The Chicago Region Environmental and Transportation Efficiency (CREATE) Program marked nine years of existence in June 2012.
Train, engine and mechanical forces represented by the United Transportation Union on shortline Western Rail Road in Texas have ratified a new agreement reached with mediation assistance from the National Mediation Board.
U.S. Transportation Deputy Secretary John Porcari and Federal Transit Administrator Peter Rogoff joined Maryland Senator Barbara Mikulski and top safety and transit officials to celebrate a legislative victory that will ensure that transit passengers in the United States who board a light rail, commuter rail, heavy rail or transit bus will travel on a system governed by robust federal safety oversight for the first time.
Controlling grinding speed allows for the amount of metal removal to be fine-tuned and results in improved effectiveness and utilization of grinding operations.
Members of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen have unanimously ratified a new collective bargaining agreement with the Great Western Railway of Colorado. The three-year agreement runs through February 15, 2015, and includes a lump sum allowance that is retroactive to July 1, 2008.
Amtrak is on pace to set another new annual ridership record as passenger counts across its national network for the first six months of fiscal year 2012 (October 2011 – March 2012) are up 3.7 percent over the same period last year when the current record was established.
Congress approved a three-month extension of current transportation programs and the Surface Transportation Extension Act of 2012 was signed by President Obama on March 30, extending the authority to make expenditures from the Highway Trust Fund for HTF-financed programs through June 30, 2012.
The Providence and Worcester Railroad and the New England Central Railroad, part of the RailAmerica family, have established a new coordinated commercial and operating platform, the Great Eastern Route.
Wheel/rail friction modifiers have been updated and reformulated to become environmentally friendly, which was just one focus for suppliers in the past year. Additionally, it’s not only what you put on the rails, but how. Suppliers are upping the ante and producing the most technologically advanced systems to get the job done right without wastefullness and at a attractive price point.
“Environmental Lubricants Manufacturing, Inc., is the only company in the U.S. that manufactures exclusively biobased greases and lubricants for railroad friction management,” notes Lou Honary, chairman and president of ELM. “The company incorporates a revolutionary manufacturing process that utilizes microwaves for the reaction process of making grease. This process does not damage the vegetable oils during the high-temperature reaction process and as a result, a more oxidatively stable and economical biodegradable grease is produced.”
Honary says he sees the railroads spending much more on friction reduction through lubrication in 2012 because it makes economic sense. Friction reduction improves fuel economy and as the cost of fuel goes up, the cost of lubrication can easily be justified, he notes.
“I believe the increased use of biofuels and the awareness it has created within the railroad industry will be helpful in promotion and use of biobased greases and switch lubricants, etc.”
“The company has remained at the forefront of technological development with a steady stream of technical advances that enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of friction control programs since L.B. Foster acquired Portec Rail Products, Inc., in late 2010,” said Dr. Kevin Oldknow, vice president technology and business development, friction management at L.B. Foster Company.
Friction management, including both gauge-face lubrication and top-of-rail friction control, remains a fast evolving field. According to Oldknow, one of the most significant advances that has been made in top-of-rial friction modifier technology since its introduction more than a decade ago has been the development and implementation of KELTRACK® ER (Enhanced Retentivity).
A number of chemistry packages comprise thin film friction modifiers, each delivering one or more key components of the overall material behavior. The term “Enhanced Retentivity” refers to a complete revision of KELTRACK’s film forming chemistry, providing improvement in the resistance to cyclic wheel/rail compressive loads. This is said to yield a dramatic reduction in the quantity of friction modifier needed to establish TOR friction control over a given territory.
“As with any material destined for use at the TOR/wheel tread interface, KELTRACK ER was required to undergo exhaustive testing over several years to ensure that neither performance nor safety were compromised,” explained Oldknow. “As the industry’s only true friction modifier technology (delivering an intermediate coefficient of friction and positive friction-creepage characteristics through a dry, thin film), the KELTRACK family of products establishes dry thin film friction control that delivers reductions in lateral loads and lateral/vertical ratios, rail and wheel wear, locomotive diesel usage, rolling contact fatigue development, curving noise and corrugations. In the past year, Enhanced Retentivity technology has become fully commercialized and is in territory-wide usage under a range of operating conditions including severe curvatures, curve densities and gradients.”
