Your weekly source of fresh takes on news affecting America's passengers. See also the NARP Blog.
November 15, 1991
After a series of delays, the experimental 900 number hotline will take effect with Hotline #697 of November 29. The new number is 900/998-RAIL (900/998-7245) [corrected November 18 and 22]. The first ten seconds are free so you can see if you have already heard a particular message. The first minute is $2.00 and each minute after that is $1.00. Hotline messages, which now run up to six minutes, w...
November 8, 1991
The surface transportation conference has begun. The conference committee met briefly yesterday morning and are expected to begin work in earnest on November 12. Leaders are still saying work can be finished by Thanksgiving, but many insiders call that "dreaming" and say it may take until Christmas instead. Here is a partial list of conferees. Pay special attention to those from the Commerce comm...
November 1, 1991
The Senate has selected its conferees for the surface transportation conference. They are, from the Environment and Public Works Committee, Moynihan, Burdick, Mitchell, Lautenberg, Reid, Chafee, Symms, Warner, Durenberger; from the Commerce Committee, Hollings, Exon, Bryan, Danforth, Gorton; from the Banking Committee, Riegle, Cranston, Sarbanes, Bond, D'Amato; from the Finance Committee, Bentsen,...
October 25, 1991
The House of Representatives approved H.R.3566, the revised surface transportation bill, late on October 23, 343-83. House leadership tried to keep floor amendments to a minimum so as to reach a vote in one day. An important amendment by Henry Waxman (D.-Cal.) was incorporated into a larger amendment and requires metropolitan planning organizations to incorporate transportation improvement plans...
October 18, 1991
The House Public Works Committee approved a revised surface transportation bill (now designated H.R.3566) on October 15, 52-3. The revised bill follows upon the September 18 decision by House leadership to drop the proposed five-cent hike in the federal gas tax on which the original bill's funding was premised. The revised bill authorizes $151 billion over six years, with $119 billion for highways...