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NJ Dot Commissioner James Fox Unveils New Locomotive And Rail Cars; Arrival Of New ALP-46 Electric Locomotive And Comet V Rail Cars Pave The Way For Major Fleet Expansion ProjectKEARNY, NJ, May 11, 2002 — The newest additions of the NJ TRANSIT Rail fleet — the ALP-46 high-horsepower electric locomotive and the Comet V Rail car — were unveiled today by Board Chairman James P. Fox at the Corporation's Meadows Maintenance Complex (MMC) in Kearny.Fox — who also serves as New Jersey's Transportation Commissioner — presided over dedication ceremonies for the new equipment, highlighting the Corporation's ultimate goals of increasing train capacity, reducing overcrowding and improving system reliability."These new cars and locomotives are part of Governor McGreevey's commitment to take New Jersey's public transportation system into the 21st Century, providing our passengers with the latest in comfort and safety," said Chairman Fox. "The arrival of these single-level coach cars and high-horsepower locomotives — combined with the purchase of bi-level coach cars and high-horsepower diesel locomotives — will ultimately allow us to add more than 33,000 seats to the rail system."
"The arrival of these prototype vehicles means relief is on the way for our customers," said Acting NJ TRANSIT Executive Director Gwen Watson. "These critical investments will help NJ TRANSIT meet current and future ridership growth on the rail system."The Comet V rail car and ALP-46 locomotive are part of NJ TRANSIT's overall fleet modernization and expansion plan to meet the Corporation's growing ridership needs. NJ TRANSIT has also purchased 33 high-horsepower diesel locomotives from Alstom and is preparing to purchase up to 231 bi-level coaches, completing the Corporation's fleet expansion program — ultimately adding 33,392 seats for passengers when all equipment is delivered.Two Comet V single-level rail cars were unveiled today. The Comet V cab car — which allows the engineer to operate the train from the front of the vehicle — is fitted with 109 passenger seats. A Comet V "trailer" car was also unveiled today, equipped with 117 seats. A second trailer car is also being produced for NJ TRANSIT with 111 seats and a fully accessible rest room.The Comet V Coach cars — costing between $897,000 and $1.05 million each based on trailer or cab car configurations respectively — were purchased from Alstom Transportation Inc. of Hornell, NY, and will be delivered through February 2003. Approximately 80 cars will be delivered by this fall, offering the latest in passenger amenities including automated public address systems, LED information displays and automatic doors. Each car is 85 feet long, 10.5 feet wide and weighs just over 100,000 pounds.Manufactured in Germany by Bombardier, "Locomotive No. 4601" is one of 29 being manufactured for NJ TRANSIT. The new ALP-46 engines are 64 feet long, nearly 10 feet wide and weigh 99.2 tons. Each locomotive — with an individual pricetag of $4.7 million — is equipped with a 7,100 horsepower engine with a rated top speed of 100 MPH. The present NJ TRANSIT ALP-44 electric locomotives are limited to train lengths of up to nine single-level cars and five bi-level cars. The new locomotives will accommodate up to 12 single-level cars and 10 bi-level cars. A second prototype ALP-46 locomotive is currently being tested at the Transportation Technology Center in Pueblo, CO, a subsidiary of the Association of American Railroads (AAR) that provides testing facilities to assist railroads and vendors in evaluating a wide range of equipment and technologies. NJ TRANSIT expects to receive the remaining 27 locomotives on order through November 2002.
NJ TRANSIT is the nation's largest statewide public transportation system providing bus, rail and light rail services for 380,600 daily commuters on 238 bus routes, two light rail lines and 12 commuter rail lines. It is the third largest transit system in the country with 163 rail stations, 26 light rail stations and more than 17,000 bus stops linking major points in New Jersey, New York and Philadelphia.
FACT SHEET
ALP-46 Locomotive
Weight: 99.2 tons
Length: 64 feet
Horsepower: 7,100
Top Speed: 100 MPH
Cost: $4.7 million
Number of units ordered: 29
Comet V Coach Car
Weight: 100,000 lbs.
Length: 85 feet long
Number of seats: Cab car — 109 seats, Trailer with rest room — 111 seats, Trailer only — 117 seats
Cost: $897,000 for trailer, $1.05 million for cab car
Manufacturer: Alstom Transportation Inc.
Number of units ordered: 200
Nationalisation In All But Name
The Financial Times
2 May 2002
The government's rail policy has veered between shambles and farce since it forced Railtrack into administration. From that reckless initial decision, through months of bluster to his humiliating climbdown in March, Stephen Byers, the transport secretary, has failed to articulate coherent ideas for Railtrack's successor. Now he is cornered.
On one side, he wants to avoid formal nationalisation of the rail network: the Treasury has refused to allow the £9bn or so debt finance that Network Rail needs on to the government's books; and it is well known that Tony Blair told Mr Byers on his appointment that he could structure the rail industry as he pleased so long as he did not re-nationalise Railtrack.
On the other side, Mr Byers knows that without government guarantees for the debt Network Rail's financing costs would be exorbitant. It is now clear to anyone who can read that management of the rail infrastructure is a high-risk venture.
In dribs and drabs, the government's solution is trickling out. Network Rail will be kept just that bit more at arm's length than a normal public corporation such as the Post Office. This will satisfy the Office for National Statistics that it is not nationalised, keep the debt off the books and limit, to some degree, ministerial meddling in the company. The Strategic Rail Authority will provide standby loan facilities for the debt finance to provide security for lenders in case anything serious goes wrong.
In other words, Mr Byers now proposes to structure Network Rail to satisfy accounting niceties rather than to ensure the best outcome for the travelling public.
That is never a good sign.
Whether the debt sits on the government accounts or in private hands is a second-order question. What matters more are the incentives for Network Rail management.
They claim that they will be as free as any other private company. This is nonsense.
Already, it has emerged that the company has had to go cap-in-hand to the Treasury to seek permission to raise as much as £9bn in debt finance. Given that servicing this debt will cost more than Network Rail earns from track access charges, the Treasury will have to foot part of the bill. Some independence.
In addition, it is obvious that Mr Byers could not preside over the failure of a second rail infrastructure company. So the management will always know a bailout is available, diluting the incentives for efficiency.
By finessing its constraints in this way, the government has created a private debt financed rail infrastructure company, but one that faces most of the same incentives and constraints as a public corporation. One difference exists: the finance is more expensive. We are paying to save ministerial embarrassment.
Encompass Awarded $54.7 Million Contract For Philly Regional Rail Line Improvements
Business Wire
05/10/2002
Encompass Services Corporation (NYSE:ESR), the premier provider of facilities systems and solutions in the United States, today announced that it has been awarded a $54.7-million track and signal improvement project for SEPTA, the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority that services Philadelphia and five surrounding areas.
About 250 commuter and freight trains travel the 6.5-mile section of track associated with this project on a daily basis from the Wayne Junction Station to the Glenside Station. The improvements will allow more trains to travel at higher speeds through this important transportation artery.
"As well as being the home of the Liberty Bell, Philadelphia is also home to American passenger railroading, with some existing lines carrying passengers over rights-of-way that are well over a century old," said SEPTA General Manager, Faye Moore. "We are pleased that Encompass will be helping us keep our system safe, efficient and reliable."
"We are proud to be awarded this important transportation project," added Joe Ivey, president and chief executive officer of Encompass. "The requirements for the transit improvements were extensive, but the depth and range of our expertise continues to bolster our reputation nationally as a key provider of infrastructure services."
The company's unit in Lititz, Penn., will begin the 42-month project later this month.
Project highlights include:
Designing, furnishing and installing the track and wayside signal system, track switches, highway crossings, and interfaces with the existing signaling system
Installing a new bi-directional signal system with both cab and wayside signals
Installing a new fiber optic communication system
Modifying and renewing the overhead catenary system at Newtown Junction, Tabor, Jenkintown and Carmel
Demolishing Logan Station and expanding Jenkintown Station
In addition to this project, Encompass is currently finishing SEPTA's Girard Avenue Light Rail Infrastructure Renewal project. The project should be complete by June. About Encompass Services Corporation
Great Britain: Seven Killed As Rear Car Of Train Derails
Facts on File World News Digest
The rear carriage of a four-car, high-speed commuter train May 10 derailed and separated from the other cars, crashing into the Potter's Bar station in the town of Hertfordshire, 12 miles (20 km) north of London. Seven people were killed, and more than 70 others were injured in the disaster, Britain's fifth major rail accident in five years. The accident, which occurred just five miles from the site of an October 2000 crash at Hatfield station, heightened already intense scrutiny into the government's transport management and Britain's financially-plagued railway company, Railtrack PLC, which in October 2001 had gone bankrupt.
Transport Secretary Stephen Byers May 10 immediately ordered an investigation into the disaster. The Health and Safety Executive May 14 released a report confirming what some inspectors had suspected: that loose nuts along a set of points — mechanisms that were used to switch tracks — about 200 yards (180 m) south of the station caused the rear car to derail. However, it remained unclear exactly how the nuts came loose.
The four-car train had left King's Cross station with 151 passengers. About 10 minutes into its journey, it approached Potter's Bar, where it was not scheduled to stop, at its top speed of about 100 mph (160 kmph). As the train rode over the faulty points, its first three cars passed unaffected, but the rear car, carrying about 30 passengers, swung off the track to its right.
The car was thrown onto its side, and crashed into the wall of a road bridge that ran parallel to the tracks. The dislodged carriage then slid toward the Potter's Bar station, where it crashed sideways into a waiting room and came to a halt wedged underneath the station canopy. The other three cars, though jarred off the tracks by the last car's derailment, continued past the station upright, and eventually slowed to a stop without damage.
In the immediate aftermath of the derailment, numerous people, including the train's driver, Andy Gibson, who was unharmed, helped trapped passengers out of the wreck. Nineteen ambulances were dispatched to the scene to bring the wounded to an area hospital, and a nearby store was used as an emergency room for those less seriously injured.
Investigation Focuses on Maintenance
As it emerged that the loose nuts were the cause of the accident, the inquiry into the train crash May 12 began to focus on the possibility that the rail networks were poorly maintained. Inspectors May 11 had initially considered a variety of possible causes of the crash, including a theory that the fault lay with the wheels of the train. Because the Potter's Bar area had a recent history of vandalism, inspectors reportedly also considered the possibility that someone had deliberately loosened the nuts. However, sources close to the inquiry May 12 said that vandalism was unlikely as the perpetrators would have required sophisticated, heavy-duty tools.
The investigation then focused on Jarvis, Railtrack's maintenance contractor. Jarvis May 13 confirmed that the nuts that caused the accident had been discovered loose and retightened May 1. The company May 14 admitted that the problem was not properly logged in the required inspection reports. Critics said Jarvis's confirmation that the bolts had been found loose earlier undermined Byers's claim that the mishap was an isolated incident.
Bob Crow, head of the Rail, Maritime and Transport union, May 12 complained that Jarvis's system of weekly track maintenance checks was "not adequate to do a proper inspection of the entire track." He advocated that the tracks be checked every day, and said the faulty record-keeping by the company suggested that other problems might not be routinely monitored. Critics also noted that the contracts Railtrack used to hire outside maintenance workers created a commercial incentive to rush work.
