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Railroad Newsline for Tuesday, April 17, 2007

Compiled by Larry W. Grant

In Memory of Rob Carlson, 1952 – 2006

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Rail News

NOT EVERYONE AGREES WITH BILL TURNING RAILROAD OVER TO PRIVATE COMPANY

Photo here:

[www.news-journal.com]

LUFKIN, TX -- The Texas State Railroad is on track to keep steaming through the East Texas forests between Palestine and Rusk after the Senate Natural Resources Committee unanimously approved Senate Bill 1659 last week.

This legislation would essentially transfer authority over the steam-driven trains and the state park from Texas Parks and Wildlife to the people of Anderson and Cherokee counties through the creation of a Texas State Railroad Authority.

"It is basically putting the railroad in local control, because we feel the state has failed," said Palestine Mayor Dr. Carolyn Salter.

The proposed authority would include local citizens, several of whom served on the state-appointed task force charged with creating a rescue plan for the financially troubled dual-city state park.

Palestine and Rusk citizens support regionalizing the parks' operations, Salter said. In her community's eyes, the state has failed in its oversight of the dual East Texas parks, she said.

"The state parks have advocated nothing but turning it into a static display," she said. "They've budgeted $602,000 a year for the next two years."

Yet as much as $12 million to $40 million is needed to repair the tracks -- money state park officials have repeatedly stated is unavailable, Salter said.

"The termites are eating the creosote ties. Can you believe that?" she said.

For nearly two years, state parks officials have threatened to shut down the steam engines that carry visitors from Palestine through the East Texas hardwood bottomlands of dogwoods, oaks, and redbuds across the Neches River to its sister terminal in Rusk.

A favorite venue for fundraisers, movie sets, commercial filming and TV shows, the two East Texas parks attracts thousands of visitors annually to their campgrounds, picnic areas and gift shops.

For those traveling from Central Texas to the eastern part of the state, either park makes an ideal rest stop.

It's unlikely, however, that the state's proposed static displays would attract half as many visitors to the rural cities, Salter said while driving back from Austin, where she had testified the prior day.

"Static displays just don't bring people," she said. Stationary exhibits lure people by the hundreds as opposed to the thousands drawn to interactive attractions, she said.

"Everyone on the Palestine city council believes (a static display) would lead to an eventual closure (of both parks)." - Christine S. Diamond, The Lufkin Daily News

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CN CONCLUDES NATIONAL UTU AGREEMENT NOT POSSIBLE; COMPANY SEEKS TO NEGOTIATE REGIONAL SETTLEMENTS IN CANADA

MONTREAL, QC -- Following discussions held April 14, 2007, by the Canadian National Railway and United Transportation Union (UTU) negotiators, CN has concluded that a national collective agreement with the UTU cannot be reached.

CN said one faction of the UTU is reporting for work, awaiting the outcome of the raid application by the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference pending before the Canada Industrial Relations Board. Another UTU faction is engaging in rotating withdrawals of service, in support of the UTU's bargaining position. In light of the continuing internal conflicts within the UTU, CN believes it's increasingly clear that the union today is unable to deliver a national negotiated settlement that its members across Canada would ratify.

Therefore, CN today has invited the union back to the bargaining table to address and negotiate regional settlements.

President and Chief Executive Officer E. Hunter Harrison said: "This bargaining process is broken. After eight months of negotiations, we are no closer to a national agreement. Since the start of negotiations, the union has failed to present a unified agenda that could be used as a foundation for a negotiated settlement. CN would like to achieve workforce stability with its conductors. We now feel that regional deals are the best alternative to achieve this at the bargaining table."

Harrison continued: "CN reached three major settlements with one of Canada's largest unions in January. We hope that by focusing on regional common interests, we can reach negotiated agreements in the best interests of our employees and business."

No new talks with the UTU are currently scheduled at this time.

UTU members in Canada have been on strike at CN since Feb. 10.

CN continues to serve its customers with management personnel performing the duties of locked out UTU members. - Mark Hallman, CN News Release

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BNSF ISSUES DERAILMENT UPDATE – DUORO, NEW MEXICO

As an update to a previous advisory concerning the derailment of BNSF Railway Company train S CLOSCO3-14 at Duoro, New Mexico, main track one was returned to service at 16:00 hours CT, Sunday, April 15, 2007 and main track two was returned to service at 03:15 hours CT, Monday, April 16, 2007.

Traffic volumes on the service region remain high, and train flow will be monitored to maintain fluidity.

Customers may experience 24 hours delays on traffic moving through this corridor. - BNSF Service Advisory

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2007 BNSF RAILWAY SPECIAL TRAIN TO TRAVEL THROUGH NORTH CENTRAL SEGMENT OF NETWORK

Photo here:

[www.bnsf.com]

BNSF will launch its annual BNSF Railway Special in McCook, Nebraska, on June 5, and conclude in Alliance, Nebraska, June 26. This year’s Special will make a 7,000-mile journey over portions of BNSF’s North Central region including the states of Nebraska, Colorado, Wyoming, South Dakota and Montana.

