UTU News Digest - Friday, September 10, 1999

UTU Daily News Digest

Information of interest to operating railroad and transportation employees

Friday, September 10, 1999

Democrats block mass transit cuts

WASHINGTON -- Democrats blocked an attempt today to protect oil companies from having to pay increased royalties and thwarted proposed cuts in federal mass-transit funds for the two biggest states, according to Associated Press reporter H. Josef Hebert.

The oil and mass-transit disputes threatened Senate action on two massive spending bills, for transportation and a variety of natural resource and energy programs.

Republicans failed to get the required 60 votes to cut off debate on mass-transit proposals in the $49 billion transportation bill. Democrats had promised to filibuster the bill because it would cut transit funds for California and New York, while increasing money to other states. Further action on the bill is uncertain.

A short time later, Republicans were forced to temporarily set aside an amendment that would block the Interior Department from imposing new rules on royalty payments on oil taken from federal land. An attempt will be made next week to cut off debate as opponents of the amendment threatened a filibuster.

The Interior Department has argued that current royalty assessments undercharge oil companies as much as $66 million a year for oil taken from federal land. Oil-state lawmakers have argued the new rules would amount to an unfair tax on oil producers at a time when the industry already is facing troubled economic times.

Congress for two years has blocked the Clinton administration from implementing the royalty change. The amendment offered by Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, R-Texas, would extend the moratorium for a third year.

Hutchison's amendment has majority support, but Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., objected repeatedly to the issue coming to a vote. Republicans will need 60 votes to cut off debate next week, or the amendment will have to be withdrawn.

Meanwhile, the Senate took steps as part of the Interior spending bill to override two court decisions that have blocked already-curtailed timber sales on thousands of acres of federal forest in the Northwest and the South.

The timber sales by the U.S. Forest Service were put on hold earlier this year when two federal judges found the government failed to adequately assess the potential harm to rare plants and wildlife.

The courts, one in Georgia and another in Washington state, ordered new, detailed surveys of species before new logging permits were to be issued.

But a provision in the $14 billion Interior Department spending bill, being debated this week in the Senate, declares that federal agencies -- not the courts -- should have the "sole discretion" on what surveys should be conducted. It would give the Forest Service the go-ahead to proceed with timber sales using a more limited species assessment.

An attempt by Sen. Sen. Charles Robb, D-Va., to delete the provision failed today by a 45-52 vote.

Robb said the provision will result "in costly delays and lawsuits with no benefit to the health of public lands" because environmental groups will challenge renewed logging without the additional surveys.

But Sen. Slade Gorton, R-Wash., said the language "simply authorizes ... (agencies) to conduct their business ... as they have in the past."

The logging controversy stems from decisions in which judges determined that the Forest Service wasn't adequately surveying forests for endangered species prior to issuing logging permits.

First a judge blocked timber sales in the Chattahoochee National Forest in the South. Then, another judge suspended timber sales in Oregon and Washington under the compromise Northwest Forest Plan forged in 1994 as a way to allow limited cutting and still protect the endangered spotted owl.

Republican Sens. Slade Gorton of Washington and Larry Craig of Idaho crafted language in the Interior bill aimed at overcoming the new court restrictions.

Craig maintained the suspension of already curtailed timber sales amounted to a broken promise to loggers, who under the 1994 agreement were assured some timber harvesting.

The industry has estimated that about 550 million board feet of timber will not be cut in the Northwest because of the court requirement for more detailed forest surveys for sensitive species. Logging on 8,000 acres of federal forest in the South also has been affected.

Chemical shippers are happy but new Union Pacific yard has others complaining

OMAHA -- Union Pacific Railroad is a study in extremes lately. Depending on which shippers you talk to, they're either going great guns or they're stalling, according to an article in Traffic World magazine by John Gallagher.

Take chemical shippers. Two years ago, these were the customers - many of which, not surprisingly, were captive to the railroad - that led the outcry at the Surface Transportation Board and on Capitol Hill for something to be done about UP's service problems. But a recent informal poll now reveals some very satisfied customers.

