Your weekly source of fresh takes on news affecting America's passengers. See also the NARP Blog.
April 23, 1991
Bombardier and Amtrak, at long last yesterday, announced an order for 140 Superliners. For $350 million -- or about $2.5 million apiece -- Amtrak will get six deluxe sleepers for the Auto Train, 49 standard sleepers, 38 coaches, 20 diners, 15 lounges, and 12 transition dorms, plus an option to purchase 39 more cars at the same unit price. The cars are patterned after the original Pullman Standard...
April 19, 1991
The good news about the railroad strike is that it was brief, that many passenger trains -- including virtually all commuter trains -- were unaffected, and that the media and our political leaders were focused on the significant role that freight trains still play. In an unusual hearing on April 17 at 8:00 am, Transportation Secretary Skinner said, "A national rail strike clearly impairs our nati...
April 15, 1991
A national freight railroad strike is now more likely than ever on the morning of April 17. That is the expiration of a cooling-off period following the Presidential Emergency Board report of January, which sought to address work rule and health and welfare issues, some going back to 1984. Last week, the unions offered to allow passenger trains to continue to operate. That may not be a grand gestu...
April 12, 1991
In the likely event of a national freight railroad strike on April 17, the labor community has offered to allow passenger trains to continue to operate. That is probably not a grand gesture on their part, but rather an attempt to keep Congress from intervening very soon. However, the railroads, who like the Presidential Emergency Board plan much more than do the unions, probably would like Congres...
April 11, 1991
An accident has tied up the Northeast Corridor all day today. At 3:00 am, a northbound deadhead move of Amtrak locomotives -- one F40 pulling three E60's -- skidded into a southbound 120-car Conrail coal train at Gunpowder interlocking near Chase, Md., just north of Baltimore. No passengers or passenger equipment were involved. The Amtrak engineer was seriously injured, the conductor less so. T...