NARP November 1999 Hotlines

#111 - November 5, 1999
#112 - November 12, 1999
#113 - November 19, 1999
#114 - November 26, 1999

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The last telephone hotline will be #112, to be recorded November 12. NARP is changing over to a free, on-line hotline, which will have the same type of information you've come to expect from the telephone recording. The new hotline will be posted today and can be found by visiting the NARP web site. Thank you for your support of the telephone hotline over the past eight years it has been a 900 number.

President Clinton yesterday vetoed a Republican plan for fiscal 2000 that would have cut all programs -- even the firewalled highway and transit areas. The cut was intended to end the impasse on the remaining appropriations bills. The cut would have worked out to just under 1%. That would mean a $5.5 million cut from the $571 million already enacted for Amtrak for fiscal 2000.

The Lautenberg-Jeffords High Speed Rail Investment Act needs as many co-sponsors as possible before the Senate adjourns, which would be November 10. Republicans are especially needed; Jeffords (Vt.) is the only Republican to date. New co-sponsors since last week are Boxer (Cal.), Kohl (Wis.), Leahy (Vt.), and Robb (Va.). The bill's 20% state matching requirement applies across the board, including the Northeast Corridor, and up to 5% of the bill's funding could go to non-designated routes, including long-distance trains.

Lincoln Chafee has been appointed to fill the remaining Senate term of his father, John Chafee, who died last month. Chafee, who had been mayor of Warwick, R.I., is on the Environment and Public Works Committee that his father chaired. The new chairman is Bob Smith (N.H.), who has not been an Amtrak supporter, so he needs to hear pro-rail messages from his constituents.

The Federal Railroad Administration on November 1 published in the Federal Register its proposed policy on its jurisdiction over light-rail operations on freight-railroad tracks. Much of the policy discusses situations in which a transit agency does not plan to separate light-rail and freight traffic by time of day. Comments are due January 14.

A Providence Journal report last weekend said that the builders of the Acela high-speed train have told Amtrak that they have figured out how to fix the wheel-wear problem that led to the announcement two months ago that train delivery would be delayed. However, Amtrak said that it wants to test the new design before announcing another start-up date.

The states of Wisconsin, Illinois, and Michigan on October 26 announced they will work together, along with Amtrak, to develop a plan to purchase high-speed train equipment to operate in three Midwest passenger-rail corridors.

The northbound Coast Starlight struck a truck and derailed late November 4 near Salinas, Cal., resulting in 12 derailed -- but upright -- cars and 13 minor injuries. The truck driver admitted to trying to beat the train.

Investigators are focusing on train equipment and track as possible causes for the October 22 derailment of the Sunset Limited at Cathedral City, Cal. The derailed train did not overturn, and there were three minor injuries. Aftershocks of the October 16 earthquake that derailed the Southwest Chief occurred the same morning, but were ruled out as factors in the Sunset derailment.

On November 8, Amtrak will begin offering checked-baggage service on two Hiawatha round-trips, at Chicago and Milwaukee only. This will make checked-baggage service far more attractive to Milwaukee passengers making long-distance connections at Chicago.

In local elections November 2, voters in Columbus, O., rejected a sales tax for commuter rail. Voters in Aspen, Colo., Virginia Beach, and Kansas City rejected measures promoting light-rail projects. In Washington State, voters repealed a vehicle tax that is a primary source of revenue for the state passenger-rail program. In Denver, voters approved a light-rail measure by a two-to-one margin.

This is the last telephone hotline that will be recorded. NARP is changing over to a free, on-line hotline, which will have the same type of information you've come to expect from the telephone recording. The new hotline can be found by visiting the NARP web site. Thank you for your support of the telephone hotline over the past eight years that it has been a 900 number.

Senator Lautenberg of New Jersey on November 10 introduced S.1900, the High-Speed Rail Investment Act. This is the bill that would allow Amtrak to sell $10 billion in tax-free bonds over 10 years to be used on high-speed corridor development and improvement nationwide. Counting Lautenberg, the bill has 21 sponsors so far.

Amtrak President George Warrington and Pennsylvania Lieutenant Governor Mark Schweiker on November 8 announced a high-speed funding agreement aimed at improvements on the Keystone line between Philadelphia and Harrisburg. The plan includes $140 million in investment, and aims to cut the travel time to 90 minutes. It takes two hours -- more or less -- to cover the 104 miles today. Amtrak and the state will each provide half the cost of restoring electric service to all trains, upgrading tracks and signals, and building a new intermodal station at Harrisburg airport. In addition, Pennsylvania DOT has committed to improve the remaining three grade crossings on the line. The Keystone trains will be redesignated "Acela Regional" next year.

Time is running out for work on aviation reauthorization to be done before Congress adjourns. House and Senate conferees declared an impasse on November 10. The Senate quickly passed a six-month stopgap bill, but House Chairman Shuster is holding out for a multi-year reauthorization. The House wants guaranteed spending of all aviation revenues plus some general funds. The Senate wants to leave more power with the budget and appropriations committees. There is a danger that adoption of the House position could make it harder or impossible for appropriators to fund programs not protected by budget firewalls, such as Amtrak.

