Representing the bus industry, Peter Pan- tuso said his members value their relation- ship with Amtrak as buses serve as connec- tors to various passenger trains. Amtrak’s Inspector General Ted Alves re- ported to the committee that Amtrak man- agement had implemented many of his sug- gested efficiency reforms.
Re: November 6
How will President Obama’s re-election af- fect the railroad industry? Some quick ob- servations:
The administration’s plans to forge ahead with high-speed rail and conventional pas- senger service will depend on such issues as whether an automatic sequester is imposed and also whether the economy takes yet an- other deep plunge. Freight rail has weathered the past four years comparatively well. If the economy takes more beatings, that circumstance could change. So far, the Class I carriers and some smaller upstart operations are hang- ing tough. A prime example of the upstarts is Ed Ellis’s Iowa Pacific Holdings (IPH) whose freight and passenger business is ex- panding as if there were “no tomorrow” to cause concern. Its Saratoga & North Creek Railway in upper New York State has just announced that the Snow Train will return to service this winter with an expanded service for skiers and day-trippers alike. The IPH growth is nothing short of phenomenal in both freight and passenger operations. And don’t think the industry at large is not sitting up and taking notice. It might set a trend for other determined (and brave) en- trepreneurs.
Ballot measures On local issues, voters favored on several rail-related projects. • In Virginia Beach, Va., its officials got the green light to go ahead with plans to ex- pand Norfolk’s The Tide light rail project in- to Virginia Beach. Operated by Hampton Roads Transit, The Tide began service in Au- gust 2011. • In Arlington (suburban Washington,
D.C.) 80 per cent of voters approved a bond measure
for capital projects upgrading
much of the of the infrastructure of the sec- tor of Washington’s Metro subway system that operates in that section of the D.C. area. • Los Angeles County voters rejected a measure to extend the expiration date for completing construction on some transit projects. Nonetheless officials say they re- main committed to completing the rail on the Gold Line Foothill Extension; the Expo Line phase 2 (now under construction) and the Crenshaw/LAX line; Regional Connec- tor, and West Side Subway Extension (scheduled for construction. This was a very long-term issue. The vot- ers would not approve extending the con- struction deadline from 2039 to 2069. So ap- parently, those who joke about providing the service “before we’re all dead” are not joking about it anymore. • A $5 billion elevated rail line figured in
a mayor’s contest in Honolulu, Hawaii. The loser said he had come out of retirement specifically to prevent the project from going forward. The system will serve 21 stations in 20 miles. Wes Vernon is a Washington-based writer and veteran broadcast journalist.
Canadian Rockies & Bristish Columbia
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Landgraff, WV Route 52
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