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SUPPORT AMTRAK - INVEST IN AMERICA'S INFRASTRUCTURE
"President Bush is willing to spend billions to send a couple of people to Mars, but not one dime for Amtrak`s 25 million annual travelers who want better rail service to destinations on this planet," said Senator Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ)
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December 6, 2009 and here's the Lake Shore Limited blasting through the first snow of the year past a freight siding in Westborough, Massachusetts. We're all waiting to see how Amtrak and passenger rail do in the New Year but there are some positive signs, and even the Boston section of the Lake Shore is a good omen -- recently restored sleeper service and a food car. Camera: Olympus E-510 dslr with 70-300mm telephoto. |
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Friends of Amtrak Features :
NEW: Ron
Goodenow's Attic
- a photo collection
of railroad memorabilia including timetables,
tickets, menus and more.
Generally, children from 2 to 15 are half-fare when traveling with
an adult. There is a 15 percent discount for adults over 62.
PHOTOS
Florida
Support Amtrak Advocacy
Books on Amtrak--an annotated
bibliography.
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December 9, 2009
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After lengthy negotiations, the House and Senate agreed last night on a massive "omnibus" spending bill [PDF] that includes $2.5 billion for high-speed rail -- a compromise between the two chambers -- as well as $150 million for the Obama administration's sustainable communities effort and $150 million for the Washington D.C. Metro system.
The final legislation omits the $5 billion the White House had sought for its proposed National Infrastructure Bank, with Appropriations Committee members noting in a statement that "due to the complexity of this proposal, it should be considered through the regular authorization process."
In addition, the new bill resolves a politically charged clash over allowing guns on Amtrak trains by removing language that would have threatened the rail network's federal funding if it did not allow firearms in checked baggage.
Instead, the House-Senate agreement requires Amtrak to report to Congress within 180 days on a weapons screening plan and to implement the policy within one year, while consulting with the Department of Homeland Security. The bill makes no mention of possible loss of federal aid.
The House and Senate bills varied widely in their treatment of high-speed rail, with the latter reserving $1.2 billion for bullet trains in 2010 while the former upped the ante to $4 billion.
Transportation reform groups and local planners had lobbied hard for the higher number but appeared to consider $2.5 billion an acceptable midpoint.
The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) would receive $10.73 billion for 2010 under the new deal, more than the House-passed level. Washington D.C.'s Metro, facing fare hikes after a June crash that killed nine passengers, would receive $150 million for safety and maintenance.
The $150 million for the administration's inter-agency sustainable communities plan matches the White House request. The U.S. DOT also stands to receive $600 million for competitive, merit-based grants in line with the popular TIGER stimulus program, which is being eyed for this winter's coming jobs bill.
Finally, the new legislation also addresses the congressional investigation into Amtrak management's stormy relationship with its inspector general.
Language in the bill states that the U.S. DOT "shall not make grants for" Amtrak operating in the third and fourth quarters of 2010 until a member of the Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency certifies that the rail network is collaborating successfully with its watchdog.
Not enough details yet ... but the final version of President Obama's Stimulus Bill is good news for passenger rail advocates. It appears that there will be $8 billion for construction of high-speed railways. This is in the form of capital assistance for the combined categories of Intercity Passenger Rail Service (the federal-state matching grants program first introduced in the Fiscal 2008 appropriations) and High Speed Rail Corridors, the new program authorized under Section 501 of last year's passenger rail authorization. There is an addional $1.3 billion in capital funds specifically for Amtrak, of which $450 million is to be set aside for "security improvements to include life safety improvements." That leaves $850 million for normal capital grants, of which no more than 60% "shall be spent for capital improvements on the NEC. That means that $340 million is the minimum which Amtrak could devote to non-NEC service.Word on the Hill has it that President Obama himself intervened on this package to secure these funding levels.
Return to the top of the page.
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President Obama and Vice President Biden today announced that the federal government will spend $8 billion developing a nationwide high-speed train system -- an investment the White House says is needed to help spur long-term economic growth while boosting job creation.
The new investment, funded through the government's $862 billion economic stimulus package, will go toward developing or laying the groundwork for 13 new high-speed rail corridors across the country. Overall, projects and planning involving the rail corridors will take place in 31 states.
The projects will help the U.S. build the "infrastructure of the future," Obama said at a town hall event at the University of Tampa today. "There is no reason why other countries can build high-speed rail lines and we can’t." Right now Central Japan Railway Company's Shinkansen "bullet trains" run at 168 mph. Societe Nationale des Chemins de Fer Francais, the French state railroad company, can run its TGV trains at 200 mph. And Shanghai spent $1.25 billion building the world’s fastest train in commercial operation, a 267 mph magnetic-levitation ride to its main airport.