"UP service is actually better than before the merger," said chemical shipper Diane El-Hakim, senior distribution analyst at Degussa-Huls Corp. She noted that over the last four months, moves of over 500 miles have shown a one- to two-day improvement - and that's one way. "Cycle times are better and our billing problems are gone. And there is a speedier return of our empties."

The Chemical Manufacturers Association, which had diligently kept track of costs to its members as a result of UP's service disruptions, has had no reason to poll its members for over a year. "We haven't received any recent complaints - then again, we haven't been out looking for them either," said CMA's Randy Speight. "But it's been apparent from discussions with our members that UP has made definite service improvements."

Even paper shippers, whose boxcar fleets traditionally have received short shrift from the railroads, have had nice things to say. "For us, they were at 50 percent on-time delivery when things were bad," said a major paper products shipper who declined to be identified. "Now they're at 62 percent. Now they're the ones that are pushing up our average, when you factor in the scores we're getting from the other railroads."

But customers in California see a different UP, and the focus seems to be on the railroad's refurbished and expanded classification yard in Roseville, 17 miles east of Sacramento. The new $145 million Davis Yard, named after UP Vice Chairman Jerry Davis, opened on May 26. Touted as the largest rail facility in the western U.S., the 915-acre yard is UP's Northern California hub and has eight receiving tracks, 55 classification tracks, 247 switches and more than 86 miles of new track. The yard's bowl can hold up to 2,000 cars. UP says it will process trains twice as fast as the old Southern Pacific yard that formerly occupied the site. It consolidates switching that previously had been done at yards in California, Nevada and Oregon. And that's been the cause of congestion problems in Northern California, according to customers.

Intermodal competition awaits full activation of new NS, CSX facilities

ATLANTA -- To gauge the level of intermodal competition between Norfolk Southern and CSX Intermodal, one need look no farther than Atlanta, according to John Gallagher writing in Traffic World.

In terms of the number of lifts per year at existing facilities, NS has a slight edge: roughly 400,000 lifts at its Inman yard versus 300,000 at CSXI's Hulsey yard. But who gets the edge in the future - at least in terms of capacity - won't be clear until the railroads begin churning out business at their new facilities. CSXI has a head start: the first phase of its Fairburn yard, located southwest of Atlanta in Fairburn, Ga., opened on June 1, and is operating at a rate of 115,000 to 200,000 lifts a year. It's operating on 160 of the 500 acres it owns there. By phase three, it will have the capacity for 750,000 lifts a year and will be dedicated to international traffic. "Atlanta is critical to us for two reasons," said CSXI spokesman Dan Murphy. "First, because it's a growing area and, second, it's our Southeast hub, so a lot of traffic is never lifted but goes straight through."

NS was more guarded about the details of its new facility in Austell, Ga., northwest of Atlanta, which is scheduled to open in late September. "It will be the largest facility in Atlanta," said Mike McClellan, assistant vice president, intermodal marketing. It will handle both domestic and intermodal traffic, while Inman will focus on domestic freight and premium-service business, McClellan said. Phase one, scheduled for completion in 14 months, will encompass 250 of the 850 acres of land that NS owns at the site. It's an integrated project, meaning that construction on phase two will begin as soon as phase one is completed, he said.

Both CSXI and NS have had to go through the usual hoops to get permitting for their new digs. "It was a long process," Murphy said. "Most of the property was already zoned for heavy industrial use, but there was a smaller piece that needed to be rezoned, so we had to redesign the facility, building berms and hills to keep out the noise. There are small communities nearby and people were reluctant at first; understandably, they didn't want a big loud facility nearby." But with the redesign, CSXI compromised and the community "had to give us a chance to prove ourselves, and I think we have. Since the facility opened, people have been supportive. The noise has not been an onerous factor," Murphy said.

NS, which had similar snags in the process of obtaining approvals for its new project, expects to have its final permit from the Army Corps of Engineers within the next several weeks, McClellan said. Although the focus for NS increasingly will be at its new facility in Austell, the railroad is busy making changes at Inman as well. A three-year expansion project is slated for completion in three weeks, said Cary Booth, director of Eastern regional intermodal operations for NS. The purpose of the project was to give NS more loading flexibility on the eight tracks at Inman dedicated to intermodal traffic.

