Presidential Emergency Board Rules
For Amtrak’s Unions on Contract Issues;
Washes Hands of How to Pay For It

WASHINGTON --- The Bush Administration, which has sought to shut down the nation’s passenger rail system for most of its term in office, this week through its Presidential Emergency Board 242 recommended that the passenger rail company it has tried to zero-fund not only pay the full amount of back wages claimed by Amtrak’s unions over and above the automatic cost-of-living raises already paid out, but that it also abandon proposed work rules changes Amtrak management wants to implement to cut operating costs.

If implemented, the PEB opinion would cost Amtrak $690 million, some $200 million more than the settlement the company had proposed.

One union President said in a telephone conversation: “We’re dancing on the tables tonight.”

The Presidential Emergency Board, appointed by President George Bush in December to mediate the on-going contract negotiations between Amtrak and eight of its dozen-plus unions, issued its report on Friday, January 4. By Sunday the unions involved, stunned at the complete Bush Administration support for their negotiating position by an Administration seldom characterized as pro-union, issued a press release concurring with the Bush PEB’s recommendations.

In a joint statement “…on behalf of the Passenger Rail Labor Bargaining Coalition from its Chairman, W. Dan Pickett, President of the Brotherhood of Railroad Signalmen, and on behalf of the Amtrak Shopcraft Coalition from its spokesperson, Joel M. Parker, ‘It took an enormous effort by the members of this Emergency Board to investigate the parties’ contract dispute and create a report that reflects such a thorough understanding of the issues. The Board’s recommendations should form the basis for settlement of this dispute.’ ”

Other observers had a different take on the outcome: “An Administration which has sought repeatedly to cripple or shut down the passenger rail system created by Congress in 1970, has now ordered that that same organization come up with nearly $700 million to pay for a rich settlement with the unions. This is the first time in memory that the Bush Administration has done anything even remotely pro-union, let alone as generous as this.”

“The PEB ruling, which orders back paychecks up to seven times what Amtrak says it can afford, while simultaneously recommending that Amtrak not implement work rules changes that would cut operating costs without also finding a way to make that possible,” said one rail expert. “is the height of cynicism although well in line with the behavior of this Administration. Leaving aside for the moment the unions’ legitimate grievances about the disparity between freight railroad employees and those at Amtrak, one must keep in mind that the Bush Administration has sought again and again to shut down the passenger rail system. Tossing that ball back to Congress in an election year fools few knowledgeable observers.”

In its nearly adulatory press release, the union statement continued: “The members of the Emergency Board clearly understood the issues involved in this matter and developed pragmatic recommendations to aid the parties in resolving their dispute. The Board’s reliance on traditional pattern bargaining principles is especially heartening.”

The Amtrak Shopcraft Coalition consists of the International Association of Machinists, International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, Transportation Communications International Union and the Transport Workers Union, while the Passenger Rail Labor Bargaining Coalition is comprised of the American Train Dispatchers Association, the Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employees (Teamsters Union), Brotherhood of Railroad Signalmen and National Conference of Firemen & Oilers (SEIU). Both Coalitions will soon notify Amtrak’s management of their desire to resume negotiations upon the basis of the Emergency Board’s report.”

“If no agreement is reached by 12:01 a.m. on January 30, 2008, Amtrak workers who have not received a wage increase in more than eight years will finally be able to strike. However, the possibility still exists that Congress may intervene in the dispute and impose an agreement,” noted the unions in their statement.

“Most observers see the chances of a strike as now lessening, although Congress in an election year is an unpredictable animal,” said one rail expert.

WASHINGTON – The National Surface Transportation Policy and Revenue Study Commission, a major Congressionally mandated study of the U.S. Department of Transportation, will recommend a 40 cent boost in the gasoline tax over five years, according to Bloomberg Reports.

The report is expected to be released January 15.

Connecticut Man Commits Suicide on Tracks

An apparent suicide occurred last Thursday when a man jumped in front of a Metro-North train in East Norwalk, CT, at approximately 2:15 pm, killing himself. The train was traveling east to New Haven from New York. The incident was witnessed by the train engineer, the train master and about 200 passengers.

The commuter service was disrupted at five stations along the commuter line route for three hours.

A termination notice from the man’s employer was found in the man’s belongings. He leaves a wife and 13-year-old son.

This was the second suicide in a two-month period along the Metro-North line. A few weeks ago, a woman jumped in front of a train near the Greens Farms station, killing herself. She had left a suicide note in her purse.

[ Editor’s note: Incidents like these are extremely stressful for railroad employees, particularly the train engineers who often observe the fatalities and are unable to stop the train in time to save the trespasser. ]

Both of New York MTA’s commuter railroads—Metro-North and the Long Island—set new records in 2007 in ridership and on-time performance, respectively.

