Promoting passenger trains as a transportation alternative in Florida since 1983.  We are citizens who advocate for Amtrak, commuter rail, intercity rail and transit for Florida's future.

The Silver Rail Blog

  • HSR

    13 Jan 2010 5:52 AM | Stephen Sayles (Administrator)
  • 13 Jan 2010 5:44 AM | Stephen Sayles (Administrator)

    Here is an article that appears on Bay News 9 regarding the kick off campaign for the HSR segment between Tampa and Orlando.

    Note: the rally starts at a station that will never be used: Tampa Union Station.

    Steve Sayles
    President FCRP

    http://www.baynews9.com/content/36/2010/1/12/569215.html

  • 12 Jan 2010 4:48 PM | Jackson McQuigg (Administrator)

    STATE OF AMERICA’S PASSENGER RAILROAD

    Amtrak President and CEO Joseph Boardman

    Transportation Research Forum

    Washington, D.C.

    January 12, 2010

    Written remarks as prepared.

     

    Thank you for inviting me to be here with you at the Transportation Research Forum.

    The day before Thanksgiving in 2008 I became Amtrak’s CEO. In the past 14 months I have learned that there are so many others out there interested in making news about Amtrak, that the only news delivered by a CEO seems to be related to his or her resignation.

    I say that partly in jest. No, this is not a resignation speech undefined I plan on being Amtrak’s CEO for a long time.

    But my point is that someone, somewhere already knows undefined or thinks they know undefined everything there is to know about what is happening at Amtrak or should be happening at Amtrak and they write about it somewhere: a newsletter; a blog; a widely dispersed e-mail; or even a trade journal.

    Why is that?

    I would like to offer three reasons:

    The name “Amtrak” is a blend of the words “America” and “Track.” On May 1, 1971 Amtrak became America’s Railroad, and it still is. At Amtrak’s inception, rumors were already being spread that it was created to fail and to eliminate passenger rail in this country. Disquieted by the rumors, those who believed in America’s Railroad kept very close track of the railroad, making sure that any news would be known right away. They existed then, and they exist today.

    Because of the way Amtrak was created, we must collaborate with lots of people before we can make important decisions, and in some cases even not-so-important decisions. About 70 percent of the train-miles traveled by Amtrak trains are on tracks owned by freight and commuter railroads. Changes require discussion, whether it’s with the host railroads, communities we serve, elected officials, or rail consumer organizations. In addition, we have 14 unions and two councils that represent our workforce and naturally they stay very engaged in changes that might be considered.

    As a government-supported business, Amtrak must be transparent in what it does and what its strategy is. We provide testimony to Senate and House Committees, are evaluated by an Amtrak IG, USDOT IG, the GAO and a private financial audit every year.

    I raise this because there has been so much uncertainty in Amtrak’s history that the people who care about passenger rail – and some who don’t undefined appear to be conditioned to look for or make news about Amtrak.

    So my message is: Stop living in the past 39 years of worry that passenger rail is going away. The truth is that we’re in the midst of a transformational chapter for Amtrak and passenger rail in America. We’re taking action this year, and look forward to next year undefined Amtrak’s 40th undefined to shed that worry once and for all.

    Here’s why:

    Congress has given America’s Railroad a strong long-term mission and the White House has presented a vision for passenger rail in America. That support yields funding to make enduring capital investments, including substantial funds from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

    There is also tremendous support for new and expanded passenger rail at the state level.

    Accordingly, Amtrak is pursuing a growth-oriented mission undefined we’ve moved beyond mere survival.

    All of us (both inside and outside Amtrak), must reform our thinking and our approach to key issues. We must renew and rebuild our infrastructure and fleet of equipment, be innovative, and pursue opportunities and decisions that make good business sense.

    I am proud to inform you that over the past year Amtrak is doing all of that undefined and more. Amtrak IS changing and rising to meet the challenge.

    And I can say without hesitation that THE STATE OF AMERICA’S PASSENGER RAILROAD IS STRONG AND WE ARE OPTIMISTIC.

    Amtrak enters 2010 with enthusiasm and purpose.

