HomeMy WebLinkAboutMT/WY Assoc. of RR Passengers MTWYarp
DEDICATED TO PRESERVING, IMPROVING AND INCREASING
RAIL PASSENGER SERVICE IN MONTANA AND WYOMING.
MARCH 2004
If this country wants long-distance passenger rail
Congress s~,a~, Congress must come up with a better, long-term
Needs to Get Aboard Amtrak for paying for it. In the meantime, Gunn deserves
Editorial Croat Falls Tn'bune, February 6, 2004 credit for his efforts to improve Amtrak He
More and more people climb aboard a train in this streamlined railroad management, got out of the
country to get from Point A to Point B. unprofitable freight business and put cost eon~xols in
Some are frustrated with the hassles of air travel; some place. He hammers away at the need for better service,.
want to avoid busy highways; others simply appreciate efficiency and reliability.
the convenience. Whatever their reasons, travelers are And he's seeing results. November was the railroad's
driving up use of the natien's primary passenger rail busiest month in its 32-year history, up I 1.7 percent
line: over the same month last year. The Empire Builder
In the past year some 600,000 new travelers pushed posted a remarkable 41 percent increase over the same
Amlrak's ridta'ship up 3 percent over the previous year. period last year.
The Empire Builder, which passes across unrthem Every day, more riders see the value of
Montana, saw a 13 percent jump in riders, government-subsidizad passenger rail service.
That's great news for Amtmk and a credit to David We hope it's not too long before Congress recognizes
Guon, who took over as CEO of the rail system nearly the value of that serviea and comes up with a plan to
two years ago. preserve it.'
Increased passenger support, however, has yet to Commet:
translate into increased political support. Too bad they didn't note the 75th anniversary coming
The Bush administration proposes spending $900 up. And Great Falls is 80 miles from the nearest
million for Amtrak in the next budget year. That's down Amtrak station; just a hop down the road in Montana.
$400 million from this year's subsidy. Bush's plan
won't cover both the shortfall in operating expenses and Jim Harem
the maintenance and infrastructure work that's already
been delayed. But AMTRAK NOT PREPARED
with the tremendous deficit tho free-spending Bush and
Congress already have amassed, ifs unlikely Amtrak It gets cold up north during winter? What a surprise!
will see much more money this year. Given the trillions Alert the media. No, they already know. Well, then alert
in red ink, we're hard-pressed to push for even more Amtrak because obviously they're elueless.
spending. Every year we have a cold spell or two and everyone
But that doesn't mean we agre~ with Amtrak critics who gets by except Amtrak which appears to be caught off
say the railroad should be self supporting. Yes, it must guard year-after-year-after-year.
be mn efficiently. But most passenger trains in the How do the freights (except NS) keep their toilets
world receive govemmeat subsidies, running? How does VIA do it? Hell, the cold comes
Taxpayers also fund highway construction, airports and down from Canada[ What do they do in Sweden, in
port facilities, which subsidize tracking, flying and Norway, in Russia?
shipping. Heek, taxpayers even pay the government to It is not uncommon for my town to have sub-freezing
"manage" Missouri River dam releases to benefit a tiny temperatures for several weeks at a time. And
barge shipping industry. - Cleveland's weather is one of the mildest of the Great
Lakes cities. Cold weather should be expected, include Sen. Mike DeWine end Sen. Norm Colemen,
BUSinesses across the Midwest end Northeast but any additional Republicen endorsements are key. I
understand what winter is about end they prepare for am attaching a list oftaiking points generated fi-om the
wintry weather. And Amtrak should be prepared for the conference call. I am in the proeass of drafting a letter,
cold too. But once again Amtrak has frozen trains, as weft, but may not get that to
delayed trains, no train set laying-over at Chicago for you until Monday. If enyone has suggestions on what
train #48/448: Obviously Amtrak is without sufficient to include in the letter, apart from what is included in
internal controls and lacks adequate management to the talking points, please let me know. '.
survive winter. It is now time for en investigation into Thank you and I hope you have a good weekend[
what Amtrak did end did not do. This investigation Laura Kliewer
cennot just be en Amtrak-bashing repott. There needs to Midwest Interstate Passenger Rail Commission
be a specific course of action on how to prevent this More R sponsors are key apparently.
from happening next year end the future. This should Barry/~'im G.: Conrad Burns should be no problem
also include a funding mechanism to pay for the since he's already on KBH's bill.
remedies. Murray should be a given, Of course we also need to
work on people like
Baucus, Centwell end Wyden.
