Seattle area sets example of
going forward on its own

(Editor’s note: The following article is of particular interest to NCI and is supporters as it proceeds with work to form a regional entity to address and help act upon transportation needs in New England, upstate New York, and the Eastern Canadian provinces, which would plan, govern and fund infrastructure projects in the New England states and northern New York. We will be following the developments in Seattle closely as well as in California where there is broad regional coordination.)

At 66,582 square miles Washington State is nearly the size of all six New England states combined (71,997 square miles); the four counties that are part of the Central Puget Sound Regional Transportation Commission Washington have, by themselves, 6,290 square miles, larger than the state of Connecticut.

The Commission is a citizen advisory group with nine voting members from the four counties that make up the Central Puget Sound Region: King (2,100), Pierce (1,790), Snohomish (2090) and Kitsap (396) or a total of 6,290 square miles. It is headed by former Seattle Mayor Norm Rice and John Stanton, founder of Trilogy Equity Partners. Washington State Secretary of Transportation Douglas MacDonald also participates as a non-voting member, reports the Seattle Times.

As a core of its mission, the RTC must do a critical evaluation of Sound Transit’s resource consumption and performance results for regional public transportation services. (Sound Transit services all four counties in the Central Puget Sound Region.) RTC must also assess the current roles of the region’s transportation agencies and their current finance structures, and then develop recommendations that may include the consolidation of agencies; improved investment strategies; adjustments to boundaries for agencies or investment districts to address future transportation needs, and; improved strategies for coordination between regional investments and federal funds.

Their recommendations must include at a minimum a provision for the formation of a regional transportation governing entity with directly-elected members. It must also include available revenue sources and the scope of planning authority for the new entity, the Times reports.

From “General Comments” about the Commission on their web site, one can also surmise that they see themselves as having a broader, more global role of bringing to the region examples of solutions being used around the world that could be of great advantage to Washington taxpayers:

“Current transportation organizations are generally reluctant to examine major innovations in the transportation field. What is needed is some governmental support for research, development, and demonstration focused on promising concepts that are being developed around the globe… Taxpayers could eventually benefit from being able to purchase high performance, lower cost solutions to their enormous and growing traffic congestion and pollution problems.”

Tolls, user fees in lieu of taxes

One of their first recommendations was that tolls, other user fees and possibly public-private partnerships should be considered as ways to pay for the region's transportation needs. “We do not believe the answer is to simply raise more taxes — voters will not support them,” the commission said in its 171-page report.

Regional “mega-agency” recommended

The commission also said that the region's six separate transit agencies — Sound Transit, Metro, Pierce Transit, Kitsap Transit, Community Transit and Everett Transit — should possibly be merged into one mega-agency.

The commission recommended that the State Legislature, possibly next year, create a regional transportation-governance agency to prioritize, plan and finance regional projects.

The Regional Transportation Commission says the six separate agencies represent 66 billion dollars in funding requirements over the next two decades and should be under one agency to plan and finance projects.

New England too follow suit?

One of the major projects of the National Corridors Initiative is the creation of a regional New England/Northeastern entity, including the Eastern Canadian provinces, to create the kind of integrated transportation system that Washington State is creating in its most populous region, the area around Puget Sound where 55% of the state’s population lives.

“We have been concerned for years on the gradual economic decline of the New England/Northeast region compared to the rest of the United States, due in part because a fractured and poorly maintained transportation system discourages businesses from locating here and even drives away business,” said NCI President Jim RePass in commenting on the Washington State regional transportation commission. “I have visited Seattle a number of times and seen the kind of can-do spirit that exists there. I hope New England is smart enough to realize that other states aren’t going to wait for New England to get its act together, transportation-wise. They’ll just keep on attracting our businesses – and residents – to their neck of the woods.”

The adoption of a new corporate maintenance policy this summer signals a shift in maintenance practices designed to utilize resources and manpower more efficiently, while improving the reliability and availability of the company’s equipment and infrastructure.

Two important points are worth noting about the adoption of the policy. First, it’s the first time in recent history that a standard corporate maintenance policy that applies to both the Engineering and Mechanical departments has been instituted. Second, it initiates a shift in philosophy to Condition-Based Maintenance (CBM), in a manner very similar to that used by the U.S. Navy and NASA.

