Hotline #178 - February 16, 2001

More co-sponsors for S.250, the High Speed Rail Investment Act (HSRIA), are still needed. The current total is still 51 -- good prospects for additions would include these Senators: Allen (R.-Va.), Bayh (D.-Ind.), Cantwell (D.-Wash.), Lugar (R.-Ind.), Nelson (D.-Fla.). Check our web site to see if both your Senators are already co-sponsors -- if not, please urge him or her to co-sponsor. See our web site for ways to contact Senators. Early passage of HSRIA is important to expansion of passenger-train service nationwide.

The Bush Administration this week sent mixed signals that its fiscal 2002 budget proposals will include cuts for most programs -- including transportation -- in part to make room for the Administration's tax cut proposals and defense spending priorities. Earlier in the week, there were reports that aviation would be funded by $568 million less than its authorized amount -- but still an increase over 2001. It now seems that, in response to an outcry from aviation supporters over aviation "cuts," the White House has backed off on its attack on general-fund (non-firewall-protected) aviation funding.

Amtrak is particularly vulnerable because -- unlike highways and aviation -- it relies exclusively on "non-firewalled" funds. At the current level of $521 million, Amtrak is capital-starved and is seeking an increase in funding for 2002 -- i.e., its full, authorized level of $955 million. It remains to be seen what Congress will do about that.

The House of Representatives this week, with remarkable speed, revived and passed a passenger rail bill it passed in 1999 and sent over to the Senate, but which was never considered there. H.R.554, the Rail Passenger Disaster Family Assistance Act, requires the National Transportation Safety Board to provide an assistance phone number for family members of passengers involved in railroad accidents. It also requires passenger railroads to submit a plan for addressing the needs of such families, and bars solicitation of family members and injured parties by lawyers for 45 days after an accident. The lead sponsor of the bill is Transportation and Infrastructure Chairman Don Young (R.-Alaska). The bill was approved on a 404-4 vote and sent to the Senate Commerce Committee.

Transportation and Infrastructure Ranking Democrat Jim Oberstar (Minn.) noted in a statement that the bill "is not in response to any inaction or any inappropriate actions by Amtrak. Indeed, Amtrak has already adopted many of the elements called for in this bill and Amtrak supports this bill that largely codifies its current practices." He added that the last Amtrak reauthorization law in 1997 foresaw the possibility of other intercity passenger railroads and so the new bill would apply to them, too.

Amtrak's Northeast Corridor timetables will change March 5, not February 26 as had been reported earlier. This will include additional weekday Acela Express service. The new information appears on Amtrak's reservations web site (but not yet for downloadable, "pdf"-format timetable grids).

Amtrak's Empire Builder was interrupted by a coal-train derailment near West Glacier, Mont., February 15. Passengers were bussed between Spokane, Wash., and either Essex or Shelby, Mont.

The Capital Area Transportation Authority of Lansing reports that its proposed commuter rail service to Detroit is in jeopardy because on-line communities are failing to provide their share of study money. Dearborn has contributed its $20,000, but Lansing, East Lansing, Howell, Ann Arbor, and Detroit have not. CATA hoped the other communities would fall in soon. The service would follow a zig-zag route using at least three railroads, and would require a major new bridge connecting two of them within Ann Arbor.

A downtown rail station for San Francisco took a step forward February 12 when the city Board of Supervisors approved a resolution to seek funding for the project. The resolution also authorizes creation of an authority to oversee construction of the new Transbay Terminal, which would tie an extended Caltrain commuter rail line into other local transit services such as BART and Muni Metro. The new authority, the Transbay Terminal Improvement Panel, also would involve the Caltrain Joint Powers Board (made up of counties) and Oakland's transit provider, AC Transit, both of which still have to approve the authority's creation. Officials are hopeful that construction can start in 2003 and finish in 2007, if funding is found.

Wisconsin's new governor, Scott McCallum (R.), will have the same transportation secretary as his predecessor, the very pro-rail Tommy Thompson (R.). Terry Mulcahy has been secretary since April 2000 and even before that, as deputy secretary, was very much involved in the Midwest Regional Rail Initiative.