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National Association of Railroad Passengers: www.narprail.org
Hotline #610Hotline #610 Washington D.C. experience its deadliest Metrorail crash ever this past Monday, killing nine people and injuring 80. The crash happened when a train heading northeast into Maryland on Metro’s Red Line north of the Fort Totten station slammed into a stopped train that was on the same track. This section of Metro is bracketed by CSX tracks used by Amtrak’s Capitol Limited and MARC’s Brunswick line. The MARC service stopped about the time of the crash Monday and resumed on Wednesday. Metro halted service over part of the line but, starting yesterday, allowed single-track operation through the area of the accident until 10 AM and again from 3 PM to 10 PM. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is investigating and often takes a year or more to issue a final report in an accident of this magnitude. Preliminary findings point to failure of a track circuit that should have detected the presence of a stopped train. Metro now is checking all 3,000 of its track circuits, meaning that the entire system will be limited to 35 mph and manual operation for now. An analysis of the tracks shows that the driver of the train, Jeanice McMillan, engaged the emergency brake before impact. McMillan was one of the fatalities. Responding to restated NTSB criticism regarding of the crashworthiness of Metro’s oldest cars, and which were in the striking train, as well as to a specific request from its union, Metro is proceeding to rearrange trains so that these 1000-series cars are in between the newer cars. Metro owns almost 300 of the 1000 series cars, which comprise about one-quarter of the fleet. They are scheduled to be replaced within about five years at a cost of about $900 million. Metro General Manager John Catoe met yesterday with Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood and then said, “I didn’t walk away with a suitcase of money, but I did walk away with a commitment from Secretary LaHood.” NARP President Ross Capon was interviewed in connection with the accident on Washington’s Channel 9 (local CBS affiliate) the morning of June 24 and by Pacifica Radio today. He has reminded people that this is only the second train accident with passenger fatalities in Metrorail’s 32-year history, but also that this tragedy underlines the need for adequate funding for transit. . U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood and DOT Policy Director Roy Kienitz each appeared before members of Congress promoting the White House’s request for a $20 billion, 18 month temporary extension of SAFTEA-LU, the legislation set to expire September 30 of this year. LaHood said the Obama Administration is committed to paying for the bill for this in a responsible manner, and that it will include the blueprint for eventual reform. The Secretary has, however, had to defer questions about the specific mechanisms for funding the $7 billion deficit in the Highway Trust Fund created by a decline in gasoline consumption, saying only that the White House is currently drafting their plan. Chairman James Oberstar (D-MN), meanwhile, released a 775 page draft of the Transportation & Infrastructure Committee’s Surface Transportation Reauthorization Act of 2009—a $500 billion piece of legislation which will look to increase the total percentage of transportation infrastructure that is in a state of good repair, increase investment in rail and transit, and streamline the approval process for projects. Both parties have found common ground in arguing that certainty is of paramount importance for state’s ability to plan for future transportation projects. “We can’t do infrastructure on the cheap,” Governor Ed Rendell (D-PA) testified at a June 23 Senate Commerce Committee hearing on high speed rail. “We have to find the political courage to find a way to pay for this.” The bill has no earmark for rail, but in its current version would let a state spend up to 10% of its emission allowances on “green” transportation (transit and bicycles). Transit advocates doubt this will wind up meaning much. The bill would require the U.S. to reduce emissions to 17% below 2005 levels by 2025. It would also set up a market in carbon permits—commonly known as cap-and-trade—to stimulate investment in green energy. The current version of the bill is the product of heavy compromise to attract Democrats representing agricultural and coal districts. Republicans, however, have come out against the legislation, calling it an energy tax that would cripple the competitiveness for American companies trying to do business abroad, and send jobs to China. This is despite two studies, done by the Congressional Budget Office and the Environmental Protection Agency, which put the cost of the bill at an increase of electricity fees by 22 cents to 48 cents a day.
As a part of China’s plans to spend hundreds of billions of dollars on improving and expanding the country’s rail network, the government is suggesting that they will combine $44 billion in assets into a company that would raise investment capital through an initial public offering. The Financial Times reports that the assets in question are likely to be the Beijing to Shanghai high-speed rail line, one of China’s most profitable routes. No timeline has been announced. An alternate plan would inject these assets into an investment vehicle owned jointly by the government and a private insurer. The U.S. House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure’s Subcommittee on Railroads’ field hearing, which took place in Pittsburgh, was concerned with the future of passenger rail in the nation. The $13 billion investment in high-speed rail proposed by President Obama has drawn a surge of interest in manufacturers, both domestically and abroad. NARP Council Member Kenneth Joseph of Pittsburgh testified, as did GE Transportation President Lorenzo Simonelli. GE Transportation has had success building the Evolution line of freight locomotives, which were introduced in 2005, and they have been touted for their fuel efficiency and ability to slash emissions. While the Evolution’s top speed is 75 mph, Simonelli said they can quickly modify the model to attain speeds between 110 mph and 124 mph. “GE is prepared to build in northwestern Pennsylvania the next generation high-speed diesel-electric passenger locomotive which will support the high-speed rail initiative, create U.S. passenger rail manufacturing capacity, and provide well-paying jobs” said Simonelli. |