CAMPUS AND AREA
University Daily Kansan, July 20, 1984
TRAINS
Page 6
Amtrak's finances, services looking better
Although its services have not yet been fully accepted by the American masses, the National Rail Passenger Corporation, or Amtrak, may be more financially stable today than it has been in its 14-year history.
And in terms of service to their riders, Amtrak officials think that they have made significant progress.
"Amtrak is now covering more of its expenses than ever before," said Debbie Marciniak, midwest corporate communications manager for Amtrak in Chicago.
Amtrak has been funded by federal taxes since its formation in 1970. But, despite expectations for the railroad to pay a majority of its operating expenses, it perennial money-losers throughout most of its history.
"IN OUR LAST full fiscal year, 1983, we had a revenue-to-cost ratio of 54 percent," Marciniak said. "This year's goal is 56 percent."
Marciniak said that Amtrak was able to pay more of its expenses through an effort to reduce operating costs without sacrificing services. In fact, she said, the railroad has actually sought to improve services wherever possible.
Improved services include better dining car service, improved on-time records for trains and even additional trains in certain areas
The company has also reduced its labor costs in the past two years, Marciniak said. Before 1983, Amtrak did not employ any of its own on-board operating crews. Now, the company is phasing in its own crews in the heavily traveled northeast corridor, between Boston and Washington, D.C.
ONE SIGNIFICANT CHANGE under the new system is that the new Amtrak crews are paid by the hour. Historically, railroad crews have been compensated by the mile. Under the old system, it was not uncommon for crews to receive a full day's pay for less than a full day's work.
"That change is saving the company millions of dollars." Marciniak said.
In October of last year, Amtrak revived the Auto Train, which carries passengers and their cars from Lorton, Va., to Florida. The train had been unsuccessful as a private venture in the 1970's. Thus far, Marciniak said, Amtrak's version has been a success.
Now the company plans to add two more trains to its schedule in August. One will run between Chicago and Milwaukee and another between Chicago and Great Ranches, Mich.
AMTRAK HAS ALSO spent $2.19 billion, authorized by Congress, to renovate tracks and stations in its vital centerpiece — the northeast corridor.
Marciniak said that Amtrak ran 240 trains per day, over 24,000 miles, and served 500 stations. The 20 million passengers the railroad carries annually put it among the top six common carriers in the nation, she said.
But if it appears that the railroad has turned the corner in its attempt to restore quality passenger train service, it should be known that the effort has been all uphill.
A nationalized railroad was first proposed after the private rail companies began dropping trains from their schedules in the 1960's. The railroads cited financial losses from low ridership as the main reason for their axing of certain long-haul trains.
BUT THE MAJOR factor in the end of the long-hail trains, those not serving commuters on short runs, was the federal government's decision to remove post office cars from the trains. When the mail service ended, there was no justification for money-losing runs through isolated rural areas, the authorities said.
amounts said. In 1970, Congress under President Nixon approved formation of the National Rail Passenger Company, originally called "Railpax." The corporation would receive a $40 million federal grant for operations and up to $100 million in government loan guarantees to buy rollstock and improve roadbeds.
Private railroads could join the new corporation, turning over their equipment in exchange for preferred stock in the new firm. If they chose to operate on a longer trains, they were required to maintain 197 service
were required to maintain 1970 service until 1975. BUT SOME CAREER railroaders doubted the need for a continuance of rail passenger service in America.
One, Benjamin Biaggini, then president of the Southern Pacific Railroad, was outspoken against a future for Amtrak. Rail passenger service would be non-existent outside the northeast corridor by 1982, he said.
"There is no market for long-distance, intercity passenger transportation by rail," Biaggini said. "People just won't ride it."
Amtrak endured, but with a continuous loss of money. In 1977, the railroad lost $5.5 million, despite what was termed modest ridership increases and improved on-time performances.
"I think Amtrak's function should be preside over an orderly shrinkage of rail passenger service."
