ChrisDante
July 8th, 2000, 06:04 PM
FRIENDS OF AMTRAK UPDATE 7/7/2000.
Dear Friends of Amtrak:
AMTRAK UNVEILS NEW LOGO / OFFERS CUSTOMER GUARANTEES-- As I reported
it would, Amtrak, on July 6, unveiled its new logo and introduced a
new commitment to customer satisfaction, promising to compensate
riders for unsatisfactory experiences. Amtrak passengers who believe
they did not receive a safe, comfortable and enjoyable trip will be
entitled to a certificate good for future Amtrak travel at equal
cost. Amtrak has been training 24,000 employees" to take personal
initiative and do what is necessary to solve guest problems." To
encourage Amtrak's 24,000 employees, they will get a bonus equal to
the average Amtrak ticket price (about $50) every month that 99.9
percent of customers are satisfied.
Meanwhile the new logo design depicts three parallel lines winding
their way to a horizon and replaces what has been known as the
"pointless arrow."
A photo of the new Amtrak logo is now on the Friends of Amtrak website...just
click on the "News Update" link on the main menu or hit:
http://trainweb.com/crocon/amtrak.html#News
I'll be on train #130 this morning (Friday 7/7) and #163 tomorrow and
hopefully can catch a few photo ops of the new branding. If so I'll
be adding that to the website.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
U.S. Sen. Frank Lautenberg (NJ-D) has created a web site to build
support for S1900 & S1144. It is:
<http://lautenberg.senate.gov/highspeed/>
Go to the section labeled "Support" for sample letters.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
LEGISLATION UPDATE:
H.R.3700, the High Speed Rail Investment Act (HSRIA), is up to 120 sponsors.
On the Senate side, Senator Ernest Hollings (D-SC) became the 48th
sponsor of the Senate HSRIA (S.1900). Senator Evan Bayh (D-IN) signed
on as a cosponsor on 6/13/2000 and Senator Tim Johnson (D-SD) on
6/12/2000.
It's still important for these non-sponsoring senators -- whose
states have much to gain from the bill -- to hear strong support for
HSRIA from back home:
Abraham (R-MI),
Collins (R-ME),
Fitzgerald (R-IL),
Gorton (R-WA),
Lugar (R-IN),
Santorum (R-PA),
Voinovich (R-OH).
IF YOU LIVE IN ANY OF THE SIX STATES ABOVE PLEASE CONTACT THESE SENATORS!
For more info see the NARP HOTLINE:
http://www.narprail.org/hot145.htm
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Friends of Amtrak supporter, Pat Fitzhugh, has written an article about the
"City of New Orleans" accident in Illinois last year (a sad but true
account of what happens when people don't obey crossing signals). The
right people saw the article, and Pat ended up winning an "excellence in
journalism" award for it. Hopefully, this will get the article in front of
more people and educate them about railroad crossing safety. The article
is now posted on Themestream, a Web-based publishing company. If you're
interested in reading the article, please visit:
http://www.themestream.com/gspd_browse/browse/view_article.gsp?c_id=62301
---------------------------------------------------------------------
MORE AVIATION SUBSIDIES
Kansas City, Mo., voters will be asked Aug. 8 to approve up to $395
million of bonds to finance airport projects over the next five
years, according to an airport official. $110 million of the bonds
would be used to upgrade a
maintenance facility for Trans World Airlines Inc.
The rest of the bond proceeds would finance a central car rental facility,
new long-term parking and a light-rail system to link parking, car rental and
terminal facilities. The last time voters were asked to approve airport bonds
was in 1988 when $330 million of bonds were authorized.
Hmmmmm....
MEANWHILE, reports in the "Boston Globe" suggest that summer passengers should
expect delays of up to two hours at Boston's Logan International Airport.
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Funding has been approved by the state of CA for the 6th round trip train on
the San Joaquin route. At the opening of the Bakersfield Station on July 4,
it was announced that the Fall schedule changes would see the
addition of the sixth roundtrip Valley train, with direct service to
Sacramento. It was announced that the 6th San Joaquin will provide
direct service for Valley riders continuing on to the California
Zephyr at Sacramento, eliminating the need for bus transferring at
Stockton.
Bakersfield, the southern end of Amtrak's San Joaquin line, is the 14th
busiest station in Amtrak's network of 500 national stops, with nearly a
half-million travelers passing through the station annually, and it is home
to the new $15 million Amtrak depot.