Oldknow notes a lingering question in the industry has been “how do we know that our friction control program is working?” He says L.B. Foster has provided a definitive answer to this question through a cooperative project between the company’s friction management and Salient Systems product teams. Its lateral/vertical force measurement Module is specifically designed to integrate with the Remote Performance Monitoring™ (RPM™) technology, providing a cost effective way to monitor L/V force levels at multiple locations throughout a given territory. These results are then integrated into a web interface used to monitor PROTECTOR® wayside friction control system performance. This information verifies the effectiveness of KELTRACK TOR friction control monitored in near-real time over complete territories.
Moving from trackside systems to train-mounted equipment, the company’s AutoPilot™ system has also seen major technical advances in the past year. Improvements include a full-featured telemetry system fully integrated with the RPM framework, providing a clean and effective web interface. The system has been made more robust with nozzle and fluid delivery system improvements to handle an even wider range of operating conditions in the harsh and rugged heavy haul operating world.
“The economic case for friction management has gained very secure footing, helping to justify continued investment in these technologies,” explained Oldknow. “Multiple Class 1 railroads have published rigorous scientific data from collaborative projects demonstrating the effectiveness of KELTRACK TOR friction control in generating rail and fuel savings and several other meaningful economic benefits. When combined with optimized state-of-the-art GF lubrication using PROTECTOR trackside systems and premium greases with targeted extreme pressure additive packages, dedicated and effective management and maintenance and filling programs, the net benefits to the global rail industry are highly compelling.”
Oldknow says the L.B. Foster team is working on a major set of product improvements set for release during the 2012 calendar year.
“As a world leader in manufacturing lubrication products, Lincoln has more than 100 years of expertise,” said Pete Laucis, global director product management at Lincoln Industrial. “That knowledge and experience will continue to benefit the rail industry during 2012. With its diverse lubrication market experience, Lincoln is better positioned to respond to rail customers and develop new products, systems and solutions based on customer requirements.”
Lincoln recently developed the digital controller. Introduced to expand the capabilities of controlling the grease distribution to the rail, the new controller is said to be user-friendly, due to the soft keypad, which makes it easy to navigate through the controller parameters. The Lincoln digital controller is capable of counting up to 128 axles, an increase from 32 with the previous controller. Coupled with the ability to specify the pump on time with a range of two-14 seconds, the volume of grease distribution can be dialed in to satisfy the demand.
“The controller also has the capability to provide different volumes of grease in either direction of train travel,” said Laucis. “For example, if there are numerous curves in one direction, but only a few in the other, grease distribution can be proportioned for both directions to minimize excess usage.”
The digital controller is said to accurately keep track of the cumulative total volume of grease that has been dispensed to the rail by using a proximity switch on the patented dispensing bar’s Pump-To-Port® metering valve. Weather-related features include a thermostat when a water-based friction modifier is used along with a rain/snow sensor capability.
The controller also has been improved cosmetically with a waterproof enclosure and an accessible terminal strip inside for easy electrical hookups, notes Laucis.
Lincoln has refined its gauge face bars going to a metal-to-metal seal, speeding installation and reducing maintenance.
Other products of Lincoln’s include its durable 200-pound reservoir, which provides a compact, turnkey package for customers dealing with space constraints. The weather-resistant, powder-coated steel reservoir contains all of the same pumps and controls as Lincoln’s 800-pound unit.
The company’s 600 mm gauge face short bars have the ability to lubricate closer to or in the spiral of a curve.
Lincoln’s pecial systems for metro/transit applications provide unlimited tank customization for unique applications.
The company notes its Next Generation gauge face dispensing bar takes precision lubrication placement to another level.
Lincoln offers clients installation accessories, including a variety of items designed to reduce maintenance time.
Additionally, Lincoln still offers electronic interfaces with user-specific communication platforms. These electronic interfaces are universally compatible with known telemetric systems.
Lincoln continues to work with Class 1 and Class 2 railroads, along with the metro/transit market to analyze cost-saving areas by employing improved lubrication methods.
“We expect to see increased emphasis on more compact and modular products for noise abatement applications in the metro/transit market,” added Laucis.
Terresolve Technologies, Ltd., says it is dedicated to providing non-toxic, biodegradable lubricating products that deliver exceptional performance. Mark Miller, CEO of Terresolve notes that Terresolve’s biobased and biodegradable fluids have been extensively proven in the lab and in the field and are renewable, support the agrarian community and meet federal guidelines for environmentally preferable purchasing.
