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Avoiding monorail tax might get tougher

Seattle Times March 13, 2004 It may soon become tougher for Seattle residents to avoid the city’s monorail tax. The Department of Licensing (DOL) is enacting administrative rules, which will be effective April 23, requiring drivers to give a correct home address when they renew license tabs. The aim is to keep Seattle residents from giving a mailing address outside the city to dodge the monorail tax. Currently, more than 5 percent of anticipated monorail taxes are lost because of people switching their registration addresses, according to a memo released this week by the Seattle Monorail Project. “The rule-making is going to solve the problem for us,” predicted Tom Weeks, chairman of the monorail board. Currently, the monorail tax rate is $85 for each $10,000 of value of a vehicle. In June, the rate is expected to go up to $140 per $10,000 of value. Monorail officials say avoidance of the tax is one of several reasons tax revenues for the $1.75 billion project are running about 30 percent less than originally predicted. Under the proposed changes, the monorail agency, which has access to commercial and government databases, would notify the DOL of suspected tax evaders. License-tab renewal notices to those vehicle owners would be accompanied by notices that the address appears incorrect. To get the tabs, a vehicle owner would either provide an updated address or sign a declaration that the address being challenged is indeed the primary residence, said Brad Benfield, DOL spokesman. The monorail agency tried unsuccessfully to get the Legislature to pass a law cracking down on Seattle residents who register outside the city. After the House approved a strict bill sponsored by Rep. Ed Murray, D- Seattle, the Senate Highways and Transportation Committee proposed a toothless version, allowing drivers to list whatever address they wanted. Monorail opponents and skeptical senators have argued that some people would wrongly face suspicion — small-business owners who work at multiple locations, students away at college, or retirees who keep a vehicle at a summer home. Proponents argued that all Seattle residents should pay their fair share. In another change, effective April 11, the DOL will tax out-of-state cars as soon as they arrive in Seattle. Currently the newcomers get a one-year break, which the monorail agency blames for a 4 percent loss in taxes. New cars purchased by Seattle residents would continue to be exempt from the monorail tax until they are a year old.

117 Deaths Each Day

New York Times March 13, 2004 Here’s a pop quiz. Rank the following in order of the number of American lives they claim in a typical year: food, guns, terrorists, flu and cars. Ready? The most deadly are automobiles, which kill 117 Americans a day, or nearly 43,000 a year. Then comes flu, which (along with pneumonia, its associated disease) kills 36,000 people. Third is guns: 26,000 deaths. Fourth, food-borne illness: 5,000. And finally, terrorism, which in a typical year claims virtually no U.S. lives — with horrific exceptions like 2001. But antiterrorism efforts get most of the attention and the resources. To a point, that’s sensible. The train bombings in Madrid are a reminder of our vulnerability. President Bush is right to emphasize the risk from W.M.D., because a single nuclear bomb could claim 500,000 lives. Still, we need a balance in confronting threats, and I don’t think we’ve found it. Watch President Bush’s campaign ads, and it’s clear that he’s overwhelmingly focused on the war on terrorism — in 2001, he called it “my primary focus.” As he put it this year, “I’m a war president.” Mr. Bush’s intensity and unwavering purpose comforted the nation in the aftermath of 9/11. But America is too complex to have national policy reduced to the single overarching priority of counterterrorism. “It’s an important threat, but it cannot be the organizing principle of our foreign policy,” argues Ivo Daalder, a former national security official who is co-author of “America Unbound,” an excellent (and respectful) book about Mr. Bush’s administration. “There are worse threats out there. Climate change. H.I.V./AIDS.” Or, I would say, nuclear proliferation. Or cars. Vehicle fatalities don’t get attention because they occur in ones and twos. If people died at the same rate but in one horrifying crash a month that killed 3,500 people, then Mr. Bush and Congress would speedily make auto safety a priority and save thousands of lives a year. As Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta has said: “If we had 115 people die a day in aviation crashes, we wouldn’t have a plane in the sky.” “Driving a car is one of the most dangerous things we do,” note Barry Nalebuff and Ian Ayres, two Yale professors, in their book about innovative thinking, “Why Not?” They note that a major effort by Sweden has reduced traffic deaths by encouraging seat belt use, converting intersections to traffic circles (they “soothe” traffic), replacing rigid guardrails with new rails or cables that absorb or “catch” cars, and exhorting cyclists to wear helmets. The upshot is that Sweden ‘s accident rate is one of the lowest in the world. “If the United States could achieve Sweden’s current standard, this would save 12,500 lives per year,” the authors say. Granted, it seems less presidential to call for more guardrails than to invade Middle Eastern countries. And, in fairness, President Bush’s head of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Dr. Jeffrey Runge, is pushing hard to save lives in unheralded ways, from improving S.U.V. design to getting drivers to check their tire pressure. A month before Dr. Runge took up his post, several teenagers were rushed to the hospital where he worked as an emergency room physician. The driver in their car, a 17-year-old redhead named Sarah Longstreet, was known in her high school for her friendliness and her Bible Club activities. She wore a seat belt and her air bag inflated, but she died when a Ford Explorer veered across the center line and plowed right over the hood of her Mazda. That incompatibility in the two cars’ designs made her one more unnecessary auto fatality — and she became “sort of an angel to me,” Dr. Runge said. So when I asked him about priorities, he answered this way: “First off, we have to do everything we’re doing for counterterrorism,” he said. “There’s nothing that we’re doing that we shouldn’t be doing, and you can make the case that we should be doing more. . . . However, we’re still losing 115 people a day on the highways, and basically the perpetrators of those deaths also fit within a profile” — such as alcohol abusers. Governing the U.S. is like playing 200 simultaneous chess matches (while whiny columnists second-guess every move on every board). The terrorism chessboard is among the most important, but if we could just devote a bit more energy to the others, we could save thousands of lives — including the life of the next Sarah Longstreet.

Why’d it fail to derail? Investigators probe why recently installed mechanism intended to prevent such incidents didn’t work

Newsday (New York) March 13, 2004 Federal safety investigators said Friday that they are probing why a mechanism designed to derail runaway trains didn’t stop a locomotive from escaping a rail yard on a terrifying two-mile run. The emergency mechanism was recently installed on the tracks in the Fresh Pond rail yard after a problem developed with the existing equipment several weeks earlier, the investigators said Friday. Why the new mechanism failed is just one of many questions that National Transportation Safety Board probers took back to Washington, D.C., as part of their examination into the crash of a Long Island Rail Road engine in Maspeth Wednesday, which seriously injured four people. NTSB Investigators Ed Dobranetski and Jay Kivovitz said records on the accident could be available in as little as six months, but a final report probably is well over a year away. Toxicology reports on crew members alone will take several weeks. Dobranetski said the 1,500-horsepower engine had just completed its federally mandated 90-day inspection two days before it plowed down the tracks, crashing into vehicles at railroad crossings at 55th Street and Metropolitan and Woodward avenues. He would not rule out any cause, including mechanical failure and human error. “All we know for sure is that something happened that wasn’t supposed to happen,” Dobranetski said. The position of the controls at the time the unmanned train slipped its mooring is another key. Though crew members said they engaged the air brakes, the investigators said it is too early to tell whether the engine was “properly secured,” under the applicable rules. The investigation will also examine why there were no crossing gates or signals at the spot where the locomotive crashed, they said Friday. “These crossings until 1991 had active protection — gates, bells, lights — and they were removed, and we want to find out under what circumstances they were removed,” he said. The Federal Railroad Administration asked New York Atlantic, which leases the LIRR freight tracks, to place flagmen at the crossings in the future during work hours, Dobranetski said. Jennifer Post, a spokeswoman for the Department of Transportation, said a 1991 state survey determined that warning devices were not necessary at that crossing and certain others because of low train and vehicular traffic. She said that particular intersection never had gates. Post added that the state is “reviewing track conditions at those locations.” Tom Kelly, a spokesman with the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, which oversees the railroad, said the issues around the derail mechanism and other items are part of an internal investigation.

Commute to work from France? Madness, surely. But this is what one English council is promoting in response to overcrowding in the south-east. Oliver Bennett reports

The Guardian (London) — Final Edition March 13, 2004 Southeast England is already the second most densely populated region in Europe after the Netherlands. And it’s still under pressure. In Kent alone, the deputy prime minister, John Prescott, has ordered some 116,000 houses to be built by 2016. Another quarter of a million people. Faced with this Lebensraum nightmare of mushrooming cul-de-sac estates, the county council and Eurotunnel had a cracking idea: pack the punters off to France. And so they are in the process of promoting the joys of relocation to Calais and its hinterland, the Pas-de-Calais region, where the British can enjoy cheap houses and cheaper wine, and commute daily to the UK. “The idea came when Eurotunnel approached us to say they wanted to build up a critical mass of 10,000 British commuters based in Calais,” says Sir Sandy Bruce-Lockhart, the leader of Kent county council. A council spokesman says the main draw is that “you can get a small chateau for the price of a four-bedroom house in Tunbridge Wells”. There’s the food and the wine, too, of course. And the acclaimed French healthcare system. Thus the curious scenario has developed of an English council extolling the virtues of escaping from England. But Sir Sandy admits that, until fares go down, the daily train journey isn’t going to be popular. “Behind our public position, we’re trying to get a big reduction in fares,” he says. At current rates, getting to Folkestone in your car costs around £40 a day — that’s £200 a week to commute. Getting to London on Eurostar’s passenger train can cost as much as £125 one way. Which makes daily commuting prohibitive. Even the number doing a weekly commute is only “in the low hundreds”, according to Eurotunnel’s spokesman, Kevin Charles. But the cross-Channel commute is a win-win situation in the long term, reckons Charles. “The south-east is overcrowded, but just 25 miles over the sea is an underdeveloped region, where they want to attract people. Cross-border commutes happen all the time. Why not from France to England?” So Eurotunnel is hatching plans to hype the daily commute in readiness for the high-speed rail link that is due to open in 2007. “Then you’ll be able to get to London in an hour from Calais,” says Charles. “That’s when we expect it to take off.” At the moment it takes an hour and 45 minutes. Despite all the vinous and gastronomic delights, a look out of the train window will reveal that Pas-de-Calais is not the most seductive of areas. “Frankly, it’s the ugly part of France,” says Paul Fowler of Scruples estate agents in Tenterden, Kent, which sells three houses a day in France. “It doesn’t attract Francophiles.” If Calais itself should be given a wide berth (colonised as it is by the duty-free industry), there are some areas of Pas-de-Calais that are less touched by the Transit van and lager mob. Inland from Boulogne is the little town of Hucqueliers, which is popular with British expats, and a few miles further on is the so-called Land Of The Seven Valleys, where Maggie Kelly has her estate agency, L’Abri-Tanique, in Hesdin. Kelly, who moved here from Hackney, east London, now sells to a majority British clientele which is “not huge, but growing”. The properties range from unmodernised fermettes (a long bungalow, which is a local speciality) for euros 30,000 (£20,400), to family houses from about euros 60,000 (£40,800). There are even chateaux for euros 100,000 (£68,000). It’s one of the cheapest areas of France — indeed, it’s one of the cheapest areas of northern Europe. Tom Stone, 32, moved from the outskirts of Southampton to Pas-de-Calais two years ago with his wife Debbie and two children, and now commutes daily on Le Shuttle (the car-carrying, cross-Channel train). A civil engineer for a railway company in south-east England, Stone lives in a modern, four-bedroom fermette. “We love it here,” he says. His children, aged four and six, cried at first, then began to enjoy their schools. The French neighbours are “great — I dispute this idea that the French are miserable”. In a commute that many of us would find gruelling, Stone makes the most of his flexible working hours, choosing to leave home at 3.30am and take the 5am train to the UK, then travel back at about 3pm. “In the UK, the kids would never have had a garden to play in,” says Stone. “I couldn’t afford to live there now.” There is, of course, another way to commute — by sea. Peter Lambert and Josie Clarke, who live in a 17th-century, timber-framed farmhouse in a village near Montreuil, make four day-returns a week on P&O Ferries to their electricity marketing company in Peasmarsh, East Sussex. Their day seems long, but Lambert insists it’s fun and relaxing. Each morning, they drive 45 minutes to Calais. “We try to be on the 8.45am ferry, which gets into Dover at 9.15am.” At Dover, they pick up their car and go to the office, or hit the road selling electricity. “We start work on the crossing, so to me, my trip to work is 45 minutes,” says Lambert. “If we have a good day, then we get the 4.45pm boat back and we’re home around 8pm.” The hour they gain in the morning, they lose in the evening. Lambert knows “between 10 and 15 people who commute from France every day”, including a printer and a publican. “There are more and more joining us,” he says, “although I wouldn’t say it’s a flood. Time-wise, the train wins hands down, but we have a good deal with P&O.” As to living in France, he’s a convert. “It’s clean, and we don’t lock our front doors.” Typically for an expat, he cites the food and drink (“My local restaurant does a great three-course menu for euros 9 (£6)”). He also cites the French: “Wonderful people — if you give 10%, they give 100% back,” he says. “And I can’t even speak French.” He disagrees with the dismissal of Pas-de-Calais as a region. “We have some of the most beautiful areas you can find,” he says. “It’s the name ‘Calais’ that’s a problem.” As for his historic home, the French are pleased he’s taken it on. “They’re not as interested as we are in the whole idea of doing up old houses.” The services are excellent, too. “You can’t beat them. We had an electrical wire fall down. Josie called them at 4am, got a real person on the line, and by 6am it was fixed.” Is there anything he would fault? “Well, the French drivers need locking up.”

