UTU News Digest - Thursday, June 10, 1999

UTU Daily News Digest

Information of interest to operating railroad and transportation employees

Thursday, June 10, 1999

CANADA: CN, IC and shopcraft unions sign implementing agreements

MONTREAL -- Canadian National Railway Company and Illinois Central Corporation announced Wednesday that they have negotiated implementing labor agreements with their organized shopcraft employees.

The affected employees are represented by the International Association of Machinists, the Sheet Metal Workers, the Brotherhood of Boilermakers and Blacksmiths, the Firemen and Oilers, and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers.

The agreements resolve outstanding labor issues related to the pending merger of CN and IC.

CN and IC have now signed implementing labor agreements and, in one case, a letter of commitment regarding an implementing agreement, with unions representing 75 percent of the organized workforce of CN and IC in the United States.

The CN/IC merger received final written approval of the United States Surface Transportation Board (STB) on May 25, 1999. CN will exercise control over IC operations and assets on June 24, 1999, with step-by-step integration of the two railroads commencing July 1.

TEXAS: Coach USA seeks a buyer for $1 billion

HOUSTON -- Coach USA Inc. said Wednesday that it is holding merger talks with an unidentified party that values the company at $42 a share, or $1.07 billion.

Coach, an operator of motor coach and tour services, declined to identify the potential buyer, and said it has hired a financial adviser to assist with the deal.

Shares of Coach (CUI) closed Wednesday at $33.50, up 81.3 cents, on the New York Stock Exchange on composite volume of 657,400 shares. Average daily volume is 106,486 shares.

Though the offer represents a 25% premium over Wednesday's closing share price, the company's stock stands well below the high of $52 reached in June 1998. Coach shares have rebounded from a dip to $14 suffered during October's overall market slide.

Coach is the largest provider of bus tour and charter services in the U.S. and a leading provider of commuter and transit services. The company operates a fleet of approximately 9,000 buses and other vehicles in 30 states, Canada and Mexico.

Coach went public in May 1996 and built up a national presence, with about a 5.7% share of the market, through more than 60 acquisitions.

WASHINGTON: Rail system disruptions reported

WASHINGTON -- One week after taking over a portion of the northeastern railroad Conrail, Norfolk Southern Corp. has suffered a series of serious service disruptions throughout the rail system that have led to supply shortages and could affect some plant operations, the Washington Post reported Wednesday.

Railroad and shipper sources said that, among other things, both Ford Motor Co. and General Motors Corp. plants in the Midwest have run out of automobile-carrying rail cars, forcing the companies to truck as many automobiles as possible. Procter & Gamble Co. is reporting supply disruptions that could eventually force plant closings, according to sources. And United Parcel Service, which relies heavily on railroads for long-distance shipments, has reported sharply reduced levels of service.

Several major rail yards, including the large Croxton Yard in northern New Jersey, were reported to be congested. Western railroads also have been forced to cancel a number of time-sensitive trains through a Chicago connection with Burlington Northern Santa Fe because NS did not deliver trains or delivered rail cars to improper locations.

CSX Corp., which also absorbed a portion of Conrail June 1 in a $10.2 billion deal, was reported to be operating more smoothly. But railroad sources said Richmond-based CSX also was experiencing scattered problems, including train congestion in some areas, particularly in and around Indianapolis and in parts of the Northeast.

Thus far, the problems aren't as severe as the service disruptions that hit Texas and the West Coast following the 1996 merger of the Union Pacific and Southern Pacific Railroads. But the problems are serious enough to worry major industrial shippers and some major corporations are passing the word that plant shutdowns are possible if the problems continue.

"We've had some surprising calls about Norfolk Southern," said Edward Rastatter, director of policy for the National Industrial Transportation League, which represents major shippers. Rastatter said the shipper community believed that Norfolk Southern would do better in the Conrail merger than CSX, but the reverse seems to be true.

"We have had some irregularities in our service area," said Stephen C. Tobias, Norfolk Southern's vice chairman. "There's no denial here." But Tobias said it was his sense that service was already improving. Several shippers also said they believe Norfolk Southern will work through the problems.

