More people would use a rail line in Arlington, the cost would be about the same, and it would be a big boost
to a growing university and the city's expanding entertainment district.

Indeed, local officials are working behind the scenes, trying to hatch a plan to get Arlington moving on mass
transit.   The Fort Worth Transportation Authority, known as the T, has floated some informal proposals, and
Arlington leaders are weighing their options.

No commitments have been made, and rail is probably five to 10 years away if not more, but the talks are
significant.   It's clear that key Arlington leaders are sold on the need for rail, and the T is willing
to be creative to get the ball rolling.

The talks center on adding intercity rail, without any local bus service.   And they start with a
simple question: What can Arlington get with a quarter-cent of sales tax?

That's all the taxing capacity that Arlington has left, after committing to help pay for the new Dallas Cowboys
stadium.   And when it comes to commuter rail, a quarter-cent doesn't usually buy much.

In fact, it may not be enough to bother with.   If service is too limited, it won't appeal to residents throughout
the city and won't attract enough riders to justify the expense.   That means it won't reduce traffic on highways
or spur development around transit stations.

Think too small on commuter rail, and it flops.

Sep. 10, 2006

Kummant previously served as a Regional Vice President of the Union Pacific Railroad, overseeing 6,000 transportation, engineering, construction, mechanical, and other employees supporting an 8,000-mile rail network.   He also served as the Union Pacific's Vice President and General Manager of Industrial Products, a $2 billion revenue business.   In leading both units, Kummant was responsible for substantially improved customer service, on-time delivery of client products, and significant gains in financial and operational performance.

Additionally at Union Pacific, Kummant held the role of Vice President of Premium Operations, overseeing the intermodal and automotive network performance.

Most recently, Kummant served as the Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer of Komatsu America Corporation, a division of the second largest supplier of construction equipment worldwide.   He has a continuing record as an adaptable change agent in diverse environments.

Kummant's first job on the railroad came at age 18 in Lorain, Ohio, working on a track crew for the Lake Terminal Railroad at the U.S. Steel Lorain Works.

"Alex Kummant has the outstanding credentials and experience to lead a changing Amtrak that is more customer-focused and fiscally responsible," said Amtrak Chairman David M. Laney.   "His appointment fulfills the board's commitment to select an extraordinarily strong and capable leader for Amtrak's future, building on the growing national desire for more and improved passenger rail service."

Kummant fills a position that has been held by David J. Hughes on an interim basis since November 2005.   Formerly Chief Engineer of Amtrak, Hughes will continue to serve with the railroad in a yet to be specified capacity.   "For the past nine months, David Hughes has stepped in and performed exceptionally in leading our strategic reforms and operational improvements," said Laney.   "On behalf of the Amtrak Board of Directors, he has our deepest admiration and respect, and we are delighted that he will continue to play an important role in Amtrak's future."

A native of Ohio, Kummant holds a B.S. degree in mechanical engineering from Case Western Reserve University, a Master's degree in manufacturing engineering from Carnegie Mellon University and an M.B.A. from Stanford University.   He is married to Kathleen Regan Kummant, a former senior executive with the Santa Fe and BNSF railroads.

The Board of Directors of Amtrak was assisted in its search by the Washington D.C. office of Heidrick & Struggles, Inc.

About Amtrak

Amtrak provides intercity passenger rail services to more than 500 destinations in 46 states on a 22,000-mile route system.   For schedules, fares and information, passengers may call 800-USA-RAIL or visit Amtrak.com. ###

August 29, 2006

At best, it seems doomed to atrophy to relic status.

At worst, it'll drown.

Blame for the tragic situation with the state railroad, and all other state parks, rests about equally with Texans who never have demanded
parks be a priority and with Texas legislators, some of whom seem to be talking about saving the railroad park and working to destroy
it at the same time.

The Texas State Railroad runs between the East Texas towns of Rusk and Palestine, with passengers riding in cars pulled by one of the
few remaining steam-powered locomotives in the state.

The run travels along an old spur line, rattling 25 miles or so through the forest and over the Neches River between Rusk and Palestine.

Remember the Neches. It's important in this tale.

May 24, 2006

3/30/06

The northern suburbs are focusing on the Cotton Belt corridor, a long-debated DART-owned rail line that stretches through Plano,
Richardson, Addison and Carrollton on its way to Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport.

According to early estimates, light-rail service on that route could cost $1.5 billion to build.   As North Texas continues to grow outward,
the region needs a rail line like the Cotton Belt that serves major employment centers and the airport without running through downtown,
Richardson Mayor Gary Slagel said. "The bottom line is, we're trying to move people.   This is an important project for all of us who are here,
" Mr. Slagel told a crowd of about 150 Cotton Belt supporters at the University of Texas at Dallas.

