CT Lawmakers Request Reexamination Of MNR Contract

Tadman wrote: I don't think anybody really expects CT to start their own railroad, but they may be very interested in changing some terms of the contract to ensure delivery makes the passengers happier than they are today.

It wouldn't be them starting their own railroad. They could look for a private contractor to operate.

Tadman wrote:Perhaps it's not the actual consideration of the MNR contract - IE money for moving our trains - but rather the terms that CT wants to reexamine. The terms are the "devil is in the details" part of a contract. For example: You buy a car for $24,000. OK. Do you pay all up front, monthly, per mile, at the end when you give it back... What are the interest rates, is there a mileage cap, are there licensing and insurance requirements, is there a time limit, is there a day/date/month you can/cannot use the car, what kind of warranties are available, where are disputes settled and under what state's laws... The list can go on and on.

I don't think anybody really expects CT to start their own railroad, but they may be very interested in changing some terms of the contract to ensure delivery makes the passengers happier than they are today.

This has nothing to do with making passengers happy. It has to do with not letting a tragedy go to waste, and leveraging the current circumstances to increase the size and scope of government in Connecticut. It has to do with awarding contracts, channeling money, and awarding cushy new jobs within a new bureaucracy as rewards for political favors. It has to do with adding more employees on the state payroll, whose unions are in political pockets that will channel their dues to approved political causes and vote in a predictible way. It has to do with creating a perception of progress while sticking it to the taxpayers. It has to do with anticipated soft kickbacks. It has to do with championing current political leadership during an election year where the current administration has worked in reverse in the citizens' interests.

That's just reality. Connecticut would screw up the railroads big time, but that's not important at all to those who are enginnering this, as it were.

Trainer wrote:This has nothing to do with making passengers happy. It has to do with not letting a tragedy go to waste, and leveraging the current circumstances to increase the size and scope of government in Connecticut. It has to do with awarding contracts, channeling money, and awarding cushy new jobs within a new bureaucracy as rewards for political favors. It has to do with adding more employees on the state payroll, whose unions are in political pockets that will channel their dues to approved political causes and vote in a predictible way. It has to do with creating a perception of progress while sticking it to the taxpayers. It has to do with anticipated soft kickbacks. It has to do with championing current political leadership during an election year where the current administration has worked in reverse in the citizens' interests.

That's just reality. Connecticut would screw up the railroads big time, but that's not important at all to those who are enginnering this, as it were.

Aren't you jumping ahead a little bit there? It seems to me that given the number of service problems (real and perceived) that MN has experienced in the past 8 months, it's likely that the General Assembly delegates from Fairfield County have fielded more than one rider complaint. Same even goes for the Governor, who is after all a Stamford native. As elected representatives it's their duty to respond to voter concerns. And remember, New Haven line riders account for a non-trivial percentage of the state electorate.

The main responsibility for rail problems on the New Haven Line lies with the State of Connecticut. Why? They held off a few years ago when the M-2's were already ripe for replacment and did absolutely nothing. They held off when the physical plant was in a state of disrepair and did as little as they could, they wasted money in a useless busway that could have been spent fixing up the most important piece of passenger railroad in all of New England and maybe anywhere else too. Now they are trying to pass the buck to the folks on Metro-North but I don't see this as effective. They are not going to farm out the New Haven Line to any other operator, it would not work, the line is tied in to New York State with many trains making stops in both New York and Connecticut. Metro-North is not free of blame and needs to get some discipline in their operations but if they manage to do that they can help their operations much. There has been some goofing off among their employees, the public see that and you can not avoid them seeing that. I can't understand why people can't use their heads when they are working in a "goldfish bowl", do your job professionally at all times, I did while I worked for them and I never had any problems with any passengers on any of the three lines. I got a few letters of commendation, I still have them too. The best one was signed by an official who had an intense dislike of me and that one especially gave me a huge amount of satisfaction. Conductors being nasty with the public, conductors not collecting tickets, engineers playing with themselves in vies of passengers, engineers reading a newspaper while operating a train, I hope you are all getting the point. These remarks have been directed to Metro-North employees who are on this site, I am on your side BUT you must do your jobs in the most professional manner possible and take some pride in your work, you are being paid to do that. Some of the stuff I have mentioned above has played right in to the nansayers in the press and public not to mention the do nothing politicians who want to talk big and make a name for themselves. One more point, be careful of people who are assigned to work with you in training to learn the job, if they do not do the job the way they should show them the right way and set an example. If an engineer will not run the train by the book, take him/her out of the seat, I did not a few times and I even went so far as to tell the training department to put him with somebody else. I remember one incident in early Metro-North days when another old timer and myself went right to management about one bad apple trainee who did not belong in passenger service, the management person thanked both of us and they terminated his employement on the 89 th day without any explanation. Was thas a drastic thing to do? Yes it was but it was better then this person getting out on his own and messing up bad and making it look really bad for all of us and we had courage enough to recognize it. I suggest some of you might need to do the same thing if it warrants. Railroading is a serious affair and all need to realize that NOW.
Noel Weaver

NW: EXCELLENT POST and a GOOD overview of the problems affecting MNCR...

MACTRAXX

No wonder Forbes designated Connecticut as the most financially mismanaged state in the US:

Raiders of the state's transportation fund

"State lawmakers consistently voted to cut funding for vital transportation projects over the last few years even as they criticized Metro-North Railroad for a pattern of dismal performance and service mishaps."

http://www.newstimes.com/news/article/R ... 281719.php

" 27 lawmakers voted for a package that reduced the statutory required transfer of revenue from the General Fund to the Special Transportation Fund by $70.1 million."

The People's Republic of Connecticut in action. Steal, then blame.

I'm glad that now this, ahem, bovine residue is being brought to light. Hopefully the vendetta against the railroad can cease and the anger directed where it belongs: the clowns in Hartford.