[net-gold] This Week at Amtrak; January 21, 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: Fri, 22 Jan 2010 06:24:07 -0500 (EST)
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Date: Thu, 21 Jan 2010 18:49:44 -0500
From: brucerichardson <brucerichardson@xxxxxxxx>
Reply-To: Net-Gold@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
To: Net-Gold@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [Net-Gold] This Week at Amtrak; January 21, 2010
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This Week at Amtrak; January 21, 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 3
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
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<http://www.unitedrail.org>
URPA is not a membership organization,
and does not accept funding from any
outside sources.
1) After his death, famed and talented
architect Daniel Hudson Burnham,
the designer of Amtrak?s headquarters
building, Washington Union Station,
was quoted as having said, ?Make no
little plans. They have no magic to
stir men?s blood and probably will
not themselves be realized.?
Amtrak, not taking the sage advice
of the late Mr. Burnham,
released its plan for 2010 last week.
We will return to that topic in a
moment. First, though, Amtrak has
come up with something so incredibly
naive, and tin-eared towards its own
employees, it?s impossible for
rational people to fathom.
2) One of the good points of Amtrak
through the years has been its
nationwide network of local
personnel offices, or, in the modern
vernacular, offices housing human
resources (or, even human capital)
workers.
Whatever term you choose to use,
the people working in these
offices are the front-line interface
for Amtrak employees on all levels,
from new hires to veteran employees
looking for information about
retirement plans. These offices are
staffed with managers and clerks, and
very much put a necessary human face
on a crucial part of the corporation.
Some genius in Washington has
decided they can ?improve? this
by closing all of the local HR
offices, and consolidating all HR
operations in a call center located
(where else, but?) Wilmington,
Delaware. The current employees,
few if any who elected to move to
Wilmington (Why would anyone living
in a large city want to move to an
Eastern second-tier city like
Wilmington?), will either leave the
company (taking with them their
collective experience, knowledge,
and wisdom), or transfer into any
other available jobs on their current
level or lower level.
Amtrak employees, instead of
dealing face to face with a
knowledgeable person, will now deal
with a new hire over the telephone,
most of which will only know about
Amtrak HR rules and regulations based
on what they read in a manual.
Amtrak will tell you this is
being done in the name of
efficiency and consistency. The real
reason is this is just another
example of an Amtrak senior manager
with a wild idea who is out of
control and refusing the deal with
reality. Anybody taking bets on how
long this latest scheme will last
before sanity returns and all of those
closed offices will suddenly be
reopened and restaffed at great expense,
without the benefit of the many
employees there today who have found
other jobs?
3) Here?s Amtrak?s press release
about its plans for 2010. We?ve been
moaning for months asking Amtrak to
come up with some sort of plan ? ANY
sort of plan ? for the future. Well,
they did. It?s a good start, but
here?s hoping this is only the barest
of beginnings.
[Begin quote]
Press Release
January 11, 2010
AMTRAK READY WITH BIG PLANS FOR 2010
New Year brings major
projects and new initiatives
WASHINGTON? Amtrak is ready for
an exciting 2010 with major
projects and new initiatives that
will benefit passengers, increase
service, rebuild infrastructure,
and put America?s railroad at the center
of intercity and high-speed passenger
rail development and expansion.
?Amtrak enters 2010 with a strong
sense of optimism,
enthusiasm and purpose,? said
President and CEO Joseph Boardman.
?We have an aggressive game plan to
modernize, renew, and grow America?s
passenger railroad,? he said, noting
increasing ridership from 21.6 million
in FY 2002 to 27.2 million in FY 2009,
with an all-time record of 28.7 million
in FY 2008.
He explained that numerous projects and initiatives being
undertaken in 2010 support goals established in Amtrak?s new Strategic
Guidance including becoming safer, greener and healthier and improving
financial performance, customer service, and meeting national needs.
In particular, Amtrak is
playing a major role in the
development and expansion of intercity
and high-speed passenger rail. As
America?s provider of intercity
passenger rail service and its only
high-speed rail operator?operating
trains at speeds up to 150 mph every
day? Amtrak has unmatched knowledge,
experience and expertise in the U.S.
rail environment.
