(Bloomberg News circulated the following article by Rip Watson on August 24.)
BOSTON — Amtrak, the U.S. passenger railroad, canceled Acela and Metroliner service between New York and Boston through tomorrow because of damage to overhead electric-power lines after a CSX Corp. freight-train derailment.
Amtrak said repairs will take a “prolonged period,” without saying how long. The railroad in a statement today said it will run 18 daily trains between the two cities, some using diesel power, with delays of as long as 45 minutes. Acela and Metroliner are Amtrak’s higher-speed, higher-price trains.
The derailment yesterday in the Bronx stopped all trains between New York and New Haven, Connecticut, and was at least the fourth disruption of Amtrak’s Northeast service this summer. The others included halting all Acela trains between Washington, New York and Boston for almost three months to fix brakes, power problems in Philadelphia on Aug. 4 and CSX track work last week that held up trains between Washington and Richmond, Virginia.
The Acela halt for brake repairs cut sales by $24.8 million, Washington-based Amtrak has said. The series of disruptions comes as Congress debates funding for the year starting Oct. 1. Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta has said President George W. Bush may veto funding if Congress approves the $1.45 billion for Amtrak backed by the Senate Appropriations Committee.
CSX, which uses Amtrak lines in the Bronx to reach freight customers, yesterday derailed four cars, two of which tipped over. The Jacksonville, Florida-based railroad has cleared away the cars and is investigating the derailment, said spokeswoman Misty Skipper. CSX is the third-largest U.S. railroad.
Separately, the Transportation Department inspector general’s office said in a letter posted on its Web site today that it’s investigating Amtrak’s outside legal fees, including those paid during a $1.2 billion construction project that allowed Acela service between Boston and New York. Congressman John Mica, a Florida Republican, requested the investigation.