NARP June 2004 Hotlines

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Funding allocations were made on June 2 between the various subcommittees of the House Appropriations Committee, and it is more important than ever to contact legislators in support of a good Amtrak appropriation for 2005. The total House allocation for discretionary spending for 2005 is $821.4 billion -- $1.6 billion less than President Bush's request, though $35.6 billion higher than the level enacted for all discretionary spending programs for 2004.

The only one of the 13 subcommittees to get a cut compared to 2004 is the Transportation-Treasury Subcommittee, which is responsible for Amtrak funding. That Subcommittee got $25.4 billion, which is $2.9 billion below the 2004 level and $275 million below the Bush-proposed level. That $25.4-billion excludes most highway spending and some aviation and transit spending ("contract authority" from trust funds), meaning the reduction has to be applied to remaining, non-trust fund programs.

There is no word on when the Transportation/Treasury Subcommittee will write and approve a 2005 funding bill, though the Homeland Security Subcommittee passed its bill yesterday. That bill includes $100 million for rail and transit security and $11 million for more Transportation Security Administration rail demonstrations. The low allocation for Transportation-Treasury, with a chairman already antagonistic to Amtrak, does not bode well for Amtrak funding in 2005.

Maine Gov. John Baldacci (D.) announced on June 2 an agreement with Guilford that will allow Boston-Portland Downeaster service to begin to have speed increases effective August 1. Guilford President David Fink was present at the governor's news conference. The top speed on the 78 miles of Guilford-owned tracks in New Hampshire and Maine will rise from 60 mph to 79 mph on certain segments. By fall 2005, over 30 miles will have been raised to 79 mph, making for a total trip time reduction of 15 minutes (compared to today).  There also will be segments where speeds will be raised from where they are now to something below 79 mph.

The change comes after years of regulatory and court decisions allowing Amtrak to run at 79 mph, but which Guilford appealed. The last action was an April 20 decision by the U.S. District Court of Appeals in the District of Columbia Circuit in favor of 79 mph.

Some preparatory work for the speed increase will happen July 24-31. Those are the dates of the Democratic National Convention in the Fleet Center, which is above North Station in Boston and which will be closed. The Northern New England Passenger Rail Authority, the state agency involved in running the Downeaster, announced that all Downeaster service would be suspended those days.

Also at the June 2 news conference, Fink said he would allow special Rockland-Brunswick excursion trains planned for this summer to run also on a Brunswick-Portland line owned by Guilford. A state official indicated tentative plans were to run Portland-Rockland trains in connection with the Maine Lobster Festival in early August and the Rockland Harborfest Jazz and Art Festival on September 18.

Baldacci said work on an environmental assessment of a bridge on Back Cove in Portland is continuing; it would allow Downeaster trains to serve a possible downtown station and continue north from there.

The Senate Commerce Committee held a hearing June 2 on several pending nominations, including that of Enrique Sosa to the Amtrak board. Sosa was nominated by President Bush on February 6.  He has spent much of his career in the petrochemical industry.  Although highly regarded for his business experience, he said in response to a question that he had never been on a train.

The Senate on May 21 confirmed the nominations of Frank Mulvey to the Surface Transportation Board and Debbie Hersman to the National Transportation Safety Board.  Both had worked hard on Amtrak and general rail funding authorization efforts, Mulvey for Rep. James Oberstar (D.-Minn.) and the House Subcommittee on Railroads, Hersman for Sen. Ernest Hollings (D.-S.C.) and the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation.

There will be several ceremonies next weekend to mark the 75th anniversary of the Empire Builder. Though the Great Northern Railway had service on the route before, new equipment was put into service in 1929 on a train named for the most important person in that company's development, James J. Hill (1838-1916). With its connection to Chicago over the Burlington Route, the Empire Builder was the premier train of the Great Northern route until the advent of Amtrak in 1971.

Several route changes led to today's route. In 1971, three changes were made -- the Chicago-St. Paul segment was shifted to the Milwaukee Road (now Canadian Pacific) line, in order to serve Milwaukee; the Fargo-Minot segment was shifted to serve Grand Forks; and the Spokane-Seattle segment was shifted to serve Pasco and Yakima. When Amtrak's North Coast Hiawatha was discontinued as part of the Carter Administration cuts of 1979, the Empire Builder's St. Paul-Fargo segment was shifted to serve St. Cloud, Minn. Finally, when Amtrak started a Spokane-Pasco-Portland section in 1981, the Seattle section went back to its traditional route via Wenatchee, Wash. The train remains an important transportation option across the Northern Plains.