Roads And Transit; It's Time For State To Build Both
Star Tribune (Minneapolis, Minn.)
05/11/2002
The democratic endeavor expects disagreement, then compromise. But compromise becomes harder when one side recklessly distorts reality, as the Taxpayers League of Minnesota has done in the current dust-up over transportation.
In a letter sent to legislators on April 23, the league retells its opposition to an increase in the gasoline tax supported by the governor, the Senate and a coalition of business groups. Fair enough. Minnesota's high-tax, high-service tradition invites criticism from any advocate of smaller, cheaper government. But sadly, to support its position, the league then takes a detour through one distortion after another.
For example, it accuses the Transportation Department (MnDOT) of a "disproportionate emphasis on building rail — often at the expense of roads."
Well, since there's yet no operating rail transit in Minnesota, any rail spending would be disproportionate. Fortunately, MnDOT recognizes its responsibility to anticipate the future and sees clearly that an all-roads solution won't work. Still, it spends 92% of its budget on roads and, because of the Hiawatha project, 3.5% on rail transit. It's hard to see where trains are devouring highway dollars.
The league says MnDOT wants a "slush fund" for its "pet rail projects." But there's nothing slushy about providing transit choices from a stream of dedicated money as other states do. The automobile was not ordained as Minnesota's only and eternal conveyance. If money is dedicated for roads, as the constitution stipulates, it should be dedicated also for transit. Transit is not welfare but basic infrastructure, like streets, sewers and schools.
The league apparently believes MnDOT already has enough money to build the projects Minnesota needs, that a conspiracy is afoot not to construct roads in order to extract more tax money. The group complains about MnDOT's "unwillingness to solve congestion," pointing to the Crosstown Commons as an example. The department shouldn't be "rewarded," the league says, because its initial interchange failed to increase capacity.
In fact, opposition from neighbors, not MnDOT's designers, prevented a wider interchange. Only when legislators amended the municipal consent laws could MnDOT buy enough land to build a higher-capacity roadway — for an extra $80 million.
Contrary to the league's charges that little has been built in the metro area while MnDOT's funding doubled over the last decade, the evidence points the opposite way. The agency's funding is up 57%, not 100%. Indeed, it is engaged in the largest roadway construction spurt in years, though not nearly large enough to rectify decades of neglect caused largely by the Legislature's reluctance to expand gasoline tax revenues. The tax has not been raised since 1988, and road-building for a growing region has suffered.
An additional $10 billion is needed over the next decade just to stay even with congestion. The Senate's 6-cent gas tax and transit fund provides 70% of the solution; the House's $750 million roads-only bonding plan provides a 7% solution, hardly worth the effort. House Republicans' proposal Friday to hike the gasoline tax by 3 cents was encouraging, but not sufficient, in part because it shortchanged transit.
Given the severity of the problem, it's odd that the Taxpayers League would obsess over not "rewarding" MnDOT rather than fulfilling Minnesota's obvious needs. The league's own no-tax pledge, accepted by scores of Republican legislators, only exacerbates the problem. MnDOT is not a perfect agency, but demonizing it and its commissioner adds nothing to the state's transportation capacity.
These attacks could be easily shrugged off in a more sophisticated Legislature but, sadly, many House members seem actually to take seriously the league's analysis. Yes, raising the gas tax by 6 cents would cost an average driver $60 a year. But the same driver now loses 10 times that much in wasted fuel, lost time and lost productivity.
Minnesotans understand that transportation costs money. The state may have to spend five times more to widen Interstate Hwy. 494 through Bloomington than it devoted to the Hiawatha Line. But it's time to build, not blame.
Bombardier Receives A $185 Million Order For Electric Multiple Units In Australia
Canadian Corporate Newswire
05/11/2002
MONTREAL, QUEBEC and PERTH, AUSTRALIA — Bombardier Transportation and Australian train manufacturer EDI-Rail are pleased to announce that their joint venture received an order from the Western Australian Government to build 31 three-car electric commuter trains for the southern leg of the Perth Urban Rail Development (PURD) project. The contract, valued at $372 million Cdn ($437 million Australian), includes 15 years of maintenance and the construction of a maintenance and stabling facility. Bombardier Transportation's share of the contract is approximately $185 million Cdn ($218 million Australian), including $102 million Cdn ($120 million Australian) for the vehicles and approximately $84 million ($99 million Australian) for maintenance and the construction of a maintenance facility. Deliveries are scheduled to start in mid-2004, with the last set delivered in 2006.
Bombardier Transportation's scope is to design the railcars and supply propulsion and electrical systems. EDI-Rail will be supplying bodyshells and bogies. Testing and commissioning will be carried out by both companies as part of the joint venture. Assembly will be carried out at the Bombardier Transportation — EDI-Rail joint venture plant in Maryborough, Queensland. Propulsion equipment will be manufactured at Bombardier Transportation's plant in Vasteras, Sweden.
The tender includes an option for the manufacture and maintenance of 10 additional three-car units. These state-of-the-art electrical multiple units (EMUs), designed in Australia with modular stainless steel construction, will travel at 130 km/h and have a seated capacity of 236 passengers. Between 1990 and 1998, 48 two-car sets of an earlier generation of these vehicles were produced at the joint venture's Australian facilities, and delivered to the Western Australian Government Railways Commission (WAGR).
"These trains will provide the Western Australian public with state-of-the-art commuter transport. We are pleased that the manufacture of these vehicles will be carried out within Australia with significant local content," says Dan Osborne, Chief Country Representative of Bombardier Transportation in Australia.
Jules Pleau, Vice President, Bombardier International, adds that "this new order, combined with the Vlocity trains currently in production in Victoria, reinforces Bombardier's overall presence in Australia and strengthens Bombardier Transportation's ability to pursue other activities in the region."
In addition to the joint venture facility, Bombardier Transportation has a plant in Dandenong, where trains and trams have been built for Australian railways for over 25 years. Bombardier Transportation, which employs over 200 people in Australia, is currently working on manufacturing or service contracts in Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria.
Training Tunnel A First In US; Metrorail Facility Allows Realistic Disaster Drills At Any Hour
Washington Post
Saturday, May 11, 2002
In a fake subway tunnel built inside a Landover warehouse, Metro officials yesterday "turned on" a simulated fire to show off the nation's first training tunnel where emergency workers can practice how to respond to rail disasters.
The $700,000 center — built by Metro workers — holds a pair of old Metro rail cars positioned on tracks, with an inactive third rail. Yesterday, smoke machines filled the tunnel with a gray haze and theatrical equipment created a faux fire as local and federal transit officials inspected the new center.
"This one-of-a-kind fire facility will provide a training ground... giving firefighters, police and other responders hands-on experience," said Federal Transit Administrator Jenna Dorn.
Metro began designing the center before Sept. 11 as a place where local fire, police and special operations teams could perform disaster drills under realistic conditions.
Until now, that practice took place in the Metro system after midnight, when the subway shut down. But those late hours made it difficult for many firefighters and police officers to schedule drills, and the kinds of exercises they could perform were limited, said Fred Goodine, Metro's assistant general manager for safety.
The Landover facility will be available for training seven days a week, 24 hours a day. "When we were thinking about building this, we asked the fire chiefs, if we build it, will you come? And the answer was a resounding yes," said Richard A. White, Metro's chief executive officer.
Prince George's County Fire Chief Ronald D. Blackwell, whose department is the first in the region to schedule training sessions in the new center, said it offers his firefighters a great opportunity to hone skills. "It allows you to get up close in a controlled environment and also perhaps to introduce other training besides fire: chemical, biological or nuclear elements," he said.
David Snyder, superintendent for operations and safety at Virginia Railway Express, said that commuter railroads could benefit from using the Metro facility and that he wants the fire departments that serve VRE to train there.
The facility is equipped with cameras that record activities in the tunnel, allowing workers to later study and critique their responses. And it has mock emergency communications equipment that connects to a fake operations center next to the tunnel, so responders can practice talking with train controllers.
Metro hopes to invest an additional $2 million in the facility, which would allow the agency to bring water to the tunnel and create a mock station just outside the tunnel, among other things.
Dorn said she would encourage emergency workers from the nation's other subway systems to train at the center, noting that the Federal Transit Administration made $50,000 emergency training grants available to transit systems after Sept. 11.
Points Failure Caused Rail Disaster
Evening Standard Online
Saturday, May 11, 2002
A points failure is the likely cause of the train derailment at Potters Bar which claimed the lives of seven people and injured dozens more. Railtrack has revealed there was evidence of a fracture in a front stretcher bar — one of the supports on a point system, just south of the station — that caused nuts holding them in place to shear off.
Railtrack chief executive John Armitt said as the four-carriage 12.45pm King's Cross to King's Lynn service passed over them, the points moved, causing the train to come off the tracks.
He told a news conference at Hertfordshire Police headquarters in Welwyn Garden City that the focus of the investigation would now be to find out why the nuts came loose.
But he said more than 400 checks had been carried out on similar points systems around the rail network in the last 36 hours and no defects of a similar nature had been found.
"The nuts that held the two other supports in place became detached which resulted in the front section bearing all the pressure," explained Mr Armitt.
"Why the nuts detached is not known."
The points were the subject of a visual check by an inspector only a day before the accident but no defects were reported. The points would not have been touched.
The accident had been "truly unique", Mr Armitt added, but it was not envisaged that any specific speed restrictions would be implemented across the rail network.
Dr Allan Sefton, the Health and Safety Executive's acting chief inspector of railways, also said that initial investigations showed it was a "one-off" incident.
Rail Crash — Timetable Of Disaster: 110 Killed, Hundreds Injured
The Guardian (London)
05/11/2002
February 28 2001 Selby, north Yorkshire Gary Hart fell asleep at the wheel of his Land Rover and plunged 40ft down the railway embankment onto the line. The 4.45am Great North Eastern Intercity service from Newcastle to London King's Cross ploughed into the Land Rover at 125mph before colliding with a coal train travelling north. Ten people died and more than 70 were injured.
October 17 2000 Hatfield, Hertforshire The high-speed 12.10pm London King's Cross to Leeds GNER service derailed leaving four dead and 35 injured.
October 10 2000 Dumfries and Galloway Twenty people escaped with minor injuries when a Scotrail train travelling from Newcastle derailed 14 miles from Stranraer after a 70-yard stretch of the track bed was washed away by floods.
October 5, 1999 Ladbroke Grove, London Thirty-one people were killed when a Thames train went through a red signal and collided head-on with a high speed service travelling from Cheltenham to Paddington.
June 23 1999 Winsford, Cheshire London to Glasgow express crashed into a stationary commuter train. The driver applied the brakes and averted a more serious accident. Thirty people injured.
September 19 1997 Southall, London A packed Intercity 125 Swansea to Paddington express slammed into a freight train at high speed. Seven people were killed and 160 were injured.
August 9 1996 Watford A Euston-Milton Keynes commuter service collided head-on with an empty southbound train. One person died and 73 were injured.
