[net-gold] This Week at Amtrak; January 11, 2010
- From: "David P. Dillard" <jwne@xxxxxxxxxx>
- To: Temple University Net-Gold Archive <net-gold@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>, Temple Gold Discussion Group <TEMPLE-GOLD@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>, Net-Gold <net-gold@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>, Educator Gold <Educator-Gold@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>, Educator Gold <Educator-Gold@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>, K12AdminLIFE <K12AdminLIFE@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>, Net-Platinum <net-platinum@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>, NetGold <netgold@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>, "Net-Gold @ Nabble" <ml-node+3172864-337556105@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>, K-12ADMINLIFE <K12ADMIN@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>, net-gold@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Sun, 10 Jan 2010 21:18:03 -0500 (EST)
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Date: Sun, 10 Jan 2010 20:12:17 -0500
From: brucerichardson <brucerichardson@xxxxxxxx>
Reply-To: Net-Gold@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
To: Net-Gold@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [Net-Gold] This Week at Amtrak; January 11, 2010
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This Week at Amtrak; January 11, 2010
A weekly digest of events, opinions,
and forecasts from
United Rail Passenger Alliance, Inc.
America?s foremost passenger
rail policy institute
1526 University Boulevard, West, PMB 203 ?
Jacksonville, Florida
32217-2006 USA
Telephone 904-636-7739, Electronic Mail
info@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx ?
http://www.unitedrail.org
Volume 7, Number 2
Founded over three decades ago
in 1976, URPA is a nationally
known policy institute which focuses
on solutions and plans for passenger
rail systems in North America.
Headquartered in Jacksonville, Florida,
URPA has professional associates in
Minnesota, California, Arizona, New Mexico,
the District of Columbia, Texas, New York,
and other cities. For more detailed
information, along with a variety of
position papers and other documents,
visit the URPA web site at
<http://www.unitedrail.org>
URPA is not a membership organization,
and does not accept funding from any
outside sources.
1) VIA Rail Canada is superb at
doing it. The freight railroads do it
like it?s an everyday occurrence.
Amtrak, on the other hand, can never
seem to get it right.
We?re referring, of course at
this time of year, to operating
trains in severe winter weather.
While things have mostly been humming on
the Northeast Corridor, it?s been a
far different story out in flyover
country where the Empire Builder
operates between Chicago and Seattle,
Washington/Portland, Oregon.
It?s been a while since Amtrak
consistently got a train over
the road anywhere near to keeping
a schedule, and even running two
trains in a row.
The problem has mostly been blamed
on malfunctioning air systems from
the locomotives. Without a working
air system, there are no brakes on a
train. (The air system we?re referring
to has nothing to do with the hotel
power from the locomotives to the rest
of the train which provides heat for
the train.)
Some Empire Builders have arrived
nearly a day late, some not
at all, some have only traveled a
part of the route before being
annulled. Word is, even Amtrak?s
host railroad for the Empire Builder,
the Burlington Northern Santa Fe
Railroad, has banned the Builder from
its infrastructure until Amtrak can
prove it can get a train from Point A
to Point B without having a locomotive
failure and fouling the main line
which has heavy freight traffic.
All of this begs the question,
?why?? since Amtrak has had
nearly 40 winters to figure things
like this out.
Some folks have speculated it?s
because Amtrak tries to have
an all-weather locomotive fleet,
which operates in desert heat in the
Southwest as well as it does in
blizzard conditions in North Dakota.
As with anything else which tries to
be all things to all people, the
inevitable failure occurs.
Some folks have speculated
Amtrak?s mechanical department
just isn?t up to the job, and does
what it can with the budget it has
to work with each year.
Some folks have speculated
Amtrak just doesn?t care; if it
doesn?t have anything directly to
do with the NEC, then it?s not
important.
But, looking at VIA Rail Canada,
which generally operates
under some of the most severe winter
weather conditions in the world, VIA
rarely has Amtrak?s winter weather
problems. And, VIA is a smaller
company, has fewer resources, and
often makes do with older equipment.
