NARP July 1999 Hotlines

#93 - July 2, 1999
#94 - July 9, 1999
#95 - July 16, 1999
#96 - July 23, 1999
#97 - July 30, 1999

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Sen. Max Cleland (D.-Ga.) is the newest co-sponsor of Senate bill S.1144, which would let states spend TEA-21 dollars on intercity passenger rail. We need more Senators as co-sponsors!

The Senate, embroiled in various controversies, is unlikely to get to its transportation appropriations bill before July 19. Controversy relating to S.1143 continues over the attempt by Subcommittee Chairman Richard Shelby (R.-Ala.) to take some transit money from California and New York and spread it around to the other states. The Senate bill does include the full $571 million Amtrak requested.

The House-passed bill likewise has the $571 million but also the full capital spending flexibility Amtrak sought. The Senate bill is silent on that issue, so the House-Senate conference will have to settle that point.

There was a ribbon-cutting ceremony and tour for invited guests and dignitaries on June 29 for the first Acela train set to enter Washington, D.C. The event, which was attended by NARP staff, was held at the newly completed maintenance building in Ivy City. It was our first close-up look at the new high-speed train. We were able to inspect one Business class coach and one locomotive cab. This train is very sleek and has some wonderful amenities. There was a lot of press coverage, and the New York Times quoted Scott Leonard of NARP saying, "I always felt that if we could get something like Acela up and running in the United States, and it was seen to be attractive and useful, other regions in the country would notice and say to themselves, 'Why can't we have it?'"

The north and southbound Silver Palms partially derailed after colliding yesterday at about 3:00 am, just west of Jacksonville, Fla. Eight people were slightly injured, and four locomotives and seven cars derailed. Apparently, as the northbound train was moving into a siding at 14 mph, the southbound train ran a red signal at 55 mph and struck the side of a locomotive on the northbound train. An investigator from the National Transportation Safety Board told reporters that the southbound engineer radioed this message, "I made a bad mistake. I made a bad judgment." The tracks, also used by the Sunset Limited, were supposed to reopen today.

Amtrak announced yesterday that it agreed to settle a race discrimination lawsuit filed by black management employees and applicants for management positions. The terms still need to be approved in federal court, but Amtrak would create an $8-million fund for the employees who sued, and would make changes in its personnel procedures. At the same time, Amtrak admits no wrongdoing. The suit was filed last August in federal court.

Amtrak announced in late June a program to provide a service guarantee nationwide by the end of the year. Unsatisfied customers would get a voucher good for future travel. As an incentive to provide good service, Amtrak employees are going through re-training and will be eligible for prize incentives if the customer satisfaction rate is better than planned.

Union Pacific has announced another attempt to abandon 18 miles of the line between Boise and Orchard, Ida., that was formerly used by Amtrak's Pioneer. Local officials are opposing the abandonment and are taking their case to the state Public Utilities Commission. They want the right-of-way to be preserved for future use, which could be Amtrak, or rail transit, or a bike trail.

The annual California state budget signed into law this week includes $17.5 million in general funds for Caltrans to exercise Amtrak's option on the new San Diegan car order. Governor Davis had requested $55 million for five train sets, so it is unclear just how many sets the appropriated money will cover. The equipment option expires September 30.

Amtrak had its second derailment in just eight days, yesterday. The eastbound Sunset Limited hit a truck that was pulling a saltwater disposal tank across a crossing east of Eagle Lake, Tex. This was about 65 miles west of Houston. The impact derailed both locomotives and seven of the ten cars on the train. One locomotive landed on its side, at a right angle to the track. Press reports described the crossing as on a short dirt road leading from a rice field onto U.S. Highway 90-A, protected by crossbucks but without gates or lights.

Eighteen people on the train were injured. The engineer was thrown from the wreckage and the engineer trainee had to be pulled out through a windshield. Everyone but the trainee is out of the hospital; the trainee should be out shortly.

The truck driver was not hurt badly. Police said the truck may have had faulty brakes and that they were considering charges against the driver.

Among the passengers were the wife and teenage son of Sen. John McCain (R.-Ariz.), who is Chairman of the Senate Commerce Committee and a frequent critic of long-distance passenger trains. They were headed for a family vacation in Florida, and were flown from the area in a private plane. Other passengers milled about the scene until school buses could take them five miles to the Eagle Lake Community Center, where shelter from the heat and refreshments were provided. Later, they were put on buses and sent to Houston.

It was less orderly at the Houston station, where relatives of incoming passengers and those planning to leave on the train waited for information. Former U.S. Rep. Craig Washington and his two sons were waiting to go to Orlando, but ended up flying.

Meanwhile, the investigation continues in the collision last week between two Amtrak Silver Palms at Jacksonville, Fla. The National Transportation Safety Board had reported early on that the engineer of the southbound train said he had run a red signal, which lead to his train striking the side of the northbound train as it was entering a siding at low speed. Now officials say the southbound engineer, who had no previous violations, had received four notices in the previous two hours that he would be required to stop at that particular siding to allow the northbound train to pass. These notices included conversations with a CSX dispatcher and over the radio with the northbound engineer. The red signal itself was visible from two miles away.