March 8 1996 Stafford A derailed freight train was struck head-on by a Royal Mail locomotive. One person was killed and 22 people were injured.
January 31 1995 Aisgill, Cumbria A passenger train was derailed when it hit a landslide and was struck by another passenger train on the opposite line. Three people were killed and 25 injured.
October 15 1994 Cowden, Kent Five killed and 13 injured in a head-on collision after the driver ran a red signal.
December 7 1991 River Severn Two trains collided inside the railway tunnel beneath the River Severn, injuring 102 people. British Rail admitted that there had been a major signalling fault.
July 21, 1991 Glasgow Four people died and 22 were injured in a head-on crash at Newton station near Glasgow.
January 8 1991 Cannon Street, London An early morning commuter train from Sevenoaks, Kent, hit the buffers injuring 547 people and killing two.
March 6 1989 Glasgow Two suburban electric trains collided head-on. Two died.
March 4 1989 Purley, Surrey A Horsham to Victoria slow train hit a Littlehampton to Victoria train on the fast line. Five people were killed.
December 12 1988 Clapham, London A train travelling from Poole to Waterloo smashed into the rear of a stationary train . Thirty-five people were killed and 113 injured.
On The Trams
The Toronto Sun
05/12/2002
Once more the harried transit rider has dodged the strike bullet and there's peace again on the TTC's 692 subway and 28 SRT cars, 1480 buses and 248 streetcars. Since the inception of public transit in our city in 1849, there have been a total of 10 disruptions to the service, ranging from a few hours to the 23-day occurrence of 1974.
In addition, there have been several times when it looked as if shank's mare would be the popular way to get around town. And while money, or lack of it, was the usual reason for the disagreement, in 1938 it was something else that nearly saw the system shut down.
That time it all had to do with the new style of streetcar the TTC had agreed to purchase. Known as the Presidents' Conference Committee (PCC) Streamliner, this revolutionary vehicle was "state-of-the-art," 64 years ago. It had been created with input from transit operators in the States and Canada, including staff of the TTC, resulting in a vehicle that had operating characteristics far superior to anything then in operation on city streets.
FASTER AND WARMER
The new PCC had several advantages over the TTC's older equipment. They were faster (automobile drivers were warned not to cut in front when racing away from a green traffic light), could stop quicker (this time drivers were warned not to sit too close behind the new cars), had smoother acceleration (fewer passengers cascaded into other passengers when the new cars left a stop) they were warmer in the winter, would decrease the headways between cars and each came equipped with nice, comfortable upholstered and padded seats.
Unfortunately, the new cars did have one problem — something that the TTC either didn't see coming or, if it had, perhaps hoped that problem would simply go away on its own. And what was the problem? The PCC car was intended to be operated by only one man.
While the Commission had operated a few one-man cars since its inception in 1921, the majority of the fleet were of the two-man (operator and conductor) variety. And while the introduction of the PCC cars on the St. Clair route in October had gone smoothly, as more of the new cars arrived, motormen and conductors began refusing to sign-up for the Bloor and Dundas routes, the next to have the new one-man cars.
They felt that an obvious result of the purchase of 140 one-man cars would be extensive layoffs. (By the way, I did not create the terms "one-man cars" and "two-man cars." Back then, that's exactly what they were. Women had yet to be hired as operators. It would take a world war to change that.)
Throughout early November 1938, the city's streetcar riders were bombarded with stories issued by both the TTC and the Union. Would there be a strike or would the cars keep running? For a time, it looked grim. Eventually, however, the two sides agreed on a plan that would see the establishment of a guaranteed six-day, 36-hour week for the majority of operators with guarantees that the senior motormen and conductors would be kept on the two-man cars that operated as "Extras" during rush hours.
Transit calm quickly returned to the system and before long the new one-man cars began appearing on routes all over town. But never on Yonge.
Legacy Sportswear has recently introduced a new line of casual clothing, mugs, keychains, etc. that feature the TTC's legendary PCC streetcar. The full "TTC Stuff" catalogue can be perused at LegacySportswear.com. Information on where the items can be purchased is available by calling 905-856-5289.
Seattle Aims For One-of-a-kind Transit Project
Seattle Times
05/12/2002
Buses and light-rail trains, underground together. Rolling through the same tunnel. Loading and unloading passengers at the same subterranean stations.
It's never been tried anywhere. Sound Transit and King County Metro propose to do it in the 1.3-mile tunnel that has carried buses under downtown Seattle for the past 12 years.
Their plan is either the best use of the tunnel for the foreseeable future or a giant waste of its people-moving capacity. It's either too risky or no more dangerous than the way the tube is used today.
Sound Transit and its opponents have been debating the wisdom of buses and rails sharing the tunnel since last summer, when the agency embraced the idea as part of its scaled-back plan to build a 14-mile light-rail line from downtown to Tukwila by 2009.
Voters may be asked to decide who's right.
Sound Transit and King County, the tunnel's owner, reached agreement Friday on joint use. If it's approved by the County Council and Sound Transit's board, as expected, light-rail opponents have threatened to collect signatures to submit the deal to a referendum. If voters rejected the agreement, it could kill light rail. Sound Transit doesn't have another way to get trains downtown.
Each side in the bus-tunnel debate has produced studies that support its own conclusions. Each side has accused the other of cooking the books.
But they agree on this much:
Sound Transit's plan would alter thousands of downtown commutes, beginning in 2007 when the tunnel closes for construction. When it reopens two years later, some transit users will enjoy shorter commutes. For others, trips downtown will take at least a little longer than before the tunnel closed.
Joint bus-rail operations in the tunnel won't solve downtown's traffic problems. Sound Transit's opponents say it will actually make the situation worse. Sound Transit disputes that, but it also says downtown congestion will be about the same, with or without light rail. "We've never said we will reduce congestion," says Joni Earl, Sound Transit's executive director. "What we're about is another option, out of the congestion."
Here are questions and answers about what's planned and what's in dispute:
Q: I thought Sound Transit planned to convert the tunnel to exclusive light-rail use — no buses.
A: It did, until last year.
When voters approved a 21-mile light-rail line from the University District to SeaTac in 1996, backers held out joint bus-rail operations in the tunnel as a possibility.
But Sound Transit concluded in a 1998 study that rail-only operations made more sense. Joint operation posed safety problems, the agency said, and both rail and bus service would be significantly slower and less reliable. So Sound Transit signed an agreement in 2000 to buy the tunnel from King County in 2003.
All that happened before cost overruns pushed Sound Transit to scale back the light-rail line last year. As the project changed, joint use began to look more appealing.
Q: Why?
A: The 14-mile "starter" line that's now planned is expected to attract just one-third as many riders as the original project. According to Sound Transit's forecasts, the number of people boarding trains in the tunnel daily in 2020 would actually be lower than the number of passengers boarding buses in the tunnel today. So reserving the tunnel for light-rail only was difficult to justify.
Sound Transit and Metro did another study of joint use last year and concluded it was much more feasible with the shorter rail line and fewer trains. Changing circumstances and new technology had eliminated or minimized the problems the 1998 study identified, they said.
Leaders of Sane Transit, the light-rail opposition group, say the agencies' change of heart was too convenient to be credible.
Q: Does Sound Transit still plan to buy the tunnel?
A: No. Under the new joint-use agreement, the county would retain ownership. Sound Transit would pay all the debt service on the tunnel during the two years it's closed, then pay 40% of the debt service and operating expenses after it reopens. That percentage would increase if Sound Transit's use of the tunnel increases.
The agreement also calls for Metro and Sound Transit to negotiate a contract that would name Metro the operator of the light-rail line. If there's no contract by next spring, Sound Transit would be required to buy the tunnel.
Q: How much of downtown's bus traffic does the tunnel handle now?
A: Metro says 132 buses run through it each weekday between 4:30 and 5:30 p.m., the busiest hour. They ferry about 2,500 passengers out of downtown and about half that number into the city during that hour.
The 132 buses in the tunnel amount to less than a quarter of the 593 north-south buses serving downtown during the peak hour. The other 461 travel on the surface.
Q: Why don't more buses use the tunnel?
A: Because Metro doesn't have enough of the right kind of buses. The ones that operate in the tunnel are custom-built, dual-powered models that run on diesel fuel most of the time, then switch to electricity from overhead wires when they go underground.
The agency hasn't bought any of those buses since 1990. It had planned to buy hundreds more but didn't because light rail was on the horizon.
Q: How much traffic will the tunnel handle when both buses and trains are running through it?
A: Sound Transit computer simulations indicate the tunnel can handle 10 trains and about 60 buses in each direction — that's 20 trains and 120 buses total — during the afternoon peak hour. That's almost as many buses as today, plus a train each direction every six minutes.
Sane Transit says those projections may prove overly optimistic when they're tested. Opponents haven't come up with numbers of their own.
Forecasts of the tunnel's capacity haven't always been accurate. When the tunnel was planned in the 1980s, Metro estimated it could handle 290 buses an hour. After more than a decade of operating experience, the agency now says the tunnel's capacity is 250 buses an hour.
Q: Will buses and trains share the tunnel indefinitely?
A: That's not the plan. Sound Transit and Metro say buses would be phased out as rail service increases. But they don't anticipate the tunnel would become all-rail until light rail is extended beyond Northgate.
Q: Why do they need to close the tunnel for two years for construction? Aren't there rails in the tunnel already?
A: Rails were installed in the tunnel when it was built in the late 1980s. But Sound Transit says it can't use them because they aren't adequately insulated. Stray electricity from the trains could escape into the earth and corrode metal pipes.
In addition to installing new rails, Sound Transit plans to lower the roadbed in the stations by six inches so passengers can walk or wheel themselves directly from the platform onto rail cars and onto new, low-floor buses without climbing stairs or using wheelchairs lifts. That should speed loading.
Sound Transit also plans to install new overhead electrical wires to power the trains, replace the overhead sprinklers with new ones on the tunnel's walls (the overhead sprinklers don't leave enough clearance for trains), install a new signal system to keep buses and trains separated and improve the emergency ventilation system.
Q: How much will all this cost?
A: About $62 million to $68 million, Sound Transit says. That's $37 million to $43 million more than the agency had planned to spend to retrofit the tunnel just for trains.
Q: Will both the trains and buses run on electricity from overhead wires?
A: Maybe not. Metro wants to replace the aging tunnel buses with hybrid buses that operate on both diesel fuel and stored electricity. Those buses wouldn't need wires.
Q: Is Metro interested in buying the hybrid buses only because it needs them — or something like them — for the tunnel?
A: Metro says it would be considering the hybrids regardless because they are more fuel-efficient and less polluting than standard diesel buses.
Q: Is it safe to operate buses and trains in the same tunnel? What about collisions?
A: Sound Transit expressed concern about that when it rejected joint use in 1998. The agency said that, because the tunnel lacked a fail-safe signal system, it would be up to operators to maintain safe stopping distances.
Sound Transit and Metro now say they have developed a new signal system to keep buses and trains from occupying the same station platform or tunnel segment at the same time. While the new system still wouldn't be fail-safe, a train-bus collision would be highly unlikely, they concluded.
