Sunday, January 10, 2010

This Week in Amtrak

Empire BuilderImage by Patrick Rasenberg via Flickr


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@unitedrail.org • 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?







If you are reading someone else’s copy of This Week at Amtrak, you can receive your own free copy each edition by sending your e-mail address to



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You MUST include your name, preferred e-mail address, and city and state where you live. If you have filters or firewalls placed on your Internet connection, set your e-mail to receive incoming mail from twa@unitedrail.org; we are unable to go through any approvals processes for individuals. This mailing list is kept strictly confidential and is not shared or used for any purposes other than distribution of This Week at Amtrak or related URPA materials.



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Copies of This Week at Amtrak are archived on URPA’s web site, www.unitedrail.org and also on www.todaywithjb.blogspot.com where other rail-related writings of Bruce Richardson may also be found.



URPA leadership members are available for speaking engagements.



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@unitedrail.org

http://www.unitedrail.org





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Friday, January 08, 2010

Front Runner South Construction Update

UTA FrontRunner with Comet IImage by boltzr via Flickr



Greetings,



Construction is progressing on UTA’s FrontRunner South Provo to Salt Lake Commuter Rail line.

Below is the FrontRunner South construction update for January 9 – 15. To learn more about the FrontRunner South project, click here.



Area 16 — Downtown Salt Lake City to 4500 South (Murray)



Construction Activity:

Crews will continue storm drainage work between Millcreek and 3300 South.



Traffic Impacts:

There are currently no impacts to motorists in this area.



Salt Lake Central Station:

Station complete.



Area 15 — 4500 South (Murray) to Wasatch Street/8000 South (Midvale)



Construction Activity:

Crews will finish driving H-pile on the northern side of the bridge over I-215 westbound and install shoring for the center pier. Crews will also be installing shoring at 7200 South and balancing the sub grade between Center Street and Wasatch Street.



Traffic Impacts:

There will be truck traffic with flaggers at 5900 South in Murray on Monday until noon and again all day on Wednesday.



Murray Station:

At the Murray Station site crews will install electrical duct bank for the platform.



Area 14 — Wasatch Street/8000 South (Midvale) to 14600 South (Bluffdale)



Construction Activity:

Progress continues behind Salt Lake Community College’s Miller Campus at 9800 South as crews construct a bridge that flies over the Union Pacific Railroad tracks. This is the area where FrontRunner will move from the east side to the west side of the tracks.



Crews will be balancing the sub grade between Wasatch Street and 9000 South, continuing construction on the flyover bridge south approach wall, north abutment and bridge deck, and placing geo foam at the Corner Canyon box culvert in Draper.



Traffic Impacts:

There will be truck traffic with flaggers at 10000 South in Sandy this week.



South Jordan Station:

Lightweight fill for the flyover bridge construction is being stored at the site of the future South Jordan park and ride lot.



Draper Future Station:

Excavation for the station platform will begin this week.



Area 13 — 14600 South (Bluffdale) to Thanksgiving Point (Lehi)



Construction Activity:

Now that the irrigation season is finished, crews will conduct significant canal improvement and relocation work in the Jordan Narrows.



Box culvert work will take place at 146th South and at the Jordan and Salt Lake Canal. Crews will begin constructing the culvert at 146th South and clay line the headwall of the Jordan and Salt Lake Canal box culvert. At the northern Jordan River bridge, crews will continue work on the southern abutment footing. And at the South Jordan Canal, crews will continue work on the headwall and concrete channel. Crews will also begin constructing a wall at this canal.



Traffic Impacts:

There are currently no impacts to motorists in this area.



Area 12 — Thanksgiving Point (Lehi) to Main Street (American Fork)



Construction Activity:

The 2100 North bridge in Lehi will consist of two abutments on each end of the bridge and five center piers with the piers being numbered 1 through 5, for this publication, starting at the southern end of the bridge. Crews will be working on the fascia for pier #1 and shoring and excavating for piers 2 and 3. Crews will continue work on the wing walls at the north abutment.



Between 1500 North and 1220 North, crews will installing permanent fencing, clear and grub the corridor and construct an earth ditch. Utility work will take place between 900 North and 500 West.



Traffic Impacts:

There will be a single lane drop on Garden Drive on the west side of the road for storm drain work beginning on Wednesday and lasting approximately 2 ½ weeks. There will be flaggers in the area and traffic signage. The west side of the road will reopen in the evenings at 5:00 p.m. and on weekends.



There will also be truck traffic with flaggers on 1220 North in Lehi all week.



Lehi Station:

Part of the Lehi Station Park and Ride Lot is now open for public use. Crews will continue installing a storm drain system in other areas of the Park and Ride Lot.



Area 11 — Main Street (American Fork) to University Parkway (Orem)



Construction Activity:

In American Fork, utility work will take place between 7350 West at Main Street and 200 South and signal work will take place between 200 South and Storrs Avenue. At the American Fork River bridge crews will extend the ballast wall and between 1100 South and 1500 South crews will be placing sub ballast.



In Vineyard, crews will be installing permanent fencing and placing top ballast between 5200 North and 400 North and excavating and placing sub ballast for a temporary crossing between 400 North and Geneva Road.



In Orem at 800 South crews will be conducting fiber work and between 800 South and University Parkway crews will be prepping the sub grade and placing ballast mat.



Traffic Impacts:

At 1100 South in American Fork there will be truck traffic with flaggers all week.



On Monday and Tuesday there will be truck traffic with flaggers at 400 North in Vineyard.



American Fork Station:

There are no construction activities to report.



Vineyard Future Station:

There are no construction activities to report.



Orem Station:

There are no construction activities to report.



Area 10 — University Parkway (Orem) to Center Street (Provo)

Construction Activity:

Significant progress has been made in Area 10 along the Union Pacific Railroad corridor between University Parkway in Orem and Freedom Boulevard in Provo. Crews have prepared a path for FrontRunner by grading and clearing the right-of-way and relocating water lines. Drainage and irrigation installations are generally complete in this area, and main line earthwork has been finalized from University Parkway to 2000 South in Orem and from the Provo River bridge to 500 West in Provo. At-grade crossing improvements have also been completed at 900 West, 700 West, 500 West and Freedom Boulevard.



At the Provo River bridge, crews will continue work on the south abutment, and between 600 West and University Avenue, crews will be removing pole line.



Traffic Impacts:

There are currently no impacts to motorists in this area.



Provo Station:

At the Provo Station crews will install electrical duct bank for the platform.


Thanks again for your interest in the FrontRunner South project. If you have construction-related questions, please call our 24-hour construction hotline at 1-888-800-8854. If you have specific questions about the FrontRunner South project, my contact information is listed below.





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Airport TRAX Line Construction Update

UTA TRAX and FrontRunner at Night 1Image via Wikipedia


Welcome!



Construction progress continues on the Airport TRAX Line. To keep business and traffic impacts to a minimum, this six-mile project has been separated into seven construction “reaches,” or segments, for management and planning purposes. The map below shows each construction reach in a different color, starting with Reach 1 in dark red by the airport and ending with Reach 7 in light green on the east end of the project.

A description of what is happening in each area is listed below. If you need further construction information, please call our toll-free 24-hour hotline at (888) 800-8854.

