This Was The Week That Was, Vol. II No. 3, 2002-01-11
Volume II Version 3 – This Was The Week That Was – An Amtrak Saga
January 11, 2002
It didn’t take long for the new year to become exciting. As usual, the Amtrak Reform Council provided many of the fireworks. Now that the principal work of the ARC is done, our country owes each member of the council, it’s elected officers, and paid staff a deep debt of gratitude for their outstanding work. No other group of Americans could have done a better job.
- Today, Friday, January 11th, the Amtrak Reform Council voted, 8-1, on a final recommendation to send to Congress for the creation of the New Amtrak. The vote was for a plan which encourages a gradual move back to competition in the passenger rail transportation marketplace, plus, the immediate removal of the infrastructure assets of Amtrak into a separate entity which can be properly funded as needed.
The ARC plan allows the New Amtrak to be a pure operating company, doing what it does best, running passenger trains. It also allows the infrastructure of the NEC and bits and pieces elsewhere in the country to be under separate ownership, leadership and funding, which removes the operating company from having to pay for infrastructure that mostly many others benefit from on a daily basis.
Upon examination, it is notable that about 75% of the final ARC recommendation comes from the pages of the Selden Plan, which was created over two years ago.
Also notable, is that in the final deliberations of the ARC, all three of the final plans that were considered, each had a component to split off the NEC infrastructure assets away from the rest of the company. This concept was first brought to public attention by URPA’s Andrew Selden in a 1986 article in Trains magazine.
Mr. Selden, who is continually in front of the public opinion curve about rail passenger issues, has again proven the viability of his leadership and vision for a greatly revived national passenger rail system in North America.
- In another stunning revelation, Railway Age magazine, the standard publication of the railroad industry, has taken a stance IN FAVOR of private freight railroads reentering the passenger rail industry not only as operators, but owners of passenger trains.
This is the first time in recent memory any respected railroad industry-related magazine has voiced any type of support for the freights to return to their glory trains of the past such as the Super Chief, Broadway Limited, City of Los Angeles, North Coast Limited, and Florida Special.
Again, thanks to the vision of the ARC, an honest debate has started in this country about the future of the American passenger train. Without great patriots like Gil Carmichael, Paul Weyrich, the members of the ARC and the staff led by Tom Till, this type of debate would never have been considered possible as little as two or three years ago.
Railway Age can be viewed at www.railwayage.com
- Hail! Hail! The Gang’s All Here Department: They are having a reunion of former New Jersey Transit executives at Amtrak. Yet another deposed New Jersey Transportation Commissioner has found his way to a soft landing and new job at Amtrak.
This time, it’s James Weinstein, the outgoing Republican commissioner that is leaving because the Democrats have assumed power again in the Garden State statehouse. Ex-Commissioner Weinstein will be a senior vice president of Amtrak, overseeing the Northeast Corridor operations, such as the Acela trains.
You may recall that former Amtrak Chairman and President Tom Downs came to the company in 1994 because, at that time, the Republicans defeated the Democrats for the governorship of New Jersey, and New Jersey Transportation Commissioner Downs also needed a soft spot to land. The Clinton Administration was happy to oblige, sliding Mr. Downs into consideration for the top job at Amtrak after the process was closed and final candidates had been chosen.
Mr. Downs, of course, brought his protege from New Jersey Transit, George Warrington, along with him to help him keep shop. There are many other NJT alums also now at Amtrak, some would say too many to count.
It is notable that Amtrak’s financial picture was fairly stable (albeit in the red, but not getting worse) until the NJT horde invaded Washington and Philadelphia. Of course, under the continual stewardship of ex-NJT leaders for the past nearly eight years, Amtrak has managed to gain its worst financial status in history, and has been on the brink of bankruptcy at least twice during that time.
Ex-Commissioner Weinstein’s claims to fame in New Jersey during his tenure are that he oversaw the implementation of the state’s auto emissions inspection system and the E-ZPass electronic toll collection system.