IN THE FOLLOWING two years, the company was forced to drop some low-ridership trains, including the Lone Star Limited, which ran from Chicago to Houston via Lawrence.
When President Reagan came to office in 1981, the federal government had spent nearly $1 billion on Amtrak for the fiscal year. Reagan sought budget cuts in a number of federally sponsored programs, including Amtrak. Then-Secretary of Transportation Drew Lewis called the railroad "an economic disaster."
The administration budgeted $613 million to the railroad for fiscal 1982, $240 million less than Amtrak had requested. And Reagan planned to cut the allotment to $350 million by 1986. Only heavily traveled routes were expected to survive the resulting service cuts.
But Congress committed itself to continuous funding of Amtrak with a budget of $735 million, and the FED's $280 million.
What time's he due in? **About 1:35.** It's a little behind.
What day's it? **Sunday.** It's on the last of the days.
The clock on the wall of the train station at 413 E. 7th St, shows 1:28 a.m. Amtrak's train No. 3, the westbound Southwest Limited, has lost 15 minutes somewhere between Chicago and Lawrence.
Seven people await the train's arrival in the waiting room of the little terminal, which Amtrak shares with the Santa Fe railroad company.
Some will greet arrivals from Chicago and points east. Otters will board the train, bound for Los Angeles and points west.
Outside, the summer night is warm and clear. At 1334, an airhorn breaks the stillness in the black distance east of the station. A single light appears and grows steadily larger and brighter.
The station agent quickly wheels a baggage cart up to the now-open door of the baggage car as red-vested car stewards step down to assist four new passengers. The three remaining people happily greet arrivals.
The silver engine, with its red and blue Amtrak colors, eases just past the station platform, trailing a baggage car, a diner, a club car and several gleaming, double-decked "Superliner" coaches and sleeping cars.
Within five minutes, the Southwest Limited has completed its Lawrence business, and glides out of the station, back into the Kansas darkness.
John Simpson/KANSAI Passengers arrive on and depart from Amtrak trains at the Lawrence Santa Fe Railway station, 413 E. Seventh St.
Officials favoring more train service; increase is unlikely
The idea of increased passenger train service for Kansas is generally supported by legislators and state and local officials, but some say that the appearance of such service is not likely anytime soon.
"Once or twice in the last couple of years, there has been discussion of reviving the old Lone Star Limited," said Rob Stoddard, press secretary for Sen. Nancy Kassebaum. "But lately, the efforts have been centered on maintaining the existing service."
A Kansas City-to-Denver train would provide riders with eastern connections to Chicago and St. Louis and western connections to Los Angeles, San Francisco and Seattle. At present, Kansas Amtrak riders have no direct route to Denver, San Francisco or Seattle.
REVIVAL OF THE LONE Star Limited would also provide service to Oklahoma, one of four states in the continental United States without Amtrak service. The others are South Dakota, Womping and Maine.
Lynn Van Aalst, district aid for Rep. Jim Slattery said that the congressman was supportive of additional Amtrak service for the state. She said a Kansas route was the one most discussed in Slattery's office.
Under Amtrak provisions, states might obtain additional service if they were willing to provide 45 percent of the route's operating expenses the first year, and 65 percent thereafter. Amtrak must also consider the new route economically viable.
But some officials saw no need for additional service at this time.
"Once or twice in the last couple of years, there has been discussion of reviving the old Lone Star Limited." — Rob Stoddard
Although potential Kansas ridership figures are not known, there has been talk of the revival of the Lone Star Limited, as well as a possible route between Kansas City and Denver via Kansas.
Both the eastbound and westbound trains make their Kansas runs between midnight and dawn. The Kansas runs begin at 4:30 a.m.