The city of Bakersfield offered up the land, Amtrak took care of
furnishings at the station and state and federal transportation funds
paid for the rest of the $15 million project.
---------------------------------------------------------------------
In the last update I mentioned that House Transportation and Infrastructure
Committee Chairman Bud Shuster is known as "Mr. Highway" in his home
state of Pennsylvania.
I am told that in the Altoona, PA area, there are the Bud Shuster
Highway, the Bud Shuster Byway (seriously!), and perhaps one or two
more. The Highway is I-99, which runs about 52 miles from Tyrone, PA
to Bedford, PA (through Bud
Schuster's hometown, Altoona) connects Altoona with the Pennsylvania
turnpike and I-76 and I-70. So I-99/US22 is THE "R. Bud Shuster
Highway."
------------------------------------------------------------------
The First two of the eleven sets of Surfliner Sets are in. I rode
the new equipment earlier this month on its first regular run from
Oceanside to San Luis Obispo. I found the Business Class Cars to be
rather interesting, as they have A/V in the seat back in front of the
seat in front of you. They also have upper restrooms at one end of
each car. I have some photos on my trainweb site with the Surfliner
equipment. They are in the file
http://www.trainweb.org/westcoastamtraktrain/images/
Also of interesting note is that the baggage car is in the forward
end of the cab car and the cafe area is on the lower level of the car.
Source: Peter Warner, from an onboard observation.
One set of Amfleet cars was released back to the Chicago Hub last
week with the first three weeks of operation of the Surfliner Cars.
Peter Warner
-----------------------------------------------------------------
There is a great new photo of Train #175 crossing the bridge at Nan in
Niantic, CT on May 30, 2000 now posted on the Friends of Amtrak website:
http://trainweb.com/crocon/amtrak.html
Photo, by Leo King, is noteworthy for its unique vantage point. Don't miss it!
------------------------------------------------------------------
Catch the National Corridors Initiative website at:
http://www.nationalcorridors.org/
------------------------------------------------------------
At Beech Grove it was announced on June 23 that Amtrak has just signed an
agreement to purchase an additional 30 P-42 locomotives from GE and cut the
overhaul and re-installation of 23 stored F-40 locomotives in this fiscal
year back to only 18, a reduction of five.
--------------------------------------------------------------
INDIANA HIGH SPEED RAIL ASSOCIATION
Board of Directors
Friends of the Indiana Association
AGENDAS ARE BEING SENT TO BOARD MEMBERS
to include discussion on -
# Amtrak & federal updates (officials are being invited)
# Legislative Agenda 2001
# High Speed Rail Safety
# September 8 Annual Meeting & Seminar
# "The Indiana Corridor" Marketing Initiative
You are warmly invited to the Indiana Association's
BOARD OF DIRECTORS & MEMBERSHIP MEETING
Tuesday, August 1, 2000
12:30 to 2:30 pm
INDIANA GOVERNMENT CENTER SOUTH
Conference Center
400 West Washington Street
Indianapolis, Indiana
For further information
Call (219) 887-1351
<mailto:wdh.indiana@att.net>wdh.indiana@att.net
--------------------------------------------------------------
INDIANA HIGH SPEED RAIL ASSOCIATION
Annual Meeting and
GOLDEN SPIKE SEMINAR on the
Midwest Regional Rail Initiative
Friday, September 8, 2000
SEPTEMBER 7 HOTEL RESERVATIONS: $99.00
to August 17, 2000
Courtyard by Marriott
I-94 & Kennedy Avenue
Hammond, Indiana
(219) 845-6350
"Indiana High Speed Rail"
The Courtyard is a 45 minute drive from
Chicago's Midway and O'Hare Airports
--------------------------------------------------------------
Train Delays on the IC Route: (Not from AMTRAK)
For those passengers who will be riding in the Chicago- St. Louis corridor,
please be aware of possible train delays entering and leaving Chicago along the
Illinois Central Railroad route.
The Illinois Central Railroad began a rail laying project on Monday June 26.
They are laying new rail (welded rail) and replacing the old jointed rail and
replacing a small bridge. Both are taking place on their Northbound or #2
track. Work gangs are out there from about 7am until about 6 pm. Because of
this project what is a double track railroad will be reduced to a single
track railroad in the places that the rail gang is working.
This project is to take about 8 weeks to complete.
During these times ALL of the Chicago-St.Louis corridor trains,
(Trains 300, 303, 304, 305, 21 and 22) might experience some sort of delay.
