Hotline #199 - July 13, 2001

The Senate Appropriations Committee yesterday approved a Senate version of H.R.2299, the fiscal 2002 transportation funding bill. This came a few hours after the Transportation Subcommittee, chaired by Patty Murray (D.-Wash.), approved the bill. Like the bill the House approved June 26, the Senate bill includes $521 million for Amtrak capital, scored at 100% (all available at the start of the year). The Senate bill also restores Penn Station/Farley money cut out by the House bill.

There are now 137 sponsors of the House version of the High Speed Rail Investment Act, H.R.2329, with the addition this week of Eshoo (D.-Cal.), Davis (D.-Cal.), Foley (R.-Fla.), Putnam (R.-Fla.), Barr (R.-Ga.), Manzullo (R.-Ill.), Bonior (D.-Mich.), Walsh (R.-N.Y.). Click here for the full list.

The Senate Democratic caucus on July 10 made committee assignments allowed by a Senate resolution approved June 29, in the wake of the shift of majority status last month. The Democrats generally added one person to each committee. Potential subcommittee assignments have not been made yet. The most important change from this week was the appointment of James Jeffords (I.-Vt.) as chairman of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, which oversees highway and other TEA-21 issues. Additionally, Nelson (D.-Fla.) was added to Commerce (which authorizes rail programs) and Akaka (D.-Hawaii) was added to Banking (which has transit authorization responsibility). Also, Reed (D.-R.I.) was added to Appropriations, Corzine (D.-N.J.) to Budget, and Jeffords to Finance (tax and bond issues, including the High Speed Rail Investment Act).

The Cardinal has been disrupted by flooding caused by heavy storms in West Virginia on July 8. Most of the damage to the CSX main lie was between Hinton and Montgomery, W.Va. The train is annulled at least through July 14/15, depending on how quickly damage can be repaired. An extra coach and sleeper is running on the Capitol Limited instead, but there is no alternate transportation to intermediate Cardinal points (except the regular Thruway bus west of Cincinnati and Kentucky Cardinal west of Indianapolis). Passengers affected by this can cancel or change tickets without the normal penalties.

During the same period, a CSX derailment at Martinsburg, W.Va., July 10, forced an unusual detour for the Capitol Limited west from Washington -- Manassas-Front Royal-Shepherdstown-Hagerstown-Cherry Run.

Two grade crossing accidents last weekend failed to derail Amtrak trains, but both caused damage and disruption. On July 7, a northbound Pacific Surfliner traveling over 80 mph hit a truck-trailer that got caught on a crossing at Leucadia, Cal., south of Oceanside, causing minor injuries to some passengers and one occupant of a nearby automobile. The busy San Diego line was tied up for over three hours. In Albuquerque on July 8, the westbound Southwest Chief struck an automobile, killing three occupants and delaying the train by about seven hours. A sheriff's investigator said the car appeared to go around the lowered crossing gates, and that beer bottles were found in the wreckage.

An update on the status of Los Angeles-Las Vegas Amtrak service appeared in the July 11 Las Vegas Sun. Currently, the earliest start-up date is September 2002. The delay still involves environmental clearances that track-owner Union Pacific is working to get from the National Park Service in order to build a 20-mile, $28-million double-track segment in the Mojave National Preserve. There is also a biological assessment sent to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in May, whose review still has about two months to go. The Park Service will release its environmental assessment for public comment within a month. If that leads to issue of a permit, 11 months of construction will be needed.

Washington DOT has released its "East-West Passenger Rail Feasibility Study: A Preliminary Analysis," looking at service between Seattle and Spokane. Because of funding cuts, a study looking at all possible routes was cut down to a "limited feasibility study" for just one -- the Stampede Pass route via Yakima and Pasco, which currently does not have passenger service. The report found that a daylight service was operationally feasible, but that $350 million in infrastructure improvements are needed. That level of funding would also provide benefits to freight service and additional passenger-train frequencies. More study is needed to see if the service is feasible from an operating finances point-of-view.

Delta Air Lines will discontinue its shuttle service between Boston and Washington Reagan/National on September 1. It has operated the route since 1999 with Boeing 737-800's but another carrier, Atlantic Coast, will step in with four flights a day using 32-seat jets. US Airways still runs 15 flights a day on the route and carries more than three times as many passengers as Delta.