Rail Bonding Package in TEA-21 Jim Hamre
Reauthorization
CONGRESSIONAL
The sponsors of ARRIVE-2I (Sen. Hollings' rail QUARTERLY TODAY -
bonding bill) and AREA (Sen. Hutchison's) are working
together to come up with a enmpromise pankage that TRANSPORTATION &
will be introduced on the floor during TEA-21 INFRASTRUCTURE
reauthorizetion proceedings. Within the next'few
weeks, they need help to ensure that they have enough ,]'an. 21, 2004
Senate support for the measure. You may recall that Amtrak Reauthorizafion Measure Might Be Linked to
Sen. Hutchison was successful in getting placeholder Highway Bill
language inserted into the surface trensportatien safety By Kathryn A. Wolfe, CQ Staff
aspects of the reauthorization, which was passed by With a six-year highway bill set for action in both
the Senate Commerce Committee. The language passed chambers this year, other transportation issues enuld
by the committee establishes a Rail Infrastructure hitch a ride on the measure, including language to
Finance Corporation "to "support rail transportation reauthorize Amlxak. The passenger rail servico was not
capital projects through the isenence of rail capital re, authorized for the past two years because lawmakers
infrastructure bonds". It also authorizes $2 billiou per were unable to deoide
year for Amtrak for six years. The compromise whether to privatize it - as urged by the adminis~xatiou -
package, which should be ready by the end of this or to give the compeny more money to deal with its debt
month, will likely give further definition and authority and project backlog.
to this corporation. David L. Gunn, Amtrak's president end CEO, asked
On Wednesday, Sen. Tom Carper, one of the sponsors local officials at a gathering of the U.S. Conference of
of ARRIVE-21, met with a group of passenger rail Mayors on Wednesday to call their representeti.ves and
advocates to explain what is in pmgreas and to ask for push for more money for Amtra~ "Don't kid yourself
help in getting more Republican co-sponsors. I that someone can come in and change the economics of
participated in the meeting via conference call. what's happening," Gunn said. "It's a myth that
This effort looks to be the best ehenee to include a rail privatizafion can bring you inter-city passenger
title in the reauthorized TEA-21 legislation, end it may service without subsidy."
move quickly. We were told that it might be on the Unable to agree on a reauthorization bill, Congress
floor February 2, with the goal of completion by included $1.23 billion for Amtrak in the omnibus fiscal
Presidents' Day. Any help you can provide by 2004 appropriations package now before the Senate (FIR
centaeting your U.S. Senators and asking them to 2673 - H Rept I08-401).
support this measure, either through direct A Senate I~emoeratin aide said talks are oeearring daily
co-sponsorship or by supporting it on the floor, would as lawmakers attempt to merge two major Amtrak
be very valuable, proposals unveiled late last year. Any consensus
Key Republicans they are targeting in the MIPRC states ]enguag~ could be added to the surface transportation
rcauthorization bill. One plan, called ARRIVE-21 (S used.
196 l), is the brain child of Sem. Ernest F.Hollings~ Why did "they" use that gauge then7 Because the people
D-S.C., Susan Collins, R-Maine, Thomas tL Carper, that .built the tramways used the same jigs and tools that
D-Del., and Arlen Specter, R-Pa. It would form a they used for building wagons, which used that wheel '
nonprofit corporation to issue $30 billion in tax-credit spacing.
bonds over six years to fund rail infimtmeture So why did the wagons havethat particular odd
development. Such bonds would offer purchasers tax spacing? Well, if they tried to use any other spacing, the
credits in lieu of interest payments. Amtrak would be wagon wheels would break on some of the old, long
authorized at $1.5 billion annually for 6 years, distance roads in England, because that's the spacing of
The other bill (S 1505), by Sons. Kay Bailey Hutchison, the wheel ruts.
