by Paul Mangelsdorf
Executive Director
PaulM@TexasRailAdvocates.org

During the past 6 weeks Taylor Sharpe and I have been busy mailing the Corridor brochure along with a cover letter and a resolution supporting the quest for a federal earmark to mayors and city councils and county commissioners along the Texas portion of the South central high Speed Rail Corridor. The city councils of Arlington and Texarkana, Texas have responded favorably and we continue to work the other municipalities. In additions we will start to contact the commissioners courts next week. This is a very important step as we proceed to build a constituency for the purpose of requesting a federal earmark. If any TRA member has an "inside track" with a particular mayor, council member or county judge or commissioner we would welcome your working with us to accomplish this initial contact process.

On March 24th a conference call was placed to a highly recommended contact at the Washington, D.C. law firm of Powers Pyles Sutter & Verville to discuss her help in seeking a federal earmark to begin study and development of the South Central Corridor. She gave us a few ideas of how to get the earmark over a two year period. I expect that we will go ahead an accept her help which will be offered at a deeply discounted rate.

On March 29th Four TRA board members (including myself) had lunch with David Dean ad Stan Lynch from DEAN International. This firm puts on the Texas Transportation Summit each August and is working to get a 200mph high speed rail service funded. Part of the route is along the South central High Speed rail Corridor. We have invited the firm to join us as we seek a federal earmark for the study of the corridor. We'll keep you posted.

Are you aware that most corporations go through reorganization about once every ten years? General Motors has done it twice in the past ten years to mention only one. In a conversation with TRA advisor, Gil Carmichael he told me that in its 30 plus years of existence Amtrak has not had one reorganization! The Bush Administration has told the Amtrak board that it will fund long distance passenger service as soon as the board reorganizes Amtrak. This reorganization would result in setting up a separate corporation to oversee and run the Northeast Corridor. Bonds could be sold to do significant infrastructure upgrading of this corridor. Gil expects the board to look seriously at reorganization in the next few months. Lets see what happens.