Reach 1



Reach Description: Reach 1 is the area that extends from Terminal One at the Salt Lake City International Airport on the side of the Airport Access Road to the surplus canal bridge just north of the Wingpointe Golf Course.



Current Construction: Currently, TRAX construction is not taking place in Reach 1.



Upcoming Construction: Heavier construction is anticipated in this reach during Spring 2010.



Traffic Impacts:

Right lane restrictions along Bangerter Highway just north of the I-80 off-ramp entering the Airport are in place Monday – Friday and occasionally on Saturday.



Reach 2



Reach Description: Reach 2 extends from the surplus canal bridge just north of the Wingpointe Golf Course near the Salt Lake City International Airport along Airport Access Road fence line to 2400 West.



Current Construction:

Power lines are being relocated throughout Reach 2.
Crews are preparing to begin pile driving activities at the south and north surplus canal.


Upcoming Construction:

Pile driving for the South Surplus Canal bridge foundations will begin on Jan. 11.
The Airport Trail shared-use tunnel at Wingpointe Golf Course will be closed for UTA TRAX construction from Jan. 25 – March 6. Crews will extend this tunnel to accommodate the Airport TRAX Line.

Reach 3



Reach Description: Reach 3 extends from 2400 West along North Temple to I-215. This is the reach where TRAX will move from the side of the road to the center of North Temple.



Current Construction: Crews are currently working on storm drains in Reach 3. Access will be maintained at all times.



Traffic Impacts: There are currently right lane restrictions between 2200 West and 2400 West throughout the day. As work progresses, there will be additional lane restrictions for both east and west bound traffic. Access will be maintained at all times.





Reach 4



Reach Description: Reach 4 extends from I-215 to just past Redwood Road on North Temple. TRAX will be center running in this reach and will include a station located at approximately 1950 West North Temple. Access to the many businesses and governmental organizations will be maintained.



Current Construction: Currently, TRAX construction is not taking place in Reach 4.



Upcoming Construction: Crews will be working their way from Reach 3 and are expected to be in Reach 4 in mid-March.



Traffic Impacts: Currently, there are no traffic impacts in Reach 3. Current westbound traffic impacts between Redwood and I-215 are not related to TRAX construction.



Reach 5



Reach Description: Reach 5 extends from just east of Redwood Road on North Temple to the Jordan River. TRAX will be center running in this reach and includes a station at 1500 West North Temple. Access to the many businesses and office complexes will be maintained.



Current Construction:

Progress continues on the Jordan River Bridge. Crews are constructing the bridge one half at a time to maintain one lane of traffic in both directions. This work is expected to take place for approximately 8 months.


Traffic Impacts:

Traffic management will be in place for approximately 8 months near the Jordan River Bridge. Traffic will be limited to one lane in each direction in this area.
Traffic is scheduled to flip to the north side of North Temple over the Jordan River Bridge in February/March of this year.



Reach 6



Reach Description: Reach 6 extends from the Jordan River to I-15 along North Temple. TRAX will be center running in this reach and will include two stations located at approximately 1100 West and 800 West North Temple. Access to the many businesses and the State Fairpark will be maintained.



Current Construction: Traffic management does extend into Reach 6 due to work taking place on the Jordan River Bridge. However, access is being maintained throughout this area.



Upcoming Construction: The majority of heavier construction is anticipated for this reach during Spring 2010.



Traffic Impacts: Traffic management will be in place for approximately 8 months near the Jordan River Bridge. Traffic will be limited to one lane in each direction in this area.



Reach 7



Reach Description: Reach 7 is the area where the Airport Line will connect with the current North/South TRAX Line at the Arena Station. This reach extends from I-15 to 400 West along North Temple and turns south on 400 West proceeding to South Temple. Access to offices and the Gateway will be maintained throughout the construction project.



Current Construction: Currently, TRAX construction is not taking place in Reach 7.



Upcoming Construction:

Utility work will begin along 400 West in February 2010. Crews will begin to locate or “pothole” utilities along 400 West on January 11.
Construction is anticipated to begin on the North Temple viaduct between 300 West and 600 West during spring 2010 and last until fall 2011.
We will meet with businesses in this area and post more information as we get closer to doing this work.


Traffic Impacts: Currently, there are no traffic impacts in Reach 7.

There will be various lane restrictions along 400 West beginning Jan. 11.


General Information



Access during Construction

UTA is committed to maintaining 24-hour access to all of the businesses and residences along the construction corridor. We will coordinate with businesses in cases where access may be temporarily limited.



Construction Hours

Construction is permitted to take place between 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday. Additionally, specific activities may require different working hours depending upon the conditions and will be coordinated with city officials.



Construction Tours

If you are interested in learning more about the construction project, please call our toll-free 24-hour hotline at (888) 800-8854.



For More Information

Timely and helpful information is available to assist business and residential communities as well as commuters and stakeholders.



If you have questions or comments regarding the project, please contact our toll-free 24-hour hotline at (888) 800-8854 or e-mail tcamp@rideuta.com. You can also visit UTA’s Web site at www.rideuta.com.








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West Valley TRAX Construction Update

TRAX light rail in Salt Lake CityImage by Steven Vance via Flickr


Welcome!



Construction progress continues on the West Valley TRAX Line. To keep business and traffic impacts to a minimum, this five-mile project has been separated into seven construction “reaches,” or segments, for management and planning purposes. The map below shows each construction reach in a different color, starting with Reach 1 in light green on the south end of the project and ending

A description of what is happening in each area is listed below. If you need further construction information, please call our toll-free 24-hour hotline at (888) 800-8854.





Reach 1



Reach Description: Reach 1 is the area along Constitution Boulevard (2700 South) from West Valley City Hall at 3600 South extending north to 3100 South. This area includes both large and small businesses, as well as many residents. Access to all businesses and residences will be maintained throughout construction.



Current Construction:

· Crews are now working in the center of Constitution Boulevard preparing the foundations for the overhead electric poles, placing ballast and distributing ties and rail.

· Work continues near the TRAX station at West Valley City Hall as crews form, pour and install the platform slab.

· Crews are also installing street signs, traffic signals, flag poles and curbs near West Valley City Hall.

· Crews will work on the overhead electric poles and foundations and will continue to place ballast and distribute ties and rail.



Upcoming Construction:

· Crews are scheduled to install wheelchair ramps and steps on the north side of the West Valley City in early January 2010.



Traffic Impacts:

· Traffic is currently operating on both sides of Constitution Boulevard. Access to businesses is being maintained throughout this area. We encourage motorists to obey posted speed limits.





Reach 2



Reach Description: Reach 2 is the area along 3100 South from Constitution Boulevard to Decker Lake Drive. The E Center and a few other businesses are located in this reach, as well as residents on either side of 3100 South. Access will be maintained throughout construction and we will work with the E Center to coordinate our efforts so you can continue to visit the great events they have to offer. When TRAX is completed along 3100 South, it will operate on the south side of the roadway.



Current Construction:

· Work continues on the TRAX approach between Maple Way and I-215.

· Crews have installed Traffic poles and loops at Maple Way and 3100 South.



Traffic Impacts: Currently there are lanes restrictions on 3100 South; however, access is being maintained throughout the area.



Reach 3



Reach Description: Reach 3 is the area along Decker Lake Drive from 3100 South to Research Way (2770 South) and running east to Redwood Road. This area includes many commercial office buildings with thousands of employees who access this area on a daily basis. We will continually work with businesses to ensure access is maintained.