Terresolve recently introduced EnviroLogic 801LCG, a biodegradable rail curve grease. EL 801LCG is said to have excellent cold temperature characteristics versus other competitive products and a unique thickener/tackifier formula that improves tenacity of the product to the rails.
The company also manufactures biodegradable hydraulic fluids for track maintenance equipment.
“These products outperform petroleum oils and in the event of a leak or spill, have no long-term effect on the environment,” explained Miller. “These products not only protect railroad equipment, but also protect the railroad contractor while he is working in environmentally sensitive projects, especially over water, in the event of a spill.”
Terresolve sees not only an overall increase in the rail lubrication programs in 2012, but especially in programs using and requiring biodegradable, high-performance lubricants and greases.
Terresolve currently supplies bio hydraulic fluids to a Class 1 railroad for track maintenance equipment.
“We are excited about the recent launch of the new bio curve grease and have begun to secure business with our current customers, as well as potential clients,” said Miller.
Tranergy Inc., powerd by LORAM, is currently working on a new and improved friction modification delivery system.
“This system has a finer resolution than the previous method,” explained Jon Behrens, integration manager at Tranergy Inc., powered by LORAM. “This finer resolution will reduce friction modifier waste during rail application by applying precisely the right amount of friction modifier in the ideal position on the top of the rail, allowing the train wheels to distribute the FM more effectively.”
The new system is said to be flexible enough to work with a variety of friction modifiers of different viscosities and at a large temperature range. This flexibility gives the customer more options on unit placement.
Tranergy has experienced an increased demand from its customers for friction management programs, notes Behrens. He says railroads are realizing the benefits of friction modification, including less energy consumption, reduced lateral forces and reduced rail damage.
Many railroads are establishing departments within their organizations to manage rail lubrication, similar to other maintenance-of-way departments such as rail grinding, notes Behrens.
“The implementation of a rail lubrication group within a railroad’s organization helps ensure consistency in the type of friction modifier products used on the railroad and efficiency of the FM delivery and maintenance schedules,” explained Behrens. “Sometimes railroads do not place enough value on the maintenance of the friction modification units.
“This issue varies between divisions and subdivisions of a railroad. It’s important that all railroad personnel are educated on the benefits and applications of friction modification and remain consistent in the use of the products. This understanding then leads the roadmasters to manage the maintenance of these units to ensure proper functionality.”
Tranergy, in partnership with Loram Maintenance of Way, Inc., is currently pursuing opportunities on heavy haul railroads in North America and abroad to offer enhanced top-of-rail friction management products and services.
“Whitmore’s has been and will continue to be a market leader in rail lubrication,” noted Bruce Wise, director of railroad sales at Whitmore’s. “Our R&D and QC efforts are continuous and aided by the fact that we design and manufacture all of our products at our facility in Rockwall, Texas.”
He says 2012 will be an exciting year for Whitmore’s and one where its product offering will expand and core products will be enhanced.
Rail and wheel friction management continues to be an important initiative for the worldwide customer base of Whitmore’s, explains Wise.
“Our input would suggest that most railroads will maintain their current programs and expand them in areas where traffic levels and tonnage are increasing.”
There is one thing I’ve learned most about railroads whether I’ve worked on the supply side or the publishing side of this industry: safety is a priority. These words rang in my head several times over the past month. First, with the announcement that the Association for American Railroads had decided to retire the E.H. Harriman Safety Award, which has been around since 1913, along with the Harold F. Hammond Safety Award after this year’s presentation, which will take place in May.
When Hurricane and then Tropical Storm Irene rode along the East Coast of the United States in late August 2011, reactions to the damage ranged from shocking in the southeast to bullet dodging in New York City. By the time the storm blasted into Vermont on Aug. 28-29, 2011, winds had died down, but the amount of rain that fell unleashed some of the worst flooding the state had experienced in decades. For Vermont Rail System and New England Central Railroad, the storm left the shortlines with track sections hanging in mid air, compromised bridges and shut down both railroads for close to three weeks.
While it’s not unusual for hurricanes and tropical storms to affect the New England Central, according to Charles Hunter assistant vice president of government affairs for RailAmerica, which owns and operates the NECR, the south end of the system located in Connecticut and Massachusetts has been the focus of storms over the past 10 years. In order to prepare for Irene’s impact, Hunter says NECR halted both freight and Amtrak passenger operations prior to Irene’s arrival.
