Hotline #185 - April 6, 2001

The new nominee for Federal Railroad Administrator is Allan Rutter, named by President Bush on April 3. Rutter has been transportation policy director for the Texas governors since 1995. He served under President (then Governor) Bush until December 2000, then under Governor Perry, Bush's successor. He was deputy executive director of the Texas High-Speed Rail Authority from 1990 to 1995. Rutter's nomination goes to the Senate Commerce Committee for consideration.

The Senate version of the High Speed Rail Investment Act, S.250, gained two more sponsors this week for a total of 56. The new ones are Nelson (D.-Fla.) and Cantwell (D.-Wash.). Though a week ago we said the House version could be introduced this week, this now appears to be more likely for after spring recess. The Congressional recess starts today. Contact your Representative to ask him or her to be an originating sponsor of this bill; click here for ways to make contact.

The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee on April 4 held a hearing on "Transportation Congestion." The chairman, Don Young (R.-Alaska) said, "Congestion is a national crisis. Anyone who flies, drives, takes a train, takes a train, or ships goods knows that our transportation system is overburdened. [The only way forward] is to increase capacity. That may mean building more highways, transit systems, runways, and making all systems more efficient ... We need to improve short line railroads and also look at ways to improve high-speed rail, and also our Class I railroads."

Ranking Democrat James Oberstar (D.-Minn.) also favored streamlining, but only if "due and fair consideration is given to local communities." He added, "High-speed rail is another option ... O'Hare could be relieved by taking off about 15% of O'Hare's traffic, the short haul flights, to give space for better revenue yielding long-haul flights." Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta was the only witness. In his opening statement, in addition to calling for more airport capacity and a look at peak-period pricing for aviation, he said, "Many states are turning to high-speed rail service to ease congestion between cities. Our FRA and Amtrak are working with the states that comprise the ... designated high-speed rail corridors."

The Bush Administration on April 9 will release its full budget proposals for transportation, expanding upon the "budget blueprint" it released on February 28. While the previous document already contained the proposed Amtrak figure -- $521 million in fiscal 2002 to be paid at the beginning of the year -- the April 9 release will tell more about other programs that were not detailed earlier, such as the high-speed rail program.

Transportation Secretary Mineta announced that the new budget proposal will not include new funding for the Seattle Central Link light rail project, but that future funding could be available if Sound Transit and the Federal Transit Administration address problems outlined in an April 4 DOT Inspector General's audit report on the project. FTA and Sound Transit signed a full-funding agreement for the project on January 19, but the audit report suggests that some cost estimates were not satisfactorily thorough at that time.

The next round of new Acela Express service starts April 29, with the addition of two weekday Boston-New York trains (leaving 7:12 am, 3:12 pm); two weekday New York-Boston trains (leaving 7:03 am, 5:00 pm). Also, the first weekend services begin:  two Boston-Washington trips (leaving 8:00 am, 4:00 pm); one New York-Boston trip (leaving 8:03 am); one Washington-Boston trip (leaving 1:00 pm). The weekend services will allow use of the NARP travel discount.

Other April 29 changes include cutting 30 minutes from Kentucky Cardinal southbound, Indianapolis-Jeffersonville (and 15 minutes from the Indianapolis dwell); Crescent northbound runs 20 minutes later New Orleans-Alexandria (and up to 44 minutes later to New York); California Zephyr eastbound runs about 25 minutes earlier east of Sparks; California Zephyr westbound runs about 50 minutes earlier throughout; Southwest Chief eastbound leaves Los Angeles 20 minutes earlier and arrives Chicago 21 minutes later.

The biggest change is the Texas Eagle. Northbound, it leaves San Antonio two hours earlier and arrives Chicago about three hours earlier, reestablishing a connection to the westbound Empire Builder. But southbound, it swaps time slots with train 305, leaving Chicago at 3:30 pm, breaking the connection from the Empire Builder (no word yet on any Columbus-Springfield connecting van), and arriving San Antonio 9:00 pm.

Michigan train 355 is restored to the earlier slot it had two years ago. All Chicago-Detroit schedules are cut 15 minutes with assignment of higher-horsepower locomotives.

Amtrak expanded its popular "quiet car" program on the Northeast Corridor on April 2. Those trains that now have them (new ones designated with "*") are southbound Metroliners 107, 109*, 111*, 113*, 115, 117*, 125*; southbound NortheastDirect 151, southbound Acela Regional 177*; northbound Metroliners 104*, 106, 108*, 110*, 112*, 114, 116*, 124*, 128*; northbound Acela Regional 170, 190*. On all trains, the designated car is the first car, nearest the locomotive.

The Oklahoma Senate on April 3 approved H.B.1173, a bill that would move about $60 million in motor vehicle registration fees from the general fund to transportation programs. The bill had earlier been approved in the House with a provision for $16 million annually for rail (including passenger rail), where the Senate version has none. The bill now goes to conference, where the best outcome would be retention of the House version’s pro-passenger-rail language.

Amtrak changed the location of its Thruway stop at San Francisco's Ferry Building slightly, April 2. The old location (31 The Embarcadero, Suite 140) was at the north end of the Ferry Building. The new location (101 The Embarcadero, Suite 118) is at the south end of the Ferry Building, and continues to offer ticket sales and checked baggage.