Tobias said many of Norfolk Southern's problems "have to do with the learning curve" of absorbing a railroad. He said he would be "reluctant to pin the tail on any issue," but that clearly Norfolk Southern had suffered some problems with its computer and information technology programs.

Michael Ward, executive vice president of CSX, said that his company also had had some problems, but nothing beyond "the normal kind of stuff. Really, we've gotten off to a solid foundation. We're fine-tuning and debugging. It will probably take a full month to adjust."

One of CSX's advantages appeared to be unusually strong cooperation from organized labor. Sources said there is no indication of any widespread effort by former Conrail employees to sabotage Norfolk Southern, which does not have as close a bond with the former Conrail unions. But the unions have been actively working to help CSX through the transition.

NS and CSX split Conrail on June 1, leaving the East with two large rail companies stretching from Canada to the Gulf Coast. On the evening of May 31, most of all three railroads' computers were shut down to load Conrail's data into the NS and CSX systems. But a Norfolk Southern technician loaded test data instead, causing a daylong delay in restoring the computers.

Despite the mix-up, both NS and CSX seemed to begin train operations almost flawlessly. But after a day or two, other problems began cropping up, many of them related to computer problems.

Among other things, the system that is supposed to call crews to come to work has experienced major problems, leaving some trains without crews even though rested crews were readily available. The electronic data interchange system that transfers information between railroads and to shippers also developed problems.

Whole trainloads of time-sensitive cars arrived at terminals with incorrect delivery codes, resulting in confusion and further train movements.

One operator of small "short line" railroads that connect with Norfolk Southern said the organization had received no information from Norfolk Southern. The operator discovered the Norfolk Southern computers were unable to accept some data from the company.

CALIFORNIA: L.A.-to-Pasadena light rail is OK'd by state panel

LOS ANGELES -- Rejecting pleas from the Bus Riders Union, the California Transportation Commission gave its unanimous blessing Tuesday to construction of a light rail line between Union Station and Pasadena.

The state commission's vote marks a milestone in efforts to get the stalled 13.7-mile rail project moving again. Paul Little, chairman of the Pasadena Metro Blue Line Construction Authority, which was created to finish the rail line, was thrilled. "This is a clear signal that the state of California supports the project," he said. "We can now get down to the business of laying track."

But a group of bus riders protested by shouting: "Civil rights, yes. Blue Line, no" and "Money for buses, not for rail" as they walked out of the commission meeting in Los Angeles.

The tension between backers of the rail line and the bus riders group was evident from the beginning, as former Rep. Esteban Torres, now a commission member, made the motion to approve a three-way agreement allowing construction of the rail line to proceed. The Metropolitan Transportation Authority board approved the agreement Monday.

Torres said the rail line from Union Station through Chinatown, Lincoln Heights, Highland Park, South Pasadena and Pasadena includes one of the most transit-dependent areas in the region.

Bus Riders Union organizer Martin Hernandez accused Torres of taking away the civil rights of riders who want improvements to the MTA's troubled bus system to come before the state invests $280 million in the Pasadena project.

In a civil rights lawsuit that led to the signing of an October 1996 consent decree to improve MTA's bus service, bus rider advocates alleged that pouring billions of dollars into the region's subway and rail system resulted in the deterioration of the bus system.

Torres said he sympathizes with the bus riders, but said San Gabriel Valley residents have a right to other forms of mass transit too.

Anti-rail activist John Walsh accused Torres of fronting for rail contractors, including The East Los Angeles Community Union (TELACU), by pressing for the Pasadena line, which he called "the little red caboose on the back of the money train" at MTA.

Torres said later that he was proud of his role decades ago in the founding of TELACU, which is engaged in a broad array of business ventures. But he said he was not benefiting from support of the rail project. "I just think it's a question of misinformation," he said.

Thomas Rubin, former treasurer of the Southern California Rapid Transit District and a consultant to the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, told the commission the $683-million financial plan crafted by the new Pasadena rail authority is "a fatally flawed document."

