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Hotline #669Hotline #669 Amtrak’s Keystone service has seen a surge in ridership, carrying over 1.28 million people in fiscal year 2010, a record number of passengers for the line. According to the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT), ridership increased by 4% in FY 2010 compared to the same period last year. Ridership has steadily increased on Keystones since 2006, when Pennsylvania and Amtrak completed a joint $145 million project to upgrade service on the line to a top speed of 110 mph, which allows for a 90 minute express service between Harrisburg, Lancaster, and Philadelphia. Since the then, ridership on the line has grown by 40%. PennDOT spokesman Rich Kirkpatrick told the Patriot-News that the higher speeds, along with increased frequencies (158 trips every week) has been a “powerful combination.” Since its debut on August 19, 2009, the additional train has carried 221,000 riders, bumping up the total ridership for the Cascades route by 21% compared to 2009. The train was originally debuted to provide additional transportation options for the Winter Olympics held in Vancouver this past March. However the success of the train led the Washington State Department of Transportation to extend the train’s operation through September as part of a pilot program. WSDOT has said it is interested in continuing to run a second train if the Canadian Border Services Agency is willing to continue to provide customs and immigration inspectors at Vancouver without charging additional security fees. According to Amtrak spokeswoman Karen Romero, a low-voltage problem forced it to suspend train service between New York City and Washington, D.C., and Philadelphia and Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. The suspension lasted from 7:45 am until around 9:00 am, although the resulting congestion persisted through much of the day. The exact cause of the malfunction hasn’t been released to the public, although it likely originated closer to Washington. NARP Director Ken Briers, in an interview with the Associated Press, examined some of the difficulties Amtrak is facing with its network. “One of the negatives about an electrified railroad is if anything happens, it’s never minor,” Briers told the AP. “I think they’re moving in the right direction with this system to improve the control with the power supply. But I think there’s a learning curve here, and you’ve got no place to practice, except on your own system.” Connex was the contracted operator of the Southern California commuter railroad’s trains at the time, but decided against re-contracting with Metrolink after the accident. The National Transportation Safety Board attributed the crash to the Connex-employed engineer’s error. The investigation found that he was sending text messages seconds before the collision. “The reason we went in this direction was our desire to try and get money to the families of victims as soon as possible,” said Richard Katz, vice chairman of the Metrolink board of directors. “By filing this motion in federal court along with Connex, we believe this will take years off litigation and allow families to recover faster.” Paul Kiesel, the coordinating counsel for all the victims and families, claims that $200 million will not cover the damages incurred by the accident. Kiesel has also called for an increase in the federal liability cap. NARP’s Board adopted a resolution on August 5 that argued against raising the liability cap, arguing that existing law allows fair compensation to victims, and raising the cap is likely to “significantly increase the cost of running passenger trains, thereby threatening both existing services and the ability to expand service and introduce new services.” The ceremony, held in North Kingstown, was funded in part by $4.4 million from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. Rhode Island Department of Transportation officials are estimated that the rail line—planned as a green alternative to Interstate-95—will carry around 1,700 passengers per day. “When you break ground on a rail link that will connect a community to Rhode Island’s busiest airport and also to New England’s two largest cities, that’s good news” wrote U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood on his official blog. “And when you create jobs in the process, that’s good news.” The $10.5 million renovation—funded by the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act passed in 2009—repaired parts of the station that were badly damaged in 2004 by a hurricane; passengers have been forced to make-do with temporary facilities in the intervening six years. The station will also feature an upgraded concession area and gift shop. “We were almost in a depression and we are beginning to turn it and its with the stimulus dollars we are putting people to work and we are doing exactly what we intended the stimulus dollars to do,” said Brown, who serves as Chairwoman on the House Transportation & Infrastructure Subcommittee on Railroads. The station is set to open on October 1. “We wanted to find a way to say yes [to the Army’s request], and we did,” VRE Board Chairman Paul Milde said. “Taking these soldiers off the crowded highways makes sense, and we want to help the Army with its mission.” The commuter railroad will sell 10 passenger cars and three locomotives to the Army for $250,000. The equipment will be used to ferry troops between Fort Lee (near Petersburg, VA) and Fort A.P. Hill (near Bowling Green, VA), 800 to 1,100 people at a time. VRE admitted that the price is relatively low, but pointed to the fact that they bought the railcars for $1 each from a Chicago commuter-railroad when the equipment was 40-years old, and disposal of the equipment would cost hundreds of thousands of dollars per car. The commuter railroad has a total of 30 passenger cars it has earmarked to replace, but the board limited the offer to 10 to ensure the availability of backup equipment for daily service. The sale would not affect current service, but—if VRE’s current plan for fleet procurement is adhered to—would limit service expansion until 2015. As of the time of reporting, the Army has yet to accept the offer.
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