MOKSRail News  Dec. 2000/Jan. 2001
Missouri-Kansas Rail Passenger Coalition
P. O. Box 1183, Mission, KS  66202-1183 
                                                                                                                                                  
AADDW
Amtrak Orders Express Cars from Springfield
Amtrak has ordered 100 new express cars that will be assembled at the Trinity Industries facility in Springfield, Mo., beginning in first quarter, 2001.  Amtrak has an option to purchase additional cars at a later date under the order.

“Trinity will be entering the high-speed railcar market where safety control is critical and stringent criteria must be met,” John Nussrallah, Trinity Industries’ Railcar Group president, noted in a news release.  “Our engineers worked closely with Amtrak to redesign Trinity’s existing boxcar so that it not only accommodates, but exceeds, Amtrak’s needs for higher-than-freight-speed service.”

“It is fundamental that the design of these new boxcars meet the requirements of our higher-speed passenger trains,” Lee H. Sargrad, president of Amtrak’s Mail and Express unit, said.  “We were very pleased to work directly with the talented engineers at Trinity Industries in the design process.”

According to the Trinity news release, Trinity is investing capital and other resources to diversify its rail product portfolio.  The express car order from Amtrak is an example of the new markets into which Trinity is expanding to offset the cyclicality of the freight railcar market, the release says.

Trinity Industries, with headquarters in Dallas, Texas, has six principal business segments, including the Railcar Group.  The complete news release and other information are available at the company’s web site, www.TrinityGrowth.com.

Amtrak Rewards Program -- “Putting our guests first”
Amtrak has begun Amtrak Guest Rewards, a frequent rider program enabling passengers to earn points for future travel with Amtrak or for redemption by such partners as Hampton Inns, Embassy Suites, Doubletree, Westin, Sheraton, Four Points, Marriott, and Hilton hotels, Bloomingdales, Eddie Bauer, Barnes and Noble, Bath & Body Works and other retailers, Red Lobster and Olive Garden restaurants, United, Midwest Express, and Continental airlines, and Hertz car rental, among others.

“Amtrak Guest Rewards is another important step in putting our guests first,” Amtrak President and CEO George Warrington said in a news conference announcing the program November 29 in conjunction with Acela tickets going on sale.

To receive points for travel or qualifying purchases, passengers must register for the Amtrak Guest Rewards program.  Passengers enrolling in the program get a personal 

MOKSRail News        Dec. 2000/Jan. 2001            2
id number to be used to track travel/purchases and points earned/redeemed, while 
Amtrak gets valuable marketing data.  Passengers will receive 500 points just for enrolling at www.amtrak.com, or 400 points for enrolling by calling 800-307-5000 or faxing or mailing an enrollment form (available in some stations) to Amtrak.  The initial points for signing up must be followed by a credited trip within 90 days, which will earn additional points.

In a significant departure from airline industry travel point plans, the Amtrak plan is based on dollars spent, not miles traveled, so fare discounts and promotions will have no effect on the cost of the program for Amtrak.  Passengers will earn 2 points for every dollar spent on Amtrak travel, 500 points for a trip in Business Class on Acela or Metroliner trains between certain city pairs, or 750 points for a trip in First Class on Acela or Metroliner trains between certain city pairs. 

“Acela Express and Amtrak Guest Rewards are just two examples of the immense progress Amtrak has made over the past year as the corporation works to ensure business success and self-sufficiency by 2002,” Deputy U.S. Transportation Secretary Mortimer Downey said at the ceremony opening Acela ticket sales November 29.  “The corporation’s focus on their passengers is vital to growing ridership and revenue and developing rail travel as a transportation alternative for the American public.”

Amtrak Rewards members can track their points through quarterly statements, online at www.amtrak.com, or by calling 800-307-5000 and using the automated voice response system.  Newsletters will provide members with valuable information on the program including new partners and promotions.  Members also receive a welcome kit in the mail after registering.

