Hotline #871 - March 31, 1995

The Amtrak board meets April 4 and 5, and a press conference announcing the round-two service cuts is planned for noon on April 6 at the National Press Club. It appears that one of the changes will affect the Cardinal. After June 1, it would become a daytime run between Washington and Cincinnati only.

The first Amtrak Task Force public forum was held at Racine, Wis., on March 28. It was well attended and had good press coverage. The next one is at Meridian, Miss., on April 11.

The Federal Railroad Administration has announced a series of six high-speed rail public outreach meetings, beginning April 20 in Chicago.

The State of Pennsylvania and Amtrak reached an agreement on March 24 to save some local Harrisburg service. A separate schedule will be issued for it, as the Northeast Corridor schedule had already gone to print by that time and is now out.

Ohio NARP members and Ohio Association of Railroad Passengers members will hold a rally tomorrow morning at the Toledo Amtrak station for the last departure of the Lake Cities from there. After that, it terminates in Pontiac. Don't forget also that Amtrak timetables -- and clocks -- change early on April 2. Amtrak said it hoped to get national timetables distributed by mid-April, and that many last-minute changes caused the delay.

TransAction 1995, the fifth annual New Jersey transportation conference, will have a workshop on "Amtrak's Future and Its Impact in New Jersey," on April 6 at 10:00 am at the Trump Plaza Hotel in Atlantic City. The moderator is Bob Lewis of Railway Age. Panelists include Northeast Corridor President George Warrington; Vince Connolly, representing the National Association of Retired and Veteran Railroad Employees.

Missouri voters, on their ballot on April 4, will consider a state constitutional amendment that clarifies the authority of the legislature to pass laws specific to counties. The legislature used such authority to allow the St. Louis area to pass a sales tax supporting MetroLink light-rail operations. But without the constitutional amendment, such support is open to challenge.

VIA Rail Canada resumed service March 29. It had been shut down March 18 by the national rail strike. Amtrak is back to normal on its international runs -- just in time for the last run of the Montrealer.

Also, SEPTA was on strike this week, but Amtrak trains and Philadelphia area commuter trains were not affected.

Furthermore, a strike on Conrail could happen after April 8, and that would affect many Amtrak trains.

A computer mishap in the CSX control center in Jacksonville on March 28 stopped Amtrak, Tri-Rail, and freight trains for two hours in an eight-state area of the Southeast.

The New Jersey Transit board gave final approval this week for the Waterfront light-rail line. Construction may start next year on the first planned portion, a two-branch line from Hoboken Terminal to downtown Jersey City, West Side Ave., and Bayonne. Members of the New Jersey Association of Railroad Passengers and NARP have worked hard to help make this happen.

The first train will pass through the new Canadian National tunnel under the St. Clair River between Port Huron, Mich., and Sarnia, Ont., on April 5.

Region 10 meets at Council Bluffs, Ia., April 8, 10:00 am, at the Holiday Inn, 2325 Avenue N. A van will meet Omaha trains. The program includes a tour of the Union Pacific dispatching facility.