NARP

NARP blog

TRAINS: A travel choice Americans want

» Visit the Official NARP Website

Flag Stops: Taking Small, Quick Steps

Tuesday, June 30, 2009

This week’s roundup of news and views in the world of passenger rail and American travel focuses on the need to act quickly, yet deliberately, to do what needs to be done to keep the country moving sustainably.

  • At a Senate Commerce subcommittee hearing last week, Amtrak CEO Joe Boardman and FRA Administrator Joseph Szabo testified that most of the federal high-speed rail money should go towards track and signal improvements that would make existing trains faster and more reliable, and would permit additional frequencies. In a guest op-ed for the Richmond Times-Dispatch, Boardman says boosting existing trains’ top speeds to 110 mph results in an average 40-percent reduction in trip time. Several Amtrak routes, such as the Keystone (Philadelphia-Harrisburg), the St. Louis-Kansas City corridor, and the Downeaster (Boston-Portland, ME)  have seen ridership increases even with modest improvements, including higher speeds, more frequencies and better on-time performance. Boardman believes that such small steps are necessary to recreate a train-riding culture in America. NARP concurs, as does Trains for America. Some differ with this approach, though, wanting the funds to be spent instead on one or two major projects involving very fast trains on new lines. Such ventures should be pursued, but not at the expense of current and potential passengers who would benefit greatly from more imminently attainable advancements.

  • Congressional leaders and the executive branch are still debating how long the country can wait before federal surface transportation programs are reauthorized, and hence reformed. As we’ve noted before, the current draft reauthorization bill [PDF] has a good deal of positive language, but still leaves many questions unanswered.  Also, our friends at Transportation for America’s have an informative analysis of the draft legislation.

  • A silver lining to the nation’s economic storm clouds: more punctual Amtrak trains, which is helping to draw people back to the rails. “Perhaps rail aficionados—who favor Amtrak’s relaxing atmosphere and communal spirit over the frenzy and isolation of the airport—have something to teach the engineers of our now-derailed economy,” writes Jason Mark. “Speed, in fact, isn’t everything. Steadiness is more likely to get us where we need to go.” Amtrak’s improved on-time performance can be credited not just to the decline in freight traffic, but also to some railroads’ policy decisions to give Amtrak trains better handling after October 2008 enactment of the law empowering the Surface Transportation Board to assess damages against railroads that routinely delay passenger trains. Performance by Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern in particular improved dramatically in November, long before freight traffic tailed off.

  • In Florida, rail advocates continue to tout high-speed trains as boons to the economy and tourism, while opponents fuss over the up-front cost. Resisting wise rail investments while letting auto and air traffic worsen in a congested place like Florida is like balking at the price of properly insulating your home and opting instead to keep wasting money on heat and air conditioning that escapes through the cracks in the walls. The costs of getting around (both in terms of time and money) will only keep going up if the transportation system isn’t fixed by providing greater mobility and greater choice.

  • Air travel headaches continue: with fewer passengers and fewer flights, planned airport expansion projects are being shelved. While the trend is affecting large and small airports alike, many of the flights being eliminated are shorter-haul routes which could be better served by trains. Unfortunately, the bulk of those routes lack train service adequate to meet the demand.

  • A look at the very real consequences of funding new trains, buses and transit infrastructure without investing enough in actually running them. Luckily, relief is on the way for transit agencies in need of operating cash. Meanwhile, PBS’s Blueprint America breaks down how federal public transit money is spent, yet points to last week’s Metro disaster to suggest that current funds aren’t enough.

  • LCL: An Arkansas paper’s profile of some active volunteers with one of NARP’s affiliate route support teams, the Texas Eagle Marketing and Performance Organization (TEMPO), is an example of the kind of publicity we can get just by being involved and speaking out; a slice of the life of a 63-year-old Amtrak dining car server, one of an increasing number of Americans nearing retirement age who are opting to remain in the workforce; visions of sparkling-new stations along California’s high-speed rail route spur debate on what should be done with historic depots; Iowa’s governor gets on board for better trains (literally); hopes are high in Georgia as the state seeks its share of the forthcoming federal rail largesse; a look at what will soon be a commonplace sight aboard trains as Amtrak moves to paperless e-ticketing; and do spiffy new roads entice unsafe driving?