Photo: Amtrak Ink   Senior Vice President William Crosbie (L), Talgo Maintenance Supervisor Richard Vila and President and CEO Alex Kummant tour the Seattle Yard, as part of a look at West Coast and Pacific Northwest operations in October Return to index

Condition-Based Maintenance is an approach to maintenance that stipulates that work is performed only when there is evidence of need, while making sure that safety, operational readiness and equipment reliability are managed in a cost-effective manner. The rules of evidence are contained in a body of knowledge called Reliability Centered Maintenance (RCM). The evidence of need is determined by performing a Reliability Centered Maintenance analysis, which makes the best use of legitimate tasks and eliminates unnecessary scheduled maintenance requirements. “Think of RCM as how CBM is actually carried out on the shop floor. What RCM does is ask whether a specific maintenance task ‘benefits the hardware’ and is actually ‘worth doing’ — given the safety, operational and economic consequences of the failure that the maintenance task is trying to prevent,” said Ken Jacobs, deputy for Reliability Centered Maintenance. The policy is not solely grounded in philosophy; it signals forthcoming changes in processes, procedures and support. Condition-Based Maintenance will be incorporated into current and future maintenance programs of the Mechanical and Engineering departments, utilizing the Reliability Centered Maintenance rules of evidence. Initially focusing on Mechanical maintenance requirements, the approach to implementing RCM-based CBM to engineering maintenance requirements will be developed in concert with engineering department leadership. The first RCM-validated maintenance program will be implemented on the shop floor in High Speed Rail in January 2007. RCM-validated maintenance programs for all other rolling stock and facilities will be developed and implemented over the course of the next two to three years. Because the RCM review process inherently requires the participation of those who actually perform the work, Mechanical and Engineering employees will be involved in performing RCM analyses in their area of expertise. The first of any Amtrak group to practice RCM in a formal way, the High Speed Rail Division has submitted a revised, RCM-validated Inspection Testing and Maintenance (ITM) Plan to the FRA for approval. The revised ITM, planned for implementation on Jan. 1, 2007, is the result of RCM reviews that took place this summer. Implementation of the revised ITM is expected to result in an increase in availability of High Speed trainsets from 75 percent to 85 percent, while preserving safe and reliable operation of Acela service. “Using RCM ensures that we’re not wasting time on maintenance that doesn’t need to be done and using the time gained to focus on the things that really matter. It also allows us time to address chronic problems in a more targeted way — we’re just working smarter,” said High Speed Rail Master Mechanic Dave Schramm. The corporate maintenance policy is published in Section 3.3.0 of the Amtrak Policy and Instruction Manual, which is available on the Intranet, under “How We Work.”

The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority has rolled out ‘an ambitious yet carefully crafted’ plan for major service and infrastructure improvements. Funded through a five-year Capital Investment Program, many of the proposed projects are specifically designed to not only remedy some existing problems, but also provide the customer service enhancements necessary to attract new riders to the MBTA.

In releasing the plan to the public for review and comment, MBTA General Manager Daniel A. Grabauskas said the proposed $332 million in new investments place a strong emphasis on accessibility, reliability, and safety. “Some of the projects may not be glamorous, but they’ll certainly help position us as a modernized public transit system delivering convenient and dependable services,” said Grabauskas. More than 90% of MBTA capital dollars are to be re-investment in the transit system’s existing infrastructure.

The announcement comes at a time when the MBTA is in the midst of a crisis in its ability to pay its existing debts, which have grown since it was required by the Massachusetts legislature to cease its practice of spending money, and then sending the bill to its constituent towns. The T as it is called, the oldest and one of the largest transit agencies in the nation, has recently announced plans for its second fare hike in two years

The list of new projects and initiatives to be funded in the MBTA’s ‘rolling’ five-year Capital Investment Program include:

• $29 million for the final design and construction of a permanent bus maintenance facility at the “Arborway” in the Jamaica Plain area of Boston. The state-of-the art facility will allow the MBTA to keep its environmentally friendly CNG powered buses operating at optimum levels, and improve service reliability on many of the busiest bus routes serving Boston neighborhoods. The relocation of the maintenance facility also means the MBTA will be able to transfer 8 acres of the former Arborway trolley yard land to the city for a fitting community use. Additional MBTA parcels in the area near adjacent Forest Hills station are also coming up for development, specifically land that once was home to the Orange line repair shops on Hyde Park Avenue at the foot of Walk Hill Street.

• $6.5 million for accessibility improvements at three Green Line stations, including Longwood Station, which serves many of the city’s major health care institutions. At Science Park Station, frequented by people going to the Leverett Circle area, the city’s West End, or the Museum of Science, an elevator will be built, along with other enhancements. At Brookline Village Station, the improvements will include higher platforms to make boarding trains easier and quicker.

• Customers who travel on any of part of the MBTA’s subway system will benefit from a $19.2 million program to support track rehabilitation work on the Red, Orange, Green, and Blue Lines. By replacing aging rails and switches and upgrading power sources, the T is able to lift existing speed restrictions, and allow trains to operate at increased speeds. Both the frequency and reliability of subway service, leading concerns of riders, are directly addressed with this major investment.