"Through the Recovery Act, we are making the largest investment in infrastructure
since the interstate highway system was created, putting Americans to work rebuilding
our roads, bridges and waterways for the future," Obama said in a statement
released by the White House. "That investment is how we can break ground
across the country, putting people to work building high-speed rail lines, because
there's no reason why Europe or China should have the fastest trains when we
can build them right here in America."
More than 30 rail manufacturers have agreed to establish or expand U.S. operations
if they are hired to work on the high-speed rail network, the administration
said. The president first mentioned the program in his State of the Union speech
Wednesday night.
Each of the corridors identified by the administration last year are between 100 and 600 miles long. A small portion of the $8 billion will go to improvements in existing rail lines, including $17 million to upgrade Burlington Northern Santa Fe Corp. tracks in Iowa, according to the White House. The U.S. will give $1.1 billion for a line connecting Chicago and St. Louis, according to a White House. Amtrak’s Northeast Corridor between Washington and Boston will get $112 million. Some of the money will go toward trains with top speeds of 110 mph, while other funds — such as the $400 million allotted to Ohio to connect Cleveland, Columbus, Dayton and Cincinnati — will be for trains traveling no faster than 79 mph.
The program is "a long-term venture in which states will need to plan projects, purchase and lay track, build and assemble equipment, and construct or upgrade train stations, tunnels and bridges." In addition to the $8 billion mentioned by Obama, the plan also includes $1 billion a year for five years in the federal budget "as a down payment to jump-start the program," the White House said.
Train corridors in the program include:
-- San Diego-Los Angeles-San Luis Obispo in California
-- Oakland-Sacramento in California
-- Portland-Eugene in Oregon
-- Seattle-Portland in Washington and Oregon
-- Chicago-St. Louis in Illinois and Missouri
-- St. Louis-Kansas City in Missouri
-- Minneapolis/St. Paul-Madison in Minnesota and Wisconsin
-- Madison-Milwaukee in Wisconsin
-- Milwaukee-Chicago in Wisconsin and Illinois
-- Cleveland-Columbus-Cincinnati in Ohio
-- Detroit/Pontiac-Chicago in Michigan, Indiana and Illinois
-- Tampa-Orlando in Florida
-- Raleigh-Charlotte in North Carolina
-- Washington-Richmond in the District of Columbia and Virginia
-- Raleigh-Richmond in North Carolina and Virginia
-- New York City-Albany-Buffalo in New York
-- New York City-Montreal in New York and Quebec, Canada.
-- Boston-New York-Washington in Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New
York, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, and the District of Columbia
-- Brunswick-Portland in Maine
-- Philadelphia-Harrisburg-Pittsburgh in Pennsylvania
-- Springfield-East Northfield in Massachusetts
-- New Haven-Springfield in Connecticut and Massachusetts
Among the highlights: California will receive $2.3 billion to begin work on an 800-mile-long, high-speed rail line tying Sacramento and the San Francisco Bay area to Los Angeles and San Diego. $1.25 billion will go to Florida to build a rail line connecting Tampa on the West Coast with Orlando in the middle of the state, eventually going south to Miami. $1.1 billion for Illinois-Missouri to improve a rail line between Chicago and St. Louis so that trains travel up to 110 mph. $810 million to Wisconsin to upgrade and refurbish train stations and install safety equipment on the Madison-to-Milwaukee leg of a line that stretches from Minneapolis to Chicago. The Washington-Oregon project will receive $590 million to upgrade a rail line from Seattle to Portland, Ore. North Carolina will receive $520 million for projects that will increase top speeds to 90 mph on trains between Raleigh and Charlotte and double the number of round trips. Connecticut will receive $40 million in stimulus funding toward constructing a second track along a rail line between New Haven and Springfield, Mass., which will allow trains to travel at speeds up to 110 mph. Vermont will receive more than $50 million to upgrade track stretching from St. Albans to Massachusetts.
According to the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) the initial strategic
investments are focused on three key areas that will deliver transportation,
economic recovery and other public benefits:
1. Building new high-speed rail corridors that will fundamentally expand and
improve passenger transportation in the geographic regions they serve
2. Upgrading existing intercity passenger rail services
3. Laying the groundwork for future high-speed passenger rail services through
smaller projects and planning efforts
For more information see the FRA's high speed rail interactive map at http://www.fra.dot.gov/us/content/2243
One of the Capitol Hill newspapers estimated that I've taken more than 7,000
round trips on Amtrak over the course of my career. But the one I made on Jan.
