NARP January 2004 Hotlines

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Amtrak's Heartland Flyer will get a faster schedule on January 12, thanks to improvements funded by the Oklahoma Department of Transportation. The improvements allow signals and grade-crossing signals to handle passenger trains moving at 79 mph. That will allow 16 minutes to be removed from the running time, meaning that an Oklahoma City-Fort Worth trip will be cut from 4:30 hours to 4:14 hours. Oklahoma DOT says that a track project to be carried out by Burlington Northern Santa Fe will result in more time savings.

Thousands flocked to the new Houston Metro light-rail line on its opening day, yesterday.  Rides are free through this weekend. According to the Houston Chronicle, about 15,000 people rode yesterday, with a line of 800 waiting at mid-afternoon at the southernmost stop, the Fannin South Park and Ride. To help handle the crowds, Metro was asking those who had gotten a free rail ride to take a free bus ride back to their point of origin, rather than wait again for a light-rail car.

Among the speakers at the opening ceremony was Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison (R.-Tex.). She recalled the creation of the Metro transit agency 25 years earlier (to the day), and said the opening of light rail was "the culmination of a dream and a great new beginning for Houston."  Houston had been without rail transit since 1940.

A minor derailment on the eastbound Capitol Limited late on December 24 injured two and caused disruption as passengers were transferred to the forward part of the train. The second-to-last coach partially derailed just east of Toledo at a crossing with another rail line.  The section of the train forward from that coach was able to proceed after a delay.

Amtrak San Joaquin trains were delayed by a freight derailment early December 29 in Pittsburg, Cal. Though the derailed cars included some carrying liquid propane, none leaked. The Amtrak trains were diverted to a Union Pacific line nearby.

Coast Starlight service was disrupted earlier in the week between Klamath Falls and Oakland, due to a massive snowstorm in the Cascade Mountains. The westbound California Zephyr derailed a coach at low speed in Donner Pass in the Sierra Nevada range mid-day on January 1, where there also had been very heavy snowfall. After some snow-clearing and re-shuffling of train equipment, most of the train proceeded west, though with great delay.

Greyhound will move its Jackson, Miss., operations to Union Station on January 12. That station's renovation was completed last fall. Passengers connecting between Amtrak's City of New Orleans and intercity buses at Jackson will no longer have to cross town to do so.

George Falcon, who, for many years, sponsored the George Falcon Golden Spike Award, passed away on December 29. Falcon was a long-time publisher of the Key entertainment and dining magazine in Los Angeles, and started the award as a way to recognize those with a strong interest in railroading and more particularly (later on), those with a strong interest in the cause of passenger railroads. Falcon was a NARP member for many years -- and a board member up to 1986 -- and by the mid-1980's turned over recipient selection to NARP, while still providing the award itself. A memorial service will be January 4, 2:00 pm, at Pierce Brothers Griffin Mortuary in Camarillo, Cal.

Effective January 1, the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers is merged with the International Brotherhood of Teamsters. This follows a December 5 vote by the two unions. The BLE is now known as the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET) and is the first member of a new IBT Rail Conference.

A TEA-21 renewal bill (highway/transit reauthorization) could be approved by the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee in the first week of February. The following week, the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee may do the same. It remains important that the final product include a rail section based on one of the rail bills now pending, such as ARRIVE-21 (S.1961).

In less than a month, the Bush Administration will release its proposed funding figures for fiscal 2005. If the past is any guide, the Administration will propose no more than $900 million on the presumptions that Amtrak must be "reformed" and that mounting federal budget deficits do not permit increases for domestic discretionary programs like passenger rail. "Reform," in this sense, means things like partial privatization and making it impossible to run nationwide, long-distance service (in the misplaced belief that diversion of the meager resources now devoted to those trains to corridors will make corridors magically blossom).

Federal deficits are indeed mounting, so many eyebrows were raised this morning at reports that the Administration will propose next week a program to create a permanent settlement on the moon, as a first step toward conquering Mars. No cost estimate was given. The stated purposes are to "unify the country behind a gigantic common purpose" and to create a "huge jobs program." It is hard to see how such a program, though arguably worthy for scientific reasons, can be consistent with cutting budget deficits in the long-term.

Polls consistently show that Americans support development of passenger rail.  Forward-looking bills like S.1961 would do that and create many jobs in the process, but the bills do not enjoy Administration support. We cannot endorse Administration policy that may continue to deny resources to passenger rail partly because of budget deficits -- while forgetting all about them when promoting moon missions.

