UTU News Digest - Thursday, August 26, 1999

UTU Daily News Digest

Information of interest to operating railroad and transportation employees

Thursday, August 26, 1999

Three stabbed on Amtrak train

OLMSTED FALLS, Ohio (AP) - A man stabbed three people aboard an Amtrak train outside Cleveland early today (26Aug99), then was wounded himself as passengers wrested the knife from him, police said.

Police said the man went through three cars of the Lakeshore Limited, stabbing people. Two of the victims were conductors, a dispatcher said.

Jessica Franz, 17, of Detroit was asleep when a wounded conductor stumbled into her compartment and fell.

"It was such a shock," said Franz, who was on her way to school at Smith College. "I'm just glad it's over."

The Lakeshore Limited, which runs daily between Chicago and New York, was approaching Cleveland when the stabbings occurred about 3:20 a.m., police Lt. John Minek said.

A conductor ordered the train stopped in Olmsted Falls, 14 miles southwest of Cleveland, and the assailant, who was not identified, surrendered when police arrived, Minek said.

He said the attacker apparently didn't know any of the victims.

Two men, aged 26 and 52, were in stable condition at Cleveland MetroHealth Medical Center and two more people were at St. John West Shore Hospital in suburban Westlake, according to nursing supervisors who would not give their names. No further information was given.

Minek said one of those taken to St. John was believed to be the suspect, whose left hand was severely cut.

The train carried 330 people, and the other passengers were put on buses to be taken to Cleveland.

Jackie Mallory, 50, of Chicago was still shaking when she stepped off the train for the bus trip.

"It's been a long night," she said.

Two dead after train hits truck

ELWOOD, Ill. (Associated Press 25Aug99) -- An Amtrak train headed for Chicago collided with a pickup truck this morning, killing two people in the truck, officials said. No one on the train was hurt.

Will County authorities confirm the accident happened around 9 a.m. at a private crossing near Elwood, about 40 miles south of Chicago.

The Statehouse train from St. Louis to Chicago was carrying 103 passengers when the crash occurred, said Amtrak spokeswoman Debbie Hare.

Will County Sheriff's Lt. Marty Shifflet said the train stayed on track and showed little damage, while the truck was "extremely twisted."

"It was demolished and on fire," Shifflet said.

Officials did not immediately release the names of those injured in the truck.

The gravel crossing at the accident site had no flashing lights or gates, Shifflet said.

The train stopped at the site but was expected to continue into Chicago later today, Hare said.

The accident site is about 12 miles south of Joliet along Illinois Route 53.

Oklahoma school bus crash kills one

IDABEL, Okla. (AP) - A school bus carrying about a dozen young pupils was hit by a logging truck and knocked on its side today. At least one person was killed and as many as 19 injured.

The death occurred on the school bus, but the victim's age and identity were not immediately available, Oklahoma Highway Patrol dispatcher Shaun Houston said.

The bus was carrying children to Forest Grove School, which has 130 students from kindergarten through eighth grade. It was driven by the school's superintendent, Wes Watson.

Patrol Lt. Stewart Meyer said the bus, heading north, pulled away from a stop sign at the intersection of a state highway and a county road into the path of the westbound truck. It was hit in the right rear and knocked onto its side.

Watson, 11 children and a teacher were taken to McCurtain Memorial Hospital in Idabel. One child was treated and released, and two more were sent to Wadley Hospital in Texarkana, Texas, with internal injuries, McCurtain spokeswoman Trilla Frazier said.

She did not know the conditions of the other victims.

Francine Francis, a spokeswoman for ChristUS St. Michael Hospital in Texarkana, said one child was in serious but stable condition there.

Five children ranging in age from 5 to 12 were being treated at East Texas Medical Center in Clarksville, Texas, hospital administrator Terry Cutler said.

The accident occurred in Oklahoma's southeastern corner, about 75 miles northwest of Texarkana.

Court rejects derailment award

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) -- A Florida appeals court has rejected attempts by CSX Transportation to throw out a $50 million award to the widow of a police officer killed in a train derailment.

"We are disappointed ... and we are reviewing our appellate options," CSX spokesman Adam Hollingsworth said after Wednesday's decision by the 4th District Court of Appeal.

A jury ruled the railroad disregarded passenger safety when it cut its maintenance work force in half, saving hundreds of millions of dollars.

Miami police officer Paul Palank was one of eight passengers who died when the Amtrak Silver Star slammed into a parked freight train in 1991 near Camden, S.C. Investigators said the derailment was the fault of a corroded pin that caused a malfunction in a switch.