Channel hoppers swap plane for train

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH(LONDON) March 13, 2004 Growing numbers of British travellers are opting to take the train rather than the plane for trips to the Continent. Eurostar carried a record number of Britons in January and February, while airlines have been forced to cut routes and services owing to falling demand for flights to Paris and Brussels. In the first two months of the year, lower fares, reduced journey times and improved punctuality encouraged more than a million passengers to travel by Eurostar through the Channel Tunnel — an increase of 20 per cent on the same period last year. The high-speed rail service now has a 66 per cent market share on rail and air routes from London to Paris, and a 53 per cent share on journeys from London to Brussels. “It is clear that travellers are deserting airlines on the routes we cover,” said Paul Charles, director of communications for Eurostar. “They are voting with their feet and choosing comfortable, high-speed rail travel to Europe.” Eurostar has reduced its fares to the continent to as low as pounds 59, rivalling the deals offered by EasyJet, BMI and British Airways. Mr Charles said airlines are struggling to compete mainly because of Eurostar’s punctuality and service. The opening of the Channel Tunnel rail link between Folkestone and Fawkham last September has reduced journey times by 20 minutes. It now takes just 2hrs 35mins to reach Paris from Waterloo and business travellers need only allow 10 minutes for check-in. The rail link has also improved punctuality. During February, 92 per cent of Eurostar trains arrived on time. The latest figures available from the Civil Aviation Authority show that only 73 per cent of flights to or from British airports in December arrived on time at Paris Charles de Gaulle. While Eurostar has attracted more passengers, airlines have been forced to cut their services from London to Paris and Brussels. Last Friday, British Airways operated its final flight from London City airport to Paris after the route was abandoned because of low demand. “We anticipated a greater take-up of seats on the service,” said a spokesman for British Airways, “but this just did not materialise.” In February, Ryanair was forced to terminate its Stansted to Charleroi (Brussels) route following an EU ruling over the airline receiving “illegal” subsidies. At the end of this month, BMI is cutting its daily services to Paris from six to five. A spokeswoman for EasyJet said the airline had experienced no fall in demand on its Luton to Paris route, which began in June last year.

Shinkansen services launched in Kyushu

Japan Economic Newswire March 13, 2004 Shinkansen bullet train services were launched Saturday morning on Kyushu, Japan’s southern main island, between the southern city of Kagoshima and Yatsushiro in Kumamoto Prefecture, midway up the island. The 128-kilometer line substantially reduces rail travel time along Kyushu’s west coast and is to be extended north to Hakata in Fukuoka Prefecture. The entire line was to be finished around fiscal 2012, but it is now expected to be completed a few years earlier, according to local authorities. The new Tsubame, or sparrow, bullet train service made a top speed of 260 kilometers per hour between Kagoshima-Chuo Station and Shin-Yatsushiro Station, according to Kyushu Railway Co. (JR Kyushu). It traveled the 128-kilometer route in 34 minutes and connected with a regular train service at Shin-Yatsushiro on the 130-kilometer line to Hakata Station. Hakata is the main rail gateway in the north of the island and the terminus for Shinkansen services from Tokyo, Osaka and other key cities on the main Japanese island of Honshu. The new service cuts travel time between Kagoshima-Chuo and Hakata to 2 hours and 10 minutes from 3 hours and 40 minutes. It comes just over 30 years after Kyushu bullet trains were conceived in 1973 and roughly 13 years after construction began. At a ceremony at Kagoshima-Chuo Station, Land, Infrastructure and Transport Minister Nobuteru Ishihara said the launch of the Kyushu Shinkansen ‘will activate economies along the line and attract more tourists to the region.’ Following the ceremony, the first train left the station at 6 a.m. ‘This is cool! Even the headlights are different from other bullet trains!’ said Takashi Sakurai, a 14-year-old who traveled from Nara Prefecture to ride the first train. Wheelchair user Yoshino Nishimura, 79, of Kumamoto City was headed for a hot spring in Kagoshima Prefecture on the Tsubame and said, ‘There were special seats designated for wheelchair users and so I could ride the train with ease.’ Some passengers, however, were disappointed with the ride. ‘It was a pity that we couldn’t see much scenery as the train went through many tunnels,’ said a 52-year-old housewife from Tokyo. JR Kyushu said reserved seats on the new bullet train’s opening day were almost sold out, and were 90% booked. But there were empty seats in the unreserved compartments, with the boarding rate below 50% on some trains.

Light rail line’s 1st runs set for today

Trenton Courier-Post March 14, 2004 Long in coming, the River Line’s now up and running. Gov. James E. McGreevey cracked a bottle of champagne over a gleaming white rail car here Saturday morning, christening the controversial South Jersey light rail line and sending a train full of dignitaries down the track to Camden. There the symbolism marking the opening of the $1 billion, 34-mile line did not go so smoothly. A banner stretched across the track broke before the train could get to it. But there were plenty of speeches from state and local officials to make the train feel welcome in Camden too. ‘A Great Day’ Mayor Gwendolyn Faison declared the train’s arrival a “great day for Camden” and state Sen. Diane Allen, R-Edgewater Park, said the riverfront communities she represents in Burlington County “are already seeing economic development” in anticipation of the line. “Trains made these towns,” Allen said of the old towns such as Riverside, Palmyra and Burlington City. “Trains are going to rebuild these towns.” Service starts Regular service on the River Line begins this morning with a 5:45 a.m train out of Camden bound for Trenton, with 18 stops in between, and a 6 a.m train out of Trenton headed south. The trains will run every half-hour and, in an effort to boost ridership, will cost just $1.10 — good for two hours anywhere on the line. Built entirely with state dollars and with only about 3,000 people expected to ride it on any given weekday (6,000 single fares), the line has come under scathing criticism from many, including the current administration in Trenton. And though the tone of Saturday’s remarks were generally upbeat, the governor and the team he installed at NJ Transit made it clear they’re still not happy about inheriting the line from a previous administration, even as they vowed to do their best to make it “an economic engine.” “We took a difficult situation and made it better,” McGreevey said, placing the light rail line in the same category as such notorious transportation problems as E-ZPass and the Division of Motor Vehicles. “We fixed E-ZPass,” McGreevey said. “We fixed the DMV — a place that brought fear into the hearts of all rational human beings.” Now, the governor vowed, NJ Transit is working to make the River Line “more accessible” — i.e., more patronized — in the interest of creating more “economic opportunity” in the communities it serves. NJ Transit Executive Director George Warrington took pains to dampen expectations for either ridership or economic growth in the near future. “We’re very excited about the mid- to long-term prospects” of the line, the state’s mass transportation chief said. Saturday’s ceremonial train from Trenton picked up mayors and other local officials at stops along the way. It received a particularly warm welcome when it pulled into Burlington City. There, hundreds of residents cheered and waved American flags, in a scene reminiscent of political whistle stops of decades ago. Burlington County Freeholder-Director Vince Farias, who boarded at Burlington City after addressing the crowd there, said he found the display of American flags fitting. “This is a country of opportunity,” Farias said, “and that’s what this rail line is all about. It’s going to give people a transportation opportunity many of them haven’t experienced. And it’s going to give the towns an opportunity to grow.” In Camden, a number of speakers likened riding the train to a civic duty. “We have to make this line a success,” Assemblyman Joe Roberts, D- Camden, said. “Spread the word.” “It’s in your hands now,” Allen said. “Make sure you get out there and make this happen.” John Matheussen, executive director of the Delaware River Port Authority, which runs the PATCO Hi-Speedline, told the crowd in Camden that he’d brought the new line a “birthday present.” For the first two weeks, Matheussen said, River Line riders can transfer to PATCO for free. For the record, the return trip from the Camden Waterfront to the end of the line in Trenton took one hour and 15 minutes, about three minutes behind schedule.

TOKEN ART — TROLLEY STATION ARTWORK CAPTURES NEIGHBORHOOD’S FLAVOR

The Commercial Appeal (Memphis, TN) March 14, 2004 The stations along the new Madison Avenue Rail Line are places where you can get on and off the trolleys. They offer canopies to keep you dry and shaded. And works of public art that might take you places you had not imagined. Five Memphis artists have wrapped their work around station columns, perched it atop the roofs and embedded it in the brick. Every day, up to 24,000 motorists, trolley riders and pedestrians will see images of Elvis, Sam Phillips, Rufus Thomas and his dancing Funky Chickens, blues musicians, downtown life, magnified cellular life, Asian art forms, trolley riders themselves, and more. The UrbanArt Commission coordinated the $166,000 project ($100,000 from the Memphis Area Transit Authority, $45,000 First Tennessee Bravo Award, $15,000 from the University of Tennessee Health Science Center Student Government Association, and $6,000 from the Tennessee Arts Commission). Artists were asked to create works representing the neighborhoods that surround the stations. A committee that included MATA, neighborhood residents, station architects and artists selected the winners. A committee that included MATA, neighborhood residents, station architects and artists selected the winners. The art gives the stops a greater sense of place, said Carissa Hussong, the commission’s executive director. “This is going to make an impact on pedestrians, riders and drivers passing by,” she said. Third Station Jeanne Seagle did something simple to get ideas and inspiration for art at the Third (Avenue) Station behind AutoZone Park. “I came and just watched people going by one day,” she said, explaining the images she and Cindy Metcalf created for the tile mosaics. Seagle saw a lot. The 12-by-11-foot floor mural is a colorful celebration of downtown life. It includes a cyclist, a trolley, a woman running with a dog along the river, a face of a businessman wearing a fedora, a boy and girl playing, and a mom holding her schoolboy’s hand. The nearby Downtown Elementary School inspired Seagle and Metcalf to create colorful images of a pigtailed girl in a yellow dress, a big, open face of a boy wearing his baseball cap backward, and a boy in a white T-shirt and red sneakers carrying schoolbooks. The tile mosaic for the other shelter column focuses on AutoZone Park, baseball fans and tourists. Danny Thomas Station Danny Thomas is U.S. 51. It enters Memphis from Mississippi not far from legendary U.S. 61 — the Blues Highway. And the Thomas Station is just a few blocks from Beale Street. So artist Carol DeForest has transformed these two shelters — one each for eastbound and westbound riders — into a celebration of Memphis music. “I’m trying to show . . . how blues music came up Highway 61 and into Memphis to Beale Street and then it turned into — across the street — rhythm and blues with people such as Rufus Thomas, Carla Thomas, Marvell Thomas and all the other rhythm and blues players,” DeForest said. The south-side shelter includes images of Delta blues musicians playing on front porches and in cotton fields, a church and juke joint. It also shows vocalist Ma Rainey, Mose Vinson on piano, and Bukka White on guitar. Two steel sculptures of sheet music are on the roof. Two chicken sculptures dance atop the north-side shelter. Their ruffled feathers flap when the wind blows. They honor Rufus Thomas, best known for “Do the Funky Chicken.” Below, Thomas is depicted in stone mosaic dancing with a little chicken. Another mosaic panel shows chickens dancing wildly. Orleans Station The early Elvis dominates this stop, and it figures. The future King got his big break with Sam Phillips at Sun Studio, a couple of blocks south of here. Metcalf and Seagle created mosaics for this station, too. They made Elvis the centerpiece of the large floor mural. He’s singing hard, wearing a gold coat, red tie and purple pants. Phillips and an anonymous black musician share the panel with Elvis. One of the shelter columns will have a tile mosaic of other local music icons, Jerry Lee Lewis, B.B. King, Johnny Cash and again, Elvis. The other column will pay tribute to local artists. The Memphis College of Art, was founded nearby. The mosaic depicts the late Burton Callicott, who made his mark for his artwork and teaching at the College of Art. Dunlap Station This station sits in the middle of the UT Health Science Center, which provided DeForest plenty of inspiration. Porcelain mosaics show microscopic images of cellular life. “They are color-enhanced and very beautiful,” DeForest said. “Green and purple and yellow and red.” The images taken from the school’s cytology lab show the cells in six different conditions. The roof’s border features symbols of the fields of medicine studied at the school. And when the weather warms, a garden of medicinal herbs and plants native to Tennessee will be planted at the station. DeForest got her ideas after meeting with representatives from each department in the medical school. Pauline Station Artist Harriet Buckley routinely rides MATA buses and the downtown trolleys. “You get to read. You get to draw,” she said. So she decided to pay tribute to her fellow riders. “I thought wouldn’t it be nice if riders saw themselves in the artwork,” Buckley said. The 5-by-1-foot floor panel shows a red and yellow trolley full of people, a reader, a family and women wearing distinctive hats. The other floor panel shows similar faces inside a green and beige trolley. And Buckley has been making 6-foot-tall concrete relief sculptures that will encase the shelter’s two columns. One of the painted sculptures will show a woman rider in a wheelchair. The other column will be a young tourist dressed in hip-hop clothes. Cleveland Station There may not be a neighborhood richer in cultural variety than Madison Heights, where the Catholic Diocese has sheltered refugees from Asia and other points around the globe. The diversity wasn’t lost on artist Claudio Perez-Leon. The Peru native used ornamental metal pieces to create simplified Asian forms that give the station roof the touch of a pagoda. But like the neighborhood, there’s more. “While there’s a very strong Asian presence in the area, there are other ethnic groups,” Perez-Leon said. “. . . Asian or Somali or Jewish or Anglo or African-Americans will be able to find something that is appealing to them.” Circular forms at the ends of the roof suggest the Star of David as well as Indian patterns. A chain of half-circles along the roof seems African-inspired.