"There were inefficiencies there, because only three tracks were capable of bottom, top and pin lifting," Booth said. "This meant that you couldn't do certain kinds of lifts on certain tracks, and therefore had to move things around or wait. It made things complicated." But gradually converting all eight tracks to all three types of lifting, "everything is all-purpose, which means we're more flexible now, and allows us to increase capacity," he said, adding that NS will look to gain roughly 5 percent to 7 percent in volume at Inman each year.

Both railroads said that before they can realize single-line opportunities promised with the Conrail acquisition, they still have to iron out integration difficulties. "Right now we're limiting new service until we get all the bugs ironed out," Booth said. CSXI's Murphy said, "We're still trying to get our sea legs. We're trying to get the entire operation consistent." NS and CSX downplay the competition between them for intermodal business in the area. Said NS's Booth, "There's huge growth opportunity in Atlanta, so we're pursuing that. We want to get more business, whether that comes off the highway or from CSX. Atlanta is rapidly growing and we're expanding to handle that opportunity, regardless of where it comes from."

Illinois will feel brunt of new train whistle rules

WASHINGTON - Federal officials are getting serious about warning horns at railroad crossings in an attempt to prevent accidents like the Bourbonnais, Ill., train crash that killed 11 and wounded more than 100, according to the Associated Press.

The Federal Railroad Administration is writing a new regulation, proposed to take effect late next year, that would order trains to sound their whistles every time they near an intersection.

The issue is important in Illinois like almost nowhere else.

The Prairie State, with its miles and miles of track, had racked up the second-most deaths at grade crossings even before the New Orleans-bound Amtrak train smashed into a steel-laden semitrailer in March. Between 1991 and 1998, Illinois saw 288 deaths - behind only Texas.

Illinois also has the second-highest number of crossings, meaning more noise for many communities if the regulation is approved. The state has a total of 15,746 crossings, including those on private as well as public property.

And the new rule would likely supersede the hundreds of state laws and local ordinances enacted to create so-called "quiet zones" in communities where noisy locomotive whistles are banned.

Illinois ranks high in that category as well. With 121 so-called "whistle bans" covering 898 crossings already in place, Illinois has more than 25 percent of all such laws passed around the country, according to the FRA.

Under the new regulation, such quiet zones would be allowed only in communities that have taken often extremely expensive steps to protect impatient drivers from themselves by installing hard-to-circumvent gates, median walls or other protections.

For Kankakee Mayor Tom Green, the clash between safety experts and trackside neighbors is a no-brainer. Kankakee is near the site of the March Amtrak crash, and another Amtrak train hit a pickup truck not far away in Elwood last month, killing two people.

"There is always the inconvenience of the noise pollution problem, but it's not like it occurs every five or 10 minutes," Green said.

He can hear train whistles blow at night from his home, even though he lives far from the tracks. But Green doesn't mind, because he believes the horns can make a crash less likely. He hopes others feel the same.

"Anything we can do to prevent death and injury, we should do," he said.

Although it is not now required by federal law, most major railroads already require whistles. However, where and how they are blown is inconsistent.

For instance, New York state law requires train whistles. Florida, however, enacted a statewide "whistle ban," although it was blocked by the federal government after accidents increased dramatically following the change.

The FRA expects to hold hearings on the draft regulation, after its expected release sometime next month. At least one of those forums is nearly certain to be held in Illinois because of its central role in the nation's rail activity, said FRA spokesman Warren Flatau.

Among the issues to be addressed include how loud the whistles should be, for how long they should be sounded and how to handle emergencies in communities with "quiet zones."

And Illinois has a head start on some of the newest crossing-safety technology.

Illinois is the first state to test the effectiveness of special "dragnets," which descend to stop vehicles from driving around crossing gates. Able to stop fully loaded semitrailers going 60 mph, the $1.2 million nets were installed by state and federal officials at Chenoa and McLean in central Illinois and Hartford near Alton.

