Hotline #678

The House surface transportation bill, H.R.2950, will be marked up in the Public Works Transportation Subcommittee on July 23 and in the full Committee on July 25. Public Works leadership still hope to get it to the House floor the week of July 29. As of now, it appears that intercity rail is not covered in H.R.2950, nor is maglev. It calls for another five-cent gas-tax increase that would go toward building pork-barrel highway projects, thinly veiled "demonstration projects" such as the infamous "Avenue of the Saints" and "Hoosier Heartland" highways. The most ludicrous one is the "Transamerica Highway," to run along U.S. routes from Virginia to California -- as if there weren't already enough transcontinental interstate highways. The truck language is weaker than in the Senate, so it is hoped that the better Boehlert-Borski truck language will be adopted.

H.R.2950 also does not appear to include a Boston Central Artery rail link, despite hard work by Rep. Tom Andrews (D.-Me.) and his staff. NARP members are again urged to tell their Representatives that this $5-billion project makes sense only with a rail link included.

The full House Appropriations Committee approved the 1992 DOT appropriations bill yesterday, with the Amtrak figures as reported here last week. The most serious shortcoming in the Amtrak category is no money for Northeast Corridor electrification. The reason given is that the Committee questions Amtrak's ridership estimates for the Boston electrification project. But we also know that there has traditionally been less support for the project in the House than in the Senate, no less so since the death of Rep. Silvio Conte (R.-Mass.).

Maine Governor McKernan signed into law on July 14 a citizen-initiated bill requiring the state to spend at least $40 million to restore Boston-Portland passenger-train service. This is the first time in Maine history that a citizen bill was adopted by the legislature and signed into law, showing the growing support for trains there. Vast credit is due to TrainRiders/Northeast, RailVision, NARP Director Wayne Davis, and Maine Transportation Commissioner Dana Connors for making this important development a reality.

A Southern Pacific freight train derailment near Dunsmuir, Cal., on July 14 halted Coast Starlight service earlier in the week, but trains are running again. Passengers were bussed around the site where almost 20,000 gallons of concentrated pesticide from a tank car leaked into the Sacramento River.

Revenue service begins August 1 for Amtrak's Keystone Classic Club on the Pennsylvanian, westbound Thursdays and Saturdays, eastbound Fridays and Sundays. This luxury parlor car service includes meals and will cost an extra $195 between New York and Pittsburgh, for example. Amtrak is already taking reservations.

Harriet Parcells of NARP, as stated last week, is one of the featured guests on "It's Your Business," a television public affairs show produced by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. The topic is the highway bill and the show will air this weekend; check your local listings. Look for NARP Executive Director Ross Capon on an ABC Evening News segment on Amtrak on July 28.

Rep. Al Swift (D.-Wash.), chairman of the transportation subcommittee of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, held a field hearing at Seattle on July 1 on improving passenger-rail service in the Northwest. A surprise came from officials of the Sea-Tac Airport, who said high-speed rail would be useful because the airport is "big enough."

Santa Clara light rail usually now handles a healthy 21,600 weekday riders, but it carried about 60,000 people on July 4, two-thirds of them after 7:00 pm, and many were angry because they had to wait two or three hours. San Jose and Great America fireworks shows both ended at the same time. Next year, transit officials will ask San Jose and Great America officials to stagger the timing of their shows.

Transport 2000's efforts to save CN's Chandler Subdivision on the Gaspe Peninsula have been getting more media attention. Radio Canada, the French-language radio network, did a profile of T2000's suit, including an interview of Guy Chartrand and of passengers on VIA's Chaleur, which is threatened by the proposed abandonment. T2000 says Americans have been very generous in helping with funding for the Chandler and Levis abandonment suits, help which they greatly appreciate.

Atlanta, which has relatively poor train service for a city of its size, is considering a second airport, even the existing Hartsfield International Airport is experiencing a traffic decline. Fortunately, there has already been loud opposition from area residents and municipalities.