Sane Transit remains skeptical; there's no similar operation anywhere to learn from. Sound Transit says the signal system will be tested for three to six months before the tunnel reopens.
Q: What about fire safety?
A: Assistant Fire Marshal John Nelsen, who has reviewed Sound Transit's plans, says the tunnel is safe now and adding light rail shouldn't make it any less so.
Q: What will happen to the buses that now use the tunnel when it closes for retrofitting in 2007?
A: Sound Transit and Metro estimate there will be 148 afternoon peak-hour buses in the tunnel by then, 16 more than today. They'll be rerouted to the surface on Second, Third and Fourth avenues.
Q: What will that do to downtown traffic?
A: It will make it worse. The only question is how much.
Sound Transit, Metro and the city of Seattle plan to spend $13 million, mostly on surface improvements, to minimize the impact. Third Avenue would be closed to all traffic except buses and emergency vehicles from 6 to 9 a.m. and 3 to 6 p.m. Traffic-control officers would be stationed at key intersections.
Even so, Sound Transit says average delays at some intersections will increase from one to 20 seconds.
Most buses rerouted from the tunnel to the surface will take six to seven minutes longer to get from one end of downtown to the other, the agency calculates. Sane Transit's technical advisers argue there will be more buses on downtown streets than Sound Transit and Metro assume — both while the tunnel is closed and after it reopens. As a result, they say, congestion will be worse than predicted (see accompanying story).
Q: What will happen when the tunnel reopens?
A: Most of the buses that were in the tunnel before will return. But they'll take longer to get through the tunnel because they'll have to wait in staging areas at the tunnel entrances when trains approach. The agencies say bus riders will experience an average delay of 1.5 minutes.
The wait could be longer, Sane Transit counters, if train and bus operations don't mesh as smoothly in the tunnel as Sound Transit's computer simulations indicate.
Q: How will the buses in the tunnel affect light-rail operations?
A: Metro and Sound Transit say trains will take about one minute longer to travel through the tunnel than if the tunnel were rail-only.
Q: Who will be riding the trains when the tunnel reopens?
A: Sound Transit says its two-car trains will carry about 1,800 passengers out of downtown during the afternoon peak hour in 2010, and 2,200 in 2020. Most will be headed for Southeast Seattle. Some will be former bus commuters.
Q: Will their commutes be shorter than now?
A: Rail should help many get to and from downtown in less time.
One example: Metro's current schedule shows that, during the afternoon rush hour, the 42 Express bus takes 31 to 34 minutes to get from Second Avenue and Pike Street downtown to the intersection of Martin Luther King Jr. Way and South Othello Street.
Sound Transit estimates it will take trains 22 minutes to get to the proposed light-rail station at that same intersection from Westlake Station downtown.
But there won't be nearly as many rail stations as there are bus stops, so some passengers may have a longer walk home if they switch to light rail. Sound Transit estimates more than 40% of its Southeast Seattle light-rail passengers will get to and from the train by bus; transfers could cost some commuters extra minutes.
Q: Will joint operations mean fewer cars on downtown streets?
A: The difference will be negligible. Sound Transit forecasts 34,000 morning rush-hour auto trips to downtown in 2020 if the 14-mile light-rail line is built, 34,400 if it isn't. Q: What about buses? Will light rail take some of them off downtown streets? A: Not many. Metro does plan to terminate some routes that now serve downtown at outlying light-rail stations, converting them to "feeder" routes.
But its tentative plan would eliminate just 15 afternoon peak-hour downtown buses when trains start running. Even in 2020, Sound Transit says, light rail won't have much impact on the number of buses serving downtown at rush hour.
Q: If light rail won't reduce the number of cars and buses downtown, how do Sound Transit's leaders justify it?
A: They say it will provide commuters an alternative to congestion, a new transportation corridor. They also say the benefits will be more dramatic when — if — the line is extended to Northgate, eliminating many more cars and buses from downtown.
Q: Do Sound Transit's critics have an alternative to joint use?
A: Sane Transit says the region would be served better if the number of buses in the tunnel were increased, and that buses have the potential to move just as many people as light rail. Sound Transit and Metro say committing the tunnel to all-bus use would be foolhardy over the long run.
Q: What about the short term?
A: The Downtown Seattle Association, which opposes joint use, has calculated that if the number of afternoon peak-hour buses in the tunnel were nearly doubled, to 250, they could carry slightly more passengers in 2010 than the 120 buses and 20 two-car trains proposed under joint operations.
Sound Transit's downtown light-rail manager, Mike Williams, doesn't contest that. But he says that, with 250 buses, the tunnel would be at capacity. The joint-use scenario could accommodate more growth, he says, because a third car could easily be added to the trains.
Sane Transit contends that, with some modifications, the tunnel's peak-hour bus capacity could be much greater than 250.
Q: In the long term, could more passengers move through the tunnel if it were all-rail or all-bus?
A: The two sides agree on the tunnel's rail-only capacity. They disagree on its bus-only capacity. Consultants to Sane Transit say bus-only and rail-only capacity are about the same. Sound Transit and Metro say the tunnel could accommodate only one-third as many peak-hour riders if it were all-bus.
Q: How did they reach such different conclusions?
A: By starting at different places.
In their capacity analysis, Metro and Sound Transit figured the number of buses in the tunnel would increase to 250 but assumed no other significant changes in the way the bus system operates.
Sane Transit's consultants assumed a bus system in 2030 that's very different from today's. For instance, they assumed buses would enter and leave downtown on exclusive busways or high-occupancy-vehicle lanes.
They also assumed bus service in the tunnel would be restructured to serve as a transit "spine," picking up inbound commuters at stops outside downtown served by "feeder" buses.
Sane Transit assumed every bus seat would be occupied, and that more passengers would stand in the aisles. Sound Transit and Metro assumed one bus seat in five would be empty.
Q: Couldn't we resolve this whole conflict by digging a second transit tunnel under downtown?
A: The state Department of Transportation is wrapping up a preliminary study of that notion, first suggested by downtown business interests. Study manager John Okamoto says a tunnel under Fifth or Sixth avenues is technically feasible.
The cost? "It's big," he says.
(NOTE: Guess the "transit expert" that told the reporter that buses and light rail trains have never operated underground together is clueless about Pittsburgh's Mt. Washington Tunnel)
Search For Remains Nearing End At World Trade Center; Work Has Begun On Restoring Subway, Commuter Train Lines
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
05/12/2002
New York — The discovery of body parts has slowed to a trickle, the rubble is almost gone, and soon all that will remain is a pit seven stories deep.
Within a month, the painstaking, around-the-clock effort to remove debris and search for remains at the World Trade Center site will be finished, and the focus will turn to building a new cultural, business and transit center.
Work already has begun on rebuilding the commuter train and subway stations demolished by the fallen twin towers, which left an estimated 1.7 million tons of rubble piled 10 stories high at the 15-block site.
No human remains other than small bones have been found in the last two weeks, and city officials predict the recovery operation will end later this month. Less than 120,000 tons of rubble is left.
Lt. John Ryan, who oversees the recovery of human remains for the Port Authority police, said the slowdown has been discouraging in some ways.
"I guess it's just a matter of the site winding down," Ryan said. "There's a mix of emotions."
Officials said they hope to have a master rebuilding plan completed by December for the site — one that is likely to include a permanent memorial, commercial space and cultural attractions.
Mayor Michael Bloomberg said it could take the city up to two years to design a fitting memorial to the more than 2,800 people killed in the attack.
But transit officials said they couldn't wait for the final development plan to begin rebuilding train lines that shuttled hundreds of thousands of commuters before Sept. 11.
"If you tried to tie this into the future development, it would just delay the whole thing," said Joseph Englot, chief structural engineer for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which owns the site.
While most planners envision buildings less than half the height of the twin towers, the new subterranean train lines will be able to bear weight equal to the 110-story towers.
"We'll put back the columns that could support the original loads. Not knowing now what the plans are, if somebody wanted to put back what was originally there, these columns could handle it," Englot said.
Construction on an elevator for the PATH commuter train station began last month. Workers will begin building the foundations for the station as soon as the recovery operation is complete, Englot said. The $140 million project is expected be completed by December 2003.
On the east side of the site, a repaired subway line will accommodate riders by November, according to Cosema Crawford, deputy chief engineer for New York City transit. Workers will build a new station at the Trade Center, which trains will bypass until the new development is completed.
After city officials determine that the remains recovery operation is complete, a 13-foot wall of structural steel with mesh panels will be built along the site's perimeter to allow visitors to view the construction.
The medical examiner's office expects its work identifying remains will continue for about eight more months after the recovery operation ends.
More than 19,000 body parts have yet to be identified, spokesman Ellen Borakove said.
The official count of Trade Center victims stands at 2,823, including all passengers and crew on two hijacked planes. City officials say 116 are missing. The medical examiner's office has issued 1,025 death certificates. An additional 1,682 death certificates have been issued without a body, at the request of victims' families.
Facetime: Michael Burns
The San Francisco Chronicle
05/12/2002
The smoothest Muni run is the inbound 30-Stockton that leaves at 6:30 a.m. The new trolley buses are absent the old herky-jerk. The driver is uncommonly courteous. Must be because this is the morning commute of Muni General Manager Michael Burns, who flashes his ID and says hello as he boards at Beach and Divisadero in the Marina.
As the bus crosses Van Ness, he leaves his regular seat opposite the rear door and transfers to the 47 or 49, which drops him off at the Veterans Building. Burns, 46, likes to be at as his desk by 7 a.m., to spend the next 12 hours running the San Francisco Municipal Railway.
His office used to be the mayor's and is big enough to run a model railroad. But Burns didn't take this job to play with trains. He -doesn't even allow Dress Down Friday in Muni headquarters. He is in a conservative blue suit when we met with him on a brilliantly sunny Friday morning.
On nightmare commutes.
One night I walked from here to Chestnut before a bus came. Power was out, but there should have been diesel buses running.
On passenger protocol.
I don't like to sit if there is somebody standing. I get a transit pass that I -don't pay for, so I -don't feel entitled to a seat.
On the new talking trolleys.
Those pre-programmed announcements are required by the Americans with Disabilities Act. It will say "move to the rear of the bus," and there I am sitting on the bus with five other people. I don't get up and move.
On why he loves trains.
It probably goes back to early years. My father worked in accounting for the railroad and I've ridden commuter trains all my life. When I was going to high school and in college I took the train. All through college, I worked at Penn Central.
On not loving cars.
I didn't get my driver's license until I was 19 or 20. I've never been a car person. I prefer not to drive. If I have a meeting, I'll take Muni or someone will drive me. If there is more than one person riding, I'll sit in the back seat. I like the view from the back.
On riding the 30-Stockton through Chinatown.
The bus is usually at least half full as it turns onto Stockton. Then at the first stop, Green, there are without exception 20 to 40 people who need to get on. Every one of them has two pink bags in each hand. They scramble on through the front door and the back door and just pack the bus. At the next stop, there's another 40 people. That's when it gets interesting.
On new Muni lines.