Amtrak is breaking the guaranteed connection at Washington between the eastbound Capitol Limited and southbound Silver Star, effective July 13. Even before the Conrail breakup, Amtrak often was bussing late passengers between Pittsburgh and Washington to make the connection, but buses now are needed almost daily. On-going congestion problems on the CSX line between Chicago and Cleveland and the Norfolk Southern between Cleveland and Pittsburgh have worsened the Capitol's lackluster on-time performance record, and adversely affected other Amtrak trains as well.

Passengers with existing reservations will be sent south either on NortheastDirect trains or the Silver Meteor. Passengers headed for points not served by those trains will go on the Meteor and get alternate transportation to their final destination. Passengers making new reservations will be offered the next day's Star or Carolinian. Amtrak says it will work to restore the connection by the fall timetable, but of course a lot will depend on what progress CSX and Norfolk Southern can make.

Amtrak will change its hold limit policy for reservations, effective July 12. Passengers making reservations within 30 days of departure will have no more than three days to pay for their tickets. Passengers booking more than 30 days ahead will still have seven days, as they do now. Amtrak says this is intended to reduce the  number of no-shows and increase the number of reservations that actually get used.

The newest co-sponsors to Senate bill S.1144 are Robb (D.-Va.), Durbin (D.-Ill.), and Snowe (R.-Me.). They need to be thanked! A key feature of this bill is to give states the flexibility to spend some of their TEA-21 federal transportation funding on intercity passenger trains. There are now 14 names on the bill, but we need more as quickly as possible to help insure Senate consideration.

While the House appropriations bill has been enacted with what Amtrak wants, there may be a long delay before the Senate bill reaches the floor. Chairman Shelby has a plan to shift some transit dollars away from California and New York, but Senate Democrats are united in opposition. Some think Shelby would be glad if things remained stalled until late September, when tight deadlines could give insiders like him a better chance of winning this fight.

Texas Department of Public Safety officials on July 12 filed a charge against a truck driver who caused last week's derailment of the Sunset Limited near Eagle Lake. The driver is charged with failing to stop for the train, which is punishable by a fine of no more than $200. The driver told officials he did not see a stop sign that is posted at the crossing.

Meanwhile, on July 14, the company that owns the truck, Brooks Well Service of College Station, Tex., filed suit against Amtrak and Union Pacific. Among other things, the company charges that Amtrak failed to maintain a proper lookout for pedestrians and vehicles, failed to maintain a safe speed, and gave either no warning or inadequate warning that the train was approaching. All of this, of course, flies in the face of common sense, and if past precedent is any guide, Brooks Well Service can look forward to a suit from Amtrak to cover damages to the train.

According to a story in the Florida Times-Union on July 15, at the time of the July 1 collision between two Amtrak Silver Palms in Jacksonville, line-side signals were not operating at the passing siding, and trains were being directed through the area by a switch tender. This contrasts with earlier reports that one of the engineers ignored a red signal that should have been visible two miles away.

The paper said that the National Transportation Safety Board will look at the effect of having only one engineer in the cab. Amtrak and union officials agreed on the practice a year ago as a way to cut costs. The paper reported that an Amtrak safety improvement team, which was a committee of employees from several departments, reported a month ago their belief that running one-person engine crews between midnight and 6:00 am is "unsafe." On the other hand, Amtrak says there is evidence that one-person engine crews make fewer serious mistakes than two-person crews. The July 1 accident occurred at 3:10 am, after -- according to officials -- one engineer received four notices in the preceding two hours that he would have to stop for the other train at a specified siding.

Two U.S. Senators -- Ron Wyden (D.-Ore.) and Mike Crapo (R.-Ida.) -- are heading an 18-member task force aimed at getting passenger train service restored between Portland and Boise. The first meeting will be in Ontario, Ore., on July 23. Amtrak West President Gil Mallery said in a statement that he'd be pleased to work with them on a "cost-effective, practical plan."

A wire story this week reports that the German maglev project is in trouble. The Transport Minister, Franz Münterfering, told a radio audience that the odds the Berlin-Hamburg project will be built are "fifty-fifty." He added that while he believed maglev still was a "sensible" answer to increased mobility needs, the government has limited the amount of money it will spend on the increasingly costly project. Also, German papers recently have been quoting a report leaked from the German Federal Railways (Deutsche Bahn) suggesting that ridership estimates have been cut sharply. Instead of carrying 14 million passengers four years after opening in 2006, the maglev would carry only about 6 million. The Transport Minister said the government would make a final decision by the end of the year, and that it was seeking additional private funding.

S.1144, the bill to give states flexibility to spend some TEA-21 money on intercity passenger rail, is up to 16 sponsors this week, with the addition of Collins (R.-Me.) and DeWine (R.-Ohio).

