Jun 17, 2011: Hotline #711

The House Appropriations Committee on June 15, during a mark-up of the fiscal 2012 Energy and Water spending bill, adopted an amendment to withdraw $1.028 billion in unobligated High-Speed and Intercity Passenger Rail (HSIPR) funds from the Recovery Act and redirect it to the US Army Corps of Engineers to assist victims of recent floods along the Mississippi and Missouri Rivers.

The amendment, offered by Rep. Rodney Frelinghuysen (R-NJ), was adopted by voice vote.  The Committee then reported the underlying bill favorably to the full House by a party-line vote of 26 to 20.

Rep. Pete Visclosky (D-IN) offered an amendment to revoke the HSIPR fund rescission as the source of funding for flood relief. Visclosky argued, to applause from fellow Democrats, that the relief funds should come as additional spending outside the established cap, as emergency assistance traditionally has. He noted that the US has spent emergency funds on infrastructure programs in Iraq and Afghanistan. His amendment failed on a 20-26 party-line vote.

It is not clear that the Senate will take up this or many other appropriations bills, and it is clear that the Senate would not approve a provision like Frelinghuysen’s.

A floor amendment to undo Frelinghuysen seems unlikely, but members should be encouraged to speak against it on the House floor while focusing their main attention to the funding level.  Chances are strong that the transportation/housing bill will zero out high speed rail and give Amtrak a crushingly small figure.


US Representatives John Mica (R-FL) and Bill Shuster (R-PA), the Chairman of the House Transportation & Infrastructure (T&I) Committee and the Chairman of its Subcommittee on Railroads, on Wednesday unveiled draft legislation entitled the “Competition for Intercity Passenger Rail in America Act.”

The bill, which Mica and Shuster seek to introduce June 21 and move through the T&I Committee June 22, would allow private companies to compete against Amtrak for the right to build a new high-speed railroad from Washington to Boston, and to bid to operate any route currently run by Amtrak.  It stands little chance of passage in this Congress, as the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee will not consider it.

The legislation would direct Amtrak to transfer ownership of the Northeast Corridor and all its assets to the US Department of Transportation within 180 days of enactment. A federally-appointed NEC Executive Committee would then develop public-private partnerships to operate and maintain the Corridor and its trains.

The bill would put the states in charge of selecting an operating company for short-distance (750 miles or less) routes, and would task the Federal Railroad Administration with opening Amtrak’s long-distance routes to competitive bidding. Amtrak would be allowed to bid, along with any other corporation. A non-Amtrak operator would have to negotiate its own access rights and rates with the host railroad(s), while Amtrak would retain its statutory right to incremental-cost access to all US railroads.

Mica and Shuster’s Democratic counterparts, Reps. Nick Rahall (D-WV) and Corrine Brown (D-FL), immediately issued a statement of strong opposition to the draft bill, saying that it would be the “death knell for passenger rail service in America.” They want the committee to hold a full hearing on the bill before it is marked up, but Chairman Mica responded that the Committee has already held hearings on the topic, and that members are free to make comments on the draft right now.

Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood issued a three-paragraph statement strongly critical of the Mica/Shuster proposal, saying “we believe Amtrak is the entity most capable of taking the next steps to modernize rail service in the Northeast Corridor, which is why the administration has serious concerns about any proposal to privatize Amtrak’s Northeast Corridor.”

Amtrak President Joseph Boardman said in a statement, “Any plan for transforming the Northeast Corridor (NEC) must make transportation the centerpiece of the effort. The NEC is not just a piece of real estate – it is a major transportation artery and a vital component of the regional economy carrying more than 250,000 intercity and commuter passengers every day.  The Mica/Shuster proposal takes Amtrak apart only to put something in its place that looks quite similar.”

NARP on June 14 widely distributed our statement for the record of T&I’s May 25 Northeast Corridor hearing.

Railway Age Magazine Editor William Vantuono has commented harshly on the the Mica/Shuster bill.