Boardman added that Amtrak
is partnering with 25 states in
support of more than 100 projects
submitted for funding from the $8
billion made available by the
American Recovery and Reinvestment Act
(ARRA) for intercity and high-speed
rail capital improvement grants. An
announcement from the U.S. Department
of Transportation on which projects
have been selected is expected this
winter.
During 2010, Amtrak also will
undertake track and bridge
construction projects, safety and
security enhancements, and will release
a plan to replace and expand its
locomotive and passenger railcar fleet,
among many other projects and initiatives.
Following are highlights
of major activities Amtrak will
begin, continue or complete
during the coming year.
High-Speed Rail
In 2010, Amtrak will celebrate
the 10th anniversary of
America?s fastest train, the Acela
Express, which began operating along
the Northeast Corridor in 2000
and reaches speeds up to 150 mph. In
addition, Amtrak will increase
train speeds to 105 mph over a section of
track it owns between Porter, Ind.,
and Kalamazoo, Mich., which will
benefit Blue Water and Wolverines
service. Amtrak currently operates
nearly half of its more than 300
daily trains at speeds of 100 mph or
higher on their routes.
Deploy WiFi and Upgrade
Interiors on Acela Express
In March, Amtrak will deploy
WiFi technology on Acela Express
and make it available to every
passenger initially free of charge.
In late 2010, Amtrak will complete
a program to upgrade the interior
of all Acela Express trainsets to
increase passenger comfort and amenities,
including leather seating, improved
tray tables, and better outlets to
power laptop computers, DVD players
and other electronic devices.
Major Infrastructure Improvement
Projects Funded by ARRA
Many major Amtrak infrastructure
improvement projects funded
in full, or in part, by $1.3
billion in ARRA funds will be under
construction in 2010. Some of these
projects include: replacement of the
102-year old movable bridge over the
Niantic River in Connecticut;
modernization of transformers and
other electrical equipment used to
power trains between Washington, D.C.
and New York; improvements to
tracks and switches at Chicago Union
Station; and construction of new
maintenance buildings for passenger
railcar equipment in Los Angeles,
Calif., and Hialeah, Fla.
In addition, ARRA funding is
supporting: renovation of the
station in Wilmington, Del.; expansion
of the Auto Train station in
Sanford, Fla.; restoration of
locomotives and passenger railcars in Beech
Grove, Ind., and Bear, Del.; improved
emergency exits and fire detection
and suppression systems in New York
tunnels; and enhanced accessibility
at more than 200 rail stations across
the country.
Major Infrastructure Improvement
Projects Funded by Annual Engineering
Program
Beyond the ARRA funded projects,
Amtrak will spend $442
million as part of its annual
FY 2010 engineering program.
Among these projects include:
installation of more than 112,000
concrete crossties and more than
49,000 wood crossties on the
Northeast Corridor; construction
of a new air ventilation shaft
for the New York tunnels; and
repair to several bridges in
Michigan, Maryland, New York
and New Jersey.
In addition, Amtrak will:
complete the multi-year
modernization of the catenary
wires on the Hell Gate Line in N.Y.; begin
construction of upgrades to the
Seattle maintenance facility; and improve
accessibility at stations in P
hiladelphia, Pa., Baltimore, Md.,
Providence, R.I. and elsewhere.
New Plan to Replace and Expand
Fleet of Locomotives and Passenger
Railcars
Amtrak will announce a comprehensive
and detailed plan to replace and
expand its fleet of locomotives and
passenger railcars to enhance current
service and accommodate expected future
growth. It will include the purchase
of several hundred single-level and
bi-level long distance passenger
railcars and more than a hundred
locomotives. This major equipment
purchase will support American rail
manufacturing industries and create
jobs in the U.S.
Long-Distance Routes, Corridor
Services and Commuter Contract
Amtrak will undertake an in-depth
evaluation of the poorest performing
long-distance routes to identify
and implement changes where possible to
improve key measures such as customer
service, ridership, and financial
performance. The five routes being
analyzed are the Sunset Limited,
Cardinal, Texas Eagle, Capitol
Limited, and California Zephyr.
