WASHINGTON — The Federal Railroad Administration yesterday tentatively approved an Amtrak plan that could return its Acela Express schedule to normal as early as Monday, after an abrupt withdrawal of the high-speed trains from service Tuesday for safety reasons, according to the Washington Post.
The service halt caused confusion and crowding as passengers jammed aboard slower trains between Washington, New York and Boston. Describing New York’s Pennsylvania Station as “a horror show,” one Amtrak passenger complained of misinformation on Amtrak’s Web site, which yesterday still listed some Acela Express trains as available for reservations.
Amtrak officials have suggested installing temporary replacements for locomotive shock-absorber brackets, which were found to be cracked on 14 of the 18 trains, while the manufacturer works on a new design for the large stainless-steel brackets. If the brackets were to break in service, officials say, the whole shock-absorber assembly could drop to the tracks and possibly derail the train.
A senior Federal Railroad Administration official, who did not want to be identified by name, said the Amtrak plan is “a responsible way to proceed.” The official said the agency will require daily inspections of the brackets, and FRA inspectors will observe the installation and inspection of the temporary stainless-steel brackets.
“We think it is an adequate interim step,” the official said.
All the trains were withdrawn from service Tuesday after an inspection Monday in Boston found that one bracket had cracked away from the locomotive. Inspections revealed cracks, some of them minor, on 13 other trains’ sets. The brackets are attached to a large shock absorber called a yaw damper, which helps control horizontal movement and rocking.
Three of the four undamaged trains were returned to service yesterday, and the fourth was scheduled to enter service today, according to Amtrak officials.
The FRA official said it appeared that the damaged bracket in Boston was the result of metal fatigue and probably not a basic design flaw. He said the bracket had traveled more than 200,000 miles since it was installed.
Bombardier of North America, the Montreal-based company that manufactured the trains in a consortium with Alstom of Paris, is now shipping newly milled brackets to Amtrak shops in Washington, New York and Boston. They are essentially the same bracket, except for being one-tenth of an inch thicker.
Amtrak Chief Operating Officer Stan Bagley said the first train set with replacement brackets should be ready today. He said he hopes to have all the trains refitted by Sunday night, allowing a return to normal schedules by Monday.
The FRA official said Bagley’s timetable is ambitious but could be met if no other hitches develop and the railroad administration is satisfied with the installation.
The Acela’s bracket trouble is the latest in a series of problems with the popular trains. All 18 train sets accepted so far by Amtrak are scheduled for as many as 200 upgrades, including fixes in the braking systems and repairs to sticking restroom doors.
Dan Doherty, a Boston businessman, waited in the special Acela Express lounge in New York’s Penn Station for a delayed 7 p.m. departure. “I’ve only lately been taking the train,” Doherty said. “I’ll probably switch back to a plane.”
Doherty said he liked taking the Acela from outside Boston because he could walk on, turn on his computer and start to work without any of the downtime of air travel. “It’s kind of a hassle now,” he said. “I’m going to get back an hour later tonight.”
Other passengers complained about ticket agents who didn’t seem to know which trains were still running. Some business travelers who typically ride the faster Acela trains switched to the unreserved trains and hoped to get a seat so they could work during their trip.