Alameda Corridor agency approves contract for interchange work

LOS ANGELES COUNTY-- The public agency building the Alameda Corridor rail cargo expressway Thursday (Sept. 9) approved its second largest contract for construction of a new interchange that will ease traffic and rail congestion immediately north of the ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles.

The Governing Board of the Alameda Corridor Transportation Authority (ACTA) approved a $76.3 million contract -- its largest remaining construction contract -- with Shimmick Construction/Obayashi, JV for construction of the Henry Ford Avenue Grade Separation. The Shimmick/Obayashi team, based in Hayward, Calif., submitted the lowest responsive bid for the work.

The Henry Ford Avenue Grade Separation project calls for construction of a mile-long, two-track railroad bridge over Dominguez Channel and freeway ramps; replacement of a single-track railroad bridge; widening of the Henry Ford Avenue vehicle bridge over the channel to six lanes from four lanes; and widening of the Henry Ford Avenue on-ramps and off-ramps at the Terminal Island Freeway (State Route 47) to three lanes from two.

Construction is expected to begin in October and be completed in early 2002.

"This was our largest remaining contract -- an important milestone for a project of this magnitude and significance," said Long Beach City Councilman Jeffrey A. Kellogg, chairman of the ACTA Governing Board. "This is a key component of the Alameda Corridor."

ACTA, a joint partnership between the cities and ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles, is building a 20-mile-long railroad cargo expressway from the ports to the transcontinental rail yards near downtown Los Angeles.

The $2.4 billion project, scheduled for completion in 2002, will speed the flow of cargo and reduce traffic congestion by eliminating conflicts at more than 200 street-level railroad crossings.

Overnite workers win certification in Detroit, Mich.

WASHINGTON -- Workers at Overnite's Detroit, Michigan terminal received notice from the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) that their 1995 election victory for Teamster representation was finally certified.

The one hundred Overnite workers won their election with 63 percent of the vote on March 15, 1995. Their certification was delayed for more than four years because Overnite spent thousands of dollars to stall it.

As with Lexington, Bowling Green, and other election victories, Overnite challenged the election because workers were taking pictures during the voting. The Company claimed that the photo taking intimidated the workers. As with the challenges at the other terminals, the NLRB denied the challenge.

Teamsters now represent workers at 37 Overnite terminals.

The Overnite organizing drive began in 1994. The Teamsters currently represent more than 3,000 Overnite workers at thirty-seven terminals (approximately 40-45% of Overnite 8,200 drivers and dock workers). Overnite's total workforce (including clerical, security, management, etc.) is almost 13,000, at 166 terminals around the country.

Of the thirty-seven (37) terminals represented by the Teamsters, twenty- five (25) are certified by the NLRB, one (1) certification is pending, and eleven (11) have been assigned bargaining orders by the NLRB because of massive unfair labor law violations by the Company. Overnite unlawfully closed five terminals, which are not included in the thirty-seven total.

On September 2, 1999, 70 percent of the workers at Overnite's Laredo, Texas, terminal voted for Teamster representation.

There are two upcoming elections for Teamster representation: the workers at Overnite's Los Angeles terminal have a September 28, 1999, election date and the workers at Overnite Syracuse, New York terminal have a September 30, 1999, election date.

Overnite is a subsidiary of Union Pacific Corporation.

Officials urge 2nd Ave. subway line for NYC

NEW YORK -- Elected officials urged the New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority to seek enough funds to pay for a Second Avenue subway line running the length of Manhattan, the New York Times reported Thursday (Sept. 9).

The MTA described alternatives for a Second Avenue subway line in its five-year capital plan in August. The most ambitious version offered by the agency would run under Second Avenue from 125th Street to 63rd Street, where it would switch to tracks now used by the N and R lines.

The original plan for a Second Avenue subway line from the Bronx to the financial district in lower Manhattan was scrapped in the 1970s because of the city's fiscal crisis. Only the Lexington Avenue subway line runs north-south on the East side of Manhattan, and those trains are extremely overcrowded.

Gary Caplan, the MTA's budget director, defended the proposal for a shorter line when he testified before the City Council Transportation Committee, the article said.