There is an increasing chance that in order to break the fiscal 2004 funding deadlock, the House may approve a continuing resolution for programs -- including Amtrak -- whose funding bills are still stuck. This ultimate continuing resolution would last all the way to September 30, and would freeze most programs -- including Amtrak -- at the same level as fiscal 2003. In Amtrak's case, that's $1.043 billion -- $175 million below the $1.218 billion pending in the appropriations bill, and $143 million above the "shutdown" level of $900 million promoted by the Bush Administration and previously approved by the House.

Amtrak, which is already having to pare down its capital and operating budgets to meet the anticipated $1.218 billion level, would have to find another $175 million to cut, which cannot be an easy thing to do.

Acting under Senate rules, on December 9 the Senate returned to the White House the nominations of Louis S. Thompson to the Amtrak board, and Kirk Van Tine to be Deputy Secretary of Transportation. For them to be considered for confirmation this year, the president would have to renominate them. Thompson apparently was sent back at the insistence of Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle, because Thompson was put forward as a Democrat although there apparently had been no White House consultation with Senate Democrats. Van Tine's nomination was controversial because of a strong disagreement between DOT (where he serves as general counsel) and Federal Express over how much in emergency federal payments Federal Express (as an airline) is entitled to, or -- more precisely -- how much of what it has received it should return.

In a November 5 letter to the leaders of the Senate Commerce Committee, NARP supported Thompson's nomination. That letter, from NARP Executive Director Ross B. Capon, stated, in part, "We do not expect to agree with him on all issues, but we think his selection is an example of the nomination process at its best:  someone who has a detailed knowledge of the rail passenger business both here and abroad. This is not to say that such knowledge should be a prerequisite for every board member, but the level of expertise he brings will certainly be an asset. Mr. Thompson asked for our support. He then participated in a telephone conference call with five members of our executive committee, including me. After receiving a report on that call, our full executive committee voted overwhelmingly to endorse him."

Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta plans to reorganize a number of key functions in the department with official action coming with the fiscal year 2005 budget submission in February, 2004. Some changes require legislation, others can be done administratively. One report suggests a merger of Federal Railroad Administration with the Office of Pipeline Safety will be proposed. The new agency would be called the Federal Railroad and Pipeline Administration.

Oregon's passenger-rail funding may depend on the outcome of a vote-by-mail state referendum that ends February 3, according to the Albany Democrat-Herald (January 3). If voters do not approve a tax package in the referendum, the legislature will have to cut items from its current two-year budget, and passenger rail, which almost didn't make it into the budget at all last year, may be a target.

The article also mentioned the retirement of Robert Krebs, who has been the Oregon DOT Rail Division's passenger rail coordinator. He handled many of the details of getting Cascades service going in 1998 and expanded in 2000, as well as those involving the Lewis and Clark Explorer train. He retired on December 31 and is working part-time until his successor is hired.

The Georgia Rail Passenger Authority endorsed on January 6 a Georgia DOT proposal for a scaled-back commuter-rail line, running from Atlanta south to Lovejoy. This is on the route of a longer-range proposal for service to Macon. Gov. Sonny Purdue's (R.) approval is still necessary, and it's far from clear that he will support it. The Georgia Association of Railroad Passengers last month also endorsed the proposal, but also wants the service to run a little further south, to Griffin.

A broken piece of scrap rail caused a small electrical explosion on a New York #2 subway train the morning of January 5, and penetrated the passenger compartment.  Fortunately, the rail did not strike any passengers. The New York Times said the rail had been replaced with a new rail in September, but had not been retrieved from the track bed. Over time, it fractured further until it finally got snagged by a passing train. Subway inspectors this week were combing the entire system in search of similar scraps in the tracks.

Restoration of the sleeping car to the Boston-Washington Federal, once expected to happen December 1, then February 1, then March 1, now will not happen before April 1. The maintenance backlog for Viewliner sleepers apparently isn't been addressed as quickly as Amtrak had expected.

Amtrak quietly removed soft drinks from the "complimentary" amenities offered to sleeping-car passengers, starting January 1. Bottled water and ice will continue to be provided, as well as morning juice and coffee.

Through January 23, track work will force replacement buses for San Joaquin trains between Fresno and Bakersfield.