During a trial on the wrongful death lawsuit, there was testimony that CSX lied about how often it did maintenance checks on the tracks, and that it put safety at risk by cutting back on inspection staff to boost profits. Palank's widow was awarded $50 million in punitive damages.

Amtrak says financial results still on track

WASHINGTON, Aug 25 (Reuters) - Amtrak Wednesday (25Aug99) said it continued to make progress toward self-sufficiency aided by increased ridership and commercial ventures.

The national passenger railroad system said its results for the year so year were $11 million better than planned and it remained on course to be free of taxpayer operating subsidies by the end of 2002.

Amtrak's passenger revenues for the last nine months ending June 30 totaled $738 million versus $689 million for the same period a year ago, a six percent improvement, Amtrak spokesman John Wolf said.

Passenger numbers for the fiscal year so far stood at 15.99 million riders, up from 15.53 million a year earlier. Further gains came from commercial ventures such as real estate and telecommunications.

"I am confident that Amtrak's revenue growth will continue as more components of the business plan are implemented," said Amtrak president and chief executive George Warrington in a statement.

Rain, flooding, halts New York morning commute

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Heavy rain flooded major roads and rail systems in and around New York City Thursday, stranding hundreds of thousands of commuters in the morning rush hour, city officials said.

The New York City Transit Authority said six major subway lines in Manhattan were suspended because of flooded tracks. Service was limited on five other major subway lines.

Metro-North railroad, which provides service to New York from the city's northern suburbs, said all three of its lines had been suspended because of flooding.

"We expect that the floods will recede but obviously we can't say when," a Metro-North spokeswoman said. "Several trains are stuck out there."

There were 15-minute delays on the PATH train service in and out of Manhattan from the New Jersey suburbs.

Local radio traffic reports said flooding on major roads such as the West Side Highway and FDR Drive had brought traffic to a halt.

The New York metropolitan area's three major airports, John F. Kennedy International, La Guardia and Newark, New Jersey all reported some delays due to the rain.

Trains to be required to blow whistles at more crossings

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Expect to hear more whistles at more railroad crossings next year, according to Associated Press writer Katherine Rizzo.

The Federal Railroad Administration is drafting a regulation that would order trains to sound warning horns every time they cross a road, unless that crossing has been specifically exempted because of safety improvements.

Communities in Ohio that don't want to hear locomotive whistles dozens of times a day already are investigating how to get one of those exemptions.

"There is a lot of interest in getting a 'quiet zone' waiver," Tom O'Leary, executive director of the Ohio Rail Development Commission, said Wednesday.

He said up to 30 communities are looking at how to do a quiet zone or are waiting on the draft rules for guidance.

Congested communities don't want to hear every train that goes through town, and are complaining about it to the state commission and their representatives in Congress.

"I've got a lot of frustrated constituents," said Rep. Steve LaTourette, R-Ohio.

He and Rep. Dennis Kucinich, D-Ohio, asked the Federal Railroad Administration to pick one of their districts in northeast Ohio for a public hearing when regulations addressing train whistles are released this fall. They suggested Brook Park or Berea, but the quiet zone being discussed in suburban Cleveland also would include Middleburg Heights, Olmsted Falls and Olmsted Township.

O'Leary said it also is an issue in Lakewood, where a one-mile stretch of rail crosses 19 residential streets.

Nationwide, train traffic has increased by 11 percent over the past five years, and complaints about noisy horns have grown as well, said Pamela Barry, a railroad administration spokeswoman.

"It's something that we are taking very seriously," she said. "We need to know that people are going to be safe if the horns aren't going to be blown."

At thousands of rail crossings in 35 states, local ordinances or state laws impose "quiet zones" where trains must refrain from sounding a warning whistle. Those ordinances will be superseded by the federal regulation, a draft of which is to be published late next month or in early October.

When the final regulation takes effect next year, trains will have to sound their horns at every intersection unless communities have taken steps to protect impatient drivers from themselves by installing hard-to-circumvent gates and other crossing protections.

Many communities already are buying four-quadrant gates -- gates that block both lanes of traffic on both sides of a track -- and building intersection median barriers with the goal of getting permission to retain their no-whistling status, Ms. Barry said.

Federal railroad officials went to Middletown, Ohio, earlier this year to discuss crossing improvements officials there could make to qualify for a quiet zone under the still-in-progress regulations.

At a recent meeting in Brook Park, Ohio, some 250 people talked about increased noise from train whistles.