Current Construction:

· Track and station work continues in the center of Decker Lake Drive.

· Underground utility is taking place along Research Way. We will work with the businesses to maintain access throughout this portion of construction.

· Crews will continue to install street signage along Decker Lake Drive.

· Work on the traction power substation continues throughout mid-December.

· We encourage motorists to please obey the posted speed limit of 25 mph along Decker Lake Drive.



Upcoming Construction:

· Utility and road construction on northern part of Decker Lake Drive just south of Research Way – this portion of road work is scheduled to take place during spring 2010 and will last about 6 weeks – access will be maintained.

· Utility and road construction on Research Way between Decker Lake Drive and Redwood Road – this portion of road work is scheduled to take place during spring 2010 – access will be maintained.

· Redwood Road track crossing – this portion of work is scheduled to take place during spring 2010 – access will be maintained.



Traffic Impacts: Currently, there are lane restrictions along Decker Lake Drive and Research Way but access is being maintained.



Reach 4



Reach Description: Reach 4 runs through the Chesterfield residential area along 2770 South and proceeds along the Decker Lake Canal and the Crosstowne Trail. We will work with residents to ensure a safe working environment that provides access to their properties throughout construction.



Current Construction:

· Significant work has been accomplished in the Chesterfield area. Crews continue to work on the rail and other items in this area.

· There is a planned power outage along Lester Avenue on Friday, Jan. 8, from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. so crews can set power poles in this area.



Traffic Impacts:

· The Crosstowne Trail along 2770 South just east of Redwood Road to the Brighton Canal has been paved but will remain closed until TRAX is completed in this area.





Reach 5



Reach Description: Reach 5 will include construction along 1070 West in the Chesterfield industrial area. This reach will include one bridge structure over the Jordan River and another over 900 West.



Current Construction:

· Trenches in this area are being filled and temporarily paved for winter.

· Work continues on the Jordan River bridge and the pedestrian and bike tunnel in this area.



Traffic Impacts: As construction proceeds, there will be lane restrictions, although access will be maintained.





Reach 6



Reach Description: Reach 6 runs through the Union Pacific Railroad’s Roper Yard area. Although there are no businesses and residents, extensive coordination will take place with the Union Pacific Railroad to ensure that freight deliveries and other train travel is maintained. Reach 6 includes plans for an extensive bridging system that will enable TRAX to operate over other train traffic.



Current Construction:

· Progress continues on the TRAX bridge structures over 900 West at approximately 2200 South and also at the Union Pacific Railroad Roper Yard area.



Traffic Impacts:

· 900 West is scheduled to close at approximately 2200 South just south of SR 201 on Saturday and Sunday, Jan. 16th and 17th, from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. Businesses are encouraged to call our hotline at 888-800-8854 if there are questions or issues.



Reach 7



Reach Description: Reach 7 is the area where the West Valley Line will connect with the current North/South TRAX Line. Construction will take place along Andy Avenue in South Salt Lake. Crews will closely coordinate activities with businesses to ensure access is maintained.



Current Construction:

· Progress continues on the TRAX bridge approaches on either side of 600 West.



Traffic Impacts: Currently there are no traffic impacts on Andy Avenue.



General Information



Access during Construction

UTA is committed to maintaining 24-hour access to all of the businesses and residences along the construction corridor. We will coordinate with businesses in cases where access may be temporarily limited.



Construction Hours

Construction on the project is permitted to take place between 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday. Additionally, specific activities may require different working hours depending upon the conditions and will be coordinated with city officials.



Construction Tours

If you are interested in learning more about the construction project, please call our toll-free 24-hour hotline at (888) 800-8854.



For More Information

Timely and helpful information is available to assist business and residential communities as well as commuters and stakeholders.



If you have further questions not answered by this report or any comments regarding the project, please contact our toll-free 24-hour hotline at (888) 800-8854 or e-mail tcamp@rideuta.com. You can also visit UTA’s Web site at www.rideuta.com.










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Mid Jordan TRAX Update

UTA TRAX and FrontRunner at Night 1Image via Wikipedia

UTA Mid-Jordan TRAX Line Weekly Construction Update: January 8, 2010*

Please forward this information on to others that would be interested.

*This schedule is subject to change due to weather, materials issues, or unanticipated utility conflicts.



The Mid-Jordan TRAX line is a 10.6 mile light rail line connecting the communities of Murray, Midvale, West Jordan and South Jordan with the existing Sandy/Salt Lake TRAX line. It runs from the existing TRAX line at 6400 South to approximately 7400 South, then turns west along the Bingham Branch of the Union Pacific Railroad. At 5600 West, the line turns south again and ends at the southern end of the Daybreak development. For construction purposes, the line has been segmented into five sections.


Daybreak Area

(This segment runs north through the Daybreak development to Old Bingham Highway at approximately 5600 West)





UTA will continue track testing this week with a train car moved to Daybreak last week. New trains for the Mid-Jordan line are scheduled to arrive for testing at the end of the month. Work continues on the Daybreak North and South stations. Work continues this week on a ramp at the Daybreak South station.


Old Bingham Area

(This segment runs parallel to the existing Union Pacific Railroad Bingham Branch line,

along the Old Bingham Highway from approximately 5600 West to the Bangerter Station, east of Bangerter Highway)



Work on the new sound wall at 4800 West starts this week and continues through Feb. 5. Track crews will be de-stressing the tracks between 5200 West and Wasatch Meadows this week.


Sugar Factory Area

(This segment continues northeast along the UPRR Bingham Branch from approximately Bangerter
Highway to Gardner Village)



Track work continues at 2700 West and Redwood Road this week.




Gardner Village Area

(This segment continues along the UPRR Bingham Branch northeast from Gardner Village to 700 West)



Cyclists and pedestrians using the Jordan River Parkway Trail will be detoured this week to accommodate construction on the 7800 S. bridge.

Cottonwood Area

(This segment extends north from 700 West along the existing light rail alignment to its terminus at the 6400 South-

Fashion Place Station)



Pouring of the crash wall at the 700 West bridge is scheduled for this week. In addition, OCS work continues at UTA’s Lovendahl Yard.



Activity: Bridge work at 700 West. Traffic impact: Lane closures for both north and southbound traffic continues through today (Jan. 11).

General Information



Access during Construction

UTA is committed to maintaining 24-hour access to all of the businesses and residences along the construction corridor. We will coordinate with businesses in cases where access may be temporarily limited.



Construction Hours

Construction is permitted to take place between 7 am to 7 pm Monday through Saturday. Additionally, specific activities may require different working hours depending upon conditions and will be coordinated with city officials.



Construction Tours

If you are interested in learning more about the construction project, please call our toll-free 24-hour hotline at (888) 550-2211.



For More Information

Timely and helpful information is available to assist business and residential communities as well as commuters and stakeholders.



If you have questions or comments regarding the project, please contact our toll-free 24-hour hotline at (888) 550-2211 or e-mail mid-jordanline@hwlochner.com. You can also visit the UTA Web site at www.rideuta.com/projects/midjordanlightrail.

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7200 South Closure

Front Runner in So CalImage by SP8254 via Flickr



7200 South Westbound Closure
This Weekend Beginning Tonight





Midvale — Utah Transit Authority advises motorists of a road closure on 7200 South in Midvale this weekend, Jan. 8-10. 7200 South will be closed between approximately 400 West and 700 West for bridge work on the FrontRunner South commuter rail line.