    RIDERSHIP

    We just closed the books on the best first quarter ever for ridership in Amtrak history. We carried nearly 7.2 million passengers in the first quarter undefined breaking the previous record set in FY 08, which was our best year ever.

    In fact, Amtrak is experiencing a long-term trend of rising ridership, from 21.6 million in FY 2002 to 27.2 million in FY 2009, with an all-time record of 28.7 million in FY 2008.

    Since FY 2004 through the most current numbers available in third quarter of FY 2009, Amtrak’s share of the rail / air market has been on the rise in many locations.

    On the Northeast Corridor, the Amtrak share of the rail / air market between New York and Washington increased from 50 percent to 61 percent. During the same period, for the New York-Boston market, the Amtrak share rose from 39 percent to 50 percent.

    Similarly, our share of the Chicago-St Louis market was 10 percent and increased to 16 percent. During the same period, for the Los Angeles-San Diego market, Amtrak’s share went from 73 percent to 97 percent.

    AMTRAK GOALS

    We are setting aggressive goals to maximize our new opportunities. To make certain Amtrak has a clear set of goals and priorities undefined and that they support those of Congress and the White House undefined last October we issued new Strategic Guidance and a detailed Five-Year Financial plan.

    Combined, the two documents create a new vision for Amtrak undefined the first new vision statement for the railroad since 2005.

    That vision is built on six fundamental goals to be safer, greener, healthier and to improve financial performance and customer service, and to meet national needs.

    SAFER

    Amtrak has a good safety record and we intend to be the safest railroad in the world for our passengers, our 19,800 employees and the communities in which we operate.

    But we aim to further improve safety and security by making risk-reduction a top priority.. This approach to safety complements, and does not replace, traditional rules-based compliance programs.

    To that end, we are moving forward with two risk-reduction initiatives.

    Underway now is Safe-2-Safer, an approach to safety and security that aims to reduce injuries by promoting a more collaborative environment in which employees at all levels work together to change at-risk behaviors to safe behaviors.

    Working with our labor unions, we are helping supervisors become better leaders, and establishing teams of managers and front-line employees to identify ways to make our tracks, shops, stations and trains become even safer and more secure places.

    By mid-2010, we intend to begin a Federal Railroad Administration-sponsored program called Close Call Reporting. It allows close-call events that did not result in an accident or injury undefined but could have undefined to be anonymously reported by employees so that safety improvements can be made as appropriate.

    I realize this change in approach to safety will take time to take hold. Successfully changing habits and mindsets that have been in place for so long will take time, but I am convinced it will produce positive results.

    Remember undefined the challenge is to reform our thinking and our approach to key issues.

    In addition, Amtrak is committed to an aggressive schedule to install Positive Train Control (PTC) technology. We have PTC on some, but not all, of our tracks now on the Northeast Corridor and in Michigan.

    By our self-imposed deadline of the end of 2012 undefined three years BEFORE a Congressional deadline for the rail industry undefined we will have installed PTC on the remaining 308 route miles along the Amtrak-owned or maintained Northeast Corridor and on the last 50 route miles of our line in Michigan where the technology is not currently available.

    On the security front, Amtrak has in place a range of robust behind-the-scenes and front-line security measures to help safeguard our passengers and employees.

    We will continue to expand our K-9 explosive detection teams, harden more stations and continue to extend the reach of our security activities by strengthening cooperative inter-agency operations with local, state, federal and international law enforcement and counterterrorism partners.

    Our partnerships include representation on the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Forces and conducting more than 130 joint VIPR security operations at 38 different stations with the Transportation Security Agency last year.

    In addition, we now have 45 qualified K-9 explosive detection teams undefined nearly triple the number of just a few years ago. They are among the most sophisticated in the country and can detect various explosive substances, including the type used in the Christmas Day airline terrorist plot.

    For 2010, passengers will see a more interactive police and security presence with greater emphasis on random and unpredictable patrol deployment, screenings and other activities in stations and on trains.

