortage of Viewliner sleepers. Amtrak is working off a serious backlog in maintenance of these cars.

The National Transportation Safety Board released a probable cause for the January 6 collision between a truck and Metrolink commuter train at Burbank, Cal., which killed the truck driver and (after a 15-day hospitalization) one passenger. The NTSB faulted the design of signals at the crossing, which is also at a signaled street intersection. The driver faced a left-turn arrow, leading towards the tracks, which was designed to flash red when a train approaches. The NTSB said that is confusing and has urged the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) to discontinue that particular design.  In any event, the driver still passed around a lowered crossing gate.

The proposal to extend Metrorail service to Tysons Corner and Dulles Airport, Va., was dealt a severe blow on December 2 when the Herndon Town Council voted 6-0 against a special transit tax district for a larger area of Fairfax County. That tax district was designed to supply the bulk of the local funding share for the proposal. Project planners had split the project into two phases in order to satisfy Federal Transit Administration funding constraints. Herndon was to be in the second phase.  Herndon now has said, essentially, that if it can't be in the first phase -- which is impractical due to Herndon's distance from the existing Metrorail Orange Line -- then there should be no first phase at all.

Such a parochial view hurts mobility for the entire region. It's a good thing that such decisions weren't required during Metrorail's infancy, or it's likely none of the successful system would ever have been built. In any event, promoters of the project plan to meet to discuss how to proceed.

Former Region 1 NARP Director David O. Jones passed away November 25 at his home in Old Lyme, Conn.  He was 71. A memorial service will be December 13.  Jones served on the NARP board 1987-2000. He was a great supporter of the Boston electrification project in the 1990's and was especially proud of his former career on the former North Shore Railroad in the Midwest.

For the second year in a row, Congress will adjourn for the calendar year without approving funding for many programs, including transportation, for the current fiscal year. Transportation is now part of the stalled omnibus bill, H.R.2673. That bill was approved by House on December 8, but the Senate did not vote on it this week and so the issue is pushed into January. Like other programs covered by the omnibus, Amtrak is funded for the moment at a rate based on the 2003 amount ($1.043 billion, rather than the $1.218 billion in the stalled omnibus). The omnibus will be a priority when the Senate returns on January 20.

Until then, be on the lookout for "town meetings" that your Members of Congress may hold in your state or district.  These are good opportunities to tell them what you think is important. That should include strong funding for Amtrak in 2005, on the order of $1.8 billion (including $100 million for DOT loan repayment). This is also a good time to make the same point to President Bush, since his administration is already developing its 2005 budget. Click here for ways to contact Congress and the White House.

A federal district judge has ruled that Amtrak employees may stage a one-day walk-out in protest of federal policies that leave Amtrak inadequately funded. The December 10 ruling was made by Judge James Robertson of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. Amtrak filed an appeal the next day with the U.S. Court of Appeals. Amtrak also said that, if a strike date were set, Amtrak would seek an emergency court order to prevent it.

Judge Robertson had been considering Amtrak's request for an injunction against several unions (but not all Amtrak unions) that began planning a walk-out earlier in the fall. The judge said, according to the Washington Post, that Amtrak had not adequately proven its assertion that the unions' walkout plans were caused by "union muscle-flexing designed to gain a strategic advantage in ongoing negotiations over new collective bargaining agreements" (making a walkout subject to federal railroad labor law), as opposed to a grievance by the unions against the federal government itself. Amtrak believes the Railway Labor Act governs in any event and does not permit "political protest" strikes.  The unions have indicated they will not strike until after January 1. In October, the unions gave one week advance notice.

New Jersey Transit's Secaucus Junction station will go into full service on Monday, December 15.  The station opened for very limited service (Bergen Line only, daily) on August 4, then expanded to weekend service on other lines (Northeast Corridor, North Jersey Coast Line, Main Line) on September 6. With the reopening of PATH's World Trade Center line on November 23, overcrowding on NJT's Northeast Corridor line should be relieved enough to make Secaucus transfers more practical.  Midtown Direct trains from the Morris & Essex and Montclair lines will also serve Secaucus (check NJT's web site for exact schedules). The opening of the station makes many more trips within NJT's network more practical than before.

Kennedy International Airport in Queens, N.Y., will get its first-ever rail transit service on December 17, with the opening of the AirTrain. It is a form of light-rail service built by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which owns the two New York airports, the Newark airport, the other AirTrain (a monorail connecting Newark Airport rail station to Newark airport), and the PATH rail service. The complete system will open at once, including a loop within the airport, a branch to Howard Beach (connecting to "A" subway), and a branch to Jamaica (connecting to Long Island Rail Road and subway lines "E," "J," and "Z"). The fare is $5, payable at either Howard Beach or Jamaica, with internal airport use free (similar to the Newark AirTrain). MetroCards such as those used on the New York subway system can be used to pay the fare.