Rules stipulate that a member can only earn points “for his/her own travel, and will not receive points for trips purchased by the member, but not traveled personally by the member.  Points can be accumulated only once for each trip, regardless of the number of seats purchased.”

A member must provide his/her personal Amtrak Rewards membership number when reservations are made.  Travel before November 29, 2000, is not eligible for points, but travel after that date but up to 21 days prior to the member’s enrollment date will earn points if procedures are followed.

It may take as long as 4-6 weeks for points from Amtrak itself to be credited to an account, or 6-8 weeks for points earned from purchases from travel partners to be credited.  When redeeming points for Amtrak travel, blackout dates may apply, but “points earned under the program will not expire as long as the program continues and the member purchases travel on Amtrak within a 3-year period and provides sufficient documentation of such travel to Amtrak within at least 30 days of the member’s travel.”

Full details about the program can be found on Amtrak’s web site, www.amtrak.com.  The Amtrak Guest Rewards program is not connected with the Amtrak Smartrak Rewards Visa card.

MOKSRail News        Dec. 2000/Jan. 2001            3
Future MOKSRail Meetings:  KCY, KWD, STL
	A coffee and rolls meeting of regional interest will be held on a Saturday morning in February at Kansas City Union Station, a meeting of interest to all MOKSRail members will be held in Kirkwood in March, and an excursion trip will be planned on the new St. Louis Metrolink extension to Belleville, Illinois, for June. 
	Details of all of the meetings are still being worked out, but the February meeting, a Saturday morning meeting, will include speakers discussing the commuter rail studies going on in the Kansas City area on both sides of the state line.  The study of the 19 rail lines in the “preliminary screening” process by a contractor working with the Mid-America Regional Council (MARC) will have produced early information for public comment by then, and MOKSRail is hoping to have updated information on the progress of the I-35 study also.  A timeline and other information for the MARC-supervised study can be found at www.marc.org/transportation/commuterrailindex.htm.
	The March meeting will be in Kirkwood, which will provide St. Louis-area members the first MOKSRail meeting in the area in several years.  Train times at Kirkwood will allow for an early afternoon meeting of 1-2 hours, with opportunity for a great train trip enroute for those from the Kansas City area.
	The new 17.4-mile extension of the St. Louis-area Metrolink light rail line to St. Clair County, Illinois, will open in May, with MOKSRail members riding it as a group in June.  Train times for those outside the area are such that an overnight stay will be required, but since St. Louis has no shortage of interesting attractions that should be no problem!
	Details of these meetings --including the speakers for each --will be announced as soon as they are finalized.

MOKSRail September 23 meeting notes
--by Carolyn McMasters, MOKSRail Secretary
	At the MOKSRail meeting held September 23 in the Jarvis Hunt Room at Kansas City Union Station, it was agreed to have a plaque made for the citizens of Carbondale, KS, to thank them for their role in assisting the passengers of the Southwest Chief at the time of its derailment in March.  This was in response to the original discussion held at a previous MOKSRail meeting.  At that time, Nancy Wagner offered to look into the prices of having a plaque made.  She had a sample with her, approximately 16” x 20”, and following comments by various members, it was decided to spend up to $200 to buy the plaque.  Nancy will work on the wording, then discuss it with the officers before having it made.  (Ed. note:  Nancy has since obtained the plaque and it will be presented early next year.  If you would like to participate in or otherwise attend the presentation, notify one of the MOKSRail officers.)
	Pete McMasters, Treasurer, gave a brief report, stating that dues for the coming year are being received.  To date, we have renewals from about 50% of the members.  Second notices will be sent out soon.  (Ed. note:  done)
	Dave Riddle, President, reported that the “Discovering Kansas City Between Trains” brochure designed by Ron McLinden has been very well received.  The brochures are distributed in the Amtrak station in Kansas City, as well as the information center in Kansas City Union Station and the Kansas City Visitors’ Bureau at 
the Country Club Plaza.  Other copies have been distributed to the Amtrak stations at 
Warrensburg, Jefferson City, and Washington, and --thanks to MOKSRail member Jim

