Hotline #75 - February 26, 1999

The House Transportation Appropriations Subcommittee, chaired by Frank Wolf (R.-Va.), will hold a hearing on fiscal 2000 funding for Amtrak, on March 4. On March 10, a similar hearing will be held by the Senate Transportation Appropriations Subcommittee, chaired by Richard Shelby (R.-Ala.).

The National Governors Association met in Washington this week. They approved a policy calling for flexibility to spend federal surface transportation funds on passenger rail projects, such as Amtrak. TEA-21 prohibits this for all states except Vermont.

Amtrak will have a public unveiling of the first new high-speed train set at New York Penn Station on March 9. That date may also be the unveiling of the long awaited marketing initiative called "Transformation 2000," which is intended to unify the branding for Amtrak northeast service.

The last Cascade Corridor train was converted over to new Talgo equipment on February 24. This was the Seattle-Vancouver run, which had been using Superliners. All Cascade trains are now using new Talgos. The only remaining Superliner trains in the Northwest are the long-distance Empire Builder and Coast Starlight.

Both the eastbound and westbound Empire Builders were delayed by about 16 hours February 20 at Havre, Mont., due to a telephone hoax. An anonymous caller said there was radioactive material on one of the trains, but nothing was found after a search by authorities. Stranded passengers were housed at a local National Guard armory and school. The eastbound train was later detoured because of a freight train derailment at Red Wing, Minn.

The Oklahoma Senate approved Sen. Dave Herbert's bill, Senate Joint Resolution 12, on February 24, calling for a voter initiative for a fuel tax increase that would in part benefit Amtrak service, still scheduled for a May start-up. The bill was sent to the state House of Representatives.

The new San Antonio Amtrak station was opened February 20 by Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison (R.-Tex.). There also was a VIP luncheon and equipment display. Among those attending was NARP President John R. Martin.

There was a town-hall-style meeting in Hermiston, Ore., February 20, hosted by Sen. Ron Wyden (D.-Ore.). The topic was restoration of passenger train service on the Pioneer route. Representatives of Washington ARP and AORTA were present, with C. B. Hall from the Oregon group given some time to speak about his recent meeting with Amtrak Intercity officials in Chicago.

A mysterious group called RailWatch appeared this week with news stories criticizing railroads for grade-crossing hazards. The group described itself as a grass-roots organization, but the stories were filled with incorrect statistics. Later in the week, including in a story in today's Washington Post, it became apparent that the group was really being run from a California p.r. firm with funding from the United Parcel Service, which is fighting with the railroads over truck-size regulations.

The Amtrak Reform Council has a new executive director, starting March 1. His name is Thomas A. Till. He has been at the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development in London, where he managed transport restructuring and investment projects in the former Soviet Union. In the 1970's, he worked in the Office of the U.S. Secretary of Transportation and the Federal Railroad Administration, including as an assistant to the director of the Northeast Corridor Program. In the 1980's, he was a consultant to the president of Amtrak and then was deputy and acting FRA administrator.

Florida trains and the Carolinian will be delayed by track work happening now through May 6 between Richmond and Rocky Mount. The Silver Meteor will not run between Washington and Florence for the departures of February 28 through March 4, and March 7 through March 11 -- passengers will be bussed around the area.