    GREENER

    In 2009, through our membership with the Climate Registry and Climate Counts, we joined efforts to voluntarily and publicly report our greenhouse gas emissions and undergo an independent assessment of our programs to reduce our carbon footprint.

    Amtrak is a founding member of the Chicago Climate Exchange, and will meet or exceed our commitment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions (CO2) from diesel fuel by 6 percent by the end 2010.

    In addition, Amtrak is taking action to conserve energy, water and other resources at buildings and other facilities.

    HEALTHIER

    The health of a company relates to its vital signs. We are making enduring investments to better the reliability of our infrastructure and fleet and our ability to grow business with new and existing partners.

    During 2009, Amtrak conducted a comprehensive examination of its locomotive and passenger railcar needs. Our fleet plan, with an identified funding mechanism, will be announced in February as part of our annual legislative and grant request to Congress.

    It will include the purchase of several hundred single-level and bi-level long-distance passenger railcars and more than a hundred locomotives. This major equipment purchase will replace and expand the fleet and support American rail manufacturing industries, creating jobs in the United States.

    Separately, but related, Amtrak expects to make contract awards this spring for 130 single-level long-distance cars and 20 electric locomotives.

    How we pay for these plans could involve a range of options.

    In fact, Congress is currently considering additional capital funding for Amtrak as part of Stimulus 2, as they call it. The House bill includes $800 million for rehabilitation and acquisition of new equipment. We will need to see what the Senate version offers, but we see the House bill as a positive statement of support.

    Amtrak is making good use of the $1.3 billion we received from the Obama administration’s American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. Of the $1.3 billion, Amtrak has awarded $596.5 million in contracts for 113 projects.

    With those funds, we will also be rehabilitating and restoring damaged or stored equipment including 60 Amfleet, one Viewliner and 20 Superliner cars, and 15 P-40 diesel-electric locomotives.

    For those who question whether the stimulus funds have created jobs, I can tell you that so far we have created over 600 Amtrak jobs and another 200 in vendor organizations with which we have contracted as a result of ARRA-funded projects. Beyond ARRA, we will spend $442 million for our annual capital program for several other major projects to repair and replace tracks, bridges and other key infrastructure.

    Being a healthier Amtrak helps position itself as THE provider and partner of choice for commuter, intercity passenger rail and high-speed rail service.

    We currently have partnerships with 15 states accounting for nearly 50 percent of our average weekday departures and we plan to foster more. Over the next five years, Amtrak is seeking to establish at least eight service expansions as part of existing state partnerships and form at least two new state partnerships.

    Last year, we added our 15th partnership when we entered into a contract with Virginia to provide new Northeast Regional service between Lynchburg and Washington, D.C. We expect to add another frequency between Richmond and Washington, D.C. this summer.

    Also starting in 2010, is an additional Piedmont frequency between Raleigh and Charlotte in partnership with North Carolina.

    On the commuter front, Amtrak is currently working out final details to provide Train and Engine crews to operate all seven lines of the Los Angeles-based Metrolink commuter rail service starting this summer.

    A healthier Amtrak also means we are dedicating significant resources to modernize and replace outdated IT systems and business processes critical to the delivery of service such as for internal business processes and for reservation and ticketing.

    IMPROVED FINANCIAL PERFORMANCE

    It is those kinds of investments that support an efficient business. Amtrak is America’s passenger railroad. As government-supported business, we are fully aware of the responsibilities that come with taxpayer support.

    For the current budget year, we received federal operating support of $563 million, and it is our duty to invest and spend that appropriation, along with the federal stimulus funds, in an efficient and smart manner.

    In fact, for FY 2010, we will fund 81 percent of our operating costs from all revenue sources, excluding federal and state funds. And, in FY 2009, Amtrak had a farebox recovery rate of 71 percent undefined among the highest among all passenger railroads, including commuters and transit, in the U.S.

    Amtrak completed a year-end financial audit containing no material weaknesses undefined the first time that has happened since 2004.

    CUSTOMER SERVICE

    Amtrak offers riders an experience that is convenient, competitive, and pleasant.

    Overall Customer Satisfaction Index scores have been steadily rising from 78 percent in FY 2007 to 82 percent in FY 2009.