The closure will begin at 10 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 8, and continue through Sunday night. The road will reopen no later than 6 a.m. on Monday, Jan. 11.



Traffic between State Street and I-15 on 7200 South will be restricted to local traffic only. I-15 on-ramps will be accessible for westbound traffic but traffic using the I-15 off-ramps will be detoured east to State Street.



Local traffic will be detoured south to Midvale Center Street or east to State Street. All westbound traffic will be detoured for the duration of the weekend work but one lane will maintained for eastbound travel through most of the weekend.



The closure is necessary for drilling a shaft for the center pier of the FrontRunner rail bridge that will span 7200 South.



For more information on the FrontRunner South commuter rail line, visit www.rideuta.com.



###





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Thursday, January 07, 2010

This Week in Amtrak

Amtrak ChilledImage by ahockley via Flickr


This Week at Amtrak; January 5, 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@unitedrail.org • http://www.unitedrail.org





Volume 7, Number 1



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) Welcome to the seventh year of This Week at Amtrak, where there is always the hope, dream, and desire Amtrak will become a responsible part of our nation’s domestic transportation network.



Hope always springs eternal. Reality always disappoints.



Where are we this January that we weren’t last January?



We still do not have a permanent president of Amtrak (see the next item below).



We still do not have an expected passenger equipment order which will expand the fleet.



We still do not have a funded marketing plan which will increase ridership nationwide.



We still do not have every train in the system operating on a daily schedule.



We still do not have anything but a bare, inadequate, skeletal national system.



We still do not have anyone publicly leading the company with a future vision or growth plan.



We do have a plan to take the Sunset Limited west of New Orleans to a daily operation, but we don’t have a plan to restore the illegally stopped service east of New Orleans.



We do have some executives at Amtrak who are anxious to make the company perform better and provide better service, but they are hamstrung by the cadre of executives who seem to be there mostly for the retirement package.



We do have a desire on the part of many Americans of all ages to ride trains, but there are not many trains to ride.



We do have other competent passenger train operators in this country waiting for the opportunity to move beyond providing commuter services to real intercity services.



We do now exist in the era of anticipating coming high speed rail, but it’s going to be a long, long process getting there.



We do have visionaries like former Federal Railroad Administration Administrator Gil Carmichael who have developed realistic plans for the future, but often these learned and inspiring voices seem to be talking in the wilderness more than to receptive audiences in Washington, no matter how long and hard they talk and make a great deal of sense.



We do have people like Andrew Selden of Minneapolis, Minnesota who not only understand the business of passenger railroading, but are willing to create a vision and plan for the future.



Where are we in January 2010 versus January 2009? Another year has gone by without much major happening in the world of Amtrak.



Keep in mind, that has occurred intentionally on the part of Amtrak; it has had a plethora of opportunities, and it has chosen to focus on planning for the expected panacea of high speed rail and ignore its core business of 79 M.P.H. conventional trains. Maybe that’s why so many foreign passenger rail operators, from across both the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans have expressed an interest in developing high speed rail in the United States. These astute businessmen have looked at Amtrak and found it wanting in so many ways; they must figure competing for Amtrak for a chunk of business is like shooting fish in a barrel.





2) There is always someone in a company who has the zest and drive to make things happen. Eh, not so much at Amtrak.



The Amtrak Board of Directors, which will never be mistaken for a body which takes bold action, has extended indefinitely the tenure of interim President and Chief Executive Officer Joseph Boardman.



The Amtrak board currently consists of five voting members, one being Mr. Boardman. There are four vacant seats on the board, two of which have nominees awaiting Senate confirmation. Two seats have no announced appointees; apparently the White House and various and sundry Members of Congress haven’t agreed upon who gets those seats (If anybody asks, we can recommend a cadre of highly competent potential board members, none of which have the type of conflicts the two current nominees have, and each would be a stellar addition to the board.).



So, in a fit of bold caution, the Amtrak board extended Mr. Boardman’s contract and made a statement saying a permanent president of Amtrak would not be announced until the board is more fully populated.



Hmmmm, let’s see. When was the last time the Amtrak Board of Directors was fully populated?



Seriously, anybody know?



You have to go all the way back to the end of the Clinton Administration to find a legal quorum of board members.



In the interim during the Bush years, stars like former board chairman David Laney and some others held things together and worked through a number of problems while the White House dithered and the Senate obfuscated about appointing qualified board members.



So, Mr. Boardman gets to keep his job a while longer.



Okay, let’s get to the bottom line. There is certainly a rational argument to be made about a board of directors hiring a chief executive, and then new members of the board arrive and find the chief executive not to their liking. We’ve already seen that scenario play out with the unlamented departure of former Amtrak President and CEO Alex Kummant. Even though Mr. Kummant departed over disagreements about a number of issues, it was never an ideal situation to have a CEO hired by a departed board expected to meet the needs of a new board.



The big complaint really centers around the White House. Guys, it’s been a full year, now. That is more than enough time to find and screen political appointees to the Amtrak board. There are a number of qualified people just waiting in the wings, hoping for a chance to lead Amtrak into a better era and a more prosperous time. But, the Amtrak board, always a bottom of the barrel issue for any White House administration, remains a sideshow, and – highly regrettably – business as usual reigns.



In the interim, how about some leadership from the United States Department of Transportation and/or the Federal Railroad Administration? How about setting some goals for Amtrak and creating a true surface transportation policy?



How about SOMEONE doing SOMETHING? Doing ANYTHING? Dan Pardue of Raleigh, North Carolina, when trying to do problem solving with non-cooperative equipment or non-cooperative clients, always says “Do something, even if it’s wrong. At least some action is being taken, and perhaps the right answer will come along by starting some sort of process.”



Amtrak, here at This Week at Amtrak we will gladly provide you with Mr. Pardue’s telephone number so you can call him for some tutoring. Please, start some sort of process to start doing something – anything, please.



In 2009, a year which will go down in the annuals of history as a truly misbegotten year, Amtrak received record amounts of free federal monies. Stimulus money flowed, and regular budget money flowed.



While Amtrak did start whittling away at a backlog of projects which are nice to have completed, most of those projects (with the stark exception of rolling stock rehabs) will not generate any additional revenues for Amtrak. Most of the projects are just things which needed to be done, and had been neglected; some for decades.



Again, Amtrak has an unprecedented opportunity for change and upgrading itself as a company and our nation’s domestic passenger railroad.



But, Amtrak seems to be doing a bang up job of wasting that opportunity, instead of taking advantage of so much manna from the federal treasury.



We give Mr. Boardman credit for stabilizing some things, and he gets a huge “attaboy” for leading the company to accepting Brian Rosenwald’s excellent work of starting the process of converting the Sunset Limited west of New Orleans into a daily – yet, still a bit flawed – operation. We’re waiting for some leadership on what will happen east of New Orleans, and we keep hearing whispers the Cardinal, perhaps one of Amtrak’s most scenic routes, will be lifted from the doldrums and waste of a tri-weekly operation.



But, Mr. Boardman, in his interim post, is still head of the company, and he still sets the daily tone and pace of the company. We do expect some sort of future vision, even if it’s just a building block to be used by a permanent CEO. We do expect some sort of growth plan, and we do expect an equipment order beyond the rather paltry announcements which have been made for replacement equipment, only.