Rubin predicted that cost overruns on the project will result in a very large deficit with no sources of revenue to make it up.

Rubin also warned that attorneys for the bus riders will "use every legal weapon" to prevent the MTA from "giving away money to Pasadena until all of the consent decree obligations are met."

But Allan Lipsky, the MTA's chief operating officer, said the agency was committed to building the Pasadena project before the consent decree was signed.

WASHINGTON: Safety board complains about using vans instead of school buses

WASHINGTON -- It may be cheaper to transport students in vans instead of schools buses, but it's "an economical advantage purchased at the safety of children," according to the head of the National Transportation Safety Board.

Wrapping up a special investigation into four crashes involving "nonconforming buses," Jim Hall, the board's chairman, said Tuesday that the standard yellow bus provides better crash protection than vans and should be the only type of vehicle used to take students to school and school-related activities.

The crashes that were the subject of the investigation occurred in 1998 and earlier this year in Sweetwater, Florida, Lenoir City, Tennessee, East Dublin, Georgia, and Bennettsville, South Carolina. They killed nine people, including eight students.

Investigators said the vehicle damage would have been less and the injuries not as severe had the accidents involved school buses, not a van or a "specialty bus" -- a slightly larger vehicle akin to an airport rental car shuttle.

School buses, unlike standard passenger vans, have special rollover protections and encase their occupants in a cocoon of padded seats and seatbacks. They also have welds designed to keep them from splitting open on impact.

In addition, school buses are painted an eye-catching yellow and equipped with emergency exits, special warning lights and movable arms that block students from walking directly in front of them. Many of the protections date from a 1977 change in federal law, which was prompted by earlier recommendations from the safety board.

A "nonconforming bus" is any vehicle that can carry 10 or more people and is used to take students to school or school-related activities, yet does not meet federal school bus standards.

Federal law prohibits car dealers from selling vehicles that do not meet federal school bus regulations to schools that plan to use them to transport children.

However, many states have exemptions in their school bus laws for after-school, day care or church programs. Even the federal government has lagged in developing rules for transporting children involved in such activities as Head Start, the early-childhood education program.

The worst accident examined by the safety board occurred on February 16 in Bennettsville, South Carolina. Six children were killed, including three who were thrown from the vehicle, when the 15-passenger van they were riding in was struck by a tow truck.

On March 26, 1998, a 25-passenger specialty bus taking students home after an academic competition was rammed by a tractor-trailer in Lenoir City, Tennessee, when the van's driver attempted a U-turn on a highway. A teacher and a student were killed.

The East Dublin, Georgia, accident occurred on December 8, 1998, when a 15-person van taking children to a Head Start program collided with a pickup truck. One child was ejected and killed.

Another 15-person van was involved in the Sweetwater, Florida, accident, when it was struck by a transit bus at an intersection on March 25, 1998. Three children were ejected and suffered head injuries.

The five-member board only has the power to make safety recommendations, not rules. In a unanimous vote, the board urged the nation's governors to ensure that students are transported only in vehicles meeting the school bus standards.

The board also urged the Department of Health and Human Services to extend the same protection to children participating in Head Start.

"The federal government needs to practice what it preaches and it needs to start with Head Start," Hall said.

WASHINGTON: FTA selects cities for bus rapid transit program

WASHINGTON: Ten communities have been selected to participate in the federal Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) demonstration program to show how combining planning and technological devices will allow buses to operate with the speed, reliability and efficiency of light rail vehicles at a fraction of the cost, Federal Transit Administrator Gordon J. Linton announced today.

BRT, a program of the U.S. Department of Transportation's Federal Transit Administration (FTA), offers many of the features of a subway system vehicle movements unimpeded by traffic signals and congestion, fare collection prior to boarding, quick passenger loading and unloading, efficient and reliable service -- but above ground and visible. Currently, successful BRT systems are operating in Curitiba, Brazil; Ottawa, Canada; and Orlando, Fla.