    On-time performance is one of the major drivers of customer satisfaction. In FY 2009 systemwide OTP was 80 percent, a 9 point increase over the prior year and Acela Express operated on time 87 percent of the time.

    In March, we intend to make WiFi available initially free of charge to every passenger on Acela and by November we will finish upgrading the interiors.

    We remain focused on our Route Performance Improvement process to identify ways to enhance service on specific routes. One of the most recent results of that effort is restoring sleeper cars and dining cars to the Lake Shore Limited.

    In 2010, Amtrak will also undertake an in-depth evaluation of the poorest performing long-distance routes to identify and implement changes where possible to improve key measures such as customer service, ridership, and financial performance. The five routes being analyzed are the Sunset Limited, Cardinal, Texas Eagle, Capitol Limited, and California Zephyr.

    Three months ago, we launched our newest generation of Amtrak.com, which among other things makes booking tickets easier.

    We also partnered with Google Transit to include Amtrak routes as part of its trip-planning tool that provides travelers with public transportation connections.

    MEETING NATIONAL NEEDS

    Amtrak was created to provide an essential national service and must support the government in moments of national need. As Amtrak grows, so does its capacity to meet those needs, such as contributing to national emergency response, congestion mitigation, emissions reduction, and reduction in the demand for foreign oil.

    We also have a five-year contract with FEMA to use Amtrak trains and crews to help evacuate New Orleans during Hurricane season and we will continue to review other potential opportunities to assist when natural disasters occur.

    INTERCITY AND HIGH-SPEED RAIL

    Finally, as many of you are aware, the big news expected in the coming days or weeks will be the U..S. DOT and FRA’s announcement about which states and what projects will get a piece of the $8 billion in grants available for intercity and high-speed rail development and expansion.

    Leveraging our experience as the nation’s intercity passenger rail service provider and its only operator of high-speed trains, we partnered with 25 states to support more than 100 projects as part of the first round of grants.

    It seems likely that a significant number of the grant awards will involve improvements to routes over which Amtrak operates. That is obviously good for Amtrak, but it is also good for America, our passengers, the communities we serve, and our state partners.

    CLOSING

    Our future together is not without challenges undefined the state of the national economy and condition of state budgets are a few factors that could hamper our growth. In addition, the opportunities that are being made available to us thanks to stimulus funds and unprecedented support for passenger rail are also opportunities for others, both domestic and foreign-owned to enter the market.

    The investments we’re making and the steps we’re taking to improve are designed to secure our leadership position in the industry and to stand out from the competition.

    As I told you when I began this speech, Amtrak IS changing and rising to meet the challenge, and I look forward to the next couple very exciting years at Amtrak.

    The days of wondering if Amtrak is going to survive another year and uncertainty are behind us. This year and the years ahead are, and will be, focused on growth.

    They will be years of strong and optimistic leadership, filled with achievements that will demonstrate a safer, greener, healthier, improved financial and customer focused railroad that lives up to its role in meeting America’s national passenger rail needs.

    Thank you.

  • 12 Jan 2010 11:11 AM | Deleted user

    This company has got to be the league leader in pigging out at the public trough!

    Full disclosure - I used to be a shareholder.

    http://www.trains.com/trn/default.aspx?c=a&id=6136

    A new wrinkle to restoring the 'Sunset Limited' to Florida

     
    Published: Friday, January 08, 2010
    JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - In a move that could complicate a resumption of Amtrak's Sunset Limited service between New Orleans and Florida, CSX has rerouted all through freight traffic from the Florida Panhandle line used by the Sunset before Hurricane Katrina struck in 2005.

    The rerouting, which occurred in the last half of 2009, involved two pairs of freight trains that had operated between Waycross, Ga., and New Orleans, via Baldwin, Tallahassee, and Pensacola, Fla., and Flomaton, Ala.

    Now the four trains use a slightly shorter route. From Flomaton, eastward freights operate up the M&M and Atlanta & West Point subdivisions to Montgomery, Ala., and LaGrange, Ga. From LaGrange, they use the Lineville Subdivision a short distance to Manchester, Ga., and then follow the CSX Chicago-Waycross main line into Waycross over the Fitzgerald Subdivision. Schedules of the rerouted trains are, by and large, a bit faster than before.