17, 2009 was a bit different. When I got there, there were 8,000 people standing
in the freezing cold. And I wasn't racing to reach the 7:46 a.m. Metroliner
(later, the Acela) that I had taken thousands of times before.
I was meeting up with the train that would carry President Obama and me to our
inauguration.
That day, Gregg Weaver, a conductor who started riding Amtrak the same year I did--1972--introduced me to the crowd. As Gregg spoke, it struck me that over the years, Amtrak provided me with more than a way to get to Washington to serve the people of Delaware every morning and a way to get home to my family each night. It has provided me another family entirely--a community of dedicated professionals who have shared the milestones in my life, and who have allowed me to share the milestones in theirs.
And it has provided me with one thing more, an understanding of--and a respect for--the role of rail travel in our society and our economy.
Though I don't get to ride the train nearly as much anymore, those were the lessons I brought with me on that final trip to Washington as a United States Senator.
I began making the 110-mile commute shortly after I was sworn in as a Senator. It was the only way that I could have been a Senator at all. I had to be able to get home to spend evenings with my two sons after we lost their mother and sister in an auto accident a month earlier.
Since then, on those many trips down to Washington, I got into a routine. From Wilmington to Baltimore I'd read the papers and make phone calls. At Baltimore, I'd start preparing for that day's hearings, amending my opening statement or going through the list of witnesses. And by the time I arrived in D.C., I'd be ready to jump right in.
Getting home was sometimes a sprint, too. One year, on my birthday, my daughter had planned a party for me. She really wanted to give me a gift and blow out candles. Senator Bob Dole was the Majority Leader at the time, and we were voting that night. I told him that I really had to be home for my daughter, which meant that I needed to catch the 5:54 p.m. train. Senator Dole backed up the votes until 9 p.m. I boarded the train and, in Wilmington, my daughter was standing there on the middle platform. She and my wife sang "Happy Birthday," I blew out the candle, took a piece of cake, opened her gift, gave her a kiss, and caught the 7:23 p.m. going south--and managed to be there for the 9 p.m. vote.
Amtrak doesn't just carry us from one place to another--it makes things possible that otherwise wouldn't be. For 36 years, I was able to make most of those birthday parties, to get home to read bedtime stories, to cheer for my children at their soccer games. Simply put, Amtrak gave me--and countless other Americans--more time with my family. That's worth immeasurably more to me than the fare printed on the ticket.
When I took the train every night--and I still do whenever possible--I always
noticed the lights on in the houses flickering in the passing neighborhoods,
dotting the landscape speeding by my window. Moms and dads were at their kitchen
table, talking after they put their kids to bed. Like Americans everywhere,
they were asking questions as profound as they are ordinary: Should Mom move
in with us now that Dad is gone? How are we going to pay the heating bills?
Did you hear the company may be cutting our health care? Now that we owe more
on the house than it's worth, how are we going to send the kids to college?
How are we going be able to retire?
I would look out the window and hear their questions, feel their pain. And every
time I made that trip, it would inspire me to get up the next day, head back
down to Washington, and give them the answers they're looking for. Those moments
looking out the window and seeing the lights on, they told me things that the
briefing folders in front of me never could. They gave color and meaning to
the problems I've spent my career trying to solve. They reminded me why I made
that trip back and forth 7,000 times.
But my support for rail travel goes beyond the emotional connection. With delays at our airports and congestion on our roads becoming increasingly ubiquitous, volatile fuel prices, increased environmental awareness, and a need for transportation links between growing communities, rail travel is more important to America than ever before.
Support for Amtrak must be strong--not because it is a cherished American
institution, which it is--but because it is a powerful and indispensable way
to carry us all into a leaner, cleaner, greener 21st century.
Consider that if you shut down Amtrak's Northeast Corridor, it is estimated
that to compensate for the loss, you'd have to add seven new lanes of highway
to Interstate 95. When you consider that it costs an average of $30 million
for one linear mile of one lane of highway, you see what a sound investment
rail travel is. And that's before you factor in the environmental benefits of
keeping millions and millions of cars off the road.
In 1830, the first steam-engine locomotive, the Tom Thumb, graced America's railways. Its first run was a rickety 13-mile trek from Baltimore to Ellicott Mills, Md., but it became much more than that. It marked the beginning of a new journey, heading straight into a better, more imaginative American future.