One extension that is being very actively talked about is taking the Embarcadero line the other way from Fisherman's Wharf, through Fort Mason, through the Marina and out to the Golden Gate Bridge. It would be historic streetcars, eventually part of the E line. There's a tunnel still there from the old railroad cars that ran to Fort Mason and the Presidio.
A Dream Derailed; Kutztown Wants Trolley-car Restorer Off Borough Land And Out Of A Garage He Built
Reading Eagle/Times
For 25 years Edward H. Blossom has called a Longswamp Township trolley car garage his home.
Now Blossom is fighting to remain at least temporarily in the cement-block structure.
He built the garage in 1977 on land owned by the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation and sold last year to the Kutztown Transportation Authority for $151,000.
The transportation authority is trying to evict Blossom, claiming he did not fulfill a 1977 agreement with PennDOT to restore a trolley car and run it on the Kutztown to Topton rail line, which Kutztown now owns.
Blossom said the borough is using the decades-old agreement as a way to force him off the property.
He also claims ownership of and wants to be paid for the garage, which he said was valued at $66,000.
"The problem is that they want the building as a gift, and I can't do that," Blossom said of the authority.
But Dick Diehm, Kutztown zoning officer and an authority member, said he has heard many different figures on the value of the garage, and he said the transportation authority has voted to get another appraisal.
Diehm said Blossom never should have moved into the garage in the first place.
"We have concerns about someone living in a building that isn't a dwelling, especially because we own it," Diehm said.
Diehm said the transportation authority also needs a place to store and maintain equipment for the trolley line.
Blossom has retained Topton attorney John Florry and said he would fight eviction.
Timothy Dietrich, Kutztown solicitor, said Blossom's agreement with PennDOT did not say Blossom would be compensated for the building if the property were sold.
Blossom acknowledged he hasn't moved quickly on restoring the half-dozen trolleys that clutter the grounds around the garage, which sits amid farmhouses and freshly plowed fields.
"We are not able to get trolleys out of here fast enough," Blossom said.
The five remaining cars, most of which are owned by the East Penn Valley Traction Trusteeship, a group formed by Blossom and a few friends in 1977 will be out by mid-summer, he said.
Blossom said that in the 1977 agreement with PennDOT he promised to restore Lehigh Valley Transit Co. No. 801, which he affectionately calls the Liberty Bell.
The car, which began running on the Liberty Bell line between Allentown and Philadelphia 1912, has had a long journey since leaving the tracks in 1933.
Blossom discovered the Liberty Bell in the late 1960s in the Pocono Mountains, where it had been converted into a vacation cottage. He purchased it and took it first to Bloomsburg, then to his Dushore, Sullivan County, workshop. After a plan fell through to run the car in Philadelphia, Blossom finally hauled the car to his Topton garage.
In 1977, Blossom said, he agreed to restore and operate it on the Kutztown-Topton line.
In exchange for the work, PennDOT granted permission to build the garage near the terminus of the Kutztown-to-Topton trolley line, Blossom said.
But it was another 25 years before the car was renovated and presented last year to the Electric City Trolley Station and Museum in Scranton.
It was a move Diehm said he didn't understand because the car was supposed to run between Kutztown and Topton.
Blossom recently prepared another antique car for delivery to the New Jersey Railroad Museum in Phillipsburg, N.J.
With vintage advertisements pasted on its walls, newly caned seats and shiny light fixtures, the car could be one of the last refurbished trolleys to ship under Blossom's watch.
Historic trolley clubs, including the Lehigh Valley Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society, have helped Blossom with the work on the cars.
For Blossom, leaving the property before all the trolleys are restored would amount to abandoning a life-long passion.
Diehm said he understands how difficult it would be for Blossom to leave.
"He's sort of between a rock and a hard place, too," Diehm said. "Ed is a historian and wants to preserve some of the stuff of historical value around there. He's conscientious, maybe to a fault."
To many people, Diehm said, the trolleys and the parts scattered around the garage simply look like junk.
But to Blossom they're a dream not quite realized.
Who On Earth Would Want To Run The Trains After This?
Independent
Sunday, May 12, 2002
Despite recent tragedies, trains remain the safest way to travel. But recent history shows the system is crying out for improvement, says Michael Williams
The panic on the faces of the rail executives as they faced the cameras was all too clear. It did not take a mind reader to spot that they were thinking "Oh God, not again, what did we do to deserve this?".
Indeed, the railway companies have taken an unprecedented battering over the past five years. They have become the favourite Aunt Sally of the media, variously described as fat cats or murderers depending on the whim of the reporter. "I work for a railway company" is a conversation stopper that elicits anger and sympathy in equal measure.
In a way, it is unfair. The railways are suffering the legacy of decades of under-investment and malign interference by governments which never quite knew what they were for. They would want them to break even at the same time as requiring them to run all kinds of uneconomic services.
Worse, investment levels would vary sharply from year to year because of Treasury interference, which meant that British Rail could never properly plan its modernisation process.
Privatisation was supposed to change all that by bringing in private sector money and getting the Government off the backs of those running the railways because they would be self-financing. Instead, selling off the railways has made the situation worse. Yes, money has been attracted into the industry, but it has been spent badly. And far from freeing the railways from government interference, the collapse of Railtrack and several train companies has increased the amount of taxpayers' money going into the industry and, consequently, the amount of ministerial interference. The result is a beleaguered and demoralised industry.
The series of recent accidents has compounded the misery. It is easy to jump to the conclusion that the railways have become very dangerous.
However, a bit of perspective is needed. Five accidents in five years may seem a lot, but it is pretty average for the railways in the 55 years since the end of the Second World War. In each decade since the war, however, the casualty rate has been lower — fewer died in the 1990s, despite Ladbroke Grove which killed 31, than in the 1980s, when fewer died than in the 1970s, and so on. The number and frequency of fatal crashes has remained pretty constant — one every year to 18 months — but the death toll has gone down because the rolling stock is built to much higher tolerances and can withstand crashes much better than the older stock that has gradually been phased out.
There is no doubt that rail remains the safest form of transport. The simple statistics speak for themselves. In the past decade, there have been 67 deaths in train accidents, including Friday's disaster. Contrast that with the death toll on the roads — around 36,000. That's 500 times more. Rail has around 5% of the transport market by mileage, so if it had the same death rate as motoring, there would have been 1,800 deaths, rather than 67, in the past 10 years. If that had happened, rail transport would long ago have been banned and the rail companies hounded into bankruptcy.
Oddly enough, a death toll of 67 over that time would have been accepted by the public under British Rail because no one would have thought the organisation was skimping on safety in order to make greater profits. Now, the travelling public, faced with the regular flow of horrendous images of mangled trains and bodies on the track, is beginning to doubt the railway industry's claims about safety. You hear of people driving from Edinburgh to London "because it's safer".
It is the privatisation of the railways that has raised doubts in the public's minds. It is too early to know whether the structure of the railways contributed to the cause of the Potters Bar crash but the Hatfield disaster, for example, was the result of pressures brought about by privatisation. The immediate reason for that accident was a broken rail, left unattended for several months even though it was known to be faulty. Its planned replacement was cancelled and despite the obvious deterioration in the rail, managers were reluctant to close the line in order to take out the faulty rail. If they had done so, it would have led to cancellations and delays and Railtrack would have had to pay out compensation to the train operators.
Other recent accidents at Southall and Ladbroke Grove were the result of the way that the industry was broken up and sold off. At Southall, where a train went through a red signal, a botched reorganisation of the maintenance depot after privatisation led to a vital warning device not functioning. Then, key warnings about the state of the defective train were not passed on between the train operator and Railtrack.
At Ladbroke Grove, also the result of a train driver going through a red signal, poor communication between Railtrack and the train operator led to warnings about the visibility of the signal going unheeded. The driver, who had only done the job for a fortnight, was employed by Thames Trains which did not check his references.
In many ways it is not so much privatisation that has created problems, but the fragmentation which accompanied it. While the Transport Secretary, Stephen Byers, has tackled the problems of Railtrack and effectively taken it back into public ownership, he has not addressed this key problem. So far it is impossible to know whether that contributed to Friday's accident, but already the death toll from the consequences of the way the industry was broken up has been high. Does it have to become even higher before action is taken?
Well before Friday's disaster, Stephen Byers plans for Railtrack's successor were in an advanced stage. Network Rail, the new not-for-profit company, was being fashioned with the help of the Government to take over the running of the railways. A deal was due to be announced by the end of this month, and there was pressure from the Secretary of State to have it signed and sealed by July.
Only last week, the chairman of NR, Ian McAllister, and its managing director, Iain Coucher, were assuring the industry that the buyout from Railtrack was on course for July. Mr Byers promised £300m for the buyout but made it clear that the offer could be withdrawn if it were delayed beyond then.
One reason for the haste, after months of preparation, is that the deal needs the approval of the European Union, and the EU bureaucrats go on their long summer break at the end of July. It is unclear whether the Potters Bar crash will delay completion of the takeover, but it must raise questions about the feasibility of the deadline, until the extent of the problem that caused the accident is known.
In theory other consortiums could bid for the Railtrack business, but in practice few were willing to take on the headache of running Britain's railways after the Hatfield crash.
As the full implications of the cause of the Hatfield crash sank in — cracking in the rails, which led to a massive programme of rail replacement across Britain — the senior business figures at Railtrack were publicly pilloried for the failure to maintain the tracks.
Few businessmen were prepared to offer themselves as sacrificial lambs the next time an accident happened. Railtrack shareholders could also block the takeover, but they too may be glad to be relieved of their shares in the company.
Picking up the pieces after Potters Bar may turn a daunting task into a nightmare. Public confidence in the railways once more needs shoring up. The new company must be careful to avoid it collapsing again.
Full details of National Rail have yet to be disclosed, but it will be governed by a small executive board drawn from 100 "stakeholders" — train operating companies, passenger committee leaders, and members of the public. So far the company has established a head office in London with 100 staff.
Mr Coucher is predicting a "big increase in renewals of track, signalling and structures". How he will raise the money is less certain. It cannot come from increases in fares so must come from the taxpayer through the Strategic Rail Authority. Another bail-out by the beleaguered Mr Byers could put the Transport Secretary back on the defensive.
Robert Pollock, 81, Architect Of Hopkins Airport Rapid Line, Is Dead
The Plain Dealer
05/13/2002
Lyndhurst — Robert T. Pollock, 81, who headed the former Cleveland Transit System and steered it toward regional transit, died Thursday at Hillcrest Hospital in Mayfield Heights.
The Lyndhurst resident was general manager and chief executive officer of CTS from 1969 to 1974. Pollock chaired the five-county transit study group that led to the establishment of the Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority shortly after he retired.
He was considered the architect of the rapid transit link between downtown Cleveland and Cleveland Hopkins International Airport. He introduced air-conditioned buses to Cleveland and established the country's first transit-system marketing department to build ridership.
After retiring from CTS, he joined the Dalton-Dalton-Little- Newport engineering and planning firm of Cleveland as vice president of transit operations.
Pollock was past president of the American Transit Association, the national lobby group that became the American Public Transit Association. He was inducted into the APTA Hall of Fame in 1984.
He was born in Cleveland and grew up on a farm on the city's West Side. He graduated from James Ford Rhodes High School in 1938.
