Passenger Trains > Mica's next Amtrak hearing tomorrow

If you can stand it, Mica's next Amtrak witch hunt will be tomorrow.

Since it will cover the NEC, I hope Boardman or someone will explain the cancellation of those 40 Acela coaches. There's dirty work afoot here.

Joe

http://www.progressiverailroading.com/prdailynews/news.asp?id=33642

Got to get those attacks in before hes out of office in jan huh. this guy just will not give up no matter what. hes running out of ammo so hes using whatever hes got left to make the attack.

I don't follow this stuff like you do, Joe. But I am curious---with your hatred of Mica, I'm wondering if you could list what his accomplishments are as far as the damage he has done to Amtrak?

Example #1: he wanted to force Amtrak to see off "air rights" top the NEC, with his corporate buddies lines up (and salivating) over the idea. In a nutshell, once that was in place the property would be "developed" for the new "leasers" and the NEC would be cut up into fragments: kiss the trains goodbye.
Example #2: he absolutely believes "Private Industry" can do a better job of hauling passengers by rail than Amtrak and has proposed ELIMINATING AMTRAK ALTOGETHER by (1) de-funding it and (2) writing off the federal law that created Amtrak in the first place. Next step would be selling off the train bit by bit to whoever wanted the cars and locos, with the idea that "Private Operators":" would leap at the opportunity to by the stuff (for pennies on the dollar?) and then happily run trains with it. But as Amtrak's legislation specifies the contract deals for the freight RRs to allow Amtrak (and ONLY Amtrak) on their rails, doing away with it altogether would allow the freight RRs to say NO WAY, GET OUTTA HERE AND DON'T LET THE DOOR SLAM YOU IN THE BUTT.

End result? NO PASSENGER RAIL SERVICE IN THE USA UNDER ANY NAME, TITLE, OR WARRANT.

Now ya know...

So in other words, he has accomplished nothing. Why the big deal over this guy?

It's difficult to know where to start with djansson's rant about passenger trains being "All Amtrak Or Nothing At All."

Amtrak was a creation of Congress. Congress gave Amtrak the legislative right to operate on freight railroads, and Congress can take away that right. Congress gave the NEC to Amtrak, and Congress can take away that right.

Congress wrote into law that the freight railroads give Amtrak priority in train movements, and also gave Amtrak an "incremental cost" use of the freight railroads. The railroads were all right with that provision in 1971 - anything to get out from under the loss of operating passenger trains - and it's never changed, but you can bet they'd never agree to it willingly in 2013.

However, if Congress wants to rewrite the law, Congress can do that. If Congress believes that private enterprise can operate passenger trains more efficiently than Amtrak can, then it has a moral obligation to all of us who pay taxes to write a law that says that freight railroads have to offer the same "incremental cost" options to a private operator that Amtrak enjoys. And, as importantly as anything, that includes the tort-liability provisions that Amtrak enjoys. But if Amtrak is operating efficiently, at the lowest cost and best service possible, then we ought to keep a national Amtrak operating as it is.

Really, as long as it will stand up in court, a legislature can write almost any law.

To: Coastlight99

I will agree that I am extremely critical, politically, of Mica, but I don't "hate" him. Is it really possible to "hate" a politician "as a person"? I don't think so.

To me, Mica is a guy I consider anti- Amtrak, who doesn't believe Amtrak has a right to exist as a Government subsidized service. Therefore, I would be happy to see him removed from the Transportation Sub-Committee. This isn't "hatred" on my part; it's just my desire to see an anti-Amtrak politician prevented from doing Amtrak harm.

This might be hard to understand if you don't follow Amtrak's political realities very closely (they're messy). It may appear that I'm constantly criticizing Mica; well, that because he's constantly holding these hearings, whose intent is to harm Amtrak--like the hearing tomorrow where he will again push the idea of selling off the NEC to real estate developers, which most rail supporters know would lead to the elimination of passenger rail.

So, I don't hate him; but I would very much like to see him "out of there"; because he's no friend to Amtrak; and Amtrak needs friends (badly). So, that is "the big deal with guy".

Joe



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/12/12 18:31 by floridajoe2001.

I think Mica's issue is not so much with the physical product of the passenger train themselves, but with Amtrak, Inc itself, to the extent that he would like to kill it.

Most of us are not satisfied with Amtrak and would look for some sort of reform, though not go so far as to kill it.

Here's your dirty footwork, Joe:

___________
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 13, 2012

ATK-12-133
Contact: Media Relations, Amtrak
202 906.3860

AMTRAK ADVANCES PLANS TO ACQUIRE NEW
HIGH-SPEED TRAIN SETS FOR NORTHEAST CORRIDOR
Next-generation equipment best option to meet growing ridership demand

WASHINGTON – In order to better meet strong and growing ridership demand on the Northeast Corridor (NEC), Amtrak is advancing plans to acquire new next-generation high-speed train sets and ending its plans to purchase 40 additional high-speed passenger cars to add to the existing Acela Express fleet.

In early 2013, Amtrak will issue a Request for Information (RFI) to formally start the process that will replace the existing 20 Acela Express train sets and add additional train sets to expand seating capacity and provide for more frequent high-speed service on the NEC.

“Moving directly to new high-speed train sets is the best option to create more seating capacity, permit higher speeds, and maximize customer comfort all while improving equipment reliability and reducing operating costs,” said President and CEO Joe Boardman.

He explained that the previous plan to add 40 new passenger cars with newer technology to the older Acela train sets was a stop-gap measure, posed technical challenges and was determined not to be cost effective and insufficient to handle new ridership growth projections.

