Hotline #106 - October 1, 1999

The Senate Environment and Public Works Committee on September 29 approved S.1144, the bill that -- among other things -- would allow sates the flexibility to spend some of their federal TEA-21 funds on intercity passenger rail capital projects. However, there was an unsuccessful amendment to strip the bill of the pro-rail language. This came in the form of an amendment from Senator Bond (R.-Mo.).

The Bond amendment, fortunately, failed on a 6-12 vote. The anti-rail votes were Bennett (R.-Utah), Baucus (D.-Mont.), Bond (R.-Mo.), Inhofe (R.-Okla.), Smith (R.-N.H.), and Thomas (R.-Wyo.). The pro-rail votes were Boxer (D.-Cal.), Crapo (R.-Ida.), Graham (D.-Fla.), Hutchison (R.-Tex.), Lautenberg (D.-N.J.), Lieberman (D.-Conn.), Moynihan (D.-N.Y.), Reid (D.-Nev.), Voinovich (R.-Ohio), Warner (R.-Va.), Wyden (D.-Ore.), and Chafee (R.-R.I.). If any of those was your Senator, please thank them or express your displeasure as appropriate.

Congress approved a continuing resolution on September 28, good for three weeks, funding many federal programs into fiscal year 2000. The first day of the fiscal year is today.

Conferees for H.R.2084, the transportation appropriations bill, were all selected by September 21. Conferees completed their work yesterday, but the final bill still needs House and Senate approval and presidential signature. The final bill includes $571 million for Amtrak, including the flexibility to spend its capital funding on preventive maintenance items. The bill also has $27.2 million for the "Next-Generation High-Speed Rail" program, which is actually more than was in either the House or Senate bills. There is another $5.2 million for grade crossing improvements authorized by Section 1103 of TEA-21, most of them on passenger rail corridors.

Wisconsin Governor Tommy Thompson was appointed to a second term as chairman of the Amtrak board this week when the board met in Washington.

A nine-member task force began work September 29 on a study of passenger rail needs in the State of Kansas. The panel's chairman is State Rep. Ed McKechnie (D.-Pittsburg), from the southeast corner of the state. He would like to see work on three routes -- Kansas City-Topeka-Abilene-Denver, Kansas City-southeast Kansas-Tulsa, and Kansas City-Topeka-Wichita-Oklahoma City-Fort Worth. He also wants the state to coordinate efforts with the nine-state Midwest Regional Rail Initiative, which would connect with the Kansas routes at Kansas City. The task force is to submit an interim report with recommendations to the governor next year, and a final report in two years.

Two teenage boys were killed at McLean, Ill., on September 26 when their car collided with an Amtrak train. What was unusual about this accident was that it occurred at the US 136 crossing, which is one of three in Illinois equipped with experimental "dragnet" technology. That is supposed to lower steel mesh nets down over the road when the crossing signals are activated. The Bloomington Pantagraph said that the dragnet system had been shut off at the time of the accident because of road construction, and that there were reports that the gates and flashing lights had not been working.

Amtrak Intercity is offering a "two-for-one" deal that must be purchased between October 2 and 11 for use by December 16. It's good on most long-distance trains, some Chicago hub trains, and the Heartland Flyer.

Amtrak West plans to remove attendants from business class on the San Diegans effective October 17. The fares will drop by $1.00 and beverages will still be available.