Page 13 - Flathead Beacon // 12.18.13

FLATHEADBEACON.COM NEWS
DECEMBER 18, 2013 | 13

‘Extreme Freight Congestion’ Cancels

Facts

FIGURES
Amtrak Trips Through Montana

Numbers in the news
Amtrak hopes to get

56%
Empire Builder back

on schedule before the
Percentage of Americans
who say “honest” does not holidays

describe President Barack
Obama, according to The By JUSTIN FRANZ of the Beacon
Associated Press-GfK poll,
Cold weather and “extreme freight
which showed perceptions congestion” forced Amtrak to cancel ive
of the president are falling runs of its Empire Builder passenger train
through Montana and the Flathead Valley
not only on his handling of this month. According to spokesperson
the economy and other big Marc Magliari, the suspension of service
was done in hopes of having the train on
issues, but also on more
personal qualities.
time the week before Dec. 25.
During the disruption there was no
passenger train service between Spokane,
13%
Wash., and St. Paul, Minn. Passenger ser-
vice continued to operate between Port-
land and Seattle and Spokane as well as St.
Paul and Chicago, using either shortened Passengers load onto Amtrak’s Empire Builder at the Whiteish Depot to head west toward Seattle and
Percentage of Americans Portland. FILE PHOTO BY LIDO VIZZUTTI | FLATHEAD BEACON
who approve of Congress; train consists or buses. Magliari said nor-
nearly two-thirds say they mal service would resume on Dec. 15 out
of Chicago and Dec. 16 out of Portland and the Bakken region of Montana and North
would like to see their Seattle.
“WE ARE WORKING HARD TO IM- Dakota, which means more trains. But
House member replaced “We certainly regret that we have PROVE THE PERFORMANCE OF BOTH Jones said other trains are also ighting
to do this, but we’re trying to make sure for space on the main line. Domestic inter-
next November, the AP-GfK we’re ready for the holidays,” Magliari AMTRAK AND OUR FREIGHT TRAINS modal, industrial products and grain traf-
survey inds.
said. “If the train is greatly delayed reach- ALONG THE NORTHERN CORRIDOR.”
ic have all seen major increases this year.

ing its end point, there is no train to bring Matthew Jones, railroad spokesperson
And trains carrying new automobiles have
1,382
back until it has been serviced.”
increased by 10 percent over last year. On
Servicing includes cleaning the cars the tracks between Glasgow and Minot,
and stocking the train with food and there is an average of 38 freight trains a
water, as well as completing any addi- 41 percent. However, the eastbound train day. That’s 18 more trains than the daily
Montana residents who tional maintenance that may be needed. had a zero percent on-time performance average in 2008, at the height of the eco-
have signed up for in- Magliari said additional passenger cars rate during the same period. In Novem- nomic downturn, and one more train than
surance on the federal will be arriving on the Empire Builder ber, the train was on-time 44.5 percent the previous average record set in 2005.

exchange through Novem- route after the new year.
of time, while its eastbound train had a “We are working hard to improve the
ber; the U.S. Department of Magliari said it was the irst time Am- 3.3 percent on-time record. The Empire performance of both Amtrak and our
Health and Human Services trak had to cancel the Empire Builder be- Builder is among the latest trains in the freight trains along the northern corri-
cause of extreme and perpetual lateness. Amtrak system.
dor,” Jones said.
released enrollment igures, He said passengers who had reservations The reasons for Amtrak’s perpetual The cold weather that hit Montana
showing about 137,000 on the ive trips that were canceled, three lateness through the Flathead Valley is last week also added a new challenge for
Americans had completed eastbound runs and two westbound runs, because of booming freight business on railroaders along BNSF’s tracks. Air break

the full process to get were notiied of the disruption and were BNSF Railway’s line through Montana systems can be impacted by extreme cold
coverage.
able to reschedule their trip.
and North Dakota.
and trains can experience additional de-
In October, the passenger train had According to railroad spokesperson lays because of it.
an overall on-time performance rate of
Matthew Jones, more oil is coming out of
[email protected]
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in

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