Hotline #188 - April 27, 2001

S.250, the Senate version of the High Speed Rail Investment Act (HSRIA), this week got its 57th sponsor, Daniel Akaka (D.-Hawaii). It would be tremendous to get 60 soon -- see our web site for a full list and ask your Senator to sponsor if he or she has not (see our web site for ways to make contact). Also, it's still important to ask your Representative to be an originating sponsor to the anticipated House version of HSRIA.

The 30th anniversary of the start-up of Amtrak is May 1. The best birthday present that passengers could get in 2001 would be passage of HSRIA and adequate capital appropriations, bringing American passenger rail out of an era of stagnation and into an era of growth and increased relevance and utility. It can happen, but it will take much more work from all of us.

The NARP Board of Directors is meeting in Washington this week. A highlight has been today's visit by Norman Y. Mineta, who is the first Secretary of Transportation to address the NARP board. Also appearing have been Sen. Max Cleland (D.-Ga.), Amtrak President George Warrington, and Amtrak Reform Council Vice Chairman Paul Weyrich. NARP Executive Director Ross Capon was recognized for his 25 years of service in that position.

Last night was NARP's annual awards reception at Washington Union Station. The George Falcon Golden Spike Award was presented in memory of NARP's late and long-time president, John R. Martin. His wife, Faye Mounce Martin, of Atlanta, accepted the award and was joined by several other family members. The first annual John R. Martin Passenger Rail Advocacy Award was presented to Leif Erik Lange, of Elk Grove, Cal., for his long-time and instrumental role in improving passenger rail service in California. These efforts included his assistance in passage of about $3 billion in passenger-rail bonds in 1990, the benefits of which passengers enjoy today. The Dr. Gary Burch Memorial Safety Award for 2000 was presented to Damian Garden, of Yalesville, Conn., an Amtrak maintenance-of-way supervisor. He directly contributed to many of the infrastructure improvements that support Amtrak's high-speed rail service in New England.

The White House has nominated Jenna Dorn to the post of Federal Transit Administrator. She is currently president of the National Health Museum, but held a variety of posts in the Reagan DOT under then-Secretary Elizabeth Dole. She also served in the Bush Labor Department, then at Lockheed Martin, then (with Dole) at the American Red Cross.

Amtrak continued using substitute buses to move passengers between Chicago and St. Paul this week as flooding slowly subsided on the upper Mississippi River. Canadian Pacific had been allowing a minimal number of freight trains through early in the week, but those trains faced substantial slow orders. Now forecasters are expecting a second crest of the river in that area, making it unlikely Amtrak will be allowed to return the Empire Builder to through-service until the week of April 30.

A CSX derailment east of Point-of-Rocks, Md., the evening of April 24, disrupted passenger service the rest of the week. One track was reopened early April 26, leading to restoration of some freight trains and Amtrak's Capitol Limited, but MARC's weekday service won't be restored until April 30 due to continuing delays.

Amtrak will operate a special, public train between New York and Dover, Del., June 3, to serve an event at the Dover Downs NASCAR Raceway. Trains 935 and 936 (Monster Mile Express) are available for sale in Amtrak's Arrow reservations system (but not, apparently, on the web site). The all-reserved train will stop at Newark, Trenton, Philadelphia, and Wilmington only to pick up for Dover (and vice-versa). There will be a food-service car and a shuttle bus in Dover from the train to the Raceway. Connections are available at Wilmington to/from the south. NARP and most other discounts are not honored on this train. Call Amtrak for more information (if the agent is unfamiliar with this, refer to code "G/PRO/DVR").

Amtrak will change Sunset Limited days of operation at the end of May. Eastbound, starting May 30, trains will leave Los Angeles Wednesday (not Tuesday), Friday, Sunday. Westbound, starting June 3, trains will leave Orlando Sunday (not Saturday), Tuesday, Thursday.

Effective April 29, the Washington-New York non-stop Acela Express weekday round-trip that was introduced on March 5 will begin stopping in Philadelphia, and will run two minutes slower overall. The northbound trip will leave Washington at 7:20 am (a change from 6:50 am); the southbound trip continues to leave New York at 3:50 pm. This had been the fastest-ever scheduled Washington-New York trip, but "demand was light," according to the Washington Post. The new schedule of 2:30 is identical to a Penn Central Metroliner in 1969-70 (which was very unreliable) and an Amtrak Metroliner in 1991 (which also had light demand). Further speed reductions likely will have to wait for major projects like catenary renewal (as funding permits).

The village board of Sturtevant, Wis., on April 16 unanimously approved a $2.1-million project to replace the old Milwaukee Road station in the center of the village with a new station on the village's north edge. Construction on the station, served by Amtrak's Hiawathas, could start in June and finish in November. The original cost estimate of $1.2 million was increased to provide a pedestrian walkway under the double-track line and was requested by Canadian Pacific. The station is in an industrial park the village has been developing. The village said it would apply for an $800,000 Congestion and Mitigation of Air Quality grant from the Federal Highway Administration to help pay for the station. The station will have ticketing machines and parking for 170.