LaTourette said he's heard so much about whistles that he couldn't help but think about the painting "Whistler's Mother."

"It wouldn't be too bad if it was just Whistler's mother complaining. But I've also heard from Whistler's sister, uncle, second cousin, grandmother and prom date," he said.

The train-whistle regulation now under construction was ordered by a 1994 law intended to improve safety at crossings.

The railroad administration studied the issue in 1995 and concluded that there are fewer accidents when trains sound their whistles.

Railroads prepare for peak intermodal shipping season

SAN FRANCISCO -- Intermodal shipping is heading into a critical period, according to Rip Watson of The Journal of Commerce.

This year's peak shipping season comes as CSX and Norfolk Southern are still struggling to restore a semblance of normal Eastern rail service following the June 1 breakup of Conrail.

Railroads say they're prepared for the annual peak season for intermodal shipments.

Intermodal customers, however, are apprehensive. They note that service and equipment problems have plagued four of the last six peak seasons.

"The railroads already are crunched. Equipment is tight and the peak hasn't hit yet. It's not a friendly environment," said George Francis, president of Bay Area Piggyback Service, an intermodal marketing company based in Walnut Creek, Calif.

Francis said he fears there will be equipment shortages for the eastbound movements of California canned goods and wine that begin over the next month.

Ocean carriers are moving thousands of empty boxes westbound due to international trade imbalances for repositioning to Asia, he noted.

The surplus of westbound empty moves has dropped westbound domestic intermodal rates by 50% for shippers who can use 40-foot international boxes instead of the larger domestic containers that Western shippers count on to move wine and canned goods.

Tom Hardin, president of the Hub Group Inc. of Lombard, Ill., the largest North American intermodal logistics company, said he is "cautiously optimistic. The railroads are capable. They are ready."

Hardin said Eastern service has been better in August than it was July, but is still not 100%.

Shippers can expect delays of several hours from past schedules, he said, though predictable service should remain attractive to customers because of lower rates.

"We are not satisfied with where we are now," said Tom Finkbiner, vice president of intermodal for Norfolk Southern. "We are struggling now. There is no doubt about it."

Finkbiner said, however, that equipment supply and terminal space appear to be in good shape, as well as locomotives and line capacity.

He said a decision to cancel three trains that serve Harrisburg, Pa., and move freight to other services should help to resolve remaining problems with crews and congestion.

Chuck Schultz, executive vice president of Burlington Northern & Santa Fe Railway, said the annual surge appears to be happening now because ships are arriving full on the West Coast.

"We're ready," he said. "We should be in good shape carwise, unless the Eastern railroads suck up equipment," Schultz said, adding that "I'm not saying that is going to happen."

Dan Murphy, spokesman for CSX Intermodal, said service is improving. "We are confident that we will be able to provide quality and consistent service during the fall peak," he said.

CSX has leased 291 locomotives to complement its current fleet of 3,664 units, he said.

Some of those locomotives came from Union Pacific Railroad, though neither carrier would say how many units were on loan. UP also has leased equipment to Norfolk Southern.

Those leases, which railroad sources estimate at 300 units, have raised questions about UP's capability to handle the surge.

"We are probably at the peak of our fall crush right now, especially in terms of Christmas shipments," said John Bromley, a Union Pacific spokesman. "August looks like it will be the best of the year, so far."

Among those who are upbeat is Don Orris, chairman and chief executive of Pacer International Inc. of Lafayette, Calif. Pacer is both an intermodal logistics firm and operator of a double-stack train network centered on UP and CSX.

"UP is in much better shape than it was last year," Orris said. "The Norfolk Southern/CSX/Conrail situation is new. I don't know if anyone can judge the challenge that is coming up for the fall season. The environment has changed. The West is much stronger. The East is OK."

Ron MacDonald, senior vice president of Cornerstone Systems of Memphis, Tenn., said he's cautiously optimistic.

"NS and CSX haven't recovered from the Conrail acquisition," he said. "Now we are getting ready to go into the heavy season in Northern California. How can the railroads deal with two major situations at the same time? We'll see whether they can put Band-Aids on the system and keep things going. I think there's a good chance they can pull it off."

Drayage operators such as Dave Wenger, president of Eastern America Transport of Philadelphia, take another view.

"The railroads are struggling," Wenger said. "The NS physical plant is totally incapable of handling the volume right now and new crews are not trained yet. CSX has been doing an outstanding job in the Northeast. What has hurt them is that some NS market share has been diverted to CSX."