May we see a show of hands of all of those here that are excited Amtrak has this new executive?
- Speaking of Acela (many wish we didn’t, but it’s hard to resist), a confederate of your humble correspondent recently took a ride on Acela. He is a business consultant based in the Washington, D.C. area, and a frequent traveler on the NEC. He has no business relationship with Amtrak or any company related to Amtrak. Here is his report.
“I had not been on the NEC since October. There have been a few changes. The New Carrollton Station has really attractive jersey barriers surrounding it, making passengers – I’m sorry, “guests” – feel like they are entering Fort Knox.
NCR had NO printed schedules. Only some out of date schedule cards from October, and hundreds of Acela gift catalogs.
I caught the 6:11 A.M. Wonder Train [Acela Express]. Rode first class. Had to board through a business class car as some of the doors would not open; they were having air pressure problems.
Ordered the pancake breakfast — same small portions AND they seem to have cut back on the quality. Two OBS guys in the First Class car provided indifferent service. Never bothered to ask if I wanted a refill on my coffee. No complementary copy of WSJ, Washington Post, or USA Today.
Ride up to Newark, NJ was OK. Saw a couple high levels, stripped and gutted, sitting at Wilmington Coach Company (still had ATSF markings on them). Quality of the ride was standard NEC bouncy. Only area that felt like European High speed was just outside of Wilmington, which was smooth as glass for five to six miles.
Ride back to NCR was on a Metroliner. Much better service from two of my favorite OBS staff. Their attentiveness made the return trip MUCH more enjoyable than the ride up on Wonder Train, even though the ride was harsher and the Amfleet coaches were worn looking inside.
I noted that the price difference between Metroliner First Class and Wonder Train First Class has been eliminated.
Total trip cost was $418 round trip. I will probably drop first class on my morning Wonder Train trips as the level of service was not worth the $96 I was charged.
$96 for small pancakes and no newspaper? And, this is supposed to be the transportation choice of the future?
- Noteworthy: Seen on the All-Aboard Internet bulletin board, posted by a retired railroad employee: “There is nothing wrong with Amtrak that a Miracle couldn’t cure.”
Nothing more needs to be said.
- United Rail Passenger Alliance has a new home on the World Wide Web. Web master Bill Lindley has moved the URPA web site to
www.unitedrail.org
The old web site will remain up for a while. The old site was hosted as a courtesy by Steve Grande of Fullerton, California as a part of www.trainweb.com, a fascinating site that encompasses almost anything there is a need to know about the railroad industry.
URPA is very grateful to the work of Mr. Grande and his staff providing the web site, under the direction of Mr. Lindley.
- On a highly personal and fun note, your humble correspondent’s parents, Bob and Alma, are celebrating their 57th wedding anniversary this Sunday, January 13th.
They were wed in the final months of World War II. Bob at the time was an employee of the Pullman Company in Norfolk, Virginia, and Alma was a country girl from Walters, Virginia that had gone to Norfolk late in her teens to find work after a brief time in college.
Alma’s brother, Roy, and Bob were best friends. “You have to meet my little sister, Bob,” said Roy. They met. Bob went home after that first day they met and told his mother that he had met the girl he was going to marry. Alma was firm that she would not be married until she was 21. She made Bob wait three long years. She turned 21 in December, and they married in January on a Saturday afternoon.
They spent their wedding night in a Pullman compartment on a train going up Virginia’s Eastern Shore to New York City. Because Bob was well known in the Pullman Company, the courteous OBS and T&E staff of the train knocked on their honeymoon door every half hour during the night, politely inquiring if the couple was comfortable, and did they need anything?
By 1982, Bob had retired from the executive ranks of CSX here in Jacksonville, Florida. Bob and Alma still ride the train together when they are going places. Their nights are much more peaceful, now.
And so, that ends the first full business week of the new year. What a start. We’re all waiting in rapt attention for the next events. Stay tuned, it’s just getting interesting.