The Special operates each year on a different part of BNSF’s network and is designed to recognize BNSF employees, and give their families, the Boys & Girls Clubs of America and local communities an opportunity to enjoy a train ride.

The Special will also offer train rides and fundraising opportunities for Boys & Girls Clubs in key cities along the route. The long-term fundraising partnership with the Boys & Girls Club began with the 2002 BNSF Special on BNSF’s Southeast Division. Customer and Government Affairs events will also be sponsored on board the train.

2007 BNSF Special Schedule in June:

June 5 McCook, Nebraska

June 6 Sterling, Colorado

June 7 Denver, Colorado

June 8 Denver, Colorado

June 11 Guernsey, Wyoming

June 12 Casper, Wyoming

June 13 Greybull, Wyoming

June 15 Havre, Montana

June 17 Havre, Montana

June 19 Sheridan, Wyoming

June 20 Gillette, Wyoming

June 21 Gillette, Wyoming

June 22 Edgemont, South Dakota

June 24 Alliance, Nebraska

June 25 Alliance, Nebraska

June 26 Alliance, Nebraska

- BNSF Today

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AAR: RAILROAD CAPACITY FOCUS OF RECORD INVESTMENT

In order to meet increased demand and better serve their customers, the nation's freight railroads will invest more money this year to maintain and improve track and equipment than ever before in history, the Surface Transportation Board (STB) was told Wednesday, April 11.

Matt Rose, Burlington Northern Santa Fe Corporation chairman, president and CEO, said in a statement last week to STB, "Railroads play an essential role in the commerce of our nation, and will have to play an even larger role in the future, if we are to successfully handle growth in transportation demand while addressing other issues such as highway congestion and passenger mobility. Through our regulatory structure and policies, we need to support the addition of capacity to our national rail network."

Edward R. Hamberger, president and CEO of the Association of American Railroads (AAR), stated that the nation's major freight railroads invested billions of dollars last year. "Railroads invested a record $8.6 billion in 2006 and will break that record in 2007 with a $9.4 billion investment," Hamberger said in a prepared statement that was submitted to the STB. Capital spending has risen almost 60 percent over just the last four years, he noted.

Rose also stated that BNSF has been able to invest in the capacity required to meet the growth in demand from our customers and our nation's economy and that BNSF wants to be able to continue that investment and to expand it even further.

Hamberger cited dozens of investments railroads are making this year to increase capacity and improve service for rail customers.

"The massive investments railroads must make in their systems are a reflection of the extreme capital intensity of railroads," he added.

Railroads also have embraced new technology to increase capacity. "Freight railroads have always been at the forefront in the use of computers and information technology," Hamberger said. "Today railroads are rapidly expanding their use of these technologies to improve overall efficiency and the fluidity of their operations, thereby adding capacity.

"It is in our nation's best interest to ensure that optimal freight railroad capacity enhancements are made," said Hamberger. "Two ways that policy makers can make this happen are by taking greater advantage of public-private partnerships for freight-rail infrastructure projects and by introducing tax incentives for rail infrastructure projects that enhance capacity."

BNSF Capacity Enhancements During 2007

Since 1996, BNSF has invested more than $8.2 billion in locomotives and expansion capital. Some major expansion projects in 2007 include double- or triple-track on about 30 miles on BNSF's Southern Transcontinental Route between Southern California and Chicago. On the coal route, BNSF is adding about 60 miles of third and fourth main track in the Powder River Basin and will complete about 50 miles of double track in Nebraska and Wyoming. Expansion of intermodal facilities is planned for Alliance, Texas; Seattle, Washington; Los Angeles, California; Memphis, Tennessee; and Chicago, Illinois. Other planned infrastructure improvements include sidings in South Dakota and Oklahoma, and fueling and mechanical facilities in Illinois and Texas. - BNSF Today

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TAYLOR YARD TRANSFORMED: STATE PARK TO OPEN NEAR L.A. RIVER

LOS ANGELES, CA -- Just a few decades ago, the Taylor Yards was a two-mile-long expanse of railroad tracks where trains were coupled together to connect Los Angeles industry to the rest of the nation.

Today, most of those tracks and grimy rail yards are gone, and something else has risen in their place: a 40-acre state park that is intended to revive the working-class neighborhood of Cypress Park in northeast Los Angeles and be part of the "emerald necklace" of parks the city envisions one day lining a rejuvenated Los Angeles River.

Photo here:

[www.latimes.com]

The Rio de Los Angeles State Park opens Friday, complete with soccer fields, baseball diamonds, a playground and a new community center -- not to mention vast expanses of grass and a field strewn with wildflowers.

"This park is a symbol; it's almost like a fresh start," said Gus Lizarde, president of the Greater Cypress Park Neighborhood Council and a longtime business owner in the community. "It brought us together because it was such a long fight to get it."