The freight railroads in the
same severe winter weather
always manager to get trains with
dozens and dozens of heavily loaded
freight cars down the track, also
using air brake systems, and they don?t
have these problems. BNSF, like
Amtrak, operates from the extreme
northern tier of the country to the
extreme southern tier, and needs
locomotives, too, which can work in
extremes of heat and cold.
If VIA can do it, and BNSF can
do it, and Union Pacific can
do it, and CSX and Norfolk Southern
and Kansas City Southern can all do
it, along with Canadian National and
Canadian Pacific, why can?t Amtrak?
As said in this space before,
we know there are some
dedicated transportation people at
Amtrak who want the railroad to run
right, no matter what the weather
forecast. Why aren?t these people given
the budget and resources they need
to get the job done? Amtrak begs for
money every year from Congress and
the federal treasury, laying out
priorities. Why isn?t locomotive
reliability outside of the Northeast
Corridor in the winter a priority?
These are the times which try
mens? souls, when the harsh
realities of Mother Nature go up
against the needs of mortal man.
These are the times when the
professional railroaders, who go
to sleep thinking about railroading
and then wake up the next morning
thinking about the same thing, need
the resources to do their jobs.
If Amtrak wants to continue to promote
itself as the custodian of the next
generation of passenger trains and
thinks it?s going to be the first
choice as the operator of the new
high speed rail systems, rational
people making those decisions are
going to wonder why Amtrak, which
is operating conventional rail on a
system which has been in place for
over 150 years, can?t figure out how
to make that system work. If Amtrak
can?t get conventional rail right,
how will it ever get high speed rail
right?
2) Where are you on the Amtrak spectrum?
Are you a True Believer, willing
to accept anything Amtrak and the
National Association of Railroad
Passengers says, at face value? Are
you always willing to give Amtrak
more and more money, without
accountability, just because it?s Amtrak?
Are you more of a pragmatist, and
believe in the business of
passenger rail, knowing at one time
it was a sane, profitable business,
and there is no reason why in the
future it can?t return to that status?
Are you convinced the days of
passenger rail are gone, and
everyone should enjoy driving their
private vehicle down crowded highways
or the only other option for public
transportation is airplanes?
Which one are you? Do you fit
into any of those categories,
or, perhaps are you something of
a blend of two or more of those
categories?
How do you see the future of
passenger rail? Are we on the
cusp of renaissance, or near the
end of the line? Is that light at
the end of the tunnel an oncoming
passenger train you welcome, or
the halogen headlights of an
overpriced SUV getting five gallons
of gas to the mile of transportation?
It?s time to start choosing
sides. More and more passenger
rail publications are openly
questioning the actions/lack of
actions of Amtrak. Columnists who
were once reliable Amtrak Apologists
are now apologizing to their readers
for taking so long to see the truth
about Amtrak, and its lack of
motivation.
So, are you going to sit on
the sidelines and kibbitz about
what the final colors of pre-merger
Seaboard Air Line Railroad passenger
locomotives were, or are you going
to figure out how to take some action
and demand better passenger rail
transportation in this country,
whether or not it?s from Amtrak?
Politics in Washington are in a
turmoil, and there is likely
to be a huge sea change in Congress
at the end of this year. No matter
who is charge in Washington, it?s
time to express your displeasure with
how things are with passenger rail,
and demand better oversight, and,
most importantly, demand someone,
somewhere, develop a coherent national
surface transportation plan.
As long as everyone just sits
around and waits for something
to happen, nothing is likely to happen.
Amtrak seems content to consume
its annual free federal and state
monies without any demonstration of
progress to create more or better
passenger trains. Amtrak needs some
major prodding, and it needs prodding
from someone who can force change
and inspire vision at Amtrak.
What are you going to do about it?
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where other rail-related writings of
Bruce Richardson may also be found.
URPA leadership members are available
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J. Bruce Richardson
President
United Rail Passenger Alliance, Inc.
1526 University Boulevard, West, PMB 203
Jacksonville, Florida 32217-2006 USA
Telephone 904-636-7739
brucerichardson@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
http://www.unitedrail.org
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