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Schless of Florissant --at the Kirkwood and St. Louis Amtrak stations.  We are now planning a second printing of them.  (Ed. note:  done, but we’re still interested in creating a similar brochure for St. Louis)
	A future MOKSRail meeting will be held in the eastern part of Missouri in the early Spring.  (Ed. note:  Kirkwood’s the place, sometime in March --details later)
	The group divided into two divisions, Missouri and Kansas, in order to focus on concerns pertinent to each side of the state line.  No decisions were made, but ideas were discussed and will be visited again at future meetings.

Volunteerism
(a guest editorial)
	During the month of November on each weekend and on the Friday after Thanksgiving, MOKSRail, upon invitation from a model train association, set up a table in the Grand Hall of Kansas City Union Station.  We felt that this was an excellent way to promote MOKSRail and train travel in general.  
	Pete McMasters started contacting MOKSRail members by phone to gather some volunteers to help staff the table for these nine seven-hour days.  He hoped for several offers of a three-hour contribution from a number of members.  Many calls were unanswered and though messages were left, they were not returned.  Of the 38 actually contacted, seven volunteered for the total of 63 hours that the table needed to be covered.  More calls were made, leaving messages on answering machines.  There was little or no response to those messages.
	We are especially grateful to those who did answer the call for assistance, and feel that the effort was entirely worthwhile.  Many thanks to the following members who assisted:
	Nancy Wagner	9 hours
	Danny Lane		4 hours
	Dave Riddle		12 hours
	Steve Saale		4 hours
	Rod Dixon		3 hours
	Pete McMasters	45 hours
	Carolyn McMasters	45 hours

	The volunteers passed out approximately 2,000 Amtrak timetables, 1,000 Travel Planners, 1,000 MoDOT color brochures and St. Louis-Kansas City timetables, as well as MOKSRail materials, and spent many hours talking to train enthusiasts and would-be travelers.  The experience, for those who participated, was well worth the effort, with public attendance at the exhibits estimated at 11,000-12,000 people.  Greater participation by MOKSRail members would have made the month-long project an even greater success.
   
Government Workers Get Discount on STL-KCY Trains
A reminder --there’s a special “Intra-state Missouri Government Employee Discount” fare available to federal, state, county, or municipal government workers that could save them 15%  on trains 301, 303, 304, and 306 in Missouri.  Despite an appeal in our last newsletter for government workers to send in the addresses of government and union newsletters to be used for a possible news release, MOKSRail received NO response and so that is one thing MOKSRail could do that we won’t do.

MOKSRail News        Dec. 2000/Jan. 2001           5

Amtrak to be back in Kansas City Union Station Nov., 2001
	November, 2001, is the date Amtrak will be back in Kansas City Union Station, according to a sign posted at the new “Union Station Stories” historical exhibit just off the Grand Hall in the station.
	MOKSRail had earlier received assurances from both Union Station and Kansas City officials that Amtrak would be back in the station in “about a year”, but no specific month --or even range of months --had been given.
	MOKSRail officers and past officers recently signed a letter asking for discretionary funds from federal transportation money to be applied to a grant for getting Amtrak back into Union Station.  The Kansas City Area Chamber of Commerce (www.kcchamber.com) Public Policy Agenda of April 1 also supported “assisting Union Station Assistance Corporation (USAC) to obtain a 2000 enhancement grant from transportation funds to update Amtrak’s relocation into Union Station.”  The Total Transportation Policy Committee of the Mid-America Regional Council, the area’s Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO), approved a $500,000 TEA-21 project to the Kansas City Area Transportation Authority and USAC for “Union Station Passenger Rail Amenities” in late October.
	Money for getting Amtrak back into the station will be used to provide access to the tracks from the station, since the old access points were closed years ago.  A freight elevator will be installed for baggage/express, and full amenities for access will be provided.
	The area to be used for the Amtrak waiting room is in a part of the corridor that Amtrak passengers used as they went to and from trains prior to the station’s closing.  Amtrak ticket facilities will be located in what has already been dubbed the “Amtrak Room,” the former drug store area immediately off the corridor that used to lead to and from the trains.  Both areas can be accessed through what was once known as “Door B” from the Grand Hall (actually several doors).  The Amtrak area is surrounded by display cases housing station memorabilia, including the last ticket sold in Kansas City Union Station, an Amtrak ticket to Independence purchased by MOKSRail member Pete McMasters.

