Hotline #860 - January 13, 1995

Two important Senate positions were announced this week. Mark Hatfield (R.-Ore.), who is chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, also will chair the Transportation Subcommittee. Because Hatfield is the full committee chairman, he will pick his own subcommittee, which is good news. Also, Hatfield and ranking member Frank Lautenberg (D.-N.J.) seem to work well together.

Trent Lott (R.-Miss.) will chair the Senate Commerce Surface Transportation Subcommittee.

The new House Transportation and Infrastructure chairman, Bud Shuster (R.-Pa.), says he favors maintaining a national passenger rail system. Amtrak officials are encouraged by the amount of time he and his staff have spent with them. He is interested in addressing ways to improve Amtrak's productivity.

However, on December 27, the Washington Post and the Journal of Commerce reported Shuster's strong opposition to shifting more highway trust fund money to transit and rail. Shuster said that would happen "over [his] dead body." That was after the Administration announced that it wants states to have the flexibility to spend their ISTEA highway funds on passenger rail, if they wish.

Rep. Joel Hefley (R.-Colo.), a long-time Amtrak enemy, has introduced H.R.259, a bill to privatize Amtrak by eliminating its funding in stages in 1996 through 1999. This is a kill-Amtrak bill that cuts funding without addressing either Amtrak productivity issues or subsidies to other modes. Such a bill is not likely to be passed by the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, which will have hearings in a couple weeks on an Amtrak authorization bill of its own. But new rules allowing more floor amendments could jeopardize even a good bill on the floor. Hefley's H.R.259 probably gives an idea of what sort of floor amendments he would attempt to make to other bills.

Rep. Ron Packard (R.-Cal.) also believes in privatization, though he does not seem to know much about how it would work. He grilled a General Accounting Office witness about it at a House Appropriations hearing on January 11. The GAO told him that there would still have to be a government presence; that the Florida and Texas high-speed rail projects failed because of no government support; and that European railroads still have government support after privatization.

For Mardi Gras, Amtrak will run three Crescent round-trips to New Orleans in addition to the regular tri-weekly schedule that starts February 1. the extra trips are train 19 leaving New York on February 23, 24, and 28; train 20 leaving New Orleans February 25, 26, and March 1. This does not affect the Gulf Breeze.

Amtrak's latest Florida plan has the Silver Star carrying a sleeping car for Tampa and the Miami slumbercoach. But no diner -- just tray meals.

Amtrak is offering a Northeast Corridor Kids Ride Free promotion through March 31. Two kids per adult are allowed if the adult has an off-peak ticket.

The Mexican government is poised to consider a constitutional amendment to allow privatization in the rail industry. Undoubtedly, there are U.S. railroads waiting to snap up certain corridors, such as those leading south from Laredo and Nogales. The Mexicans should retain public ownership of the tracks and sell operating rights to private carriers. Privatizing the infrastructure would put rail at a greater competitive disadvantage with highways.

There will be a public meeting about Amtrak service on January 18 in the Montana Department of Transportation Auditorium, 9:00 am to 11:00 am, in Helena. Amtrak official Pete Turrell will attend.

Newsweek this week has a bad column by perennial anti-Amtrak writer Robert J. Samuelson. It was repeated in the Washington Post.