Hotline #263 - October 4, 2002

2002

Amtrak will discontinue its unconditional service guarantee program on November 1.

The House Appropriations Committee approved a transportation appropriations bill for 2003 on October 1 -- the same day the fiscal year began. The Committee did not revisit the inadequate Amtrak figure it had already approved last week -- $762 million -- which was discussed here in last week's Hotline.

Other bill features include capping the amount of federal funding going to long-distance trains at $150 million; requiring Amtrak funding to be funneled through the DOT; requiring an operating and capital plan; banning federal funding for items not on that plan (except for funding made available at the beginning of the fiscal year); requiring Amtrak to work with DOT to find $100 million in annual cost savings (something that is already happening); codifying certain conditions of the June 2002 loan by DOT to Amtrak (rather than letting them expire next month); requiring that commuter and freight railroads be allowed to operate on Amtrak property if Amtrak shuts down.

It's not known when the bill will reach the House floor. In the meantime, the House yesterday approved another continuing resolution to allow federally funded programs to run in the absence of appropriations laws, this time good through October 11. The Senate was expected to approve the measure today.

Meanwhile, the Aviation Subcommittee of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, chaired by John Mica (R.-Fla.), approved a bill, H.R.5506, that would extend the existing $10 billion in federal loan guarantees to financially struggling airlines, if there is a war with Iraq. An earlier bill of Mica's, H.R.3591, would treat passenger rail very differently, by transferring the Northeast Corridor and Auto Train to the Department of Transportation and presumably scrap all other service (for not being "profitable"). Fortunately, that bill has gone nowhere this session of Congress.

The National League of Cities met in Florida this week, after having announced that Amtrak funding would "top" their meeting agenda. Also high up on the agenda were TEA-21 reauthorization and transportation security. Conrad Bowers, Mayor of Bridgeton, Mo., who chairs the Transportation Infrastructure and Services Committee, said, in a statement, "The survival of Amtrak is a high priority for the nation's cities. This committee has been committed to developing a national rail policy, which the country desperately needs. Amtrak and other passenger rail development are vital to the nation's metropolitan areas to help ease congestion and offer travel alternatives to our citizens."

Meanwhile, the U.S. Conference of Mayors had a news conference this morning to call for full funding of Amtrak. Among the mayors expected to participate were Kenneth Barr of Fort Worth, Tex., Rocky Anderson of Salt Lake City, Pat McCrory of Charlotte; plus Rep. James Oberstar (D.-Minn.) and Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D.-Ore.). A letter from the nation's mayor to Congressional appropriators was released urging full funding.

The American Passenger Rail Coalition industry group held its annual reception at Union Station in Washington on October 2. The group honored Rep. Jack Quinn (R.-N.Y.) and Sen. Ernest Hollings (D.-S.C.) with its Rail Leadership Award. Hollings asked the group to continue to "keep the faith" on improving passenger rail.

The General Accounting Office has released a report (dated September 2002, number GAO-02-871) it prepared for the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, on "Potential Financial Issues in the Event That Amtrak Undergoes Liquidation." The report estimated that if Amtrak had been liquidated last December 31, all creditors, including the federal government, employees, and stockholders, would have had $44 billion in claims against Amtrak's estate. Of that, the federal government would have claimed 80%. Liquidation also would adversely impact the railroad retirement and unemployment system, and commuter and freight railroads that use the Northeast Corridor. The GAO said that impacts on the riding public, on the environment, etc., were outside the scope of the report.

Another recent GAO report on Essential Air Services (August 30) notes that between 1995 and 2000, appropriations to that program increased from $37 million to $113 million; that the average payment at the 79 airports involved in the "lower 48" states rose from $424,000 to $828,000, and that passenger traffic to all the airports involved fell 20% to about three passengers per flight. The number of airports served is expected to increase as airlines plan to discontinue unprofitable flights. Fares to such airports are generally high, and the report notes that one factor depressing use of EAS flights is that "people may choose to drive or take rail service" as a more economical alternative.

Amtrak will have its President's Award ceremony in Washington next week. Among the recipients are NARP board member Doras Briggs, of Kensington, Cal., and longtime former NARP board member Art Lloyd, of Portola Valley, Cal. Both are active in an array of rail-related causes, and Lloyd is retired from a long career in railroading (including Western Pacific and Amtrak). Another recipient is Susan Miculka, a volunteer with the National Park Service's Trails & Rails program.

Hurricane Lili reached southwestern Louisiana on October 3, interfering with Amtrak service. The heaviest disruption was the Sunset Limited, which at various times was annulled west of New Orleans, east of San Antonio; one round trip is not running at all. The Crescent is being turned at Meridian for three days (October 2-3-4), with no alternative transportation. This is barely a week after Tropical Storm Isidore caused similar disruption.

Michigan service is at the end of a Norfolk Southern track-work disruption period (June 1-September 30), meaning the April 29 timetable for that route goes back into effect October 1. However, a new Norfolk Southern track project begins October 7 between Kalamazoo and Battle Creek. Weekend (Friday-Sunday) schedules will be normal for all trains (i.e., those of April 29).