In short, even if it’s interim leadership, we do expect leadership.



Amtrak is an ongoing enterprise, with a long-forgotten mandate and mission to provide the United States of America with a national passenger train service. Keeping Amtrak in a state of suspense because the White House and Members of Congress can’t decide on political appointees for the board of directors is not only wasteful, it’s sinister and displays an outright prejudice against all of us who understand and cherish passenger rail travel.



Mr. Boardman, please start the process. The Obama White House, please do your duty and populate the Amtrak Board of Directors. United States Senate, please fulfill your advise and consent duties as outlined in the constitution so the Amtrak board seats can be filled in an expeditious manner.



Somebody, somewhere, please, don’t leave us all hanging.



3) Amtrak ended 2009 battling the late fall/early winter Blizzard of 2009, with a pretty good record. Chicago got penalized by one of its host railroads dumping a freight train off the tracks, causing a huge traffic jam, and it took a while to get things back to normal. No penalty to Amtrak. On the Northeast Corridor, while the airlines just threw up their collective hands and said they weren’t flying in the bad weather (it’s kind of tough to blame them when the weather is that nasty), Amtrak did mostly fulfill its duty as the all-weather common carrier and kept a lot of trains running, as did its host railroads south of Washington, even though trains were woefully late. Too many trains were cancelled during the busy holiday period (it’s especially vexing Amtrak chose to cancel the Palmetto, even though the majority of its run was south of the destruction of the storm), but transportation still was available.



There were too many mechanical malfunction reports of Amfleet cars on the NEC with doors which were frozen open. Gosh, those cars have only been around for a bit more than three decades now, in the heat of summer and the cold of winter, one has to believe someone in that vast period of time could figure out how to overcome Budd’s design flaws of the vestibule doors freezing in the open position when the car is full of passengers traveling at 100 M.P.H. and the icy wind is tearing through the interior of the car and passengers.



Going further into winter, Amtrak has been battling more weather-related problems and the country has been battling record cold temperatures and storms. (It MUST be all of that global warming; what other explanation could there be for such a cold and cruel start of what most likely is going to be a long, cold, bitter winter?) Some trains are running more than a dozen hours late, other trains just seem to be disappearing off of the schedule, and are never being launched out of their terminals.



This is when Amtrak’s too thin fleet reserves come back to bite it. Inbound equipment that normally turns for the next day’s outbound train suddenly is stranded on a siding somewhere on the far side of nowhere, and there’s no spare equipment to put on the road. Passengers and crews are stranded; things spin more and more out of control, and eventually system gridlock occurs. Remember all of that old equipment that used to sit around, but is gone, now? Wouldn’t it be nice to have that for occasions just such as this winter?



Before the Age of Amtrak, the private passenger railroads always kept a slice of their old equipment fleets around for use in emergencies. It wasn’t pretty, and it wasn’t the most efficient stuff in the world, but it got passengers to a destination when nothing else could. Amtrak has scrapped or sold all of its old equipment; after all, since it gets lots of free federal monies from the government treasury it doesn’t have to worry about keeping passengers happy by providing them the transportation they paid for in advance. Amtrak can just annul as many trains as it wants, and say “so sorry, so sad” to its stranded passengers, and keep totaling up the tab to be paid for by Congress next budget year.



What a way to run a railroad.







If you are reading someone else’s copy of This Week at Amtrak, you can receive your own free copy each edition by sending your e-mail address to



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You MUST include your name, preferred e-mail address, and city and state where you live. If you have filters or firewalls placed on your Internet connection, set your e-mail to receive incoming mail from twa@unitedrail.org; we are unable to go through any approvals processes for individuals. This mailing list is kept strictly confidential and is not shared or used for any purposes other than distribution of This Week at Amtrak or related URPA materials.



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Copies of This Week at Amtrak are archived on URPA’s web site, www.unitedrail.org and also on www.todaywithjb.blogspot.com where other rail-related writings of Bruce Richardson may also be found.



URPA leadership members are available for speaking engagements.



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@unitedrail.org

http://www.unitedrail.org





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This Week In Amtrak

A JPBX (Caltrain) "Baby Bullet" MP36...Image via Wikipedia


This Week at Amtrak; December 17, 2009



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@unitedrail.org • http://www.unitedrail.org





Volume 6, Number 52



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) Sometimes, the information sneaks in through the backdoor, which is fine, as long as it comes in.



Courtesy of the United States House of Representatives, Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, we have learned of Amtrak’s plans for new equipment.



The United States House of Representatives, in a rush to spend more public money, has presented H.R. 2847, THE “JOBS FOR MAIN STREET ACT, 2010” which it considers to be a jobs creation bill. There is all types of transportation monies in the bill, including scads of money for Amtrak.



Before you jump to any conclusions, this is a bill which is in progress, not a completed bill approved by both the House and Senate and sent to the president for signing. This is only a bill in progress, working its way through the legislative system.



But, what this bill does is give us a good glimpse into Amtrak’s wish list for new equipment.



Here’s what the bill has to say, pertaining only to Amtrak.





[Begin quote]



AMTRAK: $800 MILLION



H.R. 2847, the Jobs for Main Street Act, 2010: Title I, Chapter 6 of H.R. 2847 provides $800 million to Amtrak for fleet modernization, including rehabilitation of existing equipment and acquisition of new equipment such as fuel-efficient locomotives. It also strengthens Amtrak’s Buy America requirement to encourage domestic manufacturing and rehabilitation of the equipment.



Amtrak’s equipment is aging; it is a major factor in delays. Some of Amtrak’s vehicles are more than 50 years old. The average life of a passenger rail car, depending on its usage, is 25 to 30 years. The lifespan of a locomotive is 20 to 25 years. Currently, Amtrak has 92 Heritage cars in service (which are 53 to 61 years old), 17 Metroliners (which are 42 years old), 412 Amfleet I cars (which are 32 to 35 years old), 122 Amfleet II cars (which are 28 to 29 years old), 249 Superliner I cars (which are 28 to 30 years old); 184 Superliner II cars (which are 13 to 15 years old), 97 Horizon cars (which are 19 to 20 years old), 50 Viewliners (which are 13 to 14 years old), 29 Talgo cars (which are 10 years old), 120 Acela cars (which are nine to 10 years old), and 41 Surfliners (which are seven to nine years old).



With respect to locomotives, Amtrak has 49 AEM-7 locomotives (which are 21 to 29 years old), 18 P32’s (which are 18 years old), 18 P32DM’s (which are 11 to 14 years old), 21 F59PHI’s (which are 11 years old), 15 HHP-8’s (which are eight to 10 years old), and 207 P42’s (which are eight to 13 years old).



Over the next five years and given adequate resources, Amtrak plans to purchase 396 new single-level vehicles for corridor service, which will replace about 95 percent of the Amfleet I vehicles; purchase 275 new single-level vehicles for long-haul service in an effort to remove all of the Heritage single-level cars and about 95 percent of the Amfleet II vehicles from service; purchase 160 new bi-level vehicles to replace 65 percent of the Superliner I cars; and purchase 100 new electric locomotives to replace the entire electric locomotive fleet. Amtrak also plans to acquire 54 new diesel locomotives, replacing 20 percent of its diesel fleet; and purchase five additional Acela trainsets and 41 new switch engines to replace the entire switcher fleet. Amtrak estimates that the effort requires capital funding of approximately $4.57 billion.



