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March 2005 Hotlines |
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March 2005 Hotlines |
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Twenty one Republican legislators signed a letter to House Budget Committee Chairman Jim Nussle requesting full funding for Amtrak in fiscal 2006. The letter states, in part, “The government directly or indirectly subsidizes all transportation in the United States, and rail gets the least support. Unlike aviation, highways, and transit, there is no dedicated fund for investing in passenger rail development…For this reason, we ask that you provide sufficient funding in the fiscal year 2006 Budget Resolution to sustain Amtrak’s national network of passenger rail service. The company is headed in the right direction and it is our duty to continue to provide Americans with effective and environmentally friendly transportation options.”
Signatories were Representatives Steve LaTourette (R-OH), Mike Castle (R-DE), Sherwood Boehlert (R-NY), Rob Simmons (R-CT), John Sweeny (R-NY), Frank LoBiondo (R-NJ), Tim Johnson (R-IL), Todd Platts (R-PA) Curt Weldon (R-PA), Bob Ney (R-OH), Peter King (R-NY), Jim Saxton (R-NJ), Jim Walsh (R-NY), Phil English (R-PA), Jerry Weller (R-IL), Jim Gerlach (R-PA), Michael Fitzpatrick (R-PA), John McHugh (R-NY), Denny Rehberg (R-MT), Sue Kelly (R-NY), and Chris Smith (R-NJ).
Secretary of Transportation Norman Y. Mineta was interviewed about Amtrak this morning on NPR’s Morning Edition; the interview can be heard at the program’s web site. Once again, service will only operate in states that provide the operating support, and trains will run closed door through states that don’t pay—a commercially impractical scheme except where a route crosses through a tiny corner of a state.
Indeed, the Surface Transportation Policy Project in its “Transfer” publication noted that, “total state transportation spending in 2004 was actually lower (by almost 10%) than 2002 spending levels, data that is even tracked by the U.S. Department of Transportation…the zeroing out of Amtrak funding comes at a time when other domestic spending accounts are targeted for deep and unprecedented spending cuts. Simply finding resources to restore Amtrak’s funding looms as a significant challenge in this constrained budget climate.”
Greyhound announced another round of massive service cutbacks on Thursday. Selected cities in Arkansas, California, Colorado, Kansas, Louisiana, Missouri, Nevada, Oklahoma, Texas and Utah will lose all bus service. One Amtrak Thruway route is affected: the Dallas-Houston Greyhound connection (the Longview-Houston Amtrak-operated Thruway bus connection remains). Justification was identical to that for last year’s cuts: eliminating poorly-performing stations and focusing on core business. This appears to be the last round of service cuts west of the Mississippi River, but Greyhound warns that a long-expected retrenchment in the Southeast may be forthcoming.
Rail service to Syndey, Nova Scotia in Canada is once again looking bleak. Two actions within the past couple of weeks foretell the abandonment of the line. First, VIA Rail Canada informed its tour operators not to expect the Bras d’Or once-weekly tourist train to operate this summer. Second, the Cape Breton Post reported that, “Hearings into the Cape Breton and Central Nova Scotia Railway's request to abandon the Cape Breton part of its service have been rescheduled to May 10-11. The Nova Scotia Utilities and Review Board confirmed Thursday it has set the new hearing dates at the request of the railway.” A local coalition is working to drum up freight business to keep the line intact, one of the last remaining pieces of a once-extensive Nova Scotia railway network.
The City of Richmond, VA, has received $1.5 million from the Federal Transit Administration to proceed with efforts to complete the Main Street Station project. The first stage of the project opened in December 2003, reactivating service at the nearly 100 year old building in the heart of downtown Richmond. According to the FTA, “the grant will fund improvements of the platforms, expansion of the ticket office, construction of passenger amenities, improvements to the parking area on the west side, and the construction of a bus terminal.” Included in these funds is the elimination of the temporary office space in and full restoration of the station’s train shed.
Despite the efforts of Missouri Governor Matt Blount to increase Amtrak funding, the Missouri House Transportation Appropriations Committee voted to eliminate all state subsidies to Amtrak service. Local officials, including Kirkwood mayor Mike Swoboda, pleaded with the committee to keep the funding, “We understand the tough issues you have financially…Keep this vital route of transportation alive.” State Senators vow to restore the funding. State Senator John Griesheimer said, “The train is a lifeline, ridership goes down if passengers don't know whether the train is going to survive.” Perennial state budget battles like this one illustrate the danger and difficulty of maintaining a national passenger rail network that is funded by the states and not the federal government, as well as the problems associated with a route where the railroad has not been able to provide good on-time performance.