Also, Amtrak will expand
corridor services in collaboration
with state partners. In Virginia,
a fifth Northeast Regional train
will operate between Richmond and
Washington, D.C. In North Carolina,
a second Piedmont roundtrip between
Raleigh and Charlotte will be added.
In Washington, a second Amtrak Cascades
train is now operating from Seattle
to Vancouver, British Columbia through
the duration of the 2010 Winter
Olympics and Paralympics Games.
In addition, Amtrak is finalizing a new
operating contract with the Los Angeles-
based Metrolink commuter rail service to
provide train and engine crews for all
seven of its lines.
Installing Positive Train Control
and Enhancing Safety
Amtrak is committed to an aggressive,
self-imposed schedule
to install Positive Train Control
(PTC) by the end of 2012?three years
ahead of a Congressional deadline for
the rail industry? on sections of
Amtrak-owned tracks not already
equipped with the sophisticated
technology capable of controlling
train movements to prevent collisions.
A significant amount of design,
engineering, and some installation work
will occur this year to advance the
project. Amtrak is also implementing
two industry-leading risk-reduction
safety initiatives to complement
traditional rules-based compliance
programs. The Safe-2-Safer program
strengthens the emphasis on safety
within the corporate culture by
promoting a more collaborative
working environment and ensures a higher
reliability of safe behaviors at all
levels of the railroad.
In addition, Amtrak intends
to participate in a Federal
Railroad Administration sponsored
Close Call Reporting project under
which incidents that did not result
in an accident or injury, but could
have, can be anonymously reported
by employees so that safety
improvements can be made as
appropriate.
Strengthening Security
Amtrak passengers will see a
more interactive police and
security presence in 2010 with
greater emphasis on random and
unpredictable patrols, baggage
screenings and other activities In
stations and on trains. Amtrak
will continue to expand its K-9 explosive
detection teams, harden stations
and strengthen cooperative inter-agency
operations with local, state, and
federal law enforcement and
counterterrorism partners.
About Amtrak
As the nation?s intercity
passenger rail operator, Amtrak
connects America in safer, greener
and healthier ways. Last fiscal year
(FY 2009), the railroad carried
27.2 million passengers, making it the
second-best year in the company?s
history. With 21,000 route miles in 46
states, the District of Columbia and
three Canadian provinces, Amtrak
operates more than 300 trains each
day?at speeds up to 150 mph?to more
than 500 destinations. Amtrak also
is the partner of choice for
state-supported corridor services in
15 states and for several commuter
rail agencies. Visit Amtrak.com or
call 800-USA-RAIL for schedules, fares
and more information.
[End quote]
Let?s take it from the top.
Amtrak has a new promo line which
it has worked into the first four
paragraphs and into the end corporate
identification piece: ?Amtrak
operates more than 300 trains each
day ? at speeds up to 150 mph ? to more
than 500 destinations.? It also added in
the fourth paragraph, ?Amtrak has
unmatched knowledge, experience and
expertise in the U.S. rail
environment.?
Sure, Amtrak does operate more
than 300 trains a day, and
sure, some at speeds up to 150 M.P.H.,
but, let?s be completely honest
here. Amtrak?s few Acelas on the
Northeast Corridor operate at speeds up
to 150 M.P.H. on considerably less
than 100 miles of specific track, not
the hundreds of miles other high speed
trains operate daily in the rest
of the world.
And, the second statement
about Amtrak having unmatched
knowledge, experience and expertise
in the U.S. rail environment, well,
compared to what, or who? More than
the operators of the various
regional/commuter systems around
the country? More than the freight
railroads have, all of which manage
to operate in all weather conditions
when Amtrak can?t quite find its way
through winter weather in January?
All of this obviously is
designed to move Amtrak
psychologically into a superior
position with decision makers who will be
determining which company ? Amtrak,
the French, the Japanese, the
British, the Germans, and whoever
else is qualified and interested ? will
be the operator of the coming high
speed rail lines.