Recovery Act Implementation: The Recovery Act provided Amtrak with $1.3 billion for capital improvements. Of the $1.3 billion, Amtrak has awarded $623 million in contracts for 350 projects. This amount represents 48 percent of the total apportionment. Other major initiatives are planned, including infrastructure improvements (such as major bridges); and improvements to rights-of-way, facilities and other structures, information management systems, and communications and signal systems. Amtrak is also making capital improvements to stations and other facilities to meet requirements under the Americans with Disabilities Act; various safety and security improvements, including purchasing police equipment; and replacing concrete ties.



[End quote]



Okay, while your True Believer buddy to the left of you is jumping up and down for joy at the information above, you, being a regular reader of This Week at Amtrak, and, therefore, exercise more bold caution when it comes to announcements from Amtrak or about Amtrak, take a more critical view of what you have just read.



You realize everything above only talks about REPLACING aging equipment; none of the hyperbole above actually talks about fleet EXPANSION.



In other words, Amtrak, if it gets the big bucks, only plans to replace its fleet, not expand its fleet. Using Amtrak’s usual bureaucratic thinking nonsense about always wanting perfect government-think scenarios because they are neat and tidy and don’t require any real thought, probably considers all of that older-hopefully-replaced equipment as upcoming surplus, to be sent to the scrap yard.



Amtrak still hasn’t learned its lesson from its chilly cousin to the north, VIA Rail Canada, which has the majority of its fleet’s equipment older than what Amtrak is using, and they cheerfully slap a new coat of paint on it, take out some of the dents, upgrade the electronics, and keep it going down the road with great dispatch, mostly because when Budd built the stuff in the 1950s, they built is the same way other companies built Sherman tanks: virtually indestructible.



But, no, that won’t do for Amtrak. Amtrak wants all-new, instead of new augmenting older for a blended fleet with different purposes. Heaven forbid Amtrak maintenance would have to be as clever as VIA Rail Canada maintenance.



So, yes, it’s nice to know Amtrak does have some plan tucked away somewhere for the future. Unfortunately, that plan doesn’t call for any expansion, or any improvements. It only calls for replacements.



Amtrak hasn’t figured out that wars are not won by just replacing dead soldiers; wars are won by determined surges making use of a combination of existing and new soldiers.



2) Did you notice the ad in the November 2009 issue of Railway Age Magazine?



It has the unglamorous title of “Request For Proposals: 10-PCJPB-T-025 For a Rail System Operator.” Did that make you start tingling all over? No? Well, here’s why it should.



The ad was placed by Caltrain, which operates the former Southern Pacific Railroad commuter service in and out of San Francisco and down the San Francisco Peninsula. Caltrain operates 98 trains per day, San Francisco-San Jose-Gilroy, with a total of 33 stations (including endpoint terminals). Included in the system is the famed Silicon Valley. The system has 77 miles of track with a top speed of 79 M.P.H. Caltrain carries on average, 39,000 passengers a day on weekdays.



This is not an inconsequential system; there are 29 locomotives and 110 passenger cars.



Let’s look at Amtrak in California; Amtrak’s biggest state cash cow. Amtrak takes in State of California (Caltrans) revenues for operating costs for the Capitols, San Joaquins, Pacific Surfliners, and, now Southern California’s Metrolink, in addition to its current operations deal for Caltrain.



Amtrak has been operating Caltrain on behalf of the Peninsula Corridor Joint Powers Board (a longish and legally proper way of saying the old Southern Pacific San Francisco Peninsula commuter service) since 1992. Now, the contract is up, and Caltrain has advertised for a request for proposals.



Amtrak just lost the Virginia Railway Express on the Right Coast; what would happen if it lost Caltrain on the Left Coast?



With the addition of Southern California’s Metrolink, probably not much on the surface; the Amtrak bureaucracy in the West would just keep on marching.



Those with a sharp eye may notice Gilroy, California is on the Union Pacific main line which is traversed by Amtrak’s Coast Starlight. Gilroy slips right in the middle of the San Jose and Salinas station stops.



So, let’s speculate, just a bit, as an intellectual exercise.



Suppose Amtrak doesn’t keep the Caltrains contract; suppose some other service provider, such as Veolia Transportation, Herzog, or even the French company which is taking over VRE on the far side of the country successfully bid for and win the Caltrain contract.



And, then, suppose the Caltrain operator performs successfully, and pleases not only the folks at Caltrain, but also – more importantly – the folks at Caltrans, who are monthly writing big, big checks to Amtrak for operating the Pacific Surfliners, Capitols, and San Joaquins (Metrolink writes its own checks).



What if some renegade bureaucrat in Caltrans says, “well, Caltrain is doing so well, how can we expand that service?



“What would happen if, say, we took one or two of those Caltrain consists, and pushed them further south than Gilroy, perhaps all the way to Los Angeles?



“What would happen if Union Pacific Railroad liked the Caltrain operator better than Amtrak?



“What would happen, if say, well, gee, we just start turning over all of the Caltrans contracts to the Caltrain operator, instead of retaining Amtrak contract after contract?”



The answer is, Amtrak would suffer a horrible blow, and be crippled tremendously in the west. Amtrak would actually have real world competition. Amtrak would have to sing for its supper every night. Amtrak would really have to perform.

All of this, of course, comes under the heading “what if?”. But, it’s an intriguing “what if?”.



Amtrak for too long has taken most of its world for granted. It has even had the hubris of presuming it will be the preferred operator of the coming various high speed rail systems, even though it has not done well operating what it has today.



An article in today’s Daily Finance (www.dailyfinance.com) says Japan Central Railway has started putting together a proposal to be the sole builder and operator of America’s high speed rail system; everything from building track and infrastructure to building and operating trainsets. These are the same folks who operate the profitable bullet train franchise in Japan today.



The French and Germans want in on the USA action, too.



Amtrak may think it has the home field advantage, but it’s tough to see how, when there are much more successful worldwide competitors out there knocking on America’s door.



Veolia Transportation, which operates some sort of commuter rail or transit system in over 500 cities around the world (equivalent to Amtrak’s number of station stops in the national system) wants in on US high speed rail, too. They have the talent, and they have the financial clout to make it happen.



Will Amtrak understand in time what is swirling around it and potentially causing a lot of mayhem? Will Amtrak understand it has a long, long way to go to get its corporate house in order so it can fend off these much more successful international competitors? It’s going to take a lot more clout than Amtrak has today on Capitol Hill to keep things together. Amtrak needs to understand the world is not an exclusive Amworld.







If you are reading someone else’s copy of This Week at Amtrak, you can receive your own free copy each edition by sending your e-mail address to



freetwa@unitedrail.org



You MUST include your name, preferred e-mail address, and city and state where you live. If you have filters or firewalls placed on your Internet connection, set your e-mail to receive incoming mail from twa@unitedrail.org; we are unable to go through any approvals processes for individuals. This mailing list is kept strictly confidential and is not shared or used for any purposes other than distribution of This Week at Amtrak or related URPA materials.



