Hotline #760

"Time for Railroad Investment," by NARP Executive Director Ross Capon, is the leading opinion column in the February 11 Journal of Commerce. Capon urges President Clinton to make good on his campaign promise to improve America's passenger trains. For a copy of the column, send NARP a self-addressed, stamped envelope.

President Clinton is to address Congress on February 17, unveiling his short-term jobs stimulus package. Some reports suggest he will include full funding of ISTEA and about $50 million for Amtrak.

The X2000 will begin 135-mph service on February 16.

Due to production problems at Corning, N.Y., dining-car china on Amtrak's Lake Shore Limited, Crescent, and Sunset Limitedis now expected to be introduced one train set at a time, starting February 18. On the Sunset Limited, it starts February 19 with train 2. Although the Sunset Limited extension will go ahead on April 4 as planned, Amtrak's general timetable change is postponed at least until May 2.

There is a possibility that President Clinton will name New Jersey Governor Florio to one of the Amtrak Board's commuter slots, putting two governors on the board at the same time.

The case of the two locomotives seized from Amtrak, and temporary returned during January, may be decided next week. A former Amtrak employee had been awarded $1.8 million in damages in a lawsuit in which she had claimed that Amtrak was negligent after she was beaten and robbed in a parking lot in Hartford, Conn. Amtrak appealed, but did not have a surety bond, thereby making possible the court's seizure of AEM7 #902 and F40 #375.

The Santa Fe and Southern Pacific are close to agreeing to increase clearances on tunnels in the Tehachapi Mountains in California, according to the Journal of Commerce last week. SP owns the line, but Santa Fe would pay up to $10 million to enlarge the tunnels. Caltrans would like to use this line to extend overnight San Joaquin service from Bakersfield to Los Angeles.

Long-time Region 6 NARP Director Don Hurst of Beech Grove, Ind., passed away on February 8. He had been ill for several months with lung cancer.