To bus, car and plane, please add ‘train’

Los Angeles Times March 14, 2004 Government funding puts the nation’s rail system on wobbly footing. And not everyone prefers to fly the friendly skies. by Arthur Frommer I might sound like a broken record, but it’s important to sound an alarm about threats to Amtrak. The proposed federal budget for the next fiscal year, circulated last month in Congress, allocates $900 million to our national passenger railway system. That sum would, in effect, spell an end to the operation of our trains at any level of acceptable quality. Tiny European countries such as Belgium spend about $900 million each year on their rail systems. It is $300 million less than what Congress appropriated for Amtrak in the current fiscal year, which, in turn, was $500 million less than what Amtrak officials said was needed to repair and maintain aging track ties, railroad bridges over rivers and streams, damaged rolling stock, signal cables and an array of additional equipment and railroad cars. In the current fiscal year, a record-breaking 25 million Americans are expected to use Amtrak services. Traffic that heavy requires major expenditures on trains and tracks. Other major countries subsidize their rail systems out of general government revenues, and people everywhere regard such expenditures as being as necessary as the maintenance of roads and highways, airports and air traffic control systems. People in most countries are insistent that they be able to travel from place to place by rail, and they would be astonished that one of the world’s richest countries is ready to restrict its citizens to the use of cars and planes for travel. What is extraordinary about the under-funding of Amtrak is that we follow a contrary policy on highways and urban transit. On Feb. 12, the U.S. Senate voted 76-21 to provide $318 billion over six years for highways and mass transit. Mention asphalt in Congress, and members scramble to lavish funds. They’re only too happy to facilitate the movement of cars and buses. Here are a few questions for our legislators: - Are railroads a public utility of value to large segments of the population, or are they just an odd hangover from the past? - Are we ready to limit ourselves to the airplane for making long-distance trips within the United States? - For trips of relatively short distance, is bus transportation the only option for people unable or unwilling to drive? The automobile industry, and those who sell gasoline, would answer that cars and buses are sufficient for our transportation needs, but large numbers of Americans would respond otherwise. An equally large number would point out that trains are the single most energy-efficient method of transportation, a medium that reduces our dependence on foreign oil. Note that the lawmakers who decide these issues and allocate funds are not only in the U.S. Congress but also in the state legislatures. Recently a battle has raged in the Missouri House of Representatives over a small appropriation needed to enable Amtrak to run two trains a day, rather than one, on the key route between St. Louis and Kansas City, Mo., stopping at many other towns. The failure to spend $800,000 in a subsidy to Amtrak would mean that a train passenger going one way on this route would not be able to return during the same day but would have to stay overnight at his or her destination before returning home. Write to your representatives. Keep them aware of the large body of opinion that values rail transportation in the United States and is determined to keep our national railroad system alive. Tell them that $50 billion for highways, as opposed to less than $1 billion for Amtrak a year is not a justifiable proportion and raises serious questions about their judgment.

How your car can be used as evidence against you; ICBC is using black-box data to see who is telling the truth

Vancouver Province March 14, 2004 ICBC have begun using “black box” spyware linked to vehicle air bags to help determine blame in accidents. Many motorists don’t realize that their car contains computer records that could be used against them. ICBC spokesman Doug McLelland confirmed the agency does use data from “event data recorders” but said none have yet been used as evidence in a B.C. court. “We do use them,” said McLelland. “It has been a factor in a couple of files in determining who was at fault. It has allowed us to confirm what witnesses were saying in some cases.” The boxes record a set of vehicle information, including speed, braking and seat-belt use during the five seconds before a vehicle’s air bag deploys. They’ve been included in all General Motors vehicles since 1994 and in Fords since 2000. The recordings were first used to help improve air bag performance but are now being used to convict people in the U.S. and recently in Canada. A black box has made Canadian legal history after a Montreal court convicted Eric Gauthier of dangerous driving causing death. A judge overruled Gauthier’s claim that examining the black box was an invasion of his privacy. The box showed Gauthier was travelling at 131 km/h in a 50 km/h zone when he collided with another vehicle in an intersection, leading to the death of another man. He will be sentenced April 14. McLelland said the central issue revolves around who owns the data recorded by the black boxes. The courts have ruled and ICBC accepts that the data belong to a car’s owner. But if a car is written off and ICBC takes ownership, the data reverts to the corporation. “Sometimes people come to us and say, ‘Well, I wasn’t at fault. Why don’t you look at my black box?’ And so we will,” said McLelland. “Sometimes people will say, ‘No, you can’t look at the data on my black box,’ and that’s fine. However, if a car is a total write-off and we handle the claim and buy the car, then the car is ours.” David Osborne, president of the Trial Lawyers Association of B.C., said key pieces of data like speed aren’t normally available in a court case, where it’s usually one version against another. “It could become highly relevant,” he said. “If they are reliable indicators . . . then they could be very helpful in understanding how accidents occurred and helping [ICBC] decide who was truly at fault in accidents. “They have a potential to be helpful, but there are some privacy concerns that arise.” Even if ICBC takes possession of a claimant’s car wreck, said Osborne, it could be argued in court that the black box is still the owner’s private property, particularly when it was “taken out of the possession or control of the owner of the vehicle.” McLelland pointed out that only some cars have black boxes and that only in a few cases have they been useful. “Our estimator and adjusters are very skilled at looking at aspects of impact on two cars to be able to determine [who’s] at fault,” he said. “There’s lots of things that an expert can look at to help determine who was at fault. The black box is just one of those things.” McLelland said the police have also requested black-box data from ICBC in cases where cars have been stolen and had been written off following an accident. McLelland said the onus is not on insurers to tell owners about the black boxes. “You should know the features of your car and what they do,” said McLelland. “The information in the technology can support your claim and can also contradict your claim. The only time someone would dispute the right of an insurance company or a police department to use the data would be when they’re conspiring to deceive.” Consumers canvassed at Vancouver car dealerships were universally ignorant of the black boxes, and gave them a mixed response. “I think it’s a good idea,” said Richmond’s Timothy Bildstein, outside Vancouver Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ltd., on Main Street. “I think it’s a touchy topic but I think it would benefit the courts and ICBC. You can’t dispute technology.” “It could be a good thing,” said Cody Schroder, 19, of Vancouver. “The more evidence the better, right? And if someone hits a kid or something like that, you have to know that.” The issue has sparked a legal debate in the U.S., and in California, a new law will require owner manuals to notify drivers of what their black box can record. WHAT A BLACK BOX CAN SAY ABOUT YOUR DRIVING There are no rules governing how information taken from black boxes can be used. The Ontario Provincial Police are the first force in Canada to develop equipment to download the information. But they aren’t allowed to download data without a search warrant. Vehicle black box information includes: - Speed (5 seconds before impact) - Engine speed (5 seconds before impact) - Brake status (5 seconds before impact) - Throttle position (5 seconds before impact) - Driver’s seat-belt switch (On/Off) - Passenger’s air bag (On/Off) - Warning-lamp status (On/Off) - Time from vehicle impact to air bag deployment - Ignition cycle count during accident - Ignition cycle count at investigation - Maximum velocity for near-deployment event - Velocity versus time for frontal air-bag deployment - Time from vehicle impact to time of maximum velocity - Time between near-deploy and deploy event (if within five seconds)

Now open: Rail with a view

Burlington County Times March 15, 2004� Riding the River Line from Camden to Trenton may never be compared with the breathtaking scenery of the legendary Santa Fe line or the history and intrigue of the Orient Express, but the route does have its own charms. Sure, riders will see smokestacks, warehouses and junkyards. But they’ll also get terrific views of the Philadelphia skyline, the Rancocas Creek and historic High Street in Burlington City. Even so-called eyesores like the long-abandoned Roebling steel mill in Florence have the ghostly allure of a bygone era. “There are some real scenic views in several areas,” said Joe North, NJ Transit’s general manager for light-rail operations. “The view of Phila-delphia from the Camden waterfront is magnificent, and there are some real nice sections through the Pennsauken wetlands. You also see some real different urban environments.” For a rider who boards a southbound car in Trenton, a window seat on the River Line offers a glimpse of the state capital’s blend of wood and brick row houses nestled amid office buildings, the Sovereign Bank Arena, and the barbed-wire walls of New Jersey State Prison. Farther along, the scenery gradually changes to a rural environment of wetlands and open space before the rail car stops at the Bordentown station near the mouth of Blacks Creek. The rust-colored water towers and crumbling brick buildings of the Roebling steel mill are next. These ruins are all that remain of the one-time industrial giant responsible for forging steel used for the Golden Gate Bridge. Past Florence, commuters can see at the smokestacks of the U.S. Pipe plant in Burlington City and the adjacent riverfront ruins of the MacNeal mansion, the once-grand Victorian residence of the plant’s founder, Andrew MacNeal. The bustling streetscape of High Street in Burlington City follows and, with it, the chance to catch a peek at the historic homes of 19th-century novelist James Fenimore Cooper and famed U.S. Navy Capt. James Lawrence, famous for the quote “Don’t give up the ship.” Leaving Burlington City, the scenery becomes suburban as the train passes by single-family homes that dot streets in Beverly and Edgewater Park. The line crosses the blue steel bridge that spans the brown waters of the Rancocas Creek and passes through downtown Riverside. Riders can glimpse the marinas that line River Road in Riverside and Delran, then the Victorian homes of Riverton and the quirky Schwering hardware store in Palmyra. The rail line goes over Route 73 and under the Betsy Ross Bridge before stopping at the Pennsauken station, which is lined with high reeds growing alongside the Pennsauken Creek. The top of the Liberty One skyscraper in Philadelphia appears on the horizon as the car approaches Camden. The guns of the Battleship New Jersey greet the train as it passes by the Delaware waterfront in Camden, followed by the exterior of Campbell’s Field and the New Jersey State Aquarium. The ride itself is smooth and quiet, not the clackety-clack of the rails of yesteryear. In fact, during the noon run from Trenton to Camden, the loudest noise was the sound of pop music screeching from a rider’s headphones. Most of the crowd on the train exited at the last stop alongside the Tweeter Entertainment Center, but several riders remained for a return journey and a second glance of the many sights along the tracks.

