Hotline #11 - December 5, 1997

President Clinton signed the Amtrak reauthorization bill into law on December 2. The bill is formally known as the Amtrak Reform and Privatization Act of 1997. It is now Public Law 105-134. Four legislators attended -- Rep. Jack Quinn (R.-N.Y.), Rep. James Oberstar (D.-N.Y.), Rep. Robert Wise (D.-W.Va.), and Senate Finance Chairman Bill Roth (R.-Del.). Other key members were invited but most were out of town as Congress is in a long recess. Other attendees included Secretary of Transportation Rodney Slater, Amtrak President Tom Downs, and four other Amtrak board members -- Delaware Gov. Tom Carper (D.), Sylvia De Leon, Amy Rosen, and Roy Neel -- Dan Pickett, head of the Railway Labor Executives Association, and Jed Dodd, a general chairman with the Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employes.

The Department of Transportation appealed to the Office of Management and Budget yesterday over the OMB's proposed fiscal 1999 budget request for transportation. The OMB levels are lower for highways and transit than the 1998 levels. That will clash with the goals of some in Congress who want still bigger highway spending increases, using the 4.3 cents of former deficit-reduction revenues that now goes to the highway account without getting spent. If a final appeal to Budget Director Raines does not bear fruit, Secretary Slater can appeal directly to President Clinton.

A new Thruway bus service in Virginia began November 18, run by Amtrak and Greyhound. The main route runs from Washington Union Station to Dulles Airport, Warrenton, and Charlottesville Union Station, three times a day westbound and twice a day eastbound.

NARP told Amtrak President Tom Downs that the present Family Style meal service on Silver Service trains north of Washington and south of Jacksonville is not good, especially on the southbound Meteor leaving New York. NARP also protested restricting transcontinental First Class passengers to one free soft drink per trip. We suggested a minimum of one drink per day -- three drinks for a Chicago-California passenger. We protested plastic plates on the California Zephyr diner. We urged Amtrak to develop gift packages for overnight First Class passengers comprised of products donated by businesses anxious to promote their wares; these packages should be free to Amtrak.

NARP President Jack Martin continues to press Amtrak to put more extra capacity on long-distance trains during the coming holiday season and to give Amtrak specific suggestions about how they could do this.

The Surface Transportation Board has extended its Union Pacific emergency order through March 15. This requires the beleaguered railroad to cooperate with competitors to clear train congestion. The new order directs both UP and the Burlington Northern Santa Fe to give priority to grain shipments in the Midwest, where the third-largest corn harvest ever has exacerbated ongoing rail freight congestion problems. The lead story in today's Wall Street Journal chronicles the problems with rail freight service nationwide.

DePaul University in Chicago has released a survey on railroad issues done by its Chaddick Institute for Metropolitan Development. It said the average American is supportive of Amtrak, echoing an October Gallup Poll stating that 69% of Americans favor federal funding for Amtrak. It also found most Americans know little about railroads in general.

Cleveland's Regional Transit Authority is trying to build support for a big expansion of transit services, according to the December 3 Plain Dealer. The RTA says it puts $1 billion of benefits into the economy -- a return of $2.59 to the county on every dollar spent on operations, and $2.14 on every dollar spent on capital. The RTA has a $3-billion list of improvements it wants to fund, including rail transit extensions, commuter rail, and a waterfront transit hub.

The Florida Fun Train, whose president resigned recently, said in a November 14 filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission that it will have to stop running December 31 unless it significantly boosts ridership and raises a lot more cash, according to the December 3 Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel. Fun Train's stock has lost 74% of its value since operations started October 15.