He said extending the Second Avenue line south of 63rd Street would create only an additional one percent reduction in crowding at the Grand Central stop on the Lexington Avenue line and five percent at the line's 86th Street station over the reductions the shorter line would create. He also said it would cost more than twice as much as the shorter line at an estimated $3.6 billion, the Times said.

The authority also has plans for a Long Island Rail Road link to Grand Central Terminal, which is strongly supported by Gov. George Pataki, who controls the MTA. The MTA is expected to present its five-year capital plan to its board of directors on Sept. 29.

DataWave installs Telecard Merchandisers at Amtrak

VANCOUVER, BC-- DataWave has signed an agreement with Intera Communications Corporation to install its Telecard Merchandisers (DTMs) at a number of Amtrak stations on the West Coast. Future plans include the expansion of this program to other locations.

DataWave designs, develops, produces, owns and manages a proprietary, intelligent, automated direct-merchandising network known as the DataWave System. The company uses the DataWave System to distribute prepaid calling cards. The DataWave System is comprised of DataWave Telecard Merchandisers (DTMs), which are free-standing intelligent machines capable of dispensing multiple prepaid products. The DTMs are connected to the Company's proprietary server and database software through a wireless and/or land line wide area network.

Amtrak experienced a 5.1 percent increase in ridership last year, bringing their total number of passengers to more than 21 million per annum. As part of their increased focus on consistency and quality of service, they were quick to see the benefits of introducing the unique DataWave System to offer their customers a convenient way of buying prepaid long distance calling cards.

Intera Communications Corporation is a leading provider of telecommunications management services to the corporate and public communications marketplace. It provides a single source of solutions for its clients' pay phone and prepaid calling card needs and eliminates the inconvenience of multiple service vendors. Because of DataWave's proven track record, Intera had no hesitation in offering the DTMs and their turnkey marketing program to Amtrak.

"DataWave is a first-rate organization that is easy to work with on national accounts. Because of their reliable technology, impressive follow-up and helpful personnel, I would strongly recommend DataWave as a premier provider of vending solutions for prepaid calling cards." said Carolyn Morain, Regional Account Manager of Intera Communications Corp.

Prepaid long distance calling cards have long been a favorite with international travelers and are fast growing in popularity in the U.S. The leading-edge technology of the DataWave System eliminates the customer service issues that are normally associated with this type of product. For the added convenience of travelers, cards are rechargeable by calling a toll-free number within the U.S. and Canada.

DataWave is proud to add the name of Amtrak to their ever-growing list of clients in the travel/tourist industry.

Once A Sci-Fi Dream, Skycar Nears Reality

DAVIS, Calif.-- Once the stuff of science fiction fantasy, the Skycar is rocketing toward reality fast enough to make Buck Rogers' head spin, according to Andrew Quinn of Reuters.

Picture a four-passenger sedan streaking through the clouds at 350 miles per hour. Picture a souped-up sports car that takes off with the panache of a jump jet. Picture fuel mileage and -- eventually -- a price tag comparable to that of a mid-priced sport utility vehicle.

Now picture the prototype Skycar, sitting in streamlined splendor in a vast room at Moller International's headquarters in Davis, California. Over the next several months, the Skycar will begin its first trial flights and, its champions hope, launch a new chapter in human transportation history.

Automobile industry analysts say they are not worried that America's beloved cars are headed the way of the dodo bird. But for the Skycar team, the future is clearly in the clouds.

"This vehicle will be a total failure if it doesn't do something to significantly replace the automobile," said inventor Paul Moller, who has fought for three decades to realize his vision of a future of "vertiports" and computerized airborne traffic like the Jetsons TV show.

"Forget the automobile ... the automobile is headed south," Moller said.

His passion for the Skycar and its potential to change society is shared by some senior U.S. government scientists, who say he is perfecting the technology necessary to spring commuters from earthbound traffic jams and send them flying free into the skies.

"It is not a question of if but of when," said Dennis Bushnell, chief scientist at NASA's Langley Research Center, the nation's leading civil aeronautics laboratory. "The market is there. The technology is there. What will slow this down is government regulation."

LOOK, MA, IT'S A FLYING BATMOBILE

The M400 Skycar, the result of 30 years of research and the equivalent of more than $100 million in investment, certainly looks like futuristic transportation.