The diversion of freight has forced Eastern America to handle freight out of Baltimore instead of the previous rail interchange at Harrisburg, Pa., Wenger said.

Belt Railway of Chicago offers cross-town traffic alternative

CHICAGO - The first concerted effort to eliminate thousands of daily cross-town truck trips through the streets of Chicago, the nation's busiest intermodal gateway, is gaining momentum, according to the Journal of Commerce's Rip Watson.

The charge to keep transcontinental rail moves on track through Chicago is being led by C.T. "Tom" Shurstad, president of the Belt Railway of Chicago, a small terminal railroad that is owned by the six largest North American rail carriers.

"It's a concept that makes a lot of sense, Shurstad said. "When you sit and talk to people about it, they say 'Yes, this is the right thing to do.' "

Cross-town moves result when Eastern and Western railroads must exchange freight without going through a central terminal to swap their freight.

Shurstad envisions a terminal where multiple railcars of intermodal traffic are switched between trains by using lifts that span several tracks.

The result, he believes, should be faster service for customers whose freight already is lifted off trains, hauled across town and lifted back on another train after going through two terminal gates.

As many as 1.3 million cross-town moves are made annually between the Western and Eastern railroads, according to Shurstad. Although an unspecified number of intermodal shipments move directly between Eastern and Western railroads in Chicago, there is wide agreement that far more freight moves between railroads via the cross-town process.

Each cross-town move costs approximately $100, including the trucker's fee, costs for required gate inspection procedures at both ends of the move and rental of a chassis to move the box over the road.

Shurstad claims support from top operating officials at every major railroad who convened in Chicago earlier this year to see what long-term steps could be taken to avoid service problems that occurred earlier this year in that city.

A central intermodal terminal in Chicago is a long way in the future, since there is no funding assigned and no fixed site.

Shurstad said the Belt Railway has a 100-acre parcel that could be a terminal site. The switching company's six owners all use the terminal railroad today to sort carload shipments that move through Clearing Yard on Chicago's South Side. Intermodal freight does not move through that facility, which is designed only for carload freight.

Chicago truckers are divided on the idea of a central intermodal terminal.

"Some people overblow the cross-town problem," said Anthony Pacella, vice president of Cushing Trucking in Cicero, Ill. "If I had a helicopter to lift out all the trucks doing cross-towns, I don't think it would have much of an effect on traffic in Chicago."

Pacella added, "You can't stand in the way of progress if that is the way it (intermodal) is going to go."

George Baima, a vice president of Central States Trucking Co. of Berwyn, Ill., said he's always favored run-through trains at major gateways. "There ought to be a steel-wheel interchange," he said, "but how do we get the railroads to do it?"

Baima also questioned whether customers would accept a delay if an all-rail service was slower than the cross-town process.

"Crosstowns are a fill-in," Baima said. "I make money on pickups and deliveries" for local customers.

He also said that eliminating cross-towns would address concerns about driver availability by allowing drivers to do longer-distance regional moves instead of cross-town trips where drivers are stuck in traffic and must wait at terminals.

Shurstad maintains that federal, state and local government officials will leap to support any plan that will reduce truck traffic.

Shurstad said that even at a cost of $100 million, a new terminal would have a quick payback. Assuming the $100-per-trip estimate is accurate, the annual tab for 1.3 million cross-town moves would be $130 million.

"There is plenty of money to finance this," Shurstad said. "Once you have it laid out, you would have no trouble getting financial support. The next step is to get a terminal designed and get the final endorsement from the chief operating officers" of the railroads.

Shurstad said a central terminal also would resolve constraints on growth of existing facilities that are running out of land.

A new terminal on the Belt Railway also makes sense because the terminal railroad already is directly served by all major carriers, Shurstad said. Any new suburban terminal site would have to create those connections and would need up to 500 acres for equipment storage unless loads are transferred directly between trains.

Campaign for light rail project opens with strong community support

DENVER, Aug. 25 /PRNewswire/ -- A diverse and influential group of citizens has joined together to form the Steering Committee of Metro Moves!, the new issues campaign in support of the proposed Light Rail Project.

A bi-partisan group of local, community and business leaders from all six counties in the Regional Transportation District have pledged their commitment to seeing the ballot measure pass this November 2.

"The broad-based membership in our Steering Committee reflects overwhelming popular support for the light rail project," said campaign manager Will Fox. "We all recognize the absolute necessity of addressing the horrific problems caused by congestion on I-25. People recognize light rail as a critical part of the solution to those problems."