    • —Malcolm Kenton

    Posted by NARP

    Tags: airlines, amtrak, congestion, congress, debate, florida, fra, high-speed rail, improvement, on-time, transit, transportation, travel,

    A Healthy Dialogue

    Wednesday, March 10, 2010

    In a welcome show of responsiveness to Amtrak’s most loyal riders and supporters, President & CEO Joseph Boardman requested, and TRAINS Magazine hosted, a public forum on the present and future of the passenger railroad at the Merchandise Mart adjacent to Chicago’s Union Station, the main hub of the long-distance train network. Over 300 people signed up on a first-come, first-served basis and about 250 showed up to hear from, and ask questions of, Boardman, Amtrak Police Chief John O’Connor, Vice President for Marketing and Product Development Emmett Fremaux, Chris Jagodzinski (a senior official who reports directly to V.P. for Transportation Richard Phelps), and other top officials.

    Amtrak officials did discuss the possibility of splitting the Lake Shore Limited at Toledo instead of Albany, with the New York section running via Pittsburgh/Altoona/Harrisburg, partially recreating the Broadway Limited. As columnist Don Phillips put it, “They mentioned this at the same time they said they would operate no new long-distance routes. Train reroutes can have the effect of creating a new service.” As for adding new long-distance routes, the assembled officials would only commit to improving existing services. Fremaux pointed to the fact that the Passenger Rail Investment and Improvement Act (PRIIA) of 2008 emphasizes the expansion of short-distance corridor services and relies on state leadership. “This country builds stuff, including Amtrak, then walks away from it and doesn’t give it the support it needs,” said Boardman. “I want to do real stuff.”

    Fremaux did make a commitment that efforts would be made to improve existing long-distance trains, including daily operation of the Texas Eagle and Sunset Limited (as a through Chicago-Los Angeles train with a connection at San Antonio for Houston, New Orleans and points in between) and the introduction of on-board wireless Internet service across the entire Amtrak system.

    On the condition of Amtrak’s fleet, Jagodzinski emphasized “We don’t want 60-year-old equipment. The passengers don’t want it, and we don’t want to maintain it.” He reiterated that the Heritage diners and baggage cars, which are around 60 years old, will be the first to be replaced, within the next five years. After the forum, attendees were led on a tour of three newly-rehabilitated passenger cars—two Superliner sleepers and one Superliner diner—and a rebuilt P42 locomotive that were parked in Union Station’s trainshed.

    Another topic of concern to attendees was Amtrak’s months-old policy prohibiting photography from station platforms, except by ticketed passengers and those with permission from a station agent or other Amtrak official. In response to criticism from train advocates, including NARP, O’Connor announced a program whereby photographers could register themselves and be amongst a group of citizens who act as a second set of eyes to warn of safety and security issues, similar to the one initiated by BNSF Railway.

    Boardman has promised that this will be the first of many such discussions. NARP welcomes, and stands ready to help facilitate, the further involvement of passengers and train advocates as Amtrak continues to plan and prepare for growth. —Ross Capon and Malcolm Kenton

    Posted by Malcolm Kenton

    Tags: amtrak, amtrak policies, broadway limited, dialogue, expansion, forum, growth, improvement, joseph boardman, lake shore limited, long-distance trains, passenger trains, photography, sunset limited, texas eagle,

    Grassroots Pressure Gets Results

    Friends of the Cardinal, a route support group composed of active train advocates (many of whom are NARP members) based in Charleston, West Virginia, issued the release below today. The story of the introduction and passage of Senate Bill 527 in the West Virginia legislature is a great model for grassroots advocacy—showing what we are all capable of, with a little time and energy, as citizens in a republic.

    For Immediate Use, March 10, 2010:

    By a vote of 97-0 the West Virginia House of Delegates passed a Bill which mandates that the West Virginia Rail Authority must “establish a state plan for transportation and local rail services.”  The legislation requires that this plan meet the Federal requirements necessary to capture and administer Federal monies “for rail transportation, local rail services, and inter-modal facilities. . .”  Further, the act allows the Authority to seek input from “freight and rail passenger associations.”  The same Bill had already passed the WV Senate by a vote of 32-0 earlier in the session.  The Bill now goes to the Governor Joe Manchin’s desk for his signature.