Ceremonies will center on trains departing Chicago, Seattle, and Portland on June 11. Speakers will include Amtrak President David Gunn (at some stops). See our events page for more information. Passengers on the trains originating June 11 will receive complementary gift packages from Amtrak. Some events on the westbound train will be conducted in a former Great Northern dome car that once was in Empire Builder service.

Amtrak got nine awards from the Transportation Marketing and Communications Association in May, three of them Awards of Excellence and six Awards of Merit. The organization recognizes transportation organizations that have developed creative, strategic marketing and communications projects.

Taxpayers for Common Sense (TCS) and Friends of the Earth this week release a report, "Road to Ruin," which "documents 27 road projects that will drain federal tax dollars, and harm communities, and damage the natural environment. In total, these projects would cost federal taxpayers at least $24 billion." A June 2 UPI story quoted TCS's Erich Zimmermann, "At a time of ballooning deficits, it is shocking that lawmakers would attempt to shove more billion-dollar white elephants onto taxpayers. We need to set priorities, and should start by eliminating these projects immediately." Among the projects are Maryland's Inter County Connector and truck lanes on I-81 in Virginia.

BNSF has shut down its line between Martinez and Stockton, due to flooding. Amtrak San Joaquin trains (Oakland route) are detouring via Sacramento.

Caltrain starts its "Baby Bullet" service on June 7. There will be ten express trains between San Jose and San Francisco, stopping in only a few places, cutting the total travel time from 96 minutes to 57 minutes. During a project that started in July 2002, the line was shut down on weekends to allow for work to expand the line's capacity. Weekend service will return, with the first two weekends (June 5-6 and 12-13) featuring free rides.

The Seattle monorail line was shut down indefinitely June 1 by an electrical fire. About 100 people were trapped as one of the two trains was passing a crowded music festival. They had to be rescued by ladder. City officials said it was the first such event since the monorail opened in 1962.

The Delaware House approved HR76, a bill to reinstate a passenger rail task force, on a 21-8 vote yesterday. The task force would be charged with making recommendations for how to start passenger rail service on the Newark-Middletown segment, with the intention of later expanding it to Wilmington-Dover.

The first permanent program on a transit system for randomly checking passengers' belongings for explosives will go into operation in Boston, on the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority system, in July. The MBTA plans to use a few dogs that will pass near passengers to look for the scent of explosives. But it will also use officers without dogs who will be given the authority to look inside bags, briefcases, etc., on a random basis. The searches would be stepped up during the Democratic National Convention later in the month.

This is already raising some concerns and is sure to lead to court cases. The executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Massachusetts, Carol Rose, told the Boston Globe (June 8) that while she understands the need for increased security and vigilance, searching bags "either has to be truly random, or it has to have a root in a reasonable basis of suspicion ... What does random mean? How do you ensure that it is random?"

The Transportation Security Administration began on June 7 its second test of equipment and procedures in an intercity passenger rail environment. This test, running through June 30, is for checked baggage originating at Washington Union Station, weekdays, 9:00 am - 5:30 pm. Baggage will be put through an explosives-detection machine after it has been checked. Since Amtrak is not asking passengers to check bags early to allow for the test, the process will not be visible to passengers. The test also applies to express, day-check, and unclaimed items.

In a release, TSA urged passengers checking bags during those hours to remove several items from their bags -- cameras, unprocessed film, computers, software, VCR's, and other valuables -- and to leave bags unlocked "in the event further inspection is needed." Previous Amtrak rules prohibiting certain other items from checked baggage still apply.

TSA said that the New Carrollton, Md., tests in May showed that machines used to check carry-on bags and people for explosives worked well, but that there are no plans to install such machines permanently, according to the Washington Post (June 4).

The eastbound Capitol Limited was annulled at Cumberland, Md., on June 6 after a report of suspicious activity on the train. Some passengers, who are in the military, reported "suspicious males of Middle Eastern descent" to the conductor, who notified police, who notified the FBI. The train was stopped and searched by agents and dogs. The activity reported by the passengers included working on a computer and putting something under a shirt. Hours later, passengers, including the original "suspicious" men, were bussed to Washington. The searches uncovered nothing of concern. An Amtrak spokesman told the Washington Post that "similar reports" stop Amtrak trains about once a week.