For roughly three hours on Wednesday, BNSF Railway dispatchers staged a wildcat strike that led to massive service disruptions across the United States. All rail traffic on BNSF-dispatched tracks, including Amtrak and commuter trains, came to a halt. Chicago’s heavily-traveled Aurora commuter line suffered delays in excess of one hour and multiple cancellations. Many Amtrak trains were delayed; the Illinois Zephyr was cancelled.
The last runs west of Pittsburgh for Amtrak’s Three Rivers depart New York City and Chicago on Sunday afternoon and evening. Until April 25, the service will remain east of Pittsburgh on the current schedule. After April 25, the westbound train will depart New York City at about 11:00 a.m. with an 8:00 p.m. arrival in Pittsburgh and the eastbound train will depart Pittsburgh Monday through Saturday at 7:30 a.m. and on Sunday at 1:00 p.m. In addition, Thruway busses #8240 and #8241 are eliminated (Monroeville, PA and Hagerstown, MD). Thruway service to Columbus, OH and Wheeling, WV is preserved, but slightly re-timed.
Service to Tidewater Virginia will be disrupted for two weeks in mid and late March to permit a CSX track maintenance blitz. For the entire period, March 14 to March 24, train #94 will depart Newport News two hours earlier (7:20 a.m.) and operate between Washington and Boston in train #176’s timeslot. Because of this change, train #94 will be temporarily renumbered #1094. Train #94 will continue to operate on its existing schedule, Washington-Boston. For the specific time periods March 14-17 and March 21-24, trains #67 and #66 will not operate between Washington and Newport News and there will be no alternate transportation.
Amtrak and Applebee’s are partnering to advertise Applebee’s “Curbside To Go” service. A free companion railfare coupon good on the Capitol Corridor and San Joaquin service will be distributed through Applebee’s restaurants. Coupons are good March 1 through June 16 with blackouts for Easter and Memorial Day weekends.
Another speaker has been added to the agenda for the NARP Region 10 (CO, IA, NE, SD, UT, WY) meeting in Omaha on March 12: Tom Mulligan, Union Pacific’s Director—Passenger Operations.
Yesterday, NARP’s Ross Capon was interviewed at the NPR studios for an expected five-minute Weekend Edition segment set to run this Sunday (March 13) after a piece on the French Railways. The two-hour program originates 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. Eastern time; check local listings. The program will be archived on the NPR website by 1:00 p.m.
Secretary of Transportation Norman Y. Mineta’s third Amtrak event was held in St. Louis, MO on Thursday. His prepared remarks were much like those given in previous news conferences in Chicago and Charlotte. Mineta said nothing new in this event, rehashing implausible calls for a federal-state 50/50 partnership for capital funding only in place of funding for Amtrak. He also again said that “it would actually be cheaper to not run the train and instead buy the passengers an airline ticket,” and claimed that Missouri and Illinois have a lot to gain from the Administration’s plan.
NARP Vice President David Randall was interviewed on the scene by several reporters and the Associated Press reporter did a follow up interview with Capon. Both NARP and the Midwest High Speed Rail Association (MHSRA) issued news releases in response to Mineta’s appearance.
NARP’s release reminded Missouri and Illinois citizens that, “The federal grant to Amtrak covers overhead costs for all trains. Missouri now pays about $6 million a year for the St. Louis-Kansas City trains, but the federal government [through Amtrak] covers $3 million in overhead costs, and the Administration wants to eliminate that support. The feds pay even more for Chicago-St. Louis: overhead costs plus two-thirds of direct operating losses.”
MHSRA’s release discussed, among other things, Mineta’s comments about operating long distance trains “closed door” through states that would not pay, “Are there any good examples of multi-state cooperation? There are very few examples of locally funded passenger trains crossing state lines. The Association is not aware of any examples of more than two states sharing operating costs. ‘Closing the doors’ while traveling through an intermediate state will destroy the train's unique ability to generate volume and revenue by making multiple stops.”
