AMTRAK'S TILT PROBLEM

How was your travel this holiday weekend?

If you’re one of the 82 million Americans who traveled at least 50 miles for Thanksgiving, perhaps some of you opted for Amtrak instead of driving.  Our nation’s passenger railroad estimates a six percent boost in ridership this year, as Amtrak’s growth and popularity continues.

Not that taking the train is cheap:  a one-way, last-minute fare from Stamford to Washington DC on Thanksgiving day was as much as $400 on one train!  It’s a matter of demand exceeding supply.  Still, Amtrak is proud of these fares which, nationwide have seen the railroad increase overall revenues by 10%.

Aside from worsening highway traffic and delays, why chose the train instead of driving?  Because the investment in its infrastructure is finally paying off with better service.

Stations are being improved, crucial bridges (like the Walk Bridge in South Norwalk) are being reconstructed, new tunnels are being built, tracks and overhead power lines replaced.  You can see the improvements as you travel.

And then there’s the new equipment.

Amtrak’s long expected (and four years delayed) NextGen Acela is turning eyes as it whooshes up and down the corridor.  It’s a really sweet train, with only five sets in service so far but with 23 more sets to come by 2027.  But these sleek new trains are having problems, especially between New Haven and Providence, one of the ‘curviest’ parts of the Northeast.

Fast trains abhor curves.  While the new Acela can go as fast as 160 mph, it can do so only on about 40 super-straight miles of its 450 mile journey from Washington to Boston.  In the rest of Connecticut it can go no faster than Metro-North.

In fact, the new Acela is slower than the old Acela, especially from New Haven to Providence.  The reason?  Tilting, or lack thereof.

To handle all the curves in Connecticut, Acela is designed to automatically tilt into the curves, maintaining speed without having passengers’ beverages sliding off their tray-tables into their laps.

But because the NextGen Acela is still awaiting final certification by the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), it’s limited in how much it can tilt into curves.  That means that, between Providence and New Haven, the new Acela takes ten minutes longer than the older models, worsening those supposedly-faster trains’ on-time performance.

Because our tracks in Connecticut are older and placed closer to together than in other parts of the corridor, the tight clearances between passing trains could cause a problem… especially if two passing trains should both be tilting in the wrong direction and sideswipe each other.

As the NextGen Acelas prove their reliability and improvements are made to our tracks, it’s expected that the FRA will lift some restrictions and all the new trains will ultimately operate at maximum efficiency.

With more and faster trains, the increase in available seats may lead to lower fares.  But what Amtrak really needs is competition… the topic for another story.

 

 

CARLESS IN CONNECTICUT

Is it possible to live in our state without a car? 

We have over 1.1 million cars registered in Connecticut (not counting SUVs, pickups and vans) for our 2.6 million licensed drivers.  But that still doesn’t account for another half-million adults who don’t drive, by choice or economic necessity.

According to AAA, in Connecticut it costs about $11,000 a year to operate a new car (not counting its purchase price), well above the national average.  You can blame high insurance premiums, property taxes, registration and maintenance… plus the cost of gasoline.  That means the average driver pays about 70 cents a mile to drive.

But in most of the state, access to a car is essential for daily living, especially if you’re older.

Something like 19% of all Connecticut residents are over age 65.  Over age 70, traffic fatalities increase with age; by age 85, drivers have probably outlived their ability to drive safely.

Every year some 600,000 adults in the US stop driving.  But because seniors make 90% of their trips in private cars, either driving or as passengers, what happens next?

When seniors stop driving it impacts more than their mobility:  it can also affect their health.   Seniors who stop driving make 15% fewer trips to the doctor.  They can’t get out to shop as much.  They isolate socially, which can lead to depression and a downward spiral in health.

Living in the suburbs, 80% of seniors reside in car-dependent neighborhoods.  Some 53% of those areas don’t have sidewalks and 60% are not within a ten minute walk of a transit stop, assuming the elders can still walk that distance.

The cost of bus fare isn’t the main reason that dissuades seniors from riding the bus.  It’s not knowing where the bus stops are, when they run, the lack of a shelter and, yes, probably a fear for their safety.  Plus not all buses kneel, which makes boarding a challenge.

Many affluent communities offer free or low-cost ride services for seniors (and others with disabilities).  In Greenwich there’s “Call A Ride”, in Fairfield “Dial A Ride” and in Darien “At Home in Darien”.  And several cities offer on-demand, Uber-like services such as Norwalk and Westport’s “Wheels2U” and New Haven’s “Via NHV”.

At the other end of the mobility spectrum, many of our cities and towns have gone to great expense installing bike lanes.  But when’s the last time you saw them being used?  They sound great, offering a chance for exercise and enhanced mobility, but they’re hardly useful year-round.  And they certainly don’t replace the utility of a car.

