Hotline #150 - August 4, 2000

Republicans convening in Philadelphia approved a pro-passenger-rail plank in the party platform, for the first time. The language, approved August 1, says, "Republicans support a healthy intercity passenger rail system, and, where economically viable, the development of a national high-speed passenger railroad system as an instrument of economic development and enhanced mobility. We also support a multi-modal approach to our transportation needs." The chairman of the platform committee was Wisconsin Governor Tommy Thompson, who is also the chairman of Amtrak.

Another part of the platform heartily endorses the firewalls Congress built around the highway and aviation trust funds. These same firewalls make the High Speed Rail Investment Act (S.1900/H.R.3700) our last hope for decent funding of intercity passenger rail. The platform -- including much more on transportation -- should be available at the party web site.

The Democratic convention will be August 14-17 in Los Angeles. On June 29, the Gore campaign announced a $25-billion "Keep America Moving" initiative, which, according to a release, would increase "transportation choices available to the American people ... through investments in transportation alternatives such as light rail, high-speed rail, mag-lev and cleaner, safer buses." There are separate paragraphs on "Building High Speed Rail" and on "Expanding and Improving the Existing [Intercity Passenger] Rail Network." The latter includes, "New grants to Amtrak and the states for improving existing and expanding passenger rail routes." More is available at the Gore campaign web site.

Amtrak Northeast Corridor's Twilight Shoreliner (trains 66/76 and 67) got checked baggage service effective August 1, at Richmond, Alexandria, Washington, Baltimore, Wilmington, Philadelphia, Newark, New York, New Haven, Providence, and Boston. Trains 173 and 174 still handle baggage for passengers connecting with Amtrak Intercity trains at all the places name above between Washington and Boston, plus New London.

The Kentucky Cardinal will lose its sleeping car effective August 11 southbound (August 12 northbound). The train will then become a coach-only train. On August 13, the California Zephyr will regain a third sleeper over its entire route. Currently, only two sleepers run (quite full) from Chicago to California, with a third doing a short-turn between Chicago and Denver. Amtrak told the Louisville Courier-Journal that the removal of the sleeper from the Kentucky Cardinal is "temporary" and that Amtrak still plans to bring the train to downtown Louisville. "Right now, we have a critical shortage of sleepers, and we need to reroute the [cars] to where the revenue will be better for us," said an Amtrak spokesman.

Amtrak's first "High Horsepower Locomotive" (HHP-8) went into revenue service on July 27 in Keystone service.  A total of 15 8000-horsepower electric locomotives are on order from the Bombardier-Alstom consortium that is building the Acela Express high-speed trains.

Coastal train service in California was interrupted by a landslide across Union Pacific tracks. A landslide July 30 caused Amtrak to bus passengers between Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo all week.

Train 98, the northbound Silver Meteor, effective August 14, will leave Miami at 7:00 am (20 minutes earlier than now), and run up to 25 minutes earlier at all points to the north through Richmond (but on the current schedule north of there). This is to accommodate schedule changes on the Tri-Rail commuter trains (Miami-West Palm Beach).

Three commuter-rail demonstration trips will run on the line between Minneapolis and St. Cloud on August 10. There will be welcoming ice-cream socials in both cities. The Northstar Corridor Development Authority is taking advantage of the fact that a train set being delivered to Seattle for Sounder service is passing through Minnesota. The Authority proposes a service running by 2004 that would connect with the proposed light-rail line in downtown Minneapolis.