We are on a similar journey now. We are at the dawn of a new age, where the very best ideas of today will shape our tomorrow, where renewable clean energy and new transportation systems and more efficient technology will revolutionize American life the way the Tom Thumb did some 180 years ago.
On Jan. 20, 2009, pulling out of the Wilmington train station, embarking on that same short trip I made thousands of times before, I thought again about the journey America was about to take as a nation. And I saw our future the same way I always did: looking out Amtrak's windows.
by Bruce Watson, Oct 29th 2009
"On Tuesday, Subsidy Scope, a subsidiary of the Pew Charitable Trust, reported that Amtrak, America's passenger rail company, "lost" an average of $38 per passenger. Citing a new metric for train depreciation, the report suggested that the train line has been less than transparent in its estimation of its own profitability.
"While it is interesting that the government spends an average of $38 on each Amtrak passenger, this isn't really news. Over a year ago, in fact, Amtrak president Alex Kummant stated that each passenger on the train line represents a public capital expenditure of approximately $40, and similar figures have been bandied about for years. In fact, the only truly surprising thing is that some conservative think tanks and advocacy organizations continue to criticize the corporation for its failure to turn a profit. The underlying message seems to be that Amtrak is a financial failure, and that if rail travel were privatized, it would somehow be able to make a profit.
"The truth is that Amtrak is not designed to make money; rather, it is designed to provide a public service. The same could be said of the rest of America's transportation network: none of the country's transportation systems generate profit or pay for themselves. The airlines, for example, rely on a patchwork of municipal, state, and federal funding to finance the cost of airports. Meanwhile, federal funds pay for airport security and taxes pay for the FAA. Many pilots are trained by the military, and much of the avionics used in private aircraft is developed under military contract. If these costs were transferred to airline passengers, the price of a plane ticket would be prohibitive.
"And what about America's roads? The highway trust fund, which is ostensibly funded by gas taxes, still receives money from Congress, while the various agencies that oversee its administration and police its passengers are all funded by taxes. Again, if these costs were transferred to individual travelers, few people could afford to drive.
"Taken on a passenger-by-passenger basis, trains cost taxpayers far less than cars, planes, motorcycles or rickshaws. The big difference, as National Corridor Initiative president and CEO James P. RePass noted in a recent interview, is that "Subsidies for airlines and highways are far less obvious than Amtrak's single line item."
"The Subsidy Scope study also pointed out that some portions of the Amtrak infrastructure are more profitable than others. For example, the Northeast Corridor's Acela Express makes an average profit of $41 per customer, while the Northeast Regional, which is more heavily traveled, costs $5 per passenger. In Subsidy Scope's estimation, the biggest loser in the land is the Sunset Limited, which runs from New Orleans to Los Angeles at an average cost of $462 per customer.
"The Sunset Limited has long been plagued with problems and Amtrak is still working to increase its performance. However, the idea that one can parse a railway system into profitable and unprofitable lines is probably shortsighted. As Kummant noted, "it's an entire network that matters. And if you don't have an entire network, you end up with a ridiculous patchwork of short little lanes of things that make no sense from a national system." To put it another way, while certain portions of an interstate highway may be more popular than others, closing off several less-traveled miles would vastly reduce the overall effectiveness of the system, as some regions would be cut off from the grid and others would face longer, more costly routes.
"RePass addressed this point, stating: "The benefit of a transportation system doesn't accrue to the system itself, but rather to the economy and to the cities and citizens it services. Pew, by looking at the cost of tickets, reinforces the notion that transportation systems have to pay for themselves." As policymakers, pundits and politicians assess the value of America's passenger rail, they need to get past the idea that it must pay for itself. The measure of a rail line's profit is the energy and vitality that it brings to an area and the commerce that it supports."
In a recent article in "The Baltimore Sun" Michael Dresser says that it came as no surprise "that the United States is far behind Japan or Germany or France in high-speed rail. We've known for years that visitors from these highly developed industrial nations have been laughing behind our backs at our woefully antiquated rail system." But Dresser sounds a wake up call when he notes "But it came as a shock to be confronted with the reality of how far behind we are in high-speed intercity rail compared with such countries as China, Turkey, South Korea and Brazil. Even Iran is planning a line from Tehran to Qom that will reach 200 mph - a speed that will make Amtrak's Acela (maximum 135 mph) look as if it were being pulled by Thomas the Tank Engine." And in Spain, "the service is so reliable that the operator will refund a passenger's full fare if the train is more than five minutes late. Riders also get their money back if the air conditioning or toilet malfunctions."
Imagine that in the USA?
