Passenger rails advocates working in Washington

Some members of a passenger rail advocacy group are in Washington this week and plan to talk to members of Congress with some concerns about Amtrak including investing in new equipment, replacing ticket agents in Havre and Shelby and the president's stated goal of eliminating long-distance passenger rail.

National Rail Passenger Association Council Representative At-Large Mark Meyer was in Havre Friday when Amtrak's eastbound Empire Builder stopped in town. He said he would be joined by NRPA Northwest Division Director Barry Green of Glendive to travel to Washington for the association's spring conference.

While there, they plan to meet with Idaho, Montana and North Dakota members of Congress or their staff members, he said, with the biggest issue the need for new equipment.

President Donald Trump cut the request for Amtrak to less than half of what it was last year, from $1.9 billion to $936 million.

The overview of the budget also says that grants would temporarily be used to provide funding for long-distance routes, which would then be phased out entirely and replaced with shorter-distance routes.

State and affected local governments would collaborate with the U.S. Department of Transportation and Amtrak to make the long-distance network "more efficiently serve modern market needs as a series of shorter-distance high-performing corridor services where passenger rail as a transportation option makes sense," "A Budget for a Better America" says on Page 78. "Low population areas along the routes will be better served by other modes of transportation, like intercity buses."

U.S. Sen. Steve Daines, R-Mont., asked Secretary of Transportation Elaine Chao about the issue during a hearing Wednesday.

"Of course, connectivity is a big deal for a state like Montana," Daines told Chao. "We're off the beaten path. We rely on Amtrak, particularly on the Hi-Line. Recent news relating to Amtrak limiting or eliminating long-distance service is troubling. We've removed ticket agents from Shelby, from Havre. That impacts communities directly."

He asked Chao what she and Amtrak would do to meet the needs of rural communities that are disproportionately impacted by reductions to Amtrak and to make sure those communities still have access.

Chao said Amtrak President Richard Anderson is "very concerned" with the viability of long-distance rail travel.

"Amtrak is thinking there could be some other alternative for these shorter hauls," she said.

Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont., said he would fight to keep Amtrak serving Montana.

"Whether it's cutting staff, eliminating rail lines, or gutting funding, the Trump Administration's recent proposal to eliminate long-distance Amtrak routes like the Empire Builder is totally unacceptable," he said. "This is just one of the many ways in which President Trump's proposed budget fails rural America. To keep up with the demands of a 21st century society and economy we must invest in infrastructure, transportation and technology.  So, as we begin crafting next year's budget, I will continue to hold Amtrak accountable and keep defending Montana against harmful decisions that threaten our jobs undermine our rural way of life."

Amtrak spokesman Marc Magliari cited Amtrak's grant request, where it says the transportation system believes a modernization of the network would allow Amtrak to serve more passengers efficiently while while preserving the ability to maintain long-distance routes.

"We've consistently said the mixture of services on our network needs to be explored, modernized and expanded as part of the reauthorization process," Magliari said.

Meyer said the association would be watching the budget as it works through Congress, but the president's budget request typically is greatly modified as it goes through the process.

Rep. Greg Gianforte, R-Mont., made a similar comment.

"While the president submitted his budget requests to Congress, ultimately Congress decides how much to spend and where," Gianforte said this morning. "I'll continue pushing to ensure communities along the Hi-Line have reliable access to rail service and that there is sufficient funding for Amtrak's long-distance network, including the Empire Builder."

The biggest issue is new equipment, Meyer said, but he also would talk to the lawmakers or their staff members about ticket agents being cut from 18 stations including Havre and Shelby.

When an appropriations bill was passed earlier this year, it included requiring Amtrak to put customer service agents back in those 18 stations. Amtrak has said it will increase the responsibilities of the caretakers it contracted to take care of the stations to include customer service.

Gianforte noted that he voted for the customer service representatives.

""I proudly stand with Havre and other Montana communities that Amtrak serves, and I voted to force Amtrak to put a station agent in each station that had a position recently eliminated," he said.

Meyer said the caretakers can only do a fraction of what ticket agents did, and that is circumventing the intent of the legislation. That is what he will tell the members of Congress, he said.

"I will kind of put it on them," he said. " ... I'm just going to tell them, 'You guys voted for this. It's up to you see that Amtrak carries out the intent. Obviously, the intent was to put real, live Amtrak people on."

The Rail Passenger Association also is bringing the issue up again during its annual passenger rail conference and membership meeting in the Elks Lodge in Cut Bank Saturday, May 18, from 11:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Featured speakers and guests include U.S. Rep. Greg Gianforte, R-Mont., state Rep. Jacob Bachmeier, D-Mont., representatives of Tester and Daines, and Rail Passenger Association President Jim Mathews of Washington, D.C.

The meeting will include discusions of "The Importance of Amtrak's Long-Distance Trains," "The Empire Builder - 90 Years of Operation" and "The Future of the FAST Act Surface Transportation Bill That Expires in 2020."

Meeting details and information on how to register can be found online at https://www.aawa.us/events/rpa-nw-division-meeting-5-2019/.