Sen. Richard Durbin (D-IL) introduced a bill today that would make the privatization of government-owned transportation assets (including Amtrak) difficult, if not impossible, by requiring that the government be reimbursed for its investment in such infrastructure before a deal could go through.  Durbin is looking for co-sponsors in the Senate and the House.

The bill also requires disclosure of any depreciation or other tax benefits that private investors would gain in a deal, as well as any estimates of savings from reductions in jobs, pay or benefits. It would apply only to transportation assets existing at the time of enactment, not to any that may be built in the future.

“It’s a deal killer,” said an investment banker who worked on a proposal to privatize Chicago’s city-owned Midway Airport, which has been suspended.

Even if the federal repayment is reduced by depreciation of the asset since it was built, as the bill would allow, it would still disrupt the economics of privatizing airports and other transportation assets built with federal funding.

The U.S. Public Interest Research Group (PIRG), a leading member of a coalition (including NARP) supporting the High-Speed and Intercity Passenger Rail program, has come out in support of Durbin’s bill and is circulating a supportive letter for others to sign. The bill “would create some sensible ground rules for public-private partnerships,” said US PIRG.


Track work towards 110-mph passenger service between Chicago and St. Louis resumed on Thursday.

Over the coming three weeks, Union Pacific crews will upgrade 96 miles of track and install 110,000 concrete railroad ties. During this work, chartered motorcoaches will substitute for Amtrak Lincoln Service trains, and the Texas Eagle will once again detour via Union Pacific’s ex-Chicago and Eastern Illinois route between St. Louis and Chicago.

The Illinois Department of Transportation, which is overseeing the work and funding it, primarily with federal High-Speed and Intercity Passenger Rail funds from the Recovery Act, says that some Lincoln Service traisn will be able to operate at a maximum of 110 mph between Dwight and Pontiac, IL, as early as next year.

Travelers who may be affected by the bus substitutions and detour should visit Amtrak’s website for details.


A mentally unstable woman issued a bomb threat aboard a morning rush-hour Washington Metrorail Red Line train on Tuesday, the same day the US House Homeland Security Committee had scheduled a hearing on threats to rail passenger security.

After the woman said she had a bomb, passengers called the train operator over the intercom and forced the train to stop just past the Rockville station. Passengers in the rear two cars were able to exit onto the Rockville platform but others, not wanting to walk into the car the woman was in, exited and walked the tracks for two miles to the next station, Twinbrook. To prevent electrocution, Metro shut down third rail power to the northwestern end of the Red Line, suspending service to four stations for two hours and forcing thousands of commuters onto alternative transportation.

Amtrak Police Chief John O’Connor testified at the afternoon’s hearing, saying that Amtrak teaches emergency evacuation plans to its passengers. “You want to do whatever you can to quell the panic and direct people to a safe evacuation,” O’Connor noted.

But different rail transit operators have different standards and resources for training. The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is responsible for providing uniform training rules to transit systems.  Yet the TSA has failed to issue regulations to many transit agencies, an omission that Stephen Lord of the Government Accountability Office faulted the agency for in his testimony.

TSA Administrator John Pistole acknowledged that TSA spends only about 2 percent of its budget on public transit security and the rest on aviation security, but said that aviation is still the target of the bulk of terrorist threats. He said that Congress’s proposed cuts for transit security would result in TSA losing some of its capability to work with state and local partners to improve emergency-response procedures.

Sen. Frank Lautenberg and Rep. Rush Holt (both D-NJ) held a press conference Monday at Trenton’s Transportation Center (Amtrak/New Jersey Transit/SEPTA station) to voice opposition to the proposed cuts in the federal rail security budget. “We’ve got to work harder to defend our loved ones from being added to the tolls of terror,” said Lautenberg, vice chairman of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Homeland Security. “Wasn’t 9/11 enough of a reminder of what happens if your security isn’t up to date?”


Train service between Chicago and the West Coast on two Amtrak routes resumed in full this week, but wildfires have caused the Southwest Chief to begin detouring.

