Hotline #203 - August 10, 2001

The August newsletter now going to press makes much the same point that last week's Hotline did -- the August Congressional recess is a good time to contact your Senators and U.S. Representatives -- by mail -- in support of the High Speed Rail Investment Act. Urge them not just to co-sponsor, but to actively work toward passage of the bill this year. Write to them at U.S. Senate, Washington, DC 20510 or U.S. House of Representatives, Washington, DC 20515. Ask your governor and your local business and political leaders to work for enactment.

Severe heat that has been parked over the central U.S. for some time finally reached the Northeast this week. The worst of it began mid-week, and Amtrak slowed some Northeast Corridor trains as a precaution and told passengers to expect delays of 15-40 minutes. Severe heat can cause rail and catenary problems. Indeed, on August 9, a Metro North commuter train snagged a sagging wire near Norwalk, Conn., on a line where the speed had already been lowered to 60 mph, delaying other commuter and Amtrak trains.

A minor derailment August 8 at Washington Union Station tied up rush hour traffic there all afternoon and evening. Two baggage cars from the northbound Silver Star derailed at a complex interlocking at the north throat of the terminal. No one was injured, but the derailment blocked access from the north to tracks 17-20 (upper-level, used by MARC, Acela Express, Metroliner) and 21-30 (used by Amtrak trains to the south and Virginia Railway Express). There were some delays to MARC and Amtrak Northeast Corridor trains. VRE suspended service from Union Station, and coordinated movement of its passengers via Metro, shuttle buses, and cabs to make it home. Two train sets that were already south of Union Station used L'Enfant Plaza as a terminus. VRE service was back to normal by mid-morning August 9. Amtrak transferred some passengers to buses between Richmond and Washington.

Amtrak and a Maryland developer announced plans August 8 to develop a 72-room hotel within Baltimore Penn Station, over the next two years. Rooms will be located in office space on the second, third, and fourth floors of the historic terminal. The hotel will be accessible from the first floor passenger area, but no changes are planned there. Construction will begin in summer 2002.  About 100 Amtrak personnel (police, customer service, maintenance workers) are in the office space now and will be relocated. Another large project next to the station -- replacement of the Charles St. bridge and adjoining plaza -- should be done by the end of 2002. An intercity bus terminal north of (across the tracks) from the station is planned, with an enclosed skywalk linking bus and rail areas.

An August 2 meeting in Fort Wayne on high-speed rail was attended by over 300 people. The Indiana DOT is holding a series of such meetings around the state; the next is in Jeffersonville on August 15. Only 50 people were expected; an overflow room for 75 had to be set up. Bob Wearley, director of marketing for Fort Wayne International Airport, speaking as a private resident, was quoted in the Fort Wayne Journal Gazette saying that fast trains could help congestion at busy airports -- "High speed rail can be a safety valve and release that pressure." This was a big turnout for a city that hasn't had any passenger rail service in 11 years. Passage of the High Speed Rail Investment Act remains the best chance for any new corridors to get federal investment.

Kansas City voters in a special election on August 7 rejected a light-rail ballot question, by a 60-40 margin. It is the fourth time in as many years a light-rail question has been defeated, though Mayor Kay Barnes indicated another question could come up next year. The issue has deeply divided city officials and business interests. One city council member, Leonard Graham, told the Kansas City Star that voters "made a decision [that] the status quo is OK, that we can sprawl and the urban core can be neglected, and I think that's a very, very big mistake."

Effective August 26, the Coast Starlight schedule will change. Endpoint (Seattle and Los Angeles) are the same, but many mid-point times change -- with new times either earlier or later than now, so check the new schedule if you are using this train after August 26. A plan to eliminate service for this train to Davis, Calif. (also served by Capitols and California Zephyr), made it to the stage of being reflected on the Amtrak reservations web site. That plan has been postponed, and Coast Starlight availability to Davis on the web site has been restored through September.

Federal investigators are focusing on human error in the August 3 rear-end collision of two Chicago elevated trains. The National Transportation Safety Board said that the driver of the second (Brown Line) train appeared to have violated operating rules by moving his train forward when another (Purple Line) train was in his path, and by not calling a command center for instructions. The accident initially sent 141 people to hospitals, after a difficult evacuation process, but now 225 people have filed claims for injuries. The Chicago Transit Authority says some of the claims are clearly fake, with some saying they were aboard trains on a route not involved in the accident.

September 30 is the projected opening date for the new rail station at Newark Airport. In fact, Continental Airlines already has begun promoting this connection. Their web site says, "Thanks to the collaborative effort of Continental Airlines and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, along with Amtrak and New Jersey Transit, beginning this fall, you can take advantage of AirTrain -- convenient one-stop rail service several times per hour via [Newark] Penn between our Newark hub and Manhattan's Penn Station." The projected NJT fare to Manhattan is $11.15. However, that includes a $5 fee imposed by the Port Authority to ride its monorail from the train station to the airport -- the same monorail people can ride from the parking area to the airport terminal for free. Still, a direct link from the nation's busiest rail corridor with one of the busiest airports will open up a wide range of travel opportunities.