Hotline #856-A - December 20, 1994

Because so many of you already have called the hotline last week to get the list of Amtrak route cuts, the whole list will be repeated at the end of this message, after other news.

Part of Amtrak's plans relate to the earliest possible retirement of Heritage cars, other than diners and lounges. We are vigorously opposing an apparent Amtrak interest in parking all coaches and sleepers even before the 50 Viewliner sleepers arrive.

Amtrak also plans to concentrate more on productivity improvements, something NARP has tried to stress with them all fall. Amtrak will negotiate such improvements with the unions with the hope of saving $37 million this year and $86 million a year after that.

Amtrak and state DOT's will meet to discuss whether the states will pay more to keep some of the threatened trains, particularly the 403(b) ones. Some of the projected savings are modest, increasing their chances of being picked up by the states, including just $2.1 million for the Capitol Corridor in California and $2 million for the Pontiac and Toledo segments of the Detroit service.

Meanwhile, Amtrak appears to have gotten a commitment this week from the White House not to zero Amtrak out in the Administration's 1996 budget proposal. However, the White House is still hinting that Amtrak could be cut further in 1996, which is alarming when one considers that Amtrak is having such trouble surviving on its 1995 funding level.

Reaction to the cuts has been intense, especially where entire corridors are in jeopardy. Wisconsin had always been told its busy Milwaukee line was very successful and was totally caught off guard. Californians are labeling Amtrak's actions as "extortion" for more state money.

On the other hand, it seems clear that if Amtrak had not engaged in what President Tom Downs called "dramatic self-help," both the White House and the new Republican leaders would have abandoned Amtrak. They know about Amtrak's budget gap and testimony by the General Accounting Office that current funding is not adequate to maintain all service. Increasing funding in the present environment is not realistic.

Here are the cuts announced on December 14, to take effect February 1:

• Florida service will be cut from 21 to 14 round-trips a week, with the exact pattern undetermined.
• The Empire Builder will be cut to four-times-a-week west of St. Paul only.
• The Desert Wind will be cut to tri-weekly between Salt Lake City and Los Angeles.
• The Crescent will be cut to tri-weekly between Atlanta and New Orleans.

The following services will be eliminated on April 1:

• The Montrealer between New York and Montreal.
• All the local Hiawathas between Milwaukee and Chicago.
• All local Capitol trains between Roseville, Sacramento, Oakland, and San Jose.
• The Pere Marquette between Chicago and Grand Rapids.
• All service between Kansas City and St. Louis.
• The Gulf Breeze between Birmingham and Mobile.
• The Pontiac and Toledo legs of the Detroit route.
• All Atlantic City service.
• All local Harrisburg service.
• All local service between Boston and Springfield.
• Fort Wayne and Carbondale Thruway buses.
• Three daily round-trips between Boston and Washington.
• One daily Metroliner round-trip between New York and Washington.