Hotline #268 - November 8, 2002

The November 5 elections have led to Republican control of the White House, House, and Senate for the first time in nearly 50 years (except, briefly, in 2001). The 107th Congress will return for a lame-duck session this month to finish work on appropriations bills (including for transportation), or to postpone such action to the next Congress with passage of a long-term continuing resolution. It's not known if control of the Senate will pass immediately to the Republicans; that depends on how the Independent Senator appointed from Minnesota to replace the late Paul Wellstone (D.), Dean Barkley, will vote, and how soon Missouri certifies the special election that allows Sen.-elect Jim Talent (R.) to take office. It's also not known what impact, in practical terms, such a shift would have on the lame-duck session.

When the 108th Congress convenes in January, however, a pressing issue will be committee assignments. The most sweeping changes will occur in the Senate, where long-time Amtrak critics will regain leadership positions they lost in 2001 -- John McCain (Ariz.) in the Commerce Committee and Richard Shelby (Ala.) in the Transportation Appropriations Subcommittee.

However, Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison (R.-Tex.) also sits on the Commerce Committee. She campaigned extensively with and for Sen.-elect John Cornyn (R.-Tex.) -- supporting Amtrak, the Texas Eagle, and Sunset Limited in the process. In fact, a headline on the November 3 Longview Journal was, "Cornyn, Hutchison stump for Amtrak."

Fervent highway supporter James Inhofe (Okla.) will chair the Environment and Public Works Committee, in a year when the TEA-21 surface transportation law is to be renewed. However, the greatest threat to mass transit may be the highway lobby's growing interest in non-federal, non-user-taxes (like sales taxes) that have been traditionally used for transit. This interest may grow as more people understand that federal highway funding will not increase further, and could actually decline, and that states face budget crises but are generally unwilling to raise gasoline taxes.

There were also several, non-national ballot initiatives. The Surface Transportation Policy Project analyzed all transportation votes this year, and concluded that the most common reason for defeat was having too much for roads and not enough for transit. STPP says half of 14 all-transit measures passed. Here are some highlights:

--In Miami-Dade County, Fla., voters approved by a wide margin a half-cent sales tax increase to greatly expand public transit (including rail) in the county. The tax will generate $150 million a year. Mayor Alex Penelas said, "This is huge for generations to come. Twenty years from now, this community will look a lot different. You will have Metrorail and Metrobus to every corner of Miami-Dade County, and even into Broward County." A first benefit began immediately, with the removal of fares from the downtown Metromover, and elimination of all bus and rail fares for those over 65. By next June, Metrorail (and 12 of its feeder bus lines) will begin 24-hour service. After defeat of a similar measure three years ago, pro-transit activists met extensively with mayors and other local officials to drum up support.

--In Washington State, voters rejected Referendum 51 by a wide margin. It would have raised the gas tax by 9 cents to help transportation projects statewide -- including improvements to the Amtrak Cascade Corridor -- but 95% of funding would have gone to roads.

--Also in Washington State is Initiative 776, which voters approved. It reduces motor vehicle registration fees (in four counties), but also cuts $700 million in local, voter-approved funding for transportation (including commuter rail).

--Seattle residents appeared to approve a $1.75-billion tax increase to extend the monorail from West Seattle to Ballard, 14 miles. A final result is awaiting a count of absentee ballots, which are running more negatively than the other ballots. State Democratic Party Chairman Paul Berendt said, "The popularity of the monorail is directly tied to the fact that it's a thorn in the side of a lot of so-called transportation experts and people just want to send a message that there's an easier, simpler way of doing things."

--In Hamilton County (Cincinnati), Ohio, voters rejected Issue 7, 68-32%, which would have created a half-cent sales tax to be used for a light-rail system and expansion of bus transit.

--In California, voters rejected Proposition 51, 59-34%, which would have diverted 30% of tax revenues on car sales and leases that now go to the general fund to the Traffic Congestion Relief and Safe School Bus Trust Fund. The proposition got a lot of bad press for the appearance that some earmarked projects would have benefited some supporters of the initiative. Some of the funding would have gone to various intercity and local passenger rail projects.

--Voters in three California counties -- Alameda, Contra Costa, and San Francisco -- rejected Measure BB, a $1.05 billion bond measure for seismic upgrades to the BART system, and other improvements. Though it had the support of 64% of the voters, it required a two-thirds majority to pass.

--In Fresno, voters rejected an extension of the road-oriented Measure C tax. Fresno Bee columnist Bill McEwen wrote on November 7 that road building enthusiasts "haven't looked out a window or taken a deep breath in 20 years ... Say hello to ozone, dust and soot ... Next time, Measure C backers better have a mass-transit plan that is more than lip service."