Delay might vary but can be anywhere from 15 minutes to about an hour or
possibly more.
Most of this delay is attributed to running at reduced rates of speed.
Instead of 79 mph it might be as low as 10 mph. Crossing over from one track
to another as all the switches must be thrown by hand, and complying with the
necessary operating rules while moving through these work locations are other
reasons for delay.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Steve Brown has posted eight new images of the Amtrak Cascades Talgos on his
website at:
http://www.photosbystevenjbrown.com/narp/cascades/talgo.html
-------------------------------------------------------------------
OHIO ASSOCIATION OF RAILROAD PASSENGERS PRESS RELEASE
OARP News
Contact: Dominic Liberatore
Northeast Ohio Director
July 6, 2000
(216) 283-0200
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
(216) 328-4687 (pager)
ADVOCACY GROUP APPLAUDS LORAIN COUNTY COMMISSIONERS FOR PURCHASING
ENDANGERED HISTORIC ELYRIA TRAIN DEPOT
County takes important first step to creating transportation center
ELYRIA -- The Ohio Association of Railroad Passengers (OARP) is
extremely grateful that the Lorain County Commissioners have agreed
today to commit funding for the purchase of the historic New York
Central depot in the heart of downtown Elyria. The acquisition of the
station was due to the hard work of OARP, Lorain County Transit's
(LCT) Board of Directors, LCT General Manager Deborah Mohr and the
previous owner Bill Kennedy.
The purchase was made on behalf of LCT, which plans to restore the
vacant facility as a transportation center for its bus operations and
offices. Preliminary plans also might restore the depot to its
original use as a train station for the growing number of Amtrak
passenger services linking Lorain County residents to the East Coast,
Chicago and the rest of the nation.
"With the 75-year-old depot in the hands of a public transportation
agency, it means the depot has a greater chance of being restored to
its intended use," said OARP's Northeast Ohio Director Dominic
Liberatore. "One of the key factors the federal government looks at
before awarding funds to a project like this is whether the property
is owned by a public agency. That factor was missing last time."
In 1996, a $2.5 million effort to renovate the Elyria depot with
offices, restaurant, and a train station was halted when the federal
government rejected a $1.9 million historic enhancement grant for the
project (the city, Ohio Rail Development Commission and Amtrak were
to provide the remaining funds). The depot restoration was the
highest-ranking project in Ohio that year not to get a federal
historic enhancement grant. At the time, the building was owned by
Mr. Kennedy.
"OARP will work with LCT, the city of Elyria, Lorain County and
others to create a station task force for developing a new funding
package," Liberatore said. "That will make the New York Central Depot
more than just a functional place to board buses and trains, or for
people to make transfers between them. It will be a jewel in downtown
Elyria and serve as a catalyst to the revitalization plans for the
entire central business district."
MORE
If the depot is redeveloped as a transportation center, LCT officials
said they would like to make it the headquarters of their Lorain
County bus operations, which include existing routes to Oberlin,
Lorain, North Ridgeville and Hopkins International Airport, as well
as future expansions. Those services would allow LCT bus riders to
transfer to Elyria's six daily Amtrak passenger trains. Amtrak plans
to expand service through Elyria later this year. Greyhound officials
also have expressed an interest in relocating to the site. Parking
and a taxi stand will be offered. The depot also offers easy
pedestrian access to all of downtown Elyria.
The New York Central Depot features an ornate rotunda and a windowed
cupola at the center of a vaulted ceiling. However, a drop-ceiling
keeps this impressive dome from being seen. The station also has an
underpass beneath the adjacent Norfolk Southern tracks. The tunnel
once led to a pair of track-side platforms where rail travelers once
boarded New York Central passenger trains prior to 1968.
Elyria regained passenger rail service from Amtrak a decade later,
but at a new station a half-mile farther east down the tracks at 410
East River Road, near East Bridge Street. Since 1990, Amtrak has
tripled the number of trains serving Elyria each day. Train travel to
and from Elyria has grown from 4,586 passengers in 1998 to 5,876 in
1999 -- a 28 percent rise, according to Amtrak's Government & Public
Affairs Department in Chicago.
The new station, actually a converted trailer-home, is located on the
south side of the tracks where passengers can board only one train at
a time. While that is not a big problem now, it will become one
starting later this summer. That's when Amtrak plans to start a new
service between Chicago and Philadelphia called the "Skyline
Connection." However, Elyria will not be a stop for this service's
daily eastbound and westbound trains.
