Hotline #265 - October 18, 2002

Congress will recess for the elections without passing more fiscal 2003 funding bills. Congress approved another continuing resolution for most federal programs, including Amtrak, good through November 22. By that time, Congress should be back in Washington for a lame-duck session. It's not known whether Congress will then pass the remaining funding bills, or pass the responsibility to the new Congress that takes office in January.

Amtrak President David Gunn called for a passenger-rail trust fund during remarks on October 16 to the annual Railway Age conference in Washington, according to the Washington Post. He did not specify a source for the funding.

Gunn said that the federal and state governments should pay for capital improvements to infrastructure and rolling stock. He also said states should pay all the operating losses of trains serving single states or that are "regional" in nature.

Gunn said that "no one alive today" will live to see a national network of TGV-style high-speed trains on dedicated right-of-way. It's worth pointing out, however, that California is moving in that direction. Gunn places great emphasis on incremental improvements to rail service, which is the most promising -- but not the only -- way forward.

Also calling for a trust fund is Rep. William Lipinski (D.-Ill.), in an October 17 letter to Transportation Secretary Norman Y. Mineta. Lipinski urges creation of a Rail Trust Fund for freight- and passenger-related infrastructure needs.

The Amtrak board approved of ending the express initiative when it met last week. A phase-out of the service will take all of fiscal 2003. Express had a $7-million loss for Amtrak during fiscal 2002.

Bombardier is ready to field-test a permanent repair to Acela Express equipment, according to the Boston Herald (October 11). The repair involves a crack problem that was first detected August 12 on Acela Express power cars, and later on HHP-8 electric locomotives, appearing on brackets holding yaw dampers (a type of lateral shock absorber) in place. The problem caused widespread service disruptions as Amtrak, Bombardier, and the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) worked very hard to inspect the original problem and to make temporary repairs.

A makeshift prototype has already been the subject of stress tests. The FRA must approve any new parts before they are installed.

Bombardier unveiled its prototype JetTrain equipment in Washington on October 15 -- the first public viewing of the fossil-fuel version of the Acela Express. The turbine-driven equipment is designed to be capable of 150 mph, which is thought to be faster than any other fossil-fuel equipment in the world. Bombardier and the FRA have each invested $13 million in the project. The equipment may be attractive to states and regions wanting high-speed service without the need for overhead electric power systems, and will go on a tour of the country.

Darrell Richards, former president of Transport 2000 Canada (in 1989-1990), passed away on October 16.

The Empire Builder derailment of October 10 in Chicago appears to have been caused by a worn switch. The switch was installed at the north end of Union Station in 1923, according to press reports, and was programmed for replacement by Amtrak. That replacement was moved up in priority and carried out on October 11. The switch also was the scene of two previous Metra commuter-train derailments. The Empire Builder derailment happened when that train was going 12 mph, which resulted in no injuries.

Amtrak reported to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms that shots were fired at Acela Regional train 169, early on October 12, south of Baltimore. There was no indication this was connected to the terrible sniper incidents in the Washington region.

A freight train derailment on the Burlington Northern Santa Fe on October 17 disrupted San Joaquin service north of Fresno. Service was to have been restored by this morning.

Three groups have formally expressed interest in operating Boston-region commuter services that are now run by Amtrak. Amtrak has said it will not participate in the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority bidding process because of additions MBTA has made to its request for proposals that Amtrak finds onerous. The three groups are British company Stagecoach with Herzog Transit Services, CGEA Connex of France, and Guilford (which held the contract before Amtrak took over in 1986).

The NARP Board of Directors is meeting today in Emeryville, Cal. Guest speakers today included Dan Leavitt of the California High Speed Rail Authority, Caltrans Director Jeff Morales, and Gil Mallery, Amtrak's vice president of Planning and Business Development.