Pollock was a student at the Cleveland College of Western Reserve University in 1939 when he began working for the Cleveland Railway Co., the predecessor of CTS. After a stint with the Army Air Forces during World War II, Pollock resumed his studies, received a bachelor's degree in business administration in 1948 and rejoined CTS, becoming operations manager.
From 1967 until he took the top CTS post in 1969, he was president of W.C. Gilman & Co., national transportation consultants. Pollock had lived in Cleveland Heights from 1963 to 1993. He was a past member of the Cleveland Heights City Planning and Zoning Commission. He also belonged to Canterbury Golf Club in Shaker Heights.
Survivors include his wife of 51 years, Laura; sons, Randle R. of Houston, Martin R. of Shaker Heights and Jay R. of Mayfield; six grandchildren; and two sisters.
Private Transit Financing Backed; Milwaukee, Madison Explore Alternatives, Such As Streetcars, To Light Rail
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
05/13/2002
Private money, possibly raised by selling naming rights to vehicles and stations, could help finance a $300 million electric bus system from downtown Milwaukee to Miller Park and the east side, backers say.
At the same time, planners in Dane County are now considering using old-style streetcars to connect downtown Madison and the University of Wisconsin, in the second phase of a countywide public transit expansion that would start with a $188.6 million commuter rail line and a $53.4 million express bus network.
In both cities, authorities are trying to give commuters an alternative to fighting traffic by upgrading public transit — without the expense of building modern light rail systems.
Prospects for light rail in Milwaukee grew dimmer with Scott Walker's election as Milwaukee County executive.
While Walker has unequivocally opposed light rail, he has spoken less often about electric buses. Some comments suggest he flatly opposes such a system; others indicate that he considers an electric bus system better than light rail because of its flexibility, but that he remains concerned about the cost.
Attempts to clarify his position late last week were unsuccessful.
But before Walker even entered the race, studies in both Milwaukee and Dane County were moving away from light rail because of its cost: up to $615 million for 14 1/2 miles in Milwaukee, $575 million for 18 miles in Madison.
Light rail systems run electric vehicles, powered by overhead wires, on tracks in reserved lanes of streets or separate rights of way. That's one option under review in the Milwaukee Connector study, a Wisconsin Center District look at how to connect downtown, nearby neighborhoods and the ballpark with public transit.
However, former light rail backers such as Mayor John O. Norquist and developer Gary Grunau are joining forces with philanthropist Michael Cudahy to promote electric bus systems — also called guided street trams — now operating only in France.
"I've become a believer that because of the cost and problems of running on city streets, guided street trams are a much, much better alternative," Grunau said.
Although previous estimates suggested a 12 1/2-mile electric bus system would cost $340 million, planners are seeking to cap the cost at around $300 million.
Study committee chairman Peter Beitzel said that Grunau was trying to raise $1 million to $1.5 million to cover the local share of preliminary engineering and design after the study wraps up. Federal money is available for the remaining $4 million to $6 million cost of design work.
But Grunau denied that, saying, "Now is not the time to solicit financial support."
Private cash, by selling naming rights and advertising, also could cut local taxpayers' share of construction costs, said Grunau, Beitzel and study spokeswoman Kris Martinsek.
With a $300 million target, backers believe they could put together several pots of federal money — including $91.5 million already set aside — to total 80% of the cost, leaving about $60 million for local sources to cover. Options ranging from sales and gas taxes to hotel taxes, ticket taxes and convention fees also are being consider to help repay bonds.
Operating costs for the connector could be the same as those of the regular Milwaukee County Transit System buses it could replace on several routes, project manager Mark Kaminski said. In addition to Miller Park, the connector could run along Oakland Ave. to the UW-Milwaukee area, along Walnut St. to the near north side and along St. Paul Ave. to the Potawatomi Bingo Casino.
Two types being studied
Two forms of electric buses are now operating. Kaminski said the study would not choose between them. They are:
A bus guided by a single rail, manufactured by Bombardier Corp. and used only in Nancy, France. Nancy's system was sidelined for a year by safety concerns and labor strife but has been running smoothly since March 13 and is now carrying 30,000 passengers a day, Bombardier spokeswoman Lydia Dufresme said.
The laser-guided Civis bus, manufactured by France's Irisbus and now running in Rouen, France. Authorities fear snow could blind its electronic eyes. But that could be fixed by a magnetic guidance system under study, said John Marino, North American president of Irisbus, which is negotiating with Milwaukee's Super Steel Corp. to help produce the vehicles.
Cudahy has flown Norquist, Grunau and others to France to see the systems. He's planning a second trip May 20 with transportation and business figures, not including Norquist.
Other options under study include setting aside lanes for regular buses and expanding current rubber-tired trolley routes.
Dane looks at commuter rail
In Dane County, the joint city-county Transport 2020 study is focusing on an 11-mile commuter rail line, running full-sized trains on existing freight tracks from Middleton through Madison's isthmus to the East Towne shopping center, with express buses linking other parts of the county. Trains and buses would run all day, not just during rush hours.
The project's second phase could follow Kenosha's lead by adding streetcars on city streets, while commuter trains could be extended to McFarland, Sun Prairie and Dane County Regional Airport, at an undetermined cost, city transportation planner Dave Trowbridge said.
Both Dane County and Milwaukee planners are seeking public comment before moving forward.
Keep Light Rail On Track To Revitalize The City
Los Angeles Times
05/13/2002
I am profoundly disappointed by the decision by federal transit officials to take the $155 million allocated to the Exposition Line light rail project off the table ("Keep Westside Rail Alive," editorial, May 9). The benefits of the project are not limited to giving people a comfortable and viable alternative to the congested Santa Monica Freeway.
"More Cities Look Inward for Growth" (May 5) made reference to rail corridors as especially attractive areas for development, affordable housing and revitalization. This is a simple but powerful blueprint for planning growth in this era of gridlocked freeways and urban sprawl. The value of these rail corridors grows exponentially as the reach of the rail system expands. I eagerly await the opening of the Pasadena Gold Line, but there has to be a corridor to the Westside. Now is the time for all of our local leaders to pull together to support this vital project. — Andrew Shaddock, Manhattan Beach
Skills Shortage Forces Mowlem To Pull Out Of Supertram Bid
Construction News
Monday, May 13, 2002
Mowlem has pulled out of the £500 million Leeds Supertram scheme, blaming skills shortages.
The decision has forced the Leeds Tramways consortium, which also includes Stagecoach and WS Atkins, to drop out.
A Leeds Supertram spokesman said: "Because Mowlem has pulled out, the Tramways consortium will no longer be able to bid for the contract."
A Mowlem insider said it had too many resources tied up bidding for rival schemes, including the £526 million Manchester Metrolink and the £190 million South Hampshire Rapid Transit. A Mowlem spokesman said. "The decision has been taken because of the heavy programme of PFI work to which some consortium members are already committed."
A spokesman for Stagecoach said it was "still interested in all light rail work in the UK including the Leeds scheme".
Sources close to the project said it may try to poach a contractor from one of its rival consortia.
One said: "Before bids are returned, the make-up of each consortia can remain fluid."
Only three teams are left in the running: Momentis (Bouygues/ Jarvis/FirstGroup/Bombardier), Airelink (Awg/Arriva/Siemens) and Leeds Tram Link (Amey/Bechtel/MTR/Egis Semaly).
Two teams will be chosen for best and final offers in September.
The contract will be awarded in summer 2003 and the first trams are expected to run in 2007.
The Leeds network will be 28 km long and will involve three lines running into the city centre.
It is due to come into operation by December 2007.
Tokyu Corp. Reports 5% Dip In Pretax Profit On Low-margin Property
Asia Pulse
05/13/2002
Tokyu Corp. (TSE:9005) announced Friday a parent-only pretax profit of ¥17.5 billion (US $137.08 million) for the year ended March 31, down 5%, citing declined profitability on the real estate business and ballooned expenses for its mainstay railway operations.
Sales rose 3% to ¥302 billion, and operating profit was down 9% to ¥42.2 billion.
In the railway business, the number of passengers grew by nearly 2% thanks to linking up with subway lines run by the Teito Rapid Transit Authority, but expenses piled up from building a four-track rail line. As a result, operating profit from the business sank 7% to ¥30.2 billion.
Tokyu saw operating profit in the real estate division fall by 17% to ¥17.2 billion, due to active sales of property with low profitability.
Net profit climbed 9% to ¥7.7 billion. The company covered unfunded retirement obligations in fiscal 2000, which was not the case in fiscal 2001. It booked ¥11.7 billion as appraisal losses on its portfolio of group stocks.
South Korea: Visa's Combi Smart Card Chosen For Payments And Mass Transit
The Asian Banker Journal
05/13/2002
Visa's contact and contactless smart card, also known as the Combi card, has been officially chosen by the Daejon City and Hana Bank as the payment card for multiple applications, including mass transit, in Korea.
The Visa Combi card is based on the GlobalPlatform standard and is part of Visa's family of low cost smart cards.
Conforming to the EMV global chip standards, the Combi card comes with a choice of Visa smart payment applications, such as Visa Smart debit or credit, and Visa Cash, a stored value purse application, pre-loaded in the read-only memory (ROM), with additional memory space for additional applications in the erasable memory (EEPROOM). The dual interface capability allows fast transactions to be done in the contactless mode, as required in mass transit applications, and enables a cardholder to use the card for payments in contact mode at traditional store-front merchants.
Hana Bank expects to issue a million Visa Combi cards in Korea by the end of next year, with half of these cards expected to be credit cards. These Combi cards will contain a chip for a variety of applications to be used for payment, public transportation, department stores, convenient stores and Internet shopping malls in Daejon City.
David Chan, Head of Chip Products, Visa Asia Pacific, said, "Daejon City's decision is a double win for Visa. Firstly, Visa's Combi card will be a world first in terms of the use of GlobalPlatform technology, endorsed by Visa, and secondly, Visa's strategic partner, Vcash Korea will be implementing Visa Cash for mass transit in Daejon. Visa cardholders in Korea will be the first in the world to use these high performance cards for mass transit and payment applications, using the quickest and most appropriate payment solution for their transactions."
Critic Quells Warm Fuzzies Surrounding Light Rail
The News and Observer (Raleigh, NC)
05/14/2002
Noted rail transit critic Wendell Cox said Monday that the Triangle Transit Authority's planned 35-mile rail system is doomed to fail, that it will cost millions more and carry far fewer riders than anticipated, and that it will do nothing to ease the traffic congestion gripping the region.
Which, in one sense, is good news for the TTA.
Cox's appearance at a luncheon forum sponsored by Triangle Community Coalition means that somebody is taking the regional rail plan seriously.
Cox, based in Belleville, Ill., is an internationally acclaimed transportation policy expert to some, a hired gun of the pro-sprawl movement to others. He travels the nation, warning communities of the unknown dangers of "smart growth" policies and cheerfully ratcheting up victories when light-rail referendums fail.
Chris Sinclair, the executive director of the Triangle Community Coalition — indeed, the group's only staffer and self-described "one-person wrecking crew" — said he brought Cox to Cary on Monday to offer a counterbalance to the "popular support" rail transit has enjoyed in the Triangle.
