Hotline #117 - December 17, 1999

Amtrak has announced its preliminary plans for the eventuality of "Y2K"-related disruptions New Year's Eve. It plans to stop the 53 trains that will be operating at midnight at the nearest convenient station before midnight for as brief a time as possible to make sure all operating systems are in order. When that is done, the trains will be allowed to resume. Amtrak believes it is ready for New Year's Eve, but its successful operations also depend on the preparations of others, including electric utilities and host freight railroads.

In the Northeast Corridor, where Amtrak owns and controls most of the track it uses, trains will be stopped at least 15 minutes, with the average anticipated wait being 30 minutes. Elsewhere, Amtrak expects trains to be stopped in stations for one or two hours. In cases where the delay extends far beyond that, contingency plans will be enacted to keep passengers safe and comfortable. Though Amtrak believes bussing will be unlikely, it is making such preparations just in case.

Travel demand that night should be lower than normal, but Amtrak also is planning to have complimentary refreshments and souvenir train whistles available to passengers that evening. Some foreign railroads and some rail transit systems in the U.S. (like Chicago and Washington) are planning to stop their trains for a short period of time.

On December 14, Amtrak and Nevada officials announced that they would begin Talgo-train service between Los Angeles and Las Vegas in September 2000. Wisconsin Governor and Amtrak Chairman Tommy Thompson, Amtrak President George Warrington, Nevada Governor Kenny Guinn, and Senator Harry Reid (Nev.) all gathered at Las Vegas to make the announcement and unveil the Talgo train-set to be used. The service will start with one daily round-trip that would take five-and-one-half hours each way, leaving Los Angeles at 9:00 am and Las Vegas at 4:00 pm. There will be only one stop, at Montclair, Cal., which is on Metrolink's San Bernardino commuter line. Amtrak will not be returning to the station in the Union Plaza Hotel in Las Vegas, once served by the Desert Wind, but instead will build a new platform and canopy near the Strip downtown. Other infrastructure improvements will be made, including putting in 20 miles of double track on the Union Pacific between Cima and Kelso, Cal., in the Mojave Desert.

A freight train derailment on the Steel Bridge near Union Station in downtown Portland, Ore., on December 14 ruptured a nearby gas pipeline and caused a spectacular fire. One car fell off the bridge into the Willamette River. Investigators are checking whether the intense heat caused any damage to the bridge, which is also used by Amtrak (Eugene route) and Tri-Met light rail trains.

An Amtrak Cascades train struck a mudslide (without derailing) on December 15 south of Tacoma. Other slides and possible washouts closed the Seattle-Portland route with a reopening planned for December 16. There also was some rain-related damage north of Seattle.

The Amtrak station at Santa Barbara, Cal., will be rededicated at 10:00 am on December 18. A $9-million restoration project on the Mission Revival gem has just been completed, with city and state funding.

A massive transit strike that was expected for New York on December 15 was averted at the 11th hour.

The Salt Lake City Council on December 14 unanimously approved a light rail spur from the Delta Center downtown east 2.5 miles to the University of Utah. The spur should be open by the 2002 Winter Olympics. This new line would be a spur to the 15-mile Delta Center-Sandy line that opened December 4. Previous proposals for western extensions from the Delta Center to the Amtrak station and airport appear to be dormant.

The Tasman West light rail extension in Santa Clara County, Cal., was dedicated this morning. The new segment adds 7.6 miles to the existing Guadalupe line from San Jose, reaching to the Caltrain station in Mountain View, in the heart of the Silicon Valley. Regular service starts December 20. Free rides are offered until January 31, partly because all the ticket vending machines have not yet arrived. Light-rail vehicle operators have called for delaying the opening, citing signal and gate failures and inadequate operator training.

The new Chicago-Jeffersonville (Ind.) Kentucky Cardinal starts tonight, with a ceremony tomorrow morning at Jeffersonville at 8:40 am; other activities from 9:00 am to 12:00 noon.