In announcing the selected projects, Linton said, "Bus Rapid Transit is truly a visionary approach in providing high quality transit service essential to ensuring mobility and access for thriving communities, and the projects announced today show promise of achieving the highest speed, air quality attainment and separation from traffic. With the selection of these demonstration projects, we are one step closer to providing world class subway service on tires' to cities across this country."

The demonstration program announced today will advance BRT implementation in the United States at ten competitively chosen locations, backed by technical support from FTA.

Linton listed and briefly described the following selected projects and members of the BRT Consortium, those communities that are developing BRT projects:

Boston: The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority's 3.8 mile "Silver Line " on Washington Street will run to and through downtown to the South Boston Piers and Logan Airport.

Charlotte, N.C.: The City of Charlotte's Independent Corridor will add to its exclusive busway in the median of Independence Boulevard. The project potentially could be 13.5 miles long.

Cleveland: The Greater Cleveland Regional Transportation Authority proposes to rebuild a 5-mile section of Euclid Avenue to provide for exclusive transit lanes, a beautified avenue with landscaping, and transit shelters.

Dulles Corridor, Va.: The Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation proposes BRT as an intermediate phase to the extension of Metrorail in this 22-mile long corridor. BRT would operate mainly on the Dulles Airport Access Road stopping at median stations built for the Metrorail extension.

Eugene-Springfield, Ore.: The Lane Transit District proposes to implement BRT in a variety of exclusive lane configurations on a 10-mile pilot corridor in Eugene and Springfield.

Hartford-New Britain, Conn.: The Connecticut Department of Transportation has proposed a nine-mile, 12-station exclusive busway to be built on active and inactive rail rights-of-way.

Honolulu: The City and County of Honolulu has proposed "City Express," a 2.6-mile system with limited bus stops using HOV lanes on Hawaii's H-1 freeway and downtown exclusive lanes.

Miami: Metro-Dade Transportation Authority will extend their existing eight mile, fifteen station busway another eleven miles and 22 new stations to Florida City.

San Juan, Puerto Rico: The Puerto Rico Highways and Transportation Authority will operate fast shuttle service on a new 2.5-mile Rio Hondo connector linking the Bayamon Tren Urbano Station and the Rio Hondo Tren Urbano Plaza.

Santa Clara County, Calif.: The Santa Clara County Valley Transportation Authority will improve operations on its 27-mile long Line 22 in six cities: San Jose, Santa Clara, Sunnyvale, Mountain View, Palo Alto and Los Altos.

Other members of the BRT Consortium include Alameda & Contra Costa Counties, Calif.; Albany, N.Y.; Chicago; Los Angeles; Louisville, Ky.; Pittsburgh; and Montgomery County, Md.

WASHINGTON STATE: White Pass Railroad is reborn

SEATTLE -- The long journey for the Motor Tug "Gimrock Titan" pulling Barge PB001 loaded with five ALCO DL 535 locomotives will end soon.

The vessels will have traveled over five thousand miles in 38 days. The voyage was from Santa Marta, Colombia through the Panama Canal to Seattle and on to Skagway, Alaska -- home of the White Pass & Yukon Railroad. Arrival in Seattle, its port of entry, is scheduled for 12:00 Noon June 15, 1999.

After a brief one day stop at the JORE Dock near the Duwamish shipyard in Seattle, the journey will continue with a scheduled arrival in Skagway four days later at the White Pass Railroad Dock. Sold to the Sociedad Colombiana de transporte Ferroviario (STF) by the WP&YR in 1992, the locomotive are now returning to their former home in the north.

For the past one hundred years Seattle has been an embarkation port for ships, passengers, supplies and equipment bound for Alaska. The historic relationship between Seattle and the north is commemorated by the Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park. The interpretive center in Pioneer Square helps tell the story of the stampeders' departure from Seattle in their quest for gold.