According to Amtrak's Planning Department, switching the "Skyline
Connection" trains onto the south track (closest to the current
Elyria station) would disrupt the flow of frequent train traffic and
cause conflicts with existing Amtrak passenger and Norfolk Southern
freight schedules.
Since the New York Central Depot has the structural capability of
boarding passengers from any one of the railway's three tracks, this
increased flexibility should allow Elyria to gain a stop on the
"Skyline Connection." If that happens, the service's eastbound train
from Chicago to the East Coast would stop in Elyria at about 8:20
p.m., with the westbound train stopping here at about 1:10 p.m.
The Ohio Association of Railroad Passengers, a nonprofit organization
founded in 1973, advocates more and better passenger rail and transit
services to improve transportation choice, mobility, economic growth
and environmental quality.
END
------------------------------------------------------
Around The Rumor Mill:
No rumors today.
-----------------------------------------------------------
If you would like to submit a trip report please follow the guidelines at
the following site:
http://trainweb.com/crocon/tripreports/send.html
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Amtrak's Mid-Atlantic Division Safety Council has a new web site
dedicated to the safety of its employees and guests:
http://www.safetycouncil-amtrak.com
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Ohio residents...Don't forget the OARP's 24 hour hotline:
OARP's 24-hour hotline: (614) 470-0334
================================================== ==============>
AMTRAK PRESS RELEASE: June 30, 2000
BOMBARDIER/ALSTOM, AMTRAK RESUME TESTING OF ACELA EXPRESS HIGH-SPEED
TRAIN ON NORTHEAST CORRIDOR
PHILADELPHIA - The Bombardier/ALSTOM manufacturing consortium and
Amtrak have resumed testing of the new Acela Express high-speed train
on the Northeast Corridor following modifications to the locomotive
undercarriages.
New, longer bolts were installed in the truck assemblies after some
of the original bolts were discovered broken or missing during
earlier tests. The use of longer bolts was proposed by the
manufacturers, and safety engineers for the Federal Railroad
Administration approved the resumption of testing.
The train resumed testing between Newark and Washington this week and
will make test runs in New England next week.
Source: Amtrak
================================================== =====================
AMTRAK PRESS RELEASE: June 21, 2000
MAYOR THOMAS CARPER OF MACOMB, ILLINOIS APPOINTED CHAIR OF THE AMTRAK
MAYORS' ADVISORY COUNCIL
WASHINGTON, DC - Mayor Thomas Carper of Macomb, IL was appointed
Chair of Amtrak's national Mayors' Advisory Council at the U.S.
Conference of Mayors Summer Meeting last week in Seattle. For the
past year, Mayor Carper has served as the Council's Vice-Chair. The
Council was formed by the Amtrak Board of Directors to bolster local
support for intercity passenger rail, raise awareness of its
important transportation role, and support Amtrak's Strategic
Business Plan through closer partnerships between Amtrak and cities
and towns. The 22-member mayoral body is balanced for geography,
city/town population, and party affiliation.
"I am honored to be chosen as the Chair of the Amtrak Mayors'
Advisory Council, and I look forward to strengthening Amtrak's state
and local partnerships which will help improve our economy and
Amtrak's bottom-line," said Mayor Carper. "As the mayor of a city
that depends on Amtrak, I know that these partnerships will enable
Amtrak to deliver better intercity passenger rail service to meet the
growing transportation needs of our citizens."
"There has been a clamoring for more and better rail service
throughout the U.S., and the Amtrak Mayors' Advisory Council is now
providing a platform for the mayors to collectively raise their
voices to support a stronger Amtrak for their communities," said
Mayor John Robert Smith, Amtrak Board member and mayor of Meridian,
Mississippi. "I know that Mayor Carper's leadership as Chair of the
Council will help achieve an economically stronger Macomb and Amtrak."
As Vice-Chair, Mayor Carper represented the Council at the High-Speed
Ground Transportation Association Annual Conference in Philadelphia
and at the Amtrak Customer Advisory Council in Milwaukee. He will be
a featured speaker at the National Corridors Initiative later this
month in Washington, D.C. Mayor Carper has also been a strong
advocate for a long-term, dedicated source of capital funding for
intercity passenger rail service with the Illinois Congressional
delegation.
Source: Amtrak
================================================== =============>
The Friends of Amtrak e-mail distribution list has now passed the 1,900 mark
of total addresses, which includes listserves. Please help by following these
guidelines:
If you would like to change your e-mail address for this distribution list
please fill out the form found at:
http://www.connix.com/~crocon/form2.html
If you would like to UNSUBSCRIBE from this mailing list go to:
http://www.connix.com/~crocon/form3.html
THANK YOU!
