Hotline #717

Amtrak's Chicago Reservations and Sales Office was shut down April 13 when their power was shut off during the flooding in the Loop area. Using emergency generators, they were able to operate a little bit on April 14 and permanently on April 15. However, the other centers didn't have the capacity to handle all the Chicago calls, causing Amtrak to lose lots of sales on a holiday week. Also on April 13, the subways were closed, but remaining buses and trains took stranded commuters home for free. Metra, whose building also was flooded, took up temporary offices at Union Station. Though 1,800 gallons of water a minute entered Union Station on April 13, pumps were able to handle it and Amtrak trains were unaffected.

Amtrak awarded the Boston electrification contract on April 14, to a construction consortium led by Morrison-Knudsen. The $295 million award was announced by Amtrak President Graham Claytor and Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D.-N.J.) at a press conference at New York Penn Station. Tentatively, the electrification is set to be finished in 1995 and new high-speed tilt equipment, which falls outside the Morrison-Knudsen contract, is hoped for in 1997.

Rep. Chet Atkins (Mass.) has co-sponsored H.R.4414, the Ampenny bill.

Rep. James Oberstar (Minn.) announced he does not want to challenge Norman Mineta (Cal.) for the chairmanship of the House Public Works Committee at the end of this term.

AT&T and Lockheed, a big defense contractor, formed a joint venture to set up an automated smart highways or IVHS system to speed toll collections. We have reservations about smart highways. It is like adding lanes of capacity -- it will just cause more people to use it and more congestion. Senator Lautenberg, who is the main supporter in Congress of the Boston electrification, is also the main supporter of smart highways.

The State of New York has lost a great friend of high-speed rail and incremental rail improvements. Assembly Energy Committee Chairman Bill Hoyt died March 25 at the age of 54. His remains were carried on train 63 from Albany to his hometown of Buffalo, at his widow's request.

Once again, SEPTA is threatening to end all North Philadelphia streetcar service. Hearings on SEPTA's 1993 operating budget will be held on May 7 at 11:00 am and 6:00 pm at the Holiday Inn at 8th & Market. NARP members should protest shutting down the streetcars, which would be a step backward for balanced transportation in Philadelphia.

Dow Chemical Company says it has developed a new carbon and fluorine substance that is impervious to markers or spray paint. It hopes transit agencies will use it to coat their equipment to prevent graffiti.

Spain's Madrid-Seville high-speed rail line will open on April 20. Called the AVE, for "bird," it will cover 245 miles in just over 2:30 hours, at an average speed of 95 mph and peak speed of 186 mph. By comparison, Amtrak Express Metroliners have an average speed of 87 mph. However, like in Japan, the Spanish high-speed line is a different gauge than the rest of the national rail network. In Spain, the national system is broad gauge and the high-speed is standard gauge. The European standard gauge system is still 300 miles away from Madrid at the French border, and likely will not be reached by Spanish high-speed rail in this decade.

April 22 is Earth Day -- bike or use transit if you normally drive.