Travel problems in the Pacific Northwest were caused earlier in the week by heavy snow, the heaviest in eight years, and ice. Cascades #504 and #507 did not operate January 7. Also, the northbound Coast Starlight that was supposed to arrive in Seattle on January 6 was nearly ten hours late arriving into Vancouver, Wash., after midnight, due to frozen switches. The Hours of Service law caught up with the crew there, and the train remained another five hours until morning, when the rested crew of the cancelled #504 took the train back to Portland. Amtrak said recrewing the train was difficult because of the icy roads, according to the Vancouver Columbian. The passengers were transferred to a northbound Cascades train, which also was delayed due to frozen switches.

A mudslide yesterday blocked the BNSF main line in north Seattle. No Amtrak or Sounder trains will get through there until at least tomorrow.

The Tri-Met MAX light rail system in Portland was partially shut down on January 6, due to freezing rain and downed wires. The Portland Streetcar downtown also shut down, and Tri-Met bus service, though mostly running, was subject to significant delay. The airport also was closed. The storm appeared to be the MAX system's worst since it began service in 1986.  Tri-Met's general manager has promised a review of all transit operations to see what would help in future such storms.

VIA Rail's eastbound train 86 derailed near Shakespeare, Ont., yesterday morning while traveling from London to Kitchener and Toronto. One passenger was injured. The train remained upright and in-line.  An investigation continues, though local police cited rail breaks at a road crossing. Train 86 shares its route with the Chicago-Toronto International.

The Senate expects to begin several weeks of debate on its TEA-21 (surface transportation) renewal bill, starting in the first week of February. The Environment and Public Works Committee approved a highway section of the bill in November, with $255 billion over six years. The Banking Committee, responsible for transit, refused to write its part of the bill until there was a funding agreement. Negotiations between the Finance and Banking committees reportedly are under way. Senators Hollings (D.-S.C.), Carper (D.-Del.), and Hutchison (R.-Tex.) are working to reach common agreement on a rail title that could be introduced as a floor amendment.

Some say no long-term bill could pass in this election year. If there is another short-term TEA-21 extension bill, many believe it will be "clean" -- that is, have no major changes. But there is some sentiment for putting a handful of items that once were in the failed energy bill -- MTBE (fuel additive liability) and ethanol provisions -- into the surface transportation bill.  Pressure to include those things could translate into pressure to do a long-term bill this year, brightening the chances for enactment of a rail title. Be sure to tell your legislators that you believe a rail title is essential. Click here for ways to make contact.

Senate Republicans are preparing to advance the omnibus spending bill for fiscal 2004, perhaps as early as January 19. That bill has $1.218 billion for Amtrak. However, the bill faces opposition both from conservatives, who object to "too much pork," and from Democrats who are mainly upset about various policy measures in the bill. Overall, the omnibus has a net increase in federal funding of about $6 billion over 2003 levels.

Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R.-Tenn.) has suggested that if the Democrats block progress on the bill, the omnibus would die and a continuing resolution with 2003 spending levels would be offered to cover the rest of 2004. That would give Amtrak just $1.043 billion, greatly harming its capital program (not to mention harming many federal other programs).

A bond measure placed on California's November ballot this year by the legislature would be delayed indefinitely, under a proposal made by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R.) in his 2004-05 budget proposals released January 9. Project supporters hope the delay may be no longer than to 2006. The budget says, "Given the state's current fiscal situation, it would be premature for the state to move forward with additional general fund debt of this magnitude at this time. The needs for funding high-speed rail will be reviewed as part of an overall discussion of transportation resources." That "additional" debt includes two proposals yet to be approved by state voters -- $12.3 billion for school infrastructure and $15 billion for refinancing current state debt.  Voters will consider those items March 2.

The budget would allow environmental studies to continue; an Environmental Impact Statement is scheduled to be released by the end of this month. The November bond measure would provide $9 billion to allow a Bay Area-Los Angeles trunk to be built, with other branches to come later. Another $950 million is meant for other rail projects. The governor's proposed change requires an act of the legislature. The proposed budget leaves intact operating moneys for the three Amtrak corridors in California.

Another budget proposal would suspend Proposition 42 money for the second year in a row. That money comes from a gasoline sales tax dedicated to transportation improvements, a concept approved by voters in 2002. The governor's budget permanently diverts $1.1 billion of that transportation money to the general fund. Proposition 42 allowed such diversions in times of budget crisis.

Many other highway and transit projects will have their state funding eliminated, including a proposal to electrify the Caltrain commuter line between San Jose and San Francisco and extension of Sacramento's South light-rail line. The budget would subject such pending projects to new economic criteria before they could be revived. Projects far along in construction, like the Caltrain "Baby Bullet" project, will go forward.

