BART's Money Bind April 19, 2002 SF Chronicle SUDDENLY, the BART system is facing serious near- and long-term financial problems, partly as a result of its own shortsightedness in approving a generous labor contract just seven months ago. BART directors are quick to emphasize that "only" about 20 to 25 percent of its projected $50 million shortfall can be attributed to the cushy four-year contract that was approved in early September against the threat of a strike. The larger factor has been an unexpectedly steep drop in the economy, which took a toll on ridership and sales-tax revenue. Now, BART directors are faced with an array of unattractive choices. They can raise fares, reduce the number of cars on trains, begin charging for parking at suburban stations, or cut staffing and services. Most of the options on the table would make BART less appealing to passengers – which would be regrettable in a region that needs to divert more commuters to mass transit. However, BART Director Dan Richard did suggest that some of the "stupid inefficiencies" that are embedded in union work rules could save millions of dollars without affecting service quality. Which begs the question: Why weren't they addressed in contract negotiations? Richard and other directors tend to blame the interference of labor-friendly politicians. The politicians insist that they had no choice but to intervene in contract talks because BART management's ineptness at labor relations created an impossibly adversarial climate. Regardless of blame, the union came away with four-year raises totaling 22 percent and many inefficiencies intact. An example, said Richard, is the "drip line" rule -- which requires separate cleaning crews to work inside and outside of the station overhang, or "drip line." He also said the union has resisted any attempt to crack down on sick-leave abuse. "If they (labor leaders) don't want to" revisit these issues, Richard said, "then we're going to have the first-ever layoffs at BART." While Richard and other suburban directors are opposed to parking fees, They must be part of the discussion. Fare increases appear inevitable, but public acceptance of them will depend on the extent to which BART can show it has exhausted other options. Even as BART wrestles with its immediate deficit, it faces the daunting long-term problem of earthquake retrofitting that may exceed $1 billion in cost. BART has asked state legislators to waive a layer of environmental review -- as is often done for Caltrans on seismic work on existing structures -- to streamline the projects, a reasonable request in view of the life-safety concerns. The bill (SB1415, by state Sen. Don Perata, D-Oakland) is expected to be heard Monday in the Senate Environmental Quality Committee. Still, money remains the biggest barrier to strengthening BART's tunnels, tracks and stations. A Bay Bridge toll surcharge might be the most acceptable funding source, especially if the tolls are varied to encourage off-peak travel. The 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake showed the criticality of a mass- transit system that can survive a major temblor. MORE METRO EAST RIDERS MEAN MORE PARKING SPACES FOR METROLINK St. Louis Post-Dispatch 04/20/2002 MetroLink ridership in the Metro East area is about 25 percent higher than projected, forcing the Bi-State Development Agency and the St. Clair County Transit District to add more spaces to its parking lots. Bi-State is adding 70 spaces to the lot at Fifth Street and Missouri Avenue in East St. Louis, bringing the total to 435. The agency is creating 69 more spaces at the Memorial Hospital stop in Belleville for a total of 274. Work at both locations will be completed by midsummer. The agencies added 100 parking spots at the Swansea MetroLink station in September, bringing the total there to 428. Lance Peterson, director of planning and scheduling for St. Clair Transit District, said more spaces at Fifth and Missouri are being created by eliminating two of three bus lanes. After the MetroLink line was extended 17.5 miles from East St. Louis to Southwestern Illinois College in May, the number of buses coming into Fifth and Missouri dropped to seven from 17. Meanwhile, transit officials are surprised at the demand for parking at the Memorial Hospital station. The station is drawing riders from western part of Belleville, Swansea and Fairview Heights, Peterson said. Causeway tramway runs along right lines Belfast Telegraph 04/20/2002 THE recently inaugurated tramway from Bushmills to the Giant's Causeway is getting up a good head of steam - in more ways than one. At one stage the demand for seats was so great that it was just not possible to accommodate everyone and many people were disappointed not to get tickets. However, there are plans to remedy the situation with the addition of more carriages for the busy summer season. Pulled by an old style steam engine, the tram may travel at a sedate pace but it has certainly got off to a flying start. So far it has carried between 6,000 and 7,000 passengers over the picturesque narrow gauge line which follows the track of the original Causeway trams. Said Sharon Kirk, who is one of three people involved in the running of the tramway, said: "The response from the public has been excellent. It has really taken us by surprise. Change rolling into city; Officials preparing now for how to take advantage of light rail The Dallas Morning News 04/21/2002 Big changes are riding the rails into Carrollton, as the coming of three light-rail stations generates redevelopment that could include running Belt Line Road below ground level through the intersection with Interstate 35E. Another goal is the elimination of freight trains along one rail line through the Belt Line/I-35E area. City staff members heard these and other goals and concepts during a briefing Wednesday in City Council chambers. The light-rail commuter line and its stations are expected to open in 2008. City Manager Leonard Martin said Carrollton would have to partner with developers to make the plans succeed. "We have one opportunity to make it happen right. We have to be the catalyst that makes this development happen. This is the top priority that we have for this community during the next several years." The three DART stations will be near Old Downtown Carrollton, southeast of the intersection of State Highway 190 and I-35E, and southeast of the intersection of Frankford Road and I-35E. With the initial concepts in hand, Carrollton will soon seek residents' input. Residents are invited to a public meeting at 7 p.m. Thursday at Carrollton City Hall, 1945 E. Jackson Road, in the council chambers. Goals and strategies Dennis Wilson, a principal with consultants J.D. Wilson & Associates in Dallas, laid out the goals and strategies the city could use to orchestrate redevelopment at the three station sites. The station near Old Downtown will have the most intense usage, Mr. Wilson said, because of the nearby intersection of three potential passenger rails and its proximity to the freeway. "Over the long term, there are going to be additional stations in this location," he said. "This is the only place other than downtown Dallas that this occurs." But because of the traffic congestion in the area, some major changes would have to be made to traffic patterns to allow for the pedestrian-friendly kind of neighborhood typically generated by a successful transit-oriented development. "Transit-oriented development really has to do with creating very comfortable and attractive pedestrian areas," Mr. Wilson said. One proposal would be to rebuild Belt Line Road, from Broadway west past the southbound service road, as a below-grade roadway, making it easier for pedestrians to get around the neighborhood, said Mr. Wilson. Another cause of the congestion, he said, is the amount of freight trains passing through the neighborhood, periodically blocking all the local roads. Mr. Wilson said two major users of that rail line could be persuaded either to move to a different location or to use trucks to transport their goods. Officials foresee a neighborhood with urban-type apartment buildings that combine with retail on the ground floor, in the same zone with offices and restaurants. Mr. Wilson said that maintaining the charm of the Old Downtown square will be a goal but that only two or three of the buildings have retained enough of their historical significance to preserve them. The rest will probably eventually be replaced, he said. One concept shows the parking area removed from the center of the downtown square, with the gazebo to be surrounded with a grassy, park-like setting. The second station, on Trinity Mills Road near Home Depot, would also be the center of a redeveloped, mixed-use area featuring residential and retail uses, a pedestrian-friendly design, and some nearby parks and water features. Room to grow With Home Depot seeking to move its store and with the DART bus transit center next door that would no longer be needed with the coming of light rail, there is a lot of room for redevelopment, Mr. Wilson said. The third station, on Frankford, will require demolition of the Henry Miller building, a warehouse distribution center for the office furniture company. It was built less than two years ago. Officials anticipate that station area to accommodate primarily office and retail land uses. Mr. Wilson said that if the city moves now on infrastructure improvements and zoning incentives, by 2008 the redevelopment will be well on its way. "This is a slow-moving train that is building up speed. The thing is, we need to start the train moving now to get it to any kind of speed by the time the station opens." HIGHLIGHTS: CRAIN'S CHICAGO BUSINESS PR Newswire 04/21/2002 MAKING IT EASIER TO GET AROUND -- Aid for Near West Side: a second transit loop -- adding a new subway line and underground busways -- is in City Hall's over $ 1 billion public transportation plan to serve hundreds of thousands of new Loop jobs expected in the next two decades, Crain's Chicago Business learned. Much of proposed work is for fast-growing Clinton Street office corridor, envisioned as "new main street" of the Near West Side. Rebuilding N.Y. transit could cost $7 billion The Deseret News (Salt Lake City) 04/21/2002 NEW YORK (AP) -- City transit officials say reconstructing the lower Manhattan transportation network, smashed by the collapse of the World Trade Center towers, could cost more than $7 billion, two newspapers reported Saturday. A delegation of New York officials went to Washington on Thursday hoping to convince members of Congress that a greater portion of federal aid should be used for a transportation overhaul, The New York Times and the Daily News reported. President Bush has promised more than $20 billion in assistance to New York. The officials presented a tentative proposal for rebuilding and renovating the transportation web that was shattered on Sept. 11. It includes a $2 billion new PATH train terminal, a $750 million new Fulton Street subway hub and $400 million to revamp the South Ferry subway station, the newspapers said. Also proposed is a new bus terminal to handle tourism at a trade center memorial, and more than $1 billion in additional security. STARTS & STOPS / MAC DANIEL; MBTA'S NEW SILVER LINE SERVICE IS DELAYED AGAIN The Boston Globe 04/21/2002 The Silver Line, the MBTA's newest transit link, is delayed. You heard it here first, despite every single T document, Web page, and pronouncement saying the bus rapid-transit line would open this month. That's not going to happen. The length of the delay is, thus far, unknown. It is the second major opening delay in the bus line's construction in just four months, and for the people living along the Washington Street corridor where the line will someday run, the dusty wait has been agonizing. If you've driven into the South End over the past year and gotten stuck on Washington Street, you've probably sworn never to travel it again. The road has been torn apart to expand the corridor for the line, which will use dedicated lanes for buses. The ride here makes SUV commercials seem prissy. Full-depth excavations, digging down to terra firma, has caused the delays, with more excavations needed than previously expected. And the dirt dug up wasn't suitable to be used for repaving, so T officials said the contractor needs some new dirt. And wouldn't you know it? The contract calls for the contractor to be paid for every cubic yard of dirt removed, and every cubic yard brought in, which is somewhat standard in the construction industry. Ergo, the price of the project - $ 40 million shared between the T and the state Highway Department - is going up. How much, who knows? The portion of the line from Dudley Square to downtown Boston was scheduled to open this spring. By the end of 2003, the line had been expected to link South Station with Logan International Airport via the South Boston waterfront and a series of dedicated tunnels. And by 2010, the line will hopefully connect downtown with South Station, offering a now non-existent, one-seat ride from Dudley Square to Logan. But all of those dates are now up in the air. The Silver Line has long been part of the T's and the state's effort to mitigate the environmental effects of the Big Dig, as well as a means of replacing the elevated Orange Line, which was dismantled in 1986. The original deadline for completion of the line, according to that agreement, was Dec. 31, 2001. Last November, T officials sent a letter to the state Department of Environmental Protection saying they couldn't meet the deadline because the line's construction was taking longer than expected, mainly because the work was taking place along a corridor that remained in use. T officials sought a four-month extension to May 1 and got it. At the time, officials were very optimistic about May 1. The question remains whether DEP will grant this latest extension, or whether MBTA officials will be brought to task for not acting sooner. "It's become quite clear that we will not be ready by May 1," said T spokesman Joe Pesaturo. "Therefore, the T has asked the contractor to submit a new (opening) date." He added that the T will present that new date to DEP officials this week, along with a request for additional time. "The T is just as frustrated as the community, because there's so much excitement over the opening of a new rapid transit line," Pesaturo said. "We already see the proof that this line has resulted in tremendous economic growth for the Washington Street corridor, and we want nothing more than to open this line as soon as possible." Residents and business people along the corridor say they are hurting as a result of the construction and certainly don't need more delay. Jennifer Pinke said business at the video store she runs with her sister has slowed, with people less willing to make even a short walk down the rubble- and trash-strewn block. And at the South End Community Health Center, which sits between Rutland and West Concord streets and receives 65,000 visits a year, there are no curb cuts for wheelchairs or moms with strollers. Because of the construction, patients must make a treacherous roll to either end of the block to use rickety wooden ramps to hit the sidewalk. "It's gotten worse