--Craig
-------------------------------------------------------------
Regards,
------------------
When in doubt, empty your magazine.
Dear Friends of Amtrak:
AMTRAK UNVEILS NEW LOGO / OFFERS CUSTOMER GUARANTEES-- As I reported
it would, Amtrak, on July 6, unveiled its new logo and introduced a
new commitment to customer satisfaction, promising to compensate
riders for unsatisfactory experiences. Amtrak passengers who believe
they did not receive a safe, comfortable and enjoyable trip will be
entitled to a certificate good for future Amtrak travel at equal
cost. Amtrak has been training 24,000 employees" to take personal
initiative and do what is necessary to solve guest problems." To
encourage Amtrak's 24,000 employees, they will get a bonus equal to
the average Amtrak ticket price (about $50) every month that 99.9
percent of customers are satisfied.
Meanwhile the new logo design depicts three parallel lines winding
their way to a horizon and replaces what has been known as the
"pointless arrow."
A photo of the new Amtrak logo is now on the Friends of Amtrak website...just
click on the "News Update" link on the main menu or hit:
http://trainweb.com/crocon/amtrak.html#News
I'll be on train #130 this morning (Friday 7/7) and #163 tomorrow and
hopefully can catch a few photo ops of the new branding. If so I'll
be adding that to the website.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
U.S. Sen. Frank Lautenberg (NJ-D) has created a web site to build
support for S1900 & S1144. It is:
<http://lautenberg.senate.gov/highspeed/>
Go to the section labeled "Support" for sample letters.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
LEGISLATION UPDATE:
H.R.3700, the High Speed Rail Investment Act (HSRIA), is up to 120 sponsors.
On the Senate side, Senator Ernest Hollings (D-SC) became the 48th
sponsor of the Senate HSRIA (S.1900). Senator Evan Bayh (D-IN) signed
on as a cosponsor on 6/13/2000 and Senator Tim Johnson (D-SD) on
6/12/2000.
It's still important for these non-sponsoring senators -- whose
states have much to gain from the bill -- to hear strong support for
HSRIA from back home:
Abraham (R-MI),
Collins (R-ME),
Fitzgerald (R-IL),
Gorton (R-WA),
Lugar (R-IN),
Santorum (R-PA),
Voinovich (R-OH).
IF YOU LIVE IN ANY OF THE SIX STATES ABOVE PLEASE CONTACT THESE SENATORS!
For more info see the NARP HOTLINE:
http://www.narprail.org/hot145.htm
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Friends of Amtrak supporter, Pat Fitzhugh, has written an article about the
"City of New Orleans" accident in Illinois last year (a sad but true
account of what happens when people don't obey crossing signals). The
right people saw the article, and Pat ended up winning an "excellence in
journalism" award for it. Hopefully, this will get the article in front of
more people and educate them about railroad crossing safety. The article
is now posted on Themestream, a Web-based publishing company. If you're
interested in reading the article, please visit:
http://www.themestream.com/gspd_browse/browse/view_article.gsp?c_id=62301
---------------------------------------------------------------------
MORE AVIATION SUBSIDIES
Kansas City, Mo., voters will be asked Aug. 8 to approve up to $395
million of bonds to finance airport projects over the next five
years, according to an airport official. $110 million of the bonds
would be used to upgrade a
maintenance facility for Trans World Airlines Inc.
The rest of the bond proceeds would finance a central car rental facility,
new long-term parking and a light-rail system to link parking, car rental and
terminal facilities. The last time voters were asked to approve airport bonds
was in 1988 when $330 million of bonds were authorized.
Hmmmmm....
MEANWHILE, reports in the "Boston Globe" suggest that summer passengers should
expect delays of up to two hours at Boston's Logan International Airport.
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Funding has been approved by the state of CA for the 6th round trip train on
the San Joaquin route. At the opening of the Bakersfield Station on July 4,
it was announced that the Fall schedule changes would see the
addition of the sixth roundtrip Valley train, with direct service to
Sacramento. It was announced that the 6th San Joaquin will provide
direct service for Valley riders continuing on to the California
Zephyr at Sacramento, eliminating the need for bus transferring at
Stockton.
