Hotline #121 - January 14, 2000

Senator Lautenberg hopes to be able to add to his list of co-sponsors for S.1900 (tax-free bonding for corridor and other rail development) as early as the day after the Senate's January 24 reconvening. It is still timely to push Senators on co-sponsoring the bill and to push President Clinton on including the full, authorized level of $989 million for Amtrak in his fiscal 2001 budget. January 24 is also the date when the Amtrak Reform Council will release its annual report.

The new Oklahoma train, the Heartland Flyer, has more than surpassed expectations, according to state officials. For the five-and-one-half month period from mid-June (when the train began running) through November, over 38,000 people used the train. State officials had said that 25,000 in the first year would be considered successful.

Meanwhile, state Sen. Dave Herbert (D.-Midwest City) said he will propose a bill to allow a referendum on a one-cent gas tax dedicated to passenger rail service. If approved, it would be the first such tax in the U.S. It would generate about $18 million a year, and be renewable by a vote after ten years. The state currently has a 17-cent tax. But Herbert said he expects that there would be federal matching funds to go along with the state gas-tax money he proposes -- once again (as in last week's message) underscoring the need for such federal matching funds as proposed in federal bill S.1144 if state passenger rail proposals are to move forward.

Transportation Secretary Rodney Slater on January 12 announced a proposed rule that would prohibit municipal grade-crossing "whistle bans" (250 now exist) where specific safety improvements are not in place. This carries out a provision of the 1994 Swift Rail Development Act, which required the Federal Railroad Administration to order horns be sounded at every crossing, but also to formulate conditions needed for horn-free "quiet zones." The FRA's recommendations for quiet zones include cameras to record crossing violators, four-quadrant gates (still uncommon in the U.S.), and median dividers that deter motorists who drive around lowered gates.

The FRA says highway-rail grade crossing incidents are 62% more likely to occur at crossings where train horns are not sounded. The FRA -- which does propose an upper volume limit for train horns -- will take comments through May 26. After reviewing the comments, FRA will issue a final rule, and -- unless Congress intervenes -- the regulation would take effect one year later. More information is at FRA's web site.

Opposition from affected communities and others -- including House Speaker Dennis Hastert (R.-Ill.) and Rep. William O. Lipinski (D.-Ill.) -- surfaced quickly. This is unfortunate, because the FRA's provisions for reasonable, long-overdue safety improvements mean this rule cannot be portrayed accurately as promoting safety at the expense of quality of life. The Bourbonnais, Ill., tragedy of March 1999 (with the first Amtrak passenger fatalities in a grade-crossing accident) makes obvious the importance of this rule to railroad passengers.

A four-times-a-week Thruway service began January 9, running between Seattle and southeastern Washington. Operated by Genie Express bus lines, it runs from the Seattle Amtrak station (King St.) to Sunnyside, Pasco (Amtrak station), Richland, and West Richland. A stop at Yakima will be added later this month. The bus runs Sundays, Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, taking about five hours (arriving Seattle 11:30 am, departing 6:00 pm).

The Amtrak web site now accepts reservations for "Heritage" roomettes and bedrooms on trains 40 and 41, the Three Rivers. Though this sleeping car service was added to the train on April 1, 1999, the web site could not handle reservations or fare information for it until this week.

Governor Davis of California released his next fiscal year budget proposal on January 10. All requests still must have legislative approval. From general funds, Davis proposed $30 million for two more Pacific Surfliner train sets (freeing up more California Cars for other state corridors), $20 million for double-track and signal upgrades on the San Joaquin route, and $36 million for ACE commuter equipment and other improvements. Also included was a transfer of $45 million from the State Highway Account to the Public Transit Account to ease a projected shortfall in rail and transit funds, which can be used either for capital or operating purposes.