But there will be changes Monday-Thursday, for three weeks. Eastbound, train 350 is eliminated, train 364 leaves Chicago earlier (7:15 am), train 352 leaves Chicago later (2:45 pm), and train 354 runs normally. Westbound, train 351 runs normally, train 353 is eliminated, train 365 arrives Chicago later (8:21 pm), and train 355 originates in Pontiac (but runs on normal schedule west of Detroit).

Trains in Cascades service will change their train numbers with the new timetable, October 27. Numbers ranging from 750 to 762 (plus 552) will range instead from 500 to 516. Amtrak needs the numbers to accommodate anticipated expansions in California, where train numbers currently range from 520 to 595 and from 702 to 799.

New Jersey Transit opened its light-rail extension into Hoboken Terminal on September 29, the same day NJT's "Try Transit Festival" was held there. The extension brings light-rails service from Bayonne, Jersey City, and Newport (Pavonia) into the busy commuter-rail, ferry, and PATH transfer point.

The next day, NJT completed its opening of the Montclair Connection. Now, all Boonton Line trains use the new connection, running to Hoboken via Newark Broad Street. Midtown Direct electric service provides 19 weekday round-trips between Montclair Heights (on the pre-existing Boonton Line) and New York Penn Station, via the new connection and Newark. Current Montclair Branch trains also have been extended north to Montclair Heights.

An experimental AirTrain light-rail train derailed on a curve and struck a concrete guideway wall on September 27, killing the driver. The accident occurred near Federal Circle on the grounds of Kennedy Airport in Queens, New York, on an elevated segment of the Port Authority light-rail system that will connect the airport with the A train subway station at Howard Beach.  The driver was pinned for more than an hour by concrete blocks that were inside the three-car train, used as weights to simulate a load of passengers. The driver, an employee of Bombardier, a lead contractor on the project, was the only person on board the train. Testing has been suspended, and it's not clear what impact the accident has on the start-up date, which was expected to be this fall. Trains will run without drivers in revenue service, using a third-rail for power.

The National Transportation Safety Board will investigate, something it doesn't often do for services that have not yet entered revenue service. One area of investigation will be to see whether the ballast blocks shifted as the train went around the curve, causing the derailment. The New York Times found one witness who has seen the train on several previous test runs and who said this train seemed to be moving much faster than usual. Another possible factor is the use of concrete blocks, rather than lead weights that are heavier and lie lower to the floor.

Talks between the city of Sacramento and Union Pacific on an intermodal hub are nearing fruition, according to the Sacramento Bee. Some negotiating remains, but the paper says the two parties have reached a "conceptual agreement." UP is trying to get permits to develop the southern end of its 240-acre yard on the north side of downtown Sacramento, and city officials want UP to transfer the Amtrak station to the city so it can be renovated and expanded. The exact design of the station is still unclear -- UP and Amtrak want tracks moved "a few hundred feet" and have passengers walk along a connecting concourse, but historic preservationists oppose that.

Renovations to the station in Garden City, Kans., are nearly complete. Amtrak moved back into the station last week, and TNM&O intercity bus service was to move in this week. The city coordinated the project and contributed $160,000 out of the total $810,000 of the cost (the rest came from federal grants). The station also features taxi service, BNSF offices, and meeting space. Amtrak's Southwest Chief stops there.

The state-owned Alaska Railroad is considering cutting back on train service that serves people with homes or properties in remote areas; that is, far away from roads. The train is the Hurricane, which uses old rail-diesel cars and has lots of flag-stop service on the northern 55 miles of its 168-mile route (Anchorage-Talkeetna-Hurricane). The railroad says the service is not profitable, and its board was to meet yesterday in Fairbanks to discuss cost-saving options, including reducing summer service from four days a week to weekends-only. A 9% fare increase also was to be discussed. Another staff proposal was to end all winter Hurricane service and allow locomotive flag-stops on the entire route to Fairbanks all winter.

Those actions could cut the annual loss of the Hurricane from $136,000 to $52,000, but make the service far less useful to local people. A grass-roots effort, the Friends of the Flag Stop, has mounted a letter-writing campaign and planned to testify at the Fairbanks meeting.

The Alaska Railroad went to a winter schedule on September 21, with two once-weekly schedules. The Aurora travels Anchorage-Fairbanks (356 miles) with an all-day Saturday northbound run, return on Sunday. The Hurricane runs Thursdays only, Anchorage-Hurricane, morning northbound and afternoon southbound. This past summer, the tourist-oriented Denali Star ran daily Anchorage-Fairbanks, and the Hurricane ran four days a week.

There will be a 10th Oakland-Sacramento Capitol Corridor weekday frequency starting October 27. Eastbound, train 518 will be the earliest train, leaving Oakland 5:25 am. A westbound train will be added in the early evening at 6:40 pm.

Three Florida stations -- Tampa, St. Petersburg-Pinellas Park, and Sebring -- have regained checked baggage service. At Sebring, it's offered only for Silver Star and Silver Meteor. Pinellas Park is a Thruway-bus-only station.