|
Index to recent news postings Rail Travel News is a twice-monthly print publication, published since
Dec 10, 1970.
Many more
items have been added at
New! Browse more railroad books |
EMPIRE BUILDER DERAILMENT BELIEVED
CAUSED BY TRACK PROBLEM
Although the official cause of the April 5 derailment of the 4-car Portland section of Amtrak's Empire Builder, train 27, along the Columbia River in Washington State 20 miles west of the Bingen-White Salmon station will not be announced for some time, there was evidence that railroad workers may have been at fault for improper maintenance on the section of track in question. It is believed that the outside rail on the curve where the train derailed spread outwards as the Amtrak locomotive ran over it. The spreading was said to be caused by improper fastening of the rails to the ties on the BNSF line. There had been several previous reports of extraordinary roughness on the curve, but the problem apparently had not been adequately addressed. COLORADO HIT BY MASSIVE SNOW STORM--TRAINS CONTINUE RUNNING The transportation story that was missed by the news media in the Sunday, April 10 Colorado blizzard was that Amtrak trains were relatively unaffected by the severe weather. The California Zephyr, train 6, reached Denver on April 10 only
51 minutes late. Train 6 was expected to reach Chicago April 11 48 minutes
early, although it was reported 1hour, 53 minutes late between Fort Morgan
CO and McCook NE.
By contrast, nearly all airline service shut down at the Denver airport, stranding hundreds of travelers. Major highways were closed due to the heavy blowing snow, which measured as much as one foot in Denver and considerably more elsewhere. The dependability of the trains was another example of their
usefulness to the American public when the White House is trying to shut
them down entirely.
AMTRAK APRIL 25 SCHEDULE CHANGES AN ANSWER TO DOT SECRETARY MINETA'S ROAD SHOW CLAIMS By Carl Fowler WENDELL COX'S "TWO-BIT MAYOR" REMARK DIDN'T SIT WELL Administration is "Out of Touch" on Amtrak WILL AMTRAK GET FULL FUNDING? REBUTTING SECRETARY MINETA AMTRAK RUNNING TRAINS TO PLACES NOBODY WANTS TO GO TO? A REPLY TO NORMAN MINETA By Wes Roberts AMTRAK BOARD LOOKS TO FY 2006 HOUSE VOTES FOR $1.2 BILLION FOR AMTRAK Amtrak Endpoint On Time Performance, Feb. 2005 ATTEMPT TO INCREASE AMTRAK BUDGET FAILS (March 17) Join or donate to the
National Association of Railroad Passengers.
|
Cover of forthcoming issue Subscribe
today!
NEW! Browse train station posters Click here
|
