May 26, 2011: Hotline #708

A cadre of Congressional and transportation leaders gathered in the U.S. Capitol Visitor Center yesterday to hold the inaugural meeting of the Congressional Bicameral High-Speed and Intercity Passenger Rail Caucus.

Caucus Co-Chairs Senator Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ) and Representative Louise Slaughter (D-NY) were in attendance to give opening remarks, along with Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, and Democratic Representatives John Olver (MA), David Price (NC), John Larson (CT) and Sheila Jackson-Lee (TX).

The Caucus purpose is to advance “the construction of a high-speed and intercity passenger rail (HSIPR) network across the United States by working in conjunction with the U.S. Department of Transportation, state and local governments, Amtrak, freight railroads and rail associations.”  They have expressed a commitment to work with rail advocates, like NARP, to advance public knowledge about the economic and energy benefits of passenger trains.

The Members in attendance were conscious of the uphill battle they face, particularly in a House of Representatives that is looking to slash discretionary spending.  The House Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development had an overall total of $67 billion for FY 2010, $55 billion this year, but only $47 billion in the 2012 allocation (these numbers include housing, but not the transportation trust fund).  It will be very difficult to restore the $2.5 billion that the high-speed rail program received in 2010 with such a low ceiling—much less carve out $8 billion for trains from existing programs, as President Barack Obama has proposed.  In a later meeting, staff advised there was virtually no chance that the House bill would fund the high speed program, but urged supporters to keep working and said that work could pay off in a House-Senate conference committee.

LaHood, however, expressed confidence that appropriators could address the deficit through a long-term program that wouldn’t undermine present infrastructure needs.  The Secretary said he hoped to see $2.5 billion for high-speed rail for next year’s budget.


The House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee held a hearing today on “Opening the Northeast Corridor to Private Competition for Development of High-Speed Rail.”

Chairman Mica said again that Amtrak’s 30-year plan for the “next gen” Boston-Washington railroad is unacceptable; he wants results in one-third of the time and with minimal federal money. He maintains his great faith in the private sector’s ability to fund. However, the seemingly magical Northeast Corridor plan of Ignacio Jayanti, President, Corsair Capital, includes 14 new train stations, and contemplates an up-front $25 billion federal loan. Rep. Laura Richardson (D-CA) observed that many other organizations, including Amtrak and the Postal Service, probably would have good use for $25 billion.

The Reason Foundation testified, represented by Carlos Bonilla, Adjunct Fellow, who said his co-author is Robert Poole.  Poole is one of the world’s most-published anti-train commentators. Bonilla said high-speed rail could put medium cities at a disadvantage, ignoring the benefits that “medium cities” get because trains can make intermediate stops at less time and energy cost than planes. Mica wants two hour New York-Washington running time, but Bonilla urged leaving speed, and selection of stations, up to the market place. He urged exempting rail from Buy America requirements “so you can buy off the shelf,” and basing labor relations on the concept that pay depends on profitability.

Under questioning from Corinne Brown (D-FL), railroads subcommittee ranking member, Bonilla said he was opposed to SunRail, the commuter rail plan for Central Florida. Earlier in the hearing, Mica, a strong SunRail supporter, said he hoped Gov. Scott would approve SunRail.

Ed Wytkind of the AFL-CIO Transportation Trades Department said Amtrak is doing a better job today than ever before. He credited Amtrak President Joseph Boardman with repairing “the worst labor/management relations I’ve seen.”

Chairman Mica said Amtrak Northeast Corridor and long-distance ridership from 1977 to 2010 has been essentially static. He’s right about long-distance, because the network and fleet size have gotten smaller. But his Northeast Corridor numbers are apples and oranges.

Chairman Mica and Subcommittee chairman Bill Shuster (R-PA) repeatedly cited the decline in Amtrak employees from 29,000 to 19,000 as an indicator of a failed organization. But about half that decline is attributable to the transfer of MBTA commuter rail service to a different operator; another 2,500 decline resulted from Amtrak abandoning its mail and freight businesses and closing three former business units.

[Read NARP President Ross Capon’s analysis of the hearing.]


A budget proposed by North Carolina’s state senate would eliminate funding for Charlotte’s northeast light rail extension.

The budget, proposed by Senate Republicans, would eliminate the state’s funding for the long-planned, $1 billion extension of the city’s popular light rail line.  The City of Charlotte will be paying for 25% of the project through a local one-cent sales tax, and the federal government is putting up half, leaving a 25% shortfall that the state was expected to cover.

“It’s very disappointing,” said Carolyn Flowers, Charlotte Area Transit System Chief Executive Officer. “It means we have a significant hole in our funding plan and that is a major concern for us. So we hope there is some reconsideration ... and that they consider the impact here in Charlotte and the region.”

Senator Richard Stevens (R-Cary), who serves as co-chairman of the state’s Senate Budget Committee, hinted that even if the budget becomes law as proposed—if it passes the Senate, it will still need to be reconciled with the House version of the budget—it may not reflect long-term transportation funding priorities.  When asked by reporters, Stevens would not rule out funding for commuter and transit rail in future budgets.

That would be good news to the many people who rely on trains to provide a travel option in times of soaring fuel prices.

“It’s terrible,” said Senator Malcolm Graham (D). “It’s one of those things that just doesn’t reflect the priorities of the state of North Carolina.”


