Hotline #803 - December 10, 1993

Transportation Secretary Federico Pena, at a press conference at Amtrak headquarters yesterday, invited public debate on a unified transportation trust fund. This was just after the unveiling in Union Station of the ISTEA-mandated National Highway System. Pena lamented that "we don't have the capacity or the tools" to decide whether developing intercity rail would make more sense than expanding air facilities -- we simply as how much money is in the air and highway trust funds. But, he said, "We have to change. It will not be easy."

When asked if he contemplated a single transportation fund, Pena said he didn't know, but that it was controversial and needed to be discussed. Indeed, a series of public hearings at some point will help determine what ought to go into a National Transportation System.

The fatal shooting rampage on the Long Island Rail Road on December 7 appears to have been racially motivated. Fortunately, public leaders and the media have been treating this as an indication of the problem of gun violence in America, not as a railroad problem, per se.

Amtrak changed schedules for San Joaquins and San Diegans on December 6, as well as for connecting buses. There is a totally new stop at Fillmore. Existing stops were relocated at Atascadero, Eureka, Riverside, and Whittier. Be careful, because we have heard that 800-number agents haven't absorbed this information yet.

The westbound Southwest Chief (train 3) will make its last stops at Pomona and Pasadena the morning of January 14, contrary to what the December NARP newsletter says. Substitute buses will run January 15-21. The eastbound train (train 4) made its last stops November 26; buses will run through January 14. After that, Southwest Chief connecting passengers can still use San Joaquin Thruway buses to reach Pomona and Pasadena, but replacement stop locations will be announced as Amtrak must vacate the existing stations.

The National Transportation Safety Board will hold a three-day hearing in Mobile next week on the Sunset Limited wreck. On December 13, the focus will be on railroad practices, the condition of the bridge, and rescue procedures, with witnesses including Amtrak, CSX, and several surviving passengers. On December 14, the focus will be on warning devices for both boats and trains. On December 15, the focus will be on navigation practices, and the witnesses will include the captain of the barge Mauvilla.

The NTSB said the probable cause of the January head-on collision on the South Shore Railroad, which killed seven passengers, was the result of "inattentiveness" on the part of the eastbound train's engineer. NTSB said he ran a red signal, putting his train in the path of another one.

Passenger trains will begin running between Portland and Bethel, Me., on December 26. The Sunday River Ski Express is a privately operated train that will run five days a week from the former Grand Trunk yard in the East Deering section of Portland. When Amtrak service begins at the new Union Station next year, the Bethel operation may move there too. The equipment is from a defunct Indiana dinner train.

In Wisconsin, an advisory committee of Milwaukee and Waukesha County officials has endorsed a $781-million transit plan that includes light rail. There will be public hearings in February, followed by studies and a final decision in mid-1995.

A water quality emergency in the District of Columbia on December 8 forced Amtrak to begin watering its trains serving Washington elsewhere. This will continue until the District lifts its "boil-only" order, possibly tomorrow.

Washington Metro opens the north end of its Green Line tomorrow. It connects with the Red Line at Fort Totten in Washington and with MARC commuter rail at Greenbelt, Md. It is separate from the existing Green Line segment in Washington. Metro plans to link the two with new construction in 1999.