Any decision maker worth
their salt are going to be looking
at a number of factors, including
how good of a steward Amtrak has been
through the years of the tens of
billions of dollars it has received from
various government treasuries, and
how well it has performed on
maintaining its motive power and
rolling stock fleets, as well as
managing infrastructure and real
estate assets. Good decision makers are
not only going to be looking at what
Amtrak is doing right this minute,
but also what it has done in the past
and what type of corporate culture
it harbors. And, these guys think
they?re the best choice? Ask the folks
who are still peering down the track,
waiting for a Sunset Limited east
of New Orleans to arrive, and you
may get an earful about how good Amtrak
is working on behalf of passengers
and taxpayers.
Now, specific sub-headlines
in the press release above, after
high-speed rail:
Deploy WiFi and Upgrade Interiors
on Acela Express
The WiFi deal has gotten a lot
of press, and it?s a good
thing. Upgrading the interiors on
Acela trainsets is due; it?s been 10
years now, and the folks (all who
have mercifully left Amtrak) who made
the choices for Acela interiors and
paint scheme colors pretty well
flunked ?Introduction to Design 101.?
If the rocking the train doesn?t
make you queasy, the interior
decorations will.
Major Infrastructure Improvement
Projects Funded by ARRA
This is all old news; lots of
things which need to be done
and will help the aesthetics of
the company, but won?t do much to
increase revenues, with the
exception of the out of service
locomotives and cars which will be rehabbed.
One has to seriously wonder, with all of the
goodies handed out in the stimulus plan,
why Amtrak chose to only
upgrade part of its out of service fleet;
why didn?t it go for the whole
group while it had the chance?
Major Infrastructure Improvement
Projects Funded by Annual Engineering
Program
See above; same song, different verse.
New Plan to Replace and Expand
Fleet of Locomotives and Passenger
Railcars
This is the part that has sent
the hearts of many a rail fan
aflutter. We?re told no details
until February, but lots and lots has
been read into this statement.
This could be a very good thing, but, at
the moment, there are no known
plans for expansion, other than the route
studies completed last year which
will require billions of dollars to
make happen.
And, the big concern is Amtrak
is going to follow its path
from the past, and retire aging
equipment rather than keep it in service
for expansion. If we have another
fiasco like the replacement of the
Heritage sleeping cars with the
Viewliner fleet (where something like two
or more Heritage cars were taken
out of service for every one Viewliner
car put into service), then Amtrak?s
long distance system is likely to
shrink to even more depressing levels
than it is today.
Again ? and, again, and again ?
VIA Rail Canada is happily
restoring equipment which is more
than 50 years old and was originally
built like battleships. VIA is using
this equipment on its premier
trains, and charging even bigger
bucks than Amtrak charges for the
privilege of riding a train.
If Amtrak makes the huge mistake of
shrinking its fleet with the
acquisition of new equipment instead of
expanding its fleet and keeping
existing equipment, then we may as well
all go home, for Amtrak will have
nothing as a future.
Long-distance Routes, Corridor
Services and Commuter Contract
Hopefully, Brian Rosenwald is
going to be the man in charge
of the next round of upgrades
(actually, in some cases, more like
restoring what was there 10 years
ago and was lost) to long distance
trains. We?ve already seen results
like the restored full dining car
service on the Lake Shore Limited
and the plan to take the western end of
the Sunset Limited daily (still
not the best plan, but a step in the
right direction).
The next group of trains is
going to be the Sunset Limited
(continuing from the last group),
Cardinal, Texas Eagle, Capitol Limited,
and California Zephyr.
The Sunset and Eagle parts
are already in the works; we?re
still hoping for a new name, such
as the historic and charming ?Golden
State? from the Southern Pacific/
Rock Island days. The pedestrian Texas
Eagle name needs to be retired.
For the Cardinal, this much
abused but highly scenic route
must be taken from its abysmal
tri-weekly schedule to a healthy daily
schedule. Time is not a crucial
factor on this route; scenery is. Better
scheduling on the eastern end,
perhaps a companion daytime service
between Cincinnati and Washington
or New York along with making the
Hoosier state a daily train on its
own, and a full dining car and more
sleeping car space will make this
train a winner. In Fiscal Year 2009,
the Cardinal had a 56% load factor;
pretty amazing considering it?s so
ignored by Amtrak.