Over on Vermont Rail System, employees were on standby the day of Irene’s arrival. Charlie Lemieux, VRS superintendent of maintenance-of-way, described the preparation as a bit of a waiting game to see what the storm would do. VRS ran patrols in front of trains until waters became overwhelming, operations stopped and employees were pulled off the line for safety.
“As far as any other prep work, there wasn’t much to do until the storm left and we saw what we were dealing with,” said Lemieux.
Both railroads were left to deal with extensive damage. Between the two railroads, there were close to 150 washouts, six compromised bridges and nearly 35 miles of track that had been destroyed.
“NECR had washed out road bed with the rails and ties suspended in mid air, we had bank slides as deep as 50 feet below where the track use to be, mud slides and trees came down over the right-of-way and, while we did not lose any bridges, we had some bridges where the head walls and the piers were affected,” said Hunter.
Lemieux said the Green Mountain Railroad (GMRC), part of VRS, received the worst damage between Rutland, Vt., and Bellows Falls, Vt., where a few bridges were off their abutments and more bridges were lost between Rutland and Hoosick Junction, N.Y.
“We had approximately six miles of track that was totally undermined and washed out and we had at least 15 miles of track that was underwater that we could not access until the water subsided,” said Lemieux.
Once the water receded, Lemieux said only seven miles of track out of the 15 were a total loss and the rest of the damage consisted of superficial washes.
For NECR, the damage was especially painful to discover as the shortline was in the middle of a large improvement project for Amtrak’s Vermonter line. The high-speed rail improvements had just been completed about a month before Irene’s arrival and included installation of continuously welded rail, new crossties, highway-rail grade crossing safety improvements and other track improvements.
“The low point was assessing all the damage, that was pretty depressing,” said Rick Boucher, assistant general manager for NECR, “Especially after a large project where everything had looked so good and then basically, overnight was destroyed.”
“We had brand new cwr hanging in mid air,” said Hunter, “The good news is that because we had installed the rail and installed new ties or re-spiked the ties we were keeping, most of the elements stayed intact even though they were hanging in mid air.”
Post storm, both railroads were shutdown to thru traffic. VRS required an assessment by helicopter after the storm and determined priority to be opening the Green Mountain Gateway between Rutland and Bellows Falls. NECR divided the repair effort into four zones, a plan developed by RailAmerica’s director of structures Bill Riehl and director of engineering Ron Marshall after they completed an on-site assessment of the damage. The worst, zone 3, located in the Roxbury and Braintree Vt., area also dubbed the Red Zone. Work began in zones 1 and 4 and progressed toward the Red Zone.
“We worked toward the Red Zone because we knew access to it would be difficult,” said Boucher. “The plan was to attack [the damage] from each end with the anticipation that by the time we got to the Red Zone, some of the roads would be opened up enough that we could begin to truck some material in and we could bring material in by rail as well, if we had zones 1, 2 and 4 done.”
Access problems due to many roads in Vermont having been washed out by the storm were an issue for both NECR and VRS.
“With anything of this magnitude, there will always be little quirks that will happen along the line that we try to overcome,” said Lemieux. “The biggest one was trying to get the aggregate material to the different locations. A lot of locations were not road accessible and the roads were washed out. It was difficult to get the material to the job sites where it needed to be.”
“We had to actually construct roads to reach our right-of-way to conduct repairs,” said Hunter. “We worked with the local farmers and land owners to get their permission to build roads into those areas and everyone was great to work with. Vermont Agency of Transportation issued a 30-day suspension of environmental permitting for railroad repairs and road repairs, so we were able to get in to do the necessary repairs without the permitting process.”
Once access issues were resolved, the real repair work began and on VRS, bridge repair was a focus.
“On the GMRC there was no traffic because we had a bridge in Proctorsville, Vt., that was off it’s abutment and one in Arlington, Vt., and there were no trains running until we got all bridges safe to run over,” said Lemieux. “One particular contractor that was outstanding was Engineers Construction, Inc., they did a wonderful job for us. We had them concentrating on bridges. Some of the abutments were gone and one bridge, 114, was at a tilt of about 30 some odd degrees.”
