By FRED PETRUCELLI
Log Cabin Staff Writer

Thursday, August 2, 2001

In Washington and every place Amtrak's influence is felt, Bill Pollard is known as a "Champion of the Rails."

The Conway dentist has been in the vanguard of the crusade to make passenger rail service in America viable and dynamic. His interest in railroading was manifest some years ago when he was employed by Amtrak as a ticket agent in Little Rock.

From that point on, Pollard has been a vigorous adherent for the rail system. His efforts have not gone unnoticed. Recently he won special national recognition for his commitment to Amtrak.

He joined several supporters of the system -- Amtrak officials and U.S. Senators Joseph Biden of Delaware and Kay Bailey Hutchison of Texas -- who were hailed for their efforts to make passenger service a significant aspect of the nation's transportation system.

In his remarks to the gathering of officials and supporters of railroads, Amtrak president and chief executive officer George D. Warrington extolled the work of Pollard and presented him with the President's Service and Safety Award.

"William Pollard represents the highest degree of civic leadership on behalf of passenger rail service," he said. "It is especially gratifying to know that for Pollard, his advocacy started as an Amtrak employee where his love for passenger rail service began.

Today, Pollard's interest in railroads continues apace and he is able to accommodate that preoccupation with a successful dental practice. He is devoted as he always has been to expending time and energy toward educating the public about the role passenger rail service plays in a balanced national transportation system.

He is distressed by talk of the failure of Amtrak to live up to its potential to bring passenger service to cities throughout the nation. There are many points without the service of Amtrak trains, even though the system makes every effort to effect connections with its trains via other forms of transportation.

"Amtrak was never intended to be profitable or to even break even," he maintains and it can't because of the failure of Congress to financially support the system.

"Meanwhile Congress has pumped millions in subsidies in the aviation industry and highway transportation system. Obviously, Amtrak has been held to a different standard," he said.

Pollard insists that the public wants a national system integrating all forms of transportation. And he is cognizant of the fact that a passenger rail system is beneficial to the economy, especially to those places the railroad serves.

"Mayors of cities along the rail routes know that money is pumped into their communities because of the railroads," Pollard pointed out. "They are a tremendous asset to tourism."

He is chairman of a grassroots organization of mayors in Texas and Arkansas that offer recommendations and ideas, serving as an advocate and advisor to Amtrak in such matters as timetables, menus and other aspects of service.

Several years ago when the Texas Eagle was on the verge of going under and talk of its demise was broadcast widely, Pollard became distraught at the prospect. He rearranged his patient schedule and got involved in hearings that considered the death of the venerable Eagle, which travels through Texas and Arkansas and heads off to other points.

At his own expense, Pollard traveled to every hearing held in Austin, Texas, rallying support from mayors and generating bipartisan agreement that eventually saved the service.

"With Dr. Pollard's intimate knowledge of the regional demographic and economic trends along the route, he and his fellow team members have continued a record-setting pace of growth for the Texas Eagle," the Amtrak president said.

In fact, the success of the Texas Eagle is attributed to Pollard and local people who fought so vigorously to keep the train rolling.

His energy has taken him to work with the Arkansas Tourism Commission and as a result of his advocacy, towns and cities along major highways in Arkansas have erected signs directing travelers to Amtrak stations in five Arkansas cities. He also has been involved in the renovation of the Malvern train station and the establishment of an Amtrak connection to serve Hot Springs.

Curiously enough, he agrees, trains in the Amtrak system are attracting more and more passengers, people who are finding rail travel to be exciting and expedient.

Despite this environment, Congress continues to hold Amtrak to a December 2002 deadline to become operationally self-sufficient.

Meanwhile Amtrak officials plan to slash its management staff through early retirement and other incentives in an attempt to improve its financial picture.