A little more than a decade ago, Cypress Park was in the news for all the wrong reasons. In 1995, 3-year-old Stephanie Kuhen was killed after her family's car was struck by a hail of bullets fired by gang members. The shooting also became a symbol for the long decline of Cypress Park.

Union Pacific phased out most of the rail yards in the 1970s and '80s and began moving those operations to the Inland Empire. Soon the city began pushing a plan to create new jobs and amenities by allowing nearly all of the area to be developed as warehouses, commercial sites and a multiplex theater. The proposal spurred a lawsuit by a coalition of community groups who argued that the city should have required a proper environmental review of the project.

In July 2001, a judge agreed with the groups.

"There would not be a park here if not for the community," said Melanie Winter, a Los Angeles River activist who helped bring the suit against the city. "The residents are the reason that there is something to celebrate."

The court ruling opened the door for the state to purchase the land from funds generated by a $2.1-billion parks and water bond measure approved in 2000. The money enabled the state to purchase 40 acres for the new park, a 17-acre parcel along the river that hasn't been developed and to acquire the Cornfield -- another abandoned rail yard next to Chinatown -- for the Los Angeles State Historic Park, which is being designed. But there was a problem: Nearly all of the state parks in California are intended to protect landscapes and ecosystems. The community wanted something different: playing fields. Over the years Cypress Park business owner Raul Macias, a Mexican immigrant, had organized a nonprofit youth soccer league with hundreds of players who desperately needed a place to play.

The matter was resolved when legislators devised a way for the city to lease the land and build much-needed playing fields. In addition to the five soccer fields -- including one with a synthetic surface -- and two baseball diamonds, the new park features an expansive children's playground and walking paths through an area of natural-appearing grasslands.

City parks General Manager Jon Mukri called it "the greenest park from an environmental standpoint we've designed," from the waterless urinals in the community center now under construction, to the park's permeable parking lots, intended to absorb storm runoff.

Ruth Coleman, chief of the state parks system, said that she views the local park as a return to an earlier time.

"Really, this is a new vision for state parks to create large-scale places of beauty and nature in the city because the cities are so park poor," Coleman said. "It's kind of going back to the vision Frederick Law Olmsted had for Central Park" in New York. "These parks can become community centers if they're done right."

One question that remains is whether the city or state will be able to acquire a key parcel, owned by Union Pacific, that separates the new park from the Los Angeles River.

"We are still assessing any impacts to the environment that may have taken place over the years in the areas where rail cars and locomotives were serviced and repaired," wrote Mark Davis, a Union Pacific spokesman, in an e-mail. "This property may be retained for railroad uses."

River activists covet the property because it is a site where the river channel could potentially be widened to create more riparian habitat. The feasibility of reworking that stretch of the river is under study by the Army Corps of Engineers.

Even if the land were acquired, there would be challenges. Union Pacific and Metrolink commuters use tracks that form a barrier between the new state park and the parcel along the river. That corridor also is being considered for a proposed high-speed rail system tying Los Angeles to Northern California.

City Councilman Ed Reyes, whose district includes Taylor Yards, is still hopeful that something can be done to make the tracks less of an obstacle. Reyes grew up three blocks from the new park and came to be a supporter of it after initially working on building proposals for the site as a deputy to former Councilman Mike Hernandez.

Reyes said he appreciates Cypress Park's railroad legacy and the jobs it provided, but he has come to believe there's a greater need now for open space for today's youth. Like many others, he also grew up hearing the clang of railroad cars being coupled together day and night and was a little shocked to see the yards gone.

"I went down there after they had finished the cleanup of the site and had taken the tracks out," Reyes recalled, "and it just blew me away because we're actually living in a beautiful valley here. I never appreciated it before." - Steve Hymon, The Los Angeles Times

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WINE TRAIN BATTLE BACK TO HIGH COURT

The city of St. Helena's legal battle against the Napa Valley Wine Train is marching yet again to the California Supreme Court.

Wine Train attorneys are asking the Supreme Court to review the latest pro-city ruling.

The dispute centers on whether the Wine Train is a public utility, as defined by the Public Utility Code. If so, it could have eminent domain rights, allowing it to let passengers off the train in St. Helena.

The city has for many years expressed concern about the impact those passengers would have on the city and its roads and services. A 1993 environmental impact report failed to settle the issue.

The Wine Train's latest appeal is against a decision of the California Public Utilities Commission finding it is not a utility. Sara Steck Myers, the city's attorney for Wine Train matters, said she plans to file a response by April 23, urging the Supreme Court to let the matter rest.

Since 1988, the two sides have frequently battled before the utilities commission. They have even swapped positions over the years of litigation; originally, the city sought to have the Wine Train considered a public utility, in hopes the railroad would have to abide by state environmental regulations.

After the parties assumed their current positions, the commission ruled in favor of the Wine Train, declaring it a public utility. The city then sought review from the California Court of Appeal, which overturned the commission's decision in June 2004, finding that the Wine Train was not a public utility

When the California Supreme Court upheld that decision in September 2004, it appeared the dispute might be settled.