The Northstar Corridor Development Authority last week cut its proposal for an 82-mile St. Cloud-Minneapolis commuter train down to 40 miles (Big Lake-Minneapolis), in order to meet tighter Federal Transit Administration criteria. This week, Gov. Tim Pawlenty (R.), who opposed the project for years as a state legislator, came out in favor of it, saying the Twin Cities region was "choking in traffic." Pawlenty has proposed that $37.5 million from a larger bond proposal go to furthering work on the project, but significant opposition in the legislature remains.

ProRail, the South Central Wisconsin Chapter of the Wisconsin Association of Railroad Passengers, will award its first Pat Robbins Memorial Friend of the Passenger Award to former Wisconsin Transportation Secretary Terry Mulcahy, on January 24 in Middleton, Wis. Pat Robbins was very active in both ProRail and NARP before she passed away in 2002. ProRail also will unveil a bronze portrait of her that they hope one day will be part of a plaque at the future Madison passenger rail station.

The Orange County Transportation Authority approved a 9.3-mile route for the CenterLine light-rail project on January 12. The line, shortened from previous proposals, would run in Costa Mesa and Santa Ana, with the John Wayne Airport at one end and Santa Ana Regional Transportation Center (Amtrak and Metrolink station) at the other.

One car of a four-car New Jersey Transit Main Line commuter train derailed this morning. All cars remained upright and no one was injured, according to Associated Press. The derailment occurred near Secaucus Junction, and is blamed on an improper instruction to the engineer to proceed over a switch that was frozen shut.

A subsidiary of the Burlington Northern Santa Fe, BNSF Logistics, will participate in a new automobile-transporting service focused on the Phoenix area, to be called Car-Rail service. With the Autolog Corporation, BNSF will transport autos between El Mirage, Ariz., and Minneapolis, Chicago, and New York, starting March 8. Passenger service will not be provided -- automobile owners would have to use other common-carrier services to reach their destination. Car-Rail is supposed to be cheaper and faster than other automobile-shipping services that exist today. More details about the service will be presented at a news conference at the El Mirage terminal on January 22.

The first through freight train on the new north-south transcontinental rail line in Australia is scheduled to arrive at the northern port of Darwin tomorrow morning, realizing a 150-year-old dream of such service. The train left Adelaide yesterday. The inaugural for the extended Ghan passenger service will depart Adelaide on February 1. It will be over one kilometer long (over 0.62 miles) and is billed as the longest passenger train in Australian history.

Passenger rail service between India and Pakistan resumed yesterday, after a two-year closure, in the form of the Lahore-New Delhi Samjhauta Express, which will run twice-weekly.  Spectators threw rose petals on border guards when the New Delhi-bound train crossed into India at Attari. Passengers leaving the train at Lahore also were showered with flower petals.

The Senate yesterday approved the fiscal 2004 omnibus spending bill (H.R.2673), 65-28. This bill funds most of the federal government. The omnibus includes the Transportation bill (H.R.2989), and thus gives Amtrak its $1.218 billion grant. The House approved the omnibus December 8. President Bush is expected to sign it. [The New York Times reported that much of the bill's $820 billion "was automatic Medicare and Medicaid spending, with Congress controlling about $328 billion of the total."]

The omnibus first came before the Senate, earlier in the week, on January 20. It was blocked from immediate consideration that day on a 48-45 vote (where 60 votes were needed to proceed to debate). The omnibus was widely denounced both for policy changes and for "pork." On January 21, John McCain (R.-Ariz.) spoke against the bill for over an hour, attacking both the almost $11 billion in local-project earmarks as well as GOP policy decisions on media ownership and other issues. Edward Kennedy (D.-Mass.) yesterday decried what the bill "will do to working families and women and veterans." The bill drops a ban on a Labor Department proposal unions say would restrict the ability of many workers to qualify for overtime. Other policy controversies involve country-of-origin food labeling, gun control and school vouchers.

Work is progressing on combining elements of two bills to reauthorize Amtrak and increase railroad investment in general -- the Hollings bill (S.1961) and the Hutchison bill (S.1505). The resulting bill may be introduced as a floor amendment when the Senate considers TEA-21 renewal, and, as such, may not have its own bill number. Senate consideration of TEA-21 renewal could come as soon as the week of February 2.