The Inspector General of the DOT released a report on July 21 as an update on Amtrak's financial situation. It said the outlook is improving slowly, but that Amtrak could still miss the deadline of no federal operating support by the end of 2002. The report said that one major potential reason for missing the deadline would be if there are any significant delays to the Boston high-speed project. The report praises Amtrak's recent efforts at marketing, contracting out commissaries, and creating new businesses, such as an express package delivery service. A similar report -- but characteristically more negative in tone -- was released by the General Accounting Office on July 20.

The Fort Worth City Council unanimously approved a measure giving the Fort Worth Transportation Authority the right to begin condemning land just east of the Amtrak station, on July 19. The transit agency wants some of this land as part of a project for an intermodal terminal closer to downtown. However, there are serious concerns about track capacity and layout at the new location, and NARP has been working to get Amtrak more involved in the process.

The Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority in Austin released a report saying capital costs for a light-rail system in that city would be $408 million. However, that does not include right-of-way acquisition. Austin voters will be asked to approve such a project sometime in the next three years.

The board of Orange County, Fla., tentatively agreed on July 20 to help fund the Lynx light rail project for the Orlando area. The measure was passed by only one vote. There was strong NIMBY opposition, much of it from a neighborhood association near the proposed route. Other local agreements need to be firmed up soon for the Lynx project to meet a Federal Transit Administration deadline.

The City Commission and Chamber of Commerce in Winter Park, Fla., are considering a $1.1-million redevelopment plan for the Amtrak station, which is owned by the city. The plan would have the century-old station razed and replaced with a new historic-looking structure, and would redevelop the adjacent Central Park.

Governor Almond of Rhode Island organized a ceremony July 19 to celebrate the fact that the Federal Highway Administration will not require an environmental review for a new train station at Warwick. The station would connect Amtrak's Northeast Corridor with growing T. F. Green Airport, which serves Providence. The station will be just 1,570 feet from the airport terminal, about three-tenths of a mile. A people mover will connect the two. The project will cost $30 million and will open late in 2001.

The Great American Station Foundation this week released its annual list of the "top ten threatened stations." They include seven used by Amtrak -- Elkhart, Ind.; East Glacier Park, Mont.; Minot, N.Dak.; Raton, N.Mex.; Sanderson, Tex.; Petersburg, Va.; and Harpers Ferry, W.Va.

Massachusetts officials say they are just one step away from killing the proposed Greenbush commuter rail line south of Boston, due to intense opposition from a group of NIMBY's there. The final blow would come if the NIMBY's succeed in convincing the Massachusetts Historical Commission that a $200 million tunnel under Hingham Square is needed.

It's looking more like the Senate transportation appropriations bill will get pushed into September, due to threats by Senators from New York and California to attach hundreds of amendments to it. Recess starts August 6. On July 26, the Senate voted to reinstate Rule XVI, meaning that legislative amendments to appropriations bills are subject to a point of order. This reverses a Republican ruling of a few years ago and might undermine Chairman Shelby's effort to shift some transit dollars from New York and California to other states. The Senate today did confirm Sylvia DeLeon to the Amtrak Board of Directors, which now has a full complement for the first time under the 1997 reform law.

Amtrak announced that, effective immediately (July 26), it would raise travel agent commissions to 8% for booking on most routes. The increase from 5% to 8% applies to all long-distance routes, the Midwest corridors, the Oklahoma and North Carolina trains, Amtrak trains serving Toronto and Montreal, both Vermont trains, and the Twilight Shoreliner. There is also a bonus program for ticket agents good through October 31 -- 12% and in some cases 16% commissions will result.

The Oregon legislature has approved an overdue state budget. It includes $10 million of the $14 million requested by the governor for the state passenger rail corridor. The main change this appears to mean from the original request is that the second Eugene train would use so-called Metroliner equipment rather than a new Talgo train. DOT officials said they hope to implement all the proposed new Thruway bus routes, and the target start date for expanded rail and bus service is July 2000.

The latest form of rage is air rage. Today's Wall Street Journal reports that Gordon Bethune, chairman and CEO of Continental Airlines, is seeking legislation to let the industry ban abusive passengers from all airlines for life. On July 22, a Continental gate agent suffered a broken neck after allegedly being thrown to the floor head-first by a passenger. The passenger's attorney tells a different story, but no one disagrees with Bethune's statement that unruly passengers are a growing problem.

Meanwhile, the Senate has passed a 60-day extension of the Airport Improvement Program, which may expire because Chairman Shuster is committed to a multi-year bill. Senator Hollings (D.-S.C.) is said to be open to Shuster's ideas to the extent of linking aviation spending with aviation tax revenues.

In Dade County, Fla., a penny sales tax for transit vote failed by a 2-1 margin. The tax would have been used to improve mass transit dramatically, building several new rail lines, and to eliminate tolls on area highways.

Deutsche Bahn, the German railway company, yesterday launched a luxury high-speed super-train that runs non-stop between Cologne and Hamburg, knocking around 41 minutes off the 261-mile journey, for a 3:20 hour running time. Reuters said tickets on the so-called Metropolitan trains are $98. The service's marketing chief said he is looking to take between 10 and 20% of travelers away from the airlines.

City transportation officials in Greensboro, N.C., say restoration of the old railroad station downtown could begin this fall.