over the last year," said Linda Lewis, chief social worker with the center. "We've prided ourselves on accessibility, and just the environment outside works against that principal. People who come here often have enough problems as it is." Redemption song Let us all now live vicariously through the travails of Robert of Shrewsbury, whose blood bubbled when he went to the MBTA booth at South Station to be reimbursed for 12 rides worth of commuter rail tickets under the T's On-Time Service Guarantee. "After waiting 15 minutes in line, I was just refused reimbursement and treated very rudely," he wrote to the T brass and to Starts & Stops. The culprit? The person behind window 7. Let's listen in... "The agent gave me lip about not accumulating tickets. I told him I did not appreciate his attitude and informed him that if the trains ran on time I wouldn't need to be seeking the redemption. He went off about how the MBTA was not his problem and that he was only providing a service to the MBTA. He then told me he did not have the $ 120 in cash to redeem the tickets, which seems absurd with all the customers paying cash for tickets. I asked to speak to a supervisor, which he first refused, then said he only had $ 20, and then left the window to purportedly speak with a supervisor." (Take a breath. OK. Continue) "When he came back, he told me the supervisor wasn't coming out, but that I could go behind the customer service information desk (isn't that a joke?) to speak with the supervisor. Naturally, one would assume the supervisor would have been waiting to speak with me. When I couldn't find one, I went to the information desk and asked where I could find a supervisor. I was directed to enter an area behind the information desk. Of course, after waiting 10 minutes for a supervisor, I left," he wrote. "Isn't it ironic that I had to waste almost 30 minutes to collect on the MBTA's promise to provide a complimentary round trip in the event service is delayed more than 30 minutes?" The T responded immediately. Spokesman Joe Pesaturo said the matter was now under investigation, and that Robert's note had been sent directly to the T's director of revenue, Sue Wilson, who by Friday afternoon had e-mailed Robert an invitation to contact the T and set up a time to meet an official at South Station and be personally escorted to Window 7 (or whichever one is open) so he can redeem his tickets. US groups plot £20bn rail scheme Babcock & Brown leads expansion plan 04/21/2002 The Sunday Telegraph BABCOCK & Brown and Morgan Stanley are drawing up plans for a £20bn expansion of the UK railway network. The partners are in talks with the Department of Transport and the Treasury which could lead to the construction of a series of new rail lines, including a fast link from London to the North and a line running from Cambridge to Oxford. Under the proposals the partners would initially carry out enhancements in the Government's existing 10-year plan for the crisis-ridden railways, including the East Coast and West Coast mainline upgrades. The 10-year plan is expected to require at least £33bn of private sector money as well as £30bn of Government money to pay for upgrades. But the proposals also extend to bigger projects which were excluded from the 10- year plan - such as Crossrail, the link from Heathrow to the east of London, and the high speed North-South line running through the centre of the country. Richard Bowker, the new head of the Strategic Rail Authority, has already committed £75m to preliminary work on Crossrail. Bowker, who has been included in the negotiations, also said last month that the North-South link is needed to cope with the growth in rail travel into the next decade. The SRA will spend £300m on a feasibility study on the link, which would run parallel to the East and West Coast mainlines. NetworkRail, the Government-backed company limited by guarantee which is bidding to buy the rail network out of administration, would retain responsibility for maintaining the rail network. But it could form joint ventures with Babcock and Morgan Stanley for major enhancements, including speeding up the network and building new stations and lines. Babcock and Morgan Stanley would raise the money partly through a form of securitisation - raising money by mortgaging future revenues from ticket sales, track access charges paid by train operating companies and property rentals. Securitising the track access charges would effectively mean borrowing against Government subsidies paid to the TOCs. The proposals, which are at an early stage, are likely to be given serious consideration by Stephen Byers, the embattled transport secretary who forced Railtrack into administration last year. Byers' handling of the rail crisis has been widely criticised. It seems increasingly unlikely that the Government will be able to fulfil its promise of delivering a "safer, bigger, better railway" by 2011. Babcock, which specialises in large project financing and was at one point interested in buying Railtrack out of administration, would contract outside companies to do the work on the network. Babcock is now thought to have ruled out a direct bid to take over the existing network in competition with NetworkRail. A consortium led by WestLB, the German bank, was also preparing a bid for the rail network but those plans have now collapsed. West LB is planning to play a part in the refinancing of NetworkRail which is to bid £300m to buy the former Railtrack network from the parent Railtrack Group, which is not in administration. Bowker is not thought to be keen to lend his support to bids which would rival NetworkRail. Byers caused outrage last month when he admitted that millions of pounds of taxpayers' money would be used for NetworkRail's bid. Byers had vowed public money would not be used to bail out the shareholders in the parent group. Railtrack Group has postponed legal action against the Government over its decision to force the railway into administration. But small shareholders in the company are still expected to pursue legal action and may appoint legal counsel this week. Workers can swap parking for cash; Few firms comply with obscure law The San Francisco Chronicle 04/22/2002 Few California companies are in compliance with -- and few commuters are even aware of -- an obscure state law that requires employers who provide free parking to give cash to workers who do not drive to work, a recent state study showed. "It's an unenforced fringe benefit employers are supposed to be offering, and they don't," said Donald Shoup, professor of urban planning at the University of California at Los Angeles. Known as the parking cash-out law and passed in 1992, it allows workers to trade their employer-provided parking space for money. Its purpose is to get more commuters into carpools or onto public transportation and bicycles. That was the city of Alameda's goal when it created its Pacers program in 1990, two years before the state law was passed. City employees who participate in the program receive $ 1.25 for each end of the trip if they carpool, use public transit or ride a bike to work. "It's great," said Michael Margulies, who administers the program out of the city's Public Works Department. Although he couldn't quickly give actual numbers for Pacers, he said "a solid amount" of city staff used it. Through the Pacers program, Alameda officials expect to mitigate traffic congestion and reduce air pollution, Margulies said, by reducing the number of single-occupancy trips during peak hours. The study, which was conducted by the state Legislative Analyst's Office, says that if the cash-out law is implemented as intended, it could result in 43,500 fewer trips on congested roadways and a reduction in emissions by almost 2 tons a day. But employer and transit advocacy groups say the law is so narrow in scope that it won't really have a big effect on traffic congestion or air pollution. The law applies only to companies that have 50 or more employees and lease the land where employees park. The report estimated about 84 percent of free parking in California is owned rather than leased, and therefore exempt. Only about 290,000 parking spots, or 3 percent of the state's free parking spaces, fall under the law, the report said. "It's a small population of employers that are affected," said Michael Cunningham, vice president of transportation for the Bay Area Council, a nonprofit business public policy group. "It's never really reached critical mass. It's a conceptually interesting program that we want our members to know more about, but it doesn't seem large enough to make a huge difference." While acknowledging that the law makes only a small dent in Bay Area traffic congestion, some transit and environmental advocates say it still has the potential to help. "There are no quick fixes to traffic congestion," said Julia Maglione, spokeswoman for RIDES for Bay Area Commuters, which promotes carpools and van pools in the region. "What we have are a variety of tools to encourage employees to use alternatives to driving alone -- carpool lanes for instance -- that together will make a difference. The parking cash-out law is one of those tools." The report suggested that the state Air Resources Board -- identified as the enforcement arm -- should do more outreach to employers and conduct periodic surveys of its usage, although the law provided no funds for enforcement or monitoring. The study found that 86 percent of California commuters drive to work, and 95 percent park free when they arrive, but it concludes that it is impossible to determine how many companies are offering parking cash-out or the number of employees participating without proper oversight. An Air Resources Board spokeswoman says her agency has information about the cash-out law on its Web site and is working with the state Employment Development Department to develop a means of getting the word out. "We're trying our best to cost-effectively inform employers who need to comply," said state air board spokeswoman Gennet Paauwe. However, she said, the law is difficult to enforce. It would require a civil lawsuit to challenge a company that wasn't complying, something that would be time-consuming and financially infeasible during lean budget times. Linda Salaver of the Air Quality Management District said the district had joined the Air Resources Board and the Metropolitan Transportation Commission to initiate a program this summer to notify employers who would fall under this law. "The air district feels it's a good incentive for people to use something besides their own cars," said Salaver. Surveys of Bay Area commuters show that if given the right combination of incentives (transit near home and work) and disincentives (no free parking), workers will carpool or get out of their vehicles onto buses, trains or bicycles. RIDES for Bay Area Commuters' 2001 Commute Profile found that at work sites with free parking, 76 percent of employees drive alone, while at those without free parking only 48 percent of employees drive alone. The survey also found transit use jumps significantly when employers don't offer free parking. "The bottom line is, given the right set of circumstances, it appears people will leave their cars at home," Maglione said. Employees also like the extra money in their paychecks, said Jacquilyne Brooks de Camarillo,transportation management specialist for the city of Santa Monica. A cash-out program "really gives commuters more freedom and choice," said Shoup..For more information about the state's parking cash-out law, visit the Air Resources Board (note: Looks like diversion of $75 million for non-transit purposes – miht help explain some of the high cost per mile projections seen for various light rail projects) RAINIER VALLEY BUSINESSES FEAR LINK IMPACT; PROPOSED FUND TO HELP THOSE DISPLACED BY LIGHT RAIL MAY NOT BE ENOUGH, SOME SAY THE SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER 04/22/2002 Seven years ago, Chae Cho took out a small-business loan and set up shop at Trim Drive-In Cleaners in Rainier Valley. Now, within two years, the Korean immigrant will be forced to shut down his dry-cleaning service to make way for Sound Transit's troubled 14-mile Link light rail line. "People who built their businesses, they're going to lose everything," said Cho, who doesn't own the land on which his store sits. A proposed $ 50 million community development fund is supposed to help Cho and other Rainier Valley businesses relocate and survive during light rail construction, expected to begin in 2004 and last about 31/2 years. But as city officials debate how to pay for the assistance, with some utility money or only with general operating funds, a bigger question remains on the minds of many residents. Will the fund be adequate to help Rainier Valley handle the effect of light rail? "I don't know if it's going to be enough," said Patricia Paschal, a light rail opponent who helped draft the fund guidelines. "We don't expect everybody's going to be saved by this. We did the best we could." The community development fund will supplement $ 75 million that Sound Transit is spending in Rainier Valley on improvements besides light rail itself. Those non-rail expenses include insulating homes and businesses from noise, upgrading sewer, water and electricity lines, and adding bus stops, a bike trail, trees and lighting, said Sound Transit spokesman Geoff Stuckart. Councilman Richard McIver said the supplemental fund could leverage money to support Rainier Valley's redevelopment, including programs that may help tenant businesses become property owners. "It will keep gentrification from occurring," said McIver. "If the economic tide rises, this will be an opportunity for the existing people of the valley to ride with that tide." With much fanfare in 1999, then-Mayor Paul Schell and King County Executive Ron Sims proposed the $ 50 million fund to boost the valley's economic development. Some saw it as a bribe to appease the community, in which many were angry that trains would run on the surface street rather than in a tunnel. Today, three years later, Mayor Greg Nickels and several City Council members say the city owes it to Rainier Valley to contribute $ 42.8 million to ease the pains of light rail. City Council will vote on the ordinance April 29. King County also would contribute money. Of the city's share, about half will come from the city's general fund. The other half could come in the form of service from City Light and Seattle Public Utilities. Opponents say Sound Transit, not the city of Seattle, should pay for the fund. Others say utility ratepayers shouldn't have to bear the cost. "City Light is already in debt to the tune of $ 1.7 billion. Why are we adding to that debt at this time?" Councilman Nick Licata questioned. Meanwhile, Sound Transit last month began sending out letters to owners of more than 300 properties to notify them that the agency was preparing to buy property. Some properties will be taken fully, others partially. In all, about 65 businesses and 38 homes will be displaced. If owners don't agree, the agency can pursue condemnation. The agency will pay owners fair market value for their parcels and pick up moving expenses. It also will pay up to $ 10,000 for costs associated