All The News Fit To Print?

In today's New York Times, there's a story about how New Jersey Transit's brand new bilevel cars hit signals installed on the Northeast corridor during a test run. That incident occurred June 8.

“The bottom line is that Bombardier’s new rail cars were within the clearance envelope allowed by Amtrak,’’ she said. “And if the signals were properly located, the car should have cleared all signals.’’

Ms. Gagnon said she was told by Amtrak that an estimated 25 signals had recently been installed by a new company, and that the new signals hung lower from the ceilings of the two tunnels than those they had replaced. “We are confident that Amtrak will take appropriate actions to ensure clearance of the new cars,’’ she said.

Mr. Black said Amtrak “did not know for sure if the signals were installed incorrectly, but they certainly did not conform to the profile.’’

Considering that service on the Northeast Corridor has repeatedly suffered from breakdowns and slowdowns over the past two months due to power problems, doesn't the Times think that a problem where Amtrak's inability to communicate information to NJ Transit and keep tabs on its contractors that install equipment along the Northeast Corridor should have been published far sooner? This story recites the facts, but there's a far larger story that isn't being addressed by the Times.

The Bergen Record ran a story about the problem July 15. At that time, the Road Warrior noted that NJ Transit didn't think the story was worth even a press release at the time of the incident.

The problems with Amtrak are longstanding, as are those with NJ Transit. The Northeast Corridor in New Jersey is a mess, with high temperatures causing the catenary overhead wires failing regularly because equipment isn't installed to deal with the wires slackening in the heat. That forces the trains to run slower so that the overhead wires don't come down. NJ Transit, which recently installed light rail in Northern New Jersey, apparently didn't install the compensation systems either - as service was delayed because of the same problems.

The installation of signal equipment that apparently doesn't conform to Amtrak's specs, and the failure to oversee the installation shows that Amtrak has major problems on its hands that it simply can't attribute to being underfunded. There are problems with its oversight of contractor work.

The key in this instance is the failure of communications, and lack of oversight by Amtrak with its contractor, and then the failure to communicate the issues to NJ Transit.

This situation affects tens of thousands of commuters on a daily basis. It also affects all New Jersey taxpayers, who subsidize NJ Transit and its purchase of the bilevel cars. It also affects all taxpayers and commuters who rely on Amtrak service, and expect reliable and safe service.

I'm a regular commuter and a booster of mass transit, but I absolutely abhor the wasteful spending that goes on and the failure to ensure that work is done properly. This situation reeks of a failure in oversight.