Hotline #57 - October 21, 1998

At last, Congress passed the omnibus spending bill with $609.23 million for Amtrak in fiscal 1999. The House did that yesterday, and the Senate this morning. Amtrak got half a loaf in its efforts to expand the definition of capital -- the funding can be used for maintenance of equipment but not for maintenance of way. Amtrak, in a release, said it would continue to push for the broader definition it had sought.

The bill provides $450,000 for the Amtrak Reform Council and prohibits the Council from spending this money on consultants. The law reinforces the Council's pre-existing right to identify potential route closures in its annual report to Congress. The law says that, for purposes of this exercise, the Council should assume that Amtrak subsidies will decline in the years 1999 through 2002.

The law deletes the Senate-passed requirement that the Northeast Corridor get at least $200 million in capital grants and that general capital would get at least $355 million. Likewise, the report deletes House-passed language requiring the two appropriations committees to approve Amtrak's capital plan before Amtrak gets the money.

Report language admonishes Amtrak to focus on increase community coordination along the Northeast Corridor where there have been problems or concerns, such as Attleboro, Foxboro, Mansfield, and Sharon, Mass. Regarding the railroad between Brattleboro and White River Junction, Vt., Amtrak is urged to continue negotiating with the State of Vermont and the New England Central Railroad on upgrading the pole-line signal system to an electronic control system. Costs should be shared among the users and not borne solely by Amtrak.

The report cites the need at the Erie, Pa., station for repairs to platforms, canopies, and lights, and better access to the tracks to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act. Amtrak is strongly encouraged to consider funding rehab and renovations at Erie when selecting projects for state and local partnerships in fiscal 1999. Regarding extension of the Northeast Corridor to Richmond, Va., Amtrak is directed to report its findings to the appropriations committees by March 1, 1999. As to Los Angeles-Las Vegas service, the report states that "the conferees are supportive of this project and expect that the number of capitalization issues surrounding necessary infrastructure upgrades for Amtrak to operate on this route will be quickly resolved." This presumably is a message to Union Pacific.

The omnibus bill also includes $1 million for a study of a Dayton, O., rail transit system that would link downtown with Wright-Patterson Air Force Base and Dayton's inner west side. An October 9 release from Rep. Tony Hall (D.-Ohio), says the line would follow the historic route the Wright Brothers took from their home to the field where they conducted their flying experiments. If the study supports the rail link, Congress could later grant construction funds.

Amtrak advises that the van connection from the Texas Eagle at Springfield to the Empire Builder at Columbus will continue in the new timetable, even though the Empire Builder will leave Chicago 45 minutes earlier. In California, there will be a fifth Capitol  and an 11th San Diegan starting October 25.

In southern California, the Alameda Corridor Transportation Authority cleared the way for construction to proceed on a key segment of its $2.4-billion rail cargo expressway project. The authority's governing board unanimously approved a series of measures on October 14 that will move the project toward completion.

Reuters reported on October 19 that Union Pacific was recovering from 15-21 inches of rain that fell in south Texas over the weekend. Railroad spokesman Mark Davis said, "For the most part, everything will be open or operable later" on October 26 or 27.