Hotline #807 - January 7, 1994

Conversion of Amtrak's City of New Orleans to Superliner cars has been postponed one month, to March 3.

Amtrak's first-ever broad discount on one-way travel is now in effect, for sale through February 28, good for travel through April 30. Regular one-way fares over $75 are discounted by 55%. Discount round trips are double that one-way fare. This discount is not good on Auto Train, within the Northeast Corridor, or to Amtrak-served points in Ontario.

Federal Railroad Administrator Jolene Molitoris, in a January 6 letter to NARP, said DOT "supports Amtrak's long-distance train service as a component of an effective national system. We will continue to work with Congress to provide capital funding to support the system."

The Clinton Administration reportedly plans to phase out federal transit operating subsidies over three years. NARP and 11 other groups signed a December 29 letter to Clinton protesting this and seeking good Amtrak levels in the 1995 budget.

Amtrak's southbound Crescent had a 5:30-hour-long head-end power failure at Manassas, Va., on December 28, after already running about three hours late.  The failure began at about 10:30 pm when the outside temperature was well below freezing. In a move consistent with Amtrak President Thomas Downs' often stated concerns about passenger satisfaction, he said all the passengers who endured this would bet his apologies and Amtrak travel credits equivalent to their ticket value. Since the length of the delay resulted from a mistake by a train crew member attempting to make repairs by following radioed instructions, Amtrak's Washington Division plans in the future to send out mechanical forces even form minor problems if they happen within 50 miles of Washington.

Northeast Corridor service was disrupted seriously on January 4 when catenary came down during a severe snow storm in the New York area.

Texas TGV Corporation now has missed officially a December 31 deadline to provide the state high-speed rail authority with a funding plan. It was supposed to come up with $170 million in equity, but could not when key partner Morrison Knudsen declined to provide funds a month ago. The company has not asked for a deadline extension and the authority now has the right to cancel the franchise altogether.

Last week's CBS television show "Eye to Eye with Connie Chung" had a story on grade crossing safety. It focused on situations where driver respect for gates was eroded by frequent or lengthy activation when trains were not approaching. Another news show, called the "Crusaders," will run a piece this weekend on Amtrak and toilet dumping in Glacier National Park. This is a syndicated show, so times and stations will vary.

The Senate Commerce Committee staff member responsible for rail programs, Donald Itzkoff, has left that position. He was sworn in as deputy administrator at the FRA.

The Chicago CTA will close down its Green Line (the Lake and Jackson Park "L") on January 10 for a two-year period for total rebuilding.

Colorado DOT officials are working with Eagle and Pitkin Counties to find ways to introduce rail service to the ski resorts of Aspen and Vail, as a way to alleviate road congestion and pollution. The Aspen line would involve re-laying about 25 miles of track on an abandoned right-of-way, but Vail would have to be reached by a new line from Minturn.

The former state railways of Germany, the Deutsche Bundesbahn and Deutsche Reichsbahn, ceased to exist on January 1. There is now one state-owned, joint-stock company called Deutsche Bahn.

Sydney, Australia, is to get its first light-rail line by early 1996.