Sinclair's group, which represents Triangle real estate and development interests, conducted a poll last year that showed overwhelming support for a commuter rail system.
But when respondents were asked how they wanted to pay for it or whether they would ride it, Sinclair said, "It gets very gray very fast."
Cox characterized himself Monday as pro-transit, provided transit can reduce or control traffic congestion at a reasonable cost. And in the Triangle, he said, it won't.
"They can't even torture the models to show anything significant," he said.
The TTA's regional rail system will probably cost twice as much as expected, or about $1.2 billion, by the time it opens in 2007, and to cut traffic growth in half, the TTA would need to open three new lines every year, he said.
That's because rail transit needs intense population density and high employment concentration to work, he said, showing slides of high-rise apartments and skyscrapers.
Intense, as in 80,000 people per square mile, he said — not 2,000 people per square mile, as in Cary.
To pump up his point, he showed a map of the Triangle. At the density of Hong Kong, the entire population of the region could fit inside Morrisville. If Cary had as many jobs per square mile as Chicago's Loop, the town could fit 10 million workers in its 42 square miles.
Public transit serves downtowns the best where it can compete with travel times by car, but central business districts, he said, are largely becoming irrelevant and suburb-to-suburb commutes becoming the norm.
He said that light rail systems aren't reducing sprawl in Portland, Ore., improving downtown office vacancy rates in Dallas or increasing the transit market share in St. Louis.
But Kim Crawford, a TTA senior policy analyst sitting in the back row during the luncheon forum, later said that for the majority of residents in this region, "it is not, as Cox essentially maintains, an 'either-or' choice — whether you spend public money on improving transit or expanding roads."
Both are necessary, she said, to maintain a high quality of life and to compete with other regions.
She maintained that the regional rail system will provide a competitive option to the automobile in an increasingly congested travel corridor.
"Cox is correct in asserting that a rail system — especially in a single corridor — will not significantly reduce vehicle miles traveled or congestion, but neither will adding lanes to I-40."
John Hodges-Copple, director of regional planning for Triangle J Council of Governments, told Cox that the quantitative analysis and economic efficiencies the consultant espoused didn't necessarily add up to quality of life.
The Triangle can continue to devote itself to asphalt, he said, but "Is that really the community that people want?"
State To Rule On Pleas For Redesign Of Planned Gold Line Crossings; Transportation: Safety Changes Sought By Residents May Delay Light Rail, Set To Open In 2003
Los Angeles Times
05/14/2002
Running smack down the middle of Pasadena's Foothill Freeway are scores of new power lines and two sets of freshly laid rail track. A mile south, a 24-foot-wide tunnel slinks under a shopping district. In Los Angeles' Mount Washington neighborhood, a cement platform rises, one day to be flooded with train riders.
All along a nearly 14-mile stretch from downtown Los Angeles to Pasadena are signs that a long-sought light rail line, considered one of the region's transit priorities, is nearly completed.
But even as work continues six days a week, the fate of the railway known as the Gold Line stands in doubt.
On Thursday, the five-member Public Utilities Commission, which oversees California's rail safety, is to rule on the design of several controversial intersections on the route.
Approving the design would grant legal right of way for completion of the rail line — expected, shortly after a July 2003 opening, to send as many as 250 trains and 38,000 riders a day through dense neighborhoods. Plans are underway to eventually extend the line all the way to Claremont.
Yet if the commission asks for the most aggressive of the safety changes it is considering, transit experts say, it may take a decade or more for trains to run on the Gold Line, mainly because there is little money available to alter the intersections.
That would be a major setback for transit planners — and thousands of hopeful residents — who have waited for the railway since at least 1980, when funding was first made available. They envision the Gold Line whisking riders end-to-end in about 30 minutes, part of a blueprint to ease congestion in Los Angeles by getting more riders on a rail network that is sprouting from downtown in all directions.
"I haven't been sleeping well, thinking about this, reading all of the material," said PUC President Loretta Lynch, who would not say how she will vote. "I'm completely for the building of the Gold Line, but we have to build it in the safest way."
The commission is making its decision late in the game because the Los Angeles to Pasadena Metro Construction Authority, the contractor established by the state in 1988 to build the Gold Line, failed to get proper approval before starting construction. Rick Thorpe, the authority's chief executive, says such methods are duplicated by rail builders across the state, a claim confirmed by the PUC. Still, he recognizes it was a gamble that may end up backfiring.
In the past month, the commission has received conflicting opinions from a variety of official sources and interested parties, including an administrative law judge hired by the PUC to hold hearings and make recommendations.
Among the commission's options:
It could green-light the railway with slight modifications—calling for measures such as the slowdown of trains and a partial ban on horn blowing, particularly near residences in Mount Washington, where an elementary school, businesses and homes often sit feet from track.
It could call for trains to travel in a trench underneath Del Mar Boulevard, the busiest street on the trip, where trains will travel through a soon-to-be-constructed apartment complex, a structure that some say poses risks by blocking views of the trains from the street. Such a move could delay the project by two to three years.
Or it could call for more radical surgery: forcing the builder into a massive redesign of four intersections spread out over five miles. That aggressive a move would put a near foolproof guarantee of safety at those locations above the goals of light rail: a belief that placing commuter trains on streets is the most cost-effective way to ease congestion, at about 40% of the cost of subways.
If the PUC decides on the more radical approach, the cost of the fixes would be close to $80 million. Operating under a tightly planned budget of $451 million, Thorpe and others argue that it could take 10 years or more to come up with the money, then redesign and rebuild the line at those intersections.
People living near those streets, anticipating the decision, say the sudden mix of official opinions is fraying nerves. Some of them—residents of Pasadena, Highland Park and Mount Washington mostly—have diligently fought for changes.
"It's hard enough just waiting around for Thursday... (but now) it feels like we're on a roller coaster," said Sue Baldwin, a paralegal who is part of a group in the canyon-like Los Angeles neighborhood of Mount Washington worried about not only safety, but also noise pollution.
"We just don't know what to think," said Karen Cutts, founder of a group opposing trains running on streets just south of Pasadena's bustling Old Town, a popular shopping strip that is currently one of two tunneled portions of the railway. "It's still a David versus Goliath struggle."
Cutts' stance was given a huge lift this month by Judge Sheldon Rosenthal, the administrative law judge hired by the PUC to run hearings and come up with a recommendation.
In a 34-page opinion, Rosenthal focused mostly on Del Mar Boulevard. He worried that the crossing would be a hazard because of the limited sight lines, and was not convinced of the effectiveness of the railway's four-armed crossing gates, specially designed to keep cars from trying to beat trains across the track. "We find that an at-grade crossing at Del Mar Boulevard will not be safe," he wrote, arguing that the railway should be forced underground.
Responses, rebuttals and addendums, some taking direct aim at Rosenthal's stance, have since flooded in to the PUC.
The most important dissenting view came from PUC Commissioner Henry Duque, who unlike Rosenthal represents one of the five deciding votes. He said the line is safe as designed, calling only for some speed restrictions in addition to having trains not sound their horns in Mount Washington. Thorpe's building authority said nothing should change. The MTA, which will run the trains, originally echoed Thorpe. Then on Monday, the agency backed off its protest against proposed noise and speed limits at Mount Washington.
The PUC's rail safety staff argued for the most intrusive, costly—and safest—approach. Last week, they decided Del Mar and two crossings in Mount Washington should be built below ground or on bridges. One crossing in South Pasadena was denied as currently designed.
In an interview Friday in Los Angeles, Lynch said she was most concerned that pedestrians at the Del Mar crossing will find ways to walk around the traffic gates, a sight she said that happens frequently on rail tracks near her San Francisco home. Lynch said she thought the line could be engineered to connect with an underground parking structure, larger than two football fields, already being built at the apartment complex.
"This has to be a well-considered decision, because the line is so important, for the entire state," said Lynch. "If we run into problems and accidents down the line, the prospects for similar projects could be hurt. And that's not something we can really afford."
(NOTE: 14 miles for $451 million — that's about $30 million per mile)
Jacobs To Design Blue Line Extension To Largo For Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority
Business Wire
05/14/2002
Jacobs Engineering Group Inc. (NYSE:JEC) announced today that a subsidiary company is part of a team selected by the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) to design and construct the Blue Line Extension in Prince George's County, Md.
With an estimated construction cost in excess of $200 million, this is the first extension beyond the area's original 103-mile system and is WMATA's first major design-build project for a line extension. It is scheduled to open for service by 2004.
The project involves a 3.1-mile extension of the Blue Line from the existing Addison Road Station to Largo Town Center. As project designer, Jacobs will be responsible for all civil, structural, and site design; facilities design; and systems design of this expanded transit system, including at-grade double tracking, underground/covered structures, and aerial structures.
The Blue Line Extension will enhance service to the nearly one million residents of Prince George's County and will be the first line in the county to extend beyond the Beltway (I-495).
In making the announcement, Jacobs Group Vice President Michael Higgins stated, "We are pleased to be selected for this project. We intend to add value to the project by bringing our extensive experience in the design of transit, tunnel, bridge, and transportation projects for major transit properties to the team."
Railtrack: We Don't Check Contractors' Work
The Evening Standard
Tuesday, May 14, 2002
Railtrack admitted today it does not check maintenance work done on the track by its contractors.
It said the checking of work done by contractor Jarvis in the Potters Bar area, or anywhere else, would not be supervised or routinely examined afterwards.
Railtrack said under the terms of contracts inherited at the time of privatisation of the railways from 1994 to 1996, there was no obligation for it to check that contractors' work had been done properly — despite six other crashes costing 54 lives since 1996.
Although it operated a system of random checks, a Railtrack spokesman said: "The responsibility for safety and quality of work rests with the contractors. We are reliant on them being professional."
However, in a review of operating conditions following the Hatfield disaster in 2000, when four people died, Railtrack undertook to extend checks on maintenance work.
This has still not been introduced and is not expected to be phased in fully until the end the year. The guidelines were not in place at the time of the Potters Bar crash on Friday, which killed seven people.
Railtrack is now reviewing the procedures it follows when a complaint is made about the state of the track or equipment. This is how a complaint is dealt with at present:
Complaints about track or equipment can be made to train staff, station staff, Railtrack's 24-hour helpline or the Health and Safety Executive.
If the complaint is made to station staff or staff onboard the train, the driver is consulted and he or she determines whether there is a problem. If the driver believes the complaint is valid, he or she will inform their union and forward the complaint to Railtrack.
Railtrack logs any complaints on a computer and forwards it to a member of Railtrack's engineering team. The team contacts the complainant or the driver to try to determine exactly where on the line the problem is. It does not carry out any work itself but instructs its maintenance contractor to deal with it. In the case of the Potters Bar crash, this was Jarvis plc.
Jarvis sends a qualified staff track inspector to examine the problem. Railtrack is informed of the prognosis but it is the contractor's responsibility to take action. A work schedule is drawn up by Jarvis with a classification as to how urgently the work needs to be carried out and whether speed restrictions need to be imposed.