The Capitol Limited and
California Zephyr are already good
trains; give them the Empire Builder
and Coast Starlight amenities and
onboard services treatment and it
will be impossible to find space on
these trains because they will become
more popular than ever. In Fiscal
Year 2009, the Capitol had a 68.9%
load factor (technically, sold out),
and the Zephyr had a 52.4% load
factor; plenty of room for improvement.
Amtrak talks about expanding
state corridor service, at the
expense of states, naturally.
Both Virginia and North Carolina will see
more service, and Washington
State already has more service in time for
the Olympics in Vancouver,
British Columbia. The North Carolina companion
frequency to the Piedmont round
trip between Charlotte and Raleigh will
be the train to watch; the
Piedmont has a load factor of 40.3%, hauling
68,400 passengers last fiscal year.
The train was created to provide
relief to the popular and
well-performing Carolinian, which has a 74.5%
load factor and carried 277,700
passenger last fiscal year.
Adding a third frequency between
the Charlotte-Raleigh city pairs should prove to
be worthwhile; part of that route is also
served during nighttime hours
by the Silver Star.
Amtrak also noted it is
finalizing details for taking over
the Metrolink commuter service
in and out of Los Angeles; it?s getting
back a contract it lost several
years ago.
Installing Positive Train Control
and Enhancing Safety
Every railroad is talking
about this unfunded federal mandate
to have PTC in place by 2015;
Amtrak is planning to have its system in
place by 2012. Most likely, the
rest of the railroads in the country
would like to have the help from
the federal treasury Amtrak is
receiving to install PTC.
Strengthening Security
Amtrak talks a bit about
increased security measures and
baggage screening; all good things.
4) Amtrak did come out with
a plan, and it?s a good start, albeit a too
small start. We need to see more
route expansion plans, and we need to
see the same emphasis from Amtrak
on its core business of conventional
rail as we see on the dream of
high-speed rail.
The only way Amtrak is going
to survive is to grow, and the
best growth potential is in the
national system, not short, expensive
state corridors. Amtrak has the
opportunity; it needs to make the best of
what it has been handed.
Still unanswered are the big
questions: What new routes? What
about revenue expansion? What
about filling up the existing trains?
(Amtrak?s system wide load factor
for FY 2009 was only 49.3%; abysmal by
any measure.) What is Amtrak doing
to contain costs? What about the
existing equipment sitting in
the weeds on the wreck line; when will it
be fixed and put back out on the
road to earn revenue? When is Amtrak
going to stop being America?s greatest
kept secret?
5) This week?s special election
in Massachusetts for the replacement of
the late Senator Edward Kennedy
morphed into a stunning finale.
Republican Senator-Elect Scott
Brown ended the Democrat?s lock on passing
any legislation party leaders want
in Washington.
Why is this important? Because
Amtrak cannot expect an
unfettered flow of funds with a
more level playing field in Washington.
Amtrak is going to have to go back
to being able to prove its need, and
prove its worth to convince not only
all of the Democrats, but some of
the Republicans, too, that federal
monies spent on Amtrak are monies well
spent.
6) The first This Week at Amtrak
of the year earlier this month zeroed in
on Amtrak?s failure to keep the Empire
Builder running across the western
northern tier of the country just
south of the Canadian border through
difficult weather conditions in January.
The response from TWA readers
was overwhelming, and the
interesting part was all of the
excuses made on behalf of Amtrak from
those in Amtrak?s Amen Corner.
One writer noted that VIA
Rail Canada kept its trains moving
because it had a different brand
name of locomotive (never mind, that in
most cases, Amtrak and VIA
locomotives are nearly identical), perhaps
inferring some locomotives are not
supposed to operate in cold weather?
Another writer, noting he was
writing as a political
scientist, opined that perhaps
Amtrak was misbehaving badly
and not
making plans for the future and
itself because the poor dears were so
beaten down by the Washington
bureaucracy they just
couldn?t summon up the courage for
a good fight and ask for what they
really needed. Maybe the reader
wants to leave the light on at
night, too, for Amtrak when its
dark outside.
But, most writers seemed
incredulous that over 125 years
after passenger trains began
operating in that part of the country in
frigid weather conditions, and nearly
40 years after Amtrak began
operations, it can?t figure out how
to deal with cold weather.
Again, these are the same
people who dream they will be
entrusted with the new high-speed
rail systems?
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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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