Flaws shut down Acela Express

By Mac Daniel, Globe Staff, 8/14/2002

Amtrak's Acela Express service, the crown jewel of the national rail carrier's rusting system and its only profitable line, was shut down indefinitely yesterday after inspectors found cracks in critical shock absorbers on more than half of the 15 high-speed locomotives in regular service.

The abrupt shutdown, the biggest blow to Amtrak's service in recent history, delayed or stranded thousands of Acela Express passengers along the popular Boston-to-Washington route and cast yet another shadow over the beleaguered rail agency.

Amtrak President David L. Gunn said yesterday that it's unclear when Acela Express service would resume, or if the cracks - found on at least eight of 10 inspected engines - would force the trains to operate at lower speeds. That could jeopardize the line's position as a time-competitive alternative to airline shuttles along the northeast corridor.

''We're not clear whether this is a stress issue, a design issue, or a manufacturing issue,'' Amtrak spokesman Bill Schulz said, adding that Gunn would address the matter during a previously scheduled meeting with the Canadian-French consortium that manufactured the Acela trains.

Officials at the manufacturer, a consortium of Bombardier Corp. of Montreal and Alstom SA of Paris, told Amtrak officials yesterday that a permanent fix for the problem probably won't be ready until the end of the month.

Most Acela Express passengers in Boston didn't know about the problem until they got to South Station, but they took it in stride. They acknowledged that safety was more important, even though the older, slower trains deployed as replacements would delay their arrival by as much as three hours.

Amtrak had threatened a nationwide shutdown earlier this year unless Congress extended a $205 million emergency loan, approved in June. Though it hasn't turned a profit since it was launched in 1971 and lost $1.1 billion last year, Amtrak said it would keep its trains running through this summer.

At the same time, Amtrak wants $1.2 billion in federal subsidies - even as the Bush administration and Congress are debating whether to link the money to major reforms or to privatize the national rail network.

Yesterday's decision to suspend the money-making Acela Express line came late Monday evening in Boston, after a routine maintenance inspection found a crack in one locomotive's yaw damper bracket, one of four heavy-duty shock absorbers that reduce side-to-side movement and keep the engine upright in sharp turns.

Inspectors later found cracks in brackets on two more Acela trains by 11 p.m. Monday. At that time, officials still believed they could avoid shutting down the line by using only the Acela Express trains that passed inspection.

But by 4 p.m. yesterday, eight of the 10 engines that had been inspected were found to have the problem. Amtrak has 18 Acela engines in all, with three kept in reserve.

On an average weekday along the northeast corridor, Acela Express carries 10,000 passengers, most of whom are traveling between New York City and South Station, Schulz said. It is estimated that 50 percent of Amtrak passengers traveling between New York and Boston ride the Acela.

''It is both the best and worst of times,'' Schulz said. ''The train is enormously popular, and it's been particularly lauded in the north end [of the Northeast Corridor], where it's cut travel time by more than 60 minutes over the last six years.

''At the same time we acknowledge that there have been reliability problems and now a new challenge has been introduced into the equation,'' he added. ''We're going to work with Bombardier to get it running, but our first priority will always be safety.''

Last week the Acela Express line posted the worst on-time performance of Amtrak's nationwide service, with just 74 percent arriving on schedule. The poor showing was blamed on mechanical glitches that resulted in the cancellation of 35 Acela Express trains last month. The line has also been plagued with brake problems, electrical malfunctions, and stuck restroom doors that have trapped passengers.

In its debut two years ago, the Acela Express's Boston-to-Washington service was considered a model for other potential high-speed rail corridors across the country, because it operates on tracks shared with other trains, rather than on a dedicated line. Most of Amtrak's cross-country passenger routes run on tracks owned by freight lines and other private railroads.

After its launch, Acela Express was an early hit. Able to leave Boston and reach Manhattan in 31/2 hours - and offering amenities such as club cars, first-class seating, and Internet access - it quickly captured 70 percent of air-rail travelers between Washington and New York after Sept. 11. At the same time, the Boston-New York express route had 49 percent of the air-rail market.

James P. RePass, president of the National Corridors Initiative, a rail lobby group, said yesterday the cracks are ''a serious problem, but not a fatal problem.''

''But I think that the main problem is that it's just another Amtrak issue that has to be dealt with, and they're struggling with so many of them right now,'' RePass said.

Michael Dukakis, vice chairman of Amtrak's board, said Gunn told him about the problem at 7:15 yesterday morning and he agreed that safety was first.

''Obviously, if there's even the remote possibility of a safety problem, we're not going to run the trains until it's fixed,'' Dukakis said. ''I think the real question is why is it happening.... I've never dealt with a new piece of equipment that didn't have problems.''

In 1996, Bombardier-Alstom won the $972 million contract to design and build the trains. But the relationship with Amtrak quickly soured when problems cropped up.

Already engaged in a public relations battle with Bombardier-Alstom over mechanical problems, Gunn said last week he would not take delivery of two new Acela train unless the consortium overhauled the design. Bombardier blames the problems on Amtrak-requested design changes and poor track maintenance.

This story ran on page A1 of the Boston Globe on 8/14/2002.
© Copyright 2002 Globe Newspaper Company.
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