Lemieux said that in order to repair the bridge, which was recently completed, the contractors drove pilings down and made a new bridge seat. Heavy-duty cranes were brought in to move the bridge onto temporary pilings so traffic could travel over it before final repairs could be made and the structure was placed on new bridge seats.
NECR had to deal with a lot of holes left by washouts. Dealing with larger holes threatened the shortline’s aggressive recovery schedule.
“At one point, we thought we were falling behind, but once we got through a few critical areas, we made up time,” said Boucher. “We had one area with three large holes, basically a whole curve was just gone with one section of track left in the middle, but the track itself was over a bank and there was just subgrade left. Three large holes had nothing, no subgrade everything was gone. We had to start from the bottom. Some of those holes were 25-30 feet deep and they ranged from five to 800 feet long.”
Boucher also notes the NECR’s bridge contractors, Osmose Railroad Service, Inc., and Engineers Construction, Inc., were responsible for keeping to the repair schedule.
“Initially, we thought it would be Sept. 23 before the bridge work would be completed. Those contractors did a heck of a job to beat their own initial estimates also,” said Boucher.
The shortlines were not alone in their recovery effort. Aid came from the region’s other shortlines, contractors and the American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association. ASLRRA put out an All Points Bulletin for dump cars and both the NECR and VRS said they received a good response from neighboring railroads.
“Railroads are an interesting industry in that not only do we compete with each other but we also cooperate with each other for certain freight movements,” said Hunter. “Generally speaking, the railroads in New England are very response-oriented. When somebody has a problem, the other railroads will help you out.”
It took three weeks for both shortlines to transition between storm-ravaged to back in business. VRS dumped 60,000 tons of rip rap and on the NECR, 15,000 tons of ballast was dumped, 12,500 feet of damaged right-of-way was repaired and all but a small section of new cwr was able to be placed back into service.
Lemieux and the rest of the VRS team were happy with the accomplishment of a quick and thorough recovery effort.
“We had many meetings on it and we came up with a date that we wanted to hit, it could have been a long shot, but that’s what we wanted, we are very proud that we were able to do that,” said Lemieux. “We dealt with a lot of little issues, but the main motivator was that our customers were not receiving their commodities. We were very much customer-oriented to get us up and going because once we’re going, we can help Vermont get up on its feet.”
The engineering department at NECR originally aimed for the railroad to be back in service on Sept. 23. The first train was run on the entire line on Sept. 20, three days ahead of the goal.
“It was a collective effort by everyone, good planning, a lot of support and cooperation from the contractors,” said Boucher. “As we got into that Red Zone, things started going faster than anticipated. We thought we were really going to struggle with accessibility and the repairs actually went a lot quicker than we thought.”
For their efforts to recover from Irene, both railroads were awarded the Herb Ogden Award for Rail Advocacy from the Vermont Rail Action Network.
The last piece of the puzzle is to figure out how to cover the multi-million dollar price tag associated with Irene’s damage. Because Vermont owns the line VRS operates on, the repair effort is eligible for FEMA funds. However, NECR, as a privately owned entity is not eligible, leaving only the Federal Railroad Administration’s Disaster Relief Fund for financial aid.
“There is no money in that fund,” said Hunter. “We’re trying to get that funded, which would not only help our railroad but other railroads in the northeast that sustained damage.”
Waiting around for monetary relief is not something either railroad is doing, as they are both still involved in Vermont’s continued recovery. The state’s highways did not recover as fast as the rail lines. Both shortlines are involved in the running of aggregate to help repair the state’s road network.
CSX introduced a new program, CSX Select Sites, offering customers an easy way to access certified, rail-ready properties for a variety of industrial uses.
New York’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority Board approved the agency’s budget for 2012, culminating a process that began with the release of the agency’s Preliminary Proposed Budget and Four-Year Financial Plan in July, updated last month by a Final Proposed Budget and Four-Year Financial Plan. In addition, the board approved an amendment to the 2010-2014 Capital Program that outlines how the final three years of the program are to be funded.
Seeking a new way to minimize rider inconvenience, maintain worker safety and reduce the overall time it takes to complete major track and signal repair work, Metropolitan Transportation Authority New York City Transit has developed a limited line and track closure initiative aimed at lessening the impacts of major construction projects.
Finding adequate time to perform track and signal work remains a daunting challenge while running a system that operates 24/7. Inspecting, repairing and replacing tracks, signals, power supply and infrastructure is necessary work vital to the safety of customers and employees, often requiring a series of service suspensions or slowdowns in order to be performed.