A Jarvis signalling maintenance team will then take over the work. The team is directly employed by the contractor and holds qualifications and licences recognised by the Institute of Railway Signalling Engineers. But maintenance work is not supervised or checked except by the working team at the time.
The track will only be checked for faults during a routine patrol by the contractor, which is expected to check the whole track once a month. The contractor looks for any visible faults on the track, including the points. Railtrack supervision is on a random basis.
Sub-contracted staff are bought in to move rails, lay track and to do other nonengineering work. This is supervised directly by Jarvis. It is this that alarms the unions. Sometimes, says Bob Crow, the sub-contractors use casual staff with no experience whatsover.
Blame For Potters Bar
The Daily Telegraph
Tuesday, May 14, 2002
There is one big difference between the train crash at Hatfield two years ago and the one at Potters Bar last Friday. It can best be summed up by putting the question: who is ultimately responsible? Who, if anyone, should resign?
After the Hatfield crash in October 2000, nobody was in any doubt about where the buck stopped. Railtrack was accountable in law for maintaining the defective track, and Railtrack was therefore to blame. The head of Railtrack was Gerald Corbett, and he duly took the rap. Meanwhile, the Crown Prosecution Service began investigating the possibility of prosecuting the company for corporate manslaughter (a decision on that has yet to be reached).
But then in October last year, Stephen Byers confiscated Railtrack's assets from its owners, and put the company into administration. So — assuming negligence is found — who is to be held responsible to the survivors of the Potters Bar crash and the families of the dead for what they have suffered?
True, Railtrack retains overall responsibility for maintaining the track. But who is in charge of Railtrack? The answer to that, we suppose, is Alan Bloom of the administrators, Ernst & Young. But he is an accountant, employed by the Transport Secretary simply to keep Railtrack's finances ticking over as best he can until the company's future is settled. It would clearly be a monstrous injustice to demand his resignation over a matter for which he can hardly be said to bear any real responsibility.
It may be that Jarvis, the company contracted to maintain the stretch of track where the accident happened, will turn out to have been negligent. But Railtrack was supposed to be keeping an eye on the work done by Jarvis. It would be strange indeed to place all the blame on the sub-contractor, while letting the supervising authority off the hook.
No wonder safety is compromised, when the corporate structure of the railway system is in such a muddle, and nobody knows who is responsible for what. We all know, however, who is responsible for the muddle itself. But then we all know that Stephen Byers will never accept the blame for anything.
Revamp For Ageing Wellington Rail Units
The Evening Post (Wellington)
05/14/2002
About two thirds of Wellington's ageing English Electric passenger trains will be refurbished after a deal struck by Wellington Regional Council and Transfund.
About 28 of the 43 cars, which are 50 yearsold, will be able to refitted, depending on price.
Transfund, the Government agency that funds big transport projects, offered the council a one-off grant of $3 million if it agreed to put in $2 million. The council is already spending $2 million during the next two financial years on the refurbishment programme. Transfund's offer came with a rider — it must be agreed to by early next month.
The council today agreed to the spending but not without some discussion about whether it should be making such major transport decisions in an ad hoc way. So far the council has yet to decide whether the money will come from a loan or rate increase.
Some of the cars have been retired in the past few years and the urgency of deciding who will foot the bill for their upgrade or replacement has been an important factor in the council's decision to try, with a joint venture partner, to buy Tranz Metro.
At today's meeting, Cr Ian Buchanan said the council was heading for a huge deficit in its funding of transport even before it committed itself to buying Tranz Metro. He said the council made too many decisions on transport without looking at the long-term view and the funding gap was heading towards $9 million.
But Cr Glen Evans said it was inescapable that the cars had to be refurbished, and the council was unlikely to get anyone else offering to pay a large part of the bills. "To turn this down is plain stupid and would affect our rate-line even more long term."
Cr Judith Aitken said the council should consider cutting other costs rather than just raising rates. Cr Chris Turver said the council had a statutory responsibility for rail, and had to agree to the deal in the interests of the reliability of the service and public safety.
Some councillors expressed concern that the council was apparently determined to buy Tranz Metro even before it knew what the price would be. Cr Rex Kirton said the council didn't even know whether Tranz Rail would sell, and Cr Rick Long said he was concerned the council seemed to be committing itself before it knew what the costs would be. "That scares me."
The council has already spent more than $300,000 on the commuter rail joint venture proposal, even before serious negotiations begin with Tranz Rail.
Most of the money paid out by the regional council has gone to Wellington corporate law firms Chapman Tripp and Phillips Fox and to Wellington accountancy firm PricewaterhouseCoopers. Meanwhile, the region's mayors were today discussing options for buying Tranz Metro.
Cubic, EDS And Siemens Join Forces To Develop A Smart Card Ticketing System For Public Transit In The Netherlands
Business Wire
05/15/2002
Cubic Corp. (AMEX:CUB), EDS and Siemens announced they have signed a Letter of Intent, agreeing to cooperate closely on the development of a national electronic ticketing system for public transportation in The Netherlands.
This agreement is the first step in building a consortium between the three major companies — specialists in transportation systems and integrated computer technology solutions — to bid on a contract which will be issued by Trans Link Systems.
Trans Link Systems, a combination of NS, Connexxion, HTM, GVB and RET, is asking for a proposal for the design, delivery and implementation of a new smart ticketing system for the Netherlands. The objective of Trans Link Systems is to develop and introduce a public transportation ticket that is valid for all transportation modes. It will contribute to the safety on stations, enhance passenger comfort and collect a high amount of anonymous traffic data on a daily basis, allowing public transportation operators to enhance customer service.
"The objective set by Trans Link Systems is a major challenge for all parties involved. In the first place millions of passengers each day must accept the new ticketing system and feel happy with it. Their judgment is of vital importance," said Jaap Bolhuis of Siemens Nederland N.V.
"The consortium partners involved have ample experience with automatic fare collection systems and will be able to satisfy the highest passenger usage requirements. The consortium will marshal the combined knowledge and experience of the three companies. By offering several ticket models we are able to offer the payment models and service levels required by the public transport operators and their passengers," Bolhuis said.
According to Jan Janssen of Cubic Transportation Systems Ltd., "The TransLink initiative means public transportation in The Netherlands will enter into a new era. The Netherlands can profit from Cubic's experience on large-scale projects that have been successfully implemented around the world, including London, New York and Washington, D.C. This consortium has a very strong basis, both at a national and international level."
Detlef Koerger of EDS said, "EDS adds knowledge and experience to the Consortium gathered in the various Dutch projects, like Tripperpas (smart card in Groningen), MobilityMixx (a card-based ticket system for Connexxion), and NS business card (a card-based ticket system for the business traveller), in the tender process. We are committed and highly motivated to make this project a success."
Busway Agreement Approved, 4-3; Residents Vow To Fight On
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
05/15/2002
After nearly a decade of opposition, Edgewood officials have agreed — barely — to cooperate with the Port Authority on its planned extension of the Martin Luther King Jr. East Busway through the borough.
At a special meeting Monday, council voted 4-3 to sign the cooperation agreement with the authority. Prior to the vote, council held an hour-long closed session, and a standing-room-only crowd of about 75 residents waited outside council chambers for a chance to influence council's decision.
While the first resident to speak, Cindy Bond of Gordon Street, urged officials to sign the agreement and "make lemonade out of lemons," most of the 30 or so people who addressed council asked for a "no" vote or at least a one-week delay. Residents want light-rail service instead of a busway and have tried to stop the project, which has been under construction for more than a year.
But Councilman Mitchell Brourman said council had been listening to concerns and incorporating them in the final agreement since a March 25 public meeting at the Edgewood Club.
"We as a council have listened to your voice," said Brourman. "If you've sent me something to read, I've read it."
Brourman asked residents to continue to fight for light rail, "while continuing to move forward and participate in this project."
By signing the agreement, Edgewood will allow the authority to spend $325,000 on restoring the historic train station on Edgewood Avenue, construct a linear park adjacent to the busway and a bus station on Edgewood Avenue that will include a pedestrian bridge from the station to Edgewood Towne Centre.
The borough also will receive $250,000 to upgrade its police and fire department equipment in exchange for providing emergency services on Edgewood's part of the extension.
The final agreement also includes a Port Authority promise to remove graffiti in a "prompt and reasonable manner," re-evaluate environmental studies done in 1995 and 2000 and explore the possible use of alternative and cleaner-burning fuels and engines.
"We're very pleased the agreement was adopted by the borough," Port Authority spokesman Bob Grove said. "We've been working on it for some time. We think it's a good agreement for both parties, and we believe we have a great project."
Residents objected to a lack of specific time conditions regarding light rail conversion, as well as unclear language dealing with emissions-monitoring and ownership of railroad rights of way.
Former Planning Commission member Marilyn Painter and former Mayor Ruth Pickering told council it had little to gain and much to lose by signing the agreement.
"I urge you not to support this agreement," said Pickering. "It does nothing to support a better quality of life for the borough."
East End Avenue resident Jessie Lesko took it one step further.
Lesko told council residents "will make their lives miserable if they vote yes to the agreement."
Former U.S. attorney and West Swissvale Avenue resident Fred Thieman asked council to delay voting on the agreement for at least a week.
Thieman said that a new nonprofit group, The Pittsburgh Transit Equity Project, had just received a grant to address transportation concerns of minority residents in Shadyside, East Liberty, Wilkinsburg and Rankin.
Thieman said residents of these areas had not been given sufficient help in opposing the busway extension and that Edgewood could act as a "lone voice in the wilderness" by supporting light rail in the East End.
Council members J. Edward Cook, Mal Hellet and Andrea Rockovich voted against signing the agreement.
"We have been bamboozled by the Port Authority," said Hellet, calling the authority's plan to send 500 buses a day through the borough "transit terrorism."
The Port Authority expects the $62.8 million extension to be completed by November.
On Its Way To The Airport Subway
The Seattle Times
05/15/2002
Sam Sewell, left, Theresa McCutchen and Robert Shultz watch one of Seattle-Tacoma International Airport's new subway cars being hoisted onto the airport's subway tracks yesterday. The $161 million renovation will give the airport a total of 21 subway cars for three shuttle routes.
(NOTE: $161 million could also "buy" 8 miles of light rail on an existing row.)
Downtown Madison Stretch Should Reopen By Weekend
The Commercial Appeal (Memphis, Tenn.)
05/15/2002
A short downtown stretch of Madison closed for work on the Medical Center trolley extension should reopen by the weekend, a Memphis Area Transit Authority official said Tuesday.
Tom Fox, director of planning and capital projects for MATA, said contractors expect the section of Madison between Main and Second will reopen Thursday or Friday.
"We're shooting to have the street opened by the end of the week. It looks like Thursday will be the day," Fox said.
The section of Madison that closed in January when construction on the extension began is a small piece in the massive trolley puzzle.
In 1997, MATA unveiled a study that recommended light-rail routes linking downtown with Millington, Collierville and Southaven. According to the study, the system could cost $1 billion to build and $40 million a year to operate, including a taxpayer subsidy.
The east-west route includes the 2.3-mile Medi |