Metro-North, Shore Line East and the Hartford Line are great if you’re going to a city center.  But getting to the station usually means relying on a car.  And when you alight from the train in many towns, that last-mile to your destination still involves a cab or bus (if it runs your way).

So can you live, work and play in our state without a car?  You decide.

TRUTH IN FLYING?

You ever get the sense the airlines are lying to you?

Sure, the government shutdown wasn’t their fault. But are they always honest — in this instance and others — when flyers face delays?

How often has a promised 20-minute delay morphed into an hour?  And then another hour?  And maybe even a cancellation?

Because these most recent delays were beyond their control (they can blame Congress), airlines were not required to do much… aside from apologize.  Some did offer meal vouchers and hotel rooms, but for the most part travelers were on their own as schedules and staff were juggled.

Overall, the federal shutdown is estimated to have cost airlines, hotels, and car-rental companies about $1 billion a week.  And that’s not even counting the cost to travelers for their time and expenses.

But when the airlines say, “We apologize for the delay, but it’s not our fault,” there are some things they can and do control, especially as they drive for maximum revenue on every flight… like paid-for seat assignments, one of the so called “junk fees”.

A US Senate report says one airline alone, United, raked in $1.3 billion just for letting passengers pick their seats… more than the $1.2 billion their earned for handling checked bags.

Assigned seats ease the boarding process and give fliers what they want… aisle access, that comfy middle seat or, my favorite, the window seat.  I want to see where I’m flying and I’ll pay to get it.

So imagine the outrage of passengers on several airlines who paid $15 - $30 for a window seat and found it had no window!

A Window Seat with NO Window?

United and Delta airlines are now facing a class action suit potentially affecting more than a million passengers who were affected, paying for window seats with no windows.  It’s just the way the aircraft were built and the seats were laid out, so the airlines knew before offering those seat reservations.

If they knew the ‘window seats’ had no windows, why not warn passengers before they click?

(I encountered the same problem on Amtrak on its new NextGen Acela, choosing a window seat in advance only to board the new train and find a bulkhead and no window.) 

What’s the airline’s defense?  Well, they say that just because it’s called a window seat doesn’t mean you get a window… that the seat name refers more to its placement nearest the fuselage vs the aisle.

In its defense, United’s attorneys literally said “The use of the word ‘window’ in reference to a particular seat cannot reasonably be interpreted as a promise that the seat will have an exterior window view.”

Really. That’s what they said.

All of which reminds me of former bosses at Metro-North in the bad old pre-COVID days of over-crowded, standing-room-only trains.  When one passenger suggested a refund for not getting a seat he was told, “You’re paying for transportation.  We never promised you a seat.”

Such customer service!

 

 

 

 

A METRO-NORTH CONDUCTOR'S MEMOIRS

Being a train conductor seems like a simple, boring job:  collecting tickets, opening and closing doors, reminding people to keep their feet off the seats.  Yawn.

But there’s a lighter side to the job, as I wrote a few years ago, based on former conductor Michael Shaw’s great book, “My Rail Life” after he retired from a 36 year career on the New Haven line.  He clearly loved his job.  And he swears these stories are true.

He once told passengers on a standing-room only train: “OK, folks.  We are half way to Grand Central.  It’s time for everyone who’s been seated to get up and give their seats to folks who’ve been standing.”

Asked by a passenger boarding at Grand Central, “what times does this train arrive in Stamford?” he answered candidly, “Usually about 20 minutes after the schedule says”.

On another train he announced: “Folks, I have good news and bad news.  The good news is that Metro-North fixed the air conditioning you complained about not having all summer long.  The bad news it’s now winter.”

Honest to a fault, he turned in everything left by passengers on his train to the Metro-North Lost and Found… even an envelope containing $400 in cash. (The lost money wasn’t claimed so he got it back.)  On several occasions he’d find a lost briefcase or cell-phone and personally return it to the owner’s home the same day.

He also loved razzing his fellow railroad workers, once announcing, “If you have any railroad questions or would like to take your picture with a real railroad engineer, come to the front of the train and say hello to is Jerry who loves chatting with people.”  The engineer’s name was not Jerry and the real man at the controls really didn’t like people.

Approaching Bridgeport, Shaw announced the connection for the Waterbury train, adding “Be sure to ask your Waterbury conductor for one of the free 100 Years Commemorative pins.”  There were no such pins.

On late Friday late night trains Shaw would bet with his fellow conductors watching drunk passengers boarding at Grand Central, guessing who would be first to throw up.  Shaw immediately chose a 95 pound blonde he saw staggering to the nearest car with her equally inebriated boyfriend.  Even before leaving the station his co-worker came and gave him his winnings.

