ALL INDIANA ABOARD The Newsletter of Indiana Passenger Rail Advocates

March 2014 Edition New Crew Scheduling IN THIS ISSUE:

Policy Causes Major Delays Page Two  Union Station Imagine if United Airlines stopped in Gary to get a crew while en route Repair Study to Be from Chicago to Indianapolis. Passengers would be furious. “Why didn’t Released Shortly you get a new crew in Chicago?” they would ask. Page Three This, however, is exactly the new policy eastbound out of Chicago on  Skips the and . Not surprisingly, it has caused the al- Indiana in Midwest ready slow 5 hour and 5 Wi-Fi Rollout minute run to face major  INDOT RFP delays. Indeed, the Hoo- Scheduled for this sier State and Cardinal Month going east out of  Crowne Plaza Chicago have been on Hotel Renovates time just 32% of the time Interior this winter (compared to 80% last fall). Page Four  Spring Break in DC? While CSX rail issues and  New Indy Transit the cold weather were Center Skips partly to blame, the delays Amtrak Connection were exacerbated by Am-  NARP President trak Chicago’s new policy Both the Cardinal and the Hoosier State in Transitions Out of using the same crews in Indy’s Union Station at 5:50 a.m. on Friday, and out of Chicago. (cont.) February 21, 2014.

Join us on Facebook: Hoosiers for Passenger Rail Newsletter content by volunteer Bill Malcolm ([email protected]) PAGE 2: ALL ABOARD INDIANA MARCH 2014

Instead of putting a new crew on the east- cussed was finding a more direct route be- bound Cardinal and Hoosier trains leaving tween Chicago and Dyer, possibly using CN Chicago, staff from the inbound is used. tracks. Any delay means the crews aren’t swapped in Lafayette as planned but wherever the crew Readers may want to contact Amtrak Chicago “times out”. Operations, encouraging a return to the for- mer policy of using a new crew out of Chi- The trip from Chicago to Indianapolis on Feb- cago. The person responsible for this policy is ruary 21 took 11 hours. This included a 1 Mr. Ben Sheets, Assistant Superintendent East, hour 40 minute delay while a new crew was who can be contacted at driven to a spot just 40 miles north of Lafay- [email protected]. ette. This delay then was followed by a 3 hour delay in Crawfordsville when a tree fell onto the track, plus a delay when a 40 mph re- Union Station Repair Study duced speed limit was called for by CSX due to Be Released Shortly to a flood alert. Passengers arrived in Indian- A consultant apolis at 5:45 a.m. instead of 11:50 the previ- study of Indian- ous evening. apolis’ Union Sta- Crew switching also delayed the train Febru- tion is pending ary 6. The February 6 eastbound Cardinal ar- and will be re- rived in Washington, D.C. 8 hours late (on leased any day February 8 at 2 a.m. instead of on February 7 now, according to at 6 p.m.) due to a locomotive shortage; Am- the City of Indi- trak apparently pulled the locomotive off the anapolis, which Cardinal right before the scheduled departure owns the belea-

and gave it to another train. This initial delay Scaffolding holds up the guered facility caused a crew swap issue. ceiling at Indy’s Union Station and commis- sioned the study. A story by Chris Morisse Vizza in the March 1 Lafayette Courier Journal reported on a meet- The current Indianapolis Union Station has ing between Amtrak and the Lafayette Cham- had scaffolding holding up the ceiling since ber in Washington, D.C. on the matter. November 2013. The station is an eyesore to arriving bus and train passengers. The buzz of Amtrak’s president committed to minimizing the 1980s era fluorescent light is omnipresent, delays caused when the train is stopped mid- the bathrooms are poorly maintained, and route so that a new crew can board and re- passengers frequently sleep on the floor— place employees who have reached a maxi- including some patrons who appear to be mum of 12 continuous work hours. Also dis- homeless. In short, the facility is an (cont.) PAGE 3: ALL ABOARD INDIANA MARCH 2014

embarrass- Unfortunately, Amtrak’s competition between ment to ar- Indianapolis and Chicago, Greyhound Express riving pas- and MegaBus, both offer free Wi-Fi. sengers if not the City’ s image. INDOT RFP Scheduled for this Month Not only is the station INDOT has retained rail consulting firm R.L. used by Am- Banksto, issuing a request for proposal for trak, but is an alternative operator for the Hoosier State. also used by The goal is to improve service on the Hoo- Greyhound sier State. Indy’s historic Union Station as well as the following other bus companies: Non-Amtrak passenger rail operators are not unheard of. -Baron’s Bus (to Ohio and Detroit)

-Miller Bus ( to South Bend and Muncie) A private rail operator, Iowa Pacific, may be -Trailways (to central and Iowa) a bidder for the Hoosier State service. The company is bidding to run a train from Okla- Amtrak Skips Indiana in homa City to Tulsa. It also operates other Midwest Wi-Fi Rollout passenger services.

Amtrak has added Wi-Fi to all Midwest trains In Florida, another private operator wants to except for those in Indiana via a rollout of run the train from Orlando to Miami. AmtrakConnect. Virginia’s commuter rail system also uses a Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin, and non-Amtrak operator for its services. now have Wi-Fi on all their trains, according to a recent Amtrak press release and flyer. Crowne Plaza Hotel Union /Illini-Saluki, Illinois Zephyr/Carl Station Renovates Interior Sanburg, Service, , Pere Marquette, and Hiawa- The Crowne Plaza Union Station in Indianapo- tha Trains now all feature free Wi-Fi. lis has recently undergone renovation. You can even stay in an old train car if you like. Indiana was apparently not included on the list because negotiations began a while back Other nearby hotels include the Omni, the with the other Midwest states. Hyatt, and the Westin. PAGE 4: ALL ABOARD INDIANA MARCH 2014

Spring Break in D.C? Cardinal Route a Scenery Stunner

Why not take Amtrak to D.C. for spring break?

Flowers at National Botanical Garden; American Cool The Cardinal out of Washington, D.C. west- Exhibit and Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery bound is a well-kept secret. New Indy Transit Center From D.C. westbound, the train travels south Skips Amtrak Connection through Virginia through the college town of Charlottesville, then over the Connections with Amtrak are apparently be- Mountains to the Alleghenies and through ing ignored as Indianapolis moves forward the New River Gorge in West Virginia. Even with a new $200 million transit center the middle of the night trip along the Ohio (primarily for IndyGo buses) across from the River is scenic. City County Building on Washington Street. The Indianapolis Star mentioned the plan in a A trip to D.C. is February 28 story on legislation that would the perfect spring allow regional residents to vote to raise taxes break get away. to fund increased transit service. All the museums IndyGo does not currently serve the Amtrak/ managed by the Greyhound Bus Station (as the current Smithsonian are “station” consists of a covered shelter just east free. While in D.C, of the State House); however, transit advo- don’t miss the cates feel Indianapolis would be wise to do Smithsonian National Botani- Smithsonian’s Na- what Milwaukee and St. Louis recently did: cal Gardens in D.C. tional Portrait construct an inter-modal bus/rail/regional bus Gallery and the National Botanical Garden. transit station.

The Washington Plaza in D.C. (weekend rates from $99) and the Beacon House Hotel are NARP President Transitions Out the author’s favorites, although the Court- yard and Holiday Inn on Rhode Island are The National Association of Railroad Passen- also nice. (Metro Faragut North) gers announced this week that Ross Capon will be transitioning from his 39-year career On a side note, the D.C. Union Station is un- with the organization. Dr. Larry Scott will take dergoing rehabilitation due to damage from over as Acting President. the earthquake a few years ago. The main hall ceiling seems most affected.