Hotline #961 - December 20, 1996

As expected, President Clinton today announced the nomination of Federal Highway Administrator Rodney Slater to be the next Secretary of Transportation. Slater is held in high regard by fellow administrators and, as a longtime Clinton associate, reportedly did the heavy lifting for the entire DOT in internal administration budget debates a year ago. Slater will be the second black DOT secretary -- after William Coleman, who served under President Ford -- not the first, as we said here last week.

The fifth anniversary of the signing of the landmark ISTEA law was December 18. The Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991 gave states and regions more choices about how to spend Highway Trust Fund dollars and increased the power of regional planning organizations, as compared to state highway departments. Progress from our point-of-view has been uneven, but ISTEA was crucial to realizing much of the progress we've seen. We want to correct ISTEA's one great flaw by making intercity passenger rail projects an eligible use of ISTEA funds. The highway lobby and some states are fighting to go the other way, to turn the clock back, in favor of a "HOTea" or "Highways Only Transportation" bill.

The Surface Transportation Policy Project on December 18 had a reception at Union Station in Washington to mark the anniversary. Speakers included the author of the 1991 bill, Sen. Daniel Patrick Moynihan (D.-N.Y.); and Transportation Secretary Federico Pena, Federal Highway Administrator Rodney Slater, Amtrak President Tom Downs, STPP President Hank Dittmar, Reps. James Oberstar (D.-Minn.) and Tom Petri (R.-Wis.; both of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee), and Maryland Transportation Secretary David Winstead. Moynihan said that in ISTEA he tried to advance the concept of highway rationing and pricing and to eliminate the crazy notion that highways are free goods. He said he had proposed something like this early in the Kennedy Administration. He fears ISTEA may be too late and said "I think we have destroyed most of the cities that can be destroyed."

Pennsylvania DOT announced on December 18 that Gov. Tom Ridge on that day signed Senate Bill 809 which, by letting Pennsylvania enter into a labor protection contract with Amtrak and other railroad-related unionized employees, clears the way for $18.7 million of federal funds and $4.67 million of state funds to purchase new diesel-multiple-units for the Keystone Corridor, capable of up to 110 mph (vs. current maximum speeds of 55-70 mph). This limit, of course, is primarily a track rather than an equipment related problem. The release says the state will own the rolling stock and Amtrak will operate it. Each two-to-four-car train set will cost between $3 million and $6 million. The release notes that DMU's are common overseas but none are currently operated in the U.S. Presumably, however, this sounds the death knell for overhead electrification to Harrisburg.

Amtrak released a "Response to Queries" today regarding Amtrak's negotiations with Illinois DOT. The statement said in part that "productive discussions have taken place since Amtrak submitted to the Illinois DOT an innovative, multi-year service package. Amtrak is optimistic an agreement can be reached as early as the end of this month."

Amtrak has formed a Travel Agency Computer Reservation System Advisory Council. It has seven members, and met in Washington for the first time a few weeks ago. The council talks to agents who use different computer reservations systems to find out what the agents would like to see when they call up Amtrak on their screens. Many agents say that Amtrak needs a more user-friendly system for selling its travel products. One council member is NARP Director Carl Fowler of St. Albans, Vt.

Amtrak has changed the names of some of its sleeping-car rooms. Superliner economy rooms are now called "Superliner standard bedrooms." Viewliner compartments are now called "Viewliner standard bedrooms." Superliner and Viewliner special bedrooms are now called "accessible bedrooms." A December 12 Amtrak release on First-Class service includes all the current names but does not explain the changes.