Letter to Boardman of Amtrak

Letter

U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer today called on Amtrak to better coordinate their track inspection program with the Long Island Railroad (LIRR) to prevent unnecessary work during peak travel times. Schumer's call to Amtrak comes in the wake of significant service disruptions to the LIRR on Monday, April 18th during the evening rush hour. Repairs initiated by Amtrak took more than five hours to complete and continued into the peak rush-hour period, forcing the LIRR to cancel 21 trains and suspend all service into Penn Station for over three hours. In a letter to Amtrak Chief Executive Officer Joseph Boardman, Schumer called on the railroad to ensure that inspection and maintenance programs takes into account the LIRR's regular service schedule and are finished early enough each day so that potential repair work can take place before peak travel periods.

"There are few things as maddening as having your train home delayed for hours or even cancelled. The bottom line is that the LIRR is handcuffed by a dated an inflexible agreement with Amtrak that prevents it from scheduling normal track work during off-peak hours. While it's vital that Amtrak does everything in its power to ensure safe and reliable track infrastructure, it defies logic to conduct major repairs during peak operational hours, particularly in the lead-up to a holiday," said Schumer. "Amtrak must do a better job of coordinating repair work and inspections with peak demand schedules on the LIRR so that thousands of commuters don't get stranded trying to get to and from work."

Amtrak routinely schedules inspections to comply with federal requirements during the busiest times of the day. However, if scheduled inspections are not conducted during the earliest off-peak hours possible, required track work can cause service disruptions to commuters traveling on the Long Island Rail Road during peak hours. While the importance of the inspection and repairs are necessary and critical, Schumer said the timing of the inspections and repairs are clearly an issue. Schumer stated that Amtrak must ensure that their inspection program take into account the Long Island Rail Road's regular service schedule and do everything in their power to mitigate unnecessary disruptions for commuters. Schumer pointed out that the Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) had sent notice to commuters that extra trains would be made available to accommodate Passover holiday travel, yet Amtrak was shutting down tracks for repairs at the same time.

In his letter to Amtrak, Schumer asked the railroad to immediately initiate a review of Amtrak's track inspection program in the New York metropolitan region and work with the Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA) and the Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) to create a new, alternative track inspection proposal to make federally-required track work less burdensome to the hundreds of thousands of Long Island commuters

A copy of Schumer's letter to Boardman is below.

Dear Mr. Boardman:

I write to urge that you immediately initiate a review of Amtrak's track inspection program in the New York metropolitan region and offer the Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA) and the Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) a new, alternative track inspection proposal to make federally-required track work less burdensome to the hundreds of thousands of Long Island commuters.

As you are aware, each and every day thousands of Americans rely on Amtrak and the Long Island Rail Road for their daily commutes to and from work. Unfortunately, Amtrak service disruptions, resulting from federally mandated track inspection and repairs, have become a burden to peak-hour service. While I strongly support the FRA and Amtrak's important work in ensuring the safety of travelers, these service disruptions, resulting from poorly-timed inspections by Amtrak, are major hurdles for travelers. According to the LIRR and MTA board members, Amtrak routinely schedules inspections to comply with federal requirements during the busiest times of the day. However, if scheduled inspections are not conducted during the earliest off-peak hours possible, required track work can cause service disruptions to commuters traveling on the Long Island Rail Road during peak hours. While the importance of the inspection and repairs are irrefutable, the timing of the inspection is clearly at issue.

Amtrak must insure that their federally-mandated inspection and maintenance program take into account the Long Island Rail Road's regular service schedule and do everything in their power to mitigate unnecessary disruptions for commuters. For example, it is my understanding that the Long Island Rail Road had sent notice to commuters that extra trains would be made available to accommodate Passover holiday travel at the same time that Amtrak was shutting down tracks in use by the LIRR. While there is little doubt that this emergency track work was absolutely necessary, this miscommunication was a real burden on Long Island commuters and is unacceptable.

Simply put, Amtrak needs to insure that Long Island peak commuters do not fall victim to routine track inspections and maintenance that could otherwise be conducted during off-peak hours. I am confident that Amtrak can develop new guidance with the help of the MTA and the LIRR which preserves the safety of passengers while resolving this issue of service disruptions during peak travel times.

Thank you for your attention to this important issue. If you have any questions or need additional information please contact my Washington, DC office.

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