Turbo program reaches the end of the line...

Express rail plan hits end of line
State to pay $5.5M to wrap up ill-fated plan for high-speed route linking Capital Region, NYC
 
By CATHY WOODRUFF, Staff writer
First published: Saturday, May 28, 2005
ALBANY -- The state has abandoned any chance of finishing a fleet of seven Turboliner trains that were supposed to become the workhorses of a high-speed rail corridor envisioned by Gov. George Pataki between New York City and the Capital Region.

In a settlement reached last month, the state Department of Transportation agreed to pay Super Steel Schenectady $5,525,000 to end the project, cover any remaining costs and move four unfinished trains into storage at a nearby industrial park.

The payment is to supplement nearly $64.8 million already spent on Super Steel's work on rebuilding the 1970s-era Turboliners, including three completed trains, which Amtrak has mothballed in Delaware and claims are not suitable for service. The full settlement payment also is contingent on an extensive independent audit of the full project by DOT, which DOT officials said started about two weeks ago.

http://timesunion.com/AspStories/story. ... =5/28/2005

-otto-

The Turbo program should have never been started. It is and was a waste of taxpayers money being spent on 30 yr old equipment that was ready for the scrap yard!
NYS could have taken that money( $64+ million) and purchased brand new equipment that could have run exsisting tracks and been flexible to use with other equipment.

I find it hard to comprehend how this could have happened. It will be interesting to see (if we get to see) what the DOT audit turns up. I mean, $64 million! Yikes!

Does anyone know the particulars of what made the 3 completed trainsets "not suitable for service?"

As I recall, the original equipment was of dubious quality as it was built. I believe Rohr was primarily a builder of aircraft and had little experience (other than BART cars) with making something that would stand up to the rigors of daily railroad operation. That is to say, they were flimsy at best.

1997 news release about Pataki plan

So, a mere (!) $20 million taxpayer project mushrooms to $64 million and then costs another $5.525 million to the contractor for unspecified close out expenses. Now, DOT is supposed to audit the close-out, but wasn't DOT the lead agency in all of this?

Alcoman: NYS could have taken that money ( $64+million) and purchased brand new equipment that could have run exsisting tracks and been flexible to use with other equipment.

For that kind of money, there would be any number of possibilities to improve rail passenger service, not only Albany-NYP, but west of Albany as well. I notice that we had quotes from Pataki, Joe Bruno, Al D'Amato and the late Daniel Patrick Moynihan in that 1997 press release that LCJ posted. Nothing from Pataki or Bruno in the latest announcement though. A combined "Oops!!" might have been appropriate.

No wonder the people of this state face the financial mess all around us. These guys spend money like there is no accounting. At a 250% increase in costs, with nothing to show for it at the end, you really have to wonder where it all will end.

Yeah, they could have selected a FAR superior system in the Bombardier JetTrain. Tilt technology with all the Acela bugs worked out. You snooze; you lose!

Could they have upgraded the rails to Bingo enough to warrant infrequent pass. service?

It seems that they sure love to spend money close to home, but it would sure do some good to maybe make a passenger route from Jamestown to Albany through Bingo. Maybe then SouthWestern New Yorkers would have some sort of feeling they were part of the state other than just tax payers.

ANDY117 wrote:Could they have upgraded the rails to Bingo enough to warrant infrequent pass. service?

I seem to remember them spending about $1 Million to fact-find, and decide that a Binghamton to Syracuse service was the best deal. Then they gave a bunch of money (A couple Million??) to NYSW to tool up for that service, which was supposed to start last November.

At least the Susie-Q used the money to fix up the tracks.

The money was for NYSW to fix their tracks in exchange for occassional pssenger excursions and maybe some commuter demonstration runs. Forget the high-speed rail in the Southern Tier.

-otto-

Commuter service wuold be nice, Bingo to the Mall.

I wonder if the program is really at the end of the line. I mean, I guess they won't finish the fleet, but the fact remains that they have three completed trainsets worth tens of millions of dollars with almost no miles on the odometer, so to speak. And a fourth trainset was reportedly 90% complete. I can't imagine that they'll just throw the equipment away.

You obviuously never seen our government at work ??

So, you really think they'll just throw 'em away? That would be utterly ridiculous!

It kind of reminds me of that AARP social security commercial, where they tear down the house because the kitchen sink is broken! Let's throw out these trains because the a/c needs to be fixed!

Better yet.... Lets throw out the State Officials who approved spending the taxpayers money this way. The State Goverment needs to be fixed!

A more governmetesque solution would be to NOT throw away the turbos.

Just let them sit in Delaware for several years and don't talk about them. Wait until both Amtrak management and DOT management change enough so you can quietly sell them for scrap and blame it all on your predecessors.

The public will then accept the "oh, that's ancient history" angle and will not demand accountability from anyone.

Face it guys, we have the government we deserve.