Hotline #875 - April 28, 1995

The NARP Board is meeting yesterday through tomorrow in Rockville, Md., near Washington. Last night was the annual reception at Union Station. The group's highest honor, the George Falcon Golden Spike Award, went to the Mayor of Meridian, Miss., John Robert Smith, for his work to alert other public officials of the need for a national passenger rail service.

The second annual Dr. Gary Burch Memorial Safety Award went to Billy Parker, who is an Amtrak engineer from Jacksonville, Fla. He was recognized for his work in preventing grade crossing accidents with trucks, which cause passenger injury. He was also the engineer who was on the Silver Star in a fatal accident in Fort Lauderdale two years ago involving a gasoline tanker truck at a grade crossing.

Also attending the event were Rep. Sonny Montgomery; Laurel, Miss., Mayor Sam Lindsey; Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers President Ron McLaughlin; and many Congressional staff.

Today's luncheon speaker was Betsy Reveal, who is responsible for Amtrak's finances. She presented an upbeat picture of Amtrak's prospects, saying that financial results are ahead of what was hoped for through the end of March. She seemed to think Amtrak was on the road to recovery, provided it is not harmed by Congressional legislation this year.

The Senate was back in session this week, but where rail issues are concerned, they are waiting for the House to make more progress. The House does not return until next week, but members of the Budget Committee were already back this week. There is still great danger that this committee, especially rural Republican members, will hit Amtrak harder in May to make up for the tax cut the House passed in March.

Amtrak President Tom Downs this week criticized the Customs Service for insisting on a southbound customs stop at Blaine, Wash., for the new Seattle-Vancouver train. He called it unnecessary bureaucracy. Amtrak thought it had an agreement with Customs to clear passengers at Vancouver, but now Customs says it is afraid the train will be a conduit for drugs.

There will be an inaugural train for the Vermonter on May 1, with state and Amtrak officials on board. Separately from the regular train's schedule, it will run northbound from Springfield at 9:25 am, making extended stops all along the route up to its northern terminus at St. Albans, arriving at 7:40 pm.

There were Amtrak public forums this week at Cleveland on April 25 and Dallas yesterday. The regularly scheduled Amtrak board meeting also moved to Cleveland.

Only one public forum remains, at Philadelphia on May 3, in the Council Chambers at City Hall, from 4:00 pm to 6:00 pm. It will feature Amtrak President Tom Downs, Board Member Dan Collins, Gov. Tom Ridge, and Mayor Ed Rendell.

The first in a series of public outreach meetings about high-speed rail sponsored by the Federal Railroad Administration will be May 2 at Loudonville, N.Y., which is near Albany. It is 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm at the Shaker Ridge Club. A second one will be held at Richmond on May 4, 5:00 pm to 7:30 pm, in the main auditorium of the Virginia DOT on E. Broad St.

NARP Region 3 meets in Philadelphia on May 13 at the DVRPC conference room in the Bourse Building, from 9:30 am to 2:00 pm.