Many thanks to the rail advocates that turned out at the event. Their presence was critical to presenting an opposing viewpoint to Administration policy and several appeared in the local media (both print and broadcast). Special thanks to Randall, former NARP Board member John Roach, and former NARP Assistant Director Barry Williams for taking the lead in organization.
Wherever the Secretary makes an appearance, NARP members will be there to fight fiction with facts. Mineta plans on making further appearances. Pay attention to NARP hotline and be sure the NARP office has your E-mail address as these appearances are usually announced with little notice.
Senators Tom Carper and Joseph Biden (both D-DE) will hold an Amtrak Rally and Press Conference on Tuesday, March 15, 2005 at 11:00 a.m. at the Starlight Room in Washington Union Station. Speakers at the event will include a diverse cross-section of rail supporters: environmental, supply, unions, and advocacy. Please come and show your support for Amtrak! The Senators want a full room to illustrate the strong support that Amtrak enjoys. Access to the Starlight Room is through Gates B or C at Washington Union Station (it is the "foyer" that you pass through between the Gate area and the track area).
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is recommending that work tables on rail cars on Los Angeles’s Metrolink commuter rail line be redesigned. The tables have been identified as contributing factors in the death of two individuals in a 2002 crash in Placentia, CA. While they have proved very popular with commuters desiring to get work done during their commute, the tables do not collapse upon impact because they are bolted to the car body.
Japan continues to be at the cutting edge of high speed rail development. Testing will begin in June on a Shinkansen Bullet Train that will travel at a maximum speed of 360 kilometers per hour (223.7 mph) on regularly-scheduled runs. Engineers will attempt to push the train to operate at 405 kph (250 mph) in test sessions.
The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) has issued a new rule regarding reflective material on locomotive engines and freight cars. The rule, published on March 1, dictates that railroads must install yellow or white reflective materials on locomotives over a five-year timeframe and on freight rail cars over a 10-year period. All newly-constructed cars must be built with the reflectorization. According to the FRA, nearly one-quarter of all highway-rail grade crossing accidents are the result of a driver running into the side of a train that is already occupying the crossing.
A major CSX Transportation track work blitz between Richmond and Rocky Mount will seriously impact service south of Richmond for thirteen weeks, starting March 28. This is a rather complicated service disruption.
The northbound Silver Star (train 92) will bypass Tampa (bus connection provided). From Kissimmee north, the train will operate two hours earlier than normal. This will be in effect seven days a week.
The Carolinian (train 79 and 80) and Palmetto (train 89 and 90) will require modified schedules and a bus bridge Monday-Thursday only. The train will operate normally Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
Southbound:
There is no change to Auto Train, Silver Meteor, or southbound Silver Star.
Checked baggage will be handled at Van Nuys, CA for San Joaquin thruway buses beginning Tuesday, March 15. At the April timetable change (Monday, April 25), the Coast Starlight will shift its suburban Los Angeles stop from Glendale to Van Nuys. At that point, the Starlight will accept checked baggage at Van Nuys.
Amtrak has begun a special Northeast Corridor group fare that benefits groups as small as three for travel between Feb. 22 and Aug. 31. The first two passengers pay full fare and passengers three through six get a 90% discount. Request code H505. Three day advance purchase required, valid for coach travel only, not valid on Acela Express and Metroliner, tickets are nonrefundable, blackout dates apply, other terms and conditions available from Amtrak.
Today’s hearing of the new House Appropriations “Subcommittee on Transportation, Treasury, and Housing and Urban Development, The Judiciary, District of Columbia” produced a caution to Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta from Chairman Joseph Knollenberg (R-MI, Royal Oak): “Because of the reorganization of our subcommittees, our fiscal 2006 bill will be very different and much larger. Transportation will have to compete with many more worthy programs.”
Mineta said nothing new, but did clarify that his plan is to eliminate federal operating support which is now provided (in different degrees) through Amtrak to all trains that Amtrak runs. Rep. John Sweeney (R-NY) stated: “The Social Security debate is raging around, but I have to tell you Amtrak is the bigger issue as it relates to my constituents. What it looks like back home is the federal government is doing a dump.” (As in dumping funding responsibilities on the states.)
Sweeney’s statement and the House Budget Resolution’s $1.2 billion assumption for Amtrak, was the high points of an otherwise dismal week for rail passenger supporters.