Richmond Main Street Station will be rededicated December 17 at an invitation-only ceremony. The following day is the start of regular Amtrak service, involving (in this phase of the multi-year project) all trains that serve Newport News.

A new intermodal station at Auburn, Cal., serving Amtrak's Capitol Corridor, opens December 18.

Georgia DOT will ask Gov. Sonny Perdue (R.) to approve a scaled-back commuter rail proposal that could open in 2006. A 26-mile line from Atlanta south to East Point, Jonesboro, and Lovejoy would run on one of two Norfolk Southern routes leading to Macon. The line, costing $106 million to start up, would feature a simple passenger facility adjacent to MARTA's Five Points station in downtown Atlanta, and could be a start towards eventual service to Macon. Perdue's approval is needed, though he has not been friendly to past commuter-rail proposals.

Former Sen. Paul Simon, a Democrat from Illinois, passed away on December 9 at the age of 75, after bypass surgery in Springfield, Ill. He served in the Senate from 1985 to 1997. He was a great friend of passenger rail. NARP awarded him the George Falcon Golden Spike Award in 1990 for his work to save the Chicago-St. Louis line, where deteriorating track and a financially unhealthy short line threatened the Amtrak service there. The award read, in part, that Simon was "a strong advocate for balanced transportation for many years and one of the first leaders to endorse use of some federal gasoline tax funds for Amtrak ... As rail's environmental and energy efficiency advantages become more important, more citizens will realize how fortunate we are to have leaders with Senator Simon's knowledge and foresight." Simon remarked, "I am grateful to you -- and there also ought to be 250 million Americans who are grateful to you for the work NARP does in promoting balanced transportation in this country."

Sounder commuter rail service between Seattle, Edmonds, and Everett will begin December 22, as a result of an 11th-hour Sound Transit board meeting on December 17 that approved an operating agreement with host railroad Burlington Northern Santa Fe. There will be one round-trip per weekday for now, which is expected to increase two years from now. Under the new agreement, some special weekend service also may be offered -- including a "Seahawk Special" on December 21 (the day before regular service begins). That train will have 500 spaces available, first-come first-served. The first two weeks of service are fare-free.

The lead wheels of a cab-car on an Amtrak Pacific Surfliner derailed after the train struck a car on a crossing at Moorpark, Cal. No one on the train was injured, but the motorist had serious injuries. Westbound train 763 was traveling through the Moorpark station at about 70 mph (that train doesn't stop there), and the accident caused some damage to the station platform and minor damage to a passing Metrolink commuter train.

Union Pacific closed its line between Eugene and Klamath Falls, Ore., on December 14 due to severe winter weather, requiring Coast Starlight passengers to be bussed between Portland and Klamath Falls.

Amtrak turned the Portland section of the Empire Builder at Wishram, Wash., on December 13, due to a freight derailment blocking the BNSF line west of Wishram.

A CSX freight derailment early yesterday has tied up Amtrak and VRE passenger rail service south of Washington. The accident, not far south of the Alexandria, Va., station, is at an interlocking junction between the Norfolk Southern line to Manassas and Charlottesville and the CSX line to Fredericksburg and Richmond. Derailed freight cars blocked the entire area, and caused closure of Metro's Blue Line part of the morning.

Amtrak cancelled its Regional trains south of Washington yesterday, as well as the Carolinian. The Silver Star was turned at Richmond; the Palmetto and Silver Meteor were turned at Rocky Mount, N.C.; the Crescent was turned at Manassas. By midday today, one track was open through the area, though at very low speed, and Amtrak trains began to move through. A second track is expected later today, but restoration of all switches in the derailment area could take more than a week.

Yesterday evening, VRE ran just one Fredericksburg train (from Franconia-Springfield) and one Manassas train (from a point near the Van Dorn St. Metro station). Today, VRE planned to run on an "S" schedule between the same points.

Ticket sales through Amtrak's web site are now Amtrak's single most important sales channel, according to a story in the Richmond Times Dispatch (December 14). In November, web bookings made up 30.9% of all Amtrak revenues that month -- more than occurred through the reservations centers, and 30% higher than web bookings made in November 2002. This is comparable to airlines, which, according to the General Accounting Office, get about 30% of their revenues on-line. [The airlines' 30%, however, also includes sales through on-line travel agents for which airlines pay commissions and fees, making Amtrak's web performance even better in comparison.]