Shaw always went out of his way to keep passengers informed about delays.  In the horrendous winter of 2014 when the railroad almost ground to a halt, he printed a one-page apology for the previous day’s delays and did his own seat-drop of 500 copies before the train left New Haven.  His regular passengers were so grateful for his candor they gave him a standing ovation as he entered each car to collect tickets.  His railroad bosses were not amused.

Approaching an obviously “senior” citizen to collect his fare, the old timer asked if Shaw needed his ID to prove his age.  Saying that wouldn’t be necessary, the old timer asked “Are you saying I look too old?”  “No,” said Shaw. “You look honest.”

On another occasion he approached an elderly, grey-haired woman who wanted to buy a senior-discount ticket.  “Are you over 65?,” he asked in a teasing voice. “Actually, I’m 82” she said.  “Well, you look marvelous!,” said Shaw, asking “What’s your secret?”.  Without a smile or batting an eyelash she said “Rough sex.”

If you need a good chuckle, you’ll love this book.

 

NIGHT DRIVING - Blinded by the Light

“Blinded by the light
Revved up like a deuce
Another runner in the night”  

Manfred Mann

Has this ever happened to you?  You’re driving on a narrow road in the dark, when the headlights of oncoming traffic suddenly blind you, leaving you wondering where is the road and whether you might crash.

With sunset now coming as early as 5 pm (thanks to the return to Standard Time), driving in the dark becomes a real challenge if not a danger.  National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) data shows nighttime crashes are three times more likely than daytime, even on dry roads.

WHY IS THIS HAPPENING?                 There are several reasons that headlights appear so bright.  The first is that the headlights may not be properly aligned, aiming too high.  And with more vehicles riding higher from the road (think SUVs and trucks), their headlights shine more directly into oncoming traffic.

Most problematic are the new kinds of headlights we use.  The older incandescent (yellowish) lightbulbs are being replaced by LED or xenon lights, which are blue-white and more glaring to your eyes.

That’s because bright oncoming headlights, especially the bluish ones, cause the pupils in your eyes to constrict rapidly, literally blinding you until the oncoming vehicle passes and your eyes adjust.

WHAT CAN YOU DO?                When bright lights come at you, don’t look into the oncoming beam.  Instead, look to the right edge or lane marker of your driving lane.  Use anti-glare mirrors, especially  in your rear-view mirror,  so headlights on vehicles behind you don’t hit your eyes.  Most of all, slow down!  Being blinded on darkened roads, coated with wet slippery leaves, is dangerous.

WILL BLUE LIGHT GLASSES HELP?             Even with good driving habits, glare from new headlight technology can still feel intense leading some drivers to look for solutions like special glasses.  But the jury’s still out on this idea.  

Stylish... but safer?

Some manufacturers and optometrists say that lenses designed to block or filter short-wavelength blue light can help reduce the perceived glare by filtering out that part of the spectrum.  Some glasses described as “for night driving” (the ones that are often yellow in tint) also have reflective coatings. 

Doctors say some patients swear by these specs, making them more confident.  But safety experts say you shouldn’t take this as license to drive faster than is safe for the road conditions.

WHAT ELSE CAN YOU DO?                 You can start by making sure you’re not part of the problem.  Get your own headlights checked for alignment at your mechanic or national chains like Midas or Goodyear.  It’ll cost you about $100.

It used to be that the Connecticut DMV checked headlight alignments during your bi-annual emissions tests, but that ended in 2001.  A bill (HB 6163) before the Connecticut legislature in 2023 would have restored those tests, but it never became law.

In the UK they’re taking this problem more seriously, upping testing of headlight brightness and where they aim down the road.  Some are even calling for a ban on super-bright LED and xenon bulbs.  UK stats claim 280 collisions a year in that country are caused by the dazzling bulbs.

Meantime, take it easy on the roads at night.  Maybe even avoid driving in those hours, if you can.  Try the glasses, if you’d like.  But above all… stay safe!

 

THE HIDDEN DANGERS OF THE FALL

I love the fall.  But I hate the leaves!

Sure, they look pretty as they change colors, but when those leaves are spent and fall to the ground, they present real problems for travelers.

Whether you rake your leaves yourself or have someone “blow” them for you, disposing of leaves is a hassle. 

Growing up (many years ago) I remember we used to burn our leaves, heedless to the air pollution and health effects.  A better alternative is to use a mulching-mower and just grind up the leaves on your lawn, providing much-needed nutrients to your soil.  Or try composting them on your own property.

In most towns leaves must be bagged and left curbside for pick-up.  In other towns, like Stamford, Middletown and Farmington, you can just rake the leaves into a pile at the curb, loose, and the town will vacuum them up… eventually.

Often however, the piles of leaves left curbside get rained on, creating a giant soggy mess, blocking parking and leading to slippery roads.  At speeds of 40–45 mph, it can take up to three times longer to stop on wet leaves compared to dry pavement, with stopping distance increasing from about 80 feet to over 200–250 feet.