1/25/06

The last half of his tenure was the most tumultuous in U.S. transportation history as the aftermath of the September 11, 2001, attacks
fundamentally altered commercial aviation and federal policy toward the industry.

The changes elevated his position and prompted investigations into finances, safety, and aviation security.

Mead's staff worked independently of Transportation Department policymakers.   They probed financially struggling airlines and more
than once exposed weaknesses in federal aviation safety oversight.

Mead also directed aggressive investigations of the deteriorating financial prospects at Amtrak as well as wasteful spending and
management practices of Boston's Big Dig highway and tunnel project and other major transportation contracts.

Mead's conclusions and testimony often carried weight with lawmakers in Congress, where he was respected by both Republicans
and Democrats.

01/23/06

01/06/06

12/11/05

President and CEO Frank Wilson revealed the problem in May after CenterPoint Energy alerted Metro.   The company was concerned
the leakage could corrode the company's underground gas and electric conduits, Wilson said. Electricity from power stations along the route
is supposed to flow through the overhead traction wire to the train motor, then into one of the rails and back to the power station.   If rails,
bridges or switches are not well insulated, power will leak into the ground and can damage metal objects such as pipes and structural steel
near the rails, although such damage is generally quite slow.

12/05/05

The Majority Leader of the United States Senate subsequently appointed me to the newly created Amtrak Reform Council, upon which I
served as Vice Chairman for five years, first under Governor Christine Todd Whitman and then under former Federal Railroad Administrator
and Amtrak Board Member Gilbert Carmichael. Our recommendations later were echoed by the Bush Administration, which has shown little
interest in Amtrak. For example, the Amtrak Board is to comprise seven seats. One Amtrak Member had been appointed by the President
and confirmed by the Senate. Two Members are recess appointees whose terms expire on December 31, 2006. The status of another
appointee has been questioned in Congress. There are three vacancies. There have been vacancies through much of the Bush Presidency.
The present Board terminated Amtrak President David L. Gunn.

When I was on the Board the legendary W. Graham Claytor, Jr. was president of Amtrak. In 1992 Claytor announced his retirement and I
was appointed to a committee chaired by Philadelphia lawyer David Girard DiCarlo to find a replacement. I reached David Gunn at his home
in Nova Scotia and pitched the Amtrak Presidency to him. Had he accepted I would have gone to the wall for him. Alas, he declined. When
President William J. Clinton was elected, Claytor chose not to retire and remained Amtrak President for another year, illness then forcing
his retirement.

11/30/05

Mr. Gunn is credited with cutting costs and replacing outdated equipment, but he clashed with the board over the administration's
proposal to create a subsidiary out of the Northeast Corridor.

The Bush administration wants to split up Amtrak, shift some of the cost of operations to states and end federal subsidies.

Amtrak Chairman David Laney, a lawyer in Dallas and former head of the Texas Department of Transportation for six years, including
four years while President Bush was governor, said the rail service needs a new leader with "vision" who aggressively will address
the company's financial, management and operational problems.

Mr. Gunn, a 68-year-old Massachusetts native and Canadian citizen who came out of retirement to run Amtrak, said the board fired him
when he refused to resign.   He said his opposition to the board's plan to create a subsidiary likely sealed his fate.

"They have been trying to carry out the administration's wishes, and I have been very aggressive telling the board what I think.   My views
have been very different than theirs," Mr. Gunn said.

Ironically, Mr. Gunn yesterday submitted Amtrak's fiscal year-end report that showed the rail service had better financial and operational
results than expected.

11/10/05

Transportation agencies
The contraflow plan that state transportation officials executed as Hurricane Rita bore down on the Gulf Coast was invented on the spot,
said Texas Department of Transportation spokeswoman Janelle Gbur.   The measure — using both sides of a highway for traffic going in one
direction — had been seen as a last resort because it requires lots of police officers to prevent wrong-way traffic.   TxDOT officials now know
they need a real contraflow plan, as well as up-to-the-minute information about traffic conditions outside Houston, so bottlenecks can be
quickly spotted and corrected, she said.   A future plan, Gbur said, would define participants' roles in advance and provide such
infrastructure improvements as gates at intervals on major routes to let traffic cross safely and quickly into the opposing lanes, strategically
placed cameras and sensors to inform officials of obstacles and traffic slowdowns, and signs to flash warnings and messages to motorists.
Houston TranStar has such a system for the metro area, but there is nothing similar for the wide stretches between cities. "At key
intersections along the route, we'd like to have camera surveillance instead of calling the Texas Burger in Schulenburg and asking how
traffic is moving," Gbur said.   The Metropolitan Transit Authority declined to talk until it has completed an internal report on the subject,
spokesman George Smalley said.   Harris County Judge Robert Eckels said the hurricane showed the need for a high-speed
passenger rail link from Galveston to Houston and points inland. Metro's mobility plan calls for a commuter rail to Galveston
but does not say when it will be built. --RAD SALLEE

10/03/05

About 800 evacuees are expected to board the train, which is capable of holding up to about 900 people.