    CSX would not comment on the reasons for the rerouting, but the benefits are obvious. Freight train volume across the Florida Panhandle have fallen significantly since 2000, when five freights each way (including a pair of New Orleans-Jacksonville, Fla., intermodal trains) used the route through Tallahassee, in addition to the triweekly Sunset Limited. Amtrak suspended the Sunset indefinitely east of New Orleans after disruption caused by Katrina five years ago.

    Now, with train frequency down to two trains each way plus local freights, CSX can concentrate the New Orleans-Florida business on other routes with better signaling and track structure, and presumably forgo much of the maintenance costs associated with the Panhandle line.

    Amtrak is considering a resumption of passenger train service via Tallahassee to Orlando. CSX, if it chooses, could argue that Amtrak should pay to keep the Tallahassee route maintained for speeds as high as 79 mph, because it would be the primary user. CSX would not reveal whether maintenance of the Tallahassee route has been cut, and Amtrak would not comment when asked whose responsibility it would be to pay for upkeep to support 79-mph track.

    In a study last year mandated by Congress, Amtrak suggested two options in addition to restoring the triweekly Sunset, whose present route is between Los Angeles and New Orleans. One would be to extend the daily Chicago-New Orleans train, the City of New Orleans, to Orlando on a daily basis. The other would be to run a daily stand-alone train solely between New Orleans and Orlando. Startup capital costs associated with these options range from $33 million to as much as $97 million, Amtrak says, and would include $20 million for installation of positive train control technology.

    The good news is this: CSX said last year that it would require "significant capacity improvements" as a condition to a service resumption. Its rerouting of freight traffic away from hundreds of miles of the route in question may make that demand moot. But in its place could come a demand that Amtrak pony up more money to maintain passenger-train speeds over the portion no longer used by CSX freight trains. - Fred W. Frailey

     

  • 12 Jan 2010 9:44 AM | Jackson McQuigg (Administrator)

    Amtrak wants to join the high speed rail party in Florida, according to this article from the Tampa Tribune:

    http://www2.tbo.com/content/2010/jan/12/sp-amtrak-targets-high-speed-rail/

    --Jackson McQuigg

  • 11 Jan 2010 11:35 AM | Jackson McQuigg (Administrator)

    From CNN comes this article on the worldwide passenger rail scene.

    http://www.cnn.com/2010/TECH/01/10/green.trains/index.html

    International perspectives like this one demonstrate the potential of improved passenger rail services in the USA.

    --Jackson McQuigg

  • 10 Jan 2010 7:22 PM | Jackson McQuigg (Administrator)

    As this article from the Miami Herald describes, those tiring of increased security measures at our nation's airports are rediscovering another mode of transport:

    Rail travel.

    http://www.miamiherald.com/living/travel/story/1411184.html

    --Jackson McQuigg

  • 08 Jan 2010 4:46 PM | Jackson McQuigg (Administrator)

    Vice President Joe Biden expresses his views on why America needs passenger rail in Arrive magazine this month:

    http://arrivemagazine.com/

    The article-- which is available online at Arrive's website-- makes for excellent reading.

    Arrive is the onboard magazine distributed on Amtrak trains in the Northeast Corridor.

    --Jackson McQuigg

  • 07 Jan 2010 8:45 PM | Jackson McQuigg (Administrator)

    As the Palm Beach Post is reporting, Amtrak service over the FEC could make West Palm Beach a key point in Florida's passenger rail network.

    In the hopes and expectations of local planners and passenger rail boosters, West Palm could perhaps become a hub for passenger rail.

    --Jackson McQuigg

  • 07 Jan 2010 12:12 PM | Jackson McQuigg (Administrator)

    Not everyone is happy with Florida's new rail legislation, according to this article from the Lakeland Ledger:

    http://www.theledger.com/article/20100103/REPORTER/1035003

    --Jackson McQuigg

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