Hotline #169 - December 15, 2000

The High Speed Rail Investment Act (HSRIA) was the subject of a meeting in the Senate yesterday afternoon that included Majority Leader Trent Lott (202/224-3135) and Minority Leader Tom Daschle (202/224-5556). It appears they did not agree to include HSRIA in the omnibus budget package that Congress will pass before it finally adjourns. Sen. Joseph Biden (D.-Del.) has threatened a filibuster against the omnibus package if the HSRIA is not included.

Please call the leadership offices at the numbers listed above (not their personal offices) and urge passage of the HSRIA before adjournment (not next year). Of course, if you are reading this after you have learned from news reports that Congress has adjourned, then phone calls are no longer necessary.

"Whistle ban" rules proposed by the Federal Railroad Administration would be delayed by last-minute language inserted into the budget package by House Speaker Dennis Hasters (R.-Ill.). The rules were requested by Congress in 1994 and include provisions for exceptions for localities if they made certain grade crossing improvements -- some of them rather "low-tech." But some communities objected, including many in Hastert's district. Now it appears that the rules will be delayed until after the first half of 2001, forcing the FRA to consider a compromise that would allow communities -- many of them wealthy -- ten years (instead of two) to make the safety-enhancing changes. Rep. William O. Lipinski (D.-Ill.) also has been active in trying to postpone implementation of the whistle ban.

Acela Express began revenue service December 11. The second day of service was problematic, as Amtrak took the Acela Express train set out of service before its early morning departure from Washington due to a pantograph problem. Additionally, the second, back-up train set had its own problems (inoperative freezer and no hot water in the cafe car) and it could not run in place of the first set. So Amtrak substituted a standard Amfleet set, but its locomotive failed near Bridgeport, Conn., resulting in a two-hour late arrival into Boston. The first set was repaired quickly and deadheaded to Boston for the afternoon southbound departure; the second set also was repaired. But new problems cropped up the fourth day, when the northbound train had another Amfleet substitution and left Washington an hour late. Today's train reached Boston two minutes early.

A new cocktail has been invented to observe the start of Acela Express service. The Oak Bar at the Fairmont Copley Plaza Hotel (near the Boston Back Bay station) is now serving the "Acela-Tini," featuring Sterling Vodka and Blue Curacao, garnished with a blue olive. The hotel is also offering an Acela weekend getaway package.

Federal Railroad Administrator Jolene Molitoris announced she would resign her post effective December 31. She was named to the post in 1993, and thus has served nearly eight years during the Clinton Administration. Deputy Administrator Jack Wells will serve as acting administrator. Molitoris will become president and chief executive of GeoFocus, Inc., a provider of geographic information system and global positioning satellite wireless technology to the transportation industry. NARP presented her with the Dr. Gary Burch Memorial Safety Award for 1996 (the annual award goes to the individual judged to have done the most to enhance passenger rail safety). Molitoris' enthusiasm and actions in support of passenger rail and rail safety will be felt long after her departure.

Chicago Union Station was the scene of a shoot-out December 12. Apparently, police officers from three forces (U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency, City of Chicago, and Amtrak) tried to stop and interview two men in the station's south concourse. One of the men grabbed the city officer, which resulted in an exchange of fire. One of the men was killed; the other man and the city officer were injured. Passengers and other bystanders scrambled for cover in the confusion. The two men had just come from Syracuse by train, and were suspects in a stolen weapons case several days ago in Maine, where they were from.

The connection between the northbound Texas Eagle and westbound Empire Builder was quietly broken by Amtrak on December 7. Amtrak said it was because the connecting van was having trouble making the tight 15-minute connection at Springfield, Ill., and 5-minute connection at Columbus, Wis. However, the Texas Eagle schedule that forced these tight connections has only been in place since October 30, when the schedule was shifted 30 minutes later. Amtrak has never explained why that shift was necessary, and NARP believes it should not have come at the expense of a connection as important as the one between these two trains.

Severe winter weather in the nation's midsection this week caused several trains to be severely delayed or annulled. December 13 annulments included the Pere Marquette, Lake Country Limited, Kentucky Cardinal, Texas Eagle (between San Antonio and Texarkana) and some Detroit trains. Several trains (mostly headed overnight for the east) left Chicago up to five hours late. The California Zephyr was annulled between Omaha and Ottumwa due to a freight derailment. The Pere Marquette was annulled again December 14.

The Amtrak station in Raleigh, N.C., was the scene December 8 of a ceremony celebrating its recent renovation. Amtrak President George Warrington praised the pro-passenger rail efforts of Gov. Jim Hunt (who is about to leave office). Amtrak spent $584,000 to renovate the station, which now includes a first-class lounge. The station, built in 1950, is the second-busiest in the state (after Charlotte). It has been used by Amtrak since the 1986 rerouting of the Silver Star.

Atlanta's MARTA system expands December 16 with a 4.7-mile extension of its North Line from Dunwoody to Sandy Springs and North Springs.