ChrisDante
June 22nd, 2000, 03:51 PM
NEC HIGH SPEED RAIL BACK ON HOLD - ACELA TEST RUNS HALTED
In an article by the Washington Post, Amtrak officials are quoted as
saying that the new Acela service will not start up until "at least
mid-August." According to the Post, "cracked or missing bolts were
found in several wheel sets during test runs over the weekend." The
Post story was dated June 20.
Meanwhile, in a follow up story, the Boston Globe confirmed the Post
report--safety inspectors have discovered that bolts had broken off
the undercarriages of at least two locomotives. According to the
Globe, "The bolts are used to mount the gear case of the train's
traction motor, which turns a locomotive's wheels. The problem
occurred under stress when the locomotives logged up to 40,000 miles
of testing...Upon further inspection, several more broken bolts were
found in other locomotives."
The Post story by transportation journalist Don Phillips quotes
Richard Sarles, Amtrak's vice president for Northeast corridor
high-speed rail, saying that "Amtrak, the Federal Railroad
Administration and the Canadian-French consortium building the
150-mph trains agreed that it would be best to halt the high-speed
tests until engineers could determine what is going wrong."
Just days earlier the Boston Globe reported, in an interview with
Amtrak spokesman Rick Remington, that "there are three Acela test
trains out on the tracks now. A fourth one went back to the
Bombardier factory to be broken down for a complete evaluation."
Asked when the new high speed trains would be in service, "We're
still looking at late July," Remington told the Globe.
This is the second setback for Amtrak's NEC high speed rail trains. Last fall
Amtrak inspectors discovered wear and tear on the wheelsets when trains rounded
curves at high speeds.
The broken bolt and wheel wear problems are not connected.
The high-speed electric trains that will go 150 miles per hour will come in
complete sets, with six cars in the middle and a locomotive at each end.
There will be 20 in all. The cost for a one-way trip between Boston and New
York will be $130, $70 or so less than the air shuttle.
Nevertheless, ridership is reportedly up on the new Acela Regional service.
-------------------------------------------------------------
AMTRAK SUSPENDS HIGH SPEED TESTING -- Following the discovery of the
broken bolts on Acela wheel sets ( see story above ) Amtrak's
Northeast Corridor President Stan Bagley sent out the following
Employee Advisory notifying of the suspension of testing:
Dear NEC Co-worker:
You may have heard or read in the papers this week that Amtrak has
temporarily suspended the testing of our new Acela high-speed
trainsets and high-horsepower locomotives.
During the testing of one of the trainsets, a technical issue was
discovered involving one of the bolted connections of the gear box to
the truck of the power car. An inspection revealed that the same
bolt issue was present on a couple of other power cars and
high-horsepower locomotives.
We found that the vertical bolt that clamps the gear box to the seat
in the frame of the truck was broken or missing at one point of
attachment. In a few other locations on the power cars and
locomotives, the bolts were found to be loose.
We think the solution will be to lengthen the bolt to extend it down
through the frame, where it can be secured with a nut and lockwasher.
But we will take the next couple of days to consider the options.
While a short suspension in testing might be frustrating to some,
let's remember that the purpose of the testing phase is to uncover
these kinds of issues so we can identify remedies well before the
trainsets go into service.
We've lost a couple of weeks in our testing schedule, but as we've
said from the beginning, Amtrak is committed to providing safe,
comfortable, and enjoyable service for our guests and crew. We will
begin high-speed service when we are confident we can provide just
that.
Amtrak and the FRA are currently in conversation about resuming
testing once we have a fix at lower speeds, with the higher speed
tests to follow. Be assured that we have our best people working on
this and have dedicated the resources to address this issue. We will
continue to keep you up to date with all significant developments
ahead.
------------------
When in doubt, empty your magazine.
In an article by the Washington Post, Amtrak officials are quoted as
saying that the new Acela service will not start up until "at least
mid-August." According to the Post, "cracked or missing bolts were
found in several wheel sets during test runs over the weekend." The
Post story was dated June 20.
Meanwhile, in a follow up story, the Boston Globe confirmed the Post
report--safety inspectors have discovered that bolts had broken off
the undercarriages of at least two locomotives. According to the
Globe, "The bolts are used to mount the gear case of the train's
traction motor, which turns a locomotive's wheels. The problem
occurred under stress when the locomotives logged up to 40,000 miles
of testing...Upon further inspection, several more broken bolts were
found in other locomotives."
The Post story by transportation journalist Don Phillips quotes
Richard Sarles, Amtrak's vice president for Northeast corridor
high-speed rail, saying that "Amtrak, the Federal Railroad
Administration and the Canadian-French consortium building the
150-mph trains agreed that it would be best to halt the high-speed
tests until engineers could determine what is going wrong."
Just days earlier the Boston Globe reported, in an interview with
Amtrak spokesman Rick Remington, that "there are three Acela test
trains out on the tracks now. A fourth one went back to the
Bombardier factory to be broken down for a complete evaluation."
Asked when the new high speed trains would be in service, "We're
still looking at late July," Remington told the Globe.
This is the second setback for Amtrak's NEC high speed rail trains. Last fall
Amtrak inspectors discovered wear and tear on the wheelsets when trains rounded
curves at high speeds.
The broken bolt and wheel wear problems are not connected.
The high-speed electric trains that will go 150 miles per hour will come in
complete sets, with six cars in the middle and a locomotive at each end.
There will be 20 in all. The cost for a one-way trip between Boston and New
York will be $130, $70 or so less than the air shuttle.
Nevertheless, ridership is reportedly up on the new Acela Regional service.
-------------------------------------------------------------
AMTRAK SUSPENDS HIGH SPEED TESTING -- Following the discovery of the
broken bolts on Acela wheel sets ( see story above ) Amtrak's
Northeast Corridor President Stan Bagley sent out the following
Employee Advisory notifying of the suspension of testing:
Dear NEC Co-worker:
You may have heard or read in the papers this week that Amtrak has
temporarily suspended the testing of our new Acela high-speed
trainsets and high-horsepower locomotives.
During the testing of one of the trainsets, a technical issue was
discovered involving one of the bolted connections of the gear box to
the truck of the power car. An inspection revealed that the same
bolt issue was present on a couple of other power cars and
high-horsepower locomotives.
We found that the vertical bolt that clamps the gear box to the seat
in the frame of the truck was broken or missing at one point of
attachment. In a few other locations on the power cars and
locomotives, the bolts were found to be loose.
We think the solution will be to lengthen the bolt to extend it down
through the frame, where it can be secured with a nut and lockwasher.
But we will take the next couple of days to consider the options.
While a short suspension in testing might be frustrating to some,
let's remember that the purpose of the testing phase is to uncover
these kinds of issues so we can identify remedies well before the
trainsets go into service.
We've lost a couple of weeks in our testing schedule, but as we've
said from the beginning, Amtrak is committed to providing safe,
comfortable, and enjoyable service for our guests and crew. We will
begin high-speed service when we are confident we can provide just
that.
Amtrak and the FRA are currently in conversation about resuming
testing once we have a fix at lower speeds, with the higher speed
tests to follow. Be assured that we have our best people working on
this and have dedicated the resources to address this issue. We will
continue to keep you up to date with all significant developments
ahead.
------------------
When in doubt, empty your magazine.