But the Wine Train attorneys filed a new petition with the commission, arguing that a separate California Supreme Court decision, involving Disneyland's Indiana Jones ride, set a new legal precedent that would make the Wine Train a public utility.

Last May, the utilities commission found that that case had no bearing on the St. Helena-Wine Train dispute. In November, the commission denied the Wine Train's application for a rehearing.

The Wine Train attorneys quickly appealed both of the commission's 2006 pro-city decisions to the California Court of Appeal. In March, an appellate panel summarily denied the Wine Train's request to have the matter reheard. On April 2, the Wine Train appealed that decision to the California Supreme Court.

The legal issues in the case have taken a number of twists, but the latest argument presented by the Wine Train involves the legal definition of "transportation." Are people being "transported" if they -- like the Wine Train's passengers -- begin in one place, travel to another place without stopping, and then return to their place of origin?

The question's philosophical implications notwithstanding, the Wine Train is arguing that the Disneyland case suggests a new interpretation of "transportation" that would encompass the services offered by the Wine Train, thereby making it a public utility. - Jesse Duarte, The Napa Valley Register

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FREIGHT RAILROAD TRAFFIC IS OFF AGAIN, REPORTS THE AAR

WASHINGTON, DC -- Freight traffic on United States railroads was off once again for the week ending April 7, the Association of American Railroads (AAR) recently reported.

The AAR said that intermodal volume totaled 218,992 trailers or containers for the week ending April 7, which was down 5.6 percent from the corresponding week in 2006. Intermodal container volume was down 2.3 percent, and intermodal trailer volume was down 15.5 percent.

And carload freight, which does not include intermodal data, totaled 319,178 cars for the week, down 4.9 percent from the same week last year. Carload loadings were down 4.4 percent in the west and 5.4 percent in the east. The AAR said total volume was estimated at 32.8 billion ton-miles, which is down 3.0 percent from 2006. The AAR added that these yearly comparisons to the same week last week include Good Friday, which is a holiday for most U.S. railroads.

Of the 19 carload commodity groups tracked by the AAR, 15 were down from last year, with metallic ores down 33.9 percent; lumber and wood products down 23.2 percent; and motor vehicles and equipment down 9.6 percent. Coke and non-metallic products had the best year-over-year weekly performances with increases of 8.2 percent and 3.5 percent, respectively.

Cumulative volume for the first 14 weeks of 2007 totaled 4,445,054 carloads, which was down 4.9 percent from 2006, said the AAR. Trailers or containers -- at 3,158,031 -- was off 0.3 percent and total volume of an estimated 452.0 billion ton-miles was down 3.5 percent year-over-year. - Logistics Management

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HERSETH SANDLIN: DM&E FUNDS NEEDED

PIERRE, SD -- Even if the project doesn't happen, Congresswoman Stephanie Herseth Sandlin says the Dakota, Minnesota and Eastern railroad needs money to improve its rail system.

Many in the state oppose the railway expansion which was denied a federal loan. But Herseth Sandlin told the Pierre Chamber of Commerce the congressional delegation and Governor rounds support the project because it would boost the state's economy.

She says even upgrading the rail system would help haul grain and ethanol out of the state. - KELO-TV, Sioux Falls, SD

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THE IDEAL LOCATION

Colorado's two U.S. senators, Republican Wayne Allard and Democrat Ken Salazar, are seeking to have the Transportation Technology Center Inc. east of Pueblo included in a national anti-terrorism training consortium.

Last week, the official in charge of subway and transportation safety for the Department of Homeland Security was given a tour of TTCI, and he called the tour and "eye-opening experience."

Jay Cohen, undersecretary for science and technology in the DHS, toured the world-class rail proving ground with Rep. John Salazar, who also has been working to get the facility included in the consortium. Officials at the center have been trying to create an $18 million subway tunnel simulator, in which emergency workers could train to handle tunnel and subway accidents and terrorist attacks.

The TTCI is a national jewel, known as America's most comprehensive railroad research and test center. Sens. Allard and Salazar have offered an amendment to a homeland security bill that would include the center in the national anti-terrorism training consortium.

If the amendment is successfully passed into law, it would allow the test center to receive federal grants for training of law enforcement and other agencies in countering terror attacks on railroads. Sen. Salazar recently noted:

"TTCI has the capacity to provide the best training available on rail safety. Given the terrorist attacks on trains in Madrid, we need to include the test center in our homeland security efforts. It is ideally located to provide that training."

TTCI already provides training on handling hazardous materials accidents for railroads, fire departments and other public safety agencies from across the nation. It has a great track record with this training.

Undersecretary Cohen said during his tour of the center that he likes the idea of having a tunnel simulation. "We have tunnels that are 100 years old," he said. "I'm looking for ways we can do that experimentation without disrupting the use of those tunnels."