Dresser goes on to say that "Much of the opposition to high-speed rail in this country stems from an ideological opposition to a government role in just about anything but fighting wars. But history shows that there has never been a significant advance in U.S. transportation without federal involvement on some level. Many of the same arguments made against high-speed rail could be made about the Erie Canal, transcontinental rail and the interstate highway system."
"This is all information gleaned at the inaugural conference of the U.S. High Speed Rail Association in Washington last week," writes Dresser. The association has a definite point of view. "It's advocating construction of a 17,000-mile high-speed rail network in the United States and parts of Canada - carrying trains at speeds up to 220 mph - by 2030."
How do we fund such a system?
Dresser turns to one authority for a possible answer. "Norman Anderson, chief executive of CG/LA Infrastructure LLC, suggested a way to fund such big projects. He supports the creation of a National Infrastructure Bank - a concept President Barack Obama has embraced and for which he proposed $5 billion in the budget. Anderson said that such a bank could be financed through the sale of federally backed bonds to private citizens, pension funds and other investors. The bank would finance the construction of rail lines - and other capital projects - that would be leased to operating companies. Without the burden of maintaining obsolete infrastructure like Amtrak's, he said, the operating companies could make a decent profit."
So there you have it, folks. Even Iran is surpassing us on creating a first class rail transportation network.
The Senate voted Wednesday to permit passengers on the Amtrak passenger railroad
to transport handguns in their checked baggage.
The proposal, approved by a 68-30 vote, seeks to give Amtrak riders rights comparable
to those enjoyed by airline passengers, who are permitted to transport firearms
provided that they declare they are doing so and that the arms are unloaded
and in a securely locked container.
"Americans should not have their Second Amendment rights restricted for
any reason, particularly if they choose to travel on America's federally subsidized
rail line," said Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., who made the proposal.
Wicker's amendment would deny the railroad its $1.6 billion taxpayer subsidy
unless it changes the gun policy.
Current Amtrak policy, put in place after the bombings of passenger trains in Madrid five years ago, prohibits weapons, including firearms, from being carried on its trains.
Prior to the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, Amtrak permitted firearms to be carried on its trains so long as they were separately secured in locked baggage or carrying cases. But it added restrictions on carrying weapons after 9/11 and imposed a total ban on all weapons after the Madrid bombings.
Wednesday's vote was the latest in a string of victories for gun rights activists in the Senate despite Democrats' sizable majority. Some 27 Democrats, including Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada, voted for the amendment, many from western or southern states. Independent Bernie Sanders of Vermont, who aligns with Democrats and is one of the chamber's most liberal members, also voted on the pro-gun rights side.
Opponents of changing the policy back, such as Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., say it would be too costly and burdensome to return to the old policy. Durbin said that "Amtrak doesn't have the security infrastructure, the processes or the trained personnel in place to ensure that checked firearms would not be lost, damaged, stolen or misused."
The chief author of the underlying transportation appropriations bill, Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., said implementing the policy would be too costly.
"Amtrak would have six months to build a process for checking and tracking firearms. It would have to find the manpower necessary to screen and guard firearms and it would have to purchase the equipment necessary," Murray said. "If they do not comply, Amtrak will shut down."
Paul Helmke, president of the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, said
he "doesn't have problems with people transporting guns on trains so long
as steps are taken to make sure they're secured and properly stowed."
He added that some senators are eager to get back in good stead with the National
Rifle Association after crossing the group by voting to confirm Sonia Sotomayor
to the Supreme Court and to defeat a proposal to permit people with concealed
weapons permits to carry hidden guns outside their home states.
The legislation still must be reconciled with a House-passed measure than does not contain the gun rights provision.
