Hotline #861 - January 20, 1995

The House Budget Committee has scheduled several field hearings, where pro-Amtrak comments are important. The first one is tomorrow in Columbus, O., 3:00 pm to 5:30 pm, at the Ohio Dominican College. The rest are January 28, in Prescott, Ariz., 2:30 pm to 5:00 pm, at the Elks Theater; February 4, Columbia, S.C., 2:00 pm to 4:30 pm, at the Airport High School; February 11, Manville, N.J., 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm, at the Manville VFW; February 18, Billings, Mont., 2:00 pm to 5:00 pm, at the Fortins Education Center. There will be roving microphones. Budget Committee Chairman John Kasich (R.-Ohio) said that "paid lobbyists and professional testifiers will not be allowed to speak" at these hearings. He calls them, "How Do We Cut the Federal Budget" hearings, so make your strongest points first, as pro-spending testimony may not be warmly received, even from non-lobbyists.

Rep. Frank Wolf (R.-Va.), chairman of the House Transportation Appropriations Subcommittee, announced this week that he would introduce a bill to set up a route-closing commission for Amtrak. This bad idea would be in addition to H.R.259, the Hefley (R.-Colo.) bill to eliminate Amtrak funding. Wolf's commission would start business with the assumption that Amtrak must drop routes, apparently in addition to what has already been done. This is another example of the expectations placed on rail that are not placed on other modes. No one ever talks about commissions to cut subsidized highways or airports.

The New Jersey Public Interest Research Group plans a series of news conferences at some stations along the Palmetto route the last day that train runs, January 31, both to protest the forthcoming cuts and to show support for Amtrak funding generally.

President Clinton will deliver his 1996 budget to Congress February 6. It may be a "dead on arrival" budget, though, as Republicans are already preparing budgets of their own.

NARP will testify January 26 at 2:00 pm at a Senate Commerce hearing on Amtrak issues.

Transport 2000 reports that the Canadian federal budget to be released next month is expected to cut VIA Rail funding to zero over the next five years. If that comes to pass, VIA either would shut down or be confined to a few trains in the Quebec-Ontario corridor. Canada, on the federal level, does not subsidize highways very much, nor is there a trust fund. The federal government subsidizes airports, but plans to phase that out, too. That leaves everything in the hands of the provinces. The danger is that the provinces will be more tempted to expand highway capacity instead of picking up the cost of running inter-provincial VIA services.

Also, there is a threat of a strike on VIA, Canadian National, and Canadian Pacific early next month.

Georgia Gov. Zell Miller has included in his budget request $10 million for the Atlanta intermodal terminal.

A new Empire Corridor timetable will be issued February 3, removing five minutes from the pad at New York and Albany.

A Swedish X2000 set is being tested in New South Wales in Australia this month.

Several airlines have written Illinois Gov. Jim Edgar to give up plans for a third Chicago airport, calling the effort unnecessary. The airlines want O'Hare expanded instead. Of course, a better way would be to develop rail service, an idea not explored in an otherwise good Chicago Tribune article on January 18.

The Missouri-Kansas Rail Passenger Coalition will meet tomorrow at the Kirkwood Public Library, 2:00 pm to 4:00 pm.