Will segmented train routes work?

   An issue that is bound to be heavily debated in coming months is the idea of breaking up long distance Amtrak routes into segments
that involve a series of day trains covering the same routes. 

   The idea originated with anti-Amtrak sources in the Administration, but actually dates back further, having been proposed by various think tanks with anti-rail orientations. 

   The apparent money- saving idea is that there would no longer be a need for sleeping cars and the crews to man them. The day trains would cover the same route, but there would be no overnight operation, so that travelers whose routes included an overnight portion would have to occupy hotel rooms between train segments. 

   The National Association of Railroad Passengers has been performing comparison analyses of existing long distance routes and the segmented routes that would most likely substitute for them. The results are so weighted in favor of the long distance routes that no logical justification could be made for the segments.

   Rather than creating cost saving for Amtrak, the segmenting would actually either yield no savings or raise costs, while reducing patronage to such an extent that the segmented route would fail altogether. 

   Of course, creating a route failure might be the ultimate aim of the anti-rail originators of this scheme. 

   Amtrak President Kummant and other company officials continue to mention this plan while being fairly noncommital and saying it would be evaluated carefully. If the evaluation is indeed done carefully and rationally, it would seem that no possible case could be made for segmenting. 
 
 

   Columnist Wes Vernon reported on Jan 28 that likely GOP presidential candidate John McCain would kill off Amtrak if he were elected president.

   Vernon was discussing influential conservative rail advocate Paul Weyrich's reaction to McCain's candidacy. Weyrich said he would leave the GOP if McCain were the candidate.

   Vernon wrote: "Weyrich knows that Senator McCain, throughout his career, has been very anti-rail, and in that respect 'would be [even] worse than the present [Bush] administration,' whose Transportation Secretary Mary Peters (a big highway booster) has fought tooth and nail (as commission chairman) to block the pro-rail efforts of Weyrich and others allied with his 9-to-3 [National Surface Transportation Policy and Revenue Study] commission majority."

   Vernon also reported "The Arizonan has said shutting down Amtrak —  if he's elected — would be 'a non-negotiable issue' for him. Short-sighted, indeed."

   Bay Area Rapid Transit officials said that recessionary conditions are predicted to lead to troublesome budget deficits because of decreased sales tax revenues from the state and slowing growth in ridership. While ridership is expected to continue growing, its rate of growth this year will probably fall to half that of recent years due to the national recession.

   A series of earthquakes with epicenters from two to twelve miles from Wells, Nevada occurred between 6:16am and 2:47pm on February 21. 

   The first, at 6:16, was the strongest, being measured at 6.0 (initial reports gave it as 6.3). This was followed 18 minutes later by a 4.0 temblor. The remaining quakes ranged from 3.0 to 3.9. A 6.0 quake is classified as a strong quake. Quakes are relatively rare in the area.

   These occurred in a sparsely-populated area of NE Nevada. There was a good deal of structural damage in Wells, but no injuries were reported. Wells is a railroad town founded by the Central Pacific RR in 1869. Most of the damage was to old buildings in the historic section of town. 

   Highways, dams and pipelines were quickly checked for damage. The Union Pacific shut down service on the line to check for damage. A UP spokesperson said the incident was "a minor blip in our operations."

   Amtrak's CALIFORNIA ZEPHYR uses the UP route through the area, with stops at nearby Elko, west of Wells, at 9:04pm and 3:53am. Wells is about 90 miles west of the Nevada-Utah border, where a time zone change occurs. All times above are Pacific Standard Time.

   French President Sarkozy on Feb 2 unveiled the new AGV train (Automotrice à Grande Vitesse) to be built by Alstom and brought online probably in 2014.

   The AGV is to replace the TGV and will run at 224mph compared to the TGV's 186. 

   Italy, however, should see the trains sooner, in 2011. 

   The new trains will lack power cars on the front and rear, as power will be supplied from all the coaches. This will results in more passenger space, bringing capacity up from 485 to 650 per trainset. 

   The trains will use 15% less energy than the current TGVs.

   Bombardier and Siemens are promoting their competing high-speed trains, the Zefiro and Velaro respectively.

   Rail advocates were quick to note that while such bountiful high-speed rail development is taking place in Europe, the U.S. lags far behind in this area, one that is essential for the coming era of fuel and global warming challenges.
Photo courtesy of Alstom.

FREDERICKSBURG, Va., Feb. 22 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The American Traffic Safety Services Association (ATSSA), an international roadway safety organization founded in 1969, released to its members its 2009 surface transportation reauthorization policy titled, "Toward Zero Deaths," during ATSSA's 38th Annual Convention and Traffic Expo, held Feb. 8-12 in New Orleans.

The 31-page document outlines 11 specific roadway safety initiatives that the association's 1,700 members will propose to Congress and the Administration for inclusion in the next surface transportation law. The current law -- The Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU) -- was signed into law by President Bush on Aug. 10, 2005 for a five-year period - 2005-2009.

ATSSA's "zero deaths" concept was first adopted in Sweden in 1997 as "Vision Zero," and has evolved to several state DOTs who have identified zero deaths as a core objective in their Strategic Highway Safety Plans.
These states are Minnesota, Utah, Washington, Oregon and West Virginia.

ATSSA's 11 unique roadway safety initiatives include a Highway Safety Improvement Program, Strategic Highway Safety Plans, Work Zone Safety, High Risk Rural Roads, Roadway Hardware, Brightness and Visibility of Signage and Markings, Older Drivers, Congestion Mitigation, Funding Roadway Safety, Funding the Highway Trust Fund and Additional Recommendations.

Congressman James L. Oberstar (D-Minn.), chairman of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, addressed ATSSA members in New Orleans on Feb. 10, and spoke about ATSSA's Toward Zero Deaths policy,
as well as the 39-year-old association's role as roadway safety leaders.

"As we move into (this) next year and the reauthorization of the surface transportation legislation, you (ATSSA) are going to be -- during my Chairmanship -- you're going to be centerpiece of that reauthorization. We're going to have an unprecedented emphasis on safety, and you are going to be a part of it," Oberstar said.

He continued, "ATSSA's (Toward Zero) vision ecommendations follow very much along the broad outlines of the national commission's report, and I assure you your recommendations -- those 11 points that you revealed
today that I have had a chance to review in detail -- will be a foundational building block in our review and restructuring of surface transportation and we need your partnership, and we need your participation in the hearings and in the in the crafting of the legislation."

ATSSA's full document, "Toward Zero Deaths, A Vision for Safer Roads in America," is located on the main page of ATSSA.com as a downloadable PDF.
 

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