with re-establishing a business, such as higher rents, but it won't compensate for lost revenue. Property owners get compensated for property, but space-renting businesses like Cho's don't make out well. Cho throws up his hands. How, he asked, will he be able to pay off his $ 60,000 business loan and new equipment while trying to set up in a new location? What about the $ 180,000 he already invested in the shop at its current site? Standing in front of clean shirts and dresses hanging on racks and neatly secured in plastic, Cho said he built up his business by offering dry-cleaning services close to where his clients needed them. Unlike doctors' offices or grocery stores, where people will drive to get the service, he said his business depends on location. For the past 18 months, a committee has been hammering out guidelines for how the community development fund will be used, with people like Cho in mind. It will deliver an operating plan to City Council later this month. A non-profit community development financial institution will be set up to handle requests, with city, county and Sound Transit oversight. "If it is managed well, it could become an incredible economic force in the valley," said Patty Grossman, a consultant working on the fund. "It's a lot of money." About half of the fund will pay for mitigating light rail impact above and beyond what Sound Transit provides. The other half will go into an account created to fund transit-oriented and community development. But anxiety and uncertainty is apparent among business and property owners along Martin Luther King Jr. Way South over what the fund will provide and how it will help them. At Thai Duong wedding house, Thu Ta took a break from her sewing machine to say how worried she is about the future once light rail comes. "They (Sound Transit) haven't talked about how much they'll pay," she said, standing in the middle of her small store where she does alterations and rents out tuxedos, wedding dresses and blue and pink satin bridesmaid dresses. "They can pay for the building. But for the business, I don't know how much they'll pay," she said. "Do you know?" Gurdev Singh Mann, who owns a gas station down the road, said, "I'm in the dark. I don't have a clear picture of what will happen." He said he and his wife worked hard and sank their life savings into buying the franchise. Even if he gets help to re-establish his business - and he hopes he will - he said it may not be enough to relocate. It wouldn't make up for the money he's already put into the place, he said. Thao Tran, a fund-steering committee member, said the fund won't be a magic wand for all businesses. "If you really think about it, it's really not going to be enough to share," he said. But the fund will help, he added. "Can you imagine the toll on your city if the businesses are wiped out?" he asked. Jiffy Cleaner owner John Lee said he supports the community fund but he's waiting to see the details. He said low-interest business loans may help since traditional bank loans are difficult to get. Lee owns four properties, portions of which will be the site of the Othello transit station. "Half of this building will be gone," he said, gesturing to an imaginary line behind his cash register. Pulling out a manila folder with drawings of station plans, he said there was talk about building a two- to four-story building around the station. He's not sure whether his dry-cleaning shop would fit into any new development. "Oh sure, I want to stay," he said. "We'll have to see. I don't think a dry cleaner will be good on the spot here." DEVELOPMENT FUND PURPOSES: Mitigate light rail impact beyond what Sound Transit is paying. Provide a revolving loan fund for small businesses, affordable housing or mixed-use projects. Promote transit ridership. MITIGATION DETAILS: Up to $ 25,000 a year for two years to businesses forced to relocate. Up to $ 30,000 for businesses that aren't forced to relocate but are affected by rail construction. Up to $ 100,000 to help defer pay extra costs, such as higher rents, of re-establishing the business. Ceremony in Lincoln, Neb., Marks Completion of $ 50 Million Railcar Plant Omaha World-Herald 04/22/2002 LINCOLN -- Twenty years ago, New York subway cars were breaking down every 6,700 miles they traveled. "On any given day," said Joseph Hoffman, senior vice president of the New York Transit Authority and a witness to the equipment failures, "40 percent of the cars didn't work." Then the authority began to buy subway cars manufactured by Kawasaki Heavy Industries Ltd. in Kobe, Japan, Hoffman told an audience in Lincoln on Friday. "The cars started to work," Hoffman said. "We hadn't seen that in New York in a long time. People liked it. The trains worked." Today, the Kawasaki subway cars in use by the New York system -- whose 6,000-car fleet includes other companies' railcars, too -- are running 174,000 miles between failures. "I'm pretty happy with Kawasaki," Hoffman said. So were most of the approximately 300 people who attended ceremonies celebrating the completion of the Japanese company's new $ 50 million railcar manufacturing facility in Lincoln. The plant, just south of another Kawasaki plant that makes motorcycles, watercraft and other vehicles, was announced in August 2000, completed in October 2001 and began producing cars in November. Shin-Ichi Tamba, president of Kawasaki Motors Manufacturing Corp. and based in Lincoln, said the 437,000-square-foot plant is the largest railcar plant in the United States. The 180 employees are producing one car a day, said Richard Grundman, plant manager. Most of the cars' parts now are being shipped from the company's Kobe plant with the Lincoln workers welding and fabricating the car bodies, he said. As demand picks up and testing of equipment is completed, the entire car will be put together in Lincoln, he said. Employment is expected to reach 300 people. Kawasaki now holds 8 percent of the market for subway and other light railcars, a market that another speaker said is expected to grow. In Lincoln, it manufactures both light rail and subway cars, which cost from $ 1.2 million to $ 1.5 million each, depending on the version. William Millar, president of the American Public Transportation Association, said that ridership on public transportation systems has increased 23 percent in the nation over the past six years, with more than 9.5 billion trips taken in 2001. "The railcars built in this facility are very much in demand," Millar said. "Passenger rail service, especially urban and metropolitan passenger service, is having a renaissance in the United States. The opening of this facility is a testament to the resurgence of passenger rail in America." Millar's organization represents 1,400 organizations that provide transportation services and companies, like Kawasaki, that provide the equipment. Nebraska Gov. Mike Johanns and Lincoln Mayor Don Wesely were among the speakers, who also included Masamoto Tazaki, president of Kawasaki Heavy Industries. Tazaki said his company decided to build the factory in Lincoln because of the intelligence, work ethic and energy of the work force. He also said the Lincoln site was selected to follow the firm's philosophy "to produce our products close to the market where they will be used." As a result of that, he said, Kawasaki has been able to develop a good relationship with its biggest customer, the New York Transit Authority. Hoffman, the transit authority official, also paid tribute to the Lincoln work force. "It wasn't that Kawasaki gave Nebraska this shop," he said. "You guys earned this shop with your good quality work." The love fest between Kawasaki and New York continued into another ceremony, this one held on the floor of the plant. As a gleaming, new subway car, its windows encircled in lights, was rolled through a false wall, at the top of which were the words Grand Central Station, a recording was played of Frank Sinatra singing "New York, New York." SEEKING INSIDE TRACE ON SUBWAY CONTRACT Firms' hired guns face $ 3B shootout New York Daily News 04/22/2002 Three foreign conglomerates vying for the biggest subway-car contract in city history have hired homegrown lawyers and lobbyists with close ties to Gov. Pataki and officials with influence on the lucrative deal. The contract, to be awarded by the state-run Metropolitan Transportation Authority within several months, could eventually be worth up to $ 3 billion. The winning contractor will design and build 660 subway cars - the next generation of rail transportation for millions of New Yorkers - with options to make as many as 1,040 more over the next decade. With the lure of a record payday, the companies competing for the job are counting on pull from some of the most plugged-in names in the it's-who-you-know universe of New York politics: Al D'Amato, former U.S. senator-turned-lobbyist, has been enlisted by French transit, energy and shipbuilding giant Alstom. Few can claim stronger ties with Pataki than D'Amato, who in 1994 plucked his fellow Republican from Peekskill, Westchester County, to run for governor. Former state GOP Chairman William Powers - who helped shepherd Pataki's successful 1994 and 1998 campaigns and has a wide-ranging law and lobbying firm - is on the payroll of Kawasaki of Japan. Albany insider William Plunkett - the governor's former law partner and a principal in the law and lobbying firm that bears his name - is working for Canadian aerospace and transit manufacturer Bombardier. Representatives from all three firms have met at least once with politically connected MTA Chairman Peter Kalikow's special adviser, Richard Nasti - a D'Amato protege. 'Big candy store' "It's a powerbroker elite," said one person with knowledge of the maneuvering. By hiring politically connected players, the companies are "trying to improve their lot. They are aware this agency is a big candy store." "There may be contractors that are favorites, and if you are a favorite you have a better shot," said Beverly Dolinsky, a nonvoting MTA board member who represents transit-rider interests. "Maybe you hire an Al D'Amato and you can become a favorite - I don't know," Dolinsky added. "I think a contractor should get it on the merits, but that doesn't always happen." The roster of back-room rainmakers shares a veritable yarn ball of professional and political friendships with officials in and around the subway deal, starting with the governor, who appoints or signs off on the MTA board members and its chairman and executive director. Kalikow, Pataki's handpicked MTA chairman, is a real estate developer and major political fund-raiser with longstanding ties to D'Amato, Powers and other prominent Republicans. Kalikow's rsum notes he once served as a special adviser to D'Amato. Over the years, Kalikow has contributed thousands of dollars to D'Amato, Pataki and the Republican State Committee, which was run by Powers until last year. Cost secondary According to agency guidelines, the decision to award the contract rests on several regulatory steppingstones, in which each proposal will be evaluated. At issue is the best subway plan - not the lowest price. An initial recommendation will be made by a small committee based at the Transit Authority - the branch of the MTA that runs the subways. That panel is headed by Katherine Lapp, executive director of the MTA, another Pataki loyalist. Eventually, the MTA board will vote. State officials insist the procurement talks are closely shielded from outside influence. In fact, until the contract is awarded, guidelines prohibit company representatives from contacting any Transit Authority employee without permission. But at the MTA, representatives for Alstom, Bombardier and Kawasaki each have held at least one private meeting with Nasti, a former D'Amato campaign manager who served as the senator's chief counsel. Nasti, who arrived at the agency with Kalikow on March 13, 2001, has been the focus of a prickly internal dispute. MTA officials confirm Nasti worked for 10 months at the agency - handling the full range of issues for Kalikow, without being employed by MTA. Even though he was functioning as the chairman's chief aide, TA executives repeatedly withheld confidential agency information from Nasti because of questions over his status and past legal problems. In 1992, Nasti pleaded guilty to misdemeanor violations of state labor law as part of a mobbed-up felony circulation scam at the New York Post, where Nasti was the paper's general manager and Kalikow was the owner. At the time of the plea, he resigned from a seat on the MTA board. Because he was not an MTA employee for his first 10 months as adviser to Kalikow, Nasti apparently would not have been subject to ethics rules that guide government workers' conduct. After a confidential state Ethics Commission ruling objected to his role at the MTA, Nasti was put on the payroll in late January, sources said. He is now a $ 1-a-year aide to Kalikow at the MTA - and the highly paid chief financial officer of Kalikow's real estate company. "This is very, very odd," said state Sen. Eric Schneiderman (D-Manhattan). "He was responsible to Kalikow - not the MTA as a whole. The MTA is not a kingdom, it's a public agency. I thought he was an employee." Kalikow, Nasti, Lapp and Transit Authority President Lawrence Reuter all refused to answer questions. MTA spokesman Thomas Kelly said Nasti told him the private meetings with the three companies were limited to "procedural" issues, such as "when were contracts being bid, when would the contract period be closing. "He maintains there were never any discussions of substance," Kelly said. Nasti also denied having any contact on the pending deal with his mentor D'Amato - or Plunkett or Powers - whether in phone calls, E-mails, faxes, letters or conversation. 