Protestors against the G-8 summit are thought to be behind an incident yesterday morning in which masked men in a car threw smoke bombs onto a railroad crossing between Cary and Durham, N.C., just before the arrival of Amtrak's westbound Piedmont. The site is adjacent to the Research Triangle Park, which may have been a target of the protestors (who also unfurled banners nearby). Investigators also found jumper cables on the tracks, and found that the crossing arms had been lowered manually to block street traffic.

Conferees for the pending surface transportation renewal bill have been selected. They met for the first time on June 9, but it is unlikely they will finish their work before the July 4 recess.

A wildfire last weekend closed both the Union Pacific Coast Line and US 101 near Gaviota, Cal. A rail bridge near Gaviota State Park was damaged, forcing Amtrak to suspend the Coast Starlight south of San Luis Obispo and the San Luis Obispo Pacific Surfliners (774-775) north of Santa Barbara. Other Pacific Surfliners to Goleta were operating. Repair efforts are expected to last at least through June 20.

Burlington Northern Santa Fe reopened one track of its Martinez-Stockton line early on June 7, after having closed it for a few days due to flooding. Amtrak San Joaquin trains (Oakland route) were expected to resume using the route today after detouring via Sacramento.

The first stage of previously announced detours through Wyoming for the California Zephyr began June 7. The detours were requested by Union Pacific to accommodate work in Moffat Tunnel, west of Denver.

The Amtrak station in Sedalia, Mo., may get exterior renovations soon, as the city council approved a contract for such work on June 7.

Amtrak's northbound Hoosier State derailed in Chicago on June 8. No injuries were reported. The derailment occurred at 42nd St., at a place where Metra's Southwest commuter line joins the Norfolk Southern main line (which carries all of Amtrak's Union Station-Hammond-Whiting traffic). The cause is thought to be a component of a previous Metra train that fell off and jammed into a switch.

VIA Rail Canada is offering an anniversary discount through September 9 in honor of the July 3 centennial of the Montreal-Halifax Ocean (formerly the Ocean Limited). In July, VIA will complete its process of re-equipping the Ocean with Renaissance cars. The last trips for the old Budd equipment are from Montreal on July 11 and from Halifax on July 14.

Sacramento RTD's light-rail extension from Mather Field through Rancho Cordova to Sunrise Blvd. (2.8 miles) opened today. It is on a route that will be extended further east to Folsom in April 2005. A formal opening ceremony for the Sunrise segment has been postponed to 12:00 noon on June 28, due to the national day of mourning today.

The House passed H.R.4520 yesterday, which is the counterpart tax bill to S.1637, which the Senate passed on May 11. The Senate version has a three-year federal tax-credit program that could allow $1 billion to go to rail -- half for corridor development and half for short and regional freight railroads. The rail provision is not in the House bill, so the issue (like so many others) now goes to conference. Your Senators and Representative should hear that you want them to work to make sure the rail provisions in S.1637 are kept in the final bill. Click here for ways to make contact.

Of course, investment in corridors also helps long-distance trains that use corridors for part of their route and makes the whole national system stronger by attracting new passengers and making the operations of existing trains more efficient.

The BBC is reporting that the British government, in an acknowledgement of the failure of railroad privatization, will be taking greater control of the railroad system.  Among the proposals put forward is the elimination of the Strategic Rail Authority, which oversaw the privatization program.

According to the Philadelphia Daily News, a pipe bomb was found on the Northeast Corridor near Norwood, Pa. (between Philadelphia and Wilmington).  The device was quickly removed and was determined not to be of significant strength to cause any damage.  A link to the infamous "suburban bomber," who placed nearly 20 devices in and around Philadelphia in 2000 and 2001, as opposed to international terrorists, is being investigated.

Rail Security Legislation has been introduced by House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee Chairman Don Young (R-AK), Railroads Subcommittee Chairman Jack Quinn (R-NY), and Jon Porter (R-NV):  H.R. 4604, the “Protecting Railroads against Enemy Efforts through Modernization, Planning and Technology Act” (PREEMPT). Young's release states, “The legislation will provide the resources both to harden our nation's rail system against the possibility of terrorist attack and to improve our ability to recover from such an incident. It will direct the preparation of comprehensive security plans, including contingency plans, for preventing and, if necessary, recovering from any terrorist incident.” The legislation will provide in excess of $1 billion in new money, including more than $600 million to improve the safety of critical rail tunnels used by Amtrak and commuter railroads

Union Pacific plans to hire a total of 5,000 workers, 800 more than earlier announced, to combat delays that are plaguing the railroad, The New York Times reports today.  A fatal combination of increased business and rapidly retiring workforce has caught UP off guard and resulted in massive train delays to both its freight and Amtrak passenger trains (primarily the Sunset Limited and Coast Starlight).