Please ask your Senators to support any resulting Hollings-Hutchison amendment to TEA-21 renewal. Click here for ways to contact Senators.

The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee may consider a TEA-21 renewal bill of its own (H.R.3350, "TEA-LU") as soon as February 5. The transit industry supports this bill, but it's unclear whether the final bill will have a rail title (as is hoped for in the Senate, see above).

The formal launch of the fiscal 2005 funding process will come barely a week after resolution of funding for fiscal 2004 -- which began October 1, 2003. President Bush will send his request to Congress on February 2. Amtrak's request goes to Congress on February 15.

The Bush Administration is calling for significant increases in defense and homeland security spending -- 7% for defense (up $26 billion to $395 billion) and 9.7% for homeland security (rising to about $30 billion). But, for other programs, according to the Washington Post, the Bush Administration will hold the growth of federal spending below 1%. The impact on domestic discretionary spending (including passenger rail) will vary from one program to another as 1% is just an average and some programs may be in for proposals for cuts.

An expansion of quiet cars was announced by Amtrak on January 21. All weekend Acela Express trains now have one. Previously, in the Northeast Corridor, quiet cars were mostly a weekday phenomenon (except for the small number of daily Regional trains, which also have quiet cars on weekends). However, while cell phone and pager use may have been a mostly business-oriented activity several years ago, such use is just as common away from business hours. We applaud this expansion and encourage its spread to other weekend Regional trains.

Amtrak service through the Charleston, S.C., area is disrupted today after a military train derailed last night in North Charleston, near the Air Force base. Officials were concerned that the train may have weapons on it. Some passengers will be bussed around the area, but the Auto Train will detour via Columbia.

President Bush signed into law H.R.2673, the combined omnibus appropriations bill for fiscal 2004, on January 23 (Public Law 108-199). The omnibus included all transportation funding for this fiscal year, with $1.218 billion for Amtrak. The President is expected to release his fiscal 2005 proposals on February 2.

The Senate process for TEA-21 renewal may still move forward in the coming week, but the issues remain complex. The Senate Finance Committee will meet February 2, to consider ways to increase funding without raising the gas tax. A committee draft bill has found creative ways to fund anticipated highway increases, but is silent on how to fund transit increases. That leaves a $20-billion gap for the Banking Committee, which handles transit, to deal with when it meets February 3. As a result, there may be an attempt to reduce transit's traditional 2.86 cents of the gas tax and (on the Budget Committee side) the commitment of general funds to transit.

The Banking Committee leadership opposes the Finance Committee's proposal, which the American Public Transportation Association says would effectively cut transit funding below levels guaranteed in TEA-21, the law that covered highway/transit funding through 2003.  [APTA may have further updates next week on that.]

At 5:30 pm on February 2, there will be an effort on the Senate floor to debate the reauthorization bill by invoking cloture, which lets consideration of the measure go forward. Transit advocates oppose the cloture motion because that would start debate before the Banking Committee finishes its transit work.

In the area of passenger rail, it is vital that a railroad title (or section) of the bill be adopted on the Senate floor. In fact, it may be the only opportunity for the next six (or so) years for a comprehensive authorization of passenger/freight/high-speed issues. Please ask your senators to press for this. For ways to make contact, click here. Negotiations to that end continue among Senators Hutchison (R.-Tex.), Hollings (D.-S.C.) and Carper (D.-Del.).

S.1961, the ARRIVE-21 passenger rail reauthorization and expansion bill, got two more co-sponsors last week, bringing the total to nine. They were Schumer (D.-N.Y.) and Clinton (D.-N.Y.). However, there are potential sponsors who are not officially signed onto the bill yet, because the lead sponsors want to show as high as percentage of Republican co-sponsors as possible.

Senators Tom Carper (D.-Del.) and Joe Biden (D.-Del.) will hold a news conference on S.1961 at 11:00 am on February 2 at the Wilmington train station.

The House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure was to consider its own TEA-21 renewal bill on February 4, but has postponed that, pending discussions with other committee chairs and House Republican leaders about how to fund the bill.

President Bush renominated Louis S. Thompson to a vacant position on the Amtrak board on January 26.

Amtrak will eliminate the Chicago-Toronto International effective with the April 26 timetable change, and replace it with a Chicago-Port Huron service, at the request of the State of Michigan, which pays part of the cost of the train. VIA Rail Canada will continue to operate its Sarnia-Toronto services, but there will be no connection between Amtrak and VIA at Port Huron/Sarnia. No schedule for the Amtrak service has been published yet, but it is thought that a train set will be turned at Chicago midday, and at Port Huron at night.