'Unquestioned integrity' When told of the private meetings with Nasti, who is not on the selection committee, Pataki spokesman Michael McKeon responded: MTA Executive Director "Katie Lapp is leading the decision-making process. The governor picked her for this job in part because she's a person of unquestioned integrity and reputation." D'Amato, Plunkett and Powers did not return repeated phone calls. A Kawasaki Rail Car spokesman, vice president Hiroji Iwasaki, confirmed that Powers' law firm is providing legal advice for the deal. "This is the major procurement for the next 10 years for MTA," Iwasaki said, when asked about Powers' role. "We never think that we will get it, (but) we want to get it." A spokesman for Plunkett, public relations executive Martin McLaughlin, confirmed the lawyer was working for Bombardier on the subway deal. The firm has been on retainer with the Canadian company for six years, which would date their relationship to roughly the time Bombardier was awarded a 1997 subway-car contract by the MTA. McLaughlin said Plunkett "does mainly consulting, strategy, economic development, labor work." That was echoed by Bombardier spokeswoman Francine Durocher, who said the firm, Plunkett & Jaffe, provides "broad strategic and legal advice" for the company's business in New York. Christopher D'Amato, who works at his father's firm, did not confirm or deny the former senator was advising Alstom. "Park Strategies makes it a policy not to comment who its clients are," he said. Under purchasing rules, the contract will be awarded to the company judged to have the best proposal - not necessarily the lowest price. Insiders say that need for negotiation could increase the importance of influence from D'Amato, Powers and Plunkett, since the choice will not hinge solely on the bottom line. The companies are no strangers at the MTA. Although it failed to win its first subway-car bid in 1997, Alstom has been awarded more than $ 150 million in signal and switching equipment contracts for city subways in recent years. Kawasaki and Bombardier each have subway cars on the tracks today. Both companies have had troubles at times with performance. Bombardier recently suspended delivery of its cars in its existing contract, according to state and company officials. Government records show the Bombardier cars were breaking down after 62,000 miles of service as recently as January - far below the contract's threshold of 100,000 miles. The company said its cars' average performance had reached 130,000 miles between breakdowns, but it couldn't say when delivery would resume. A review of government records shows the companies are not strangers in the political community, either. Kawasaki has funneled $ 156,000 to Republican political groups since 2000, including the Republican State Committee and the state Senate Republican Campaign Committee, state records show. Kawasaki's most recent donation - $ 50,000 to the GOP state committee - came on Jan. 7, at a time when the company was in negotiations for the subway contract. Alstom has given more than $ 30,000 to the committee since 1999, the records show. Bombardier gave $ 500 to Pataki's political committee last year. Because it's an election year for Pataki, the award of the contract could become complex. Since each of the companies would assemble subway cars in New York State, as required by law, jobs are at stake. Kawasaki has a plant in Yonkers, Bombardier in Plattsburgh and Alstom in Hornell, near Corning. (Note: lot of gibberish, but does have some ridership numbers) IN THE SUBWAYS; Crowded Platforms Are City's Crucible Newsday (Long Island, NY) 04/22/2002 Maybe it's the popularity of the MetroCard discounts. Maybe it's the drop in subway crime or Manhattan's maddening traffic jams. Whatever it is, with subway ridership reaching the highest levels in almost 50 years, the trains are unbearably crowded all the time now, making late and crowded subways one of the foremost egalitarian delights of the greatest mass transit system in the world. Consider: The subway platform beneath Manhattan's West 96th Street was so packed one recent weekday evening, not a soul could step off the arriving trains. An uptown No. 1 train roared into this paralyzed station. Its doors opened and people on the platform rushed into the subway car. Bodies pressed up against bodies along with backpacks and briefcases and grocery bags. Nobody cursed or complained. Instead, they squeezed aboard for the buck-fifty subway ride, the Ivy League-educated penthouse owners and illiterate shelter residents, the real estate brokers and factory workers. And standing there in the middle of the jammed subway car was former Bronx Borough President Fernando Ferrer, who had come so close to becoming the first Hispanic candidate to win the Democratic mayoral nomination. This veteran politician - so accustomed to chauffeur-driven government sedans - now was pressing up uncomfortably against other straphangers on an uptown local. "Welcome to the subway, Mr. Borough President," said a young man standing near Ferrer. "It's nice to see you with the real people." Ferrer did not seem to hear the unusually warm subway greeting. Barely able to move, he stared at the subway ads. Ferrer is president of the Manhattan-based Drum Major Institute for Public Policy. The organization is dedicated to the ideals of social and economic justice embraced by the late Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. So it was entirely fitting to see the man who spent 14 years as Bronx borough president sharing in the everyday misery of the subway. There was no security detail, no media contingent. There were no New York City Transit workers making room on the subway the way they sometimes do for billionaire Mayor Mike Bloomberg when he rides the train to work. "Good luck to you, sir," another young man said as Ferrer tried moving toward the doors at the 116th Street station. "Thank you," Ferrer said before jostling his way through with other straphangers, climbing the stairs and disappearing into the pedestrian crowds on Broadway. The subways carried 1.4 billion people last year, the most since the early 1950s and about 40 percent more than in 1980, when ridership barely surpassed 1 billion. Subway ridership peaked in 1947, when the fare was a nickel, with more than 2 billion riders. In fact, subway ridership soared nearly 30 percent in the last five years while service increased by only 10 percent. The other night, Janet Damon was waiting for the subway at the 59th Street/Columbus Circle station in Manhattan. She waited about 10 minutes before a packed No. 1 train rumbled into the station. The doors opened and a lone subway passenger essentially traded places with a man waiting on the platform. Now the doors closed and Damon, 46, a real estate broker, and dozens of other straphangers stood there waiting for the next train. Another 10 minutes passed before a No. 2 express train arrived. The doors opened but nobody got out. The overcrowded train pulled out the station without picking up a single new passenger. Damon and the others waited. "Can you believe this?" she asked. "Yes, of course," said the woman standing next to her, Mercedes Rincon, a Dominican housekeeper. "This is every day." "I should get a cab," Damon said. "Don't even think about it," the housekeeper said. You could hear the sheets of rain pelting the grid-locked Midtown streets above the station. Horns blared amid the roar of thunder. Soon, another No. 1 train arrived. Again, nobody got off the subway car. The doors closed, the people waited. U.S. Plastic Lumber Announces Contract With Chicago Transit Authority Business Wire 04/22/2002 U.S. Plastic Lumber Corp. (Nasdaq:USPL), announced today that it's Engineered Products group has signed a contract with Kiewit-Delgado, general contractor responsible for the Chicago Transit Authority's (CTA) Douglas Blue Line Reconstruction Project. As a part of this $ 300 million dollar bid, USPL will be responsible for supplying several thousand recycled Composite railroad ties, trademarked Duratie(R), to Kiewit-Delgago and their designated sub-contractors. The CTA has been a long time proponent of composite cross-ties and designated several thousand be applied to the Blue Line Project in both ballasted and elevated track work. Michael McCann, chief operating officer of USPL, said, "This project marks an exciting collaboration between the CTA and USPL. We've been able to meet CTA's expectations of offering a viable replacement to traditional railroad ties, such as wood, steel or concrete. Our Composite railroad ties have great benefits, including a life expectancy of two to three times longer than wood. " USPL's DuraTie Composite railroad ties are made of recycled plastic and fiberglass for durability and strength. Benefits include a greater life expectancy over wood ties; no hazardous materials used or needed to have or maintain insect and rot resistance; no hazardous materials generated; and, no seepage of hazardous materials. McCann added, "This is a great benefit for the environmentally conscious CTA." Richard Lampo, researcher for the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center has been working with composite railroad ties for over 8 years. Currently, he is leading the effort within the American Railway Engineering and Maintenance-of-Way Association to develop specifications for plastic composite railroad ties. Lampo said, "I see composite railroad ties, like those made by USPL, as a viable alternative to wood ties which are replaced in the United States at a rate of some 10-15 million ties annually. The use of recycled plastic railroad ties in just a small portion of annual tie replacements would divert and make beneficial use of large amounts of waste plastics otherwise destined for landfills. Because they are nonconductive and do not absorb water, like wooden ties, composite ties help eliminate the effects of stray-current corrosion of track hardware in electrified mass transit systems. Such corrosion can lead to unexpected track failure which may cause injury and/or loss of service." Alcatel wins 47 mln usd New York City transit project contract AFX.COM 04/22/2002 Alcatel said it won a 47 mln usd contract from the New York Metropolitan Transit Authority for the replacement of a relay-based interlocking system, as well as upgrading signals, trip stops and track switches. It said the three year contract will be carried out by the US branch of Alcatel's Transport Automation Solution division. Train protection system 'could cost more lives' Monday April 22, 2002 The Guardian A train protection system backed by the Cullen inquiry into railway safety is a waste of money which could cost lives, according to government-funded research to be published today. The commission for integrated transport, an independent body of engineers and experts, will criticise the viability of a £3.5bn European system intended to stop train drivers passing through red lights. Its research claims that level one of the European Rail Traffic Management System (ERTMS) could slow down the rail network and force travellers on to the roads, causing 14 to 22 deaths in car accidents each year. Based on the record of accidents from trains passing red lights, it would save just one life on the railways every 16 months. The commission's conclusions will encourage ministers to delay introduction of a state-of-the-art system until 2015 at the earliest. The Cullen inquiry, which examined safety after the Hatfield train crash, recommended that all trains should be fitted with the technology by 2010. The commission's chairman, David Begg, said: "We believe that every human life is precious and that our transport resources should be spent in the way that protects the most lives." He said money for the system would be better spent expanding the capacity of the railways, on the grounds that trains were safer than cars. He advised the government to "consider more closely the implications of introducing a system which costs so much and yet would actually lead to more deaths than it would save". The government has already begun fitting an interim train protection and warning system, which stops drivers shooting red lights at speeds of up to 75mph. Professor Begg said that if the government wanted to upgrade this to cover high speed trains, its only sensible option was a "level two" version of ERTMS. This used radio communications to enforce red lights, while allowing the number of trains to continue rising. It could cost up to £6bn, however, and was likely to be fitted gradually as the existing signals were replaced, taking up to 13 years. A long running wrangle over train safety systems will break out into the open on Thursday, when Rail Safety, a subsidiary of Railtrack, will deliver its verdict. The health and safety executive will then launch a final stage of consultation before a decision is made by the government. Signalling industry sources this weekend urged the transport secretary, Stephen Byers, to make a swift decision. One said: "This consultation could go on for another decade. We'd like a legislative timetable for this work, which the government has to stick to." Many rail experts believe Mr Byers will reject the advice of the Cullen report and opt for the slower introduction of the most advanced European system, which is already being installed in Spain and is soon to be fitted in Italy. Signalling companies said that the cost could be reduced by up to £3bn by fitting the technology as existing equipment reaches the end of its natural life, rather than replacing the entire signalling network at once. Plan to mask high rail fares puts Byers in another spin 04/22/2002 The Independent (London) Confidential minutes reveal attempts to manage bad news, while European Commission investigates London Underground STEPHEN BYERS and his department are back in a spin today over revelations that they are desperate to encourage good news and "bury" any information that might prove embarrassing. This time the Department of Transport, Local Government and the Regions has been caught leaning on train operating companies in an attempt to persuade the public that the rail network is running smoothly. The ministry's intervention was revealed in the confidential minutes of a meeting of train company communications directors last month. The industry was only too willing to comply, the minutes show. The directors agreed to "make it as hard as possible for the media to get hold of fare rises". This means that individual train operators will refuse to tell the press - or presumably anyone else who might make an issue of it - until the information can be collated and disseminated by the Association of Train Operating Companies (Atoc). The emphasis will be placed on fares that are staying the same rather those that have rocketed. The initiative follows two years in succession when The Independent revealed by how much some train operating companies were increasing fares before Atoc was able to put its "spin" on the figures. Early this year, when the network was still suffering from the effects of the Hatfield rail disaster in 2000, The Independent reported that some fares were going up by as much as 17 per cent compared with the headline inflation rate of 0.9 per cent. A year earlier and just months after Hatfield - which provoked the worst disruption the system has experienced in peace-time - we reported that train operators were putting up fares by as much as 7 per cent. Today Mr Byers and the train companies will find yet another piece of news unpalatable. A survey by the British Chambers of Commerce found that four out of five firms believe rail services have deteriorated since the Labour Party came to power. Delays, cancellations and poor services were causing huge "damage" to industry. The average cost to a firm in lost time and productivity was put at #21,000, with companies losing 256 hours of business every year. The chambers of commerce, which are debating industrial productivity at their national conference today, said 200 companies were polled in response to growing concern at the "dysfunctional" nature of the rail network. Firms complained that staff time was being lost, productivity was being hit, meetings were cancelled and there were problems retaining workers who commuted by train. Anthony Goldstone, president of the British Chambers of Commerce, said the Government would have to oversee real improvements if it was to win back the support of the business community. He said the poll did not bode well for the Government's goal of attracting more people out of their cars and on to the railways. Far more supportive of Mr Byers and the train companies – suspiciously so, perhaps - is today's report by the Commission for Integrated Transport. It