Post by vnc on Dec 1, 2008 19:06:31 GMT -8
From the Kansas City Star
Federal law should improve Amtrak times
KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- A new federal law aimed at cracking down on freight trains will likely improve on-time performance for Amtrak passenger trains.
Nationally, freight traffic is supposed to give preference to Amtrak Trains running on tracks owned by the railroads. But a recent federal report found that some railroads' dispatching practices violate these rights.
The new law allows the federal government to start an investigation if Amtrak's average on-time performance is below 80 percent for two consecutive quarters. The definition of on-time has yet to be determined.
Under the law, a fine could be levied if authorities find the delays resulted from freight railroads refusal to give preference to Amtrak.
The U. S. Department of Transportation report also found that track maintenance and a shortage of rail capacity also contribute to delays.
On-time performance is a problem for Amtrak passengers nationwide, especially in Missouri were Amtrak trains were at least 30 minutes late almost one-third of the time in 2007-08, according to state figures. In Missouri, Amtrak operates on tracks owned by Union Pacific, which runs 50 to 60 freight trains a day on the same 283-mile route between Kansas City and St Louis.
Union Pacific said it gave preference to Amtrak.
"Union Pacific railroad has never given Amtrak trains ... second priority to freight trains. We just have not done that," said Mark Davis, a spokesman for Union Pacific.
"Do unforeseen circumstances happen that delay those Amtrak trains? Yes. Do we try to move those Amtrak trains as quickly as we can to get them on time? Yes, we do."
But there has been disagreement about that at the Missouri Department of Transportation, which pays for the Amtrak service. State officials said sometimes Amtrak trains received priority and other times they did not.
In spring 2007, Amtrak was beset by delays when Union Pacific put more freight trains on the Kansas City-St. Louis route because of flooding on freight-only tracks farther north.
At that time, Missouri Department of Transportation officials said Union Pacific wasn't giving Amtrak trains priority. Union Pacific said it did everything it could to restore service quickly.
The Missouri Transportation Department lobbied for the change in the federal law.
Amtrak officials won't comment directly on whether their trains are getting preference, but they did pinpoint reasons for the delay.
"Some of the delays our trains have faced can be eliminated by better dispatching," spokesman Marc Magliari said. "But infrastructure maintenance issues are another major cause of delays."
Link- www.bnd.com/breaking_news/story/561125.html
Federal law should improve Amtrak times
KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- A new federal law aimed at cracking down on freight trains will likely improve on-time performance for Amtrak passenger trains.
Nationally, freight traffic is supposed to give preference to Amtrak Trains running on tracks owned by the railroads. But a recent federal report found that some railroads' dispatching practices violate these rights.
The new law allows the federal government to start an investigation if Amtrak's average on-time performance is below 80 percent for two consecutive quarters. The definition of on-time has yet to be determined.
Under the law, a fine could be levied if authorities find the delays resulted from freight railroads refusal to give preference to Amtrak.
The U. S. Department of Transportation report also found that track maintenance and a shortage of rail capacity also contribute to delays.
On-time performance is a problem for Amtrak passengers nationwide, especially in Missouri were Amtrak trains were at least 30 minutes late almost one-third of the time in 2007-08, according to state figures. In Missouri, Amtrak operates on tracks owned by Union Pacific, which runs 50 to 60 freight trains a day on the same 283-mile route between Kansas City and St Louis.
Union Pacific said it gave preference to Amtrak.
"Union Pacific railroad has never given Amtrak trains ... second priority to freight trains. We just have not done that," said Mark Davis, a spokesman for Union Pacific.
"Do unforeseen circumstances happen that delay those Amtrak trains? Yes. Do we try to move those Amtrak trains as quickly as we can to get them on time? Yes, we do."
But there has been disagreement about that at the Missouri Department of Transportation, which pays for the Amtrak service. State officials said sometimes Amtrak trains received priority and other times they did not.
In spring 2007, Amtrak was beset by delays when Union Pacific put more freight trains on the Kansas City-St. Louis route because of flooding on freight-only tracks farther north.
At that time, Missouri Department of Transportation officials said Union Pacific wasn't giving Amtrak trains priority. Union Pacific said it did everything it could to restore service quickly.
The Missouri Transportation Department lobbied for the change in the federal law.
Amtrak officials won't comment directly on whether their trains are getting preference, but they did pinpoint reasons for the delay.
"Some of the delays our trains have faced can be eliminated by better dispatching," spokesman Marc Magliari said. "But infrastructure maintenance issues are another major cause of delays."
Link- www.bnd.com/breaking_news/story/561125.html