Hotline #18 - January 23, 1998

Last week we reported that six Northeastern Senators had written to President Clinton on January 15 to plead for full funding for Amtrak in 1999, based upon what we read in wire stories. Actually, there was a seventh -- James Jeffords (R.-Vt.).

White House officials told the media the letter "mystified" them because they think their draft budget meets Amtrak's needs. Peter Rogoff, who works for Senator Lautenberg (D.-N.J.), has written a six-page explanation supporting the Senators' position. He says the draft budget breaks faith with the Amtrak labor agreement that the Administration itself helped to arrange. He also says the OMB -- ignoring DOT requests -- concocted a budgetary "shell game" that leaves Amtrak over $84 million short of its needs for 1999.

You can call the White House in support of the Senators' protest. Call the Deputy Chief of Staff, John Podesta, at 202/456-1414. Say that you have serious concerns about the budget proposal and that the White House should not cut Amtrak funding. If you don't reach Podesta directly, leave that message with his secretary. Or you can send a brief fax to him at 202/456-1121.

Two other Republican Senators wrote Clinton on January 16. They were Majority Leader Trent Lott (Miss.) and Kay Bailey Hutchison (Tex.). They expressed concern that the Administration might propose drawing operating funding from the $2.3 billion in Amtrak capital funds.

The inaugural trip of the additional Texas Eagle frequency to Los Angeles, leaving Chicago February 6, has now had a fourth sleeper added to it, such has been the demand to ride that day's train.

Effective January 20, the westbound Lake Shore Limited is scheduled 20 minutes later than times shown in the October timetable, for all points from Schenectady through Chicago. This is to facilitate the addition of RoadRailers upon leaving the Albany station. Also, the connecting Thruway bus from Toledo to Ann Arbor will run about 45 minutes later.

Last week the directors of the Los Angeles Metropolitan Transportation Authority voted to suspend work for six months on three subway and light rail projects to save money. The projects are Red Line subway extensions east of Union Station and west along Wilshire, and the Blue Line segment from Union Station to Pasadena. The Red Line extension to Hollywood and North Hollywood will continue because it is so far along.

Massachusetts must pay 40% of the cost of the Central Artery highway project, according to today's Boston Globe, rather than just 15%. Turnpike Authority Chairman James Kerasiotes wants Senate Environment and Public Works Chairman John Chafee (R.-R.I.) to increase Artery road funding in his ISTEA bill. If he doesn't, Kerasiotes threatened to delay extension of MBTA commuter rail to the Providence airport and possibly cut existing service to Providence.

British press reports last week said that a government report shows deteriorating service quality on British passenger railways since privatization was completed. The Office of Passenger Rail Franchising said reliability and punctuality were both down. John Wesley, the Chairman of British Rail, said that, "For the privatized railway, the honeymoon is very close to being over ... In general, the privatized railway is hardly better than it was in the last years of public ownership. That is a great disappointment." He also said privatization had not resulted in the hoped-for decrease in government subsidies.