Source: Associated Press
ROLL-CALL VOTE:
| Alabama: | Sessions (R-AL), Yea | Shelby (R-AL), Yea |
| Alaska: | Begich (D-AK), Yea | Murkowski (R-AK), Yea |
| Arizona: | Kyl (R-AZ), Yea | McCain (R-AZ), Yea |
| Arkansas: | Lincoln (D-AR), Yea | Pryor (D-AR), Nay |
| California: | Boxer (D-CA), Nay | Feinstein (D-CA), Nay |
| Colorado: | Bennet (D-CO), Yea | Udall (D-CO), Yea |
| Connecticut: | Dodd (D-CT), Nay | Lieberman (ID-CT), Nay |
| Delaware: | Carper (D-DE), Nay | Kaufman (D-DE), Nay |
| Florida: | LeMieux (R-FL), Yea | Nelson (D-FL), Yea |
| Georgia: | Chambliss (R-GA), Yea | Isakson (R-GA), Yea |
| Hawaii: | Akaka (D-HI), Nay | Inouye (D-HI), Nay |
| Idaho: | Crapo (R-ID), Yea | Risch (R-ID), Yea |
| Illinois: | Burris (D-IL), Nay | Durbin (D-IL), Nay |
| Indiana: | Bayh (D-IN), Yea | Lugar (R-IN), Yea |
| Iowa: | Grassley (R-IA), Yea | Harkin (D-IA), Nay |
| Kansas: | Brownback (R-KS), Yea | Roberts (R-KS), Yea |
| Kentucky: | Bunning (R-KY), Yea | McConnell (R-KY), Yea |
| Louisiana: | Landrieu (D-LA), Yea | Vitter (R-LA), Yea |
| Maine: | Collins (R-ME), Yea | Snowe (R-ME), Yea |
| Maryland: | Cardin (D-MD), Nay | Mikulski (D-MD), Nay |
| Massachusetts: | Kerry (D-MA), Nay | |
| Michigan: | Levin (D-MI), Nay | Stabenow (D-MI), Nay |
| Minnesota: | Franken (D-MN), Nay | Klobuchar (D-MN), Yea |
| Mississippi: | Cochran (R-MS), Yea | Wicker (R-MS), Yea |
| Missouri: | Bond (R-MO), Yea | McCaskill (D-MO), Yea |
| Montana: | Baucus (D-MT), Yea | Tester (D-MT), Yea |
| Nebraska: | Johanns (R-NE), Yea | Nelson (D-NE), Yea |
| Nevada: | Ensign (R-NV), Yea | Reid (D-NV), Yea |
| New Hampshire: | Gregg (R-NH), Yea | Shaheen (D-NH), Yea |
| New Jersey: | Lautenberg (D-NJ), Nay | Menendez (D-NJ), Nay |
| New Mexico: | Bingaman (D-NM), Yea | Udall (D-NM), Yea |
| New York: | Gillibrand (D-NY), Nay | Schumer (D-NY), Nay |
| North Carolina: | Burr (R-NC), Yea | Hagan (D-NC), Yea |
| North Dakota: | Conrad (D-ND), Yea | Dorgan (D-ND), Yea |
| Ohio: | Brown (D-OH), Nay | Voinovich (R-OH), Yea |
| Oklahoma: | Coburn (R-OK), Yea | Inhofe (R-OK), Yea |
| Oregon: | Merkley (D-OR), Yea | Wyden (D-OR), Nay |
| Pennsylvania: | Casey (D-PA), Yea | Specter (D-PA), Nay |
| Rhode Island: | Reed (D-RI), Nay | Whitehouse (D-RI), Nay |
| South Carolina: | DeMint (R-SC), Yea | Graham (R-SC), Yea |
| South Dakota: | Johnson (D-SD), Yea | Thune (R-SD), Yea |
| Tennessee: | Alexander (R-TN), Yea | Corker (R-TN), Yea |
| Texas: | Cornyn (R-TX), Yea | Hutchison (R-TX), Yea |
| Utah: | Bennett (R-UT), Yea | Hatch (R-UT), Yea |
| Vermont: | Leahy (D-VT), Yea | Sanders (I-VT), Yea |
| Virginia: | Warner (D-VA), Yea | Webb (D-VA), Yea |
| Washington: | Cantwell (D-WA), Nay | Murray (D-WA), Nay |
| West Virginia: | Byrd (D-WV), Not Voting | Rockefeller (D-WV), Nay |
| Wisconsin: | Feingold (D-WI), Yea | Kohl (D-WI), Yea |
| Wyoming: | Barrasso (R-WY), Yea | Enzi (R-WY), Yea |
A major hurdle in the development of Moynihan Station was cleared over the weekend, when Amtrak announced its intention to relocate its operations to a new train hall in the Farley Building. Specifically, Gov. David Paterson, Senator Charles Schumer and Amtrak President Joe Boardman announced a general agreement on the basic terms and conditions for the redevelopment of the Farley Building into a new train station. The terms of the agreement will be finalized in the coming weeks and memorialized in a Memorandum of Understanding.
Amtrak's New York City operations, the busiest in the country, is now located at Penn Station. The new Farley Post Office location is just a couple of blocks away. The new station will be named after late U.S. Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan (D-NY) who championed the new station several years ago.
This is all around good news. By moving to the historic Farley Post Office, Amtrak will gain a world-class flagship building for its busiest and most important station. All three transit agencies (NJ TRANSIT, MTA-LIRR and Amtrak) will benefit from a more efficient and spacious Moynihan Station complex, east and west of Eighth Avenue, with Amtrak relocated to Farley. Finally, the fact that Amtrak and the State of New York are working in partnership helps to clear the way for federal stimulus funding, which is necessary to see the project through.