Lawrence stops are made at 5:40 a.m. and 1:20 a.m. DURING THE EARLY 1970's, Amtrak also served Kansas with the Lone Star Limited, which ran between Chicago and Houston via Lawrence, Topeka, Emporia and Wichita. The train was discontinued in 1979 because of declining ridership.
press secretary for Sen. Nancy Kassebaum
"I don't know if the business is here in the midwest," said Pat Hubbell, public affairs representative for the Kansas Railroad Association in Topeka
Kansas is served now by one passenger line, Amtrak's Southwest Limited, which runs daily in each direction between Chicago and Los Angeles. The train makes Kansas stops in Lawrence, Topeka, Emporia, Newton, Hutchinson, Dodge City and Garden City.
HUBBELL SAID THAT, although he enjoyed train travel and found the ridership on the Southwest Limited "terrific," most people in the Midwest did not know of or use the train.
Ellis P. Addy might be called Lawrence's resident expert on the golden age of passenger trains.
Gary Toebben, president of the Lawrence Chamber of Commerce, was one who was unaware of local Amtrak service.
Retired railroad agent recalls golden age of trains
"Does Amtrak stop in Lawrence?" he asked.
Even though Addy is entering his 22nd year of retirement, he still remembers how it used to be
Addy, 2209 Massachusetts St, was the local agent for the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railroad for 23 years from January 1839 until his retirement in August 1962. He saw the great trains in their heyday and witnessed their decline.
During World War II, passenger train traffic increased nationwide, because of the large numbers of servicemen traveling.
"IF MY MEMORY serves me right, we were running 14 passenger trains in and out of Lawrence at that time," he said. "And I think the Union Pacific had eight and the Rock Island had four over there."
Santa Fe tracks run on the south bank of the Kansas River. Union Pacific's tracks, which were shared with the Rock Island railroad, are on the north bank.
Addy's career at the Santa Fe covered a total of 49 years, beginning in 1913. His work took him to such eastern Kansas towns as Nortonville, Leavenworth, Topeka, Le Loup, Emporia and Wellsville before he landed in Lawrence.
And in 1939, passenger train traffic was thick in Lawrence, Addy said.
"Does Amtrak stop in Lawrence?" he asked. Toeben said that he would support high speed commuter rail service between Topeka and Lawrence, but did not think that it would become a reality. He said that interest was low for such a train because of the ease of driving on the Kansas Turnip.
And after the war, train travel was still the national norm.
"THAT WAS A real train." Addy said. "That was a millionaire train."
As we increase in population, we're going to do it. We're going to see some passenger train service again.
and Los Angeles. The Super Chief, which made its first run in 1948, featured elegant dining service, barbers, nurses and other amenities that gave the train its special reputation.
The Super Chief, however, did not stop in Lawrence. It was routed on what the Santa Fe calls "the cutoff," he said.
"They seemed to hold up pretty good after the war." Addy said. "We had the Super Chief. That was high chief."
- Ellis P. Addv
The Super Chief was the Santa Fe's glamour train. It was sometimes called "the train of the stars" because it often carried movie stars between Chicago
Lawrence is on the Santa Fe's main route, he said.
But most of the railroad's heavy traffic has always run on "the cutoff," the route from Kansas City to Emporia via Ottawa.
But Lawrence still had its share of passenger traffic in the 1940's.
"We ran a number of coaches out of here when KU played down in Miami at the (1948) Orange Bowl," he said.
As air travel became more popular during the 1950's, fewer people rode trains. Railroads found they were losing money on passenger service.
THE MAJOR BLOW struck against passenger trains, Addy said, came when the U.S. Postal Service ended its railroad contract for delivering the mail
Addy said that he has not ridden trains since he retired, although he could ride free of charge on Amtrak. But he hates to fly, he said.
"We're going to have to take some of this traffic off the highway," he said. "You can run a passenger train from Kansas City to Topeka about as cheap, as far as help is concerned, as you can run a bus."
"I can't help but feel we're going to have to do something about it," he said. "As we increase in population, we're going to do it. We're going to see some passenger train service again."
Ellis P. Addy
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