TTCI is ideally situated to do just that, and it has proven itself as a premier training ground. Congress should act to include it in the anti-terrorism consortium so that important training can get started as soon as possible. - Editorial Opinion, The Pueblo Chieftain

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OUTER LOOP, COMMUTER RAILS, TRAIN CONGESTION ARE TOP PRIORITIES

HOUSTON, TX -- When Robert Eckels stepped down as county judge in February, he closed out 10 years as chairman of the eight-county Transportation Policy Council. The new judge, Ed Emmett, won't chair that council, but will be an important member, with as broad an expertise in transportation as anyone at the table. The former state representative worked on freight rail and maritime issues as an Interstate Commerce Commission member, headed a transportation industry group for 10 years and more recently has been a railroad consultant. Emmett spoke with Chronicle reporter Rad Sallee about the county's mobility needs and priorities.

Q: County commissioners in Texas can build roads as they please in their own precincts, but the county judge doesn't even have a precinct to build in. What's your role in transportation?

A: As the face of the county, I get to use the bully pulpit. There has to be somebody who drives the overall vision.

Q: What projects do you especially want to push through?

A: The completion of the Grand Parkway (outer freeway loop) has got to occur, and the northeast section of Beltway 8, and the Hardy Toll Road into downtown. Also, we need a toll road on U.S. 290, and if we don't talk about commuter rail there, we're making a big mistake. We need commuter rail to Fort Bend County too, and we have to relocate some of our freight rail.

Q: Because interstate commerce is involved, there are limits to what local government can do with railroads, but you've worked closely with them. How would you approach the freight rail issue?

A: I'm tired of seeing kids crawl under trains. The very first thing has got to be to alleviate rail congestion in the East End. That will require adding a second track to a bridge just north of the Turning Basin and identifying the most critical grade crossings, the ones that affect schools.

Some proposals to relocate railroads just won't work, but double-tracking here and there and grade separations here and there would make a big difference. We need to get cracking on those.

Q: One aspect of the Trans-Texas Corridor concept that has received little notice is the idea of moving some freight tracks out of urban areas, such as Austin. That won't work here?

A: The Union Pacific would probably like to get off of Mopac (as Texas 1 is called along the former Missouri Pacific tracks in Austin), but in most other places, railroads are not going to just pull up and move. They have customers they have to serve.

A lot of our rail system has been around for more than 100 years and the city has grown up around it. The Union Pacific line that comes through Memorial Park was put there years ago to be way out in the country.

If you tried to get all the freight traffic out of Memorial Park or Sugar Land, where would you take it? I'm not going to be a party to any relocation that puts even more trains and traffic into the East End.

Q: Metro's plan approved by voters calls for commuter rail to the northwest out U.S. 290 and to Fort Bend County along U.S. 90A. A line toward Galveston out Texas 3 has also been discussed. How do you rate those?

A: The U.S. 290 rail corridor is underutilized, and U.P. has said they're perfectly willing to have that one looked at for a commuter line. I don't think a line toward Galveston has high feasibility right now, partly because coming in from the east you get mixed up in heavy freight traffic pretty quick.

Q: The Texas House of Representatives just passed a two-year moratorium on big privatized road projects like the Trans-Texas Corridor (a proposed statewide network of tollways, railroads and pipelines). What do you think of the corridor idea generally and of plans for TTC-69 through East Texas and Houston?

A: When the Texas Department of Transportation and Gov. (Rick) Perry rolled out the idea, they overstated it. They showed every possible corridor in the state, which totally angered a lot of people needlessly.

And remember those schematics showing toll lanes and truck lanes and railroads and pipelines all together? If what they really wanted was to build a private toll road, it should have been touted as a private toll road.

Q: Will TTC-69 be built?

A: The piece around Houston will have to be built, the way we're growing. But nobody's going to pay a toll down around Victoria. You have a four-lane divided highway right now, and there's not enough traffic to justify a toll facility.

I was disappointed when I heard that (the proposed) Interstate 69 was going to be designated a Trans-Texas Corridor. I knew that was going to cause us more trouble politically than any potential benefit.

In East Texas, a lot of people think I-69 is going to be a serious upgrade of U.S. 59, but if they're going to build a whole new corridor -- watch out.

I don't want to go to their town hall meetings when they start talking about taking people's land to build it, and taking business away from U.S. 59.

Q: Do you get along with Metro?

A: I've worked well with Metro so far -- a whole month! Do I agree with everything they're doing? Absolutely not. Do I question some things? Of course.

Q: What do you think of Metro's ventures into transit-oriented development? (The agency recently agreed to buy property from a developer with the expectation that he'll buy it back for transit-friendly projects adjacent to the Main Street rail line.)

A: Transportation projects clearly are "If you build it, they will come." In Washington, DC, every Metro stop has a town built up around it, and I think you're going to see the same thing here.

Q: Everybody has an opinion about light rail on Richmond. What's yours?

A: If the entire Westpark corridor had been preserved as it was originally, maybe they should have put the rail there, but I think there are issues now that the Southwest Freeway has been rebuilt.

