Hotline #791 - September 17, 1993

The National Transportation Safety Board this week issued a statement on the probable cause of the Silver Star derailment that killed eight people at Lugoff, S.C., in July 1991. It said a defective switch, "poorly maintained as a result of inadequate track inspections, switch maintenance and management oversight," was to blame. The full report on the accident is due in six more weeks.

Amtrak changes its San Diego line schedules on September 20, to accommodate an extensive track work project. Some trains will leave earlier than they do now, so if you are using that line, beware.

CSX Chairman John Snow was in Washington on September 14 and told reporters bad things about commuter trains. He said, "Major corridors ... can't accommodate any more passenger trains ... We don't have more capacity ... We cannot run commuter trains at the largesse of our shareholders ..." Another CSX official said they might ask states such as Virginia and Maryland to buy strips of land parallel to CSX right-of-way and build their own commuter tracks.

We contrast this to former Federal Administrator Gil Carmichael's frequent statements that railroads should be the interstates of tomorrow because they operate at only 25% capacity. It often seems that when we want a passenger train, all that capacity magically disappears. NARP told the Washington Times that it questioned CSX's claim of lack of capacity, especially since the State of Maryland has been spending money for signal improvements on MARC's CSX lines for the very purpose of expanding capacity to allow additional passenger frequencies.

CSX already makes a profit from commuter services. CSX's request for such big increases in public payments seems unreasonable and strengthens the case for public control of rail rights-of-way.

Amtrak, Southern Pacific, and BART are sponsoring another trial of commuter service in the Bay Area next week, using two train sets borrowed from Metrolink. Trains will run from Suisun-Fairfield and Brentwood to West Oakland BART and the downtown Oakland ferry slip. Union Pacific will borrow one set during the day on September 22, possibly for a run over Altamont Pass, another proposed commuter route. The borrowed trains will return to Los Angeles on September 26.

Canadian National began construction yesterday on its new tunnel beneath the St. Clair River at Sarnia, Ont.

The ICE leaves Washington tomorrow at 7:00 am, arrives Pittsburgh 2:15 pm and Chicago 11:30 pm. On September 20 it leaves Chicago at 9:00 am, arrives Normal 11:15 am, Springfield at 12:30 pm, and St. Louis at 3:00 pm. On September 23, it leaves St. Louis at 9:45 am, arrives Chicago at 4:00 pm, and leaves again at 7:00 pm. On September 24, it arrives at Pittsburgh at 5:30 am and Washington at 1:00 pm. On September 25 and 26, from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm, it is on display at Washington Union Station in conjunction with the fifth anniversary of that terminal's reopening.