Vol. 5, No.1 January 15, 1978 Track Work, New Contracts ________ ----, I Result In Faster Train Times For the second time in less than westbound train remains on former utes were removed from westbound three months, Amtrak has placed schedule. schedule and 15 minutes from east­ more than two dozen trains on Amtrak had previously announced bound. speedier schedules as a result of com­ it would continue to operate the Na­ In Chicago, the Limited now has pleted track improvement projects or tional between Columbus and In­ connections in both directions with new contracts with railroads that dianapolis, via Dayton and Rich­ the San Francisco Zephyr. operate Amtrak trains. mond, until at least March 1, pending Empire Service/Turboliners in New A total of 27 trains began operating completion of the DOT study on Am­ York State now operate as much as 30 on the faster schedules on Sunday, trak's national system. minutes faster because of track January 8, as part of Amtrak's effort Lake Shore Limited/ Train speeded improvements, some by Conrail and to become more competitive with up on Boston section where 20 min- (Continued on page 7) automobile travel times. Amtrak had previously reduced travel times on 26 trains last October. New Electric Locomotives On The Way Accelerated schedules allow better connections between trains in Amtrak has signed a contract with Washington. Chicago, one of Amtrak's key ter­ Electro-Motive Division of General The first order is for eight loco­ minals. Travel time reductions vary Motors for the first series of a fleet of motives at a cost of $22 million. Am­ from one hour on several long­ high-speed lightweight electric loco­ trak's total program ultimately calls distance trains to 10 or 15 minutes on motives for the Northeast Corridor. for 30 units at a cost of $77 .9 million. many short-distance trains. The new locomotives, capable of Funding for the entire program is "Some of the latest speedups may speeds of 120 miles per hour, will be not available in fiscal year 1978. Am­ appear modest," concedes Amtrak used to haul trains of up to eight cars trak will request the additional $55.8 President Paul Reistrup, "but they between Boston, New York and (Continued on page 8) are quite important when added to the earlier speedups. For example, the Lake Shore Limited will be one and one-half hours faster this month than / when it began operating two years ago. " Further improvements are possi­ ble on virtually every Amtrak route in the nation if more track work is undertaken," says Reistrup. "We will monitor projects carried out by the railroads as well as seek funding, as stated in our five-year plan, to carry out selective track projects on our own. " Some specifics: '"c National Limited/ One hour faster . ~ eastbound as a result of Conrail track Ci improvements and continued opera- f tion over the more direct Dayton :;; 0. rou~. ~ Train times changed at all points Amtrak's new four-axle electric locomotil'(' \ViII pull trains at up to 120 from Terre Haute to New York, while miles per hour. Old Kalamazoo Rail Station _____ ___ I Becomes New Intermodal Facility Officials of the State of Michigan and the City of Kalamazoo joined with Amtrak representatives and those of three motor bus firms on December 21 to dedicate a "new" Kalamazoo intermodal station. The $905,800 project preserves the beautiful exterior of the old station built in 1887 to serve the Michigan Centrail railroad and, later, the New York Central and Penn Central. In addition to eight Amtrak trains which use the station daily, it now also serves buses of Greyhound, In­ dian Trails and Indiana Motor bus (Above) Passengers get lines. Additionally, the station houses ;:::::~.... ready to board an A mtrak - train at Kalamazoo's new a car rental agency, a charter bus ser­ intermodal facility. Eight vice, a travel agency, a restaurant A mtrak trains, three bus called the "Timetable" and news lines, and car rental and travel agencies also use the stand. It is located just three blocks facility. (Left) Kalamazoo from the new Kalamazoo Center con­ Mayor Francis Hamilton vention-hotel complex. tries on his Amtrak engi­ neer 's cap after being pre­ City buses also stop at the station sented it by Doug Deaton, providing access into town. sales representative,JJattle The City of Kalamazoo paid Creek. $115,800 for the station and the State of. Michigan supplied $790,000 for the renovation. dreamed in an editorial that the new the city. Today it is, in a sense, just Representing Amtrak at the dedica­ station become a "union depot" that, providing service - not to five tion were Rich Tower, superinten­ where passengers could board trains railroads but - to various forms of dent, Great Lakes district; Doug from all five railroads