Hotline #48 - August 21, 1998

Amtrak will change the schedule of the Texas Eagle in both directions effective August 30. The most negative impact of the change is that the northbound train will no longer connect at Chicago with the westbound California Zephyr or westbound Empire Builder. It also will miss its St. Louis connection with the first train to Kansas City. The important connections at Chicago were restored just this past May. Part of the reason for the change is the continuing problem of Union Pacific dispatching between Los Angeles and Texas, though that situation seems to be easing. Amtrak is in the process of studying how and whether to have a connecting bus from Bloomington to Galesburg or to Columbus, Wis., to restore the missing Chicago connections.

The other reason for the Eagle schedule change is to produce more attractive service times at San Antonio, Austin, and St. Louis. The southbound train will leave Chicago 35 minutes earlier than now, and arrive San Antonio 83 minutes earlier, just before midnight. That's an overall reduction of 48 minutes. The northbound train will leave San Antonio two hours later than now, St. Louis two hours later than now, and arrive Chicago 70 minutes later than now.

The Union Pacific, which has been plagued by problems relating to its takeover two years ago of the Southern Pacific, announced it will break up the management of its operations into three units effective September 1. In addition to the current headquarters in Omaha, the new operations centers will be in Houston and in Roseville, Cal.

According to the Journal of Commerce, UP chairman Dick Davidson acknowledged that there was a link between the operating problems and this decision to split up operations control. "We know we can run a railroad a hell of a lot better than this," he said.

These problems have hit Amtrak hard, particularly around Houston and in other parts of Texas last summer, and on the west end of the Sunset route earlier this year. Davidson said that he expected that area of congestion, centered on the former SP yard at Colton, Cal., to be cleared up by Labor Day.

Today is the last day of Conrail's legal existence. Tomorrow it will be under the control of CSX and Norfolk Southern. However, customers -- including Amtrak -- will see no difference in their service for the time being, as the two new owners need more time to revise labor agreements and develop new contracts and freight routes.

A suit against Amtrak was filed yesterday in U.S. District Court in the District of Columbia. A group of Amtrak managers alleges that Amtrak has been steering black managers into jobs with little opportunity for advancement. They are asking for an immediate end to racial discrimination, and for more than $100 million in back pay and damages on behalf of 3,500 black Amtrak employees. Acting President George Warrington said, "Amtrak has a zero-tolerance policy for discriminatory practices in hiring or any aspect of the workplace," but the company would not comment on the lawsuit in specific.

The National Transportation Safety Board has urged state and federal officials to create traffic control mechanisms that will prevent future accidents similar to the one on the South Shore this summer. That accident, on June 18 near Portage, Ind., happened when a truck with two trailers stopped at one crossing for a Conrail train. The truck's second trailer hung out over the parallel South Shore line less than 90 feet away, and was struck by a South Shore train. Three people on the train were killed.

Scott Leonard of NARP was interviewed for a story about passenger trains that was to have appeared on tonight's NBC Nightly News. However, the story has been postponed due to other news events, possibly for another week.