"We are one of the few transit systems that operate around the clock, so it’s always a challenge to find time to do work on the tracks, especially with ridership up on weekends and overnight," said MTA New York City Transit President Tom Prendergast. "Closing segments of lines so that we can get in and get the work done quickly benefits everyone; it’s safer for workers, less disruptive for riders and gets projects done more quickly for everyone."
Transit’s Line Segment Closure Program would shut portions of subway lines overnight for consecutive nights so that workers could go in and perform tasks without having to periodically stop while trains pass through the work site. Working this way will improve efficiency because employees will not have to cease their tasks every few minutes and move out of the way as a train passes before returning to their positions and continuing their jobs. Not running trains will also allow MTA to shut off power to the third rail, increasing employee safety.
Performing work in this manner is expected to shorten the overall duration of projects, minimizing customer inconvenience and maximizing worker safety. Carefully planned, such closures would only be employed where alternate service is available.
Four lines running through the central business district have been identified for the line closures, which will take place over four consecutive weeknights between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m. The lines are the Eighth Ave (A,C,E), Seventh Ave (1,2,3), Sixth Ave (B,D,F,M) and Lexington Ave (4,5,6).
The initial pilot is planned for the week of January 9th, 2012 and involves the Lexington Ave. Line. During that period, service will be suspended between Grand Central/42nd Street and Atlantic Ave, while crews work on the tracks and signals and perform a thorough cleaning of the roadbed.
In addition to the line closures, similar closures for capital track work will also be piloted. This would mean closing a track segment on a continuous basis, rather than performing work in a piecemeal fashion over a longer period of time.
Closures for track capital track work typically takes place on nights and weekends, with trains traveling at slow speeds over the affected areas during daytime hours. Performing this type of work in this manner has caused multiple weeks of slow speed orders and nights and weekend work.
Comparing a conventional project with a capital shutdown would mean nine continuous days of shutdown compared with eight weekend and 20 weeknight shutdowns for a total of 36 days of work. Aside from lessening customer inconvenience, working this way is projected to generate a cost savings of $1.3 million.
Closing track segments for up to 24 hours a day for about 16 days will allow the completion of work and restoration of full service weeks sooner than part-time closures. Performing capital track work this way has the double benefit of shortening project duration while restoring full service for customers
California state and local officials kicked off construction on the Colton Crossing Rail-to-Rail Grade Separation Project, which will improve safety and freight movement through one of the nation’s busiest rail crossings.
The $208 million grade separation project will move two east-west tracks used by Union Pacific over two north-south tracks used by BNSF. The two lines have intersected each other for more than a century, which causes freight slowdowns for more than 135 trains daily and significant local noise and air quality issues for area residents. The new separation will improve public safety by preventing risk of train derailments to nearby homes and interstates.
The project received a $33.8 million grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery program. When completed in 2014, the new crossing will help trains avoid slowing down or stopping for others to pass, shortening the time needed to move goods to and from the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach.
Chicago Transit Authority President Forrest Claypool proposed a $1.24 billion budget for 2012 that holds the line on fares and maintains current service levels, relying on deep management cuts and work rule changes from labor unions.
The proposed budget is $66.2 million, or 5.1 percent, less than the 2011 budget.
Management initiatives will help shave $117 million from the $277 million deficit and the proposed budget will close the remaining gap with anticipated work rule reforms, health care benefit changes and restraint in wage growth consistent with other metropolitan transit agencies.
"Since May, the CTA has launched a series of service improvements while cutting hundreds of positions and implementing management efficiencies that are saving tens of millions of dollars. The result is a lean management structure and the smallest number of employees in the CTA’s history," Claypool said.
The new service improvements are meant to improve the rider experience and encourage new riders and revenue. To improve security, more police have been added and thousands of new surveillance cameras. To improve the convenience of customers, Bus Tracker technology has been rolled out at bus shelters to let passengers know exactly when their bus is coming. To improve the cleanliness and aesthetics of rail stations, the CTA created "Renew Crews," SWAT teams of tradespeople to deep clean, repair and improve more than 100 stations and subways. And hundreds of new rail cars with modern technology and passenger amenities will be arriving shortly.