Elsewhere....  (Why reinvent the wheel?  --a look at what’s working in other states)
Ohio Planning for Boston-St. Louis Train
	The Ohio Rail Development Commission (ORDC) is discussing with Amtrak and shippers the possibility of “passenger rail service linking Boston and St. Louis via major Ohio markets,” according to the Ohio Association of Railroad Passengers (OARP, www.oarprail.org).  “Unlike previous efforts, in which Ohio would indefinitely subsidize train operations,” OARP says, “the state could instead finance a fleet of lightweight rail cars for Amtrak to carry time-sensitive freight.  Free-market revenues from these shipments would replace state subsidies.”  The idea is ORDC’s second priority to improve and expand rail service, directly behind an initiative to preserve rail infrastructure and facilities and to secure properties so future mail/package express hubs can be built.

MOKSRail News        Dec. 2000/Jan. 2001        6
Oklahoma Turnpike Authority To Buy, Build, Maintain, Operate Rail
	Oklahoma State Senator Dave Herbert has authored legislation that would give the Oklahoma Transportation Authority (formerly the Turnpike Authority) “the right to build, buy, operate, and maintain rail infrastructure, including high speed rail facilities,” reports Oklahoma Passenger Rail, the newsletter of the Oklahoma Passenger Rail Association (OPRA, www.ipt.com/aboard/ok/ok.htm).  In addition, OPRA reports Herbert has sponsored legislation to “clearly spell out the rights, responsibilities, and duties of the Oklahoma Department of Transportation in developing and operating rail passenger service,” and has created a bill to create the “Oklahoma Tourism and Passenger Rail Revolving Fund,” a “lock box for all state and federal rail funds coming to Oklahoma.”  Finally, Herbert has sponsored legislation to have Oklahoma approve the Midwest Regional Rail System compact, “should Oklahoma be invited, and should Oklahoma DOT decide it be in the interest of the state.”

Memphis Station Reopens --Trailer Removed
	The renovated Memphis Amtrak station reopened last month, with a November 17 official opening.  Here’s the report from Memphis, from the All-Aboard email list (http://all-aboard.railspot.com):
	We finally got the ticket counter finished and the crew room completed.  The station area is on the same level as the train, in the old open concourse area that has been enclosed for a very nice and brand new station.  Parking is right outside the door to the station, next to the terminal track.  You can step off the train and right into your car or a taxi. 
	The old trailer will be removed.  A precinct station for the Memphis Police Department should be open soon.  Memphis has gone from being one of the worst stations in the system to a spectacular star that has become an anchor for a growing arts and residential district in lower downtown Memphis.  The 85 year old building hasn’t looked this good since it was new.  The upper floors of the station building that used to house Illinois Central division offices now house apartments and commercial offices.  The old REA Express area is now condos and apartments.  The lower floor of the main station building is now available for shops and restaurants.  