Time is also running short for the flexibility bill, S.1144, though it can still go to the Senate floor after Congress reconvenes in January. Please ask your Senators to urge Senator Lott to bring the bill up before adjournment. Democratic Senators should ask Senator Daschle to urge Lott to do this.

The Senate approved the renomination of Linda Morgan to the Surface Transportation Board on November 10. She is currently its chairman.

A dump truck derailed Amtrak's International on November 9 at a crossing 12 miles west of Toronto, killing the truck driver and injuring 11 passengers. Though the locomotive overturned, the cars remained upright and in line.

San Francisco voters on November 7 approved a ballot proposition in favor of moving the Caltrain commuter rail station downtown. They also approved a plan to replace the Central Freeway with an at-grade boulevard.

The Surface Transportation Board has extended a 90-day deadline for the City of Boise, Idaho, and Ada County to buy a segment of Union Pacific track formerly used by the Pioneer. The former deadline was November 5. Ada County is interested in involving Boise Locomotive as a private partner to use the line for locomotive testing; while the city wants to preserve the line for future transit use. Total abandonment of the line would mean that if the Pioneer were ever restored through Idaho, it would not be able to serve Boise directly, because Boise would then be only on a dead-end branch.

A gala ball marked the completion of the restoration of Kansas City Union Station on November 5. The main presence in the station is a science museum that opened November 10. An Amtrak space in the station should open about a year from now.

Governor Ryan of Illinois will be honored November 13 at a combination press conference and meeting of the Illinois Association of Railroad Passengers at Springfield. Ryan will be honored for his commitment of funding to passenger rail projects, including those on the Chicago-St. Louis line that are compatible with the Midwest Regional Rail Initiative.

The grand re-opening of the restored station in Marshall, Tex., is November 13. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison (R.) will cut the ribbon at 10:30 am, and there will be train displays and other festivities all day.

Several Amtrak management changes happened November 16. Anne Hoey became Service Operations vice president, heading the Corporate Operations Department (responsible for food and beverage contracts, equipment and mechanical services, safety, environmental, crew management services, operations standards). NEC President Stan Bagley gained responsibility for the national operations center, headed by Ron Frazier (now System Operations and Police Services vice president). Ron Scolaro is High Speed Planning and Development vice president, reporting to Vice President David Carol.

On December 1, the new Amtrak Intercity president will be Ed Walker (currently General Manager, NEC Mid-Atlantic Division). Lee Bullock will become Freight Railroad Affairs Corporate Vice President.

President Clinton and Republican Congressional leaders have agreed on a fiscal 2000 spending agreement with an across-the-board cut averaging 0.38%. Clinton can vary the impact on individual programs between no cut and 5%, but it appears that most programs, including Amtrak, will get the basic 0.38% cut. When applied to Amtrak's $571 million, that is a $2.2 million cut.

Twenty-six of the nation's 50 governors on November 17 sent a letter to President Clinton urging him to provide Amtrak with all the money it is authorized to get in fiscal 2001, which is $989 million. That's more than the $571 million Amtrak got in 2000, a level which may be barely enough to scrape by in terms of its operational self-sufficiency mandate. But the higher number would allow for some system growth in terms of corridor development. The governors included 13 Democrats, 11 Republicans, one Reform Party member, and one Independent.

S.1900, the Lautenberg-Jeffords High Speed Rail Investment Act bill, had 22 "original co-sponsors" when it was introduced November 10. We failed to list Hutchison (R.-Tex.) in our December newsletter, but will correct that in January. Seven more Senators have signed up since then -- Dodd (D.-Conn.), Feinstein (D.-Cal.), Reed (D.-R.I.), Wellstone (D.-Minn.), Reid (D.-Nev.), Feingold (D.-Wis.), and Murray (D.-Wash.). Thanks to Hutchison, the bill, as introduced, provides that up to 10% of the funds -- rather than up to 5% -- could go to routes other than the Northeast Corridor and designated high-speed routes.

Amtrak announced on November 15 that it signed a 15-year agreement with ExpressTrak, LLC, a Detroit-based freight-marketing company. The partnership ultimately will provide up to 350 refrigerated express cars to be used in the shipment of fresh produce. The cars will enter service over 18 months beginning April 2000. A Wall Street Journal report the same day said the agreement will target produce shipments from California to the Midwest, the Northeast, and Florida.

On November 16, the Federal Railroad Administration conducted the first-ever crash test of a passenger coach at the testing center in Pueblo, Colo. The coach was rammed into a solid wall at 35 mph. The car and test dummies inside will be studied as part of FRA's overall effort to consider passenger car standards.