The House resolution set transportation funding at “the President’s recommended level, as re-estimated by the Congressional Budget Office, with the following adjustment: the starting level was increased to accommodate for continued funding of passenger rail services.” This came about primarily due to the letter sent by 21 Republican House members to Budget Committee leaders on March 3.
Another week has passed, still no budget request from the Amtrak board of directors, or clear indication as to where this board is headed.
The Senate on Wednesday rejected 46-52 a pro-Amtrak amendment to the Senate Budget Resolution. While Republican Amtrak supporters insisted in phone calls that their beef was with specifics of the amendment (offered by Byrd, D-WV), not with Amtrak, only John Warner (VA) and Trent Lott (MS) rose on the Senate floor to express support for the service. Lott, who again is chairman of the authorizing subcommittee, said, “I am committed to find a way to get a reauthorization and get a reliable stream of funds for Amtrak so its future can be certain and so (Amtrak) does not have to depend on annual appropriations.” Conrad Burns (MT) placed a brief, supportive statement on his web site.
Overall, four out of the eight Republicans who signed the pro-Amtrak letter voted yes (Specter, PA; Chafee, RI; Collins and Snowe, ME; Specter, PA). One Democrat voted no (Nelson, FL). Two Democrats did not vote (Pryor, AR; Reed, RI).
During Tuesday’s debate, Sen. Robert Bennett (R-UT) issued a blistering criticism of service in his own state. NARP sent a “fact check” based no his speech to Senate offices shortly before the vote.
While the budget resolution does not set funding levels for specific programs, it does set overall limits and the assumptions on which those limits are based can be significant. Mineta issued a statement saying “the Senate's rejection of the Byrd Amendment signals that it is ready to begin an earnest discussion on the best way to undertake desperately needed reforms to put intercity passenger rail on a stable footing for the future.” The reforms, as we know them, would spell the end of intercity passenger rail.
In response to the deafening silence in the Senate, mayors in Amtrak communities should be urged to hold public meetings about Amtrak and ask their House and Senate members to attend. Congress has recessed until April 4 for Easter break, thus many members will be back at home.
Amtrak is a complex balance legally, as well as in terms of economics, geography and politics. Threats to that balance put at risk the future of all intercity passenger rail service, not just the national network trains. Legally, if Amtrak’s rights to use the freight railroads is lost, “it is highly unlikely that it could ever be replicated…The issue is not preserving Amtrak because we are biased in favor of the status quo; it’s a matter of not throwing the baby out with the bathwater.” That’s what NARP Director (and former RF&P President) Richard L. Beadles of Virginia wrote recently.
Beyond rights of access to tracks at reasonable rates loss of Amtrak throws into doubt the ability to secure insurance at reasonable rates, and to provide indemnification that the railroads would accept. Other balances that have allowed passenger rail to survive include that between capital investment for the Northeast Corridor, and operating grants for the rest of the nation, as well as some capital.
Senator Thomas Carper (D-DE) held a news conference and pro-Amtrak rally on Tuesday at Washington Union Station. Carper spoke of the importance of Amtrak to Delaware, and said that, “We will never get better service and high speed rail if we have to convince the administration to appropriate monies for Amtrak every year.” Other speakers at the event included Senators Jon Corzine (D-NJ), Lincoln Chaffee (R-RI), Max Baucus (D-MT), Hillary Clinton (D-NY), North Little Rock (AR) Mayor Patrick Henry Hays, John Porcari on behalf of the Greater Washington Board of Trade, Tom Caramanico for the Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce, and Ed Wytkind, president of the AFL-CIO’s Transportation Trades Division.
Clinton called said that Bush’s policy takes passengers from “All aboard” to “Everyone off.” Baucus and Hays spoke of the importance of Amtrak to rural America and Corzine, Chafee, Porcari, and Caramanico, spoke of the importance of the Northeast Corridor to transportation mobility and commerce.
Many thanks to the NARP members that attended the rally to show their support and hold signs. Special thanks to Dominic Liberatore, Executive Director of the Ohio Association of Railroad Passengers for his assistance in assembling the signs and making calls to the Hill this week while he was in town.
In the midst of a very busy week, a scurrilous internet rumor began circulating that Amtrak was about to post the 180-day discontinuance notices for all long distance trains. NARP has confirmed with Amtrak that this rumor is false. Amtrak has no such plans. Passenger advocates are reminded that baseless, non-factual rumor spreading a) hurts the credibility of our cause and b) uselessly diverts time and energy that we all could put to better use.