Wireless internet access service offered by Amtrak and AT&T Wireless, which was announced in February, began on June 16 at six Amtrak stations -- Route 128, Providence, New York Penn, Philadelphia 30th Street, Wilmington, and Baltimore Penn. AT&T Wireless customers will not be charged to use the service, but others will be charged $9.99 (for 24 hours' access). The Club Acela lounge at Washington Union Station has had such service for about a year.

Union Pacific made repairs to a fire-damaged bridge near Gaviota, Cal., faster than expected, and Amtrak service through the area was restored by June 13.

Amtrak's San Joaquin (Oakland route) trains were not restored to the Martinez-Stockton line as was expected for June 11. The line had been closed due to flooding. Oakland-route trains had detoured via Sacramento. On June 16, service was restored over that segment for trains 712, 715, 716, and 717 only, subject to delay. The other trains (711, 713, 714, and 718 are now being annulled west of Stockton, with substitute bus service to Martinez, Emeryville, and Oakland only.

An earthquake in the ocean off of Tijuana on the afternoon of June 15 delayed two Amtrak Pacific Surfliners on the San Diego line, for about an hour so that the track could be inspected.

The restored Santa Fe Depot in San Bernardino, Cal., was dedicated with a festival on June 13. It is not clear when a space for Amtrak in the building will be available, though talks between Amtrak and the owners, the San Bernardino Associated Governments and the City of San Bernardino, continue.

By all accounts, the special activities organized by Amtrak and others for the 75th anniversary of the Empire Builder on June 11 and 12 (reported here two weeks ago) were very successful.  Amtrak President David L. Gunn rode the westbound train from Chicago to Whitefish. The dignitaries participating in on-line ceremonies included the Governors of Wisconsin and North Dakota, and Washington Senator Patty Murray.  In a July 11 speech at Seattle’s King Street Station, Murray, a long-time supporter of Amtrak, emphasized that Amtrak is important for the mobility of Americans, especially in light of our ever-crowded highways and airports.  Rep. Jim McDermott (D-WA) also spoke there. Celebrations were held in Chicago, Milwaukee, Minneapolis, Minot, Havre, Shelby, Whitefish and Seattle.

Another anniversary was June 15 for the Oklahoma City-Fort Worth Heartland Flyer, which started running in 1999. That occasion was marked by ceremonies along the route. However, news reports pointed out that the funding source Oklahoma is using to cover operating losses, which come from the federal Taxpayer Relief Act of 1997, will run out by September 2005, and that the state has no solid plans or funding sources for running the train beyond that.  The Norman Transcript yesterday editorialized:  “We still support rail and the Flyer. However, supporters need to continue to probe the future of rail transportation.  A government subsidy may be required, no doubt…However, we have to think in grander terms if [Amtrak is] ever going to do anything more than ferry shoppers and tourists from Fort Worth to the OKC metro.”

A kick-off for the extension of the heritage Charlotte Trolley will be 9:00 am on June 25 at the trolley barn in Charlotte's South End. Regular daily service begins June 28.

Trails and Rails (a partnership between Amtrak and the National Park Service) began yesterday on the California Zephyr. The programs will be presented on both the eastbound and westbound trains Thursday through Sunday, from mid-June through September, except during periods when the Zephyr is detouring through Wyoming (see hotline #338 - March 12, 2004).   According to the National Park Service, "This partnership provides educational opportunities for rail passengers that foster an appreciation our nation’s natural and cultural heritage, promotes National Park Service areas, and provides a value-added service to encourage train ridership. It also renews the long tradition of associating railroads with National Parks."

Here is a reminder for Amtrak's contest to find a photo for the 2005 wall calendar. By July 30, send in an 8x10-inch color photo of an Amtrak train that displays the current Amtrak logo (no digital images accepted). You may be an amateur or professional photographer. The winner also will get a $1,000 travel voucher. See Amtrak's web site for more about the contest, entry rules, and safety issues.

Congress is in recess until Tuesday, July 6, so your legislators may be home and you may be able to meet with them personally – to express support for a strong Amtrak figure in the FY 2005 appropriations bill, and for the rail provisions in S. 1637, the Senate-passed corporate tax bill (our May newsletter front page).

The Sierra Club has issued a new report, entitled "Missing the Train," which discusses the current state of and lack of funding for mass transit projects.  It is available from their website.  The report, which chronicles the Bush administration’s efforts to gut rail-based mass transit projects, has received extensive press coverage, including Salt Lake City, New Orleans, Lowell (Mass.), Cincinnati, and Montgomery County (Md., Suburban Washington, D.C.).

