Hotline # 727 - October 7, 2011

The U.S. Department of Transportation and the state of Michigan have reached an agreement on the delivery of a $196.5 million grant for track and signal improvements between Detroit and Kalamazoo.

The upgrades, which will benefit Amtrak’s Wolverine and Blue Water services, will clear the way for 110 mph speeds on 77% of the line between Detroit and Chicago. That investment will reduce the total trip time between those cities by 30 minutes.

“This is an important investment that will reduce travel time, improve reliability and on-time performance, and attract more passengers,” said Secretary LaHood. “We are creating jobs in Michigan, building our rails with American-made materials and growing the regional economy.”

NARP first reported on this story when the full Michigan State Senate passed a full supplemental appropriations bill that included the $161 million grant’s required state match (Hotline #725). The supplemental passed the Republican-controlled body convincingly, with 30 ayes, six nays, and two abstentions. After moving quickly through both bodies in Lansing, it was approved by an enthusiastic Governor Rick Snyder (R).

“Investing in rail service will spark economic development in communities along a corridor linking Detroit and Chicago, two vital Midwest cities,” said Governor Snyder. “A faster, reliable passenger rail system is a priority for younger generations and vital to Michigan’s ability to compete globally as businesses look to locate or expand. The rail improvements will also hasten the transport of freight, a priority for Ford Motor Company and other Michigan businesses along the route.”

The benefits of previous passenger train investments are already starting to take shape. Within days of the Michigan supplemental appropriation being signed into law, the City of Grand Rapids scheduled the groundbreaking for its new Amtrak station for Friday, October 14th at noon.


Anticipation has been building that fiscal 2011 (which ended Sept. 30) would be the year that Amtrak sets a record of over 30 million riders nationwide. According to Amtrak’s reservations data, they hit that number last week, with a final Fiscal 2011 figure of 30.1 million riders.

To mark the momentous milestone, Amtrak will be hosting an event at the St Louis Gateway Intermodal Station on October 13. There, officials and transportation advocates will meet and honor Amtrak’s 30 millionth passenger since October 1, 2010.

“In a few decades, we’ll look back to see when it was that rail recaptured the nation’s imagination: the exact moment when the public’s will shifted and trains once again became the ideal way to travel over land,” wrote Emmet Fremaux , Amtrak’s Vice President of Marketing. “When we do, we’ll look back to find that moment is now.”

The event details are:

Thursday, October 13, 2011
10:30 a.m. – 11:30 am
St Louis Gateway Intermodal Station - 430 South 15th Street
Platform B

With the appointment of a Presidential Emergency Board today, President Barack Obama seems to have prevented a strike of all Amtrak and freight locomotive engineers that has been looming for the past few months.

The Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen were set to strike at 12:01 am last night. Because freight and Amtrak trains operate across multiple states, and are vital to interstate commerce, the President is authorized to intercede and establish an emergency mediation board to prevent the strike. The intercession will be good for a minimum of a 60 day period—with 30 days mandated for mediation, and an additional 30 days for both parties to consider the recommended settlement before labor can strike again.

“Freight rail is vital to our economy and our future,” Obama said in a White House statement. “It’s in our national interest to make sure our freight rail system runs smoothly, since a disruption could affect businesses across the country and cause unnecessary damage to our already-fragile economy.”

Of the 13 unions involved in contract negotiations, only the United Transportation Union—and its Yardmasters Division—have reached an agreement with the railroads. The details on the wage and health-care structure remain a sticking point for the other 11.

The Association of American Railroads said that a strike could cost the U.S. economy as much as $2 billion for every day it continues. Passenger train movement would also grind to a halt without the men and women so vital to their operations.


Transportation officials are reporting that the Amtrak Vermonter has returned to service following the completion of repairs to damage caused by Hurricane Irene in September.

This year’s summer work to upgrade tracks—funded by a $50 million federal grant issued as part of the High-Speed & Intercity Passenger Rail Program—has also been completed. Most of the line within Vermont now boasts continuously welded rail.

“It makes the train ride a lot quieter. You don’t hear any more clickity-clack. And it will also be a faster ride,” Amtrak Caretaker Al Villa told the local ABC affiliate.

There is currently a delay of an hour within Vermont due to slow orders while the tracks are being worked-in. The train should be back on schedule in a few weeks, if not sooner.


The Metropolitan State College of Denver (Metro State) and the University of Denver co-hosted a panel talk on promoting transportation alternatives at their shared Auraria Campus in downtown Denver on Monday. One of the four panelists was NARP Outreach Director Malcolm Kenton.

The discussion took place at 11:00 AM Mountain time in the Tivoli Student Union, and was well advertised on campus. A Metro State political science professor moderated the panel. Other panelists represented Denver’s Regional Transit District (the agency that runs the area’s light rail and bus system), the Denver bicycle sharing system B-Cycle, and a company that manufactures electrically-powered bicycles. Each panelist fed off of the other’s presentation and emphasized the importance of all forms of transportation complementing each other. Transit and bike sharing each make it easier to use the other, and both feed riders into the intercity train network, as well as to and from airports.