Bakersfield, the southern end of Amtrak's San Joaquin line, is the 14th
busiest station in Amtrak's network of 500 national stops, with nearly a
half-million travelers passing through the station annually, and it is home
to the new $15 million Amtrak depot.
The city of Bakersfield offered up the land, Amtrak took care of
furnishings at the station and state and federal transportation funds
paid for the rest of the $15 million project.
---------------------------------------------------------------------
In the last update I mentioned that House Transportation and Infrastructure
Committee Chairman Bud Shuster is known as "Mr. Highway" in his home
state of Pennsylvania.
I am told that in the Altoona, PA area, there are the Bud Shuster
Highway, the Bud Shuster Byway (seriously!), and perhaps one or two
more. The Highway is I-99, which runs about 52 miles from Tyrone, PA
to Bedford, PA (through Bud
Schuster's hometown, Altoona) connects Altoona with the Pennsylvania
turnpike and I-76 and I-70. So I-99/US22 is THE "R. Bud Shuster
Highway."
------------------------------------------------------------------
The First two of the eleven sets of Surfliner Sets are in. I rode
the new equipment earlier this month on its first regular run from
Oceanside to San Luis Obispo. I found the Business Class Cars to be
rather interesting, as they have A/V in the seat back in front of the
seat in front of you. They also have upper restrooms at one end of
each car. I have some photos on my trainweb site with the Surfliner
equipment. They are in the file
http://www.trainweb.org/westcoastamtraktrain/images/
Also of interesting note is that the baggage car is in the forward
end of the cab car and the cafe area is on the lower level of the car.
Source: Peter Warner, from an onboard observation.
One set of Amfleet cars was released back to the Chicago Hub last
week with the first three weeks of operation of the Surfliner Cars.
Peter Warner
-----------------------------------------------------------------
There is a great new photo of Train #175 crossing the bridge at Nan in
Niantic, CT on May 30, 2000 now posted on the Friends of Amtrak website:
http://trainweb.com/crocon/amtrak.html
Photo, by Leo King, is noteworthy for its unique vantage point. Don't miss it!
------------------------------------------------------------------
Catch the National Corridors Initiative website at:
http://www.nationalcorridors.org/
------------------------------------------------------------
At Beech Grove it was announced on June 23 that Amtrak has just signed an
agreement to purchase an additional 30 P-42 locomotives from GE and cut the
overhaul and re-installation of 23 stored F-40 locomotives in this fiscal
year back to only 18, a reduction of five.
--------------------------------------------------------------
INDIANA HIGH SPEED RAIL ASSOCIATION
Board of Directors
Friends of the Indiana Association
AGENDAS ARE BEING SENT TO BOARD MEMBERS
to include discussion on -
# Amtrak & federal updates (officials are being invited)
# Legislative Agenda 2001
# High Speed Rail Safety
# September 8 Annual Meeting & Seminar
# "The Indiana Corridor" Marketing Initiative
You are warmly invited to the Indiana Association's
BOARD OF DIRECTORS & MEMBERSHIP MEETING
Tuesday, August 1, 2000
12:30 to 2:30 pm
INDIANA GOVERNMENT CENTER SOUTH
Conference Center
400 West Washington Street
Indianapolis, Indiana
For further information
Call (219) 887-1351
<mailto:wdh.indiana@att.net>wdh.indiana@att.net
--------------------------------------------------------------
INDIANA HIGH SPEED RAIL ASSOCIATION
Annual Meeting and
GOLDEN SPIKE SEMINAR on the
Midwest Regional Rail Initiative
Friday, September 8, 2000
SEPTEMBER 7 HOTEL RESERVATIONS: $99.00
to August 17, 2000
Courtyard by Marriott
I-94 & Kennedy Avenue
Hammond, Indiana
(219) 845-6350
"Indiana High Speed Rail"
The Courtyard is a 45 minute drive from
Chicago's Midway and O'Hare Airports
--------------------------------------------------------------
Train Delays on the IC Route: (Not from AMTRAK)
For those passengers who will be riding in the Chicago- St. Louis corridor,
please be aware of possible train delays entering and leaving Chicago along the
Illinois Central Railroad route.
The Illinois Central Railroad began a rail laying project on Monday June 26.
They are laying new rail (welded rail) and replacing the old jointed rail and
replacing a small bridge. Both are taking place on their Northbound or #2
track. Work gangs are out there from about 7am until about 6 pm. Because of
this project what is a double track railroad will be reduced to a single
track railroad in the places that the rail gang is working.
This project is to take about 8 weeks to complete.
