cially when millions of riders move on these antique facilities each year. Politicians call- ing for reductions in government spending might wish to examine the handwriting on the wall. Thanks to Phil Sharpless, Fred Cole, and David Harris for the information.
L.A. Metrolink: Working on the Railroad The year 2008 was a grim one for Metrolink, the commuter rail operation in the Los Ange- les region. The Chatsworth wreck caused 25 deaths, morale was very low, and ridership was dropping. A new chief executive, John E. Fenton, took the reins in December 2009 and has succeeded in improving the situation. Ridership is up by about 5000 per day. Social media such as Twitter and Facebook are be- ing used to corral the younger and tech-savvy to become riders. Focusing on what riders want and service that really meets the needs of patrons are a big part of Metrolink’s pre- sent thinking. Mr. Fenton added 22 trains to daily operations by careful scheduling, dodg- ing major budget damages. Mr. Fenton is bound to be a good guy be-
cause he spent part of his youth here in Bloomington, Ind., (no kidding). His father was a minister who told his son “People might forget what you say or do, but they will never forget how you make them feel.” Morale is now up at Metrolink and the trav- eling public is registering happiness by in- creasing their ridership. Thanks to John Alan Lee for the news.
Cincinnati and Streetcars The Cincinnati Reds did well in 2010, and many of its hometown fans probably think the city council did, too. The council’s fi- nance committee recommended that $2.58 million be allocated toward preliminary costs of a streetcar system to link downtown Cincinnati with the Uptown neighborhood near the University of Cincinnati. The first phase of this project is expected
to cost about $128 million. The city adminis- tration plans to issue $64 million in bonds to pay its share, but the city manager decided to move ahead more deliberately and action on the bond issue was put off. There will be problems getting the rest of the money to complete the streetcar project. On the bright side, an Ohio state transportation panel rec- ommended that a grant of $15 million be given to the project. Opposition is expected from those who ex-
pect nothing but failure from rail transit projects. Doing nothing is appealing to those fearful of change who usually focus on costs and ignore benefits. Let’s hope that progress is made. If the Cincinnati Reds can climb out of the basement, why can’t the city do something modern and innovative? Charlie Bogart was the kind supplier of the news.
Another Alternative for Noise on Metra Metra, the Chicago area commuter rail op- erator in Illinois, publishes a newsletter that provides information on new services or other changes and a forum for riders to ex- press their pleasure or pain about Metra service. Metra recently introduced the idea for a quiet car for patrons who are up to here with noisy conversations and cell phone shout-outs. The newsletter recently report- ed a new thought from a rider, who suggests a bagpipe car. In it riders could play the bag- pipe or shout at one another and at their cell phones, thus relieving stress after a hard day. And remember, no one can tell how well
one plays a bagpipe. Steve Scalzo offered the inspiration for this item. Steve also supplied information on Me-
tra’s need for revenue and the demand from management that all fares be collected, a feat that can be very difficult on a crowded train. To reduce fare erosion, observer ranks are being increased to monitor conductors and collectors and make sure tickets are col- lected and fees paid.
Flashes Siemens won the contact to construct 31 light rail vehicles for the CENTRAL COR- RIDOR LINE that will connect Minneapolis with St. Paul and is set to open in 2014. The order also includes ten more cars for the ex- isting Hiawatha light rail line. The pur- chase will cost $153 million and the new cars are likely to keep the Norwegian bach- elor farmers comfortable in inclement weather for many years. Thanks to Vernon Fletcher and Fred Cole for the information. In a move to make the Philadelphia re-
gion’s commuter trains understandable to visitors or infrequent local riders, SEPTA has done away with route numbers. The des- tination will now be the route’s name, such as Elwyn or Chestnut Hill East instead of R-5 or R-3 or R-whatever. There have also been complaints that calling a rapid transit or light rail line by color does not help people who want to know where they are going. If you are in downtown Chicago and want to go to Wrigley Field, knowing that it is on the Red Line is not helpful unless you know that Red Line trains bound for Howard Street are northbound. Thanks to David Harris for the news and inspiration. WASHINGTON, D.C., is wrestling over
the issue of whether or not to allow the use of overhead wires to bring electric power to the new streetcars. A 19th century ordinance forbids trolley wire in large parts of the Dis- trict of Columbia. On July 1, 2010, the dis- trict council passed emergency legislation to allow overhead wire use on both H Street and Benning Road. This is going to take a while to settle down. The National Capital Planning Commission has the opinion that the district council does not have the authority to repeal the wire bans of 1888 and 1989. David Harris supplied information about
the agreement between the Washington Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s board of directors and the state of Virginia to match $300 million in federal funds for the purchase of new METRORAIL rapid transit cars. The aim is to buy 428 new cars with 128 to be used to provide service on the new Silver Line to Dulles Airport. The other cars will replace the oldest of the subway rapid transit cars now in use that the Na- tional Transportation Safety Board deemed as potentially unsafe. Los Angeles is always a good spot for dis- agreement on what to do about rail transit. At issue is the westward expansion of the PURPLE LINE that now terminates at Wilshire and Western. One idea is to extend the line to Westwood as the first phase of ex- pansion to Santa Monica. Options as to where to locate the line include tunneling under private property and also under Bev- erly Hills High School. The Purple Line now extends under Wilshire Boulevard as far as Wilshire and Western. One plan proposes the subway continue under Wilshire and another favors it beneath Santa Monica Boulevard, although the Metropolitan Transportation
From Then to Now, To There and Back
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