R-Texas, Trent Lott, R-Miss., Olympia J. Snowe, So, who built those old rutted roads? The first long
R-Maine, and Conrad Bums, R-Mont., would generally distance roads in Europe (and England) were built by
retain Amhak's current stmeture, authorizing $60 billion Imperial Rome for th*ir legions. The roads have been
over six years - $48 billion of which would come from used ever since
issuing tax-exempt bonds. The bill would remove a And the ruts in the roads? The ruts in the roads, which
stipulation in current law that requires Amtrak to mm a everyone had to match for fear of destroying their ~
profit and would allow privatization only of lines that wagon wheels, were first formed by Roman war
were on time less than 80 percent of the time. chariots. Sinco the chariots were made for (or by)
Once the two am melded, the resulting legislation could Imperial Rome, they were ail alike in the matter of
bo pasted into an Amtrak planeholder already included wheel spacing.=20
in a portion of the surface ~ansportation bill approved
by the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation The U.S. standard railroad gauge of 4 feet, 8.5 inches
Committee (S 1978), the aide said. "It's been almost drives from the original specification for an Imperial
impossible to get a rail bill brought up by itself," the Roman war chariot.
aide said. It remains unclear, however, whether Specifications and bureaucracies live forever
Congress will be able to agree this year on a surface Now, here's a new twist to the story. When we see a
mmsportafion reanthorization at all, in which ease an space shuffle sitting on its launching pad, there are two
Amtrak reauthorization may have to wait. So far, booster rockets attached to the side of the main fuel
lawmakers are divided over whether to raise the federal tank. These are solid rocket boosters, or SRBs. The
gas tax, now at 18.4 cents a gallon, to pay for an SRBs are made by Thiokol, at their factory in Utah. The
ineresse in surface transportation engineers, who designed the SRBs, might have
spending, or authorize a more modest expansion of preferred to make them a bit fatter, but the SRBs had to
highway projects than many members want. President be shipped by train, fi.om the factory to the launch site.
Bush has threatcoed to veto a gas tax increase. The railroad line fi.om the factory had to run through a
Frances Bonme tunnel in the mountains. The tunnel is slightly wider
Amtrck then the railroad track, and the railroad track is about as
Dlractor, Intergovernmental Affairs wide as two horses. So, the major design feature of
60 Massachusetts Ave., NE what is arguably the worlds' most advanced
Washington, DC 20002 transportation system, was determined over two
(202) 906-3884 thousand years ago, by the width cfa horse. Don~t you
just love engineering?
ENGINEERING
HOME FRONT
Well I am offto Tacoma the 19~ of March to attend the
It's Funny How Things Come Into Being Region 8 meeting ofNARP. I got a couple hundred
Interesting how a single decision reverberates through dollar loan. As it looks from here I will not attend the
the ages. annual meeting of NARP in April due to lack of funds. I
Railroad tracks: The U2S. standard railroad gauge will not be able to talk for the right to have our route
(distance between the mils) is 4 feet, 8.5 inches. That is through southern Montana and whatever. I hope the
an exceptionally odd number, rest of DireCtors of NARP continue to feel that our need
Why was that gauge used? Because that's the way they for mil passenger service is sincere. We have lost a lot
built them in England, and the U.S. railroads were built of interest because nothing is happening visually for us
by English expatriates, out here in the hinder lands. It the old saying out of
Why did the English build them that way? Because the sight out of mind. CONTACT YOUR SENATORS
first mil lines were built by the same people who built AND REPRESENTATIVES WE NEED IT. JIM
the pre-railroad tramways, and that's the gauge they
MONTANA WYOMING ASSOCIATION OF NON-PROFIT ORG
RAILROAD PASSENGERS U.S. POSTAGE PAID
2t10 WINGATE LANE PERMIT NO. 471
BILLINGS, MONTANA 59102 BILLINGS, MONTANA
406-652-1339
iimabiff~oeooleoc.com :
~AR 1 2004
CiTY OF LAUREL
Mayor, C~ty of Laurel
Laurel, Mt 59044
THIS EDITION OF THE OFFICIAl. NEWS FOR "MT/WY ARP" IS WITH THE SUPPORT OF THE
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MCCARTNEY-WARF
CONSTRUCTION INC.
P O BOX 163
W~TE~SH, MT 59937