During these times ALL of the Chicago-St.Louis corridor trains,
(Trains 300, 303, 304, 305, 21 and 22) might experience some sort of delay.
Delay might vary but can be anywhere from 15 minutes to about an hour or
possibly more.
Most of this delay is attributed to running at reduced rates of speed.
Instead of 79 mph it might be as low as 10 mph. Crossing over from one track
to another as all the switches must be thrown by hand, and complying with the
necessary operating rules while moving through these work locations are other
reasons for delay.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Steve Brown has posted eight new images of the Amtrak Cascades Talgos on his
website at:
http://www.photosbystevenjbrown.com/narp/cascades/talgo.html
-------------------------------------------------------------------
OHIO ASSOCIATION OF RAILROAD PASSENGERS PRESS RELEASE
OARP News
Contact: Dominic Liberatore
Northeast Ohio Director
July 6, 2000
(216) 283-0200
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
(216) 328-4687 (pager)
ADVOCACY GROUP APPLAUDS LORAIN COUNTY COMMISSIONERS FOR PURCHASING
ENDANGERED HISTORIC ELYRIA TRAIN DEPOT
County takes important first step to creating transportation center
ELYRIA -- The Ohio Association of Railroad Passengers (OARP) is
extremely grateful that the Lorain County Commissioners have agreed
today to commit funding for the purchase of the historic New York
Central depot in the heart of downtown Elyria. The acquisition of the
station was due to the hard work of OARP, Lorain County Transit's
(LCT) Board of Directors, LCT General Manager Deborah Mohr and the
previous owner Bill Kennedy.
The purchase was made on behalf of LCT, which plans to restore the
vacant facility as a transportation center for its bus operations and
offices. Preliminary plans also might restore the depot to its
original use as a train station for the growing number of Amtrak
passenger services linking Lorain County residents to the East Coast,
Chicago and the rest of the nation.
"With the 75-year-old depot in the hands of a public transportation
agency, it means the depot has a greater chance of being restored to
its intended use," said OARP's Northeast Ohio Director Dominic
Liberatore. "One of the key factors the federal government looks at
before awarding funds to a project like this is whether the property
is owned by a public agency. That factor was missing last time."
In 1996, a $2.5 million effort to renovate the Elyria depot with
offices, restaurant, and a train station was halted when the federal
government rejected a $1.9 million historic enhancement grant for the
project (the city, Ohio Rail Development Commission and Amtrak were
to provide the remaining funds). The depot restoration was the
highest-ranking project in Ohio that year not to get a federal
historic enhancement grant. At the time, the building was owned by
Mr. Kennedy.
"OARP will work with LCT, the city of Elyria, Lorain County and
others to create a station task force for developing a new funding
package," Liberatore said. "That will make the New York Central Depot
more than just a functional place to board buses and trains, or for
people to make transfers between them. It will be a jewel in downtown
Elyria and serve as a catalyst to the revitalization plans for the
entire central business district."
MORE
If the depot is redeveloped as a transportation center, LCT officials
said they would like to make it the headquarters of their Lorain
County bus operations, which include existing routes to Oberlin,
Lorain, North Ridgeville and Hopkins International Airport, as well
as future expansions. Those services would allow LCT bus riders to
transfer to Elyria's six daily Amtrak passenger trains. Amtrak plans
to expand service through Elyria later this year. Greyhound officials
also have expressed an interest in relocating to the site. Parking
and a taxi stand will be offered. The depot also offers easy
pedestrian access to all of downtown Elyria.
The New York Central Depot features an ornate rotunda and a windowed
cupola at the center of a vaulted ceiling. However, a drop-ceiling
keeps this impressive dome from being seen. The station also has an
underpass beneath the adjacent Norfolk Southern tracks. The tunnel
once led to a pair of track-side platforms where rail travelers once
boarded New York Central passenger trains prior to 1968.
Elyria regained passenger rail service from Amtrak a decade later,
but at a new station a half-mile farther east down the tracks at 410
East River Road, near East Bridge Street. Since 1990, Amtrak has
tripled the number of trains serving Elyria each day. Train travel to
and from Elyria has grown from 4,586 passengers in 1998 to 5,876 in
1999 -- a 28 percent rise, according to Amtrak's Government & Public
Affairs Department in Chicago.
The new station, actually a converted trailer-home, is located on the
south side of the tracks where passengers can board only one train at
a time. While that is not a big problem now, it will become one
starting later this summer. That's when Amtrak plans to start a new
service between Chicago and Philadelphia called the "Skyline
Connection." However, Elyria will not be a stop for this service's
daily eastbound and westbound trains.
