Hotline #132 - March 31, 2000

According to a Washington Post story today, the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) has found unsafe conditions on several CSX lines used by passenger trains. The finding resulted from a two-week, systemwide track audit about a month ago done by the FRA after a 60% increase in track-caused accidents over five years on CSX. One problem cited by the FRA is "wide-gauge." The FRA found instances of track being up to 1.5 inches too wide, which increases derailment risk unacceptably. Ineffective inspection and tie problems were among the possible causes. The FRA said wide-gauge caused the January 30 Capitol Limited derailment near Connellsville, Pa. Problem areas with passenger service include Albany-Cleveland, Rocky Mount-Florence, Jacksonville-Pensacola, Washington-Alexandria, and Orange-Clifton Forge, Va.

CSX responded by calling the conditions "unacceptable" and said it would do "whatever is necessary." That includes slow orders -- for example, the Cardinal is now being held to 40 mph on the 125-mile Virginia segment, down from 60 mph. That is not enough. CSX must also improve its tracks immediately to restore them to minimally acceptable speed standards for existing Amtrak passenger-train service.

Several gas-tax bills in the Senate would cut the federal gasoline tax by varying amounts. Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott (R.-Miss.) introduced them. S.2262 repeals 4.3 cents of the 18.4 cents-per-gallon federal gas tax from April 15 to December 31, 2000 (with similar cuts for diesel and aviation fuel). S.2263 reduces the same taxes for the same period of time, but without specifying an amount. S.2285 has the temporary repeal of the 4.3 cents along with suspending all federal tax if the price for gas rises above $2.00 a gallon. It also uses the budget surplus to restore "lost revenues" to the highway and aviation trust funds.

Gasoline is nowhere near an all-time price high when inflation is accounted for. Moreover, rising prices should help stem the growth in fuel consumption -- and already have caused an increase in transit usage. Programs like Amtrak not protected with trust-fund status (like highways, transit, and aviation) already face an unacceptable budget squeeze in 2001. Gas-tax holidays would make that situation even worse.

The House passed a 2001 budget resolution last week. The Senate plans to take up its resolution April 4. We understand it assumes the $521 million for Amtrak that is barely enough to keep it going next year, but the fate of the other $468 million authorized for Amtrak is unclear. That's the money the Clinton Administration proposed to take from the highway trust fund, a concept that has -- predictably -- been greeted with hostility on Capitol Hill.

S.1900, the Senate bill allowing $10 billion in bonds for passenger rail, has 37 sponsors. The newest is Dorgan (D.-N.Dak.). The House counterpart, H.R.3700, has 33.  The newest are Clyburn (D.-S.C.), Kleczka (D.-Wis.), Owens (D.-N.Y.).

The Michigan House late last week approved $4.7 million to support Amtrak's International (on its present route) and the Pere Marquette in 2001. This is the amount Amtrak says it needs for 2000. The state has other funds on hand that could pay for 2000, if Amtrak and the state ever reach agreement.

The Pere Marquette got full cafe service on March 2, replacing the automat car, and will soon get Business class. The automat car will have some work done to it and will be assigned to another route in May (possibly one of the Network Growth Strategy routes).

The House of Representatives in Washington State has cut $3.5 million from their budget proposal earmarked for the second Seattle-Vancouver train. The Senate budget still has the money, so the matter will have to be worked out in conference. The cut resulted from last fall's Initiative 695, which cut vehicle registration fees and made funding transportation programs harder this year.

The House Appropriations Committee in Oklahoma killed Senate Joint Resolution 37 on a 13-17 vote on March 29. The bill would have put an initiative on the November ballot asking whether to continue and expand passenger rail service with a one-cent gas tax increase. The bill passed the Senate March 6. A similar bill met the same fate last year.

The tornadoes that struck downtown Fort Worth March 28 came close to the 100-year-old Amtrak station, but did not damage it or disrupt operations.

Indiana Gov. Frank O'Bannon was scheduled to sign into law a bill allowing Indiana to join the Midwest Interstate Passenger Rail Compact. This is the formal body that will coordinate the efforts of nine states participating in the Midwest Regional Rail Initiative.