Your weekly source of fresh takes on news affecting America's passengers. See also the NARP Blog.
August 14, 1992
Train 92, Amtrak's southbound Colonial, derailed the evening of August 12 near Newport News, Va., close to the site of a grade-crossing accident and derailment involving the Colonial on April 29. About 80 people were injured this time. The FBI is investigating evidence of sabotage, saying that a switch had been tampered with. The switch is remotely controlled from CSX headquarters in Jacksonville,...
August 7, 1992
The Senate debated H.R.5518, the 1993 DOT appropriations bill, for two days this week and approved it yesterday, 74-22. All Amtrak items reported last week were retained. We expect a conference committee to meet in September, after the summer recess that begins August 14. Recess is the time for NARP members to ask their Members of Congress to work for the good Senate figures for Amtrak capital and...
July 31, 1992
The Senate Appropriations Committee reported out the 1993 DOT appropriations bill yesterday. Amtrak did much better than in the House bill. The Senate bill includes $331 million for Amtrak operations (the same as in the House); $165 million for capital (instead of $74 million); and $204 million for the Northeast Corridor (instead of zero). The Senate bill also provides $30 million in FTA money fo...
July 24, 1992
Balanced-transportation activist Sam Stokes died July 18 at Keene, N.H. He was 70 years old and put up a long struggle with Lou Gehrig's disease. Sam was a former vice president of NARP and long-time board member and executive committee member. He was the first and only recipient of the Amtrak Consumer Advocate Award in 1990. Sam was a tireless supporter of our causes and though he was frustrated...
July 17, 1992
The Senate returns on July 21 and likely will take up transportation appropriations soon. Any NARP member with a Senator on Appropriations should tell him or her that the House figures for Amtrak capital and the Northeast Corridor were unacceptable. The Food and Drug Administration "generally approved" on July 15 Amtrak's program for long-term compliance with their earlier consent agreement. This...