then serving transport. Deaton, sales representative, Battle Creek; and Bob Casey, director, public affairs, Chicago. Two Arrowheads Run On Fridays The Kalamazoo intermodal station is one of 17 being planned by the Amtrak's Arrowhead, between the The schedule allows persons to go Michigan Department of Highways Twin Cities and Duluth, will be mak­ to Duluth on Friday morning, spend and Transportation. On December ing two round trips each Friday until the day on the area's ski slopes, and 20, a $67,500 facility was dedicated at March 24. return that evening. Dowagiac. The extra train service is being pro­ Persons who want to spend the Plans for the Kalamazoo inter­ vided during the winter to accom­ weekend in Duluth now can leave at modal station began more than two modate Twin Cities skiers who want 5:30 p.m., after working hours, and years ago and the facility was to have to visit the Duluth area. return on Sunday. been ready for dedication by last ·On Fridays, the Arrowhead leaves Tied into the new train service is a summer. But the plans also called for the Twin Cities at 8:05 a.m., arriving $13 one-day round trip ski fare. preservation of the unusual old sta­ in Duluth 11 :25. It then leaves Duluth The special Friday extra ski train tion's architecture and extra care was at 12:45, arriving in the Twin Cities at service is made possible through the required by construction workers 4:05 . cooperation of the Minnesota De­ causing some delays. It begins its second trip at 5:30 partment of Transportation, the The building is on the list of na­ p.m., arriving in Duluth at 8:50, and Duluth Transit Authority, the Duluth tional historic buildings. then leaves Duluth at 10:10 p.m., ar­ Hotel and Motel Association and In 1886, the Kalamazoo Telegraph riving in the Twin Cities at 1:30 a.m. Spirit Mountain resort. 2 1977, Year Of Contrasts; ________ Progress Mixes With Problems As the year ended, Amtrak could Denver. The last of the suspended of internal cost-cutting measures look back on some significant succes­ trains finally went back into service which included reduced station ser­ ses - new cars and locomotives, on March 2. vice personnel in the Northeast Cor­ faster schedules, new stations being ridor. built and both ridership and revenues Speeds Restricted Next, train frequency reductions higher than last year. But there were At the same time Amtrak was bat­ and even suspension or restructuring still vivid memories of "the deep tling cold and snow, a new and com­ of entire routes were planned. freeze," equipment problems and a pletely unexpected problem arose. The situation continued until the long period when it appeared there Amtrak's principal main-line final weeks of the year when the woul,d not be enough money to keep locomotive, the six-axle SDP40F, was House of Representatives approved all the trains running. suspected of contributing to a num­ $18 million and mandated that the First, it was winter. One of the ber of derailments. Until the theory cost-cutting measures be deferred un­ worst in memory, it froze up older could be tested, a rigid speed restric­ til it could review the major examina­ steam-heated passenger cars and tion was imposed on the locomotives tion of Amtrak's entire route struc­ knocked out auxiliary steam genera­ causing long-distance schedules to be ture that is being conducted by the tors in locomotives that pull them. lengthened by as much as five hours. Department of Transportation. The Maintenance of cars and locomotives A rigorous program was under­ Senate postponed action until Jan­ often had to be done in snow and taken to try to pin-point what part, if uary. wind in archaic servicing yards where any, the locomotive had in the derail­ the cold cracked water mains that ments. But, it wasn't until fall , with The National System Study covered tracks with inches of ice. In the arrival of new and modified loco­ Congress said it wanted a "zero Buffalo, entire trains - passenger motives and substantial track im­ base" analysis to provide "an op­ and freight - were blocked and provements, that Amtrak trains re­ timal national railroad passenger sys­ covered by mountains of snow that covered, and in some cases even im­ tem based on current and future mar­ took the National Guard to dig away. proved, schedules on many of the ket and population requirements." worst-affected routes. The study is to be ready by March 1 in Trains Suspended time for Congressional budget and On January 19, for the first time in Fiscal Crisis policy hearings for fiscal year 1979. Amtrak history, service was suspend­ The final crisis-and potentially As 1977 ended Amtrak, relieved of ed indefinitely on eight routes out of the most demoralizing one - came the almost impossible directive to Chicago.