Hotline #821 - April 15, 1994

A hearing was held on S.2002, the Amtrak reauthorization bill, on April 13, in the Senate Commerce Subcommittee on Surface Transportation, chaired by Jim Exon (D.-Nebr.). Witnesses included Federal Railroad Administrator Jolene Molitoris, Ken Mead of the General Accounting Office, Amtrak President Tom Downs, Scott Leonard of NARP, and William Pickett of the Railway Labor Executives' Association.

The tone of the hearing was generally supportive of Amtrak's need for help, though recognition of federal budget problems was made. Senators Exon, Burns, and Dorgan welcomed the increased support for Amtrak shown by the Clinton Administration and hoped that this support would translate into help for the entire national system. Senator Danforth asked that a way be found to move Amtrak back into Kansas City Union Station, an idea now gathering momentum.

The Worldwatch Institute released a paper yesterday called "Back on Track, the Global Rail Revival," written by Marcia Lowe. It explains that various countries have and have not invested in rail in recent decades and shows some examples of increases for rail. It talks about U.S. developments in a global context. It is available for $5.00 from Worldwatch Institute, 1776 Massachusetts Ave., N.W., Washington, DC 20036. Bulk rates are available.

The CBS Evening News has prepared a piece about Amtrak and the recent GAO report for its nightly "Eye on America" segment. It includes an interview of Amtrak President Tom Downs and some passengers on Metroliners and the Capitol Limited. It was supposed to air this week, but kept getting postponed by other world events. There is a slight chance it could air tonight, but more likely it will be on sometime next week.

Two Shore Line East commuter trains collided this morning at about 10 mph on the Amtrak main line one mile west of Old Saybrook, Conn. Neither train derailed. One of the trains had no passengers. Sixteen minor injuries among crew and passengers on both trains were reported. The trains were moved away from the scene within three hours and Amtrak trains were expected to resume through there shortly thereafter.

Amtrak is working out the logistics of restoring regular dining car service on the Silver Star and Silver Meteor. This could happen in June. This is a welcome turnaround in Amtrak policy, because a few years ago it was said that there was a danger of the Florida buffet spreading to other long-distance trains.

There was a lot of publicity surrounding the reopening of the Santa Monica Freeway in Los Angeles this week. It is not a true test of how a freeway opening will affect Metrolink ridership, because the Santa Monica Freeway, also known as I-10, is not in a Metrolink corridor. A more useful comparison will take place in a few months when freeways parallel to the Metrolink Santa Clarita line reopen.

Three letters were in the April 13 Washington Post responding to Robert Samuelson's recent, terrible column attacking Amtrak. One was from Amtrak President Tom Downs, another from NARP Executive Director Ross Capon.

One-third of all commuters in the Netherlands use a bicycle to get to work, according to the Journal of Commerce.  About one-eighth use transit and half drive. For trips under six miles, over half use a bicycle.