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One major facet in those three intercon- nected issues is described by the author as “Priority Handling Still to be Solved.” That is a reference to a matter to which this col- umn gave some attention last month — with both the freight and passenger business ex- periencing rapid growth in recent years, how does the U.S. go about seeing to it that there is enough trackage to accommodate both? Of all the disputes or problems encountered in this book, the freight/passenger “priority” is a top contender for “most important.” The question, in fact, is so urgent that a few years ago, AAR’s Ed Hamberger held a news conference pointing out that such traf- fic — though a nice “problem” to have — nonetheless, in the national interest of a healthy economy, the limits on available space merited the attention of the federal government. From the passenger side, Am- trak has complained that its passengers have been badly inconvenienced by trains that are delayed in order to accommodate the priorities of host freight railroads in meeting the time demands of their own cus- tomers — the shippers. Author Wilner quotes a DOT Inspector General’s report citing the following: “Amtrak trains are delayed by 1) host rail- road dispatching practices, some of which result in preferences violations; 2) track maintenance practices and the resulting speed restrictions; 3) insufficient track ca- pacity; and 4) external factors beyond the host railroads’ control” [italics added]. Then this from Hamberger (as quoted in
Wilner’s book) “[Freight railroads] subsidize Amtrak operations today by virtue of Am-
trak’s right of priority access to freight rail- roads’ tracks at incremental costs. Since 1971, freight railroads have provided their capital-intensive infrastructure for Amtrak’s use without payment for that capital . . . The fees Amtrak pays . . . do not cover the full op- erating capital and other costs freight rail- roads incur in hosting Amtrak trains.” The late Jim Bistline (pronounced “Byst-
line”) was a certified rail buff, but a no-non- sense businessman first. Amtrak: Past, Pres- ent and Future quotes his recollection that as he participated in the original contract that created Amtrak, “When the contracts with Amtrak were negotiated, most rail- roads were so desperate to get out of the pas- senger business, in their rush to the exit, they gave up complete freedom to set the terms for the use of their property.” Bistline was an attorney for Southern Railway. That’s the past. But the future? The fu- ture has been cussed and discussed behind closed doors. As has been reported in this space, when FRA a couple of years ago want- ed to mandate priority to passenger trains, the freight industry balked, and took the discussion into private meetings, and no public statement with any insight on “progress” has been uttered publicly since then. Nor has much been said recently about a Wilner comment years ago that the freight carriers just might be willing to re-enter the passenger business. His book is a must-read for those who care about freight and/or pas- senger railroading. It gives a clear picture as to perennial problems the industry faces and the dire need to solve them before we encounter a virtual “train wreck.” Wes Vernon is a Washington-‘based writer and veteran broadcast journalist.
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18 APRIL 2013 •
RAILFAN.COM
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