River Line starts rolling

Burlington County Times March 15, 2004 The public flocked to NJ Transit’s new River Line yesterday for its first opportunity to ride the 34-mile, $1.1 billion light-rail service. Beginning with the first train that left Camden before 6 a.m. and continuing throughout the day, the shiny, white River Line cars were jammed with people sitting and standing. Station platforms bustled with activity as riders, many toting cameras, checked schedules and tried to figure out how to purchase and time-stamp their tickets. NJ Transit said that as of 6 p.m. yesterday, about 5,000 people had paid $1.10 apiece to ride the diesel-powered train, well above the 2,850 people who are expected to use the service daily during its first year of operation. The high volume caused the trains to run late, as conductors needed extra time to make sure passengers got on and off, agency officials said. “The trains have been filled with both sitting and standing passengers,” NJ Transit spokeswoman Penny Bassett Hackett said. “It appears we have a lot of families and a lot of people who are preparing for the morning commute. It’s encouraging to see people out there trying the new service.” There were a few problems. Ticket vending machines malfunctioned at several stations, including the Beverly/Edgewater Park and Riverside stops. A NJ Transit employee said that for about 30 minutes yesterday morning, riders were able to board for free at the Riverside Station because the station’s ticket machines were down. Hackett said transit personnel responded quickly to the stations to resolve any problems. “The success of the line is not going to be measured by Day One, Week One or Month One,” she said. “This is a long-term investment that has been made for this area.” Normally, riders without a validated ticket will be removed from the train and fined up to $10, but a fare inspector on one train yesterday said he was not enforcing that rule yesterday. Most people riding the train said they were doing it simply for the experience, without a particular destination in mind. “We can’t wait to take our grandchildren,” said Angelo Capri of Edgewater Park, whose only complaint was that the train lacked bathrooms. “It was great,” Edgewater Park resident Joan Johnson said. “It was nice and quiet. We just went up to Trenton so we could explore how to go to Manhattan without having to drive to the Hamilton station.” The start of the River Line meant extra business for some restaurants along the rail system’s route. “There were many, many guests that came because they took the train ride,” said Barbara Fisher, a Cafe Gallery owner. “Some were regular guests, some were new to Burlington City. People all over the restaurant were talking about it. It was the main topic of conversation.” Not everyone was thrilled to see the start of rail service. At the Riverton Station, about 25 protesters carried cardboard signs with slogans such as “Fiscal insanity” and “The No-Where Train.” Led by Riverton resident Nancy Washington, the group was critical of the line’s billion-dollar price tag, its train horns and the crossing gates that have malfunctioned during testing. “We’re doing this out of frustration,” Washington said. “We have to let the politicians know what we think and that we know what’s really going on.”

Fighting guerrilla graffiti

The International Herald Tribune March 15, 2004 The Paris Metro has long been known for its eye-grabbing ads. Nearly naked women jostle for attention with sunny vacation vistas and mouth-watering images of French wines and cheeses. But now these posters are getting some extra touches, in the form of politicized graffiti: “Advertising kills,” for example. Depending on your point of view, the people who add these anti-advertising messages may be the clever heirs of the Paris street movement of 1968 or simply a nuisance. But after several loosely affiliated groups stepped up their activities last autumn, shifting from guerrilla graffiti raids to organized attacks in which several dozen Metro stations were hit simultaneously by hundreds of activists wielding spray guns and paint, the authorities decided to fight back. In an unusual move, the Paris rapid transit agency, known as the RATP, and Metrobus, a Publicis Groupe subsidiary that sells advertising space in the Metro, took legal action against 62 of the activists who had been rounded up by the police. Last week, they appeared in court, where they are being sued for a total of 1 million, or $1.2 million, the amount that the RATP and Metrobus say they lost in direct damages and compensation to advertising clients. “If someone is against advertising, no problem,” said Gerard Unger, chief executive of Metrobus. “We live in a democracy. They can organize demonstrations, but they cannot destroy property.” A decision in the case is not expected until the end of April. In the meantime, organizers of anti-advertising groups in France are indeed promising demonstrations in support of the 62; a representative of one of these organizations, Brigade Anti Pub (“pub” is short for “publicite,” French for “advertising”), would not say in an e-mail exchange whether further graffiti actions in the Metro were planned, however. Anti-advertising groups have been around for some time. In the San Francisco area, the Billboard Liberation Front has been “liberating” billboards since the 1970s with tongue-in-cheek alterations to marketing slogans and brand labels. In Australia, Billboard Utilizing Graffitists Against Unhealthy Promotions were active in the 1970s and ‘80s, taking on ads for tobacco, among other products. Adbusters, a Canadian organization that creates parodies of well-known brand images, sells an anti-capitalist magazine to 120,000 subscribers. In Europe, Adbusters has given birth to a French namesake, Casseurs de Pub, and there are several other groups dedicated to stamping out what they see as overly obtrusive commercial messages invading more and more public spaces. Though France has the most organized groups, anti-advertising messages with a political edge — not just the usual graffiti — have been spotted in Switzerland, Belgium and Germany, among other places. “It does seem to be gaining in momentum,” said Kalle Lasn, the founder of Adbusters. Should European advertisers and marketers be alarmed? Studies have shown that consumers in the United States are exposed to as many as 3,000 commercial messages a day; as a result, many ads lose their punch, and consumer indifference may be as big a problem as anti-advertising militancy. But as in many struggles, both sides also seem to be able to learn something from each other. Adbusters, for instance, recently started selling sneakers on its Web site; instead of a Nike swoosh or Adidas stripes, they have a “no logo” black dot on them. The Publicis advertising agency, meanwhile, recently introduced a campaign for Hewlett-Packard that employs the hip power of graffiti, in an effort to appeal to young graphics professionals. If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em.

Gas Prices Have Drivers Seeking Alternatives

Los Angeles Times March 16, 2004 For some time, Teresa Ochoa’s daily commute had been gnawing on her nerves. Not only did her 2 1/2-hour round-trip drive from Pasadena to her Woodland Hills job leave her frazzled every day, but also she felt the pinch in her pocketbook from all the wear and tear on her car. The final straw was gasoline prices that rose 15% in the last month. The credit manager went on the Internet, found information on ride-sharing and figured out that she could save more than $300 a year by riding buses and trains. “It’s been a month, and I couldn’t be happier,” said Ochoa, who now drives to Glendale, where she catches a Metrolink train to Chatsworth and then hops a Metropolitan Transportation Authority bus that drops her off across the street from her job. “It beats trying to drive every day.” Though the whole trip takes about half an hour longer, Ochoa said she is more relaxed because she gets to read or chat with other commuters. Shocked by the soaring price of gasoline, many commuters are increasingly trying to leave their cars behind in favor of lower-cost alternatives. According to the 2000 census, about 15% of commuters in the Southland carpooled to work every day and about 5% rode public transit. Month-to-month figures on how many people carpool are not available, and bus and train ridership figures may be skewed because of the lingering effects of the transit strike, according to the MTA. But ride-share coordinators say they are seeing a surge in interest among drivers because of the high gas prices. Last month in the Southland, the (800)COMMUTE ride-share information hotline experienced a 66% increase in calls from solo drivers hoping to be matched with a carpool or a vanpool. Normally, about 400 callers a month ask to be matched, the MTA said. Last month, there were 662 inquiries. Transportation coordinators at large companies say they too have noticed an increase in employees seeking information on carpools, vanpools and public transit. “More people are signing up for it than in the past. Some of them are longtime employees,” said Denise Crangle, benefits administrator for Panavision, which has 280 employees at its Warner Center corporate headquarters in Woodland Hills. “Cost plays a big role in a person’s decision.” But even people whose jobs don’t allow them to carpool or ride public transit are modifying their driving behavior to lessen their pain at the gas pump. Orange County attorney Marc Levine now leaves his gas-guzzling Chevy Suburban at his Balboa Island home. Never mind that he bought the still-sparkling SUV for its extra-beefy engine only a year ago. “It gets 10 miles to the gallon! You know how much it costs to fill up a 35-gallon tank?” said Levine, cringing. These days, he cruises to courthouses and business meetings in a little Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution, which — at 20 miles a gallon — is much more economical. And, to avoid activating the car’s fuel-gulping turbo-charger, he goes easy on the sporty sedan’s accelerator, he said. A month ago, regular unleaded gas in California averaged $1.87 a gallon, while premium fuel averaged $2.02, according to the Automobile Club of Southern California. Two weeks ago, gas prices statewide hit record highs, when regular averaged $2.18 a gallon, the Auto Club said. On Monday, regular gas averaged $2.16 a gallon, while premium unleaded averaged $2.34. “The prices suck. They’re insane,” said Leo Ibanez, a computer administrator, blanching at the $2.27-per-gallon unleaded fuel he pumped into his Nissan Sentra at an Encino gas station Monday. He used to buy premium gas, he said, but $2.57 a gallon is just too expensive. The Woodland Hills resident used to drive alone to work. But last week he and a co-worker began carpooling to save money, he said. Drivers will likely experience little relief in the near future. The U.S. Department of Energy predicts that motorists will pay record prices for gasoline this spring and summer because of soaring crude oil costs and low fuel inventories.

River Line passengers relish inaugural ride

Philadelphia Inquirer March 15, 2004 South Jersey’s first new rail service in three decades opened to the public yesterday with aficionados clambering aboard railcars under the light of a silver crescent of moon. They clicked digital cameras and panned with camcorders to capture the maiden voyage of NJ Transit’s $1.1 billion diesel-powered River Line, which has been fraught with political fights and residential revolts stretching back a decade. Riders snatched up souvenirs, and many were so eager to own a piece of history that they paid $1.10 for tickets even though there was talk that they could ride for free. “I wanted to take part in this lovely ride on a new transportation system,” said Larry Waples, an auto mechanic from Woodbury and model railroader who proudly displayed his ticket, which showed he was the third person to board. “Thank you for spending that billion dollars. I’m enjoying it.” The light-rail system completed its inaugural round-trip between Camden and Trenton, including turnaround time, in about 21/2 hours — on schedule and without a hitch. The first passengers boarded on Delaware Avenue at the Tweeter Center on Camden’s waterfront at 5:45 a.m. After 34 miles and 20 station stops, they arrived in Trenton just before 7. They returned to the waterfront at 8:20 a.m. “We’re train dorks,” admitted Christina D’Ambrosio, 20, of Philadelphia. She boarded the train with her boyfriend, Walt Weber, 24, of Collingswood. “It’s just interesting to look at the history of transit in a place like Philly and see how the city was run by the trolley for years. Now the system is in a shambles, and workers can’t even get a decent contract. So we just had to ride on this.” NJ Transit officials estimated there were 7,000 passenger trips from the line’s opening until 3 p.m., translating to 3,500 individual riders. Around midday, standing-room-only crowds began causing some minor delays. Many of those who boarded one of four 90-foot-long, Mercedes-Benz cars said they wanted to experience local history. It is the first passenger rail service most of the towns have seen since 1963, when the Camden & Amboy line closed for lack of riders. The train experienced no technical glitches. But a half-dozen protesters at the station in Riverton, Burlington County, carried signs reading: “The Train to Nowhere” and “The Loser Train.” The line has been criticized as a waste of taxpayers’ money. The line’s creation stretches back to 1994 when state officials in the Whitman administration and elected officials seriously began planning a new South Jersey mass-transit system. A Camden-to-Glassboro run was initially pushed to alleviate congestion on Route 42. But public opposition in some towns and political maneuvering in others helped reroute the line along the Delaware River as an engine to spur economic development in a string of aging towns, mostly in Burlington County. The line, with its debt, costs triple its original projections in the mid-’90s and is more than a year overdue. Projected daily ridership of 2,950 people is half of original forecasts made in 1996. NJ Transit expects the line to generate $1.5 million in sales in its first full year of operation. Meanwhile, taxpayers will shell out $73 million annually to subsidize it. Burlington County officials, who pushed for the line, say that such criticism is unfair, and that the rail system will eventually help transform the area. Smiling enthusiasts who boarded the brightly lit, sparkling clean, quietly running railcars yesterday agreed. They were not troubled by the cost because, they said, the need for public transit is so great. Eddie Ruberte, 27, of Mount Laurel, roused his two daughters, Evanna, 6, and Anadie, 4, from bed at 4 a.m. “We wanted to be on the first ride,” said Ruberte, who boarded on Camden’s waterfront. “I read that the rail line was finally going to open. I told my daughters they’d have to get up early.” “Awesome,” is how Evanna described the ride. Tod Kimmel raced from his Burlington City home to catch the first train, missed it because he got lost, then raced back home to board there so he could still make the system’s virgin run. “I’m the first person to have the terrible misfortune of missing a train this morning,” the nonetheless cheerful Kimmel said. Kimmel, who is opening an art gallery this month on High Street in Burlington City, handed out colorful souvenir cards replicating a cardboard cutout, folding train toy that he made. Richard Roel, 67, a retired tug captain from Westville, boarded at the waterfront. “I’ve followed all the articles,” he said. “But I also like public transportation. It’s just a necessity. My feeling is that you can’t keep putting cars on the road.”