Metro-North ridership exceeded 80 million in 2007 for the first time in its 25-year history. When it was created in 1983, the railroad carried 41.3 million riders. That nearly doubled last year to 80.1 million, a 4.3% increase from 2006. When two connecting services are included, ridership last year was 80.7 million. Metro-North achieved system-wide on-time performance of 97.7% in 2007, just a fraction below 2006’s record setting 97.8%.

Meanwhile, the LIRR, North America’s busiest commuter rail operation, did achieve a new high in on-time performance of 94.07% last year, an improvement of almost 1% over 2006 and the best since modern recordkeeping started in 1979. NYMTA noted that LIRR achieved its 2007 on-time record while operating 5% more trains (245,565) than it did in 2002 (233,301), when it achieved its previous record of 93.3%.

Delhi Metro awarded UN carbon credit

India’s Delhi Metro Rail Corp. has become the first railway project in the world to earn carbon credit from the United Nations under the UN’s Clean Development Mechanism (CDM), the Economic Times reports. DMRC is earning Certified Emission Reductions for its use of regenerative braking system on its trains.

“This is also the first Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC)-funded official development assistance (ODA) loan project in the mass rapid transit sector to be able to claim carbon credits,” DMRC chief Anuj Dayal said. DMRC can claim 400,000 CERs for a 10-year crediting period beginning last December.

Delhi Metro Rail Corp. currently operates over approximately 40 route miles, with plans to expand to 75 route miles.

Providence and Worcester Railroad Announces Transaction with GATX Corp.

For additional Information: P&W: Marie A. Angelini, 508-755-4000 (x365)

Looming deadline for Illinois Mass Transit

SPRINGFIELD, ILLINOIS – JANUARY 11 - The mass transit crisis in the Chicago area is approaching a deadline that could bring service cuts and fare hikes if additional funding sources aren’t agreed upon by January 20. Last Wednesday, the House approved a plan to raise the sales tax by a quarter percent in one county and a half-point in the five collar counties. The sales tax vote came after a separate measure to divert gas taxes for mass transit passed by a 66 to 49 margin. Chicago alderman also would have the option of increasing the city’s real estate transfer tax. The Senate was working on a slightly different version of the bill, but the big question was what the Governor Rod Blagojevich would do.

He favored a plan that would use a portion of the state’s sales tax on motor fuel, but the legislation the House and Senate finally approved imposed a regional sales tax increase instead. Blagojevich objected to the tax hike, but said he could live with it under one condition – that it contain a provision for senior citizens to take public transportation for free.

“I’m particularly concerned about seniors who live on fixed incomes and who don’t have the ability to absorb a higher sales tax without making cuts in other areas,” the governor said.

Some were nervous that his proposal could delay a final vote, thus leaving the problem unsolved by the January 20 deadline.

“We have the responsibility as legislators to make sure that we have done everything possible to avert this terrible, terrible Jan. 20 doomsday deadline,” said state Rep. Julie Hamos (D-Evanston), the bill’s sponsor, who persuaded six Republicans to vote for it.

The governor’s changes mean the bill now has an amendatory veto and the House and Senate will have to take another vote to accept his changes before the bill can become law. It was not clear if that could be done by January 20.

If the changes are accepted, the Regional Transportation Authority would get almost $500 million a year, with another $50 million in store for downstate mass transit districts. According to Blagojevich spokeswoman Rebecca Rausch, the free rides for passengers who are 65 and older would cost about $19 million for the Chicago-area systems and about $1 million for all of the downstate systems combined.

Bill Volk, managing director of the Champaign-Urbana Mass Transit District, said he was very happy with the legislation. In his district, seniors already ride free.

Downstate lawmakers were not as pleased because they had wanted to tie the mass transit issue to the need for a statewide capital construction program.

Some believed the differences could have been worked out if the governor had told them ahead of time what he was thinking.

It remains to be seen if a resolution will be agreed upon by January 20. Chicago Transit Authority, Metra and Pace officials have warned that failure to reach a solution by that date will result in fare hikes and service cuts that will require commuters to wait longer and pay more in the cold of winter.

A blogger’s comments on the issue:

If the down-staters and suburbanites think they shouldn’t have to pay for mass transit because they don’t use it, then what about us urbanites? Why should I subsidize your schools? I don’t have children. Why should I subsidize your roads? I don’t drive a car. We all pay for these things because they are essential in our society. Chicago is the economic engine of this entire region. No major city can prosper without a good public transit system. You people outside of the city limits will benefit from good public transit here even if you never use it. The next time you see a packed train going down the median of the Kennedy at rush hour while you are at a standstill in traffic, think about what it would be like if all of those people were in cars. How many more lanes would we need to add to the expressway and who will pay for that?

