Hotline #147 - July 14, 2000

The High Speed Rail Investment Act bills have more sponsors -- there are now 49 in the Senate (S.1900; with the addition of Lugar, R.-Ind.), and another 11 in the House (H.R.3700), making 131 there. A complete list is at our web site. No hearings have been scheduled yet for this vital legislation.

The new, summer Northeast Corridor timetable took effect July 9. The biggest changes are the addition of another Philadelphia-Harrisburg weekday Keystone round-trip, and another Boston-Washington weekend Acela Regional (all-electric) round-trip.

Denver RTD opened its 8.7-mile light rail extension from I-25/Broadway south to Mineral Ave. in Littleton this morning. Free rides and other activities are planned throughout the weekend.

Metro North opened a six-mile extension of the Harlem Line commuter rail service on July 9, from Dover Plains to Wassaic. It has an intermediate stop at Tenmile River and a new layover yard and small maintenance facility.

The Toledo-Michigan Amtrak Thruway bus connection with the Pennsylvanian will be discontinued by the provider, Lakefront, July 19. Based on encouraging bus ridership and on the train's need for revenue, NARP is urging Amtrak to find a new provider.

Amtrak West's Pacific Surfliners will make special, additional stops at San Clemente Pier for the Ocean Festival, July 15-16.

Ridership on the Los Angeles Red Line subway has nearly doubled since a six-mile extension opened June 24. Average daily ridership was 40,000 in 1998, then increased to about 65,000 after the first part of the Hollywood Branch opened (June 12, 1999), and is now over 120,000 with the extension of the Hollywood Branch north into the San Fernando Valley. That is more than the Boston, Philadelphia, or Toronto commuter rail systems; more than the Calgary or Los Angeles light rail systems. It is about a tenth of the bus ridership of the Los Angeles transit system, but on far fewer route-miles.

There are logical places to extend the Red Line, such as further northwest into the Valley and further east from Union Station. But voters in November 1998 very shortsightedly rejected any further subway openings, except for segments under construction at the time (of which none remain). Instead of logical subway extensions, now transit planners are considering things like busways that will stymie ridership because buses are less attractive than trains and because of the forced transfers to subway that will be involved. Unfortunately for Los Angeles, voters in 1998 were exposed to too many messages about subway cost overruns and delays, and too few messages about the future benefits a larger rail transit network could have brought to the region.

The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) has reopened a comments and application process for high-speed corridor designation under the TEA-21 grade crossing safety program. The FRA will accept applications for new corridor designations (or amendments of existing corridor designations) from states until August 14. Written comments from others may be submitted until August 4 to Docket Clerk, DOT Central Docket Management Facility, Room PL-401, 400 Seventh St., SW, Washington, DC 20590 (referencing Docket No. FRA 1998-4759).

In conformance with FRA regulations on passenger equipment, FRA's Safety Board will hold a hearing July 21 at FRA headquarters (1120 Vermont Ave., NW, Washington, 7th floor) at 9:30 am on Amtrak's petition to permit continued operation of the existing Pacific Northwest Corridor Talgo train sets. To ensure consideration, written comments can be submitted until August 2 (at same address as in previous paragraph; referencing Docket No. FRA 1999-6404).

A loan program potentially helpful to passenger rail was authorized by Section 7203 of the Transportation Equity Act of the 21st Century (TEA-21) in 1998. The Railroad Rehabilitation and Improvement Financing Program (RRIF) allows $3.5 billion in loan guarantees, of which at least $1 billion is for smaller freight railroads. On July 6, the Federal Railroad Administration published in the Federal Register a proposed rule that outlines the proposed procedures for RRIF. It says eligible projects include "acquisition, improvement or rehabilitation of intermodal or rail equipment or facilities (including tracks, components of tracks, bridges, yards, buildings, and shops," and debt refinancing. The final rule (49 CFR Part 260, Docket No. FRA 1999-5663) is effective September 5 and may be read at the Federal Register web site; comments can be read at the DOT web site.

A Toronto-Sarnia VIA Rail train derailed near Rockwood, Ont., July 9, injuring seven. No cause was reported.

The Commission on Chicago Landmarks voted July 12 to grant preliminary landmark status to Union Station. A year of public hearings will follow, which could mean delays for Amtrak development plans. Today, Union Station includes half of the last remaining major railroad station in Chicago. It opened in 1925, with a concourse building occupying one city block and a waiting room (Great Hall) and eight stories of offices on another. It was designed to accommodate another 16 stories of offices, which were never built. The concourse was razed in 1969 to accommodate some uninspired office buildings, with passengers relegated to a dim basement. An Amtrak concourse renovation in 1991 made the best of the poor space.

Joseph Vranich, frequent critic of Amtrak (and conventional passenger rail in general), resigned abruptly from the Amtrak Reform Council, July 10.