Hotline #275 - December 27, 2002

Checking baggage on airlines may get worse, according to an interview this morning on National Public Radio's Morning Edition program. Host Bob Edwards interviewed David Field of Airline Business magazine, a London-based monthly for airline executives. The topic was the looming January 1 deadline for screening all checked baggage.

The hassle factor will get worse because "the industry doesn't have enough machinery to automate the process" at all airports, and personnel at airports with manual inspection will break the locks on any locked bags. Field, a former reporter at the Washington Times and USA Today, said that the new procedures would not go over well with the public, which is already alienated from air travel. He said Delta has interviewed former, regular fliers, asking them why they weren't flying anymore. "A lot of them said, 'I just don't want the hassle anymore.'" Edwards countered, "There's got to be a better way to do this." Fields replied, "It's called Amtrak. No, I think as the [Transportation Security Administration] gets more experience, it should smooth out."

Amtrak passengers on the December 26 southbound Ethan Allen Express also had a pretty high hassle factor, as their train suffered an engine failure at Whitehall, N.Y. Passengers were stuck without heat for four hours. A locomotive was added to the rear of the northbound Adirondack at Albany and dropped ahead of the stranded train. But the whole process too longer than expected because the recent blizzard left huge drifts and created problems for switches and signals. Passengers reached New York at 8:21 pm, about six hours late.

The Illinois Zephyr also suffered delays when a cafe car had to be set out because of a fire.

The Montreal-St. Albans Thruway bus, connecting with the Vermonter, is back for now. It has been restored to the reservation system through February 5, while Amtrak, Vermont, and Vermont Transit (the bus operator) explore possibilities for a permanent solution. The bus was to have been dropped January 6, and was removed from Amtrak's reservation system. Restoration came partly as a result of a report on our December 20 hotline message.

Effective January 27, Amtrak will operate the Pennsylvanian between New York and Pittsburgh only, as reported here December 13. The Pennsylvanian will depart Pittsburgh at 7:30 am. Also, the eastbound Three Rivers schedule will change so it is not so close to that of the Pennsylvanian -- 10:30 pm from Chicago, 10:00 am from Pittsburgh, and arrive New York 8:15 pm (instead of the current 7:10 pm).

The Amtrak test-train derailment at Lyons, N.Y., on December 14 apparently was caused by a broken rail, not equipment problems. Amtrak spokesman Cliff Black says MHC's (mail handling cars), such as those being tested that day, have run 370 million miles safely. We understand that the Federal Railroad Administration is questioning a December 19 decision by Norfolk Southern to restrict the speed of Amtrak trains carrying MHC's and may reverse the decision in a couple of weeks.

Sounder afternoon commuter trains between Seattle and Tacoma carried a record 3,369 passengers on December 16, because of major delays on I-5.

Support for maglev is in doubt, according to a December 15 report by the Associated Press. "Support for a high-speed train with a 20-minute run between Baltimore and Washington appears to be dwindling because of a budget crisis and the region's failed Olympic bid. The $4.4 billion magnetic levitation train is being edged off Maryland's transportation priorities list, officials say. 'Maglev right now, with the bumps it's encountered ... just doesn't have legs,' state Senate President Thomas Mike Miller said last week." Other reports indicated the Pittsburgh project is running into problems, as well. A December 16 Associated Press story about that city's project (the other still in the running for federal funds) focused on doubts about whether the federal funding that is needed will materialize.

CSX Chairman John W. Snow's career was the topic of a major story in the December 25 New York Times. President Bush's choice to be Treasury Secretary got mixed reviews. Frank Wilner, spokesman for the United Transportation Union, said, "Snow's legacy is that he is the only railroad executive who tried to break the militaristic culture of railroad managements." Former Amtrak President Tom Downs "said that he repeatedly met with Mr. Snow to express his concerns about safety on CSX's line. 'My experience was pretty uniformly unsatisfactory.'"

The article notes that CSX had a series of fatalities and injuries from 1991 to 1996 due to inadequate track maintenance. "Five major accidents in 1995 alone prompted an audit by the Federal Railroad Administration that accused the company of intimidating workers who raised safety concerns." CSX spokesman Adam Hollingsworth said, "What is important is that [Mr. Snow adopted] every recommendation" of the audit. Investors unhappy with the performance of CSX stock and Snow's growing compensation are quoted, along with the countering view that Snow's vision in acquiring much of Conrail will pay off in the long-term. The article also notes, "In 2000, only about half of CSX's trains departed and arrived on time. Now, more than 90% are on schedule -- a record that has enabled CSX to pick up more shipments of perishable goods, like produce."

"Indians Fight to Regain Lands Lost to Railroad" was the headline of another major story in the New York Times on December 25. A "chunk" of the fortune created by James J. Hill, once head of the Great Northern, "has been dedicated to reassembling ... and returning to Indian control" Indian lands given to industrialists, homesteaders, and the federal government under nine federal laws enacted in 1887.