Hotline #951 - October 11, 1996

Amtrak took delivery last week of the new General Electric P42 locomotives, at a ceremony at Altoona, Pa. It was the first of a group of 98 P42's which are higher-horsepower versions of the P40. The order should be complete next July. Though the locomotives are being built in Erie, some have been sent by GE to Altoona to be painted at the Conrail shop. The Chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, Bud Shuster (R.-Pa.), spoke at the ceremony.

The Surface Transportation Policy Project has released a new paper called, "Crying Wolf, the False 'Crisis' of America's Crumbling Roads and Bridges, and Why Special Interest Highway Lobbyists Like it That Way." In arguing against giving fuel tax money to transit or Amtrak, highway interests talk about the nation's "crumbling" roads and bridges. Yet STPP says road conditions actually are improving, and fully 44% of ISTEA road funds nationwide went to build new roads or lanes in 1994 and 1995. Virginia spent the biggest share on new capacity -- 78%. STPP is asking Congress, as it considers ISTEA renewal next year, to place priority on fixing existing infrastructure before building new roads. The report is available for $10 by calling Sonya JuBar at STPP at 202/939-3470.

As part of its mandate under a 1992 law, the FRA this week released a report called "Locomotive Crashworthiness and Cab Working Conditions." It calls for stronger collision posts in locomotives, improved fuel-tank designs, and crash refuge compartments for crews.

Rough seas on October 7 caused two barges to break loose from their moorings and strike a CSX bridge east of Lake Ponchartrain, La. The rail bridge was knocked five feet out of alignment, closing the New Orleans-Mobile main line. Amtrak annulled the Gulf Coast Limited and sent the Sunset Limited on a very slow reroute via Hattiesburg, Miss. CSX was expected to reopen the bridge today.

Through November 15, Amtrak has set up some off-peak fares for the Chicago-Milwaukee Hiawatha service. Three trains in each direction on weekdays will offer round-trip fares of $18 for adults. The normal $38 round-trip fare still stands on other trains and on weekends.

Hearings in Philadelphia and Wilmington last month were held by SEPTA to consider whether to end commuter service on the R2 line on the Northeast Corridor into Delaware. SEPTA has asked the State of Delaware for more money, using a costlier payment formula. The service will keep running at least through October. Local passengers want the line extended to Newark before a big reconstruction project on I-95 begins.

A Washington-bound MARC train on the Camden line on October 8 struck a truck blocking a crossing near Elkridge, Md. Six people on the train were injured slightly, and the leading cab car was derailed, but stayed upright. The crossing is a hump-shaped one and the truck was the lowboy-type that frequently gets stuck on such crossings.

Today marks the beginning of higher-speed trial service on part of the Amtrak-owned segment in southwestern Michigan. A ceremony and Amtrak equipment display was held at Kalamazoo and a VIP train ran to Niles and back. Amtrak, the FRA, and Michigan DOT are testing an advanced signal system that allows trains to go 110 mph, on a line where the current limit is 79 mph. Speakers at Kalamazoo included FRA chief Jolene Molitoris, Rep. Fred Upton (R.-Mich.), Amtrak Intercity President Mark Cane, Dan Pickett of the Brotherhood of Railway Signalmen, and the mayors of Kalamazoo and Niles.