By Ron Thaniel
June 23, 2003

On Monday June 9, North Little Rock Mayor Patrick Henry Hays was appointed chair to lead the Conference of Mayors Amtrak Mayors' Advisory Council during what is expected to be a critical year deciding the future of not only Amtrak but also national passenger rail.

Hays was an original member of the Amtrak Mayor's Advisory Council. David Gunn, Amtrak's President and CEO congratulated Hays noting "as a frequent rider on our Texas Eagle, I know you will continue to support our railroad, and I look forward to working with you."

Hays joined by Meridian Mayor John Robert Smith, Chair of the Amtrak Board and Vice Chair of the Transportation and Communications Committee, will be the primary link between the mayors and Washington on the reauthorization of Amtrak.

In preparation for the reauthorization, Amtrak recently released a 5-year plan to bring the railroad to a state-of-good repair. The plan is an $8 billion recovery plan designed to halt deterioration and to repair locomotives and cars.

According to Smith, "the plan is a realistic assessment of Amtrak's financial needs and a common sense approach to restoring service reliability and prudent fiscal management."

"The Amtrak proposal is several thousand pages long. It is by far the most detailed capital plan ever produced by Amtrak, providing exact budgets and schedules for thousands of projects," said Smith.

Smith noted that "It details exactly what Amtrak proposes to do with equipment, track, signals, interlockings, bridges, maintenance facilities and other assets and how it will improve operational reliability throughout its national system."

Infrastructure improvements under the plan include the installation of 428,000 concrete ties, replacement of 270 miles of rail and refurbishment of 200 miles of catenary (including the replacement of some catenary poles over 90 years old), replacement of 225 miles of ballast supporting ties and rails, and replacement of 40,000 switch ties and 26 interlockings.

Amtrak has a four-part fleet rehabilitation program. It emphasizes the retirement of very old cars, the repair of wreck-damaged cars, overhauls to achieve intended asset lifespan and remanufacturing to extend lifespan beyond original design. Under this plan, Amtrak intends to substantially increase the reliability and availability of passenger cars and locomotives.

This strategic plan focuses on running a fiscally tight business and bringing the railroad to a state of good repair so that it costs less to operate and costs less for the taxpayer to support it.

According to Smith, "it envisions a federal subsidy of $1.8 billion in fiscal 2004, gradually declining to $1.5 billion in fiscal 2008 as capital projects come on line and Amtrak is able to operate more efficiently. The total federal subsidy would be $4.5 billion in capital funding and $3.5 billion in operating subsidies."

Hays said "Amtrak not only provides critical services to major metropolitan areas, for many rural Americans, Amtrak represents the only major transportation link to the rest of the country."

"In addition, Amtrak provided a vital need during the aftermath of September 11th when aviation was completely shut down. It is this transportation diversity that Amtrak provides that should not be sacrificed in such uncertain times," said Hays.

Leading Amtrak through a difficult yet successful FY 2003 campaign that saw Amtrak on the brink of mid'summer shutdown due to lack of funding and strong support from the Conference of Mayors and eventually more funding from Congress are outgoing Co-Chairs Dearborn Mayor Michael A. Guido, Vice Chair of the Transportation and Communications Committee and Macon (GA) Mayor C. Jack Ellis.