With a slim, tapered body hunched between four massive engine cases, the vehicle resembles a ruby-red Batmobile equipped with jets and an elegant single wing rising like a gigantic spoiler off the tail.

The passenger compartment features a bubble-like glass canopy to provide views of the landscape below and the endless sky above. The four-seater model is designed to carry a maximum payload of 740 pounds, have a range of up to 900 miles and get roughly 15 miles-per-gallon, using regular automotive fuel.

The price tag, thus far, is estimated at a steep $1 million. But Moller officials say they are confident that, with time and increased production, the price could be brought down to a more affordable $60,000.

Jack Allison, the company's vice president, said flight tests were scheduled to begin behind closed doors by the end of September, and that the plan was to display an airborne Skycar to the world media by the end of the year -- although initially the vehicle would only be shown hovering, tethered to a crane.

"We want to be close to 100 percent confident before we take it in front of the public," Allison said.

FATHER OF THE AMERICAN FLYING SAUCER

When the M400 makes its public debut, it will take its place in a long line of "vertical take off and landing" (VTOL) vehicles that Paul Moller has created, including a series of wacky, flying saucer-style machines that proved more photogenic than airworthy.

Moller, a Canadian-born engineer fascinated by the hovering techniques of hummingbirds and mosquitoes, began working on a VTOL, or "volantor," in his garage in the early 1960s while he was a professor at the University of California at Davis.

His first effort, the XM-2, was powerful enough to take off but proved wobbly in the air. For the next 20 years he tinkered with the idea, becoming so committed to its success that he left the university to found Moller International.

In 1989 he introduced the M200X, a volantor in which the pilot sits in the middle of a round disc that has eight high-powered fans arranged around its rim. This vehicle was able to take to the air and had good vertical thrust and stability. But it proved balky, sending Moller and his engineering team back to the drawing board.

The scientists agreed that the keys to the project were the engines, which had to be both powerful and lightweight enough to send the Skycar soaring. The answer was found in the rotary engine developed by German scientist Felix Wankel in 1957.

Unlike traditional piston engines, Wankel's engine features a triangular rotor turning inside a combustion chamber, a simple and efficient design that has only two moving parts. Moller modified the Wankel engine further, making it significantly lighter and connecting it directly to the fan blades that generate thrust for the Skycar.

This thrust is directed through the rounded engine housing and shoots jet-like through vanes that can be angled downward to generate lift, as well as back for forward push.

Having bought the technology behind the Wankel engine in 1985, Moller International's improvements have made the motors into a marketable commodity once again. Smaller versions of the engine have been fitted in motorcycles, boats and into a hybrid gas-electric car, all markets for an engine that promises both reliability and relatively low pollution levels.

But for Moller the engine will always be first and foremost the "enabling technology" for his Skycar -- the next big thing in moving people around the globe.

IT'S A BIRD, IT'S A PLANE, IT'S A SKYCAR

Moller's supporters in the scientific community say the Skycar will revolutionize the way people live, a transformation as great as when the automobile supplanted the horse-and-buggy.

With advances in satellite tracking technology, planners are close to implementing a system that would allow computers to run small aircraft like the Skycar as 100 percent "fly-by-wire" vehicles -- removing the need for on board pilots and removing the danger of a fender bender at 20,000 feet.

NASA's Bushnell said that with computer controlled Skycars moving efficiently through the skies, highway traffic jams would vanish. The vast range afforded by the new vehicles would also change the structure of the community, feeding into similar changes being wrought by the Internet.

"There is a lot of empty space in this country," Bushnell said. "With telecommuting, and this machine, you can live where wherever you want. The country will de-urbanize to a much greater extent than it is now."

Automobile industry analysts have been a much harder sell, with few placing bets that the station wagon is headed for the dust heap of history any time soon.

"You haven't even got computers running cars yet, let alone aircraft," said Jim Hall, an analyst at Autopacific Inc.

"But the real issue is affordability, and the affordability of this thing is not proven. If they end up making a $300,000 flying car that's great, but it's not a growth market."