All other correspondence, including requests to unsubscribe should be addressed to



brucerichardson@unitedrail.org

Copies of This Week at Amtrak are archived on URPA’s web site, www.unitedrail.org and also on www.todaywithjb.blogspot.com where other rail-related writings of Bruce Richardson may also be found.



URPA leadership members are available for speaking engagements.



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@unitedrail.org

http://www.unitedrail.org





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This Week In Amtrak

Logo of SunRail, Central Florida Rail Service,...Image via Wikipedia


This Week at Amtrak; December 15, 2009



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@unitedrail.org • http://www.unitedrail.org





Volume 6, Number 51



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) It’s that time, again. Amtrak has put out the Fall 2009/Winter 2010 national timetable, and these things just keep getting better with every edition. Amtrak’s timetables are one of the few bright spots in the company; each one becomes more user friendly than the previous edition, and the design – which was stagnant for years – shows some zip and imagination.



Notable are the number of paid advertisements by outside agencies and vendors. These people are obviously interested in the business which can be created by Amtrak’s passengers, and they are reaching them in the most expeditious manner, plus helping reduce the cost of producing the timetables.



Whoever is creating the timetables needs to keep doing whatever they are doing. It’s working, and working nicely.



2) It’s begun. Yesterday’s San Francisco Business Times reports the California High-Speed Rail Authority is submitting a business plan to state lawmakers increasing the price tag of the California bullet train between Los Angeles and San Francisco by $9 billion, from $33.6 billion last year to $42.6 billion now.



Ridership estimates have also fallen, from 51 million riders a year down to 41 million; the Authority says the lower ridership estimate is based on projected higher fares, from $68 to $104, now almost $105 instead.



The cost increases for construction are due to inflation, more right-of-way purchases, and additional track work required.



The Authority expects the intrastate project will be funded by $9 billion for 2008's Proposition 1A approved by California voters, local funding of $4 to $5 billion, private funding of $10 to $12 billion, and you and me as federal taxpayers will kick in $17 to $19 billion over the life of the construction project, which isn’t planned to be completed until 2020, 11 years from now.



3) This will give you an end-of-the year giggle. There is a mini-crisis brewing in Tallahassee, Florida’s capital. Senator Paula Dockery, who lost the battle to defeat SunRail this go round earlier this month is never saying “die.” Her new approach: Ask for all of the e-mails swapped between various government officials, departments heads, etc., relating to SunRail. Senator Dockery has particularly been gunning for the Secretary of the Department of Transportation.



Here’s the fun part: Florida has very strong sunshine laws governing all public communications, including intra-governmental e-mails. It seems while the legislation was being formed, Florida’s Department of Transportation was in constant contact with CSX, the main beneficiary of the law; CSX is selling its right-of-way and infrastructure to the State of Florida to make SunRail in Central Florida possible.



Horrors! says Senator Dockery. Florida DOT, as it was crafting legislation, was in contact with CSX, the beneficiary of the legislation. Something crooked must be going on!



Most likely, it never occurred to Senator Dockery, in all of her vitriol and seeking revenge against CSX and Florida DOT, perhaps, since both parties are going to have to agree to this deal, if the parties communicate while the deal is going on, there will not be a prolonged period at the end for negotiations? Perhaps, if agreements are made incrementally, then upon final drafting of the deal, only signatures will be required instead of more and more negotiations?



That’s what a reasonable person would think.



The folks at Florida DOT didn’t help themselves, though, by creating what is now known as “Wafflegate.” It seems the DOT people MAY have wanted to avoid public records disclosure searches by labeling all of their e-mail pertaining to SunRail with the names of breakfast foods.



Yes, you read that correctly. E-mails traded between DOT officials had subject headers of “pancakes,” and “French toast.” When the initial public records search was made using key words such as “SunRail,” “CSX,” and “commuter rail” the search engines somehow completely ignored “pancakes” and “French toast.”



So, a tempest in a teapot has come to be. Somebody, drinking the breakfast tea, should have used better judgement in labeling e-mails. A very good commuter rail project is now mired in election year political backbiting and witch hunts because somebody was just being foolish.



3) Does everyone understand the concept of an unfunded mandate? This is what Congress and the federal government frequently do; laws are created everyone must follow, but no money is provided often for the billions of dollars it will cost for private industry or individuals to follow the new law’s mandate.



Positive Train Control, as mandated for 30 of our nation’s railroads in the Amtrak reauthorization signed last year by President George W. Bush is an unfunded mandate, which the railroad industry estimates will cost $10 billion to comply, says ProgressiveRailraoding.com. The railroads (including Amtrak) will be required to install the monitor-and-control system. Industry benefits on the $10 billion investment are expected to be about $600 million, far, far short of the cost of installation.



As a result of this, some railroads are looking at their track networks and trying to figure out how much of the networks have to have PTC by the mandated start date. Some railroads, such as CSX, are looking at lightly used main lines, like the Sunset route east of New Orleans into Florida, and making decisions not to upgrade that track, electing instead to move freight trains over a nearly parallel route further to the north, and dropping back into Florida for the gateway at Jacksonville to all of Florida’s peninsula.



Other Class I railroads are correctly doing the same. With a mandated investment in the billions, and return on investment in the low millions, railroads have to take a rational approach to PTC. No track is being torn up, but routes are being downgraded until the long term business climate looks more favorable.



This puts Amtrak in a bit of a difficult position. Any route expansions or restorations have to take into account for the first time whether or not PTC infrastructure is in place. If not, the cost of the expansion includes the addition of Positive Train Control on the new track.



Some TWA readers have wondered what all of this is going to do to Amtrak as it shakily stands today.



Most likely, the host freight railroads are going to look to Amtrak as much as possible to bear the cost of PTC on their lines, especially on routes which are lightly used for freight movements, but constantly used by Amtrak. Parts of the Southwest Chief route on the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway qualify under this condition.



The freight railroads will look at Amtrak like one of their investment bankers; Amtrak has less controversial access to cash from the federal and state governments than the private railroads. Don’t be surprised sometime in 2010 or soon after for Amtrak to make a large grant request to Congress, perhaps in the hundreds of millions of dollars, solely for the purpose of PTC upgrades along established routes.



This only makes sense; it was Congress, in its rush to prove its chops after the many fatalities of the Metrolink crash in Southern California earlier in 2008, which said any line carrying passenger trains and certain hazardous freight loads must be PTC equipped if used in regular, scheduled service.



If Congress believes its own publicity and believes it acted correctly with the Amtrak reauthorization in 2008 which included PTC mandates, then it should have little, if any, problems coming up with the big bucks it’s going to take to fund Positive Train Control.



Since Congress mandates host railroads MUST handle Amtrak trains, and Congress mandates host railroads MUST offer the safety of PTC, the Congress MUST pay for all of this. It’s one thing to make railroads host passenger trains, it’s entirely another to penalize them with additional expense to create a multi-billion dollar mandate nearly 40 years after Amtrak was created.



4) Here is the latest from Ken Orski at Innovation NewsBriefs. This is Volume 20, Number 24; for further information, consult www.innobriefs.com.