Amtrak will release its new five year strategic plan on Tuesday.  It is expected to focus on state corridor development and draw attention to the endangered status of parts of Amtrak’s national network as it relates to freight routes that are severely congested or candidates for abandonment.

The American Association of State Highway & Transportation Officials (AASHTO) joined the highway lobby in co-signing a June 15 letter to Senate Environment & Public Works Chairman James Inhofe (R-OK).  One environmental lobbyist said the 7-page letter “is breathtaking in its detail and consistency.  It appears that any change in the pending [TEA-21] bills that would improve environmental stewardship is recommended for elimination and that any provision that would weaken existing protections is recommended for adoption.”  AASHTO, which your tax dollars fund, is definitely emphasizing the “H” in its name.  The other signing organizations:  American Council of Engineering Companies, Associated General Contractors of America, American Highway Users Alliance, and American Road & Transportation Builders Association.

Transportation Secretary Norman Y. Mineta sent a letter 10-page letter (plus attachments) to Inhofe expressing the Administration’s views on the conference.  Mineta noted that “the veto recommendations of the President’s senior advisors…still stand” with regard to reauthorizing Amtrak without reforms, and funding TEA-21 above $256 billion.  The Amtrak language is in the Senate bill.  On some other issues, Mineta’s views were more moderate than AASHTO’s.  Perhaps referring to the anti-environmentalist efforts of AASHTO and its allies on Capitol Hill, Mineta wrote that “the positive legacies of the [ISTEA and TEA-21 laws] that the Administration has sought to continue appear to be in jeopardy.”

In one area, AASHTO and the major highway interests are in agreement with environmentalists:  states should have the freedom to use highway tolls for such things as mass transit if they want, and should have the freedom to continue tolls after repayment of debt for the highway facility.   This is consistent with tolling provisions in S. 1072.  Unfortunately, the House bill (H.R. 3550) goes the opposite way on both points.  Trucking interests, who successfully killed tolling provisions in both 1991 and 1998, are working hard to kill the Senate provisions now.  (Their effort presumably would grandfather two highways where tolls are used to support transit—I-15 in San Diego and the Hudson River in New York City, where 40% of bridge revenues support PATH trains.)

The House-Senate conference on TEA-21 renewal met again on Wednesday.  While 45 points were agreed to, none were controversial and none dealt with rail.  The funding issue remains unresolved.  House Ways & Means Chairman William Thomas (R-CA) made clear his belief that transportation enthusiasts in the conference were not realistic to discuss funding anywhere near the Senate’s $318 billion.  He said there is $49 billion worth of double-counting, that is, the same funding “offsets” the Senate used to support its $318 billion transportation bill also are used in the corporate tax bill, which is an important priority for Republicans.  The conferees plan to meet next on July 7.

Meanwhile, Congress approved another temporary extension of TEA-21, through July 31, although Congress is scheduled to adjourn for the summer on July 23.

The California Assembly yesterday sent to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger a bill that would shift the $9.9 billion bond issue for high-speed passenger rail from this November’s ballot to November 2006.  Supporters of the high-speed project argued effectively against a four-year postponement, but agreed with the governor that this is not the right year to put the project on the ballot.  The package includes $950 million for conventional rail.

Amtrak’s San Joaquin services were disrupted on Tuesday night and Wednesday morning due to a BNSF freight derailment at Gomez, Calif. (two miles north of Bakersfield).  One train was enroute to Bakersfield, it was terminated at Wasco and substitute bus service was provided for the remainder of the trip.

In addition, San Joaquin service continues to be disrupted by the levee break between Martinez and Stockton (see hotlines #350, #351).  While service is restored, BNSF is only permitting a limited number of trains to negotiate the area.  Trains 711, 713, 714 and 718 are operating Bakersfield-Stockton only, with substitute bus service provided to Martinez, Emeryville and Oakland.  The other San Joaquin trains are operating through the area, with delay.

San Jose’s VTA opened a 6.3 mile light rail extension from Milpitas to East San Jose (adjacent to Great Mall) on Wednesday.  The entire San Jose light rail system has been a target for “low-ridership” critics.  The main causes for low ridership:  the dot-com bust that has resulted in 200,000 jobs lost in Silicon Valley in the past five years, and the absence of key segments like the one just opened.  Officials hope that this extension will be the beginning of a turn around.