Hotline #50 - September 4, 1998

The Midwest Regional Rail Initiative consortium on August 31 released a draft report outlining a general plan for a more frequent, 110-mph passenger-train service centered on Chicago. Group members are the states of Nebraska, Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri, Wisconsin, Illinois, Michigan, Indiana, and Ohio, plus Amtrak and the Federal Railroad Administration.

The report has a 3,000-mile network of 11 corridors, all meeting at Chicago. Working counter-clockwise from Lake Michigan, they go from Chicago to Milwaukee-Green Bay; Milwaukee-Madison-Twin Cities; Davenport-Des Moines-Omaha; Galesburg-Quincy; St. Louis-Kansas City; Carbondale; Indianapolis-Cincinnati; Toledo-Cleveland; Kalamazoo-Detroit-Pontiac; Kalamazoo-Port Huron; and Kalamazoo-Grand Rapids-Holland. Many details need to be worked out, so no assumptions should be made about rerouting current long-distance service in the region.

The proposal would feature increased frequencies and noticeably shorter travel times. For example, the current nine-hour travel time between Chicago and Cincinnati would be cut in half. The estimated capital cost is $3.5 billion, in 1997 dollars. If that money is found, parts of the new system could start running in 2003, with full implementation in 2006. Operating costs are expected to be met from revenues.

However, neither the House nor Senate transportation appropriations bills contain additional money for the Federal Railroad Administration to help in continued studies for the Midwest Initiative.

The added coaches on the Empire Builder between Chicago and St. Paul are selling very well during the current Northwest Airlines strike. However, the Detroit News said the strike has produced little added demand for Amtrak and Greyhound service there.

Union Pacific told the Surface Transportation Board that its service levels have shown steady improvement over the last two weeks, according to the Journal of Commerce, with fewer delayed trains and less of a backlog of freight in California. If UP really is turning the corner, that's good news for weary passengers on Amtrak's Sunset Limited and Texas Eagle, both of which have experienced major delays on the UP this summer. For the Texas Eagle, the improvements come too late to preserve important connections at St. Louis and Chicago, which were broken by a new timetable taking effect earlier this week. Connecting vans are running from Springfield to Galesburg and to Columbus, Wis., but NARP will work to restore direct connections at Chicago.

CSX track work will interrupt Vermonter service on Monday through Thursday, the weeks of September 14 and 21. Passengers will be bussed between Springfield and Brattleboro.

The Florida Fun Train is having such grave financial difficulties, according to the Orlando Business Journal (August 31), that its parent company, First American Railways, is considering shutting it down. However, First American Railways says a significant infusion of cash could prevent a shutdown, and that ridership is rising.

A 2.3-mile extension of the Sacramento light rail line opens September 6 from Butterfield to Mather Field Road.

The German news magazine Der Spiegel reported last week that cost estimates for the proposed maglev line between Berlin and Hamburg have risen 21%. Contracting companies and the German national railway, Deutsche Bahn, said in April 1997 that the total cost would be $5.55 billion, but now say it will be $6.74 billion. That includes the cost of guideways and vehicles. The guideways alone are now estimated at $4.25 billion, which works out to $23 million a mile for the 181-mile route.