Boardman made the announcement before a Congressional committee saying that in the past two years Amtrak has moved forward a number of major proposals designed to address the NEC’s growth and development needs.

The proposals are detailed in the Amtrak Vision for the Northeast Corridor 2012 Update Report. First, is the NEC Upgrade Program to bring the corridor up to a state of good repair, add additional capacity to allow limited service growth, and make targeted trip-time improvements for all existing intercity, commuter and freight services. Among the elements is the Gateway Program to build vital track, tunnel and station capacity into the heart of Manhattan to support Amtrak and commuter rail growth.

Second, is the next-generation high-speed rail program to provide America’s economic, political and cultural capitals in the Northeast with the world-class 220 mph high-speed service the region deserves. With possible operating profits over a billion dollars annually and ridership well into 40 million riders a year upon full build-out, Amtrak expects that private capital, probably in the form of a public-private partnership, could play a significant role in this project.

Boardman said the international experience with high-speed rail projects is that “only after the public sector has allocated significant funding and committed itself to a project of this magnitude that the private sector is willing to enter the deal and deliver value for money.” Adding that, “[o]nce these services are generate revenue streams, these projects can and will attract private funding that can help repay initial capital costs.”

He went on to say he is certain Amtrak has been a good steward of the NEC noting that he is “confident that we have mapped out a workable plan, and that our search for a truly regional solution to the challenges of capacity will be successful.”

In FY 2012, Amtrak set a national ridership record of 31.2 million passengers, including a new record of 11.4 million riders on its Northeast Corridor services. In addition, the introduction of high-speed Acela Express service in 2000 has transformed the air-rail market in the Northeast. Today, Amtrak carries three passengers for every one airline passenger between New York and Washington, and carries more passengers between New York and Boston than all the airlines combined—making Amtrak not simply an alternative, but a preferred choice.

Coastlite99:

What is your best guess as to when this whole new redesigned fleet of Acela-2 equipment will enter service?

My guess would be 10 years--at least.

What do we do in the mean time with Acela growth and "sold out" situation--not address this un-met demand, and just forget about it?

Joe

My comments about Mica are based on his actual statements in committee and to other officials in government and other agencies. Were he just a committee member it would be small change, but Mica, as Chairman of the House Transportation Committee, controls legislation passed (or rejected) by that committee, and then forwarded to the House for consideration.

coaststarlight99 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
Here's your dirty footwork, Joe:

> (Boardman) explained that the previous plan to add 40 new passenger cars with newer technology to the older
> Acela train sets was a stop-gap measure, posed technical challenges and was determined not to be
> cost effective and insufficient to handle new ridership growth projections.

==================================================================

...what most on this board have been saying, ever since the cancellation was revealed.

Only now it won't be dirty footwork any more, just a decision by "guys like Boardman who run Amtrak."

But why didn't those guys realize it before the Inspector General hit Boardman and Amtrak over the head?

floridajoe2001 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Coastlite99:
>
> What is your best guess as to when this whole new
> redesigned fleet of Acela-2 equipment will enter
> service?
>
> My guess would be 10 years--at least.
>
> What do we do in the mean time with Acela growth
> and "sold out" situation--not address this un-met
> demand, and just forget about it?
>
> Joe

Beats me. I don't follow these things like you do. However, do you think they should have stuck with the first bogus order of Acela cars that would have been plagued with problems, causing umpteen problems for Amtrak? It kinda sounds like you just want "stuff", no matter if it works or not.

GenePoon Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> coaststarlight99 Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> Here's your dirty footwork, Joe:
>
> > (Boardman) explained that the previous plan to
> add 40 new passenger cars with newer technology to
> the older
> > Acela train sets was a stop-gap measure, posed
> technical challenges and was determined not to be
> > cost effective and insufficient to handle new
> ridership growth projections.
>
> ==================================================
> ================
>
> ...what most on this board have been saying, ever
> since the cancellation was revealed.
>
> Only now it won't be dirty footwork any more, just
> a decision by "guys like Boardman who run
> Amtrak."
>
> But why didn't those guys realize it before the
> Inspector General hit Boardman and Amtrak over the
> head?


That's a good point Gene, and this IG is a hell of a lot better than Kenneth Mead who succsesfully forced Amtrak to the Diner lite crap besides saying what Amtrak needs to get rid of to really make it (sleepers, dining, louonge services which is the bread and butter on passenger train travel.) I still wish Amtrak ignored the dining deal though, it hasn't been the same since that's been put in!

How did IG Mead "force" Amtrak into diner lite? The IG isn't an operating officer, doesn't have any budget controls, etc.

My recollection is Mead presented Amtrak with his interpretation of its own records and expense reports, following which Amtrak decided to drop dining service on some routes where costs were wildly out of line with revenues collected.

floridajoe2001 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------

> What do we do in the mean time with Acela growth
> and "sold out" situation--not address this un-met
> demand, and just forget about it?

====================================================

What "growth?" What "sold-out situation?" Acela ridership has been declining.

Must be all that Kool-Aid®.

Somebody up thread mentioned Mica would be leaving office in January, 2013.

Didn't happen.

But he has been happy to work with Rep Corrine Brown (D-FL) to get federal gravy for the SunRail train. First phase is about done in construction.

Mica also helped to get the Amtrak auto-train terminal in Sanford updated with federal funding, etc. No point spoiling a rant with opposing views. Maybe Joe Boardman will name the Florida terminal for Mr Mica...