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BMWE strikes Conrail over contracting out track work

The union representing track maintenance workers went on strike this morning (Fri., Aug. 14) against Conrail. Union officials said the railroad freight giant was shut down systemwide, according to the Associated Press.

The strike by the Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employees is over Conrail's use of outside contractors to build tracks in Marysville, Ohio. The union says Conrail promised in writing not to contract the work out, the AP said.

"They didn't even notify us that they were," BMWE General Chairman Jed Dodd said this morning. "We found out about it when the contractor showed up to install track."

Dodd said the union has protested to Conrail but the railroad has not replied. Conrail officials could not be reached for comment this morning, according to the AP.

Dodd said other railroad unions were honoring his union's picket lines, shutting down the railroad. He said he could not offer an estimate of how much freight is being delayed because of the strike.

The last time the Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employees struck against Conrail was in 1994. Dodd said that was over safety issues, according to the AP.

Conrail, originally set up in 1976 to reorganize six bankrupt Northeast railroads, operates in 12 states in the Northeast and Midwest, Washington, D.C., and Quebec in Canada. It has about 23,500 employees and 11,000 miles of track.

Two other railroads, CSX and Norfolk Southern, are in the process of buying parts of Conrail, splitting the company between them. Federal regulators have approved the deals but the restructuring hasn't yet begun.

Alameda Corridor work progresses

The Alameda Corridor Transportation Authority (ACTA) has authorized negotiations with a joint-venture team led by Tutor-Saliba to design and construct a 10-mile-long railroad trench, the largest project of the Alameda Corridor program.

Based on the initial lowest ultimate cost, the ACTA Governing Board unanimously agreed to begin negotiations with Tutor-Saliba on a mid-corridor design-build contract. After negotiations on contract value and other details are complete, the Governing Board will consider approval of a contract in the fall based on lowest ultimate cost.

The Alameda Corridor Transportation Authority is building a 20-mile railroad freight expressway linking the ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles to the transcontinental rail yards just east of downtown Los Angeles. The project will speed the shipment of cargo by consolidating rail lines and improve the flow of rail and vehicle traffic by eliminating street-level railroad crossings.

In the mid-corridor segment from about State Route 91 in Compton to 25th Street in Los Angeles, trains will travel below ground level in an open trench three stories deep.

DOT's Slater announces improvements to Chicago

U.S. Secretary of Transportation Rodney E. Slater recently joined U.S. Sen. Carol Moseley-Braun and Chicago Regional Transportation Board Member Reverend Addie Wyatt to announce improvements in employer-provided transit benefits such as the Chicago Regional Transportation Authority's Transit Check program.

Speaking at an event held at the Northwestern Transit Station, Slater said improvements to the transit benefits system will allow employers to increase employee transit subsidies from the current $65 maximum to $100 by the year 2001.

Transit Check is one of many projects that benefit from the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century, recently enacted legislation which allows for a guaranteed record $198 billion investment in surface transportation over the next six years.

Provisions of the Transit Check program will allow employers to save on payroll costs associated with funds set aside for the transit benefits program since funding associated with Transit Check is exempt from federal, state and local payroll taxes. In addition, the program gives employees the option of trading the cash value of employer-provided parking for a transit benefits voucher of equal value.

The Transit Check fare system is already in use on the CTA, Metra, Pace buses, vanpools, paratransit systems and the South Shore Railroad. Once fully implemented, the program is expected to serve about 65,000 Chicago-area employers.

"President Clinton is committed to safe and efficient transit systems," Secretary Slater said. "The Transit Check system provides a hassle-free, economical way for commuters to receive transit benefits that will aid in getting them to and from work. I applaud Sen. Moseley-Braun's efforts in successfully working in the Senate Finance, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee in helping to make this project a reality for the people of Chicago."

MTA Panel OKs Installation of No-Fee Toilets at Rail Stations

A Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority committee decided Wednesday (Aug. 12) that the agency should install public toilets at rail stations but not charge for the privilege of using them, according to the Los Angeles Times.

The MTA's Operations Committee voted unanimously against charging, saying it would not be worth the effort to collect a quarter per visit, the Times said.

By disposing of the idea, the committee avoided any chance of running afoul of a state law banning pay toilets in public buildings, the Times reported.

The committee urged MTA officials to negotiate a contract for the automated public toilets with Omni Outdoor and Strategic Technologies International, the Times said.

The companies want to put small structures housing the public toilets on the sidewalks outside subway stations and at other transit locations. The need is there. The MTA's $5-billion subway system was designed without public restrooms, according to the Times.

Rail freight traffic levels up slightly

Railroad freight traffic on U.S. railroads rose slightly during the week ended August 15 from the comparable week last year, the Association of American Railroads (AAR) reported today (Aug. 14).

Carload freight totaled 352,741 cars, up 0.9% from last year, with loadings up 1.0% in the West and 0.7% in the East.

Intermodal traffic, which is not included in the carload numbers, totaled 171,287 trailers and containers, up 3.1% from last year.

Total volume was estimated at 26.2 billion ton-miles, up 0.8% from the corresponding 1997 week. Strong gains were reported in loadings of crushed stone, sand and gravel, up 17.3% from last year, and metallic ores, up 13.3%. Grain, which has been down for most of the year, was up 3.8% from last year during the most recent week. Trailer traffic registered a 4.3% gain from last year.

The AAR also reported the following cumulative volume on U.S. railroads for the first 31 weeks of 1998: 10,761,547 carloads, up 1.9% from last year; 5,171,240 trailers and containers, up 0.8%; and total volume of 814.6 billion ton-miles, up 1.3% from 1997's first 31 weeks.

Attacker leaves bound victim on railroad tracks

Cincinnati detectives are searching for a man who attacked, bound and gagged a 14-year-old girl in an apparent rape attempt, and then left her on railroad tracks, according to the Associated Press.

A police spokesman described the Aug. 12 incident as every parent's nightmare. "The girl was out grocery shopping. She left with her purchases and is grabbed from behind and dragged off to a deserted area near some railroad tracks."

The path past the railroad tracks is a shortcut used by neighborhood residents, according to the AP.

Police officials said the attacker bound the teenager's hands with an electric cord, stuffed one of her socks into her mouth and cut enough of her clothing to bind her feet. He started to sexually assault her but something scared him off. She was able to free herself so that she could walk and some workmen nearby called authorities, according to reports.