While the Bush Administration pursues elimination of all intercity rail passenger service in the United States, oil hit its highest price ever this week—$56.00 a barrel. Crude oil for April delivery jumped $1.41, or 2.6 percent, to close at $56.46 a barrel in New York, after reaching as high as $56.60 -- well above the previous record close of $55.17 set on Oct. 22 and the record trading high of $55.67 set on Oct. 25.
President Bush intends to nominate Joseph H. Boardman to be the new head of the Federal Railroad Administration. Boardman is currently the head of the New York State Department of Transportation.
Continental on Wednesday warned of further employment and service cutbacks unless agreement-covered employees accept $500 million in salary and benefit rollbacks. The airline has stated that it could be out of cash by year’s end if revised union agreements are not ratified and if fuel continues to increase in price.
Boston’s controversial “Big Dig” project suffered yet another blow to its credibility this week. An independent engineer hired to investigate leaks in the tunnel stated that he cannot vouch for the safety of the tunnel network. "I am now unable to express an opinion as to the safety of the I-93 portion of the Central Artery," Jack K. Lemley wrote in the March 9 letter to the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority, a copy of which was obtained by The Boston Globe. Apparently, Lemley’s investigation has revealed that 40 large sections of the tunnel wall contain construction defects and, as a result, fireproofing material has been damaged.
Paul Cote has been appointed President and CEO of VIA Rail Canada. His appointment to the position follows a little more than a year as the interim CEO. Cote has been with VIA nearly since its inception, joining the railroad in 1978 in the marketing department. He rose through the organization, being appointed Chief Operating Officer in 2001.
Amtrak Chairman David Laney’s views on Amtrak are reported in today’s New York Times story by Matthew Wald. Wald writes: “Laney, a Bush appointee and campaign contributor, said in a telephone interview that while he shared Mr. Bush’s determination to overhaul [Amtrak], the administration’s suggestion that the tracks from Washington to Boston be turned over to a compact of states was ‘not the position of the board,’ with the exception of one of its four members, [Mineta].”
Wald reports that the board’s failure to put up its own proposal “has stalled work in Congress to renew the railroad’s subsidy,” and that “Moody’s, the debt rating service, has put Amtrak on a ‘watch list,’ contemplating a downgrading of its credit rating.” New York DOT Spokeswoman Jennifer Post is quoted: “We believe Amtrak’s operations need to be reformed. We continue to be interested in learning more about the specifics of the plan, and the availability of federal funding to help finance it. New Yorkers already pay enough to support Amtrak’s operation.” New Jersey Transit says it wants more control over the tracks, but any cost-sharing arrangement could come “only after the federal government put the corridor back into a state of good repair.” The whole story, “Amtrak Board Wary of Bush’s Overhaul Plan,” is available at the New York Times website.
Transportation Secretary Norman Y. Mineta did two more Amtrak events this week, thus more occasions to add to the Fact Check section of our website Part of his strategy is to emphasize rail supporters that he met with, evidently hoping people will assume these supporters agree with him. His Thursday morning event at the Detroit Amtrak station featured an attack on the Empire Builder. But he began by saying he had just met with Rick Harnish, executive director of the Midwest High Speed Rail Association (who is also a NARP board member). Harnish is well known as an outspoken supporter of the long-distance trains.
On Wednesday, Mineta met with Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney at the State House, again slamming Amtrak as if its ongoing Northeast Corridor improvement program didn’t exist, even though it actually has ramped up significantly the past two years. Mineta’s new line is that Amtrak is the "last monopoly in America." State House News reported Mineta “said the Bush plan will promote competition among other rail companies to improve overall service. ‘Amtrak urgently needs reform,’ Mineta said. ‘If we continue down the current path we are on, there really is no hope for recovery.’ Said Romney: ‘We're in the same book on this. Probably on different pages.’”
Meanwhile, Amtrak and FRA witnesses are scheduled to testify before the House Appropriations subcommittee on April 27; the Senate counterpart hearing is May 12. (These subcommittees take public-witness testimony only in writing; the House deadline for such comments is April 19. The Senate deadline usually comes later; we’ll try to show it next week.)