The White Pass Railroad built between 1898 and 1900 provided transportation to people and freight during the gold rush. Today it serves as a summer excursion railroad carrying 258,000 visitors in 1998. The five ALCO DL 535 locomotives, traveling from Seattle by barge, will join an equipment fleet that includes a 1947 Baldwin steam engine, fourteen diesel electric locomotives and 51 passenger coaches. White Pass Railroad Fact Sheet History:

The 110-mile White Pass Railroad was constructed between 1898 and 1900 connecting the Alaska coastal community of Skagway and Canada's Whitehorse, Yukon. The golden spike completing construction was driven on July 29, 1900 in Carcross, Yukon.

The WP&YR served first as a passenger train and supply line for the Klondike gold fields of the Yukon, and later as a freight carrier for nearby lead and zinc mines, moving ores and concentrates to the port in Skagway.

For 82 years the WP&YR served as a vital link between the Yukon and the tidewater port of Skagway. In 1982 the closure of Yukon mines also brought the closure of the railway.

By 1988 the growth of tourism in Alaska caused the WP&YR to re-open. Today, the railroad provides passenger service on the first 40 miles of the original 110-mile line. WP&YR Today:

In 1998, the WP&YR served more than 258,000 passengers. Many are cruise ship passengers enjoying a half-day shore excursion. Passengers ride in both restored parlor cars and new train cars while a narrator announces all the points of interest. The railroad is one of the steepest in North America, climbing 2,865 feet in just 20 miles.

The train operates with 14 diesel-electric locomotives with most dating back to the late 1950's, and No. 73, a 1947, 2-8-2 Mikado class steam locomotive, which escorts the trains 1.5 miles out of town. The diesel engines then take over for the steep grade ahead. There are 51 train cars in use, half dating back to the turn of the century and half are built new to vintage specifications.

The WP&YR was designated an International Historic Civil Engineering Landmark in 1994, joining a list of landmarks such as the Eiffel Tower, Panama Canal and the Statue of Liberty.

BELGIUM: Rail leads European travel safety stakes - study

BRUSSELS -- Rail is the safest form of travel in the European Union, while road transport is far and away the most dangerous method of getting around, the European Transport Safety Council said on Wednesday.

A study by the group said rail travelers are safest, with just 0.04 deaths per 100 million km (60 million miles) traveled.

Motorcyclists are the group most at risk, ETSC said, with an average of 16 deaths per 100 million km. The ETSC is an independent lobby group campaigning for higher safety standards.

The 43,000 annual crash deaths on the EU's roads make up more than 90 percent of all transport deaths, the study found.

"Reducing the risks associated with travel in the EU needs to be at the top of the health and transport agenda at national and international level,'' ETSC executive director Jeanne Breen said in a statement.

ETSC found that the risk of death in a road accident was more than eight times higher in Greece than in Sweden and Britain, the EU's two safest countries for drivers.

It said that the five countries with the lowest rates of road death -- Sweden, Britain, the Netherlands, Finland and Denmark -- had all set firm targets for reducing casualties.

ETSC called for priority to be given to reducing the dangers faced every day by cyclists, motorcyclists and pedestrians.

NEW JERSEY: Woman killed after stepping in train's path

MONTCLAIR -- A woman was struck and killed by a train after witnesses said she walked directly into the train's path near the Pine Street grade crossing Tuesday morning.

Police had not released the identity of the victim by Tuesday afternoon because they had not yet located her next of kin. The woman appeared to be in her 70s and apparently was a Montclair resident, police said.

The engineer on the Hoboken-bound NJ Transit commuter train said he saw the woman standing near the tracks after he pulled away from the Walnut Street Station about 8:55 a.m., said Ken Miller, a spokesman for NJ Transit.

"The woman observed the train departing," Miller said. "As the train approached the grade crossing, the engineer started sounding the horn, and when the train was about 20 feet from her, she stepped out in front. . . . The engineer attempted emergency braking procedures, but was unable to stop in time," he said.

Miller said warning lights, bells, and automated gates were working properly at the grade crossing.

After the accident, about 70 passengers aboard the Boonton Line train were asked to walk about a quarter-mile to the Bay Street Station, where they boarded another train and continued to Hoboken. A second Boonton Line train was delayed for about 20 minutes as a result of the accident.