The Empire Builder began serving its entire Chicago-Seattle/Portland route once again on Wednesday as BNSF Railway crews overcame flooding problems around Devils Lake, North Dakota.

The California Zephyr resumed full Chicago-Emeryville, CA service on Thursday, but is still bypassing downtown Omaha, Nebraska, due to flooding issues there. Until the floodwaters there recede, westbound passengers to and from Omaha will be bussed there from Council Bluffs, Iowa, and eastbound Omaha passengers will be bussed from Lincoln, Nebraska.

Meanwhile, the Chicago-Los Angeles Southwest Chief began detouring between Newton, Kansas and Albuquerque, New Mexico, on Tuesday due to wildfires in northeastern New Mexico. Service to Albuquerque, Hutchison, Dodge City, Garden City, Lamar and La Junta is being maintained via motorcoaches, but there is no alternative transportation to Trinidad, Raton, Las Vegas (NM) or Lamy due to the fires. The Raton-Denver Greyhound Thruway and the Lamy-Santa Fe Shuttle are temporarily canceled. The train is detouring through Oklahoma and the Texas panhandle over BNSF’s Transcon line.

Visit Amtrak’s website for the latest service updates.


More brand-new M-8 rail cars began service Tuesday on Metro-North Communter Railroad’s New Haven Line between New Haven and New York’s Grand Central Terminal.

This marks the third set of the new cars to be put into service. They offer smoother, quieter and more comfortable rides than their predecessors, most of which have been operating since the mid-1970s. The cars are electric multiple units, each one receiving its own motive power from overhead wires. They also have improved heating, ventilating and air conditioning systems and electric outlets for personal electronic devices.

Most of the cars are being built at Kawasaki’s plant in Lincoln, Nebraska. Kawasaki had been plagued by equipment delays that resulted in the first M-8 cars being delivered several months later than expected. Kawasaki has had to pay a penalty to the Metropolitan Transportation Authority of New York State and the Connecticut Department of Transportation, which co-own and operate the New Haven Line, for each day the cars were late.


Amtrak on Monday resumed construction of two railroad bridges on its Northeast Corridor line in Connecticut after construction stalled last fall due to Amtrak’s dissatisfaction with the original contractor’s progress.

The $22 million project will replace two bridges at the northern end of Stonington Harbor, located just east of Mystic, CT, near the Rhode Island border. Rep. Joe Courtney (D-CT) came to Stonington on Friday to announce with Amtrak and town officials that work will take place through September when the project will be completed.

Several residents, with Courtney’s help, have pushed Amtrak for years to increase the clearance under the century-old spans when they were replaced so more boats could access the upper harbor and Don’s Dock, which caters to small boats. It will also allow trains to pass through the area more quickly.


Jeffrey E. Geary, a 30-year railroad industry veteran who most recently was Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of the Florida East Coast Railway (FEC), has been named Amtrak’s Vice President for Operations, the company announced Monday.

Geary’s extensive freight railroad operating career began with Conrail in 1978, where he spent 21 years in various operating positions. Between Conrail and FEC, he worked for Jacksonville, FL’s Rail Link, and was a regional vice president for Rail America.

“Jeff has proven experience in operations, budgeting, forecasting, strategic planning, and performance management,” said Amtrak President and CEO Joseph Boardman. “This appointment is the latest step made by Amtrak to create a high-performing organization that is aligned to deliver excellent service. Jeff is a highly respected and dedicated railroad professional with a strong desire to increase safety on the railroad for our passengers and employees. His leadership is key for the effective operation of the railroad, which directly impacts the travel experience of our passengers and ultimately the success of Amtrak. His oversight responsibilities are fundamental to the delivery of service including train crews, the locomotives and other train equipment, and the Amtrak-owned infrastructure on the Northeast Corridor and elsewhere around the country.”

Geary will take the position formerly held by William Crosbie, who was terminated on October 21, 2010. He will start work on Monday (June 20) and will be based at Amtrak’s Consolidated National Operations Center in Wilmington, Delaware.