Olathe Rail Route Re-Opening
		Operation Lifesaver Challenge  - From Sunflower State Signal
	The controversial re-opening of a dormant railroad route through Olathe, county seat of suburban Johnson County, has presented a multitude of service opportunities for Kansas Operation Lifesaver and its public and private partner agencies.
	Once an interchange track between the former Frisco and Santa Fe routes, both forerunners of what today is the Burlington Northern Santa Fe, the line, which had not been used for several years prior to the creation of BNSF, became an important internal link after the merger in the mid-1990’s.
	While BNSF spent about $4 million in safety and service improvements prior to the line’s reopening on August 4, Kansas Department of Transportation spent about $650,000 in TEA-21 funds to upgrade warning devices at three crossings.  Two 
crossings, each of which had passive warning devices, were temporarily closed in June 
while officials of the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) began consideration of the
MOKSRail News        Dec. 2000/Jan. 2001        7

What Can You Do to Help MOKSRail?
•	MOKSRail distributed more than 4,000 pieces of information about Amtrak in November at Kansas City Union Station (see “Volunteerism,” p. 4).  What other opportunities exist for us to let the public know about Amtrak?  Contact any of the MOKSRail officers, particularly if you can help arrange for our table at the event.

corridors as a “quiet zone” (one exempt from the requirements of trains to whistle at each crossing, a procedure which is currently under revision by the FRA).
	While BNSF installed continuous welded rail and concrete crossing surfaces, initiated hazardous material response and railroad safety training for personnel of both the Olathe Fire and Police Departments and agreed to initiate several other emergency and operational stipulations in planning to operate six to eight trains daily across the route, Kansas Operation Lifesaver made plans for training of several Olathe police officers as Operation Lifesaver presenters.  They will supplement the efforts of veteran Operation Lifesaver presenters as they take the Operation Lifesaver message to neighboring schools, including Kansas School for the Deaf, businesses, civic groups, and the Olathe community.

CORRECTION -- The Southwest Chief schedule did NOT change with the return to Standard time, contrary to what was reported here and even on Amtrak’s own web site prior to that.
NASCAR driver Rusty Wallace and Amtrak have teamed up to reach the more than 10 million racing fans who will attend NASCAR’s 36 races next season.  Web site links, on-line sweepstakes, special travel discounts, promotions, and personal appearances by Wallace will promote Amtrak among those attending America’s fastest-growing spectator sport.
MISSOURI will widen Interstate 70 from its current 250-300 foot right of way to a 400 to 450 foot right of way over the next 10-25 years, with a “Transportation Improvement Corridor” up the middle for possible future high-speed rail development.
AMTRAK AND WASHINGTON STATE DOT have been awarded the 2000 Odyssey Award by the Travel Industry Association of America, recognizing excellence and exceptional achievement in their advertising for the Cascades trains (www.AmtrakCascades.com).
SIGNED IN ST. LOUIS --Amtrak and the City of St. Louis have signed an agreement for the long-talked-about new multi-modal station for use by Amtrak, MetroLink, and Greyhound passengers.

Missouri-Kansas Rail Passenger Coalition, P.O. Box 1183, Mission, KS  66202-1183
WWW.IPT.COM/ABOARD/MOKSRAIL.HTM
Officers:
Dave Riddle, President 
	1410 NW 80th Ter, #1124, Kansas City, MO 64118.....................kcriddle@kc.net
John Mills, vice-president 
	2825 Burnett Rd, Topeka, KS  66614
Pete McMasters, treasurer 
	5313 W. 57th Ter, Roeland Park, KS 66205....................ETEPWIFE@AOL.COM
Carolyn McMasters, secretary 
	5313 W. 57th Ter, Roeland Park, KS 66205....................ETEPWIFE@AOL.COM
Dave Riddle, newsletter editor (address above)......................................kcriddle@kc.net
Join Us!
We believe, quite simply, that there ought to be more passenger trains in Missouri and Kansas.  If you agree, you’ll want to join us.  
Just fill out the coupon below, and send it today with your annual MOKSRail membership dues of $15 (seniors/students $10, family $20). 
   Name:  ________________________________                             
  Address:  ______________________________
  City/State/Zip:  __________________________
  Please clip and mail with appropriate annual dues to:  MOKSRail, 
  P.O.Box 1183,  Mission, KS  66202-1183
(Current members --pass your newsletter along to a friend so they can join!)

MOKSRail News
Missouri-Kansas Rail Passenger Coalition
P.O. Box 1183
Mission, KS  66202-1183