Letter to James R. Young, Chairman and CEO of the Union Pacific Corporation, Re: Commit to Improving Commuter Rail
Letter
Letter to James R. Young, Chairman and CEO of the Union Pacific Corporation, Re: Commit to Improving Commuter Rail
Durbin Asks Union Pacific to Commit to Improving Commuter Rail
U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today sent the following letter to the Chairman and CEO of the Union Pacific Corporation, James R. Young, asking that Union Pacific make the necessary capital investments and management decisions to improve Amtrak's on-time performance.
Text of letter appears below:
February 8, 2008
James R. Young
Chairman, President, and CEO
Union Pacific Corporation
1400 Douglas Street
19th Floor
Omaha, Nebraska 68179
Dear Mr. Young:
Thank you for meeting with me this week to discuss passenger rail in Illinois. As we discussed, passenger rail operated by Amtrak has broken ridership and revenue records in Illinois. In our meeting we agreed that we must address an important issue standing in the way of the continued success of Amtrak in Illinois: on-time performance.
Sustaining robust ridership numbers depends heavily on Amtrak trains arriving on time and avoiding unnecessary delays. Late trains cost Amtrak millions of dollars in operating costs and untold riders, who turn away from frustration with late arrivals.
The Lincoln Service along the Union Pacific track from Chicago to St. Louis was late 53 percent of the time during fiscal year 2007. Amazingly, during that same time, ridership increased an impressive 56 percent. Clearly, there is strong demand for passenger train service in Illinois. Even strong demand, though, will not withstand perpetual delays. Lackluster on-time performance leads to lackluster passenger demand. That is an experience we cannot afford.
To eliminate these delays, Union Pacific must make the necessary capital investments and management decisions that will serve both the railroad and Amtrak service.
First, UP must improve track conditions along the Lincoln Service route. Rusty track and sidings along this corridor interfere with electric currents that detect the presence of trains and activate road crossings lights and gates.
The poor track conditions create significant delays on this route. Without being able to detect other trains, trains operating in sidings must come to a complete stop at some crossings. When this happens, a conductor must disembark and literally flag the train across a crossing with a red flag.
Flagging is an antiquated response to a problem that could easily be solved with investments, such as Incremental Train Control System technology. Fixing the track and updating the railroad's technologies would increase on-time performance significantly.
Second, the signal system along the UP track is well beyond its useful life. In many places between Joliet and Manzonia, wiring hangs from poles and touches the ground. This situation has left the railroad vulnerable to theft of copper wiring and adds to delays for Amtrak trains. Bringing this signaling system into a state of good repair is essential to improving Amtrak's on-time performance.
Third, UP must improve its planning, training and oversight to create clear routes for passenger trains between St. Louis and Chicago. Amtrak's operating agreement with UP does not permit slow order delays along the route. However, poor dispatching procedures and subsequent slow orders have caused meetings of freight and passenger trains, causing regular delays along the route.
Finally, it is time to determine UP's role in the future of Amtrak service along the Chicago-St. Louis route. This portion of track is unique in the national system because it does not have heavy amounts of freight traffic like most other Amtrak routes. This situation makes the line ripe for a high speed rail demonstration project that would move passengers to and from Chicago and St. Louis at speeds significantly faster than car travel. Eliminating the delays along this route takes us closer to the day we can make that possibility a reality.
Passenger rail is on the brink of a renaissance that could take cars off the road, relieve congested highways, minimize emissions that are harmful to air quality, and lessen our dependence on foreign oil. Ushering passenger rail into that renaissance requires a serious commitment from the freight railroads that own and maintain the track where Amtrak trains operate.
I look forward to hearing from you about UP's actions to increase the on-time performance of Amtrak trains in Illinois. Thank you again for meeting with me this week. I stand ready to assist you in ensuring that rail passengers in Illinois are given the most reliable, viable and quickest train service possible.
Sincerely,
Richard J. Durbin
U.S. Senator
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