CSX's realization that it had to make up for underinvesting in track maintenance is one of the themes of a Washington Post article from December 16, "Aiming to Get Back on Track." As a result, track-caused derailments are down from a period before 1999, and main lines have fewer slow orders.  A chart in the article compared "average cubic yards  of ballast placed per track mile, 1983-2002" -- BNSF 107, Union Pacific 93, Norfolk Southern 87, CSX 59.

The Federal Railroad Administration released an "Interim Final Rule" on December 17 outlining under what circumstances communities can impose "whistle bans" at grade crossings. The rule takes final effect on December 18, 2004, for communities who want to put into place new bans, though communities with pre-existing bans will have five years to show that their bans meet the FRA's safety criteria. Showing compliance may involve installing relatively simple fixes to some crossings, such as four-quad gates or median barriers. The 500-page interim rule is open for a 60-day comment period.

The grand opening of Richmond Main Street Station on December 17 featured addresses by Mayor Rudolph C. McCollum, Jr., Sen. George Allen, Rep. Robert C. Scott, Rep. Eric Cantor, former Gov. and former Amtrak board member Linwood Holton, and Lt. Gov. (and former Mayor) Timothy M. Kaine. Speakers drew a parallel between the fall and restoration of the station with the fate of downtown Richmond in general. With the completion of the first phase of Amtrak service to Main Street, day trips to downtown Richmond from the Hampton Roads, Northern Virginia, and Washington are practical for the first time in many years. NARP has supported this project since at least 1980. The city, which owns the building, has a web site with information on the station and visitor information.

The first day of revenue service at the station, yesterday, was disrupted by the CSX derailment in Alexandria.

A letter supportive of the Boston North Station-South Station Rail Link Project (NSRL), signed by 121 state legislators -- out of a total of 200 in the legislature -- was sent to Gov. Mitt Romney (R.-Mass.) this week. The letter urges inclusion of the NSRL in the Boston Region Metropolitan Planning Organization Transportation Plan for 2004-2025, as an "illustrative project," meaning it requires no identification of a funding source to be in the plan. The NSRL was omitted from the report during a September 10 vote, in which cities and towns in the region and the regional planning agency voted for inclusion, but the City of Boston and state agencies voted against it. However, at least one state agency must vote for "yes" for a project to be included in the plan.

The legislators correctly point out that the Romney Administration has created a "chicken-and-egg" situation -- state officials opposed the NSRL because no funding has been identified, but no funding can be identified as long as the NSRL is not in the MPO's long-range plan. Citizens should urge Governor Romney to act so that Boston and the entire region are not denied an opportunity to unite the region's railroad network for yet another generation. Click here for ways to make contact.

Former Sen. William V. Roth, Jr. (R.-Del.) passed away on December 13 in Washington. He was 82.  Roth served in the Senate from 1971 to 2001. Toward the end of that period, he used his position as chairman of the Senate Finance Committee to promote concepts that were directed at improving the position of passenger rail in the U.S. In 1996, NARP awarded him its George Falcon Golden Spike Award, for his work (with fellow Delaware Senator Biden) in promoting the concept that states should be able to spend their federal transportation dollars on all forms of surface transportation, including passenger rail -- something states still cannot do in 2003.

In 1997, Roth pushed hard for a bill to create a passenger rail trust fund from a half cent of the federal gas tax. The ultimate result, in a House-Senate conference, was a significant but one-time capital infusion for Amtrak. Roth also was instrumental in promoting the High Speed Rail Investment Act in the fall of 2000, to the point where it nearly became law as part of 2001's omnibus funding bill. But for the recalcitrance of just two Senators, Roth's vision of corridor development might today have been bearing fruit in the form of actual construction.

A new threat to transit funding is coming in the form of a change in policy in the Bush Administration. For two decades, the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) has urged transit agencies to use innovative funding mechanisms, such as tax-advantaged leasing transactions, to generate more revenue. In so doing, transit agencies have earned $848 million since 1998, supporting and creating jobs in the transit industry and delivering real economic benefits to their communities.

But on November 26, the Treasury Department's Assistant Secretary of Tax Policy wrote  to Transportation Secretary Mineta asking DOT to stop these transactions while the Treasury Department reviews its policy on them. FTA then told transit agencies it was suspending reviews of such transactions.

These actions worsen an Administration transportation policy that already has an unacceptable pro-highway, anti-transit bias. This action, particularly untimely when state and local resources are so limited, puts at risk 15 transactions pending before FTA with estimated net benefits to the affected transit agencies of between $164 million and $262 million (assuming a net benefit return of 5 to 8%).

Separately, on October 2, the Senate Finance Committee approved a bill (S.1637) that would effectively eliminate the ability of transit agencies to enter into domestic lease transactions.

