AMTRAK  AND US PASSENGER NEWS

Report by Noel Braymer

Amtrak crash 1 year later: Probable cause to be revealed
6abc.com - ‎May 11, 2016
Federal investigators will meet next week to detail the probable cause of last year's fatal Amtrak train derailment in Philadelphia.
The National Transportation Safety Board's meeting Tuesday in Washington will be held just over a year after the crash that killed eight people and injured more than 200 others.

A year later, crucial Amtrak crash questions remain
Philly.com - ‎May 11, 2016
"We talk about the Amtrak crash all the time," said Sarah Feinberg, the Federal Railroad Administration's administrator. "I think it's important for people to remember this is the most deadly rail accident we've had in a very long time."
Yet crucial questions remain unanswered, specifically what role the engineer, Brandon Bostian, played in the crash.

Amtrak whistleblower alleged "plausible" claims, Philly federal court decrees
The Pennsylvania Record-May 11, 2016
 A former Amtrak employee who claimed he was fired in violation of the Federal Rail Safety Act (FRSA) for being a company whistleblower  has defeated an Amtrak motion to dismiss his case.
According to Judge Timothy J. Savage of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, plaintiff Andrew J. Rossi IV alleged "a plausible inference" that Amtrak fired him for engaging in protected activity as a whistleblower.

Amtrak car goes off tracks in HSC, no injuries
Malvern Daily Record-May 10, 2016
MALVERN, Ark. (AP) - An Amtrak train headed for San Antonio is delayed after the wheels of one car left the track in southern Arkansas.
Amtrak spokesman Marc Magliari says the wheels of the car on the eight-car train came off the track about 12:30 p.m. in Hot Spring County just east of Malvern - about 50 miles south of Little Rock.

An Amtrak train that left from Bakersfield struck a truck in Madera, killing 3
KERO 23ABC News- May 13, 2016
MADERA, Calif. - An Amtrak train that left from Bakersfield struck a truck in Madera County and killed all three people who were in the vehicle.
The accident happened at 12:30 pm. The train was heading northbound to Oakland and had 217 passengers on board according to Amtrak.
In this story there is a photo showing this was a private crossing with a stop sign for grade crossing protection. NB

Search engines: Crossing the country in an Amtrak train
The Boston Globe May 13, 2016
What we tend not to think about is the train. Amtrak, I mean. The same familiar system that chugs us down to New York and D.C. has its continental side. Double-decker cars with domes, and dinners complete with forks and knives. Tracks that curl along the lakes to Chicago. Superliners shooting west to Seattle and LA.
It all sounded good to me. With brochure in hand, I booked my tickets for an Amtrak Boston-to-Los Angeles adventure this spring. 

Amtrak's New Waiting Room Dedicated at Historic El Garces Train Deport in Needles, CA
MassTransitMag.com -May 10, 2016
Amtrak and the City of Needles, with mayor Edward Paget, recently held a dedication and ribbon cutting ceremony for a new waiting room inside the El Garces Intermodal Transportation Facility in downtown Needles.
Route Director of Amtrak's Coast Starlight and Southwest Chief, Eric Smith was there on behalf of Amtrak.  "More than 8,650 Amtrak passengers traveled through Needles last year," said Smith.  "The waiting room is just a step in a long journey that began back in 1995 to save the El Garces from demolition."

City assigns $10000 for Amtrak campaign
Suwannee Democrat-May 13, 2016
LIVE OAK - At the City of Live Oak council meeting Tuesday, $10,000 was appropriated for media consulting by RB Oppenheim Associates.
The council and Amtrak representatives have had many conversations about making Live Oak a railroad destination, and Amtrak officials have made it clear that the city needs to show it is the best choice for a depot, councilman Keith Mixon said. A marketing campaign conducted by the Tallahassee based firm would prove this and make the depot a reality.
"Our task is to convince Amtrak that Live Oak is a viable location for a depot," Mixon said.