Illinois DOT conducted a test of their own November 17 at a grade crossing on the Chicago-St. Louis line near Chenoa, Ill. A pickup truck was driven into an arrestor-net apparatus at 45 mph. The crossing is one of three installed along the line last March as an experiment in grade-crossing technology.

A Metrolink commuter train struck a freight train that had not yet cleared the main line near Fullerton, Cal., November 18. Fifteen people had mostly minor injuries -- a broken leg was the most serious. The morning commuter train was headed from Los Angeles to Oceanside and the accident closed the San Diegan route for several hours.

At a ceremony at Los Angeles on November 18, California Governor Gray Davis (D.) and Wisconsin Governor and Amtrak Chairman Tommy G. Thompson (R.) announced a restructuring of the San Diegan service to take place next spring. That is when new train sets bought by Amtrak will begin to arrive. The new service will be called Pacific Surfliner.

Gov. Thompson announced November 18 that he has signed a $2.5-million contract to study high-speed rail between Madison and Milwaukee, which is part of the overall Midwest Regional Rail Initiative effort.

Thanksgiving Week is upon us -- for tips on traveling on Amtrak during this very busy travel period, see our web site.

Congress adjourned its 1999 session without further Senate action on the important flexibility bill, S.1144. Though it was approved by the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee on September 29, it has not yet been "filed," something that must happen before floor action. However, filing early in January is likely.

Before the Senate adjourned November 19, one more Senator signed onto S.1900 as a sponsor. This is the Lautenberg-Jeffords High Speed Rail Investment Act bill. The most recent and 30th sponsor is Gordon Smith (R.-Ore.).

Rep. Jim Oberstar (D.-Minn.) has introduced H.R.3446, which would extend to commuter authorities the same rights of access to freight railroad trackage that Amtrak has enjoyed since 1971, including the right of appeal to the Surface Transportation Board in the event of failure to reach agreement.

A coalition of Florida interests -- including local commerce groups, Walt Disney World, and a local electric utility -- are lobbying the state for increased, upgraded, conventional train service between the Tampa Bay area and Orlando. The coalition has pledged $100,000 toward a study, and is asking Florida DOT for another $900,000, to come from the $70 million a year the state would otherwise be spending on the FOX high-speed project killed by Governor Bush early this year.

The completion of renovation work on the historic Canton Viaduct was celebrated at a ceremony in an adjacent park on November 18. The 70-foot-high viaduct, in continuous use since 1835, is on the Northeast Corridor in Massachusetts between Route 128 station and Providence. In order to be fit for high-speed rail service, the 20-mph speed limit had to be raised by strengthening the viaduct and increasing the space between the two tracks on it.

At the November 8 Amtrak Reform Council meeting in Dallas, in response to a question, Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison (R.-Tex.) indicated she was sympathetic to postponing by one year the deadline for Amtrak to reach operational self-sufficiency. At the Chicago meeting last month, a motion to recommend the year's delay was tabled pending input from the Clinton Administration and rail labor.

The Texas Eagle will be running with a second Chicago-Los Angeles sleeping car starting today westbound and November 29 eastbound, through the end of January, to handle extra holiday business. The Crescent is running with extra coach space through the Thanksgiving period, including some New York-Atlanta cut-off coaches.

A new Amtrak Thruway bus will connect the Southwest Chief and Ann Rutledge at Kansas City to and from the east, serving Bartlesville and Tulsa, Okla., effective December 6. Effective December 8, a new Thruway bus will connect with the Texas Eagle at Dallas to and from the east, serving Abilene, Big Spring, and Odessa, Tex.

SEPTA extended its Monday-Saturday R5 line commuter service 2.9 miles from Downingtown to Thorndale, November 21.

Transit officials in Orange County, Cal., announced November 20 they were drastically scaling back the scope of their proposed light rail system, to open about 2007. Now they plan just 12 miles between the Irvine Transportation Center (intermodal rail station) and Costa Mesa, including John Wayne Airport.

Following the lead of the Georgia Rail Passenger Authority and the Georgia Regional Transportation Authority, the board of the Georgia Department of Transportation on November 19 approved a $1.9-billion passenger rail plan. The first priorities will be a commuter line from Athens to Atlanta scheduled to begin in 2004, and service from Macon to Atlanta -- including Griffin-Atlanta commuter service -- to begin in 2005. The three state agencies have asked the Georgia legislature for more than $25 million as the state's matching share of a proposed 80% federal/20% state funding program for the fiscal year beginning July 2000.

A county judge in Ohio ruled November 22 that Aaron Hall was insane at the time he allegedly stabbed three people on Amtrak's Lake Shore Limited in August, but that he is now able to stand trial. The next hearing is December 22.

A truck stalled on a grade crossing east of Toronto, near Bowmanville, Ont., caused a fiery derailment of a CN freight rain and VIA Rail passenger train the evening of November 23, injuring about 12 passengers. The freight train struck the truck and dragged it, leading to the truck being struck again by the eastbound passenger train approaching on the other track. It is the second truck-caused passenger train derailment in the Toronto area this month.