Cross-border traffic on the International has declined over the past two or three years, as U.S. Customs has been unable (or unwilling) to handle the train in a timely manner. Michigan hopes that other passengers will be drawn to the train if it is more reliable and if it connects with more Amtrak trains at Chicago.

NARP has urged Amtrak to establish a Thruway bus connection between Windsor and Detroit or Dearborn, which would allow travelers to make the cross-border trip (though with transfers).

A Burlington Northern Santa Fe freight train was derailed January 28 by avalanches west of Essex, Mont., blocking the main line used by the Empire Builder. BNSF said that because of the continuing danger, no passenger trains could move through the area until today at the earliest. Amtrak has annulled the Empire Builder west of St. Paul. A stub train was operated between Chicago and St. Paul.  No alternate transportation west of St. Paul was offered, except an eastbound bus on January 28 to Spokane.

The Lake Shore Limited has been leaving Chicago consistently late and on-time performance for other trains has suffered as well. Cold weather is a factor, but the proportion of cars out of service has been unusually high. A third sleeper on the Silver Meteor is not running and today's Cardinal left Washington without baggage car, sleeper or diner -- just a lounge and three coaches.

Amtrak cut back on its Northeast Corridor service when a storm (ice in some places, snow in others) moved through. Several Acela Express and Metroliners (and a few Regionals) were cancelled on January 28. Metro North ran a Sunday schedule that morning after rush hour.  Airports were also affected by the weather, and many New York-area flights were cancelled on January 28. New York-area highway bridges had speed restrictions, and a long stretch of the New Jersey Turnpike was limited to 35 mph. On January 29, Amtrak cancelled three Metroliner round-trips and a few Regional trains.

Icy conditions that caused power outages, frozen switches, and signal problems in Virginia and the Carolinas, largely on CSX, led to disruptions for other Amtrak trains. Amtrak on January 27 cancelled the northbound Silver Star, southbound Silver Meteor, and the Auto Train in both directions.

Amtrak has restored a baggage car to the Federal on January 19 by removing it from the Adirondack after January 17. Boston and Providence regain baggage and express service to the rest of the Northeast Corridor; New Haven regains baggage service only. Other points with Federal baggage service are New York, Philadelphia, and Washington. Baggage service to Saratoga Springs and Montreal is eliminated, as is bicycle service.

Sunset Limited service east of New Orleans is cancelled for part of March, due to a CSX track project. The last eastbound train to run all the way through to Orlando is the one leaving New Orleans on March 9 (though a coach-only stub train will run New Orleans-Orlando on March 12); the first eastbound train to resume will be the one leaving Los Angeles on March 21. The last westbound train to run all the way through is the one leaving Orlando on March 11; the first westbound train to resume will be the one leaving Orlando on March 25 (though a coach-only stub train will run Orlando-New Orleans on March 23). On all scheduled trips in between, the train will run only west of New Orleans, with no alternate transportation offered east of there.

The California High Speed Rail Authority and Federal Railroad Administration have released a Draft Program Environmental Impact Report/Environmental Impact Statement (Draft EIR/EIS) on January 27. It says that a "no build" approach would leave a growing state population underserved by an overwhelmed highway and aviation system, resulting in "increased travel times" and that is "significantly less reliable than existing conditions." It says that improvements to existing modes could meet travel demand in 2020, but not as well as if high-speed rail also were built. The Draft EIR/EIS concludes that building the proposed high-speed rail network in California is the superior option.

The selection of routes over the mountains entering the Bay Area from the southeast has been a source of controversy for some. The Altamont Pass, which many believe is the easiest and cheapest option, was rejected earlier in the screening process because it would require a crossing of San Francisco Bay in an environmentally sensitive area parallel to the abandoned Dunbarton rail bridge, and because it would require trains to split to three routes at Fremont (to San Jose, Oakland, and San Francisco). A more southerly crossing (such as at Pacheco Pass) brings the line to San Jose and only requires a split into two routes (Oakland and San Francisco), but crosses environmentally sensitive areas as well. It also makes the high-speed network less useful to Bay Area-Sacramento travel than the Altamont routing might have been.

There is a temporary San Joaquin 30% discount being offered in the wake of recent trackwork-related disruptions. It can be booked on-line using promotion code H401.  Passengers need to book at least two days in advance of travel, book by February 10 and complete travel by February 12.