Trolley lauded as a line threading a city together

Commercial Appeal — Memphis March 16, 2004 The Madison Avenue Line opened Monday morning when a big yellow trolley left Cleveland Station heading for downtown. Several hundred people cheered and confetti flew as the trolley burst through a banner the way a home football team takes the field. Trolley No. 453 carried dignitaries who had participated in the grand opening ceremony. Others followed in red, blue, green and white trolleys for a colorful parade. The Madison Avenue Line’s 2 miles tie in to the 5-mile downtown trolley loop. The line connects two job centers — downtown and the medical center. The Madison project took about 1,000 days, used 35 contractors, strung 34,500 feet of overhead wires and cable and laid 22,500 feet of rail along the double tracks. “We’re not building this just for tourists. We’re building it for all of us,” said MATA president William Hudson. The Downtown Elementary School chorus belted out “The Trolley Song,” bringing smiles when it sang: “’Clang, clang, clang’ went the trolley!” “My heart is palpitating with joy as we celebrate the grand opening of the Madison Avenue Line,” Mayor Willie Herenton said. “Think broadly,” he told the gathering, which stood under a tent during a light shower. The trolley system will link a lot of things, Herenton said, from hospitals to the new FedEx Forum. Robert Jamison, deputy administrator of the Federal Transit Administration, also was on hand. The agency provided 80 percent of the money to build the Madison Avenue Line. The city will need the agency’s support to build what’s next: the $400 million Airport Line. Hudson and Herenton jokingly referred to Jamison as their “home boy.” Jamison grew up in Collierville and graduated from the University of Memphis in 1987. Jamison said he and fellow U of M students didn’t go downtown very much in the mid-1980s. “It wasn’t the place to be, but now it is,” thanks in part to public transportation, he said. Jamison congratulated MATA for completing the line on time and under budget. “You guys make my job much easier,” he said. Riders along the Madison line’s six stops can expect a trolley to come by every 10 minutes from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., and every 25 minutes from 6 to 11:45 p.m. Monday through Friday, said Roy Boggs, MATA’s scheduling director. On Saturdays, trolleys will come by every 15 minutes 6 a.m. to 1 a.m. On Sundays, it’s every 25 minutes from 8:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. For special events, MATA will use more trolleys for higher-frequency service. The trolleys seat 20 to 50 people each; the fare is 60 cents, but rides on the entire trolley system will be free through Sunday.

RAIL TRANSPORTATION GETS A TRIAL RUN

The Commercial Appeal (Memphis, TN) March 16, 2004 THIS TIME, it’s for real. Not for show. Not for tourists. Not to help promote downtown, or to satisfy a nostalgic yearning. The concept of mass transit by rail was reintroduced to Memphians Monday with the opening of the Memphis Area Transit Authority’s $56 million Madison Avenue Line. The new leg of MATA’s electricity-driven trolley system reintroduces a mode of transportation that previous generations of Memphians took for granted. It’s also an experiment to find out if commuting by rail might also have a future in the Bluff City. The extent to which commuters make use of it should help guide decisions on the future of mass transportation in Memphis: how much to spend on further rail service extensions, how much to spend on subsidies to keep them running, where to lay the tracks. The Madison Avenue Line, using trolleys that seat 20 to 50 people each, runs east and west between the 5-mile downtown vintage trolley loop and the intersection of Madison and Cleveland, where MATA has constructed a park-and-ride lot with 60 spaces. Service will be provided at 10- to 25-minute intervals, depending on the time of day and day of the week. It will cover the entire length of the 2.1-mile stretch in 11 minutes. Through Sunday, the entire trolley system can be sampled free of charge. And if Memphians discover a fondness for the new line, it could be the start of something great. The environmental, economic and political advantages of a successful mass transportation system over the automobile are obvious: better air quality, less congestion, less cost, a greater degree of energy independence. Depressed neighborhoods can be revitalized with a few light rail stops. Those advantages, of course, aren’t enough to attract people to mass transit by rail. It also has to be convenient, efficient, safe and clean. It has to take people where they want to go when they want to be there. Substantial public investments in mass transit are difficult to justify unless ridership is high. But sometimes it takes substantial public investment — capital investment as well as subsidization — to create ridership. The benefits have to be sold not only to the riders but the taxpayers as well. Will mass transit by rail ever truly catch on in Memphis? It’s easy to be skeptical about that. The Madison Avenue Line provides a laboratory where an objective analysis can be made. The line connects downtown to Midtown, linking employment centers on both ends. It can help solve downtown parking problems, not only for workers but sports fans, downtown shoppers and entertainment venue patrons. It has the potential to transport downtown residents to jobs, restaurants and entertainment venues in Midtown. But will they use it? Within six months to a year, according to MATA estimates, the Madison Avenue Line will carry 2,100 passengers daily, almost as many as the number who use the downtown trolley system. Its success could lead to the development of a 9-mile, $400 million southeastward extension to the Memphis International Airport area — the costs to be split among the federal, state and city governments. Two alternative routes are being considered: through the Cooper-Young area and along Lamar Avenue. MATA officials have assured business owners along airport routes that important lessons have been learned from the construction of the Madison Avenue Line, the primary lesson being that sections of the street can’t be rendered virtually inaccessible for months at a time without putting people out of work and forcing some businesses along the route to move. The inconvenience factor must be removed from the equation to the extent that’s possible before any steps are taken to extend the trolley line to other destinations. And the level of ridership must be significant before additional funds are appropriated. Of course, no matter how successful it is, a rail system in Memphis can never penetrate the city’s neighborhoods to the extent that an efficiently routed, easily comprehended bus system can do that job. It will remain an important part of MATA’s mission to meet the needs of bus riders as well. About 42,000 people take the bus every day in Memphis. That number could no doubt be improved upon with careful attention to routing. At center stage today, however, is the city’s newest addition to the mass transit family — the product of considerable time, inconvenience, expense and labor. Whether it was worth all that we’ll know before long.

Transit Spending Under Fire; Auditor Reviews Streetcar System

Tampa Tribune (Florida) March 16, 2004 TAMPA — The Hillsborough Area Regional Transit Authority paid for unfinished work and violated its own spending regulations, Hillsborough County’s internal auditor reported Monday. Fueled by allegations from a fired employee, John Dausman, and reports on WFLA, News Channel 8, Hillsborough County commissioners asked the auditor in December to look into HARTline’s financial practices. The review focused on construction and operation of the TECO Line Streetcar System, which the transit authority developed along with Tampa. The county has no hand in the streetcar but gives more than $1 million a year to supplement bus service, and commissioners expressed concern about how the agency spends money. The draft report by Auditor Kathleen Mathews did not include point-by-point responses from HARTline, expected in the coming days. Still, HARTline officials “took strong exception” to the report’s tone and findings, releasing a statement in which streetcar board member Jan Smith characterized the county review as a witch hunt. Mathews and assistant Jamie Rase found in HARTline an organization ill-prepared to embark on a $56 million construction project. The auditor determined the engineer in charge of streetcar construction acted with little or no oversight and flouted purchasing requirements. Engineer Steve Carroll has left HARTline. He declined to comment Monday when reached at his office in Charlotte, N.C. Mathews cited one case as a possible example of fraud: Carroll approved $62,000 for engineering consulting work that wasn’t completed. The report said he signed off on work as being 100 percent complete although HARTline could provide only an incomplete, draft version of a report, which Mathews described as nothing. Finance department records show the contractor, BRW Inc. of Tampa, was paid $43,033, the report states. If a contractor was paid for unfinished work, that would constitute fraud, “a serious matter for both HART and the vendor,” Mathews wrote. BRW could not be reached for comment, but HARTline spokesman Ed Crawford said the payment for $43,033 was for work the consultant did complete. Carroll also solicited quotes for a maintenance contract for the streetcar’s overhead wiring system without following procurement guidelines, Mathews reported. That led to HARTline authorizing a $117,000 maintenance contract without soliciting sealed bids, as required for any contract greater than $60,000. HARTline reversed course because procedure had not been followed. After the contract was properly bid, the same vendor that proposed a $117,600 plan won with a $40,800 bid. Mathews found Carroll’s office held invoices for hundreds of days before sending them to the finance department. HARTline’s annual audit uncovered that disconnect between engineering and finance, a problem Crawford said has been addressed. HARTline officials were upset that Mathews’ review was made public before the agency’s responses could be included. They said the inquiry was influenced by a disgruntled ex-employee. Dausman, fired as a senior planner, contends he was dismissed for blowing the whistle on wrongdoing. He has sued to get his job back. HARTline said he was terminated for grabbing a colleague at work. HARTline still faces an audit by Richard Ake, Hillsborough’s circuit court clerk. In its statement, the agency expressed confidence that his review “will set the record straight regarding HART’s finances and management.” (CHART) WHAT’S NEXT HARTline will write a response to the county report. It faces an audit by Clerk of Court Richard Ake and a review by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. It also has been sued by John Dausman, who claims he was fired for blowing the whistle on the spending in question. (CHART)REVIEW FINDINGS Hillsborough County Auditor Kathleen Mathews reviewed six allegations of streetcar spending practices at HARTline. She found evidence the agency: - Violated its procurement practices by authorizing a no-bid maintenance contract, then changed course and properly accepted bids. - Didn’t follow “best practices” by accepting bids for portions of work rather than a project’s entire potential need. - Paid $43,033 to a contractor for unfinished work. - Diverted money to streetcar costs from sources previously used for bus service. - Allowed engineering chief to hold invoices for hundreds of days before sending them to finance department, which held them without remitting payment. - Allowed expenses without proper board approval. Mathews released her report in a draft stage without receiving HARTline’s written response to each allegation. That response is expected this week, though the agency issued a statement Monday characterizing the inquiry as a witch hunt.

UPDATE ON NTSB INVESTIGATION OF ACCIDENT INVOLVING UNMANNED LIRR LOCOMOTIVE IN NEW YORK CITY

States News Service March 16, 2004 The National Transportation Safety Board issued the following press release: The National Transportation Safety Board released the following update on its investigation of a series of highway grade crossing collisions, March 10, involving an unmanned Long Island Rail Road locomotive in Queens, New York. The unmanned locomotive passed through grade crossings that did not have active warning devices (bells, lights, gates), striking several vehicles and causing serious injuries to four vehicle occupants. NTSB investigators have completed interviews with all five of the railroad employees involved in the accident and will be reviewing that information. The employees have told the Safety Board that they set the air brakes before leaving the locomotive unmanned for a brief period. While crewmembers reported setting the air brakes, according to crew statements and investigator observations, a separate braking system — the hand brake — was not set, nor were the wheels blocked, as required by LIRR operating rules when a locomotive is left unattended. Two days before the accident, the locomotive passed an inspection mandated by the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA). (The FRA requires that locomotives be inspected every 92 days.) However, tests done on the locomotive after the accident showed some leakage in the air brake system, indicating that after a period of time enough air would bleed off to release the brakes. The locomotive is being held out of service for further NTSB mechanical evaluation. Data from the locomotive event recorders has been sent to the NTSB laboratory in Washington for detailed readout and analysis. Investigators also will be studying security camera videos obtained by the New York City Police Department. NTSB investigators are looking into why a protective mechanism, installed on the rails and designed to be able to stop railroad equipment, failed. They also will be studying the grade crossings, which earlier had active warning devices that were removed. The NTSB is aware of a report of an incident on March 6 stemming from brake problems with the accident locomotive, and will be folding this nformation into its investigation. The Safety Board also expects to receive reports of the toxicology tests done on the train crewmembers in accordance with LIRR policy.