Posted by: Brian | Jan 10, 2008

Remedies sought…

HEART OF AMERICA, USA --- Across the country, passengers are herding onto Amtrak trains in record numbers.

But not in Missouri, where poor on-time performance caused by heavy freight traffic between Kansas City and St. Louis is scaring riders away in escalating numbers.

Amtrak service between Kansas City and St. Louis has lost more than 20,000 passengers since 2005, second in the country among short-distance and state-supported routes. On a percentage basis, it suffered the highest loss.

“We need to change,” said Brian Weiler, who oversees Amtrak service for the state.

The Missouri Department of Transportation is trying to do just that with a $10.6 million plan for relieving congestion on the Union Pacific-owned tracks. MoDOT plans to ask the General Assembly this year to finance its plan in addition to the $7.4 million that Missouri pays for Amtrak service.

Amtrak is becoming increasingly worried about its Missouri routes. A top railroad official told lawmakers last year that current rail service was “unsustainable as a practical business matter.”

Ridership on the Missouri route fell from about 180,000 in 2001 to 116,000 last year. It was one of only three short-distance lines where ridership declined since 2005.

“We have a corridor there that we’re struggling with and trying to make work,” Ray Lang, Amtrak’s senior director of government affairs, said this week.

“When we look at every other service we run nationwide, we’re enjoying record ridership,” he said. “It causes us concern to have a service that bucks this great trend.”

From July through November, 38 percent of Amtrak’s trains between Kansas City and St. Louis ran at least 30 minutes late. It’s not unheard of for an Amtrak train to be more than two hours overdue. At times, the service deteriorated to the point that Amtrak substituted buses for trains to ensure that passengers reached their destination on time.

Amtrak pays to share Union Pacific’s line, which is used by 50 to 60 freight trains a day. About half of Amtrak’s delays are caused by freight traffic, according to a recent study.

Critics blame Union Pacific for not giving passenger trains the required priority. Union Pacific says it gives Amtrak priority, but the corridor is packed.

“That line is at capacity,” Union Pacific spokesman Mark Davis said. “Right now, it could not handle additional traffic.”

A recent study commissioned by MoDOT concluded that it’s getting harder to give passenger trains priority because of the increasing number of freight trains, the need for continual maintenance and sections where the mainline consists of just a single track.

Two notable bottlenecks are single-track bridges across the Osage and Gasconade rivers between Jefferson City and St. Louis.

Union Pacific plans to install a second track this year across the Gasconade. A second track across the Osage is on hold until a lawsuit is resolved regarding an old railroad bridge near Boonville. Union Pacific wants to remove the bridge at Boonville and use part of it to construct the Osage bridge.

The MoDOT study recommended spending as much as $42.5 million to alleviate congestion along the route, but the agency has opted for a plan that’s less ambitious than that. It wants to speed up trains between Lee’s Summit and Jefferson City by adding longer sidings so freight trains can stop and wait for Amtrak trains to pass. Some sidings aren’t long enough for freight trains.

The agency also wants an extra $500,000 to equip unmanned stations with real-time electronic signs alerting passengers to train status.

Weiler concedes that securing the money will be a struggle. There have been attempts over the years — most recently last year — to strip Amtrak of funding, only to have it restored.

Republican Gov. Matt Blunt hasn’t been eager to get behind the plan. “This is a significant amount of money and must be weighed carefully,” said Blunt’s spokeswoman, Jessica Robinson. “Amtrak has a long history of failing to meet the expectations of Missourians who continue to invest their tax dollars in hopes the service will improve.”

Citizens for Modern Transit, a nonprofit group based in St. Louis that promotes public transportation, has been circulating fliers on Amtrak trains promoting MoDOT’s plan for improving service.

“If we’re going to have passenger rail in Missouri … we need to get these trains across the state on time,” said Tom Shrout, the transit group’s executive director.

Missouri lawmakers say Amtrak service needs to be re-examined, but some expressed caution about pouring millions into Union Pacific’s tracks.

“I would not be very favorable to investing $10 million in Union Pacific to increase sidings if we didn’t have some type of assurance that on-time performance would improve,” said state Sen. Bill Stouffer, a Napton Republican and chairman of the Senate Transportation Committee.

There are other potential financing sources. The latest federal appropriation for Amtrak includes $30 million that can go to states for capital improvements similar to those proposed in Missouri.

A long-term plan for funding Amtrak over the next six years contains $1.4 billion for intercity passenger rail upgrades that would be available to states willing to match the money.

The bill is pending in the House. The Senate passed it last year.

Weiler said MoDOT would go after that money, but other states have more established routes where new rail projects are ready to go.

“Our biggest case (for federal money) is: We are one of the few corridors that’s experiencing a reduction in ridership. The main reason is because of our on-time performance, and this would address that.”