By Ron Thaniel
September 29, 2008

With unpredictable and expected higher fuel prices, highway congestion, and an uncertain aviation outlook, as President Dwight D. Eisenhower transformed the nation through the Interstate Highway System, America needs a comprehensive National Rail Investment Plan – ’08 Mayors’ Action Forum on Infrastructure.

After a tremendous victory in the House last week to reauthorize Amtrak, as U.S.MAYOR went to press, the long delayed reauthorization of the railroad is becoming increasingly uncertain in the Senate.

With the Senate expected to adjourn last weekend, and with Congress negotiating the Wall Street bailout, the economic stimulus, and a continuing resolution to fund the government until March 6, 2009, completing work on the Amtrak bill will be a tremendous challenge.

The House measure (H.R. 2095), approved on September 23 by a voice vote, implies that the chamber could override a potential Presidential veto. The measure would increase funding for Amtrak over the next five years, require new safety controls on trains that help reduce crashes, allow states to regulate solid waste processing facilities along rail lines, and allocate funding for improvements to the Washington (DC) Metro transit system.

The rail safety section of the bill received renewed attention after the deadly crash in California on September 12 when a commuter train and a freight train hit head on. It mandates positive train control (PTC) technology on passenger and certain hazmat rail main lines by 2015 and authorize $250 million in federal grants for PTC installation. PTC would have detected and stopped at the red signal that the commuter train’s engineer did not see.

Regarding the Amtrak reauthorization bill, developed from similar bills passed by the Senate last year (70-22) and passed by the House earlier this year (311-94), it authorizes $13.06 billion over five years for passenger rail— more than $2.6 billion annually for Amtrak, intercity passenger rail, and high speed rail programs, which is almost double what the U.S. is currently spending. In addition, it requires reforms at Amtrak, including a new Board of Directors, improved accounting and financial planning, and new standards for service reliability and on-time performance. Furthermore, it would require a collaborative plan for bringing the Northeast Corridor to a state-of-good-repair by 2018. It authorizes the Surface Transportation Board to fine freight railroads or delaying Amtrak trains and requires Amtrak stations to comply with disability accessibility standards and authorize funding for such improvements.

As mention, the bill includes the Clean Railroads Act of 2008, which would allow states to clean up solid waste processing facilities on rail sites that have avoided regulation through a loophole in federal law – another Conference of Mayors priority; and applies state standards for air pollution, water pollution and fire safety to transfer facilities handling and storing solid waste in open dumps.

Lastly, the massive rail measure authorizes $1.5 billion for the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA). The money would be used for rehabilitation and improvements to the Distric’s rail transit system.