Hotline #158 - September 29, 2000

The High Speed Rail Investment Act (S.1900) -- now part of the Community Renewal and New Markets Act (H.R.4923, Senate version) -- was discharged from the Senate Finance Committee on September 28. No vote was required. Mark-up dates had come and gone, but progress on bill passage was held back by an outpouring of proposed spending amendments. One amendment (from Gramm, R.-Tex.) would have stripped the S.1900 rail bond language from the larger bill. For an article on H.R.4923 and the many amendments, see the Washington Post. The discharged bill contains the "chairman's mark" language that includes S.1900, as well as new language sought by committee member Baucus (D.-Mont.) barring other intercity passenger rail funding from the Highway Trust Fund while this legislation is in effect. The bill will receive a Senate bill number soon and then be placed on the Senate calendar.

It's very encouraging that the rail bond language is still in play. This is due in great part to the grass-roots support S.1900/H.R.3700 have enjoyed, and the high number of sponsors the bills have (officially, as of today, 56 in the Senate -- Baucus being the most recent -- and 162 in the House). Please continue recruiting Senate and House sponsors, because this show of support will continue to be important to this legislation's progress toward enactment. For a complete list of current sponsors, see our web site.

Also, it is important that President Bill Clinton, House Speaker Dennis Hastert (R.-Ill.), and Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott (R.-Miss.) hear of your support for the rail bond provisions in the Community Renewal and New Markets Act. For the President, use his e-mail address or a web-based form. For the Speaker, use his e-mail address. Always include your name and mailing address.

H.R.4475, the fiscal 2001 transportation appropriations bill, still has not emerged from conference committee. Only two of the 13 appropriations bills have been enacted so far, so Congress has approved a continuing resolution that funds affected programs (including transportation) beyond the start of the fiscal year on October 1, through October 6.

The Senate Commerce Committee on September 27 had an Amtrak oversight hearing. Chairman John McCain (R.-Ariz.) complained about past investment in Amtrak and opposed S.1900, questioning "pumping billions into a mode that the majority of the traveling public aren't interested in." Later, McCain took a more positive tone, saying there might be a case for passenger rail, but he needed more specific information on how much investment was needed. He said he would hold another hearing in January after the Amtrak Reform Council issues its next report. Wisconsin Governor Tommy Thompson, who is Amtrak board chairman, said the Amtrak board last week adopted a new business plan. He said this plan addressed many of the unspecified cost-reduction measures that were highlighted in the Office of Inspector General report (also last week) that questioned Amtrak's ability to reach its operational self-sufficiency mandate.

The future of the Chicago-Toronto International remains in doubt, as a six-month notice for the train's discontinuance posted last spring expires October 2. Amtrak does not yet have a new contract with the State of Michigan, which helps pay for the train. The state is expected to notify Amtrak of its plans by October 10, but -- if they call for taking the train off -- Amtrak likely would give the public some advance notice.

Jim Churchill, a NARP Region 4 director from Alexandria, Va., was named a NARP vice president by the NARP Executive Committee. Since April, NARP has had four vice presidents. Churchill replaces Alan Yorker, who was named President on September 8.

The Oklahoma DOT has set aside almost $5 million in federal funds for a project to re-time grade crossing circuits on the Heartland Flyer route (Oklahoma City-Fort Worth). There is no announced completion date, but when complete, the project would allow top speeds on parts of the route to rise from 60 to 79 mph, cutting 30-60 minutes from today's one-way running time of 4:35 hours. In other words, overall average speed would increase from 45.6 mph to between 51.2 and 58.3 mph.

The Portland-Eugene, Ore., line will get its third daily Amtrak train round-trip on October 6. This is in addition to the current Seattle-Los Angeles Coast Starlight and Seattle-Eugene trains 750/754. Like the current trains 750/754, new trains 552 and 753 will use Talgo equipment. Train 753 will be an extension of an existing Seattle-Portland train and will arrive at Eugene at 8:05 pm. Train 552 will leave Eugene at 9:30 am and run only as far as Portland, but will connect to train 752 for Seattle. The current Thruway buses in those time slots will be discontinued.

Four daily round-trips of the Hiawathas (Chicago-Milwaukee) got trial cart snack and beverage service on September 18. The trial will run at least 30 days and then be reviewed for continuation. Less regular experimental runs with the cart were made earlier this summer.

Caltrain commuter rail service expanded September 25, with ten more weekday trains between San Francisco and San Jose (four more on Saturdays). Weekend service will be added November 18 between San Jose and Gilroy on a trial basis. Studies continue on extending service even further south, to Hollister, Salinas, or Seaside (near Monterey).

Birmingham, Ala., got a $9.8-million Federal Transit Administration grant this week toward the second phase of an intermodal terminal project. Currently, "Central Station," adjacent to the Amtrak station, serves local buses only. The next phase will allow that to be linked to Amtrak, Greyhound, rental cars, and taxis.

Robert Blanchette, former Federal Railroad Administrator, died in Washington on September 25, aged 68. After spending the 1970's as a trustee and executive of the Penn Central (during its post-bankruptcy reorganization), he was President Reagan's first FRA chief. Blanchette went on to represent the TGV manufacturers, then he was a legal officer for the Association of American Railroads from 1990 to 1997.