"But even the most innovative service and the leanest management cannot make up for a cost structure that far exceeds the national norm, mostly driven by antiquated work rules that benefit a small number of individuals at the expense of everyone else," Claypool said.
The CTA’s union collective bargaining agreements expire on December 31, but Claypool has already initiated the negotiation process.
Claypool warned that without labor and work rule reforms, the CTA would be forced to lay off up to 1,000 employees, reduce bus and rail service and perhaps hike fares.
The CTA’s current financial crisis dates back nearly 30 years.
The CTA is confronted with a record deficit despite more than $500 million in borrowing since the start of the recession in 2008, a 2009 fare hike and deep 2010 service cuts.
CTA says antiquated work rules cost the agency tens upon tens of millions of dollars, encouraging absenteeism, unnecessary overtime and layers of redundant costs required to manage around the cumbersome and inflexible mandates.
Approximately 70 percent of the CTA’s budget is spent on labor costs, and 91 percent of the labor force is unionized.
Labor expenses make up approximately two-thirds of the CTA budget. In 2012, labor costs are estimated to be $963.1 million, $61.7 million or 6.8 percent more than the 2011 budget.
CTA customers and the general public will have the opportunity to provide comments to the Chicago Transit Board on the president’s 2012 Budget Recommendations at three budget meetings. All are scheduled for 6:00 p.m.
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
Westinghouse High School
3223 W. Franklin Blvd.
Chicago, IL 60624
Monday, November 7, 2011
Chicago Transit Authority Headquarters
567 W. Lake Street
Chicago, IL 60661
Thursday, November 10, 2011
Kennedy-King College
740 W. 63rd Street
Chicago, IL 60621
The Federal Transit Administration gave its approval for Maryland’s Purple Line to move forward and enter the Preliminary Engineering phase. The Purple Line is a proposed 16-mile east-west light-rail project that will operate between Bethesda in Montgomery County to New Carrollton in Prince George’s County with connection to four branches of the Washington Metropolitan Area Transportation Authority system. FTA approval means that work on the project now moves to preparation of more detailed plans, schedules and cost estimates, as well as completion of environmental studies.
"In order to create jobs, a modern economy requires modern investments. The Federal Transit Administration’s approval today will help us continue to create jobs and expand rapid and reliable transportation in the Washington suburban region," said Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley. "The Purple Line will connect citizens to jobs and economic opportunities throughout the region. Today’s approval affirms that federal and state investments create jobs and promote economic growth. Together, with our federal partners, we can secure the future of transit in Maryland and continue to move the Purple Line forward."
The FTA review of the Purple Line proposal focused on the project’s high daily ridership and many significant benefits as well as the state’s financial commitment and technical capacity to build and operate the project. By granting permission to begin preliminary engineering, the Purple Line becomes one of a small of number of projects nationwide that are eligible for federal funding.
As proposed, the Purple Line will connect major employment and activity centers in Bethesda, Silver Spring, College Park and New Carrollton with residential and commercial areas located in between, including the Takoma-Langley Park community and Riverdale Park residents whose many transit dependent riders today are only served by buses. It will link both branches of WMTAT’s Red Line at Bethesda and Silver Spring, the Green Line at College Park and the Orange Line at New Carrollton. The Purple Line will also connect all three MARC commuter rail lines, Amtrak and local bus services.
The 16-mile Purple Line will play a critical role in the economic vitality of the corridor, with a projected increase of over 27,000 jobs per year and nearly $10 billion in additional federal, state and local revenues through the life of the rail line. The Metropolitan Transportation Authority is establishing a workforce development task force to assist with the creation of a state wide policy towards providing training programs for employment opportunities along the rail line.
The Purple Line will be a pedestrian-friendly system with 21 stations that are projected to handle 60,000 riders a day by 2030. On the western end, it will operate along the former Georgetown Branch railroad right of way, currently an interim hiker-biker trail. The project will be built simultaneously with the construction of a permanent trail separated from the rail line with a landscaped buffer. Different than WMATA, light rail is powered by an overhead wire, can operate at-grade and is compatible with pedestrians and automobile traffic.
The Purple Line will largely run on the surface with one short tunnel section, one aerial section and several underpasses and overpasses of busy roadways. It will operate mainly in dedicated or exclusive lanes, allowing for fast, reliable transit operations. Purple Line riders will generally access the line on foot or by existing bus and rail services since it directly serves local communities.