 Fixing Amtrak Means Fixing the NEC
By Noel T. Braymer
Amtrak is in trouble and it can't starve itself to success. Amtrak President Joseph Boardman recently admitted that with current trends, Amtrak could end this fiscal year $183 million dollars short of revenue forecasts . Amtrak's solution to this problem is to "cut costs". We've seen this tried before and it never ends well. The first time this was tired was back in 1979-1980 when 5 train routes, 4 of them Long Distance trains were eliminated in an effort to save money. The result was Amtrak's losses actually increased. What these cuts were good for was political theater.

Oregon DOT partnership pairs Zipcar rentals with Amtrak train times
Equipment World Magazine-May 10, 2016
The Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT), Amtrak Cascades and Zipcar have partnered to launch "Zip and Ride" to position Zipcars walking distance away from three Amtrak train stations. 
The program will allow Amtrak Cascades customers to use a Zipcar in time with the train service, a move aimed at avoiding "traffic headaches and parking stress" while providing special membership and reservation rates. The stations connected to the service include Portland Union Station, Salem Station and Eugene Depot.

 The southbound Coast Starlight arriving in San Luis Obispo in 2006. Photo by Noel T. Braymer  

Rail Association of California High Speed plans

California High-Speed Rail Authority likes F Street route for Bakersfield
Bakersfield Now - ‎May 10, 2016
The Authority held a public meeting at Bakersfield City Hall South. After four hours of discussion, the Authority named the F Street route as its "preliminary preferred route."
That wording is important.
"While we haven't made a final decision yet, (it) is one that we've told the public today is the thing that is most preferred to look at further," Authority Board Chair Dan Richard told Eyewitness News.
He also stresses the authority will find the additional $2 billion to connect from the current route plan into Bakersfield.

City council comes to unanimous decision on high-speed rail Bakersfield location
KERO 23ABC News - ‎May 10, 2016‎
Bakersfield City Council met with the California High-Speed Rail Authority (CHSRA) to discuss potential alignments that would connect the high-speed rail from Shafter to Bakersfield.
One location would be located on F Street and Golden State Avenue, which is the locally generated alternative.
"It's less costly, quicker, less of a visual obstruction. It is in almost all ways we think the better of the alignment under consideration," said Bakersfield City Manager, Alan Tandy.

 

City of Wasco gets $10 million to relocate farmworker housing complex
Bakersfield Now-May 11, 2016
WASCO, Calif. (KBAK/KBFX) - The California High-Speed Rail Authority agreed on Tuesday to allocate $10 million to the city of Wasco to help relocate a farmworker housing complex.
The complex currently houses more than 200 families on the eastern side of the city near J Street and 6th Street. It's a largely industrial area, cut off from the rest of the city by the current BNSF railroad tracks.

Environmental review sprouts for northern section of CAHSR project
RailwayAge Magazine - ‎May 10, 2016‎
Both the California High-Speed Rail Authority and its federal partner, the Federal Railroad Administration, initiated the environmental review process for the project's northern section: the 51-mile line between San Francisco and San Jose.
On May 9, 2016, the agencies announced three public scoping meetings during the public commenting period to last until June 10, 2016: May 23 in San Francisco, May 24 in San Mateo, and May 25 in Mountain View, California.

April Construction Update: A look at the Progress of High-Speed Rail Construction in the Central Valley
CHSRA You Tube May 10, 2016
Construction Manager Hugo Mejia takes you on a tour of the six active construction sites within Construction Package 1, between Fresno and Madera.

Using a cropped map from the CHSRA we can see the areas proposed to be served directly with rail by the initial service running by 2025.There were 3 new stations added to the 2016 Business Plan. A joint HSR station at the Wasco Amtrak Station will allow transfers from Bakersfield on the San Joaquins by HSR. Another joint HSR station is planned at Madera between Merced and Fresno. This will allow transfers between High Speed Rail service and the San Joaquins to Merced up as far as Sacramento, with future additional San Joaquin trains. Service to San Francisco is possible with more funding non-stop from San Jose at the Caltrain Station by 2025. Serving San Francisco expected to greatly increase ridership and revenues for this start up project. NB

  RETURN to PREVIOUS PAGE

 

Copyright CRO June 2016