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Hotline #943

December 23, 2015

A major rail milestone was reached this week, with Amtrak activating Positive Train Control technology on all its between Washington and New York, reports the Washington Post. PTC is now operational on nearly all the Amtrak-owned or maintained track along the Northeast Corridor, which stretches from Washington to Boston, said D.J. Stadtler, the rail company’s vice president of operations.

However, a story in Atlantic magazine notes that while Congress has allocated $25 million in funding in the omnibus bill to help railroads install PTC technology, some of Washington’s most ardent supporters of PTC are still let down. The insufficient installation of PTC across the country has generated an emotional debate on the Hill in recent months. At a House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee hearing earlier this year, Federal Railroad Administrator Sarah Feinberg repeatedly emphasized the railroads’ grave need for PTC, which she called a “long-overdue technology,” but said railroads are hampered by meager funding from Congress. The new omnibus support is certainly welcome; it just isn’t enough.

And NTSB Chairman Christopher Hart made a similar point in an op-ed in the Philadelphia Inquirer. The NTSB has been urging that railroads explore and implement such technology for more than 45 years, he wrote. “In 2008, Congress enacted a law that required PTC to be implemented nationwide by Dec. 31, 2015. The law came after a deadly, PTC-preventable head-on collision between a commuter train and a freight train in Chatsworth, Calif. The collision killed 25 people and injured more than 100,” he continued. “This year, "Implement Positive Train Control in 2015" is on the NTSB's most wanted list of transportation safety improvements. We included the date to emphasize the deadline in the law.”

The omnibus bill passed by Congress last week included $50 million in rail safety grants. It wasn’t the $180 million in FY 2016 rail infrastructure grants that were included in the FAST Act, but NARP feels it is still real money that will help railroads fund installation of the life-saving PTC technology.

Back in the spring, NARP partnered with the band Rising Appalachia to rally young Americans in support of a 21st Century passenger rail system. The band, working with NARP and Amtrak, did its 'Wider Circles' tour by rail, using its platform to inform concert attendees on how they can make train travel a more viable and public mass transit option.

And now you can help Rising Appalachia continue its efforts to promote rail travel by attending its first-ever New Year’s Eve Gala on December 31, 2015, at the Jefferson Theater in Charlottesville, Virginia. Tickets cost $37 in advance and $40 day of show. VIP tickets are also available for $65 and include a pre-show reception, a meet-and-greet with the band, a commemorative poster, a complimentary champagne toast at midnight and early entry into the theater. Tickets on sale now and are available at 1-800-594-TIXX, the Downtown Transit Station, and at the Jefferson Theater.

Union Pacific Corp. officials argue that Canadian Pacific Railway Ltd.'s proposed takeover of Norfolk Southern Corp. risks adding to gridlock at the industry's crucial Chicago hub, reports the Salt Lake Tribune. "A single merger could actually increase congestion in Chicago if the merging parties used shared assets to preference their own traffic," Union Pacific said in a memo to employees. Union Pacific is opposed to additional consolidation and warned regulators of consequences from letting Canada's second-biggest railroad combine with the number two carrier in the eastern U.S. A combination of Canadian Pacific and Norfolk Southern has "significant" regulatory hurdles because it would have to enhance competition and not just maintain it, Union Pacific said.

Replacing an antiquated rail tunnel under West Baltimore could displace people in dozens of homes and subject those in hundreds more to noise and vibration during and after construction, a federal draft environmental impact study warns. Built in 1873, the two-track, 1.4-mile Baltimore & Potomac tunnel is one of the oldest in Amtrak's busy Northeast corridor, handling more than 21,000 passengers on 85 Amtrak trains and 57 MARC commuter trains daily, reports the Baltimore Sun. The Federal Railroad Administration is working with the Maryland Department of Transportation to study replacing it because it is considered a major hindrance to increasing rail traffic between Washington and Boston. "The existing tunnel has reached the end of its useful life," said Jacqueline Thorne, project manager for the state Transportation Department. "We don't want Maryland to be a bottleneck."

As 2015 comes to an end, we hope that you will consider NARP in your giving before midnight on December 31, 2015. The association is classified as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization by the IRS, so its dues and contributions are tax-deductible to the fullest extent of the law and by donating before the end of the year will ensure you are able to claim a deductible on your 2015 tax return. You can also consider securities and stock gifts as an even more attractive tax benefit.

We thank you for all your cash contributions in 2015. They helped fund our successful avocacy efforts and paid for major changes that directly benefitted NARP and its nearly 30,000 members. So again, please consider including NARP in your year-end donations. For more information, please contact NARP Development Director Logan McLeod at [email protected]. Thank you and happy holidays

As efforts to build a high-speed rail between Dallas and Houston continue, a new study funded by Texas Central Partners says the project will have an estimated impact of $36 billion through the year 2040, reports NBC Dallas. "As a private entity, we're taxable. We're going to bring permanent tax revenue to ISDs (school districts), cities and counties, and at the state level in sales and use tax," said Tim Keith, CEO of Texas Central. The group has raised more than $100 million for the project so far. It hopes to start construction on the rail line as soon as 2017 with passenger service in 2022.

Finally, the January 2016 newsletter is out. Stories include a year-end legislative update, NARP's goals and achievements for 2016, a profile of member Claire Bowen and community rail efforts in the Sacramento, California, metropolitan area.


The NARP staff thanks you for all your support in 2015. We wish you a very happy holiday season.

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