The latest cost estimates are between $1.1 billion and $1.5 billion. Though the Port Authority, New York State, New York City and others have committed significant funding to the project, there remains a several hundred million dollar shortfall.
Courtesy of Friends Of Moynihan Station
Amtrak has released a list of overdue projects that will be funded by the $1.3 billion from the Amtrak American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). The investment package is broken into two separate accounts: One for railroad and station projects that will be funded at $850 million, and one for security and life safety projects at $450 million.
Amtrak also announced that it would restore 60 Amfleet passenger rail cars using $58.5 million in ARRA funds.
Meanwhile, officials said they had received applications for 278 high-speed
rail projects that could be selected for funding under the economic stimulus
package.
"The response has been tremendous and shows that the country is ready for
high-speed rail," Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said.
He said his agency received 278 pre-applications for grant funding under American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) for high-speed rail project, which aims to rival the express trains of France, Japan and other nations.
"It's time to look beyond our highways and invest in public transportation
services like rail, which will enhance regional mobility and reduce our carbon
footprint," LaHood said.
The stimulus, or recovery act, included an eight billion dollar competitive
grant program as a down payment to develop high-speed and intercity passenger
rail networks.
Amtrak lowered some fares on its high-speed Acela Express trains between Boston and Washington by as much as 25 percent to attract leisure travelers as ridership falls because of fewer business trips.
Amtrak will offer one-way nonrefundable Acela business-class tickets for as low as $99 between New York and Washington, down from $133 or more, and as low as $79 between Boston and New York, from $93 or higher. The prices are available for travel from March 3 through June 26 and tickets must be purchased 14 days in advance.
From Railway Age Magazine
As Congress tinkered last week with final details of the proposed Stimulus Package,
some transportation analysts lamented that funding for all rail modes totaled
only 2% of the $787 billion plan.
Within that segment, however, passenger rail, including FRA "high speed" options and Amtrak, were well rewarded. By contrast, rail transit funding, while significant, was cut as the bill neared final approval and headed for the President`s desk.
About $8 billion was targeted for "Capital Assistance for HSR Corridors and Intercity Passenger Rail Service," up from the Senate’s $2.25 billion and an even bigger increase from the House’s original recommendation of just $300 million. The two categories (HSR and conventional intercity passenger rail, are "appropriated ... under a combined heading," and the Secretary of Transportation is given "flexibility in allocating resources between the programs to advance the goal of deploying intercity high speed rail systems in the U.S. The Capital Assistance to States program first received funding in fiscal year 2008. The High Speed Passenger Rail program is a new initiative recently authorized under the Passenger Rail Investment and Improvement Act of 2008."
Separately, Amtrak is awarded capital grants of $1.3 billion, also up roughly $500 million from earlier House and Senate numbers. Of that amount, $450 million is earmarked for "security improvements to include life safety improvements." Conference Committee members also cap any expenditure on Amtrak’s Northeast Corridor to "no more than 60%" of the remaining funds. About $850 million in funds for non-security measures is for "the repair, rehabilitation, or upgrade of railroad assets or infrastructure, and for capital projects that expand passenger rail capacity including the rehabilitation of rolling stock."
Transit capital assistance, overseen by the Federal Transit Administration, gets $6.9 billion in the measure, down from $7.5 billion the House envisioned and $8.4 billion recommended by the Sena te. FTA is to distribute 80% of the funding through its urbanized formula, 10% to rural areas, and 10% to "growing states and high density formula" funding. Capital investment grants of $750 million are to be distributed on a discretionary basis for New Starts and Small Starts projects, including light rail and streetcar programs as well as "Bus Rapid Transit," that are already in construction or are nearly ready to begin.
WASHINGTON - At its regularly scheduled meeting yesterday, Amtrak's Board of
Directors unanimously agreed to name Thomas Carper of Illinois as Chairman of
the Board. Carper, who has served in various Illinois state and local government
positions, including Mayor of the City of Macomb, has been a director on the
Amtrak board since March 2008. At the same meeting former Chairman Donna McLean
was named Vice Chairman, replacing Hunter Biden, who remains as a board member.
Carper said, "Everything we have done as a board, we've done as a unified body, and this change in our hierarchy is no exception. That this was a unanimous and non-contentious decision is testimony to that fact. I look forward to tackling the exciting challenges and opportunities that lie ahead. Amtrak is ready to play a growing role in strengthening our transportation system and our economy."