Now: Buckling down for the daily commute; NJ Transit River Line’s first weekday goes smoothly.

Philadelphia Inquirer March 16, 2004 The hordes came out on Sunday, many curious to experience South Jersey’s first new passenger rail service in more than three decades. But yesterday marked a return to reality for NJ Transit’s new River Line, as mostly commuters came out to test the new Camden-to-Trenton light- rail service on its first weekday of operation. On Sunday, “it was a novelty, so it was packed,” said Andy Mathisen, a telecommunications manager for NJ Transit, who took on the role of agency “ambassador” at the Riverside station yesterday morning. “Today, people are getting into their regular patterns.” NJ Transit officials said that yesterday, as of 6 p.m. riders had made 3,100 trips. On Sunday, the long-awaited line’s first official day of service, officials recorded 10,000 trips. That’s almost twice the daily usage that NJ Transit officials estimate for the $1.1 billion line in its first year of service. Critics say the line’s projected ridership doesn’t justify its expense. “This is a long-term investment,” said NJ Transit spokeswoman Penny Bassett-Hackett. “We’re not going to measure our success by day one’s numbers.” At 7:30 a.m., about 50 people walked off the southbound train at the Broadway Station in Camden, many of them catching a connection — free until March 26 — into Philadelphia on the PATCO High-Speed Line. It was one of the biggest crowds of the morning rush hour. Though not packed, the trains, each with a capacity of 190, appeared to be running smoothly, some just a few minutes behind schedule. NJ Transit officials said that was because train operators had to wait longer at stations for passengers trying to figure out how to use the ticket vending machines. Diane Lipiec-Fauver, a nurse from Burlington Township, said the only hitch in her morning commute into Philadelphia involved one of those machines at the Burlington South station. It refused to take dollar bills. “I guess that’s just first-day glitches,” said Lipiec-Fauver, who reported the problem. To help passengers with questions and problems, NJ Transit had employees at every station. And to sweeten what many already say is the sweetest deal around — a one-way ride for $1.10 — the agency also served free coffee and pastries at every station. Passengers, on the whole, seemed pretty content with the service. Murali Rachamallu, a systems analyst who lives in Burlington City, used to have to drive or take the bus to work in Philadelphia. Yesterday, he rode in style on one of the polished European railcars. “I’ve been waiting for this for a long time,” he said.

Tram conductors backed by bosses

BBC NEWS: 2004/03/16 Managers of Nottingham’s trams say they will not be bringing in electronic ticket machines despite facing criticism that conductors are too slow. In a poll of passengers, the BBC found one in five people travelling on a tram did not have a ticket. Passengers say the conductors have not been coming to collect their fare before they arrive at their stops. Officials have blamed the rush to try out the new service and say they expect to initally lose money as a result. Electronic machines Tram bosses have also said they expect to lose about 5% of revenue due to fare dodgers, once the teething problems have been resolved. Passengers have criticised the service for not having electronic ticket machines and barriers. But the firm is adament that conductors, even if they are slower at issuing tickets, are the best way of serving customers. Colin Lea, spokesperson for NET, said: “We don’t want to think of a different system. What we’ll do is bring in more conductors, we think the system is right. “Conductors are certainly going down very well with the public, they like a friendly face on the tram. It’s good for safety at night and getting the right change. Conductors is definitely the right policy rather than ticket machines.” Managers also said it was cheaper to account for the missed fares rather than installing electronic machines to issue and stamp tickets.

Streetcar named the future

Montreal Gazette March 16, 2004 The corner of Park and Mount Royal Aves. is a good vantage point from which to see the mountain, the downtown skyline and, this evening, the future. Clairvoyance costs $5. And you’ll have to bring your own rose-coloured glasses to a meeting room beside the corner gas station, where Richard Bergeron will be talking about Le Nouveau Tramway. Bergeron is director of strategic analysis, planning and development for the Metropolitan Transportation Agency, which oversees transit in the Montreal area. While most Montrealers look at the deficiencies of public transit and ask “Why?” Bergeron dreams of what the system can become and asks: “Why not?” It’s a $10-billion question. Building a new tramway system requires ripping up the streets and replacing the crumbling infrastructure that runs beneath them. Estimated cost: between $40 million and $60 million per kilometre of tram line. And what will we get for that huge investment — the equivalent, in 21st- century dollars, of what it cost to build the métro in the 1960s? Bergeron, who has explained the project at a dozen public meetings around town, says the tramway is ideal street-level mass transit. He thinks Montreal should go back to the future. Our last streetcar made its final run on Aug. 30, 1959. A crowd of 200,000 watched the tram clack and shudder its way along Papineau Ave. and into history. “I’ll be talking about what a modern tramway could be,” Bergeron said yesterday when I called to get a preview of his presentation. The look ahead will include overviews of the modern tram technology that is popular in Europe. Bergeron will stress the way a tramway system can fit an urban landscape. His objective is to convince Montrealers a new, environment-friendly electrical tram system is an “extraordinary opportunity” to revitalize the downtown core. Bergeron’s dream is 200 kilometres of tram lines (twice as long as the métro network), in place by 2025. The meeting is in Mile End because the first phase of the tramway project, as envisaged by the MTA, would be a 6.5-kilometre line running along Park Ave. from Jean Talon St. to René Lévesque Blvd., then west to a terminus on Mountain St., just north of the Bell Centre. Proponents suggest the tramway would revitalize Park, restoring the faded glory of one of Montreal’s busiest and most colourful thoroughfares. The tram would run quietly, with no horizontal vibration, along its own lanes. Passengers would get on and off at street level, rather than using steps, as is the case with buses. The system would leave two lanes in each direction for vehicular traffic and parking. Goodbye, No. 80 bus — along with its noise and emissions. Hello, comfortable, efficient urban transit. Bergeron believes a Park Ave. line would be a popular innovation, whetting the appetite of Montrealers for a city-wide tram system. Sounds great. But is it practical? “From my personal point of view, it’s not only viable, it’s essential,” Bergeron said. “If you believe in the goals of Kyoto, we have to find alternatives to automobile transport. “A tramway system would double the use of public transport in 15 years,” he added. “And it will transform our city.” Bergeron discusses Le Nouveau Tramway, in French, tonight at 7 at 4505 Park Ave. Admission is $5.

Amtrak and Bombardier/Alstom Consortium Announce Resolution of Legal Claims

Business Wire March 17, 2004 The Consortium of Bombardier/Alstom and Amtrak today announced an agreement, settling all current legal disputes associated with the comprehensive $1.2 billion US high-speed rail program delivery. This program covered delivery, performance and maintenance, for a ten year period, of 20 high-speed Acela Express(i)(i) trainsets, the purchase of 15 additional high-speed electric locomotives and the construction of three new maintenance facilities. Under the terms of the agreement, the parties will drop all claims against each other relating to the program and the Consortium will be entitled to receive up to $42.5 million US against approximately $70 million US that Amtrak previously withheld. In addition, the parties will amend the maintenance services contract for the trainsets, allowing Amtrak to assume responsibility for the trains’ maintenance in October 2006. “Instead of continuing to spend unnecessary time and money on costly and attention-diverting litigation, the full focus of our efforts will now be on improving the performance of Acela Express and delivering the best service we know how for the passengers who enjoy and depend on it,” said Amtrak President and CEO David L. Gunn. “The Consortium is satisfied with the solution reached out of court with Amtrak,” commented Paul Tellier, President and Chief Executive Officer of Bombardier Inc. “The Consortium will respect Amtrak’s strategy to provide maintenance services and will take the necessary steps to ensure a seamless transition between now and October 2006,” added Mr. Tellier. In November 2001, Bombardier filed a lawsuit against Amtrak in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia seeking damages in connection with the high-speed rail project. Amtrak then countersued, seeking its own damages in connection with the project. The agreement announced today settles Bombardier’s lawsuit and Amtrak’s countersuit, and speeds up to October 2006 the transfer of the maintenance responsibility from the Northeast Corridor Maintenance Service Company (or NECMSC) to Amtrak. The transfer was originally foreseen in 2013. Amtrak and NECMSC have committed to work closely together over the next three years to ensure and maximize the trains’ operational reliability. “During the transition period, training will be provided to Amtrak employees and after October 2006, NECMSC will continue to provide equipment parts and technical advice to Amtrak’s Mechanical department, as needed,” explained Mr. Fred Einbinder, Chairman of the Board of NECMSC and General Counsel of ALSTOM Transport. Acela Express is Amtrak’s premium service in the Northeast, with 10 daily roundtrips between Boston and New York, including intermediate stops, and 13 daily roundtrips between Washington and New York, with intermediate stops. Development of the high-speed service began in 1996, when Amtrak and the Consortium agreed to the design and manufacture of the Acela Express trainsets, the building of maintenance facilities in Boston, New York and Washington, and maintenance of the equipment for a period of ten years. (The 10-year term started in 2003.) The first of the trainsets was delivered in December, 2000 and since its introduction into revenue service, more than 6 million passengers have ridden Acela Express.

BOMBARDIER AXES 6,600 IN RAIL RESTRUCTURING; TROUBLED EUROPEAN DIVISION WILL SEE 7 PLANTS CLOSE

Stratford Beacon Herald (Ontario, Canada) March 17, 2004 Bombardier Inc. is cutting 6,600 jobs and closing seven plants in a massive restructuring of its troubled rail division in Europe that will also affect nearly 700 workers in Canada. The Montreal-based company said today it will cut 18.5 per cent of the workforce at its Bombardier Transportation unit and close seven plants in five European countries over the next two years. More than a third of the cuts involve white-collar jobs. In Canada, cuts to the rail division’s operations in Kingston and Thunder Bay, Ont. and head office in Quebec, will pare 680 positions. About 170 jobs will also be cut in the United States. Bombardier said it has already stopped or suspended operations at plants in Kingston, Burnaby, B.C., Barre, Vt. and Pittsburg, Calif. to reduce excess inventory. The restructuring moves will save about $600 million a year but led to one-time charges that helped produce a $448-million fourth-quarter loss. The cuts are aimed at improving disappointing financial results at the division. “This restructuring initiative is part of a three-year strategy to bring back improved margins and profitability to this company,” chief executive Paul Tellier said before stock markets opened. On the Toronto stock market early Wednesday, Bombardier’s class-B shares fell three per cent, or 21 cents, to $6.58. In another development, Bombardier and its French engineering partner Alstom also announced they had settled a legal dispute with U.S. passenger train operator Amtrak over a $1.2-billion-US high-speed rail program in the United States. Under terms of the agreement, the parties will drop all claims against each other related to the delivery, performance and maintenance of 20 high-speed Acela Express trains over a 10-year period. The legal dispute centred on the performance of the trains, part of Amtrak’s high-speed rail service linking major cities in the U.S. Northeast. Bombardier and Alstom will get up to $42.5 million US of the $70 million US that Amtrak previously withheld under the deal. In addition, the companies will amend the maintenance services contract, allowing Amtrak to take responsibility for the trains’ maintenance in October 2006. “Instead of continuing to spend unnecessary time and money on costly and attention-diverting litigation, the full focus of our efforts will now be on improving the performance of Acela Express and delivering the best service we know how for the passengers who enjoy and depend on it,” said Amtrak CEO David Gunn, a former head of the Toronto Transit Commission. The Bombardier rail division’s 35 plants in 16 European countries are operating on average at only 50 per cent of capacity and have been under pressure to improve efficiency and bottom-line results. The rail division is the world’s biggest maker of train equipment, with about 36,000 employees. Its North American operations include plants in Quebec, Kingston and Thunder Bay.