declares that a highly expensive rail safety system for stopping trains at red lights, recommended after the Paddington disaster, would result in 10 times as many lives lost as would be saved. The government-funded, but avowedly independent think-tank, argues that level one of the European rail traffic management system (ERTMS), which the Cullen inquiry wanted installed by 2010, would reduce capacity on the network. If capacity was lower, passengers would be forced on to the roads, which were considerably more dangerous and therefore more people would be killed. Mr Byers will not be displeased by this argument because he is anxious to find a way of announcing that the deadline proposed by Lord Cullen was unrealistic. The think-tank contends that the industry should wait until level two of ERTMS has been developed, which would bring the required safety benefits without loss of track capacity. No one believes that such a system could be installed in the time envisaged by Lord Cullen, which rather lets the Transport Secretary off the hook. Perhaps it is also convenient that the conclusions of the Commission for Integrated Transport are published days before a paper on ERTMS prepared by the industry. The document, expected to be published on Thursday, will agree that level two should be installed and that 2015 is a realistic target date for its introduction. The industry will be keen to tie Mr Byers to that date, which he might be reluctant to do. On the other hand, he might be prepared to stick his neck out, given that in 13 years' time he is likely to be long gone from the Department of Transport. Brussels to rule on contracts privatising Tube 04/22/2002 The Independent (London) THE GOVERNMENT'S part-privatisation of London Underground is being investigated by the European Commission because of claims that it breaches EU rules on state aid, competition and procurement. Critics of the scheme claimed yesterday that the decision by Brussels to examine the allegations posed the most serious threat yet to the controversial £15bn project to use commercial firms to renovate the dilapidated Tube network. Stephen Byers, the Secretary of State for Transport, is keen for the scheme to go ahead by this summer despite objections from Bob Kiley, the Mayor of London's transport commissioner, that it is fundamentally flawed and offers poor value for money. The Independent has learnt that the European Commission could scupper the plan if it ruled that the lucrative contracts with companies constitute state aid or that procurement of the public-private partnership (PPP) was unfair. Senior figures in the Commission, including Alexander Schaub, the director general for competition, and officials in the Directorate for Energy and Transport, have held several meetings with lawyers acting for Mr Kiley. Brussels is examining whether the PPP breaches the EU's treaty articles 87 and 88, which prohibit state aid to businesses that have obtained a contract in the absence of an open and transparent bidding process. Mr Kiley believes that the Government was so desperate to attract commercial firms to take on the 30-year project that it changed the contract to guarantee them huge profits. The Commission is assessing whether Britain has breached the utilities directive, which bans governments from changing a contract with preferred bidders to such an extent that their original rivals are disadvantaged. It is also looking closely into whether the PPP contravenes Articles 81 and 82 prohibiting unfair competition because it allows the winning bidders to award their parent companies billions of pounds of work without any tendering. As well as making billions from the contract with the Government, the consortia can get a "double hit" in effect by buying services such as new rolling stock and signalling from themselves. One of the infrastructure companies, the Metronet consortium, has already announced that it intends to give all its long-term maintenance and renewal contracts to its own firms. London Underground said that it was "fully aware" of its obligations under EU law. "All the appropriate regulatory clearances will be obtained before any of the individual contracts come into force," a spokeswoman said. One government source claimed that the European move was "one last throw of the dice" by Mr Kiley and Mr Livingstone in an attempt to stop the PPP. (NOTE: Interesting comment about not everyone sharing our sentimental attachment to things that run on rails). low-cost carriers; The cost of rail maintenance; Brief Article Flight International 04/23/2002 In your report on low-cost carriers (LCCs) (Flight International, 9-15 April) you discussed subsidised rail competition. The Hatfield rail accident in the UK caused a £700 million ($ 1 billion) a year increase in rail maintenance costs, giving a total of about 9p per passenger/kilometre, even before the cost of capital for modernisation, versus the 4.5-6p for the LCCs. Since 1996, when the LCCs started to compete, the National Travel Survey shows that the percentage of business travellers on the UK rail routes of over 560km (350 miles) has fallen from 9% to 4.5%. This will have devastated rail profits, as many of the leisure passengers are carried at dubiously calculated marginal fares, to compete with motor coaches. A senior US Department of Transportation official told me that LCC competition was the reason Amtrak had been required to become free of operating subsidy. Dr Jurgen Weber, chief executive of Lufthansa, said last year that he lost his Stuttgart passengers when rail was substituted on the Frankfurt connecting service. Now the timetable shows six air services again. The Germans and the French have realised that in the age of the global economy, if foreign investors cannot fly there, they cannot get there. The Brussels policy of "Trains for Planes" was devised by officials who have not realised what the LCC revolution implies. And Britons should not assume that these vital foreign investors share our sentimental attachment to things that run on rails. -- A J Lucking, London, UK LETTERS TO THE EDITOR The Dallas Morning News 04/23/2002 A TUNNEL'S FATE It's time to move on Re: "Historic status may alter light-rail plan - DART considers other paths as case is made to save Deep Ellum tunnel," March 17. Out of the three options for the path of the DART rail line to Pleasant Grove, destroying the Good-Latimer underpass is the best choice. The only proposed reason for working around it would be because it could possibly be considered a historic landmark. Unfortunately, if we plan on progressing as a city, we can't save every last thing because it has some emotional value. It's time to move on. -- Jessica Wingfield, Richardson Don't pit 'progress' against preservation It is unfortunate that historic preservation has once again been pitted against "progress" ("Tunnel Obstacle - Good-Latimer underpass shouldn't delay rail," Editorials, March 22) and that Dallas Area Rapid Transit waits until the 11th hour before crying foul. Preservationists and local historians have known for years that the Good-Latimer tunnel is a significant piece of a much larger system of historic structures. All the levees, viaducts, bridges and underpasses were built about the same time (circa 1930) as part of a massive public works project to move the Trinity River while consolidating railroad lines and making traffic improvements across the city. This was part of the Plan for Dallas first proposed by prominent city planner George Kessler and funded through the Ulrickson Plan of 1929. Dallas Morning News publisher and owner George Bannerman Dealey was the most outspoken leader among civic officials pressing for the improvements! Time, lack of maintenance and more recently proposed or actual demolitions have taken their toll on this remarkable collection of structures. As a whole the structures are eligible for inclusion in the National Register of Historic Places, possibly at a national level of significance as one of the largest such municipal projects ever undertaken in the early 20th century. The Shady Grove Viaduct is gone, the Cadiz Viaduct defaced, and the Corinth Street Viaduct and Santa Fe Railroad Bridge threatened. Piece by piece we are losing another important part of Dallas' history, thanks to city, county, state and DART "planners" who pay little heed to historic resources until the last moment, then propose the worst possible alternative and enlist the aid and complaint of the media and distinguished organizations not fully informed about the circumstances. When will we learn to appreciate the few remnants of important Dallas history we have left and work together to find solutions that will appropriately preserve them? -- Ron Emrich, Dallas Council backs closing mural-lined tunnel for light rail The Dallas Morning News 04/23/2002 DART secured an important endorsement for a future light-rail route Monday when the Dallas City Council agreed to support an alignment that would close the historic Good-Latimer Expressway tunnel. Council members did not take a formal vote, but nine members said they were convinced that sealing the mural-lined tunnel was the best way to complete the Deep Ellum station for the Southeast Corridor alignment. "It was clear that committee members supported filling in the tunnel," said council member Sandy Greyson, chairwoman of the transportation committee that heard Monday's presentation. "The city and DART took extra time to thoroughly look at the significance of that tunnel. It was not a hasty decision." On May 13, Ms. Greyson's committee will consider the language of a resolution supporting Dallas Area Rapid Transit's plan. The full council will vote on the resolution May 22. The City Council's backing is not required for DART to begin building its route over the tunnel, which was constructed in 1930 as part of Dallas' first major public-works campaigns. It has been known more recently for the bright and varied murals that drape its walls and provide a colorful connector between Deep Ellum and East Dallas. The Deep Ellum Association is also supporting DART's plan, after months of opposing it. Hurdie Burk, the executive director, said DART's offer to pay $ 1.5 million toward a new gateway for Deep Ellum - that would use local artists the same way the tunnel projects did - helped persuade many owners to support the alignment. The city's support probably improves DART's case before the Federal Transit Administration, which has to bless the project because the tunnel is eligible for inclusion on the National Register of Historic Places. "Since there are two city of Dallas roadways, and they are responsible for the tunnel, their support goes a long way in our argument that there is not a prudent or feasible alternative," said John Hoppie, the project manager for DART's Southeast Corridor. The council vote next month is basically a formality, because several members who had expressed doubts about closing the tunnel now support the DART proposal. Council member Veletta Forsythe Lill said she thought closing the tunnel - dubbed Option A by DART officials - was preferable to two plans that would have threatened other historic structures. One of those options would have required running the DART line close to the St. James AME Temple Church, acquiring property from several businesses and razing them, and taking out 24 units at the Gaston Yard apartments. The other would have squeezed out seven businesses, several loft apartments and run too close to another historic building, the Union Bankers building. "Option A is the best in terms of preserving our other resources and from an urban design perspective," Ms. Lill said. Mr. Burk also said the association did not want area businesses and residences to be sacrificed. "When it comes to replacing people and businesses, I would rather the tunnel go," Mr. Burk said. Detectors for rail stations; Main News Manila Bulletin 04/23/2002 Permanent metal detectors will be installed at all entrances to LRT and MRT commuter stations as a security measure to ward of terrorist threats in the metropolis' railway systems. This was announced yesterday by Secretary Pantaleon Alvarez of the Department of Transportation and Communications (DoTC) following the bombings in General Santos City on Sunday and Monday and the planting of explosives by unidentified persons in several spots in Metro Manila last month. Alvarez said the DoTC will coordinate with the Light Railway Transit Authority and the Metro Rail Transit Corp., operators of LRT and MRT, respectively, for the prompt purchase of the metal detectors. Although security guards conduct searchers of bags of passengers, police authorities believe this is not an adequate security procedure. Alvarez lamented that sometimes the security inspection is not done thoroughly and in some cases the security personnel are not properly trained in how to look for explosives. "The metal detectors will definitely be more reliable than a simple visual inspection. Their cost is certainly a wise investment to save lives and prevent terrorists from pursuing their dastardly acts," he said. Meanwhile, Alvarez called on transport companies to strengthen their security precautions against terrorist attacks on bus terminals and piers. "I do not mean to be alarmist but I urge all transport firms to be constantly on guard against possible breaches in security which could be exploited by criminal elements," he said. CITY OKS FUNDS FOR RAINIER VALLEY RAIL LINE WORK THE SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER 04/23/2002 Seattle has talked of helping Sound Transit build four miles of light rail line through Rainier Valley, but the city's budget woes could put a big crimp in its contribution. City Council members, with one dissenting vote, yesterday committed the city to spending up to $ 19.8 million to bury utilities underground along Martin Luther King Jr. Way South when part of the arterial is widened to make way for the rail line. However, council members, facing budget shortages and with the city's electrical utility heavily in debt, didn't specify where the money will come from. Normally, Seattle City Light would pay to relocate parts of its own system and place them underground, council members said, but the utility faces $ 1.7 billion in debt as a result of borrowing to pay skyrocketing power costs a year ago. Several council members said that with Sound Transit preparing to run the rail line through Rainier Valley, time is ripe for putting electrical, phone and other overhead utilities underground. They said the city had promised this to the district once Sound Transit decided to run the rail line above ground instead of in a tunnel. The utility burial will take place in commercial zones, and the proposal includes laying empty conduit under the rebuilt street for future expansion of cable for computer networks or other services. Some believe the improvements could stimulate new development and tax revenue. "This is a wise decision," Councilman Richard McIver said. "It keeps a promise, and it will bring a return on the money that we cannot do without." At the insistence of one other council member, however, the city won't pay any of the money for the utility-burial work until 2005, under a resolution adopted yesterday. And the measure