The Bush Administration needs to hear protests of its ill-advised policy change. Legislators -- especially members of the House Ways and Means Committee -- need to hear opposition to what Senate Finance has done.

Amtrak has postponed to later in the year its plans to reduce certain discounts, including that for seniors, from 15% to 10%. (We learned about this change after sending the January newsletter to the printer.) Rules about honoring discounts on Acela Express and Metroliners, and application of any Auto Train discounts to the rail fare instead of to the vehicle charge, will take effect as planned January 6. So, three of the four paragraphs in the December 5 hotline discount discussion remain valid.  (The seniors and Mobility-Impaired discounts do not, and will not, apply on Auto Train.)

The Houston METRORail line opens January 1. It runs 7.5 miles along Main St. from downtown south to Reliant Park. This is the first form of rail transit in sprawling, car-oriented Houston in many years. It is quite possible that something that has worked so well in a place like Dallas can also work well in Houston.

The Kennedy Airport AirTrain did not have a smooth first day of service on December 18. An ominous sign occurred during opening festivities when the train's doors closed suddenly on New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg. Later, the system had to be shut down and replaced with busses when several trains "locked up" and would not open their doors. The New York Times chronicles the misadventures of one traveler, who arrived on a flight at 10:20 pm and did not get to the Howard Beach subway stop until nearly two hours later.

The project, which cost $1.9 billion, provides a needed transit connection directly to the airport, but has been plagued with technical problems (including several accidents in the testing phase). It has been criticized for operating too slowly, and for not providing a one-seat ride into Manhattan.

New York Daily News Columnist Richard Schwartz today urged New York Gov. Pataki to intervene to block construction of a "brand-new PATH station for [New Jersey commuters] worthy of King Tut … What is it, after all, that entitles New Jerseyans to commute in splendor while Long Islanders must shlep through the wasteland of hot dogs and pizza that is Penn Station and then take a subway downtown?" He says "the overblown PATH station will suck up 9/11 funds that could be used for better purposes, like extending the Long Island Rail Road from Brooklyn. That is the key to lower Manhattan's revival.

BART service changes, effective February 9, will restructure service on the extension linking San Francsico International Airport and Milbrae. Instead of the Dublin line running on the new extension, the Pittsburg/Bay Point line assumes this route. The lightly used Millbrae-airport shuttle trains will be eliminated, reducing service on the extension by 50%.

A ceremony to open the new intermodal transporation center at Auburn, Cal., was December 19.  It serves Amtrak's Capitol Corridor and local buses. Ridership at the Auburn station has grown from 5,505 in 1999 to 37,076 this year. Plans are in the works to extend an additional Capitol Corridor train to Auburn by mid-2004.

A report on a letter in favor of the North Station/South Station Rail Link (NRSL) is in today's Boston Herald (see also December 19 Hotline). The letter, signed by 121 state legislators, was spearheaded by State Rep. Anne M. Paulsen (D.-Belmont), who chairs the NRSL Legislative Caucus.

VIA Rail Canada says it will keep running a train on the part of Amtrak's Chicago-Toronto International route that is within Canada (i.e., east of Sarnia), if Amtrak truncates the route to Chicago-Port Huron. The statement came in a December 22 letter to the Toronto Sun.

The B&O Railroad Museum, severely damaged in early 2003 after accumulated snow collapsed the roof of the historic roundhouse, has been awarded a $300,000 "Community Legacy" grant by State of Maryland, according to the Baltimore Sun. The award was part of a statewide total of almost $9 million in grants awarded by Maryland. Officials received $30 million worth of requests.

Officials at Pennsylvania DOT and Lancaster County announced last week that plans for a station on Amtrak's Keystone line at Paradise will proceed. This station will primarily be for connections to the Strasburg Railroad and its steam-powered excursion trains, and will also serve county buses.  It also will include a roundtable to turn the steam engine. A unique feature will be a "circular driveway, a passenger drop-off area, hitching posts for horses and buggies, parking for about 30 cars and a bus-waiting and drop-off area."

We are pleased to announce that, effective immediately, you easily can join NARP right here on our web site. If you are already a member, you can manage your NARP membership (address, phone number, e-mail address) here as well. This includes renewing and making special contributions by using either a Visa or MasterCard, and reviewing your payment history.

To join, click on "Join NARP" in the left frame of this web site, then click on "Join Electronically."  Once you have joined, or if you already are a member, click on "Member Login." You will be prompted to enter your member number and password (which is initially set to your last name with first letter capitalized; other letters in lower case). We recommend that you use the "Change your Password" option after your first visit and save a more personal password. Please provide us with feedback regarding your use of this new feature!