According to Amtrak's Planning Department, switching the "Skyline
Connection" trains onto the south track (closest to the current
Elyria station) would disrupt the flow of frequent train traffic and
cause conflicts with existing Amtrak passenger and Norfolk Southern
freight schedules.
Since the New York Central Depot has the structural capability of
boarding passengers from any one of the railway's three tracks, this
increased flexibility should allow Elyria to gain a stop on the
"Skyline Connection." If that happens, the service's eastbound train
from Chicago to the East Coast would stop in Elyria at about 8:20
p.m., with the westbound train stopping here at about 1:10 p.m.
The Ohio Association of Railroad Passengers, a nonprofit organization
founded in 1973, advocates more and better passenger rail and transit
services to improve transportation choice, mobility, economic growth
and environmental quality.
END
------------------------------------------------------
Around The Rumor Mill:
No rumors today.
-----------------------------------------------------------
If you would like to submit a trip report please follow the guidelines at
the following site:
http://trainweb.com/crocon/tripreports/send.html
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Amtrak's Mid-Atlantic Division Safety Council has a new web site
dedicated to the safety of its employees and guests:
http://www.safetycouncil-amtrak.com
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Ohio residents...Don't forget the OARP's 24 hour hotline:
OARP's 24-hour hotline: (614) 470-0334
================================================== ==============>
AMTRAK PRESS RELEASE: June 30, 2000
BOMBARDIER/ALSTOM, AMTRAK RESUME TESTING OF ACELA EXPRESS HIGH-SPEED
TRAIN ON NORTHEAST CORRIDOR
PHILADELPHIA - The Bombardier/ALSTOM manufacturing consortium and
Amtrak have resumed testing of the new Acela Express high-speed train
on the Northeast Corridor following modifications to the locomotive
undercarriages.
New, longer bolts were installed in the truck assemblies after some
of the original bolts were discovered broken or missing during
earlier tests. The use of longer bolts was proposed by the
manufacturers, and safety engineers for the Federal Railroad
Administration approved the resumption of testing.
The train resumed testing between Newark and Washington this week and
will make test runs in New England next week.
Source: Amtrak
================================================== =====================
AMTRAK PRESS RELEASE: June 21, 2000
MAYOR THOMAS CARPER OF MACOMB, ILLINOIS APPOINTED CHAIR OF THE AMTRAK
MAYORS' ADVISORY COUNCIL
WASHINGTON, DC - Mayor Thomas Carper of Macomb, IL was appointed
Chair of Amtrak's national Mayors' Advisory Council at the U.S.
Conference of Mayors Summer Meeting last week in Seattle. For the
past year, Mayor Carper has served as the Council's Vice-Chair. The
Council was formed by the Amtrak Board of Directors to bolster local
support for intercity passenger rail, raise awareness of its
important transportation role, and support Amtrak's Strategic
Business Plan through closer partnerships between Amtrak and cities
and towns. The 22-member mayoral body is balanced for geography,
city/town population, and party affiliation.
"I am honored to be chosen as the Chair of the Amtrak Mayors'
Advisory Council, and I look forward to strengthening Amtrak's state
and local partnerships which will help improve our economy and
Amtrak's bottom-line," said Mayor Carper. "As the mayor of a city
that depends on Amtrak, I know that these partnerships will enable
Amtrak to deliver better intercity passenger rail service to meet the
growing transportation needs of our citizens."
"There has been a clamoring for more and better rail service
throughout the U.S., and the Amtrak Mayors' Advisory Council is now
providing a platform for the mayors to collectively raise their
voices to support a stronger Amtrak for their communities," said
Mayor John Robert Smith, Amtrak Board member and mayor of Meridian,
Mississippi. "I know that Mayor Carper's leadership as Chair of the
Council will help achieve an economically stronger Macomb and Amtrak."
As Vice-Chair, Mayor Carper represented the Council at the High-Speed
Ground Transportation Association Annual Conference in Philadelphia
and at the Amtrak Customer Advisory Council in Milwaukee. He will be
a featured speaker at the National Corridors Initiative later this
month in Washington, D.C. Mayor Carper has also been a strong
advocate for a long-term, dedicated source of capital funding for
intercity passenger rail service with the Illinois Congressional
delegation.
Source: Amtrak
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Regards,
------------------
When in doubt, empty your magazine.