"Somebody stole my trains, and I want them back,"

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A_Nonny_Moose

Train Attendant
Joined
Aug 8, 2004
Messages
17
http://www.timesunion.com/AspStories/story...sdate=9/23/2004

DOT rails against Amtrak

Commissioner demands Turbos' return, suggests state should find other passenger train service

By CATHY WOODRUFF, Staff writer

First published: Thursday, September 23, 2004

ALBANY -- State Transportation Commissioner Joseph Boardman accused Amtrak on Wednesday of hijacking three high-speed trains that are at the center of a legal battle between the state and the rail service.

"Somebody stole my trains, and I want them back," fumed Boardman. "These are our trains. We paid for them, we have title."

Boardman went a step further, suggesting it was time to start looking at other options for providing passenger rail service within New York. He even put in a call to Amtrak CEO David Gunn on Wednesday to vent.

"We own these trains. We want them back," Boardman said. "David Gunn can't steal them and put them in mothballs."

Boardman's railing failed to get a rise out of Amtrak officials on Wednesday. Instead, a spokesman pointed to a letter the railroad sent to the DOT on Sept. 13 assuring that "since these train sets are not in operation and pending the resolution of our disputes regarding operation of the Turboliner train sets, Amtrak will continue to maintain the safe keeping of the Turboliner train sets in its possession."

Amtrak towed the three trains out of Rensselaer late Tuesday for storage in Delaware, setting off the latest skirmish between the DOT and Amtrak over an ambitious plan that was to shave 20 minutes or more off the trip between Rensselaer and New York City, putting it close to two hours.

The trains, 1970s-era Turboliners that were rebuilt as part of a $185 million high-speed rail agreement, are among the few tangible remnants of the now-foundering program announced with much fanfare by Gov. George Pataki six years ago.

Track improvements that were supposed to enable the trains to operate at their top cruising speeds of 125 mph have not been made, and only three of the seven Turboliners originally tapped for the project have been completed and delivered to Amtrak.

Amtrak stopped using the turbos, even on limited runs, in June because of faulty air conditioning. Last month, the DOT filed a federal lawsuit seeking to force Amtrak to deliver on its part of the rail agreement or pay the state $477 million in damages.

Ownership of the Turboliners is one issue in dispute.

Purchased by Amtrak about 30 years ago after they were manufactured in California, the trains were sidelined for years before New York officials tapped them for the high-speed rail project.

New York taxpayers have paid for much of the rebuilding of the trains at Super Steel Schenectady, and the locomotives bear the state seal. However, in an unusual twist, the rail contract called for the state to take ownership of the trains only when Amtrak fully accepted them as satisfactory for regular service.

Boardman said he will ask the state attorney general to take legal action to force the Turboliners' return to the region.

Meanwhile, Boardman said Amtrak's days of shuttling passengers around the state may be numbered.

"I don't think this is fair treatment," he said. "I think we need to have a whole different intercity passenger rail service in New York state. We're not being served by Amtrak."

The commissioner said he is not ready to say precisely who should operate passenger trains within the state, but he said state leaders "from Maryland to Maine" are interested in an alternative to Amtrak.

He did not rule out the possibility of New York using the Turboliners as the core of a new state-run fleet.

"We run the Long Island Rail Road, we run Metro North Railroad," he said, pointing to two operations of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority. "We know how to run railroads. There are other options. ... I think we need something new. I don't know what that something new is, yet."
 
The DOT is out of luck if they signed a contract stating that the Turbos wouldn't get into their hands until Amtrak found them operationally sound. While the DOT may have given Amtrak some $130 million to upgrade the Turbos, Amtrak has probably put in just as much to fix all the problems that have come up over the years. If the DOT wants the trainsets then they have to pay for all the expenses including all of the mechanical problems.
 
I think Amtrak should deliver them to NY on the condition that NY promise in writing to start using them within 30 days, on daily scheduled service and continue to use them for at least one year, with all liabilities, safety issues, and costs of said use to be on NY's nickel. Put up or shut up.
 
We have a guy in the yard that used to work on the Turbo's and he had mentioned the A/C problem a few months ago.

The way I understood it, the trains were overhauled and the new A/C's can't cool the cars.

The "big" question is; Who designed the new A/C's?

If a contractor and engineer designed the unit, they should be responsible for the equipment .

If Amtrak designed the A/C's and provided the prints to a contractor for construction, Amtrak is liable.

Sounds simple!!! :blink:

But look at the Acela settlement and you wonder what really happened! <_<

MJ B)
 
It was kind of weird when Supersteel Schenectady offered to fix the AC's they were not allowed to do so at Renselear, when they asked the sets to be returned for this warranty work to Scotia NY. it was refused, but then Amtrak probably already planned not to run them anymore and may have already had plans to sneak them out of town. and they did in the nightly hours of 21:30 when nobody looked.
 
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