Kenton emphasized the importance of students getting involved in the movement to preserve and expand the national passenger train network. He urged students to contact their elected officials at all levels of government, starting with the local and state levels, and to engage their friends in conversation about the kind of transportation system they would like to see. He gave students NARP brochures, bookmarks and newsletters to pass out.

A reporter for Metro State’s student newspaper, The Metropolitan, covered the discussion.


Amtrak has announced the third quarter schedule for the 40th Anniversary Exhibit Train, with a route that will run through the Pacific Northwest and California from October through the end of December.

Amtrak’s free exhibit, housed aboard converted baggage cars and a rehabbed Amfleet I “Acela Regional” café car, celebrates the railroad’s 40-year history, displaying memorabilia that lets you relive—or live for the first time—what it was like to ride Amtrak trains in the 1970s, ‘80s, and ‘90s. Vintage advertising, past menus and dinnerware, and period uniforms will take you back in time. Most locations will feature fun, train-themed activities for the kids. 40th Anniversary merchandise will be sold at the train, as well (or you can stop by Amtrak’s online store).

The newly announced dates are:

Oct. 22 – 23 Seattle King Street Station, Seattle, Wash.
Oct. 29 – 30 Portland Union Station, Portland, Ore.
Nov. 5 – 6 California State Railroad Museum, Sacramento, Calif.
Nov. 12–13 Oakland Amtrak Station, Jack London Square, Oakland
Nov. 19 – 20 Bakersfield Amtrak Station, Bakersfield, Calif.
Dec. 3 – 4 San Diego Amtrak Station, San Diego
Dec. 10– 11 Los Angeles Union Station, Los Angeles

NARP will be in attendance at every event. If you’re interested in volunteering to spread the message about the work NARP does to expand Amtrak service and advocate for more and better train service around America, contact Mary Beth McCall at [narp]@[narprail.org].


The Federal Railroad Administration’s Office of Safety Analysis reported this week that accidents and incidents are down 7.3% in the first seven months of 2011 compared to the same period in 2010. This continues a positive, multi-year safety trend in American rail.

With 743 U.S. railroads reporting, the report provides the most comprehensive look at accidents on the U.S. rail network available, encompassing the biggest Class 1s and the smallest short-line railroads. The total number of accidents reported fell to 6,229, while rail-related fatalities dropped to 415 (a 3.5% decrease over the same period in 2010).

Read more at Railway Age.


The final chapter on the Access to the Regions Core tunnel projects appears to have been written following last Friday’s announcement that an agreement has been struck between the U.S. Department of Transportation and the state of New Jersey.

Governor Chris Christie (R) has agreed to reimburse the federal government $95 million, or around a third of the $271 million that the Federal Transit Administration granted to the state. The money was delivered to New Jersey as part of a grant that would have paid for a third of the total costs of a pair of new rail tunnels under the Hudson River. The tunnels were to be used solely by New Jersey Transit’s commuter trains, as they would not have connected directly with the existing New York Penn Station.

The project was approved by Christie’s predecessor and Christie cancelled the project shortly after taking office, citing the potential for construction cost overruns and the lack of a connection to Amtrak’s intercity rail network (the connection was eliminated late in the planning process and replaced with a dead-end, deep-cavern station in Manhattan). New Jersey had already begun the construction process, however, and a dispute arose over whether or not the state would return the money to the federal government.

In addition to a $95 million repayment, the Christie Administration has agreed to spend more than $128 million in Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Improvement (CMAQ) program funds on transit-related projects that have been reviewed and approved by U.S. DOT.

“We appreciate the support and encouragement of Senators Lautenberg and Menendez in reaching an agreement that is good for the taxpayers of New Jersey, but also helps to improve infrastructure in the state,” Secretary LaHood said. “I thank the governor and his legal team for reaching this agreement.”


Traveler’s Advisory

• A mudslide in Tacoma, Washington, canceled Amtrak’s Cascades service between Seattle and Portland on October 4 and 5, and terminated the Seattle-Los Angeles Coast Starlight at Portland. Washington State’s Department of Transportation issued a statement expressing regrets while emphasizing that passenger and crew safety is the primary goal. Service along the rest of the Cascades line was operating normally, with Amtrak providing chartered buses for passengers with reservations between Seattle and Portland. Service was scheduled to resume today.
• Passengers following @AmtrakNEC on Twitter have been able to get news about disruptions to train service on the Northeast Corridor between Boston and Washington, D.C. since March of 2011. Starting this week, Amtrak has expanded the @AmtrakNEC feed to cover major service disruptions to Northeast Regional service south of Washington, D.C. to Richmond, Lynchburg and Newport News, Virginia.