Hotline #771

The Clinton Administration released a high-speed rail policy, which is incorporated into a new House bill, H.R.1919. The bill is the strongest statement yet that any Administration has made on high-speed rail. It amends the 4-R Act of 1976 and authorizes $1.3 billion over five years, through 1998. That includes the $140 million for high-speed rail in the Administration's 1994 DOT appropriations request.

Of that $140 million, $96 million would go to a corridor assistance program, which, in ISTEA-fashion, would be available to states at an 80% federal match. Governors from the five ISTEA corridors would have to indicate a continued interest and be redesignated. Meanwhile, other corridors could submit applications -- even those that refused to do so last year. States that by state law do not support rail, such as Texas, would be excluded. Also in 1994, $15 million would go to steel-mode research and $29 million authorized by ISTEA would go toward a maglev prototype.

H.R.1919 was introduced by Energy and Commerce Chairman John Dingell (D.-Mich.) and has 13 co-sponsors -- Swift (Wash.), Unsoeld (Wash.), Cantwell (Wash.), Carr (Mich.), Upton (Mich.), Schenk (Cal.), Moorhead (Cal.), Collins (Ill.), Durbin (Ill.), Wyden (Ore.), Rowland (Ga.), Manton (N.Y.), and Foglietta (Pa.).

A well attended Capitol grounds press conference on April 28 was followed by a hearing in the House Energy and Commerce Transportation Subcommittee, chaired by Al Swift (D.-Wash.), yesterday. Swift's Senate counterpart, Senator Exon (Neb.), will hold a similar hearing on May 20.

Regular X2000 service on the Northeast Corridor ends this week. On May 3, it will run from Boston at 11:00 am as train 853, available to the public, and run as the present train 223 south of New Haven. On May 7, the last trip is train 202 from Washington and will go beyond New Haven as train 852 to Boston, arriving at 3:00 pm, again, available to the public, but reservations are required.

On May 9, three public round-trip X2000 excursions will run, leaving Boston South Station at 8:30 am, 11:35 am, and 2:15 pm, and Providence at 9:40 am, 12:45 pm, and 3:35 pm. All will stop at Back Bay and Route 128. No solid information is yet available on the X2000's later tours around the U.S.

The Amtrak board met this week and discussed Amtrak's financial plight, which has been made much worse by the Senate defeat of the Clinton stimulus package. The board had been prepared to authorize several capital items, but withdrew them all. The operating crisis continues -- just in March, revenues were $9 million below budget and expenses $1 million above budget. The focus is now turning to a supplemental funding bill.

The board approved selling the Canton, O., station, used by the Broadway Limited and Capitol Limited until 1990, to a private party for $52,000. It also passed a resolution honoring longtime Vice President of Finance and Administration Charles Hayward, who retires today.

Train telephone service will begin in early June on the Chicago-St. Louis-Kansas City line and the Chicago-Indianapolis line.

The second and last construction season of SEPTA's huge Railworks project begins May 2. As happened last year, the main Reading-side trunk will close for construction through September 4. Limited R3 and R5 diesel service will be offered to 30th Street Station.

The New Jersey Transit board has approved a proposal to extend the Newark City Subway light-rail line to Newark International Airport and Elizabeth and an extension to the proposed Waterfront light-rail line to Bayonne.

The new Amtrak summer timetable takes effect on May 2. The following day, New Jersey Transit Atlantic City line commuter service will be extended to Philadelphia 30th Street Station.