Hotline #948 - September 20, 1996

Both the House and Senate approved the conference committee version of H.R.3675, the 1997 transportation appropriations bill. Senators Biden and Roth of Delaware spoke on the floor in favor of the Amtrak half cent. The bill next goes to the President for signature.

Congress still may pass the half cent this coming week, either in an omnibus spending bill or in another bill shifting the 4.3-cent deficit-reduction fuel tax into the highway trust fund. Please again tell your Senators and Representative about the half cent and urge them to work to make it happen. Today's New York Times has an editorial supporting the Amtrak half cent but opposing the shift of the 4.3 cents. However, with Congress nearing adjournment, legislative options are dwindling. The only revenue measure awaiting consideration this year is the one shifting the 4.3 cents, so the only way to get Amtrak's half cent enacted this year is for it to be part of that deal.

Also, next week, there may be a move to give Amtrak additional funds beyond those in the DOT funding bill. These funds would be added to the omnibus spending bill for programs whose appropriations bills have not passed yet. Should a deal be struck, it likely would provide money to continue some of the routes Amtrak planned to drop November 10 and some additional Northeast Corridor money.

The omnibus bill appears to be the only hope for saving routes Amtrak planned to end. The one exception is that Massachusetts officials may pay to keep some type of Boston-Albany service running. Although at this point a Lake Shore Limited connection seems unlikely, NARP is telling Amtrak and the state that the present service is the best option.

The report language on the DOT bill making the threatened routes eligible for CMAQ funds seems to be a non-starter. Unfortunately, careless reporting has meant that many people on the threatened routes think their trains have been saved. This is not true.

NARP is continuing to press Amtrak to find cost-effective ways to improve on Amtrak's announced plans for the Sunset Limited and Texas Eagle.

Other items from the conference report include the fact that conferees somehow figured out a way to give highways, aviation, and transit more money than was contained in either the House or Senate bill.

Also, there is language requiring the FRA to do a study on privatization of intercity passenger rail. This idea was pushed hard by Washington consultant Ray Chambers, whose clients include small freight railroads and the manufacture of the engine used in the refurbished New York turbo trains. This bears watching, as one of the study options is complete withdrawal of a federal role in funding intercity trains. However, the language is not as harsh as previous calls by the conservative Discovery Institute of Seattle for a privatization that would end all long-distance service.

The Next-Generation High-Speed Rail program got nearly $25 million, up from last year. The State of Oregon will get $8 million of it for track improvements on the Eugene line and extension of the positive-train-separation trials to the Northwest. The conferees directed the FRA to study rebuilding the Ravenna Connection, which is needed for train service from Pittsburgh to Cleveland via Youngstown. The Alaska Railroad gets $10 million for its passenger operations.

Amtrak began Thruway bus service to Key West, Fla., on September 4. It connects with the Silver Star in both directions at Fort Lauderdale. After November 10, the bus will connect only with the southbound Silver Star and northbound Silver Palm.

The northbound City of New Orleans was delayed three hours on September 18 after it hit a dump truck on a rural, private crossing near Amite, La. The truck driver was killed, but no one else was injured. The lead locomotive was damaged.