doesn't commit the city to taking the money from any particular source. Sound Transit hopes to break ground on the system this year. But Councilwoman Heidi Wills said she insisted that the 2005 payment date be added to the resolution. She voted for it, agreeing it could help stimulate Rainier Valley economic growth, but wanted the payments delayed until City Light's finances improve. Given City Light's staggering debt load, "it just doesn't make sense" for City Light to pay the cost now, she said. She said she asked for the three-year delay in payments hoping City Light's finances will improve in that time, and that the city should consider pursuing federal grants or bonds as possible sources. Councilwoman Judy Nicastro cast the lone vote against the resolution yesterday, saying it's "irresponsible" to commit to spending the money without identifying a source for it. "Who knows what the budget situation will be in 2005?" she said. And another related decision looms next week, when council members are scheduled to again discuss a controversial "community development fund" that includes $ 42.8 million for relocation of utilities and assistance to displaced businesses and other property owners. In that case, $ 21.5 million in utility relocation costs would be borne by City Light. Councilman Richard Conlin, chairman of the council's transportation committee, said he thinks there are enough council votes to pass that package. Asked why the council might ask City Light to pay the cost of relocating utilities but not putting them underground, Conlin said the relocation money was placed in City Light's budget before this year's budget troubles. The proposal for the utility-burial work came after the budget crunch began, he said. "It's a question of where the money is," he said. 128 Million Euro Underground Railway To Be Built in Gijon, Spain 23 Apr 2002 SPAIN -- An underground railway worth 128 million euro ($113.7 million) will be built in Gijon, Asturias region, northern Spain, Spanish Development Minister Francisco Alvarez-Cascos said on April 22, 2002. The underground railway line will be 3.4 km long, instead of the originally planned 2.9 km, and the construction works will start in the middle of 2003. The railway system, which originally consisted of two tunnels, has been scaled down to one large tunnel with railway lines running in both directions. The Development Ministry will award the drafting of the revised construction plan to Spanish state engineering company INECO. 'Park in the sky' survival bid at rail site in East End The Evening Standard (London) 04/23/2002 THE transformation of Bishopsgate Goodsyard into the "Covent Garden of the East End" was proposed today by English Heritage in an attempt to save the site from demolition. According to architect Kim Wilkie, the historic brick vaults could be made into "a park in the sky" linked to "green paths" along disused rail lines. English Heritage leads a group of organisations opposed to the proposed demolition to make way for the £600 million extension of the East London Line, linking Whitechapel to Highbury. The 10-acre structure could be a large commercial development to match Canary Wharf if heritage groups can persuade Railtrack and London Underground to change their plans. At present, development has been delayed as defenders of the site seek a judicial review. English Heritage argues that the Tube line could be built quicker and cheaper if tracks were run on top of the structure. The City is bursting at the seams and its leaders see the Goodsyard as ideal to build offices. It is also the flagship of Mayor Ken Livingstone's plan to transform the area. English Heritage sees the Goodsyard as a way of protecting the diversity of the area which is at the centre of one of Britain's largest Bangladeshi communities. The Goodsyard also includes some of the oldest railway construction in the world. It was once the capital's largest goods station and part of it is listed as of historic importance. At present it houses a market, small businesses, indoor football pitches and a swimming pool. It is also used for parties and fashion shows. Models Kate Moss and Jodie Kidd have strutted their stuff there and Time Out has described it as "the coolest place in London". But businesses have been given notice to quit by 9 May, after which demolition could start. Philip Davies of English Heritage said: "It should not be another overspill site where you can dump soulless office blocks. It could be the Covent Garden of the East End. It is already spontaneously regenerating. If all businesses there have to move out it will cost hundreds of jobs." The alternative scheme would be modelled on a spectacular raised park in Barcelona. English Heritage's argument puts it on a collision course with London Underground and Railtrack, which own the site. "I find English Heritage's attitude extraordinary." said Archie Galloway, chairman of the East London Line Group. "Five years ago they said the building was of no interest. But our main concern is that someone gets the money to build the railway line and pay for regeneration. You have got to extract some value, and there's not much value in railway arches." Railtrack has drawn up a shortlist of 12 leading architects to masterplan the commercial redevelopment of the site, including Lord Foster of Thames Bank and Rem Koolhaas, creator of the new Prada store in New York. English Heritage insists it is not hostile to development. "We are as determined as anyone to see the Tube line built." said Mr Davies. "But you don't have to sweep everything away." Mechanical problem halts Singapore airport trains Agence France Presse 04/23/2002 Singapore subway train operator SMRT Corp. on Tuesday withdrew all 21 trains plying a direct route to the international airport due to mechanical problems. SMRT, which operates the city-state's subway system, said initial investigations found metal fragments inside the gear boxes of 20 of the 21 new trains. "These fragments had lodged and jammed the roller bearing causing the wheels to be locked in one position," the company said in a statement. Services had been suspended until further notice, it said. Specialist engineers from Japan's Kawasaki Nippon Sharyo, which supplied the trains, are expected to arrive in Singapore Tuesday evening to investigate the problem. Japanese technicians flown in Sunday had found the gear box of one train filled with metal fragments. A check on the rest of the fleet found the same problem in 20 of the 21 trains. The direct train service from the subway system to Changi Airport was introduced this year. Affected passengers are being asked to take a train to the Tanah Merah interchange and transfer to a shuttle train going to the airport two stops away. SMRT shares fell 0.7 percent to 67.5 cents, compared to Monday's close of 6.80 cents. UK: Carillion wins 250 mln stg contract with Railtrack 04/23/2002 Reuters English News Service LONDON, April 23 (Reuters) - British construction services group Carillion Plc said on Tuesday it had agreed contracts worth over 250 million pounds ($362 million) with UK railway infrastructure firm Railtrack Group Plc. The contracts involve the maintenance of railway tracks. "We are delighted to have agreed these contracts, which underline our commitment to safety and provision of a high quality service," Carillion Chief Executive John McDonough said in a statement. Tram to nowhere; Hammers home the point... And it's 29 years late Western Daily Press 04/23/2002 OUR civic leaders seem unable to get their act together - and once again Bristol could lose out. A combination of political bickering and downright mismanagement has put a Government handout of 160million at risk. As long ago as 1979 Richard Cottrell, the colourful former television news presenter and Euro MP, came up with ideas to revolutionise public transport in Bristol. His company, Advanced Transport for Avon, planned a tram network, but went bust, partly because of delaying Parliamentary objections from Bristol South Labour MP Dawn Primarolo, who insisted any public transport system should be publicly owned. Incidentally, she's now Paymaster General in a Government wedded to private sector partnerships. Labour councillors' objections also saw it off, and Bristol nurtured its reputation as a place where good ideas come to die. Meanwhile, Manchester, Birmingham and Croydon got themselves highlysuccessful tram networks. Avon county council took over the reins but ran out of time, getting itself abolished in 1996. Now Bristol and South Gloucestershire councils are in the driving seat - or should that be the guard's van? The long-agreed northern terminus of the first line was to be Almondsbury, but it has been discovered - incredibly late in the day - that it would be extremely costly to tunnel under the M5. There are also objections from Almondsbury itself which would be engulfed in a huge commuter car park. South Gloucestershire council awaits consultants' reports on a diversion to the Mall at Cribbs Causeway, a suggestion that infuriated Bristol city council, which fears it could hit business at rival Broadmead shopping complex. And only a line to Almondsbury has Government approval. South Gloucestershire councillors have put off meeting their Bristol counterparts to thrash all this out until the consultants report.More delay. Just for once here is a project that has money promised from the Government - 80 per cent of the 200 million cost. But civic mismanagement has put that in danger. A March 31 deadline has already passed, and Transport Minister John Spellar privately warned councillors last week that other cities could beat Bristol to the cash. Why do our civic leaders dither? Why does Bristol always lose? There's plenty of talk but nothing much else. We deserve better, especially for the sky-high council taxes demanded. The delays have jeopardised a desperately-needed rapid transit system for the West's capital city - and it's scandalous. The increasingly-frustrated private sector is ready to warn our leaders in no uncertain terms that Bristol's credibility is at stake. It should be the key issue in the council elections on May 2. If Bristol loses the tram, it also loses the economic development that goes with it. Firms could up sticks, their patience worn out. That would do nothing for the city's areas of deprivation and poverty. Poverty affects educational attainment and breeds crime. In these departments, Bristol's record is lamentable. The latest forecast is a rapid transit system up and running in 2008. So the tram scheduled to arrive on platform one is already 29 years late. It mustn't be any later. PROVINCE ON TRACK FOR NEW TRAINS Belfast News Letter 04/23/2002 AN pounds 80 million-plus contract to buy 23 new trains which will modernise the Northern Ireland rail network was signed yesterday by Translink. All the trains in the Province will be replaced under the deal except the Belfast-Dublin Enterprise which is already up to modern standards. Spanish company CAF will build the state-of-the-art trains in its plant at Zaragosa in northern Spain. The first of the rolling stock will be delivered to Northern Ireland in December 2003, and go into operation the following May after a period of testing and commissioning. The remaining 22 will all be delivered by December 2004. All trains will be fully air-conditioned, have seating for 200 passengers and be capable of travelling at speeds of up to 90mph. There will be special designated space for wheelchairs and bicycles and the trains will be quieter than those presently on the tracks - a major benefit to local track-side communities. Speaking at the signing ceremony in Stormont, Peter Robinson, Regional Development Minister, said it was a very special occasion for Northern Ireland Railways. "We do not often purchase new trains and to my knowledge this order for 23 train sets is the single largest order ever placed by Northern Ireland Railways," he added. The Minister said the travelling public had undoubtedly been aware that standards of passenger comfort and the reliability of trains was not what would be wished. "This investment in new trains will, I hope, show that there is an alternative to that bleak prospect of ever increasing congestion and encourage many more people to use public transport," he added. Ted Heskith, managing director of NIR's parent company, Translink, said the new trains were a very visible indication of their efforts to meet the demands of customers and went hand-in-hand with other measures including the ongoing programme of line refurbishment. "All-in-all, public transport in Northern Ireland is entering a very exciting time," he said. The contract was signed as the leading lobby group Transport 2000 warned the amount of traffic on Northern Ireland's roads could double in 15 years unless action was taken to improve public transport. It accused the Department of Regional Development of complacency and said even more money needed to be spent. BART races to use Army technology that could improve transit worldwide Tue, Apr. 23, 2002 CONTRA COSTA TIMES BART will seek the state's blessing in June to flip the switch on a wireless train control system that promises to boost capacity, save power and treat patrons to a smoother and faster ride. "Being safety certified is a huge milestone," said Keith Fullington, a principal BART engineer. "It means we have taken the project from a concept to a viable technology that can be safely used on an operating railroad." Once BART secures certification, engineers estimate it will take until mid-2004 to expand it from the 5.5-mile downtown Oakland test segment to an operable 27-mile network and turn it on. If the California Public Utilities Commission declares it safe, BART will be the first transit agency in the world to use Army battlefield communications technology pioneered in the Persian Gulf War. The military version enabled wireless communication among battlefield computer units, connecting, for instance, tanks with a base. "The whole world is watching. It's pretty damned exciting," said Fullington. The wireless miracle, which BART began pursuing more than a decade ago, has suffered technical imbroglios and delays. BART leaders had pledged to launch the system by the time they cut the ribbon on the Dublin line. It opened in mid-1997. By 1999, agency officials vowed to finish testing and seek safety certification in early 2000. Now, BART says riders won't see the $81.05 million wireless network for at least two more years. Some might question why it has taken BART so long to use technology the Army has used for 12 years. Converting it for use on an operating railroad that carries millions of people proved more challenging than battlefield conditions, say industry experts. "BART and New York are blazing a path for the next generation of technology that no one has done before," said Tom Sullivan, a technology consultant who has worked for New York City Transit, BART and San Francisco MUNI. "Schedule slippages are not uncommon when you apply a new technology and people invariably underestimate the time it will take." BART and New York have been in a race since the early 1990s to bring similar wireless systems online. "It's moving slower than many of us that have been involved in the technology would