by Paul Mangelsdorf
Executive Director
PaulM@TexasRailAdvocates.org

At the May 2, 2005, board meeting the following language was submitted (and later approved) for a "soft earmark" in the '06 budget:

The Committee recognizes the substantial economic and social benefits of the full development of a high-performance rail link between Canada and Mexico and urges the Department to fund a study that will identify, quantify and document the anticipated economic benefits of the South Central High Speed Rail Corridor.

It was also agreed that we would have another South Central High Speed Rail Corridor Conference on January 27, 2006.  Speakers will be invited to address the economic, environmental and social benefits derived from development of the route into a key component of the emerging International Trade and Transportation Route. We will also be considering inviting speakers from Mexico and Canada.

Peter LeCody, TRA President, attended a directors meeting of the National Association of Railroad Passengers, and a reception for congressional delegates in Washington on April 21 and 22.

I will be in Washington on May 18, 19 and 20 meeting, with aides to congressional delegates whose districts are on the South Central Corridor, as well as staff of the House Transportation Committees Railroad Sub Committee.  I will also be attending a Thursday morning coffee to meet Senator Hutchison and give her our brochure.

During the past 8 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.  The board approved a motion to hire Judi effective April 4th, 2005. 

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.  In late April the Amtrak board formulated a plan to reorganize Amtrak.