But the slippery, almost winter-like driving conditions caused by wet leaves also affect our trains.  Their wheels also slip on wet leaves and the trains’ “brains” sense it and go into emergency braking.  You’ll know this is happening when the trains suddenly “dump their air”, and brake quickly.

Usually it’s just a minute or so to reset the computer and you carry on.  But as in a real emergency, braking and stopping distance are quickly diminished.  Which is why railroads take a number of defensive steps to literally clear the tracks.

So bad was the leaf slime problem in years past that Metro-North would have 25% of its fleet out of service as the trains’ brakes locked the wheels to a stop, grinding flat spots on the wheels, requiring repairs.

This is especially a problem on the Danbury branch, a 397-foot uphill climb from Norwalk to “The Hat City”.  Often, locomotive-pulled trains couldn’t get enough traction so that they had to skip stations like Cannondale just to keep momentum to climb uphill.

You see, on a diesel locomotive there are only eight traction wheels making contact with the rails.  But on the electric M8 cars, every car is a locomotive, so contact with the wheels is spread across the entire train, increasing traction… another good reason to re-electrify the Danbury branch.

In years past the railroad used high-pressure water jets to blast the slippery leaf pectin from the rails.  But now they have resorted to lasers.

Laser Train photo by Emily Moser

Metro-North’s Laser Train uses high-intensity lasers to remove this contaminated layer in a single pass at speeds up to 60 mph, allowing Metro-North to clean the entire network at least once a day.  The train is a rare sight, usually operating overnight to clear the tracks in time for the morning rush hour.

Last year the Laser Train saw a 40% reduction in leaf-related “slip slide” events, leading to the lowest wheel-regrinding costs on record.  

So enjoy the fall and the beauty of the foliage.  But beware the dangers, whether driving or training, of “slip sliding away”.

 

 

 

TAKING YOUR BIKE ON THE TRAIN

 

Taking mass transit is great.  But when you step off your train or bus, what do you do to get to your final destination?  Increasingly, that means BYO wheels:  a bike, e-bike or scooter.

The problem is, the rules for bringing your “wheels” is much different depending on your carrier.

METRO-NORTH:

You can bring your non-electric-powered bike on the train anytime except rush-hour.  Some cars include wall-mounted racks; check TrainTime for bike-friendly trains and car markings.  If you have a folding bike that can stow in the overhead rack, you can bring it anytime.

But if your bike or scooter is powered, the rules are quite different.

Metro-North Bike Racks

First, you can’t ride your e-whatever at the station, on the platform or in the train. You can only bring your wheels on the train if it folds up, weighs less than 100 pounds and is your property, i.e. not a CitiBike, VEO etc.

You cannot charge your e-bike on the train.  It must have UL-certified batteries and be stored in an area so it doesn’t block other passengers.  Whatever the rules may be, the train conductor or railroad staffer always has the final say and can stop you and your bike from being on the train.

Remember… if your final destination is Grand Central Terminal there are any number of Citi Bike stations just outside on the street.  At New Haven there are bike-shares available through Ride New Haven.

SHORE LINE EAST & HARTFORD LINE:       The e-bike rules here are quite similar.  Unlike on Metro-North, regular (non-electric) bicycles are welcome anytime.  On the Harford Line, CT Rail trains welcome bikes anytime for free.  But Amtrak Hartford Line trains accept bikes only with a reservation and a charge of $20.  All e-bikes with lithium-ion batteries are banned on all trains on the line.

At Hartford’s Union Station you can rent a scooter (but no bikes) through VEO.  Bikes may be added in the future.

CT TRANSIT BUSES:

Connecticut’s buses were pioneers in allowing bikes… not on the bus, but on racks mounted on the front of the bus.  The racks only hold two bikes, and its first-come, first-carried.

Only standard non-motorized bikes are allowed on racks; e-bikes, scooters, and motorized vehicles are not permitted, regardless of weight.

OTHER BUSES IN CONNECTICUT:

All GBTA (Greater Bridgeport) buses are equipped to carry your bicycle… two-bike maximum, first-come first-served.  Norwalk Transit rules aren’t crystal clear.  You might want to consult your carrier’s website or ask the driver before trying to transport your device.

PORT JEFFERSON FERRY:

The Port Jefferson Ferry allows bicycles and e-bikes onboard, but according to company policy, they are considered luggage and must be kept with the rider at all times.  Cyclists are required to carry their bikes as well as any baggage up and down staircases to the passenger decks.  If there’s room you can use the elevator.

Whatever your destination, always BYO (and wear) a helmet when operating on two wheels.  And remember:  E-bikes and scooters should use UL-certified batteries and never be charged aboard any vehicle or station.