Amtrak announced this week that work on its three movable rail bridges is scheduled to be completed on time, resulting in smoother and more reliable service all along the Northeast Corridor.

The three projects Amtrak is working on are:

• Replacement of the Railroad Bridge over the Pattaganset River (Miamicock): The $20 million replacement project, funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) is schedule to be completed by the end of June.  The new bridge, in East Lynne, CT, will replace a 100-year old structure.  Crews completed work on each track in phases to allow the continuation of train service on adjacent track.
• Niantic Bridge Replacement Project: This $120 million project, also in East Lynne, is expected to be completed in May of 2013.  Funded by $47.1 million from Amtrak’s annual capital program and $57.6 million from ARRA, the project began in 2010.
• East and West Harbor Railroad Bridge Project: This project will be completed sometime in 2013.  Receiving $32 million from ARRA, the new bridge will not only improve passenger rail service, but will increase the bridge’s clearance to improve boater access, a goal long sought by the local Stonington community.

Metrolink announced new fare options for its commuter network, including a $10 unlimited system-wide weekend passes and added discounts for students.  The changes will come into effect July 1.

The Metrolink board approved a number of changes to the pricing structure for tickets on May 13.  One of the biggest changes is to add a $10 weekend pass that will allow riders unlimited access to the Southern California commuter trains on Saturday and Sunday.  Unlimited weekend riding will be available for passengers with monthly passes at no additional charge.

“Our new unlimited weekend pass allows passengers to travel across the region at no charge for our monthly pass holders and for only $10 for those who do not have monthly passes,” said Metrolink Board Chairman Richard Katz. “This allows someone to travel to destinations theme parks and civic centers, for one, low fee without worrying about filling up their car with gas or paying to park.”

Other fare changes include:

• A 10% student discount will be added to one-way and roundtrip ticket.
• Metrolink’s 7-Day Pass will be good seven consecutive days from purchase between a set origination and destination.
• 10-Trip Tickets will be discontinued, as it was deemed to enable fare evasion.

“The 7-Day Pass will reduce the usage of validators, which will make taking a Metrolink even more convenient for passengers by eliminating a step before boarding the train and saves the agency in maintenance costs,” Katz said. “Going forward, we expect to collect a significant amount of revenue that would have been lost due to misuse of the 10-Trip Ticket.”

A report released by the Wisconsin Public Interest Research Group (WISPIRG) this week criticized Governor Scott Walker (R) for initiating a massive increase in spending on questionable highway and road projects while simultaneously using the state’s budget deficit as an excuse to slash investment in public transit and passenger rail.

“Governor Walker’s transportation budget is spending gone wild on questionable projects,” said Bruce Speight, WISPIRG Director.  “Rather than prioritizing Wisconsin’s existing roads and transit service, Governor Walker has chosen extravagant and unnecessary ribbon-cutting projects.”

Walker is proposing a 13% increase in state funding for highway capital projects, just weeks after instituting a 10% across-the-board cut to transit.  The Governor has also proposed eliminating transit support from Wisconsin’s state transportation fund.

Walker gained national notoriety for refusing to accept $800 million in federal funds granted to the state for a Madison-Milwaukee-Chicago passenger rail corridor (although he subsequently applied for a smaller, Milwaukee-Chicago corridor improvement grant).

The study examines Walker’s four new major highway projects that are projected to cost Wisconsin taxpayers between $1.2 and $2.1 billion.  The paper points out a number of “troubling unanswered questions, outdated data used as justification, and a lack of through review.”

You can find the full report on WISPIRG’s website.


Amtrak hosted its first “Ask Our Expert” session this week, with an executive answering questions posed via the company’s social media network.

Al Engel, Amtrak Vice-President of High-Speed Rail, fielded a number of questions posed by Amtrak’s Facebook fans, including: “What counts as high speed?”, “Why not extend high-speed rail south of D.C.?”, “What’s being done in the immediate future to speed up the Acela?” and “When will this country finally move to a real intercity rail infrastructure similar to the Bullet or ICE high speed rail trains?”

Engel recorded video responses to these questions, which was posted on Amtrak’s YouTube channel.

Amtrak will continue the “Ask Our Expert” program in the future.  Stay tuned to the NARP Blog for future opportunities.


Travelers Advisory

• Amtrak’s New Orleans continues to run on schedule despite flooding in the Memphis area, although the railroad has had to busing passengers around a bridge outage over the Bonnet Carre Spillway. Canadian National Railway closed the bridge to trains on Sunday to repair a 26-foot section of the bridge that was damaged by debris carried by the spillway, which diverts floodwaters from the Mississippi. “The trains are operating down to Hammond, and we have chartered motor coaches to carry people the rest of the way. It’s been that way since Sunday afternoon,” Amtrak Spokesmen Marc Magliari told the Commercial Appeal. “We’re hoping we can start operating normally Thursday, but we’ll see.”
• Standing water in an East River rail tunnel, used by both Amtrak and the Long Island Rail Road, could pose a problem for trains.  Metropolitan Transit Authority Chairman Jay Walde said he has talked with Amtrak President Joseph Boardman to discuss solutions to the problem.  It has yet to be determined where the water is coming from and, given the difficult working conditions in the tunnel, it is uncertain how soon the problem will be addressed. Amtrak says the water poses no safety issues for passengers.