Archive
Archive for August, 2006
Volume 3 Number 35
- In a surprise move to Amtrak watchers, Amtrak’s Board of Directors hired a new president and CEO today, despite the fact there is no principal Amtrak shareholder in the form of a permanent United States Secretary of Transportation or a fully populated Amtrak board.Alexander Kummant, formerly of Union Pacific Railroad is the new chief steward of Amtrak. Here is Amtrak’s press release: Read more…
Volume 3 Number 34
- Whither the Sunset Limited, still? As noted last week, the Sunset Limited is still not operating east of New Orleans, with no announcement in sight as to when it will resume operation. The only solid information available is through a letter sent to an Amtrak union official which said the Sunset is not slated for discontinuance. That’s tough to imagine, especially since it has been a full year now since the train operated east of New Orleans prior to Hurricane Katrina.A lot of city, town, and state money went into extending the Sunset from New Orleans to Florida in 1993, including $7.5 million from the State of Florida for track upgrades, the addition of track sidings, and 80% assistance to local governments for station rehabilitations or new stations constructed. Public money in Mississippi and Alabama also went to similar purposes. No public money has ever been used for operating subsidies.
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Volume 3 Number 33
- Whither the Sunset Limited, again? America’s only transcontinental passenger train still only covers half of a continent. When will it return? When will Amtrak keep its obligation to the American taxpayers who are helping pay for this train, and resume running it? When will Amtrak keep its obligation to its employees who worked to make this train successful, but have been rewarded by being out of a job for over a year, now?Amtrak has offered excuse after excuse, to union leaders, its employees, and others. Publications such as Trains magazine, which should be monitoring this situation, have instead blithely accepted many excuses including Amtrak’s all-time-most-successful excuse: “The dog ate my homework.”
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Volume 3 Number 32
- A lingering question last week in TWA regarding the lack of passenger rail service east of New Orleans by the Sunset Limited still hangs in the air.Interestingly, in the meantime, one of Amtrak’s most prolific apologists, Trains Magazine, in the September 2006 issued published a story by longtime writer Bob Johnston bemoaning this very topic.
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Volume 3 Number 31
- There was a startling news announcement by the Associated Press in Florida and some of the Southeastern states last week. Many Florida news outlets picked up the story that said a freight train derailment in California was disrupting Amtrak service for about 1,000 passengers, some as far away as Florida.The Associated Press breathlessly reported that service on the tri-weekly Sunset Limited, which travels between Los Angeles and Orlando, was cancelled due to the freight train derailment.Oops! The Sunset Limited hasn’t operated east of New Orleans since Hurricane Katrina hit almost a full year ago. Of course, the CSX main line between New Orleans and Jacksonville, Florida has been reopened for months now, but still not a Sunset Limited in sight. One rather flimsy excuse is that so many of the Amtrak stations were blown away or heavily damaged by Hurricane Katrina. But, we all know, Amtrak has a long, long history of bringing in portable trailers for temporary stations when a permanent building isn’t available.
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