When I hear politicians say they are opposed to a transportation improvement because the people most directly affected don't want it, I have a problem. The reason has to be more transportation-related than that. - Rad Sallee, The Houston Chronicle

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DC COUNTERS AMTRAK OFFER TO KEEP FINANCE CHIEF

WASHINGTON, DC - District of Columbia Chief Financial Officer Natwar M. Gandhi said he will turn down a job offer from Amtrak after a morning meeting with city leaders, who agreed to support raising Gandhi's salary to $279,000, which would make him the city's second-highest paid employee.

Gandhi, 66, has been the city's top financial official since 2000 and is credited with helping rescue the District from bankruptcy. He had been weighing an offer last week to take over the finances at the debt-plagued railroad.

But during a breakfast meeting, Mayor Adrian M. Fenty (D), D.C. Council Chairman Vincent C. Gray (D) and council member Jack Evans (D-Ward 2) assured Gandhi they would push forward the salary increase, which would require approval from Congress.

"I have decided to stay with the city," Gandhi said. "I have never done more important work in my life."

Gandhi earns $186,600. His raise, if it is approved, would put him just below DC School Superintendent Clifford B. Janey, who earned $274,00 plus a $25,000 bonus this year.

Fenty was expected this afternoon to send a letter to Gray urging the salary increase, officials said. Gray and Evans agreed to introduce a "sense of the council" resolution supporting the raise at its legislative meeting Thursday. Assuming the council approves that measure, the city would push the legislation in Congress, Gray and Evans said.

"Dr. Gandhi is worth being paid that amount," Evans said.

Amtrak had offered Gandhi $350,000, including a $100,000 signing bonus.

Keeping Gandhi, who is popular with Congress and Wall Street, would be a relief for Fenty, who is focusing on his bid to take over the District's troubled public school system.

Amtrak has $3.6 billion in debt and is heavily dependent on federal subsidies. It has been seeking a new finance chief since David Smith departed in December.

Gandhi was appointed by former mayor Anthony A. Williams (D). Although appointed by the mayor, Gandhi operates independently and reports only to Congress.

Gandhi's influence is vast. He manages a staff of 1,000 that oversees collection of taxes and helps compile and approve the city's $5.4 billion local operating budget. At the request of Williams, Gandhi played a key role in working out financing options for major projects such as a $611 million baseball stadium for the Washington Nationals.

This year, Gandhi and Fenty celebrated the city's 10th consecutive balanced budget with a news conference. - David Nakamura, The Washington Post

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'RAILROAD GUY' FINDS ROUTE TO JOY BUILDING BACKYARD TRAIN EXHIBITS

Photo here:

[www.eastvalleytribune.com]

Caption reads: Rick Cartwright repairs an engine in the field. (Paul O'Neill, Tribune)

SCOTTSDALE, AZ -- When Rick Cartwright talks about trains, the excitement in his voice evokes that of a young child receiving his first toy train. Cartwright makes a living building backyard and garden railroads, and that boyhood excitement hasn't waned a bit.

Video clip here:

[www.eastvalleytribune.com]

"I have more fun in a day than most people have in a year, and it ticks off most of my best friends," he says.

An obsession for trains of all shapes and sizes keeps "Rick the Railroad Guy" younger than his 52 years, and it also got him fired from 27 jobs, a record he's actually proud of, since it means he was able to grab a photo of a train or ride the rails with other "yuppie hobos."

Building G-scale or 1:24 scale railroads became a full-time job after someone asked Cartwright to fix someone's broken model. Clients began to seek him out to build new ones, and now Cartwright employs two men to help build and tend the railroads. He has a workshop trailer to build on-site for clients of his business, Empire Builder Railroad Designs.

Cartwright gives each railroad he builds a name: The Pinnacle Peak & Northern, The Verde Valley Line, The Canadian Southern Pacific, The Paso Fino Railroad, The Gibbs Scenic Railway and The Gem & Fossil Railroad, for example, are all in Scottsdale.

Most backyard railroads average about 1,000 linear feet of track, but Cartwright's are usually more than double that, not including bridges, cuts, tunnels, towns, airports or mines. He's completing one in California that has 10-foot-high trestles.

Cartwright says the best railroad he ever built is the Dynamite Rio Verde & Eastern Railroad in Scottsdale.

"I've made more interesting trestles on other rail roads. I've made more interesting bridges and rock formations or waterfalls on other ones. But when it comes to an operating session, when it comes to running a train as a real rail road can run, this is the way to play," he says.

Cartwright has cared for the Dynamite Rio Verde for 12 years, but rarely runs the trains himself: The landowners, neighbors and friends stop by to drive trains around the 2-acre desert site.