    This legislation was developed in response to concerns expressed by many individuals about the lack of adequate planning for a passenger rail system for the state of West Virginia. The Friends of the Cardinal, a Charleston WV-based “Route Support Group” affiliated with the National Association of Railroad Passengers articulated these concerns to various members of the legislature.  The National Association of Railroad Passengers is the largest citizen-based advocacy organization for train and rail transit passengers in the nation.

    J. Charles Riecks, Chair of the Friends of the Cardinal, said: “I was very pleased with the overall positive response that passenger rail received in the West Virginia Legislature this year.  Hopefully, this bill is just the beginning of a new day for transportation in the state of West Virginia.”

    In speeches before several committees, and also on the floor of both legislative bodies, several members of the legislature spoke to the long overdue need for West Virginia to begin supporting a modern, customer-focused national passenger train network that provides a travel choice Americans want.

    Friends of the Cardinal, particularly Riecks and Bonni McKewon, participated in the legislative process from start to finish, corresponding with nearly every legislator and calling upon other West Virginians to contact their Representative and Senator. As soon as Gov. Manchin signs the bill into law, the state Department of Transportation will begin work on the rail plan, an essential first step towards better train service in the state and a process in which NARP and Friends of the Cardinal will continue to be involved. With a strong plan and agreements with Amtrak, MARC and the host railroads in place, West Virgnia stands a much better chance of winning future federal funds to improve existing service and potentially to add new routes.

    Check out this video of the passage on the House floor.

    —Malcolm Kenton

     

    Posted by Malcolm Kenton

    Tags: accomplishment, advocacy, grassroots, improvement, legislature, lobbying, passenger trains, rail plan, senate, victory, west virginia,

    One Step at a Time: Checked Baggage Returns to Cardinal

    Wednesday, May 12, 2010

    When seeking a long-term goal such as a world-class passenger train network that exceeds travelers’ expectations, it is important to celebrate small improvements. The Cardinal, which is the only Amtrak train serving Cincinnati, Charleston, W.Va., and other intermediate points—and the only direct link between Chicago and Northeast Corridor points such as Baltimore and Philadelphia, is one of only two overnight trains that run less frequently than once a day. To add to that, the Cardinal is given a shorter consist than all other overnight trains, often resulting in bedrooms and seats selling out weeks in advance of departure. The line is in great need of improvement, which is now beginning to happen thanks to the route performance review system put in place under the 2008 Passenger Rail Investment and Improvement Act [PDF summary].

    Beginning with the departure of train 50 from Chicago on Tuesday, May 11, a baggage car was added to the Cardinal, which had been without checked baggage service for more than ten years. Although the number of stations where bags can be checked is limited to those staffed by Amtrak agents, the addition of checked baggage—a service so commonplace in air and intercity bus travel that it is taken for granted—should help to reduce delays and crowding that result by passengers having to bring large, heavy suitcases onto the train with them.

    We hope that this will be the first in a series of significant improvements to long-distance service in the next few years, and that its success—combined with an infusion of new cars and locomotives—will provide further impetus to run the Cardinal daily.

    Here is the baggage car on train 50, shown on Wednesday morning, May 12, in Charleston, WV (photos by Charles Riecks)

    Yet the Charleston station crew is still waiting for power baggage carts to be delivered. In the meantime, this is what they are using:

    —Malcolm Kenton

    P.S.—Check out the winners of Amtrak’s “Trainsportation” video contest for Illinois college students.

    Posted by Malcolm Kenton

    Tags: amtrak, baggage, cardinal, charleston, cincinnati, improvement, long-distance route, ohio, passenger train, service, west virginia,

    ©2010 National Association of Railroad Passengers | » NARP website

    » Recent Entries

    » Blogroll

    » Terms of Service for Comments

    You may register to post comments in response to NARP-generated postings on the Blog. By registering you agree 1) that all comments will be relevant to the respective posting and 2) not to post any messages that are obscene, vulgar, slanderous, hateful, threatening, or that violate any laws. We reserve the right to permanently block postings from any user who does not abide by the above terms. NARP reserves the right to remove, edit, or move any messages for any reason.

    » Monthly Archives


    RSS 1.0 | RSS 2.0 | Atom
    What is RSS?

    Add to Technorati Favorites