like to see," said engineer Alan Rumsey of Parsons, an engineering and construction company. He leads a team hired to help New York. "But the last thing you want is to put the service out there and have a period of time where you have failures." BART's project lost momentum after Hughes Aircraft Co. and Morrison Knudsen, its initial partners, dropped out seven years into its development. Hughes sold the technology to Harmon Industries. Then BART had to transition to a new partner yet again when General Electric bought Harmon. BART later lost 18 months while developers redesigned the computer network after safety concerns mandated three simultaneously operating processors instead of two. Then the radio signals did not travel as far in the tunnels as engineers expected, requiring more analysis. Time became the enemy. Until a few weeks ago, the development team only had access to the line when BART had no passenger trains or maintenance workers on the track, usually in the very early morning hours. "That's about two hours and 45 minutes a day," said Otto Gonzalez, a BART senior construction engineer. Under such restricted access, a job that requires one eight-hour day can take three. It took the team a year and a half of very early morning trips back and forth in a test car, for example, to map the five-mile test segment. The computer needs a database of track characteristics -- inch by inch – to calculate factors such as safe speeds. "This is a normal development cycle for this technology," said William Vantuono, editor of Railway Age in New York City. "You don't just go out and buy a technology and install it on a system that carries millions of people. You have to prove it's safe." How it works Today, BART tracks and communicates with trains using a block system, extensive cabling and electronic circuitry, said Eugene Nishinaga, BART manager of research and development. To track trains, BART divided the rail system into blocks that range in size from 350 to 1,000 feet long. As a train travels in and out of a block, electronic circuits in the rail detect its presence and notify the train control equipment in the station through signal cables installed along the track. Through the same cables, the control equipment sends the train speed commands. The wireless network uses radio signals and microprocessors to do the same job. BART will equip every train and station with a radio and control computer. The agency will install additional radios along the tracks and in the tunnels. Every half-second in bucket-brigade style, low-frequency signals fly from radio to radio. The computers analyze the time it takes for a signal to travel between the radios. This pinpoints the location of a train traveling up to 100 miles per hour to within 15 feet, far more precisely than block tracking. Factoring the location and speed of every train and knowing the characteristics of every inch of track, the computer tells the train via radio signal how fast to go and when to stop. Simultaneously operating radios and computers ensure that if equipment malfunctions, a backup kicks in. To prevent signal interference, the system broadcasts a complex code developed by the military to keep enemies from jamming communications. A wireless network offers many benefits, Nishinaga said. Because it tracks trains to within 15 feet, BART can safely run more trains, boosting capacity by a third. In the Transbay Tube, for example, BART could run 30 trains per hour instead of 22, an increase of 4,000 passengers an hour. BART leaders have repeatedly said they need the added capacity to serve the growing number of riders expected to use the new San Francisco airport extension or future lines to San Jose, Antioch or Livermore. Among other benefits of the wireless system, Nishinaga said: - Trains can coast -- which the existing system does not permit -- and save electricity. - Passengers will enjoy a smoother ride because trains will change speed in one-mile-per-hour increments. The current system has just six speed codes, so trains jerk and stair-step between speeds. The waiting game While the development team tests and re-tests the system in the complex tunnels beneath the streets of Oakland, the world waits for BART to finish what it started. Rail officials from Japan, Korea, England, Italy, Brazil and elsewhere have visited and eagerly await word of success. Experts predict wireless technology will sweep the industry if BART and New York make it work. For months, the team in the wee hours of the morning has sent test trains loaded with monitoring equipment back and forth on the trial segment between the Lake Merritt and Fruitvale stations. Last week, the team for the first time ran a test train on the main track while BART was still open to the public. In another milestone this week, they ran two test trains on the main track under full wireless control. Testing will continue through May as the team collects performance data intended to prove to state officials that wireless technology will help carry passengers safely. BART should easily obtain certification, said Jim Ringland, an engineer and scientist at Sandia/California National Laboratories who specializes in safety analysis. At the request of the PUC, Sandia provided an independent project review. Ringland and others compelled BART to make several significant changes to the system. "When BART launched into this, they didn't recognize how technically ambitious it was," Ringland said. "To their credit, they paid the time to do it right." Light-rail trains kill two in apparent suicides Sacramento Bee 04/24/2002 Two people were killed in apparent suicides when they ran in front of Regional Transit light-rail trains within a 13 1/2-hour period, Sacramento Police said. "Two suicides in this manner (within this time span) are very unusual," said Lt. Daniel Hahn, police spokesman. In the first incident, a 28-year-old man jumped in front of a train at Folsom Boulevard and Watt Avenue just before 6 p.m. Monday. The train was on its way from Rancho Cordova to Sacramento when a man jumped from behind a signal box and into the path of the train, officials said. Police had received a suicide tip and informed RT to be on the lookout, said RT spokesman Mike Wiley. Before the man was hit, the operator of the train saw him take several steps away from the tracks and turn toward Folsom Boulevard, Wiley said. The driver proceeded with caution. As the train operator accelerated, the man turned around and jumped in front of the train. He was pronounced dead at the scene. Hahn said several people, including a police officer, witnessed the death. The three-car train was carrying about 50 passengers. Buses were dispatched to transport the passengers to a train stop. Passengers were delayed for about 45 minutes. The other death happened at 26th and R streets around 7:30 a.m. Tuesday. That train was traveling west on R Street. The driver noticed a man standing on the west side of 26th Street, Wiley said. The train signaled - with crossing arms down, lights flashing and bells ringing - at the intersection. "At the last second," Wiley said, "he took several steps and jumped in front of the train." As many as 500 passengers were on board the rush-hour train headed for downtown. The man, who was 52, was hit by the front of the train and knocked to the side of the tracks. The driver of the train was replaced by another operator. Since the RT began operating in 1987, at least four other people have committed suicides involving trains, Wiley said. In 1991, on the tracks between Marconi Avenue and Roseville Road, a man laid his head on the rail and was hit by a train. In 1992, on the tracks between Marconi and El Camino avenues, a man laid down on the tracks and was hit. Also in 1992, a man jumped from behind a pole between the Royal Oaks Road and Arden Del Paso stations and was hit by a train. In 1999, east of the Butterfield Station, a woman knelt on the tracks, turned her back to a train and was hit. "It's very disturbing to the operators involved," Wiley said. He said the train drivers were extremely upset. "I don't think people realize that while they may be (ending) their own lives," Wiley said, "it has a tremendous impact on the lives of others." Peeved board members scold RTA manager; They say he kept them in the dark on raises The Times-Picayune (New Orleans) 04/24/2002 The Regional Transit Authority's new general manager was on the hot seat Tuesday as RTA board members expressed anger and frustration over being kept largely in the dark about a recent management shake-up that increased the payroll for the agency's 200-member administrative staff by $ 1 million. "I'm very upset about it," New Orleans Commissioner Earline Roth told Dwight Ferrell, who took over the RTA's top job in November. "I had no knowledge about what took place." Charlotte Burnell, one of the board's three Jefferson Parish representatives, said that while Ferrell had briefed her in advance on his plan to use savings in several areas to boost pay for dozens of administrators, she didn't grasp the magnitude of the changes until reading a newspaper account of the reorganization. "Anything that has that kind of impact, we need to know about it ahead of time," Burnell said. Veteran RTA employees said they were surprised by the stern comments from Roth and Burnell, who rarely publicly criticized Ferrell's predecessor, Leroy Bailey. But the two commissioners said their lack of knowledge about the administrative overhaul, which Ferrell implemented without a board vote, put them in an embarrassing situation as they struggled to answer questions posed by transit customers and public officials. "No action should be taken without the board's approval," Roth told Ferrell and his top assistants. "You all don't face the community like we do. You all don't face the consumer." Jefferson representative Dana Pecararo and Connie Goodly, an appointee of Mayor Marc Morial, said Ferrell briefed them on the proposal, but that they were not familiar with the specifics. Chairman Robert Tucker, also a Morial appointee, said he was surprised to hear that his colleagues were upset. "I don't know where the disconnect occurred," Tucker said. "But if they didn't get the information they needed, the mantra around here has to be more communication with commissioners, not less." Afterward, Ferrell said he thought he had thoroughly outlined his plans during individual meetings with board members. "Obviously, my method for laying it out wasn't as clear as it needed to be," he said. A key component of Ferrell's plan, phased in between late December and mid-February, was the creation of six new vice president positions, paying $ 100,000 to $ 110,000 a year. While those and other changes boosted overall spending for wages and benefits in 2002 by nearly $ 1 million, Ferrell said the costs were offset by eliminating more than 20 administrative jobs, reducing the costs of providing services for disabled and elderly riders, and applying projected fuel savings. The RTA payroll wasn't the only thorny issue that Ferrell faced Tuesday. Roth also questioned his recommendation that the RTA hire a consultant to review how the agency should adjust bus schedules and routes to suit population shifts in New Orleans. RTA officials said they hope to cover the estimated $ 250,000 cost of the study with a federal grant. "We have no one in this agency that can do that?" Roth asked. Ferrell responded: "I don't have the technical and planning expertise to do this." While she ultimately agreed to support the effort to solicit proposals for the review, Roth said she hopes Ferrell invests in the training of RTA staff rather than bringing in outsiders in the future. The general manager also caught heat for not soliciting bids to redesign the RTA's Web site. Ferrell said he approved a $ 115,000 expenditure to hire eTransit Solutions Inc. of Cherry Hill, N.J., to improve the agency's outdated Web site. When the new site goes up next month, Ferrell said users will, for the first time, have a chance to view routes and schedules, buy transit passes and explore job opportunities with the RTA. When she was told that the general manager didn't need the board's approval to hire the firm, Roth smiled and told Ferrell, "So, it's on you?" "Yes, ma'am," he said. "That's okay," she replied. "I'm keeping a count." Doug Smith The Charlotte Observer 04/24/2002 The first urban village specifically targeting the Charlotte-to-Pineville light-rail line is sure to attract the attention of commuters. The $ 19 million project, 3030 South at New Bern Street Station, will be only a six-minute train ride from the center city. Heath Partners and Crosland formed a joint venture -- Crosland Heath Partnership LLC -- to capitalize on public improvements the city is making to encourage development in the rail corridor. The village, on South Boulevard at New Bern Street, will focus on residential development with 95 for-sale units, including townhomes, flats and live-work condominiums, which allow owners to live on one level and work on another. But it also will have two small retail/office buildings to help create a storefront streetscape connecting South Boulevard to the light-rail platform behind the village near the Pepsi-Cola Bottling Co. plant. The northern two miles of the same rail line have been generating commercial and residential development in anticipation of the Charlotte Trolley, which eventually will run between uptown and Tremont Avenue. Until now, the portion of track beyond the trolley's end hasn't seen much new activity. But real estate experts expect much more development as the city acquires right-of-way around the planned stations and establishes guidelines for new projects. The developers of 3030 South believe their project will appeal to young professionals, empty nesters and active adults ready to leave the car in the garage. Three-story buildings housing 25 two-bedroom townhomes, about 1,100 square feet each with private two-car garages, will line South Boulevard. Sixty-two one- and two-bedroom flats (690 to 1,160 square feet each and some with private two-car garages) will be built inside the village, around a garden square. Eight units for living and/or working will be constructed between the two retail/office buildings, 6,800 square feet and 4,400 square feet respectively. Rooftop terraces, balconies and large windows will encourage residents to take advantage of the views. Prices start at $ 125,900 for one-bedroom units, $ 163,900 for two-bedrooms and $ 299,00 for live-work condos. Crosland bought the 4-acre site for $ 1.3 million nearly two years ago and initially planned to build apartments and about 25,000 square feet of office/retail space. The city's planning was still in the early stages for the 15 stations along the 11.5 miles of track, and Crosland officials decided to wait for details to emerge. Meanwhile, Andy Heath of Heath Partners, seeking land for a project, saw potential in the undeveloped Crosland site. He formed the joint venture with Crosland, and they redesigned the project targeting buyers instead of renters and capitalizing on transit-oriented amenities proposed by the city. A pocket park has been proposed across New Bern Street, where the Wachovia branch is now, and a pedestrian park is anticipated along the rail