"My job tonight is dispatch and kibbitz," says Cartwright. "My best enjoyment is to see people not talking to me, because when they go out here and are amazed by what's out here -- that's the best part of it. No body can beat that." - Paul O'Neill, The East Valley Tribune

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TRANSIT NEWS

SEWER, LIGHT-RAIL CONSTRUCTION TURNING STREETS INTO MAZES

PHOENIX, AZ -- The two major quagmires in the Valley for torn-up streets are the north-central Phoenix corridor and Tempe anywhere in or around the Arizona State University campus.

These are where anguished commuters struggle every day through forests of orange cones and barricades. Nowhere to run, nowhere to drive.

Or maybe I'm just being prejudiced. After all, I commute through the maze of Phoenix construction and my two sons go to ASU and live nearby.

The boys have to contend with light-rail construction that has eaten up much of northern Tempe And recently, the main drag through campus, University Avenue, was turned into an obstacle course for a major sewer project.

But they're young, they'll adjust.

I, on the other hand, am confounded by a veritable blockade that ties up every major north-south street from Central to 19th avenues. No longer can I snooze into work without confronting some kind of serious obstruction:

Central Avenue: Winding torture test through light-rail construction everywhere south of Camelback Road.

Seventh Avenue: Month-long restriction at Camelback for light-rail track installation that backs up traffic for blocks.

15th Avenue: Endless sewer project crawling northward, now completely blocking the street around Osborn Road, which is also blocked.

19th Avenue: Winding torture test through light-rail construction everywhere north of Camelback to Bethany Home Road.

So what's a driver to do?

"We don't have any hard and fast answers," said Officer Terry Sill, traffic complaint coordinator for the Phoenix Police. "I just try to encourage people who don't have to be in that area not to be in that area."

Sill has the unenviable job of answering gripes from people who drive in Phoenix.

"I'm the guy who everybody calls to complain about every traffic complaint they've got," Sill said.

He's heard plenty from of upset motorists about the latest construction restrictions, with commuters blasting the city for not planning it out better. I've also had drivers call or e-mail wondering why Phoenix would close off 15th and Osborn at the same time Seventh Avenue is such a mess.

What I'm told is that the sewer repairs were quite necessary. Your commute would really stink if the sewers stopped functioning.

One enduring problem is that the multiple restrictions prompt commuters to cut through neighborhood streets to avoid the jams and closures, which the city discourages by putting up "Street Closed" signs. But anyone who uses a residential street to get around construction needs to drive slowly and carefully.

"Most of those neighborhoods, they're not used to having any traffic," Sill said. "Just try to be as respectful in those neighborhoods as you would in your own neighborhood." - Bob Golfen, The Arizona Republic

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HELP A GUY BUY A TIE

Q -- Years ago the Chicago Park District wanted to replace wooden timbers with plastic timbers at playgrounds, so they set up a program asking people to donate plastic milk containers. As I recall it was so successful they had to ask people to stop. The Chicago Transit Authority is short on money to replace railroad ties in the system. Why not set up a similar program with drop-off spots at rail stations? We recycle the milk containers, save the CTA money and we get the rail system rehabbed a little quicker. What's not to love? - Frank Chambers, Portage Park Blue Line rider

A -- The CTA says there is no way for people to help the transit agency lower costs by contributing their milk jugs because the purchase of plastic ties goes out for competitive bidding.

"We cannot predict who the railroad tie vendor will be in each instance," said CTA spokeswoman Noelle Gaffney.

She said Houston-based Tie Tek Co. supplied the most recent order of plastic ties. U.S. Plastic Lumber Ltd., which formerly operated a Chicago facility that supplied ties for Blue Line work, is no longer in business.

The CTA has replaced about 42,000 of its 650,000 wooden rail ties with recycled plastic ties to improve performance and lessen the environmental impact, Gaffney said.

She said plastic ties last about 50 years, compared with 25 years for wood ties, because they better resist decay, insects and water absorption. But plastic ties are about 2 1/2 times more expensive than wood -- about $118 per plastic tie versus about $49 for wood, she said. - Jon Hilkevitch, The Chicago Tribune

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PASSENGERS LEFT IN LURCH BY T-THIRD'S ROUGH START

SAN FRANCISCO, CA -- A cascade of problems related to the opening of a new San Francisco streetcar line this week has stalled commutes throughout the Municipal Railway system and angered passengers who often have had to wait 30 minutes or more for a train.

Mechanical breakdowns, power failures and streetcar bottlenecks inside the Market Street subway tunnel and near the South of Market Caltrain station -- while train operators and passengers are still getting used to recent route changes -- have resulted in maddening delays.

"This is a customer relations disaster,'' said R. Paul Herman, 38, a business consultant who lives in Potrero Hill and works in the Financial District.

He said he waited more than half an hour at a crowded streetcar stop Wednesday morning for a T-Third train to show up. The cars are scheduled to run every eight minutes.

"If (Mayor) Gavin Newsom succeeds in his idea for a free Muni, we'll get what we pay for,'' he said.

The situation hasn't gotten to the point of the infamous "Muni Meltdown" in the summer of 1998, when the subway system came close to total collapse. But longtime Muni regulars fear a return to Muni's darkest days.