L.A. Will Help Fund Study of ‘Maglev’ Train; Planners propose a 50-mile first leg from the Ontario airport to West Los Angeles

Los Angeles Times March 17, 2004 Planning for a high-speed rail system in Southern California moved forward Tuesday when the Los Angeles City Council agreed to help pay for the study of a magnet-powered train connecting the Westside and Ontario International Airport. The council agreed unanimously to spend $563,000 to study the feasibility and environmental effect of a 50-mile train line run by a largely untested magnetic levitation system. “For a long time now, other cities in the region have been saying Los Angeles is not doing its part to help solve all of our congestion problems,” Councilman Antonio Villaraigosa said. “This puts Los Angeles at the front of the line in that effort.” The Southern California Assn. of Governments, which proposed the “maglev” train, wants it to run from the Westside — a specific terminus has not been chosen — to the Ontario airport, with stops at Union Station and West Covina. SCAG says the system, estimated to cost about $5 billion, would boost the region’s aviation capabilities by eventually giving passengers quick access to Los Angeles International, a growing Ontario airport and a proposed airport in Palmdale. SCAG planners say the first leg would be built with funding from private investors. They envision it as following the Santa Monica and San Bernardino freeways, reaching top speeds of nearly 250 mph and making the trip in about 30 minutes. Future extensions could take the train to LAX, Palmdale and Orange County. Washington has pledged $2.5 million for the first part of the study, expected to begin by June, but required a match of about 30% from local governments. The match comes from the L.A. money and nearly $500,000 provided by the city of Ontario and San Bernardino Associated Governments. About $12 million more is needed to finish the full review. It remains unclear where that money will come from, though SCAG officials say they believe that Washington will provide it. Many transit experts say the maglev idea should be reconsidered or scrapped. Some say airports can be connected by improving Metrolink rail. The maglev proposal clashes with plans by the state-backed California High Speed Rail Authority to create a railway of European-style high-speed trains connecting Los Angeles and San Francisco. That plan is much further along, its environmental studies largely complete. Both proposals envision similar Southland routes, running from Los Angeles to Ontario. Perhaps the maglev train’s biggest hurdle is history. For decades, planners and politicians have touted grand solutions to the area’s traffic problems — air-cushioned trains, monorails, downtown people movers, trains running above the Los Angeles River or down freeways. Except for L.A.’s subway, none has been built. Mark Pisano, executive director of SCAG, said maglev would break the pattern. “This one we have to have,” he said.

Big plans on track; East Side access, more new cars, a third Main Line track; these and other moves are part of a proposed multibillion-dollar expansion

Newsday (New York) March 17, 2004 In a daily game of transit hopscotch, Long Island Rail Road commuter Robert Audette takes the railroad to Queens then jumps to the No. 7 subway, then catches the 4 or the 5 downtown. To get to his lower Manhattan office, “it’s over two hours and 15 minutes one way,” said Audette, of Shirley. “It’s definitely an inconvenience to change trains. Each one is a separate mini-commute and they have their own separate problems.” That all may change over the next decade, as the Long Island Rail Road readies for what could be the biggest expansion in its 170-year history. In store are multimillion-dollar capital projects, from new cars to storage yards to changes in routes that could, for the first time, connect Long Island commuters to the East Side and possibly lower Manhattan. It’s an incredible wish list reaching into the billions of dollars, with target completion dates reaching into the next decade. Yet competition for transit dollars will be fierce, and some close to the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, the parent agency of the LIRR, say that funding for all of them may be reaching for a “pie-in-the-sky.” MTA executives are confident the capital projects for the LIRR eventually will be funded, offering commuters more service and travel alternatives. The last major LIRR expansion took place in 1898 with construction of the track from Great Neck to Port Washington. “One of the major reasons is to take a 19th-century system and bring it into the 21st century,” said MTA executive director Katie Lapp. “I think we can get these projects off the ground and get the funding for them, which I am optimistic we will.” But transit watchers, worried about future fare hikes, say state and federal governments are kicking in fewer dollars than they have for past capital projects. And the MTA has already borrowed so much that debt service is expected to grow to $1.7 billion annually by 2007. “The real worry is how are you going to fund them?” said Beverly Dolinsky, executive director of the LIRR Commuters Council, a riders’ advocacy group. “You can’t keep borrowing and have this huge debt service, because the fare will go so high that nobody will use the system.” The project most likely to move forward is East Side Access. In the works for three decades, it will mean a one-seat rail link from Long Island to Grand Central using an existing, but unused, tunnel at 63rd Street. So far, preliminary construction has started in Long Island City. Railroad officials are awaiting full funding for the project. The price tag has ballooned over the years from $4.3 billion in 1998 to $6.3 billion now. Federal officials say that $800 million in state and federal money has already been committed. It is scheduled to be completed by 2012. “Certainly, the MTA is optimistic and I’m optimistic,” said Rep. Peter King (R-Seaford). LIRR President James Dermody said he is awaiting a funding grant from the Federal Transit Administration. He’s hopeful the agreement will be in place by this summer. “Then it becomes almost automatic” in President George W. Bush’s budget, Dermody said. John Scofield, spokesman for the House Appropriations Committee, said, “It is extremely unlikely that those funds would stop flowing.” Roadblocks along the way There have been a few snags, including modifications to the Sunnyside Yard, which is owned by Amtrak. Dermody is negotiating with Amtrak to resolve the issues, including allowing access to the nearby Arch Street yard and shop. The railroad needs East Side Access, Dermody said, because the railroad is at capacity at Penn Station and can’t add any more trains. “It’s a better option,” said commuter Margaret Domenech of East Islip, whose office is between Park and Madison avenues. “Plus you don’t have to have extra expense of the subway.” But along with the added capacity comes the need on Long Island for rail improvements to handle more trains. The railroad is trying to site a 16-track storage yard on the Port Jefferson line east of Huntington that would allow the LIRR to add service on the branch. Public hearings last year were attended by many residents who opposed construction of a yard in their neighborhoods. The railroad has narrowed selection to six sites in Huntington and Smithtown. While a yard will allow the railroad to add service on the Port Jefferson line, a major overhaul of the Main Line is in the works as well. LIRR officials call it the Main Line Corridor Improvement project, and it would mean building a third track along the Main Line from Bellerose to Hicksville. Dermody said it would allow an expanded service for commuters who travel against the rush hour and also could handle freight, taking some trucks off congested highways. It would also mean the elimination of five grade crossings in Mineola, New Hyde Park and Westbury and substantial station rehabilitation. “If we can get through the [environmental study] and get a … decision, the only other drawback is the question of funding,” Dermody said. Sources close to the MTA say it could be a tough sell. The double-track Main Line travels right through the heart of Long Island, and community opposition could be strong. “For a significantly lower cost than East Side Access, it provides significant and so many different benefits for the LIRR,” said Mitch Pally, vice president of government affairs at the Long Island Association, a large business group. Link to lower Manhattan Pally, however, had harsh words for a recent proposal announced by the MTA and the Lower Manhattan Development Corp. that could link the LIRR to lower Manhattan. Considered a priority of Gov. George Pataki, the plan would allow passengers to board trains at Kennedy Airport or the Long Island Rail Road’s Jamaica station and ride through Atlantic Terminal in Brooklyn. The plan differs in how riders would be sped from Brooklyn to Manhattan. They include building and enhancing tunnels under the East River. A final design plan should be picked next month. It could cost up to $6 billion, with project supporters saying funding could come from Sept. 11 redevelopment money. Pally said it’s an expensive project that would save only about 90 seconds in commuting times for about 3,000 Long Islanders. One source close to the MTA called the project a “pie-in-the-sky” proposal. Other projects planned for the railroad in coming years include completion of the purchase of new M-7 electric cars, which, by 2007, will transform the aging fleet. Railroad officials are also looking to build a yard east of Ronkonkoma that would mean extending electrification farther into Suffolk County. “Long Island has changed,” Pally said. “The railroad is trying to change. The railroad does better now than it ever did before,” he added. “Now, we want to give it additional capacity to do what it has never done before.” Upgrading the LIRR The Long Island Rail Road is embarking on one of the most ambitious capital improvement projects in its 170-year history, with six potential service upgrades that, if completed, could cost billions of dollars. 1. East Side access What it will do: Connect Long Islanders to East Side of Manhattan. What it will cost: $6.3 billion Completion date: 2012 Challenges: LIRR must negotiate with Amtrak; funding must be secured. Forecast: Very likely. Federal and state sources say funding will be secured. 2. Lower Manhattan rail link What it will do: Establish oneseat ride to lower Manhattan from LIRR Jamaica station. What it will cost: As much as $6 billion Completion date: Construction timetable and completion date expected in spring. Challenges: Funding; also, strong opposition from LI business and some transit advocacy groups. Forecast: Questionable, and some transit watchers say highly unlikely. 3. Main line corridor improvement What it will do: Add third main line track to critical 10 1/2-mile corridor between Bellerose, Queens and Hicksville. Eliminate five grade crossings; likely improve some stations and bridges. What it will cost: Unknown, likely in the multimillions. Completion date: By 2015 Challenges: Could face community opposition. Forecast: Hard to tell; project in early planning stages. 4. Port Jefferson line yard What it will do: Add service on Port Jefferson line; extend electrification east of Huntington for five of the six sites under consideration. What it will cost: $75 million (estimated), not including cost of electrification of yard ($10 million per mile). Completion date: 2011 Challenges: Neighborhood opposition. Forecast: Somewhat likely. Long Island business leaders say the yard is a must. 5. Yard east of Ronkonkoma What it will do: Offer new options for residents east of Ronkonkoma, including direct service to both Penn Station and Grand Central Terminal; also, additional service branchwide and parking relief. What it will cost: LIRR assumes $50 million, not including cost of electrification of the yard site ($10 million per mile). Completion date: 2012, tied to opening of East Side access. Challenges: Still in the very early stages. Forecast: Promising. Transitwatchers say LIRR has made this a top priority; East Enders have asked for more service. 6. M-7 Purchase What it will do: Take fleet from oldest to newest cars. By 2010, about 85 percent of electric fleet will be new M7 cars; fleet size will be 20 percent larger than in 2002. What it will cost: For 678 cars, $1.3 billion Completion date: For currently funded car purchase, 2007. Challenges: Some critics have said cars are too cramped, but commuters give them high marks. Forecast: A done deal

TRANSPORTATION: Miami on board for city streetcar project

Miami Herald March 17, 2004 Miami will consider building a streetcar line to link downtown with neighborhoods east of Interstate 95 that are undergoing a redevelopment boom. Miami officials want to build a streetcar rail line to connect downtown with the city’s resurgent neighborhoods to the north, citing the need to provide thousands of expected new urban dwellers an alternative to using their cars. Miami Mayor Manny Diaz believes the city can build an initial ‘’demonstration’’ phase relatively quickly and inexpensively, with streetcars powered by overhead electrical wires up and running within three years from the start of construction. The city has hired an engineering firm to study the light-rail line’s feasibility and select possible routes. The idea is to finance the project with the city’s share of Miami-Dade County’s half-cent sales tax, projected at slightly less than $10 million a year. That would save considerable time by forgoing complex requests for federal funding. ‘’I’m told that it is doable,’’ Diaz said in an interview. ‘‘It has to get done. It’s something we need very much. Other cities have done it. If we have to kick-start it, we will.’’ The city streetcar line would be planned and built separately from the county’s ambitious transit plan, which is focused in large part on expansion of Metrorail’s expensive heavy-rail commuter lines into the suburbs. Instead, the city’s light-rail line would be a local neighborhood service, traveling at ground level and stopping every few blocks, planners said. It would share roadways and lanes with automobiles, making it relatively simple to build and easy for pedestrians to board. To enhance mobility, streetcar systems are typically designed so that traffic lights turn green as streetcars approach. ‘DEFINITELY WORKS’ Several major U.S. cities — including Portland, Ore., Denver and San Diego — have built similar systems in the past few years. ‘’This is a technology that definitely works,’’ said Lilia Medina, the city’s assistant transportation coordinator, who is overseeing the project. ‘‘We just want to make sure there is a ridership for it.’’ Miami and Miami Beach have approved a separate streetcar line, dubbed BayLink, that would connect downtown Miami and South Beach. But that project is part of the county plan and is unlikely to happen for a decade at least. The city streetcar line would connect with BayLink. WITHIN BOUNDARIES The decision to go it solo on a streetcar line underscores city officials’ increasing sense of urgency about expanding public transit inside Miami’s boundaries. Developers have broken ground on thousands of condo units and apartments from the Brickell district north through Edgewater and the city’s Upper East Side, where a surge in home rehabilitation has revitalized once-deteriorated neighborhoods. But the development boom has raised worries about the effects of increased auto traffic on already congested roadways like Biscayne Boulevard. Moreover, Diaz said, the success of the city’s redevelopment will depend on linking different sections together — making it easy, say, for residents of Little Haiti or the Buena Vista historic neighborhood to take a streetcar to work, the new Performing Arts Center or shops and restaurants opening up along the Biscayne Boulevard corridor. ‘’It’s not just the traffic,’’ the mayor said. ‘‘The connectivity of neighborhoods is important.’’ POSSIBLE ROUTES Possible routes include Biscayne Boulevard, Miami Avenue and Northeast Second Avenue, Medina said. How far north the first phase reaches will depend on how much the city can afford to build on its own, she said. Typically, streetcar lines cost around $24 million per mile to build, but the figure can vary depending on local conditions, said Wilson Fernandez, a county transportation planner. The city’s eventual goal is to reach the northern boundary at 87th Street — about five miles from downtown — and later perhaps to build a second line extending west along Calle Ocho through Little Havana and Flagami to Coral Gables. Ironically, that route would replicate a streetcar line, built in the 1920s and long-ago dismantled, that once extended from Miami Beach to Coral Gables.

