Congressman Jack Quinn (R-NY) has been named chairman of the Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittee on Railroads. He serves under full committee chair Don Young (R-Alaska). Ranking Democrat is Bob Clement (TN) with Maine's John Baldacci also a member of the subcommittee.
Over on the Senate side of the Capitol is Senator Gordon Smith (R-OR) as new chairman of the Surface Transportation Subcommittee of the Senate Commerce Committee.
Joining Sen. Smith are Republicans Ted Stevens (Alaska), Conrad Burns (Mont.), Trent Lott (Miss.), Kay Bailey Hutchinson (TX), Olympia Snowe (ME), Sam Brownback (KS), Peter Fitzgerald (Illinois) and John Ensign (Nev.).
Democrats include: Daniel Inouye (Hawaii), Jay Rockefeller (WV), John Breaux (LA), Byron Dorgan (ND), Ron Wyden (OR), Max Cleland (GA), Barbara Boxer (CA) and Jean Carnahan (MO).
Congressional, state, municipal and industry transportation leaders continue to urge Pres. Bush to fully fund the $53 billion authorized for federal-aid highway, transit, intercity rail and aviation programs. There remains concern that in order to fund his $1.6 trillion tax rebate will require cutting the federal budget which no one has seen yet. Already the White House is identifying DOT's discretionary spending categories for possible cuts.
Two U.S. senators -- Schumer of NY and Warner of VA -- have introduced legislation to raise the federal tax code's lid on mass-transit benefits. The bill will also allow federal employees who park at subway/metro stations in order to ride transit to claim the same parking benefits.
The same legislation has been submitted on the House side by Rep. James P. Moran, Jr. (R-VA).
While Amtrak officials estimate that passenger rail will require $1.5 billion in additional capital funds, legislation has been introduced by an impressive majority of senators allowing $12 billion through bonding.
Deferred maintenance and required system upgrades, many safety-related, will require $973 million per year alone over the next five years, insists Amtrak Pres. George Warrington. His case is set forth in the national passenger railroad's latest Strategic Business Plan.
Meanwhile the High Speed Rail Investment Act of 2001, replacing last session's version that ran out of time, has been introduced by Sen. Joseph Biden (D-DE). Funds would be used for new rolling stock, track work, and implementation of a "truly national high-speed rail system." Bond holders would be able to take a federal tax credit in place of interest payments.
Also on the bill as co-sponsors are Majority Leader Trent Lott (R-MS), Minority Leader Tom Daschle (-SD) and 49 other lawmakers.
This legislation also has the support of the National Conference of Mayors and National Governors Ass'n. as well as the National Conference of State Legislatures plus 40 other grassroots organizations affirming that highway and airline congestion is felt hardest at the local level.
Each state is required to report annually to the U.S. Dept. of Transportation on progress being made in implementing their Highway Safety Improvement Programs. They must also conduct surveys to determine highway-rail grade crossings in need of safety improvements based upon level of hazards.
NH Reps. Charlie Bass and John Sununu, among others, are being urged to support legislation earmarking funds in the federal budget for a Boston North Station/South Station Rail Link. They are being urged by the National Ass'n. of Railroad Passengers.
For well over a century Boston has made periodic attempts to complete the "final New England link in the national rail network" but with everyone from the jitney and taxi cab lobby to highway advocates blocking such efforts. The most recent effort was made just after plans for the now $12 billion Central Artery/HarborTunnel Project were announced. The tunnel's 10-lanes could accommodate such a rail link.
Making this final link-up is in line with regional efforts at re-establishing Boston/Portland passenger service later this year, and restoration of the Boston/Montreal Rail Corridor. Numerous studies indicate that passengers are reluctant to cross platforms (or change gates) let alone rush across a city to reconnect.
Thurs. (March 15) is Railroad Day on Capital Hill. Held under the auspices of the Ass'n. of American Railroads, American Short Line and Regional Railroad Ass'n. and railway labor unions, the session will consist of a banquet tonight followed by Congressional briefings on the state of rail in America, a rundown of key pending railroad legislation, federal regulation of the industry and needed retirement system reform among other topics.
At the same time the Railway Progress Institute will be seeking funding for infrastructure upgrades to accommodate the new 286,000-pound freight cars.
From April 17-19 a legislative retreat will be held at the Marriott Hotel in Jacksonville, FL. bringing together freight and passenger rail interests, transit and commuter rail planners as well as others.
The U.S. House of Representatives has passed legislation by a lopsided 404-4 vote establishing support services for families of rail-accident victims similar to that now provided by the airlines. It is HR 554, directed to the National Transportation Safety Board, presently en route to the Senate.
Under orders from the Bush Administration, start-up construction funding for high-speed maglev trains are on hold as U.S. DOT looks for possible cutbacks in discretionary spending in order to help pay for the $1.6 trillion tax cut.
Additionally some western lawmakers are objecting to the selection of two eastern routes as finalists for maglev implementation. A total of seven routes were in final contention but Transportation Sec. Norman Mineta is now being asked to reconsider his predecessor's decision.
U.S. DOT Sec. Mineta has announced that his agency will become more involved in airline mergers while vowing to do what he can to promote a better national system of passenger trains. Legislation to put teeth into this has been submitted by Sens. John McCain (R-AZ) and Ernest Hollings (D-SC).
In calling for closure of the gap between transportation demand and capacity of the system, Mineta stressed the need for greater consideration of alternatives and intermodal choices.
During follow-up questions Mineta said he had quickly learned during his first few weeks at DOT that "rail" was a four letter word, always spurring high controversy. But he reaffirmed that passenger rail "is a very important alternative [to highway and airport congestion]" even though just high to finance it remains in doubt.