right-of-way between New Bern Street Station and Morehead Street. In addition, the city plans to improve street lighting and sidewalks along South Boulevard, making pedestrian and bike access easier to the Sedgefield neighborhood. The Charlotte Area Transit System expects to begin rail passenger service between Charlotte and Pineville in summer 2006. Heath said construction of 3030 South could start by late summer or early fall. Completion is expected in summer 2003, but the first buyers likely would move in by spring 2003. Charlotte's FMK Architects designed the project, and Crosland Contracting will build it. The project team includes The Littlejohn Group, which specializes in research, marketing and sales for residential projects. The developers have opened a sales office on the site. More details are available on the Internet at www.3030south.com. Real pride in keeping people moving Newcastle Chronicle & Journal Ltd 04/24/2002 During the first half of the last century, the trolley bus, an odd creation halfway between a tram and a motorbus, glided through the streets of Newcastle and South Shields and left a lasting impression on those who used and worked on them. Barry Dobson, 58, of Spohr Terrace, South Shields, was a trolley bus conductor. "I joined the service in 1962 because it was a good steady job. After reporting for duty at the Chichester depot, training lasted a week. I spent two days with the senior conductor, learning all about the ticket machine. It was like wearing a shop till around my neck. "One of the first things I was told was that if I lost the tickets each machine held about 500 pre-printed tickets I would have to pay for them unless I had a very good reason. On the second day I was given my uniform of tunic, trousers, cap and topcoat. I had to supply my own shirt, tie and shoes. "I spent the second half of the week on the roads with a conductor and on the second week was a conductor on my own bus. "I started as a spare. That meant I worked all the routes around South Shields. The trolley buses made virtually no noise. The only thing the passengers or I could hear were a series of clicks as the driver pressed the accelerator and increased power. "People didn't have to run after a bus then. There were so many of them, they followed the passengers, with frequent stops and a bus every few minutes. This is where the trolley bus scored over the motorbus because they could start and stop much more quickly. "The service was designed around the needs of the town's workforce. Peak periods were 7am until 9am, 11am to 2pm, then 6pm to 6.45pm. First thing in the morning we took the workers to the docks and factories and the kids to school then were back on duty to take people home at lunchtime. "Everyone went home for lunch, even if they were only there for 15 minutes. For night shift workers, my driver and I would pick up a bus around 3pm and work through to around midnight. Market days on Monday and Friday were just about our busiest days. We carried everyone. It was a community service. "My job wasn't just to take fares. The trolley buses were just like trains in that they ran on lines but the lines were in the air. When the bus needed to change lines, I had to jump down and race ahead to the points junction. "Once there, I waited for the bus's trolley wheels the trolley was the coupling that linked the bus to its overhead wires to cross the junction. I then pulled a hand lever on the pole, moving the bus onto another line, and jumped back onboard. "Route H, the No 7 service, Horsley Hill Road via King George Road, had the most points changes. The sky was thick with overhead lines on Ocean Road, so much so that it was called Grand Union Junction. There were also point changes at the corner of King Street and Fowler Street, at Westoe Road and Sunderland Road, on Centenary Avenue and Prince Edward Road and then again on Horsley Hill. Being fit was an important part of my job! "Winter could be difficult because if there was a power cut, the bus just stopped. We'd be trundling along then there would be sudden darkness and we'd stop dead in the road and there'd be groans from everyone. Ice and snow on the lines was more of a problem. The first bus out of the depot on a winter's morning could be an interesting ride, with the trolley wheels slithering on the lines. "Sometimes we had to unhook the bus if, for example, we were waiting for the dock workers to break for lunch so we could take them home. "This could be a tricky job. Each bus carried a bamboo retriever pole, about 12 feet long. It was hung from hooks above the saloon windows. "I used the pole to unhook the trolley from the overhead wires, so other buses could use the lines. As I found out one day, the pull on the trolley springs was enormous. One minute I was standing on solid ground and the next I was being lifted unceremoniously into the air. Then I was dropped, just as unceremoniously, to the ground but fortunately only my pride was hurt. Quite a number of the trolley bus drivers had worked on the old trams and they knew the bus routes inside out. There was old Jimmy Houlsby who had started as a points man in 1914. Then there was Bob Gillespie who took me under his wing and showed me the ropes. "I used to polish Bob's cap badge. We were all issued with badges. They carried the town's crest and were worn with pride. "Bob said he'd give me his badge when he retired. One morning in 1964 he did just that, just as my driver and I were getting ready to take our bus out. Bob handed me his badge and smiled. "He died shortly afterwards and I've often wondered if he knew he didn't have long left. "The trolley buses were cleaner and quicker than motor buses and pollution-free but they could only go where there were wires to run them from. "They were always packed. I got to know my passengers and they got to know me and their other crews. "During the long summer evenings, kids used to stand in the streets and watch the trolley buses glide back and forth. One young lad in particular waited for my bus at the points junction near the depot on Friday afternoons. He changed the points for us, saving me a trip." During the late 1950s, the South Shields trolley bus fleet consisted of 67 buses. By the early 1960s, however, the motorbus was taking over and by 1964 there were only 11 trolley buses left. Barry spent his working life in public transport. In 1964 he became a driver on the motorbuses then an inspector from 1974 to 1995, when he retired. His love for the old buses and trams took him full circle however and he now drives the trams at Beamish Open Air Museum. "I'm pleased I joined the service in time to see the trolley buses still in service. They had character and added something to the life of the town. I also made some great friends. "It's nearly 40 years since Bob Gillespie gave me his cap badge but I still wear it now with pride." POWER HITCH COULD HIT TRAIN UPGRADE Press Association 04/24/2002 Power supply problems could result in £1 billion worth of new trains not being able to run at their full capability on a busy commuter line for two years, it was revealed today. The first of the Desiro 450 trains was shown off today in Germany. But Keith Cochrane, chief executive of South West Trains' parent company Stagecoach Group, said: "These trains won't be able to use their full capability until the power supply is upgraded in southern England." The upgrading work is being taken on under the auspices of the Strategic Rail Authority and could be completed within a year or two. When the work is completed the new trains will be able to reach their top speed of 95mph quicker and better braking will mean they can stay at their top speed for longer. The new trains are replacing the old slam-door trains on SWT, which runs services from London's Waterloo station to the south coast and to the west of England. SWT is receiving nearly 200 trains built by German company Siemens over the next two years. It showed the first of the trains off at its state-of-the-art test track at Wildenrath, northern Germany, today. A mock-up of the front of Clapham Junction station in south London had been created at the test track for today's launch. Siemens specially shipped a slam-door train to Germany to replicate the exact conditions of the UK network at the test ring. In fact, the new trains are heavier and can automatically drop sand on to the tracks when they sense the tracks have become slippery. There has been criticism in some quarters that SWT chose a German company rather than a British one for the order. Today Mr Cockram pointed out that the Siemens deal was the most attractive and he added that UK rivals such as Alstom and Bombardier were international rather than exclusively British companies. He added that, in any case, SWT had placed orders in recent years with both the companies. However, he did say that the Juniper trains ordered from Alstom had been performing "unsatisfactorily" and not all were yet in service. The new Desiro trains will have air conditioning, automatic sliding doors, audio and visual passenger information displays and facilities for disabled passengers. Eventually, when station platforms in the SWT area are lengthened, the trains can run in 10-carriage form. Alsthom, Chinese Partner Win Nanjing Subway Coach XINHUA ECONOMIC NEWS SERVICE 04/24/2002 The world's leading metro coach producer Alsthom and its Chinese partner have recently won a 1.189 billion yuan (143 million US dollars) contract to supply 120 coaches for the subway system of east China's Nanjing City. According to the contract signed here last week, the first coach will be produced at Alsthom's French factory, while the remaining 119 will be produced at the Chinese partner's factory, the Nanjing Puzhen Railway Coaches Works. The Nanjing subway system will measure 21.6 km on the completion of the first phase of construction and is expected to be operational by September 2005. The first coaches will be delivered in May 2004 and the last by June 2006. Alsthom previously won the contracts to supply 168 coaches for Shanghai's subway system and 152 coaches for the city's light rail system. EU approves modified state aid for Channel Tunnel rail link Wednesday, April 24, 2002 BRUSSELS (AFX) - The European Commission said it has approved state aid measures for the Channel Tunnel Rail Link after Railtrack UK Ltd decided not to purchase a section of the infrastructure [Stage 2 from Ebbsfleet to St. Pancras, London]. The Commission said revised financial measures in favour of the project are compatible with competition rules. Lib Dems fight for trams' return This is Brighton and Hove 04/24/2002 Liberal Democrats are stepping up their fight to reintroduce trams in the city. They want parking profits to be used to fund the scheme and have tabled a motion for a study into the idea, which will go before Brighton and Hove City Council on Thursday. Lib Dems want the findings put before the people in a referendum on local election day next year. The study would be produced by a task group consisting of local and national experts. They would decide if a public/private consortium could be brought together to fund the project and whether any government funds would be available. The study would also examine the impact on congestion and existing public transport in the area. Liberal Democrat leader Paul Elgood said: "We have to deal with the gridlock in the centre in the interest of residents and businesses alike. "Trams would be the only effective solution." Foreign Cards Usable at More Subway ATMs Korea Times 04/24/2002 Ahead of the World Cup soccer finals, foreign visitors are now able to use their ATM or credit cards at cash machines in all subway stations of lines 5-8, the Seoul Metropolitan Rapid Transit Corp. (SMRT) said yesterday, the first day of the expanded services. Visitors can withdraw money from their accounts or receive cash advances through foreign debit or credit cards via 288 automated teller machines at all 148 stations of those lines, officials explained. Some visitors previously complained that they couldn't get cash service at many local automatic teller machines. SMRT officials said they would post informational notices on the machines in English, Japanese and Chinese. Freight Train Ran Light before Hitting California Commuter Train The Press-Enterprise 04/25/2002 Driver fatigue may have led a freight train to run a red signal seconds before Tuesday's deadly crash with a Metrolink train filled with Inland-area commuters, federal investigators said. "There is no question the Burlington Northern train should have stopped," Marion Blakey, chairwoman of the National Transportation Safety Board, said at a press conference in Fullerton on Wednesday. Investigators are now focusing on "human performance" and engineer fatigue after initial inspections showed no problems with the railroad signals, equipment, the trains or the tracks, Blakey said. "We want to look particularly at the 72-hour window before the crews came on duty to see what may have factored in terms of their performance," Blakey said. Union officials identified the Burlington engineer as Darrel Wells Sr., 48, of Dana Point. Wells could not be reached for comment Wednesday. His son, Darri Wells Jr., refused to comment Wednesday when reached at his Corona home. Alcohol ruled out Toxicology tests showed the crews of the Burlington Northern Santa Fe and Metrolink trains did not have alcohol in their systems. Results of drug tests are expected to be returned as early as Friday, Blakey said. Personnel files for the train crews are being reviewed as well as the trains' event recorders, devices similar to an airplane's black box. The devices record a train's speed, braking and other mechanical data, Blakey said. Rail service resumed Wednesday afternoon along the crash route between Riverside and Orange counties. The line was closed after the wreck at 8:16 a.m. Tuesday. Two Riverside County men were killed and 265 other commuters were injured in the crash, the worst in Metrolink's nine-year history. Metrolink carries 32,000 passengers daily on 128 trains. More than 160 people were taken to area hospitals after the crash. About 20 remained hospitalized at 11 medical centers Wednesday. Robert Kube, 59, of Moreno Valley and Lawrence Irvin Sorensen, 48, of Pedley were killed. Autopsies showed both men died from blunt-force injuries, Blakey said. The crash caused $ 2.6 million in damage to the four-car Metrolink train and $ 25,000 damage to the Burlington Northern train. Wells and a conductor leapt from the freight train before the impact, as they are trained to do. The conductor's name was not available. A Burlington Northern personnel roster ranks Wells as having the lowest seniority among 281 crew members in his section. The roster shows he became an engineer for Burlington in May. Blakey stopped short of blaming the crash on human error, saying the investigation will continue. She emphasized that the cause remains unknown. "This is not an open-and-shut case by a longshot," she said. Initially, investigators focused on a signal light which should have flashed a red light at the freight train warning Wells to stop. "We have found at this point that the signals were operating normally," Blakey said. Investigators searched through the Metrolink cars Tuesda