As submitted, the ballot measure calls for voters to approve $457 million in bond funding to begin construction on a light rail system to serve the Southeast corridor. The ballot measure also specifically asserts that no new taxes will be levied or used to pay for the project. Approval of the bond funding is required to obtain an additional $500 million in a federal transportation grant that would allow for completion of the project.

"The goal of Metro Moves is to inform every single voter on the imperative of approving this ballot measure," Fox said. "Members of the Steering Committee will be the eyes and ears of the campaign and will assist in delivering the message of why Metro Denver needs light rail. We also look forward to continually adding more members to the Steering Committee as support builds."

Boise Locomotive awarded $5-million contract to remanufacture locomotives

PITTSBURGH, Aug. 25 /PRNewswire/ -- Boise Locomotive Company, a subsidiary of MotivePower Industries, Inc. (NYSE: MPO), has received an order valued at $5 million to remanufacture seven SD40-3 locomotives for Transtar, Inc.'s Bessemer and Lake Erie railroad in Greenville, Pa.

The work will begin immediately at the company's facility in Boise, Idaho, with delivery scheduled for the fourth quarter of 1999 and first quarter of 2000.

MotivePower Industries www.motivepower.com is a leader in the manufacturing of products for rail and other power-related industries. Through its subsidiaries, the company manufactures and distributes engineered locomotive components; provides locomotive and freight car fleet maintenance; overhauls locomotives, freight cars and diesel engines; manufactures new, environmentally friendly, switcher, commuter and mid-range locomotives up to 4,000 horsepower; and manufactures components for power, marine and industrial markets.

Northeast Pennsylvania Boasts Many Faces Of Railroading For Labor Day

SCRANTON, Pa. - The Steamtown National Historic Site in Scranton, Pa., will open a new exhibit during Labor Day Rail Expo '99, held September 4-6.

The Many Faces of Railroading will feature the sights and sounds of vintage rail equipment with more modern state-of-the-art prototypes and modern rolling stock. Visitors can see an array of vintage steam locomotives, restored passenger coaches, boxcars, flatcars and cabooses. New technology will be represented by Amtrak's Rohr Turbo Liner, Genesis, cafe and sleeper cars.

The celebration also offers rail excursions, behind-the-scenes shop tours and demonstrations, Hobo Camp, first-person living history programs, tours of the Big Boy Union Pacific #4012 locomotive, special postal cancellation featuring the Big Boy and interactive exhibits for children.

Food and live music will also be very plentiful as La Festa Italiana takes over downtown's Courthouse Square, where visitors can enjoy entertainment and Italian food. The Montage Mountain Performing Arts Center will close their summer concert season with the performances of two legendary bands: Jethro Tull on September 3 and the Moody Blues with the Northeast Pennsylvania Philharmonic taking the stage for a Labor Day matinee. Reservations are recommended. Call 800-229-3526.

Train strike strands Peru tourists

CUZCO, Peru (AP) -- Tourists were stranded for a second straight day Wednesday at Peru's Machu Picchu ruins over a strike by railroad workers worried about their jobs.

Many of the visitors to the ancient Inca citadel paid premium prices to leave by helicopter or braved an 18-mile hike to waiting buses to carry them back to the historic city of Cuzco.

Earlier reports that limited rail service to the tourist mecca had resumed couldn't be immediately confirmed.

Workers protesting the privatization of the rail line began blocking the track Tuesday between the mountaintop ruins and Cuzco with logs and stone barricades. Hundreds of state-employed rail workers stand to lose their jobs in the sale.

On Wednesday, hundreds of police moved in to clear the tracks of protesters and barricades.

Each day about 1,000 tourists take the train from Cuzco to the Inca trails that lead to Machu Picchu, or to Aguas Calientes, the town nestled below Peru's most popular tourist attraction, about 350 miles southeast of Lima.

Rail travel is the best way to travel to the tourist site because of the poor conditions of roads in the high Andes.

A private consortium recently won a 30-year concession to operate the 85-mile line as part of Peru's privatization of its rail system.

Many tourists stranded in Aguas Calientes either flew out in private helicopters, many paying $150, or hiked about 18 miles to catch buses back to Cuzco.

Private Helicusco flights increased its normal two flights a day to 17 on Wednesday, officials said. But the normal flow of tourists slowed to a trickle.

The National Rail Company will transfer control of the rail system, which has 980 miles of track, to various private consortiums Sept. 21.

Police used tear gas to break up another rail strike Wednesday in Chosica, 18 miles east of Lima.