Hotline #220 - December 7, 2001

The Senate plans a late session tonight, and may continue its consideration of H.R.3338, fiscal 2002 defense appropriations (or, if not, maybe early next week). An amendment is expected from Biden (D.-Del.), Carper (D.-Del.), Durbin (D.-Ill.), Hollings (D.-S.C.), and Hutchison (R.-Tex.), in effect eliminating the requirement that Amtrak submit a liquidation plan (90 days after November 9). The goal is to help let Congress and the Administration have the rest of the fiscal year (until September 30, 2002) to consider the future of rail passenger service. Please phone or fax your senators' offices in support of this amendment -- and in continuing support of the high-speed rail tax credit provisions approved by the Senate Finance Committee. Click here for ways to contact them -- the Capitol switchboard is 202-224-3121.

The business community (including Amtrak's foreign lenders) understands 'liquidation' clearly, but does not understand why anyone would write a liquidation plan with no intent of using it. The requirement has increased Amtrak's cost of doing business and -- if Congress does not act -- could jeopardize Amtrak's ability to get through the fiscal year.

Meanwhile, the same bill's Amtrak "safety/security" package keeps dwindling -- from  $1.77 billion in S.1550 (Hollings-McCain) to $1.2 billion in Chairman Byrd's original homeland security package to $100 million in what the Senate Appropriations Committee released December 4. Overall, Chairman Byrd's (D.-W.Va.) "homeland security" funding package has dropped from $20 billion to $15 billion.

Even that lowest Amtrak amount is in jeopardy, as a motion to waive a section of the Budget Act and give emergency status to the package failed on a 50-48 vote on December 6. Three-fifths (60 votes) was required for passage, and two-thirds (67 votes) would be needed to sustain a threatened Bush veto any bill containing the $15-billion package. Still, increased security costs are eating into Amtrak's delicate finances.

The Senate approved the final version of H.R.2299, fiscal 2002 transportation appropriations, on December 4. It awaits presidential signature. It includes $521 million scored at 100% for Amtrak, $32.3 million for high-speed rail programs, $2.5 million for an Amtrak station at Milwaukee airport, $1 million for New York-Scranton service. The Amtrak Reform Council got $225,000, about half the levels proposed by the House and Senate. This may reflect a perceived lack of duties for the ARC after it releases its Amtrak restructuring plan in early February. There were record levels of funding, protected by budgetary firewalls, for highways -- $32.9 billion, aviation -- $13.0 billion, and transit -- $6.7 billion. The aviation figure does not include the airlines' emergency bailout enacted in September ($5 billion in grants, $10 billion in loan guarantees).

Trinity Railway Express again offers free rides December 8, the first Saturday since the new Richland Hills-Fort Worth segment opened.

Amtrak's Oklahoma City-Fort Worth Heartland Flyer has slower schedules in December to accommodate track-connection work around the new Fort Worth intermodal terminal and a tie replacement project on the BNSF. Trains arrive at their terminals 25 minutes later than what the timetable shows.

December 4 was the big day in Louisville, Ky., as the Kentucky Cardinal officially reached its namesake state, with extension of service from Jeffersonville, Ind. Amtrak started the train two years ago as a low-amenity, express-traffic feeder train. The train's overnight schedule means its slowness is not a big problem.

Louisville interests, including the Kentucky-Indiana Rail Advocates, began working on a four-mile extension almost immediately, two years ago, and worked to restore a passenger track beside historic Union Station, last served by an Amtrak train in 1976. Jeffersonville has been retained as a stop (and is where express cars are switched). The Kentucky Cardinal train set lays over in Louisville with enough time to spare to run down and back to Nashville, Tenn., one of the largest cities in the U.S. without passenger-rail service, and Amtrak has said it would consider such an extension.

Another triumph for local advocates is the start of Boston-Portland Downeaster service December 15.  An inaugural train, to be met with hour-long celebrations at the route's stops, runs December 14. See our events page for times and locations.

Amtrak adds a new, ninth, weekday Acela Express to Boston on December 10, giving the Shore Line 16 frequencies (counting Acela Regional). The new run leaves Boston at 1:15 pm (for Washington, replacing the 5:00 pm New York-Washington Metroliner); departs New York at 3:03 pm (replacing the noon Metroliner from Washington).

Washington State's former transportation secretary, Sid Morrison, was recognized for his efforts to improve passenger rail service by the American Association of State and Highway Transportation Officials (AASHTO), at their annual meeting in Fort Worth, December 4. He was given AASHTO's 2001 President's Transportation Award, in the Rail Division. Morrison was deeply involved in launching Amtrak's Cascades, which had record ridership in 2001. Indeed, the Cascades service is the latest "poster child" for what beautiful new trains can do, along with modest speed and frequency increases.  Ridership is up 195% since the Amtrak/state partnership began in 1993.

Former Representative Lawrence Coughlin (R.-Pa.) died November 30. He served in the House from 1969 to 1993, ending as ranking Republican on the Transportation Appropriations Subcommittee.  He consistently supported intercity passenger rail funding, and NARP honored him with the George Falcon Golden Spike Award in 1989.

Today's Richmond Times-Dispatch has a front-page story about NARP and passenger rail. Yesterday, Marketplace (the public radio business program) ran an Amtrak segment, including a pro-long-distance clip from NARP's Ross Capon.