• Bus customers will also see reliability improvements with the installation of technologically advanced devices, called Ultra Capacitors, which assist a traditional bus battery in providing the power demanded to operate a bus and all of its important support systems without interruption. Less unnecessary idling and better adherence to posted bus schedules are among the results of this $2.5 million investment.

• $15 million is to be spent making repairs and upgrades at some of the largest parking garages along the Red Line. From Braintree to Alewife Stations, work on expansion joints and drainage pipes will address some long-standing issues regarding leaking and flooding. The projects will also include new and improved lighting as well as better signage.

• $1.5 million in additional funds to advance the design work for accessibility improvements at the Auburndale Commuter Rail Station.

• $1.3 million to complete the final phase of the closing and demolition of the former MBTA power plant in South Boston. This will allow the site to be used for any purpose the community and the Commonwealth deem suitable.

• $2 million to expand parking by 169 spaces at the Fore River Shipyard Commuter Boat parking lot.

• $1.5 million to begin preliminary design for making the Red Line’s Wollaston Station compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act.

• An additional $3 million to advance design efforts relative to the construction of a new bus maintenance facility at Wellington Station, allowing the MBTA to close the outdated Fellsway bus garage on Salem Street in Medford.

Regular riders of the MBTA are already aware of ongoing efforts to modernize the system in numerous locations. These include the replacement of the Airport station on the Blue line and ongoing construction to lengthen platforms to allow Blue line trains to operate with additional cars in each consist. Along the Red line, stations between Ashmont and Savin Hill stations are being replaced or rebuilt from the ground up. On the Orange line signal upgrade efforts are already taking place.

The effort has not been without its growing pains which has seen a substantial amount of “bustitution” (alternative bus service) during select nights and weekends so that work can progress unencumbered from passing trains or the presence of dangerous high voltages.

The T has also broken ground to move Lechmere station on the Green line to land adjacent to their north side commuter rail line with an extension of that line into Somerville and Medford in the offering.

Tunnel waterproofing expected to
thwart winter icing woes

Photo: Amtrak Ink   Contractors apply a final coating of a waterproofing compound to the ceiling of one of   two East River tunnels in Queens, NY.

Winter operations require that equipment, facilities and structures be prepared for inclement conditions. To that end, waterproofing work completed near the east portals of the two inbound East River Tunnels in Queens and one inbound North River Tunnel in New Jersey is designed to prevent a barrage of weather-related problems as the winter weather season sets in. The work, which began in late summer and was completed this fall, should result in fewer problems, particularly power failures and train delays as a result of icing that often occurs in the tunnels when temperatures plummet. With average low temperatures in the 20s in the New York City area during winter, ground water seepage from excessive rains or melting snow gets into the tunnels. Trains traveling through the tunnels drag cold air from the outside and freeze the seepage in cracks within it, causing a buildup of ice and icicles, which may reach the catenary wire. This contact causes the train’s pantograph to hit the ice, tripping the breakers and resulting in a power failure. Power failure delay train traffic through the tunnels, often for hours, until electricity can be restored. To prepare for the waterproofing, Electric Traction, Bridges and Buildings, Communication and Signal and Operations crews all worked to put the tracks out of service, shut down the power and move waterproofing equipment into and through the tunnels to enable waterproofing contractors to perform their work. Using a liquid polymer mixed with Portland cement to form a flexible waterproof coating, the contractors covered a six-foot wide area (like an umbrella) over the catenary wire. This will divert any water or ice toward the sides of the tunnel and out of the path of trains, drastically reducing or eliminating power interruptions and train delays caused by icy conditions. In addition, it will reduce costs for electrical equipment that needed to be replaced as it was getting worn out from frequent power interruptions. Although the number and length of the power interruptions varies greatly depending upon the severity of the winter, this project should benefit the system for many winter seasons to come. “We expect that the work we did to waterproof the tunnels will significantly improve train traffic through the area,” said Project Manager, Engineering Ken Heintz. “Without this effort, problems associated with icing and power outages in these tunnels would have caused significant problems for train traffic during the winter. Hopefully this will reduce the number of delay incidents and save the company money, equipment, repairs and replacement,” stated Heintz. Return to index

Dear Editor,

Is there any organized effort to get the buffing strength rules for American passenger equipment to be the same as those in Europe. The excessive weight caused by these rules makes high speed rail almost impossible. Check the weight of Acela versus the weight of the TGV / ICE / Pendolino /etc. The axle load and overall weight exacts a track maintenance and power consumption penalty at best and for what seems to be dubious benefit. European casualty figures seem to be at least as good as those of North America. European equipment seems to do as well in grade crossing collisions. At high speeds, the forces involved will overwhelm either buff strength requirement.

Clark Morris
Canada

Editor replies - The strength regulations are a long-standing point of discussion in many circles.