If bullets were this slow we'd have world peace

The Empire line has been subject to consistent delays recently, ostensibly due to track maintenence. The last time major track work was done the new ties were made of concrete rather than wood to support the anticipated "bullet train" which would run at slightly more than half the speed of high-speed trains in japan. One hundred eighty million dollars later, the "bullet train" project has now officially been abandoned and the new ties are made of wood.

Never fear, however, the NY state Senate has created a new task force on high-speed rail service. The task force will review a $5 million feasibility study currently underway. The study will focus on two main routes: one linking Buffalo and New York City, and another linking Montreal, Albany and New York City.

There's nothing politicians like better than to spend money on feasibilty studies. As one Amtrak conductor said to me the other day, "I've got ten years till retirement and I don't think I'll ever see it."

Alien abduction can't be worse...

Haven't posted in many moons but last night was the worst -- the 8:20 and 10:45 pm trains to Albany were delayed and finally combined, departing at 2:30 am the next morning. The trip which normally takes 2 hours and 25 minutes took 4 hours, due to ongoing track repairs and the need to replace an engineer mid-trip who had worked too many consecutive hours. Tempers were boiling at Penn Station and the customer relations staff unable and/or unwilling to provide any idea of when or if the trains would finally arrive. While uninterested in our complaints they were quick to complain how hard their jobs were. Finally they called the Amtrak police when some passengers raised their voices a little too loudly.

This morning I see that a proposed cut to Amtrak funding has been rescinded and that they're getting more money than ever.

NY Times: Railroad to Pay Over Violations at Crossings

The NY Times reports today that "New York's attorney general, Eliot Spitzer, said on Monday that the railroad giant CSX Transportation Inc. had agreed to pay $1 million to settle state charges that it violated safety laws by failing to report and promptly fix hundreds of warning-signal malfunctions at grade crossings across the state."

CSX leases access to its tracks to Amtrak for a good deal of the Empire line.

It could be worse dept: Four die on tracks of Moscow metro in one day

A series of accidents happened in the Moscow metro on February 23rd. Four people died in the metro as they fell down on the tracks and were killed with arriving trains, Interfax reports with reference to a source in the law-enforcement authorities. Moreover, a group of teenagers took a train car of passengers hostage later the same day.

Better late than never dept.

Amtrak critics have long warned of inadequate emergency evacuation planning in and around New York's Penn Station. In late September an Amtrak transformer fire brought NYC rails to a standstill because of inadequate plans for rescue workers to get in or passengers out of the tunnels. Only 2 of 6 tunnels were sufficiently equipped for escape or ventilation. To remedy this problem Amtrak has given Swedish construction giant Skanska AB a contract worth 126.6 million to renovate ventilation and safety facilities in the East River Tunnels. Work will begin in January 2005 and is scheduled to be done by 2009.

Amtrak metes out justice on the rails

The Chicago Daily Herald reports that "A westbound Amtrak train struck and killed a man Wednesday afternoon in Chicago as he was trying to load stolen auto parts into a truck that was parked on the tracks."

Former Amtrak mouthpiece advocates scrapping Amtrak

Joseph Vranich, a former public affairs spokesman for Amtrak, has just written The Failure of Amtrak Reform and the Future of America's Passenger Trains, to be published by the American Enterprise Institute tomorrow. In the introduction he writes, "Having second thoughts about one's convictions is a growth experience. I should know, because I had helped create Amtrak, and later advocated its expansion. In my exuberance for train travel, I was one of Amtrak's staunchest supporters. I've since recognized that my advocacy ignored powerful forces in the travel marketplace, and I helped perpetuate a discredited transportation concept. I offer a mea culpa to American travelers, commuters, and taxpayers."

Why the Empire Line seems like London ....

... or do I just need a career change?
ThisisLondon reports commuting to London is "is more stressful than being a fighter pilot in combat, or a police officer in a riot .... Psychologist Dr David Lewis, who led the research, warns that commuters could suffer serious heart problems ... The key for commuters is the feeling they are not in control, this is what makes them lose their temper."

Smashing excuse for a tardy train

The Toledo Blade reports that, "No one was hurt yesterday when an Amtrak passenger train hit a stalled automobile at a railroad crossing on State Rt. 163, authorities said .... Amtrak's eastbound Lake Shore Limited, bound for New York City from Chicago and Toledo, had 156 passengers and a crew of about 10 aboard when it hit the car about 1:35 a.m., Amtrak spokesman Marc Magliari said. The train resumed its journey after a 103-minute delay."

A little tact goes a long way dept.

MADISON, Wis. (AP) - A man unhappy with the food service on Amtrak was sentenced to nearly four years in prison for making calls from his cell phone saying there was a bomb on the train he was riding. Conwill had pleaded guilty in August to making the threats July 6, saying he was angry at being served food that contained hot peppers. He said they caused an allergic reaction. The five calls came as the train, en route from Seattle, rolled through Sauk and Juneau counties. It was stopped in Portage and passengers were taken to a school for several hours while the train was searched. No bombs were found.

Two Amtrak accidents in less than a week...

AP reports that, "The derailment of an Amtrak train Thursday night disrupted rail service through New Haven Friday, and temporarily halted service for some Metro-North commuters. The Acela Express, traveling from Boston to Washington, D.C., got stuck on the tracks in New Haven when the rear passenger car derailed, Amtrak said. Two passengers suffered minor injuries. After leaving the New Haven's Union Station shortly after 9 p.m., the train's engineer noticed some damage to overhead lines and the signal system, and the decision was made to send the train back to New Haven, said Cliff Black, an Amtrak spokesman. The train was backing up at a slow rate of speed when the rear coach derailed."

The Saint-Louis Post Dispatch reports, a "teenager was injured Tuesday when an Amtrak train smashed his car into three pieces as he crossed railroad tracks, ignoring warnings signaling the train's approach."

It'll Never Happen Here Dept.

Reuters reports that a London train conductor recently punched the ticket of a dead passenger who he thought was sleeping. "...It turned out that the passenger had expired, long before his ticket ever did," said a report in the Transport Police's staff magazine.