--In Northern Virginia, voters rejected a half-cent, local sales tax, to raise money for transportation, 55-45%. Sixty percent of the revenues were to go to roads. A coalition of anti-tax and environmentalist/anti-sprawl interests opposed the measure, with the anti-sprawl side arguing that too much money would go to highways in exurban Washington. Virginia's gasoline tax, however, remains below the national average.

--In the Hampton Roads region of Virginia, voters rejected a one-cent, local sales tax to raise money for transportation (including transit), by a nearly 2-1 margin. As in Northern Virginia, there was widespread voter concern that the sales-tax money raised locally would not actually stay in the area.

Amtrak will move into the intermodal station at Everett, Wash., on November 12. Intercity and local buses began using it last February. Amtrak's move was delayed by extended negotiations between Burlington Northern Santa Fe and the Sounder commuter rail agency over Sounder's access to the station. Sounder should start service to Everett next year.

We deeply regret reporting the death on November 1 of Patricia V. ("Pat") Robbins, at Madison, Wis. She was 81. Miss Robbins gave countless hours to the passenger-rail cause over many years, right up to last week. She was a director of NARP for Region 7 from 1987 to 1996, when her health caused her to cut back on her board-related travel. Miss Robbins also was a founding member of the Madison chapter of the Wisconsin Association of Railroad Passengers, ProRail, along with Mike McCoy and Scott Leonard, in 1985. She served in a variety of leadership roles in ProRail and WisARP over the years, and was the long-time editor of ProRail's newsletter, "Keeping Track."

Miss Robbins was born in Cleveland and educated at Randolph Macon Women's College in Lynchburg, Va. (B.A.), and at Ohio State University in Columbus (Masters). She came to Madison in 1948 to work for the state Legislative Reference Bureau. She retired from the Bureau in 1987, having achieved a senior position, editing Wisconsin's official, annual, statistical index, the Blue Book.

Miss Robbins' main two passions were retention and expansion of nationwide passenger-rail service, and the return of passenger-rail service to Madison. Even after leaving the NARP board, she spent many long hours on the phone and at her typewriter tracking legislation, educating journalists and legislative staff, editing ProRail's newsletter, and organizing meetings. Miss Robbins' many friends in this movement in Wisconsin and elsewhere no doubt keenly regret that neither of her two principal goals was assured in her lifetime, though both remain, at times, tantalizingly within reach. When they do happen, it will be in great measure due to people like Pat Robbins.

The New York State DOT accepted the first rebuilt turbotrain yesterday, part of a set of seven being rebuilt for Empire Corridor use. It is not known when any of the trains, which have been undergoing a lengthy, $98.5-million rebuilding process by SuperSteel Schenectady, will be put into revenue service. Overnight tests on the accepted set were done November 6 from Albany to New York. In exchange for the rebuilding, Amtrak is supposed to perform track upgrades and rebuild the second track between Albany and Schenectady. Given Amtrak's financial situation, however, it's not clear when that can happen.

Amtrak service between Chicago and St. Louis was disrupted for part of November 4 and 5, as 200,000 bushels of corn was removed from an elevator at Chenoa, Ill. The elevator was structurally unsound and was seen leaning toward the tracks, so the action was taken to prevent a worse situation.

Caltrain reported to its Joint Powers Board last week that plans to electrify its San Jose-San Francisco main line will be delayed for funding reasons. A grant of $6 million from the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (the local MPO) is on hold due to a lawsuit that freezes transportation expansion plans. Environmentalists have sued the Environmental Protection Agency, saying the MTC's transportation improvement plan doesn't do enough to improve air quality. The Caltrain electrification, which would improve air quality, thus gets swept up into the freeze, and must await resolution of the lawsuit.

SEPTA will shut down commuter-rail service at the throat of its system, between 30th St. and Suburban stations, most weekends between now and May 20. The reason is a major catenary renewal project. Service will continue on busy weekends like during the holidays and Flower Show.

Tennessee DOT will hold public meetings next week on its rail plan in three places -- Memphis (November 12), Nashville (November 13), Knoxville (November 14). See the DOT's web site for information on the meetings and on the plan. There is also information on how to submit written comments on the plan.

Caltrain released a draft environmental statement for extension of service from the current 4th & Townsend terminal to Transbay Terminal in downtown San Francisco, 1.3 miles. The cost would be $2 billion and involve some tunneling and totally rebuilding Transbay Terminal, which is in poor condition. Transbay offers many more transit links and is closer to the business district than the current location. Public hearings are scheduled next week in San Francisco and San Carlos.

The owners of the San Bernardino station -- the city and local MPO (San Bernardino Associated Governments) -- began a $14-million renovation project on October 24. It will take at least a year to complete. The Mission-style building dates from 1918.