This morning, Missouri Gov. Matt Blunt’s revised budget appeared, and—unlike the preliminary version in January—this one has zero for Amtrak’s St. Louis-Kansas City service. Losing this service would be particularly unfortunate in light of the new interim station at St. Louis, and the city’s planned intermodal terminal. Of course, unreliable service has been a problem. When a Union Pacific official spoke at NARP’s regional membership meeting in Omaha on March 12, he highlighted this line as one place where UP needs help on track capacity, much as California has helped on the Capitol Corridor. Unfortunately, it looks to be a very tough “ask” to get the state interested both restoring the operating grants now at risk as well as supporting a capital program.
Airlines are beginning to feel the pinch of rising jet fuel costs. Most airlines, including Southwest and Jet Blue, have instituted ticket surcharges between $10 and $40. Unlike past fare increases, when the industry was in better health, spiking jet fuel prices will likely cause price increases to stick this time. Mike Boyd, president of the Boyd Group, an aviation consulting company, told the Kansas City Star, “The time of really cheap fares is going to be over.”
The high price of fuel is also forecast to affect summer travel plans. "If you believe America has been built on cheap resources—oil, gas and coal—and think the nation will not be affected, you are in for a big surprise," said Charles T. Maxwell, senior energy analyst at Weeden & Co. in Greenwich, Conn (to the Associated Press). Experts predict that summer leisure travel will be particularly affected by these increases. While it is too early for statistical data to illustrate that Amtrak and/or mass transit usage is up, expect increases in the near future.
Texas Governor Rick Perry and the Union Pacific Railroad have signed an agreement to move freight rail lines out of congested urban areas. This is in response to several recent high-profile derailments in Texas, especially San Antonio. In a press event, Governor Perry stated that, “more than 5,500 people have been killed or injured over the last 20 years in grade-crossing accidents in Texas,” and that the agreement, “marks the first time any state has partnered with a private rail company to consolidate, improve and relocate existing freight rail lines away from population centers.”
Meanwhile, Union Pacific got a largely favorable write-up in the March 14 issue (page 26) of Barron’s, the weekly investment newspaper: “Union Pacific last year added a net 1,735 conductors and engineers and purchased 395 locomotives. This year, it’s rolling out a Unified Plan to improve efficiency that was developed with the aid of outside consultants. Under it, UP will use improved computer systems to smooth traffic flow. It will reduce the number of times a railcar must switch trains during a trip…UP expects only 1% to 2% growth in traffic volume in 2005, but sees revenue climbing 5% to 7%, in part because of increased pricing power. With its system near full capacity, UP now has the luxury of being able to accept the most profitable business and turn away less profitable customers.”
A report issued on March 9 by the American Society of Civil Engineers finds that our nation’s infrastructure is crumbling, giving it a grade of “D,” down from “D+” two years ago. Aviation received a grade of “D+”, transit “D-”, and freight railroads “C-”. In regards to freight rail infrastructure, the report states, “"This problem will increase as freight-rail [traffic] is expected to increase at least 50 percent by 2020. In addition, the use of rail for inter-city passenger and commuter-rail service is increasingly being recognized as a worthwhile transportation investment, [so] a combined investment of $12 billion to $13 billion per year is needed to maintain existing rail infrastructure and expand for future growth." This was the first year the ASCE graded rail infrastructure.
Milwaukee Airport’s new Amtrak station is beating all ridership expectations. Nearly 2,000 passengers used the station in February and overall ridership on the Hiawatha line is up 11%. The heavy passenger loads have resulted in plans to get a ticket machine in the station earlier than planned and to have Hiawatha departures displayed on the airline status boards inside the airport. Both should occur by the end of May.
Amtrak’s unaccompanied minor policy is changing, effective with the April 25 timetable change. A child passenger 8 through 14 years old, not accompanied by another passenger who is at least 15 years old will be considered an unaccompanied minor. Unaccompanied minors may travel under the following conditions:
Beginning on April 1, Amtrak will institute a three-day advance purchase requirement for all of its discount programs, including the 10% NARP discount. Tickets purchased less than 72 hours prior to train departure will not be eligible for membership discounts.
Amtrak is once again sponsoring a photo contest for its 2006 wall calendar. Enter the "Picture Our Train" 2006 Wall Calendar Contest by submitting an original color photo of an Amtrak train (sporting the new logo and livery) and your image could appear on next year's wall calendar with photo credit. The First Prize winner will also receive an Amtrak travel voucher. Starting April 4th go to the Amtrak website for more information and complete contest rules.