[Begin quote]



December 12, 2009



Using the Jobs Stimulus to Reform the Transportation Program



Writing recently in the National Journal's Transportation blog, we observed the new Obama-proposed job stimulus might dim the prospects for an early enactment of a long-term surface transportation authorization. "The jobs stimulus," we wrote, "or rather its infrastructure component, could be the death warrant for any foreseeable reform of the federal surface transportation program." ("What Have We Learned from the Recovery Act", December 9, 2009, http://transportation.nationaljournal.com)



The crowded senate calendar, we reasoned, means congressional action on the second stimulus proposal — or at least its $50-70 billion component dealing with new infrastructure spending — must wait until next year and may not reach the President’s desk until late Spring 2010. With the newly authorized infrastructure funds added to the still unspent $16 billion left over from the Recovery Act (ARRA), federal stimulus spending for transportation projects could stretch well beyond 2010.



Assuming the job stimulus becomes law, we asked, does any one think Congress would still have any appetite to enact a $500 billion multi-year authorization in 2010, on the eve of a congressional midterm election? Most likely, we concluded, a multi-year authorization would be delayed until 2011and some pessimists think that with a new Congress and an increased emphasis on deficit reduction, an even further slippage could occur. "Is the tradeoff worth it? You decide" we wrote.



Well, the response is in and it largely supports our point of view. It came in the form of responses from fellow bloggers and in a December 9 Newsweek column by David A. Graham, entitled "Putting the Cart Before the Horse: Could a transportation-based jobs stimulus stymie infrastructure reform?" Wrote Graham: "The stimulus bill would spend tens of billions of dollars in infrastructure but do little to remake a flawed financing and planning system. That’s a missed opportunity, according to some observers, who are concerned a stimulus, while better than nothing, would fall short of its potential by ignoring the issues the surface transport bill aims to address." The column goes on in a later paragraph to say: "The worry is that by pumping large sums into infrastructure this spring, Congress might kill any appetite for a meaningful overhaul of surface transportation funding any time soon." It quotes my fellow National Journal Transportation blogger James Corless, director of the liberal Transportation for America coalition as "very concerned." "We worry greatly," the column quotes Corless, "that putting tens of billions of dollars into these existing stovepipes is not going to have the intended outcome," i.e. a true reform of the surface transportation program.



Meanwhile, the objectives of the proposed second stimulus are becoming more elastic as we speak. At a December 10 Brookings Institution forum on Infrastructure, U.S. DOT Secretary Ray LaHood said he sees no reason why some of the infrastructure funds in the stimulus program should not be allowed to be diverted to fund the operating expenses of transit systems which have been hard hit by the economic recession. It's difficult to see how such a move would help to promote job growth, but then the entire rationale and objectives of the second infrastructure stimulus have been poorly articulated and, not surprisingly, are coming under increased scrutiny.



Hopefully, by the time Congress is ready to act — most likely, only after the President’s State of the Union address in January — the hemorrhaging of jobs will stop and Congress will be able to shift its focus, as several of my fellow bloggers suggested, from "ready-to-go" maintenance projects (which seem more effective at preserving existing jobs than at creating new jobs) to a longer lasting goal of investing in infrastructure projects that improve national connectivity, increase metropolitan accessibility and enhance economic growth. Such action would make it less urgent to enact a multi-year transportation bill, whose prospects of passage in 2010, we still believe, are anything but certain.



[End quote]









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Jacksonville, Florida 32217-2006 USA

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This Week In Amtrak

Sunset Limited in Houston.Image via Wikipedia


This Week at Amtrak; December 10, 2009



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@unitedrail.org • http://www.unitedrail.org





Volume 6, Number 50



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) Just when we thought things were slowing down for the Christmas season ... word has come the Amtrak Board of Directors has authorized taking the current tri-weekly Sunset Limited and turning it into a daily operation.



The new version of the Sunset Limited – and, most likely, the Sunset Limited name will regrettably be retired, in a death before its time – will make the daily Texas Eagle a daily train all the way from its present daily endpoint in San Antonio, Texas to Los Angeles. For the first time in decades, the fabled Sunset Route of the former Southern Pacific Railroad and now Union Pacific Railroad will have daily service. The Texas Eagle will now be a Chicago-Los Angeles daily train. There is hopeful speculation the less than spectacular Texas Eagle name will be retired, too, and perhaps replaced with something more appropriate such as restoring the former Southern Pacific/Rock Island famed name, the Golden State. Other names, such as the lackluster California Eagle, have also been suggested.



Cities and towns with current tri-weekly service now having daily service from a full service train include



Del Rio, Texas

Sanderson, Texas

Alpine, Texas

El Paso, Texas

Deming, New Mexico

Lordsburg, New Mexico

Benson, Arizona

Tucson, Arizona

Maricopa, Arizona (Phoenix)

Yuma, Arizona

Palm Springs, California

Ontario, California

Pomona, California

and, into Los Angeles Union Station.



For the segment of the current Sunset Limited route between San Antonio and New Orleans, a new daily stub train will be established, with coach and a first class coach service, along with a food service car. The schedules of this yet-to-be-named train will coordinate with the new version of the Sunset at San Antonio.



When this plan first surfaced earlier this year at the Railroad Passenger Association of California meeting in Los Angeles, many had hoped through car service from Los Angeles to at least New Orleans would remain. Alas, in this version, that is not to be; passengers traveling from points west of San Antonio will have to change trains for cities, towns, and hamlets east of San Antonio.



Many are hoping that will change; there are other points in the Amtrak system where that type of operation takes place, notably on the Lake Shore Limited and Empire Builder.



As an interesting note, Alpine, Texas, most known for its wide open spaces and almost total lack of denizens, will now have daily train service with sleeping cars, and a full service diner, but Houston, Texas, one of the largest cities in America, will have daily service with only coaches, a first class coach service, and some sort of diner/lounge food service. Somewhere, somebody at Amtrak thinks that’s a peachy idea.



Stations east of San Antonio which will now have daily coach service on the new stub train include



Houston, Texas

Beaumont, Texas

Lake Charles, Louisiana

Lafayette, Louisiana

New Iberia, Louisiana

Schriever, Louisiana

and, New Orleans Union Passenger Terminal.



There is no information as to when this service will commence, and on what schedules the two trains will operate.



2) What of service on the Sunset Limited route east of New Orleans?

Don’t hold your breath. Amtrak’s Gulf Coast report which it published late this summer made pretty plain hash of what the company wants before it will consider restoring this much-missed and much-needed service.



We will give the Amtrak Board of Directors some credit for embracing Brian Rosenwald’s plans for the Sunset Limited west of New Orleans, but the board will receive a collective lump of coal in its Christmas stocking for doing nothing to restore the immorally-stopped service east of New Orleans.







If you are reading someone else’s copy of This Week at Amtrak, you can receive your own free copy each edition by sending your e-mail address to



freetwa@unitedrail.org



You MUST include your name, preferred e-mail address, and city and state where you live. If you have filters or firewalls placed on your Internet connection, set your e-mail to receive incoming mail from twa@unitedrail.org; we are unable to go through any approvals processes for individuals. This mailing list is kept strictly confidential and is not shared or used for any purposes other than distribution of This Week at Amtrak or related URPA materials.



All other correspondence, including requests to unsubscribe should be addressed to



brucerichardson@unitedrail.org



Copies of This Week at Amtrak are archived on URPA’s web site, www.unitedrail.org and also on www.todaywithjb.blogspot.com where other rail-related writings of Bruce Richardson may also be found.



URPA leadership members are available for speaking engagements.



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@unitedrail.org

http://www.unitedrail.org







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