Light rail: COTA considering tax issue by May 2005

Community Newspapers — Columbus March 18, 2004 The director of rail transportation for the Central Ohio Transit Authority said Tuesday that COTA is considering placing a tax issue before voters no later than May 2005 to help pay for a north corridor light rail project. Michael Bradley told business leaders from Clintonville and Northland that the rail line could benefit their communities. Bradley spoke at a luncheon hosted by the Clintonville Area Chamber of Commerce, the Northland Alliance and the Northland Area Business Association at the Clintonville Woman’s Club, 3951 N. High St. “The north corridor has the most traffic congestion, highest population density and one-third of the region’s jobs,” Bradley said. The $501-million North Corridor Light Rail Transit Project would run from Delaware County down an existing rail line to downtown Columbus, cutting between both Clintonville and Northland, hitting stops at Worthington, The Ohio State University and the Short North along the way. The Federal Transit Administration has approved the project for 50- percent funding, while the state has approved another 25 percent, leaving COTA to secure funding for the remaining 25 percent or $125-million, Bradley said. He said COTA is considering a tax issue for the May 2005 ballot, at the latest, to stay on pace for a 2006 start of construction. The North Corridor is one of eight possible rail corridors in central Ohio and is the best line for the federal funding, given the population and jobs in the area, he said. Preliminary plans for the light rail line show three stops in the Clintonville and Northland areas: state Route 161, Morse Road and North Broadway. Bradley said that recently built light rail lines in other cities have been successful and have exceeded use projections, while benefiting surrounding properties. He said when Dallas built a light rail line in the mid-1990s, it had similar downtown vacancy rates and lease prices as Columbus does now, and both of those have improved greatly since the rail line construction. According to information provided by COTA, recently built lines in Salt Lake City, Denver, St. Louis and Portland all have been beneficial to the communities while exceeding expected use. St. Louis’ first line, built in 1993, exceeded its estimated ridership by 31,000, while first lines in Salt Lake City and Dallas surpassed expectations by 5,000 and 3,000, respectively, according to the COTA information. The project currently is in its preliminary engineering phase and will have to go through an environmental impact study as well as secure the remaining amount of funding before construction could begin. “It would’ve been a good day to ride the train,” said Ernie Hartong, chamber president, referring to the snowy weather outside on Tuesday. Leaders from both groups have said that the light rail line could help area businesses and they’ll continue to follow its progress.

MBTA AGREES TO INSTALL 4-ARM GATES NEW TECHNOLOGY COULD ADD $2M TO BILL

The Boston Globe March 18, 2004 Six months after the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority called quadrant gates an untested and inappropriate technology, the agency has agreed to use the four-arm barriers at some of its crossings along the Greenbush commuter rail line a concession that could cost more than $2 million. The debate over the quadrant gates has flared since last year when town officials along the Greenbush line urged the Army Corps of Engineers to withhold a mandatory wetlands permit until the MBTA considered installing gates that would extend across the entire road at all four corners of the railroad intersections. For months, town officials have blasted the MBTA for rejecting the four-arm gates, which some view as the safest design for crossings on the line that will slice through town centers and residential areas. The officials said the transportation authority recently decided to install quadrant gates at three locations in Hingham and Braintree and is reviewing six other crossings in Weymouth, Cohasset, and Scituate. The MBTA is expected to release a final list of four-arm gate crossings within weeks. “There was a realization that when you construct a major project in a series of communities, you have to weigh the input of the communities,” Jon Carlisle, a spokesman for the state Executive Office of Transportation and Construction, said of the MBTA’s change in position. “We heard from a number of towns that they thought safety enhancements would come along with the four-quadrant gates, and to the extent that we can accommodate them, we’re going to do that.” This will be the first time the MBTA has used the technology; its hesitation was made clear at a meeting last fall, when it said there are only eight crossings nationwide that exist like the ones being proposed along the Greenbush lines: four point gates with no medians and no train sirens. The apparent reversal surprised many town officials, who said the MBTA had insisted on using its standard two gates that extend across only the approaching lanes of the road, along with concrete median barriers. “It’s always ‘No, no, no,’ right up until the moment it’s ‘Yes’ with the MBTA,” said Alexander Mac millan, Hingham’s Greenbush coordinator. “Now that this is settled, it will help expedite the issuance of the wetlands permit.” The quadrant gates each cost $200,000 to $250,000 more than the traditional two-arm gates and median barriers initially planned for the 24 crossings. Town officials said that four-arm gates would eliminate the need to construct medians which they argued would hamper emergency vehicles from easily navigating the communities’ narrow roads. Last fall, the MBTA estimated that putting quadrant gates at all of the crossings would add another $6 million to the $479 million commuter rail project along with added liability. But after months of negotiations, it is anticipated that fewer than 10 of the street crossings will have four-arm gates. In Hingham, four-arm gates are expected at the intersections of West, South, and Fort Hill streets, and South and Hersey streets. Braintree officials said a quadrant gate is anticipated at the intersection of Commercial and Front streets. Three crossings in Weymouth have four-arm gates proposed: at Wharf and East streets; Commercial, Gibbons, and Webb streets; and Commercial Street and Suwanee Road. In Scituate, quadrant gates are being considered at the intersection of Captain Pierce Road, Lawson Road, and Curtis Street. In Cohasset, the quadrant gates are being reviewed for two railroad crossings on Beechwood Street and Pleasant Street. “The MBTA is now open to many alternatives that would help alleviate safety concerns, including quad gates,” said Cohasset Town Manager Mark Haddad. Haddad said he believes new federal railroad regulations that support four-arm gates and pressure from state officials facilitated the MBTA’s willingness to consider the new technology. Carlisle said there initially was some resistance to the quadrant gates because the technology was “new and relatively untested.”

SEPTA counts on firm’s enthusiasm; The agency says S. Korean railcar maker United Transit has experience overseas that makes up for lack of experience here

Philadelphia Inquirer March 18, 2004 When the Washington Metro needed 192 new passenger cars, a foreign manufacturer eager for a toehold in the United States offered the low bid and got the contract. Managers at the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority calculated that the Spanish company’s zeal would compensate for its inexperience in the U.S. market and complex U.S. regulations. “We viewed it as a positive thing, an incentive,” said Terry Consavage, the authority’s director of rail-systems engineering. But the cars arrived three years late, and have been plagued with bad software and faulty doors and brakes. SEPTA is now poised to make a similar bet. It wants to use a low-cost South Korean firm with virtually no experience in the United States to build 104 Regional Rail cars at a price of nearly a quarter of a billion dollars. The regional transit agency and the company, United Transit Systems, insist that what happened in Washington will not happen here. United Transit boasts that it has built more than 5,000 cars similar to those SEPTA is ordering, and insists it has never been late for a delivery. “We are Korean. We can do any kind of work. We can meet any challenge,” said Jai Tark Yoo, director of overseas sales and marketing for Rotem Co., the principal partner in United Transit. SEPTA managers say they are convinced that United Transit’s enthusiasm and work overseas would make up for what it lacks in U.S. experience. “We felt it would be a positive,” said Pat Nowakowski, SEPTA’s assistant general manager. But the history of U.S. rail-car contracts is strewn with tales of delays and technical problems. “The U.S. is the graveyard of car builders,” said Amtrak’s chief mechanical officer, Jonathan Klein, who once held that position at SEPTA. “Because of the demanding safety requirements, the onerous contractual relationships, and the cutthroat price competition, the low bidder leaves himself very little room for mistakes,” Klein added. A green light for the project could come next month, if SEPTA wins a state court case brought by United Transit’s main competitor, Kawasaki Rail Car Inc. of Japan, which has worked in the United States for about three decades. The lawsuit claims that SEPTA amended the specifications, “rigging” the bid to favor the Korean company. SEPTA counters that it merely clarified requirements for U.S. experience. United Transit’s formal bid was supplemented by a lobbying effort that included hiring the chairman of the Pennsylvania Republican Party as its representative. Virtually untested in the U.S. market, Rotem has partnered with Nissho Iwai American Corp., a Japanese construction manager with 30 years of experience in the United States. Producing the sort of complex, custom cars that SEPTA wants to buy for $236 million from United Transit bedevils even firms with decades of U.S. experience. Kawasaki, a veteran supplier to New York City, was recently three years late with a delivery of 50 custom double-decker rail cars to Maryland, and was fined $4.2 million by the Long Island Rail Road for another late delivery. According to Kawasaki officials, specification changes required by the purchasers caused the delays. And overseas in India, Rotem was embroiled in a 2002 controversy about the adequacy of the braking systems on locomotives and passenger cars supplied to the New Delhi subway. A spokesman for United Transit supplied a 2003 letter from the New Delhi rail system expressing satisfaction with the cars. United Transit’s only experience in meeting the Federal Railroad Administration’s complex�� rules was 15 years ago, when it built eight non-powered coaches for the Alaska state railroad — far simpler vehicles than those SEPTA is ordering. Since then, U.S. regulations have undergone extensive revision. During the bidding process for the Philadelphia contract, United Transit’s technical proposal was rated last out of four bidders by SEPTA’s technical staff, largely because the company lacked domestic experience. United Transit says the current federal regulations are “almost the same” as specifications it has had to meet overseas. Yoo said the company spent $10 million preparing its SEPTA bid, including constructing a prototype stainless-steel car body to SEPTA’s specifications. This gives the firm a jump on its delivery schedule, he said. Rotem, which is controlled by the Hyundai industrial giant, has foreign customers that include Hong Kong and Athens, Greece, where the firm is� supplying cars for the Olympics in August. United Transit says it received a $6 million bonus from Athens for delivering the cars three months ahead of schedule. Just the same, SEPTA is planning to spend $8 million to monitor the rail-car production, no matter who gets the contract. SEPTA is building in the extra oversight because of its experience in 1993, when the low bidder was hired to make 220 passenger cars for the Market-Frankford Line. Those cars arrived two years late and had faulty door mechanisms that cost SEPTA $6.2 million to repair. The manufacturer, Adtranz, also replaced every seat. Manufacturers have considerable experience in producing individual components for passenger cars. Putting all the pieces together creates the problems. “Because there are so many differences from city to city you end up doing pretty much what I would describe as a custom car” for each project, said Paul P. Skoutelas, chief executive of Pittsburgh’s regional transit system. In Boston, 100 trolleys purchased from the Italian manufacturer Breda regularly derailed in 2000. And Amtrak’s high-speed Acela cars were pulled from service for three weeks in 2002. At United Transit, Yoo maintains that integrating the various components and software systems from different suppliers is where the Korean firm excels. Kawasaki responds that this is where it is the “standard-setter.” Kawasaki has supplied or is building more than 600 cars for New York City, as well as about 1,400 for other transportation systems, including Philadelphia’s and Boston’s. But given its constant budget pressures (the Korean offer is $14 million cheaper), SEPTA officials say the United Transit offer is too good to pass up. “I feel confident in our ability to manage a contract and bring it in” on time and within budget, said Nowakowski, who is overseeing the procurement.