The five-member board consists of four voting members, two Democrats, Carper
and Biden, and two Republicans, McLean and Nancy Naples. Amtrak President and
CEO Joseph Boardman is a non-voting member of the board.
Former Chairman McLean, who was named Vice Chairman, said, "With the change
in administration, its best for the company to have Tom as Chairman. I am pleased
to be able to work with Tom and the rest of the board as we face the exciting
and challenging years ahead."
As part of the Passenger Rail Investment and Improvement Act of 2008, the Board
of Directors of the National Railroad Passenger Corporation (Amtrak) is expected
in 2009 to expand to nine members from its current allotment of seven positions,
five of which are currently occupied. The President nominates and the U.S. Senate
confirms Amtrak Board members.
A New York Times article of December 22, 2006 by Matthew L. Wald and Don Phillips
providing some very interesting reading. Here are some highlights from this
piece:
" Amtrak could see a ridership growth spurt of 50 percent in the next
five to 10 years, but it would require billions of state and federal dollars
invested in the tracks of other railroads, and millions more of private investment
in passenger rail cars, the new president of the railroad said Thursday in an
interview.
" ...Mr. Kummant indicated that Amtrak was backing away from some ideas
that had upset Amtrak supporters, including putting the Washington-to-Boston
corridor under separate ownership. He also said he did not intend to slash the
long-distance network because it was a national asset that, once lost, would
probably never be recovered.
" ...Mr. Kummant, a former freight rail executive, said that the rail
network nationally was overloaded, but that strong growth in freight traffic,
and the interest in rail as a solution to congestion and
energy problems, opened the possibility for government investment in private
freight railroad lines that Amtrak used."
Regarding our own concerns about frequent threats to cutback on our nation's
long distance trains, Kummant said: "We're not going to do anything radical
there."
" ...The cost of cross-country trains comes to about a dollar and a half per American per year, he said, and they are irreplaceable. He compared trains like the Empire Builder and the City of New Orleans to assets like national parks. ?I haven?t had the opportunity to go to Glacier National Park since 1976, but I pay taxes every year in the hope that I have the option to go back," Mr. Kummant said.
AMTRAK SLEEPING CAR PLANS AVAILABLE ON FRIENDS OF AMTRAK WEBSITE, August 24, 2000. Friends of Amtrak now has a page that shows in JPG format the layout of Amtrak's sleeping cars. Amtravelers take note! I don't believe that I've seen such a plan anywhere on the net. http://trainweb.org/crocon/sleeperplans.html
NO TRAIN NO GAIN BUMPER STICKER OFFERED FREE -- December 17, 2000. The Railroad Passenger Association of Alabama is offering a free "No Train No Gain" bumper sticker. For information check out the page link by Friends of Amtrak:
FREE with LSSAE, $1.00 for each additional. Black on white, peel and stick variety, sized to fit inside a legal sized envelope. This is a volunteer effort in support of passenger rail. No profits are made. Quantities of 100 available for $34.00 postage paid to organizations and individuals.
For your bumper sticker send to:
THE SIX MYTHS ABOUT AMTRAK
Myth #1 - Amtrak can be profitable. No national rail passenger system in the world is profitable. Without public subsidy, there will be no passenger rail transportation systems in the United States.
Myth #2 - The private sector is dying to take over our services. Remember why we were formed. We are what is left of a once privately run enterprise.
Myth #3 - Long-distance trains are the problem. This is perhaps one of the biggest myths. If you eliminate every long-distance train, your avoidable costs would decrease about $70 million a year-after about a year and a half of making labor protection costs. On a fully allocated basis, after five years, you might save annually about $300 million. Focusing on this problem is not going to save Amtrak. This approach is a red herring.
Myth #4 - Amtrak is a featherbed for labor. Our wage rates are about 90% of the freight industry and are even lower when compared to transit. Wages are not the problem; generating a higher level of productivity, that is the challenge. It is management's duty to seek such improvement.
Myth #5 - The Northeast Corridor (NEC) is profitable. The NEC may cover most of its above-the-rail costs, but it is an extremely costly piece of railroad to maintain. The NEC is not profitable and never will be. Sure, private groups might be interested in having it, but they would take it only with the promise of massive capital infusions.
Myth #6 - There is a quick fix - reform. The word reform is like catnip to those interested in a quick fix to Amtrak. If the answer were quick and easy, we would have solved the problem long ago. What needs to be done is to tightly manage the company and its finances and begin to make incremental but critical improvements to plant and equipment.
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