"We're the only commuter train in this part of the country.   We've been asked to respond, and we're going to do it," said Dick Ruddell,
President of the Fort Worth Transportation Authority.    agency, also known as the T, co-owns the rail line along with Dallas Area
Rapid Transit.

The TRE is the only commuter rail line in Texas and surrounding states capable of responding to an emergency evacuation, Ruddell said.   
Other cities such as Houston have light-rail service, but those trains cannot run on cross-country freight rail lines.

09/21/05

Rising oil prices have substantially increased the cost of locomotive diesel fuel and the prices of all other
goods and services Amtrak consumes.   While Amtrak has taken aggressive steps to reduce fuel and
other expenses while running more trains this year, fuel costs have risen nearly 40% over one year ago
and are expected to continue to increase.

Additionally, in the Northeast Corridor, fares for Smart Passes - monthly and 10-trip tickets - are being
increased to reflect the growing fuel costs and a decision by Amtrak to reduce the deep discounts - as
much as 70% - historically afforded Smart Pass passengers.   The monthly tickets will be discounted at a
50% savings over the regular one-way fare (based on a passenger making 18 roundtrips per month) and a
20% savings for passengers purchasing 10-trip tickets.   The 50% discount is the largest offered
by Amtrak.

Reserved Service Expands

Amtrak will also expand reserved service on September 20 to virtually all trains in the Northeast, adding
New York State Empire Service, Keystone trains between Philadelphia and New York, and shuttle trains
between New Haven and Springfield to the previously reserved Regional, Metroliner and Acela Express
trains.   Clocker trains between Philadelphia and New York City will remain unreserved.

The expanded all-reserved service ensures every passenger a seat every time they board a train.   While
reservations are required, customers will still be able to purchase tickets for same day travel, as long as
the train has not sold out beforehand.   With all-reserved service, Amtrak is better able to monitor
passenger demand and adjust train capacity accordingly.

About Amtrak

Amtrak provides intercity passenger rail services to more than 500 destinations in 46 states on a
22,000-mile route system.   For schedules, fares and information, passengers may call 800-USA-RAIL
or visit Amtrak.com.

09/09/05

Amtrak is offering full refunds and waiving all penalties for passengers who had made reservations traveling
to or from New Orleans or other areas served by the affected trains.

Crescent (trains 19 & 20)

This train normally operates daily between New York and New Orleans. Through the southbound
departures on Sept. 11 and the northbound departures on Sept. 13, the trains will originate and terminate
in Atlanta instead of New Orleans.   Starting with the southbound departures on Sept. 12 and the northbound
departures on Sept. 13, the trains will originate and terminate in Meridian, Miss., instead of New Orleans.
No alternate transportation is available between Meridian and New Orleans.

City of New Orleans (trains 58 & 59)

This train normally operates daily between Chicago and New Orleans.   Through the southbound departures
on Sept. 3 and the northbound departures on Sept. 4, the trains will originate and terminate in Memphis
instead of New Orleans.   Starting with the southbound departures on Sept. 5 and the northbound departures
on Sept. 6, the trains will originate and terminate in Jackson, Miss., instead of New Orleans.   No alternate
transportation is available between Jackson and New Orleans.

Sunset Limited (trains 1 & 2)
This train normally operates three-days-weekly between Orlando and Los Angeles, via New Orleans and
Houston.   Until further notice, the trains will originate and terminate in San Antonio, instead of Orlando.  
No alternate transportation is available between San Antonio and Orlando, via New Orleans.   Service to
and from the Orlando area continues to be maintained by the Silver Star (trains 91 & 92), the Silver Meteor
(trains 97 & 98) and Auto Train (trains 52 & 53).   Service to and from Houston continues to be maintained
by an Amtrak Thruway Motorcoach Connection to and from the Texas Eagle (trains 21 & 22) at Longview,
Texas.

Amtrak will continue to monitor the hurricane damage and cleanup and make further schedule adjustments
if necessary, but this service plan modification will be in effect until further notice.

The affected trains will continue to offer both Coach class and First class (Sleeping Car) service, with food
services for passengers provided on a modified basis on the City of New Orleans and Sunset Limited.

Coach class and First class customers will all be served from the Lounge Car on the City of New Orleans,
while Coach class and First class customers will all be served from two areas of the Dining Car on the
Sunset Limited.

Amtrak reservation agents are contacting passengers regarding the schedule adjustments.   Passengers may
also call 800-USA-RAIL for assistance with their travel plans.

Amtrak provides intercity passenger rail services to more than 500 destinations in 46 states on a
22,000-mile route system.   For schedules, fares and information, passengers may call 800-USA-RAIL
or visit Amtrak.com.

09/02/05