The rash of problems began over the weekend with the start of seven-day-a-week service on the new T-Third streetcar line, which connects San Francisco's southeastern neighborhoods with downtown. To integrate the new line into the system, Muni changed the routes of the N-Judah and J-Church streetcar lines, eliminated the busy 15-Third bus line and altered the routes of a handful of other buses.

The changes created delays for all streetcar lines in the Market Street tunnel, most notably at the turnarounds in the Embarcadero and Castro stations, where trains are backing up. There are other problems at the intersection of Fourth and King streets, where the T-Third crosses the J-Church, creating a potential for collisions.

Scattered breakdowns and power failures, an everyday worry for Muni, added to the problems. The delay of just one train can cause a ripple effect.

Despite three months of limited weekend testing of the new streetcar line, the changes on the other lines didn't kick in until last weekend, and the crush of weekday commuters didn't come until Monday. The T-Third line has been in development for about 20 years, took five years to build and cost $648 million.

Municipal Transportation Agency chief Nathaniel Ford said Wednesday that troubleshooters were dispatched to known problem areas to handle issues as they arose and keep them from getting worse. He said Muni has more than enough trains available, and drivers have been brought in on overtime when necessary to prevent missed runs.

"I'm watching it, personally, minute by minute in terms of the rail system's performance and there are some immediate improvements that can be made to ensure that this rush hour and the tomorrow morning rush hour and rush hours to come will be much more satisfactory,'' Ford said Wednesday.

The potential political damage from problems with Muni was evident Wednesday.

The frustrating commutes are a public relations headache for Newsom, who is running for re-election this year, and other city officials who had hoped to celebrate the start of a new streetcar line instead of fixing problems and soothing angry riders.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-San Francisco, is the scheduled star attraction at Saturday's official grand opening celebration of the T-Third line.

People have been inundating city officials and reporters with e-mails and calls. Muni's troubles have been the hot topic on local blogs.

"I would like to express our apologies for the frustrations you have experienced with Muni service over the last few days. We recognize that the quality of service Muni has provided is unacceptable. ... Unfortunately, the new service integration has not gone as smoothly as we would have liked,'' Ford said in a letter posted briefly on Muni's Web site Wednesday afternoon before it was taken down.

Muni spokeswoman Maggie Lynch said the letter, addressed to "Dear Muni Customers,'' was yanked and that Ford decided to ride the streetcars during today's peak commutes instead.

Eager to show there is hope for Muni, Newsom invited reporters to a hastily arranged sit-down at City Hall to tout the Transit Effectiveness Project, an 18-month, top-to-bottom review of Muni that will recommend ways to make the city's public transit system faster, reliable and efficient.

That final plan is not expected to be completed until the end of the year. But during a week when public dissatisfaction with Muni is mounting, the mayor was looking to showcase something potentially positive.

Newsom said no one should have expected the T-Third project to be perfect out of the gate.
"I will say this, though: I don't want to be in the same situation a month from now,'' he said.

The 5.1-mile line runs from Bayshore Boulevard and Sunnydale Avenue in Visitacion Valley, then down Third Street through Hunters Point, Bayview, Potrero Hill and Mission Bay. It crosses the Fourth Street bridge into South of Market, runs briefly along the Embarcadero, and then heads into the Market Street subway tunnel. It turns around at the Castro Station.

"It's been worse before, but this is bad, really bad,'' said Cydney Batchelor, a 57-year-old lawyer who lives in the Haight and commutes downtown on the N-Judah line. "I find it almost impossible to believe that ... adding one new line could mess up the entire system. You can't rely on it anymore.''

She is ready to give up on Muni and start driving to work.

Andrew Sullivan, who chairs the riders' advocacy group Rescue Muni, said he has been hearing a lot of complaints from members over the past few days and has experienced delays on Muni himself.

His group convinced city voters in 1999 -- the year after the infamous "Muni Meltdown'' -- to approve Proposition E, a Muni reform measure that set service standards and created a more stable source of funding for the transit agency.

"Is this another meltdown? I don't know. It could be,'' Sullivan said. "If nothing else, it certainly is a cause for concern. Let's just hope they get the problems fixed quickly.'' - Rachel Gordon, The San Francisco Chronicle

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LIRR PROBING SPIKE IN ACCIDENTS

NEW YORK, NY -- The Long Island Rail Road has formed a committee to examine a spike in customer accidents since January, LIRR Acting President Ray Kenny said Monday.

The railroad had 84 customer accidents in January in February, compared to 64 accidents during the same period in 2006.

The railroad also is testing ticket machine software to prevent another credit/debit card failure when ticket sales surge on the first Monday of next month, Kenny said at a meeting of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority's LIRR/LI Bus Committee at MTA headquarters in Manhattan.

Also at the meeting, Long Island Bus President Neil Yellin said his agency has applied for $12 million in federal grants to buy some 40 new buses over the next two years. - Jennifer Maloney, Newsday

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THE END