Hotline #949-A - September 30, 1996

A House-Senate conference committee approved an omnibus spending bill on September 28 that has money in it for Amtrak, aviation, and highways. This is in addition to funds already approved in the regular DOT funding bill. The House has approved the conference report already, and the Senate is expected to do so today.

For operations, Amtrak would get $22.5 million to continue service on routes Amtrak had planned to terminate. Report language says this includes the Texas Eagle, Desert Wind, Pioneer, Gulf Coast Limited, and Boston Lake Shore Limited. NARP today asked Amtrak to keep running the Sunset Limited to Miami, but that is still unclear.

Omnibus bill report language says the funds will support service until the affected state legislatures have an opportunity to meet and decide whether to "buy back" services, or take other action necessary to permit the services to continue. Funds are available until September 30, 1997, but legislators understand the funding is good for six months. Therefore, service seems assured until early May, except perhaps where a state announces sooner that it is unwilling to spend any state funds on the services.

Planned service expansions are uncertain, with decisions expected this week. Amtrak still plans to run the third New York-Florida service, the Silver Palm. It will also run the Broadway Limited, possibly as a coach-only train for now, although NARP today suggested a way to include a sleeper from the start. The City of New Orleans apparently will continue to run only six days a week. Daily service on the California Zephyr and Empire Builder is uncertain.

The omnibus bill also contains another $60 million in capital funding for the Northeast Corridor.

Senators Lautenberg (D.-N.J.), Hutchison (R.-Tex.), and Hatfield (R.-Ore.) and the Clinton Administration deserve special thanks for working hard to get this funding in place. Constituents should thank all appropriators for the positive outcome -- even if, as in the case of Rep. Frank Wolf (R.-Va.), opposition to saving the trains had been apparent.

The omnibus bill does not include the half cent and the Amtrak authorization. Look for Congress to take them up next year.