Hotline #236 - March 29, 2002

Amtrak apparently plans to send some type of notification to governors and others sometime the week of April 1 about the possibility that long-distance trains could stop running October 1 if Amtrak's federal grant is not adequate. The situation is fluid, and we hope to have something more definite to report on the next hotline (if not sooner).

The new DOT director of maritime and land security, Richard Bennis, said March 25 that "passenger security [on land and water] will be dealt with with the same intensity as aviation security." He said proposals for train, bus, and cruise ship baggage screening could be announced in July. Bennis said that federal security directors will be appointed locally to oversee transportation facilities that include train stations, and that federal marshals could be stationed there. Amtrak already requires a valid photo identification to check baggage. NARP has urged Amtrak to work closely and early with Bennis, with the goal of preventing announcements of impractical measures. Any proposal to treat rail baggage like that on airlines (with X-ray machines) would be prohibitively expensive for Amtrak's 500 stations -- many in small towns -- and probably unnecessary. It also might be logistically impossible in some stations, especially those shared by commuter rail.

Amtrak will add Business Class to the New York-Miami Silver Palm, effective April 1. The service will feature a 59-seat Amfleet II car with at-seat audio and video entertainment, free soft drinks, newspapers, blankets, and priority boarding. This is similar to the service offered on the New York-Charlotte Carolinian. Business Class is a welcome amenity on long-distance trains, particularly those with long daytime segments, but Amtrak is also considering removal of sleeping-car service from the Silver Palm as early as the April 29 timetable change. Amtrak seems eager to save money by eliminating the Palm's dining car, and doesn't want to run the usually sold-out Palm sleeper without the diner -- but Amtrak already runs diner-less sleepers on the Three Rivers, Twilight Shoreliner, and Kentucky Cardinal. NARP has urged Amtrak to keep the sleeper and make the Palm a test case for delivering entrees more economically.

Also April 1, Amtrak is ending checked baggage at Cincinnati, as part of the ongoing station staffing reductions. Ticketing will continue. Amtrak eliminated station weekend station staffing at St. Albans, Essex Junction, and White River Junction, Vt., but weekday baggage service will be offered (unlike what has happened at other stations). There is no change in bicycle carriage.

Soon after the next timetable change, the Kentucky Cardinal will run with low-level equipment, including a Viewliner sleeper.

Amtrak has added a "Select" membership category to its Guest Rewards frequent-user program. Guest Rewards members eligible for the new category must accrue at least 5,000 Guest Rewards points on Amtrak travel during a calendar year. They will get a new Guest Rewards identification cards, which they can use to get seating upgrades (where available); one-day passes to ClubAcela (former Metropolitan Lounges) in Washington, Philadelphia, New York, and Boston; access to a special, toll-free number for priority service when making reservations; and the ability to earn 25% more bonus points on Amtrak trips.

Denver RTD will open its Central Platte Valley light rail spur April 5. This will create a new route originating in Littleton (south terminus of the existing route), running to a new junction at West Auraria, and proceeding 1.8 miles to the Broncos stadium, Pepsi Center area, Six Flags Elitch Gardens, and Union Station.

Harrisburg took a step closer to getting a rail station at its airport March 26, when the Susquehanna Area Regional Airport Authority voted unanimously to undertake a $221.7-million expansion project. Included in that is a $9 million Amtrak station on the Keystone line, very near the airport, with a moving sidewalk system to connect the station to the new airport terminal. Completion date for the entire project is summer 2004. The Harrisburg airport is about nine miles southeast of downtown Harrisburg (location of that city's Amtrak station).

A 25-day rail journey by a group of college students is described at the "All Aboard! The American Railroad Odyssey" web site. Seven students and (for part of the trip) one professor from Wofford College in Spartanburg, S.C., went coast-to-coast and into Canada in January. Their web site is filled with information about the trip and the students' impressions -- in words, photos, and sound clips -- of train travel, other travelers, and the places they visited. The students hope the site will inspire other students to travel by rail. The Spartanburg Herald-Journal said the web site is "a must-read for anyone considering rail travel."

A series of television programs called "Best of California" premieres this weekend, sponsored in part by Amtrak, Caltrans, and the Capitol Corridor. Each program will feature three segments promoting travel destinations in California, and in five of the 12 programs, travel to the destinations by train will be highlighted. The stations airing the program (all in California) are KCRA-NBC, Sacramento (Sat., 7:00 pm); KICU-Ind., Bay Area (Sun., 6:30 pm); KSEE-NBC, Fresno (Sat., 7:00 pm); KCAL-Ind., Los Angeles (Sat., 7:30 pm); KFMB-CBS, San Diego (Sat., 3:30 pm).

NARP Region 3 meets tomorrow in Jersey City, N.J. On April 6, Region 10 meets in Omaha and Region 7 meets in Champaign, Ill.