Hotline #713

The current co-sponsors of H.R.4414 are Representatives Swift, Ritter, Pease, Richardson, Slattery, Manton, Andrews, Eckart, Frank, and Wyden -- but we need more for this important Ampenny bill!

It now looks like there will never be a vote on H.R.3732, Representative Conyers' (Mich.) proposal to remove the wall between defense and domestic spending. Without it, a House budget resolution will take effect giving Amtrak and transit a funding freeze for 1993. That would be pretty bad for Amtrak, which is already experiencing operating money shortfalls this year. Also, the failed effort in the House to approve the "peace dividend bill" could seal the fate of the two jobs bills in Congress, from which Amtrak hoped to get money to keep Beech Grove open this summer.

The House hearing on 1993 Amtrak appropriations was yesterday. It was the last to be chaired by Bill Lehman (D.-Fla.) and Larry Coughlin (R.-Pa.), both of whom are retiring this term. Among other things, it came out that there might not be a Viewliner order until September and that more mail cars will be ordered in 1993. Amtrak said that it had considered cutting the Texas Eagle to tri-weekly this year because of the current budget shortfall, but did not because it got a new mail contract in January. The Administration's budget request was not given a high degree of consideration.

The panel's reception to H.R.4414 was a little cool and indeed, none of them are co-sponsors. Lehman, Coughlin, and the rest have done a lot to keep the budget axe away from Amtrak over the years, but somehow they seemed to read H.R.4414 as a message that they hadn't done enough for Amtrak. We must remember to thank members of House Appropriations for all they have done when we ask them to co-sponsor the Swift bill.

Amtrak admitted at the hearing that it was so unlikely that any Montrealer day train plan to Boston could save Amtrak any money this fiscal year that Amtrak was looking at other ways to cut costs on the route. Some sort of restructuring still may be considered, so we still encourage your statements of support for the existing Montrealer to Amtrak and to interested legislators.

Democratic presidential candidate Bill Clinton responded to an invitation to tomorrow's NARP Region 9 meeting in Little Rock by promising to send the Arkansas State Rail Coordinator. Local NARP Director Bill Eldridge believes Clinton would not be harmful to Amtrak -- maybe even pro-Amtrak. Ex-candidate Paul Tsongas had advocated increasing the gas tax by three-to-five cents a year with some going to transit, but Clinton criticized him sharply for that. Jerry Brown often mentions high-speed rail and had a good Amtrak record as California governor.

NARP Executive Director Ross Capon was quoted in a Journal of Commerce article this morning about the growth of the passenger railroad supply industry in the U.S. He cited a spurt of transit car orders combined with a growing public sentiment toward domestic products, plus Amtrak's 15-year capital plan that calls for a lot of new rolling stock and electrification.

A SEPTA transit strike was averted at the last minute late on March 14 -- however, Pittsburgh bus and streetcar drivers went on strike on March 16.

VIA Rail has withdrawn abruptly its LRC fleet from the Toronto-Montreal corridor, because of axle fracture problems. They will be returned to service as soon as checked and repaired, but beware that some trains have been replaced by buses this week.

The following were elected March 14 to the NARP board. From Region 3, Bob Abraham, Greg Bender, Doug Bowen, John Dawson, Paul Hart, Larry Joyce, Al Papp, Sharon Shneyer, and Steve von Bonin. From Region 4, George Billmyer, Ken Briers, Jay Chadwick, Jim Churchill, Rolf Schmitt, and David Wilkinson. From Region 11, Patrick Curran. Tomorrow, Region 5 meets at Charlotte and Region 9 at Little Rock. On March 28, Region 7 meets at Milwaukee. On April 4, Region 6 meets at Beech Grove and Region 10 at Ottumwa.