(The following story by Erik N. Nelson appeared at InsideBayArea.com on June 22.)
OAKLAND, Calif. — The California Zephyr, Capitol Corridor and San Joaquin train lines might become a bit more reliable under a new agreement between Amtrak, which runs the passenger services, and freight railroad Union Pacific.
The agreement would curb the amount of delay that each segment of track can cause passenger trains due to “slow orders,” which are imposed because of poor track conditions or repair and maintenance work. The agreement also provides for Union Pacific to improve tracks to prevent such conditions over the next three years.
“The two biggest contributors to our trains running late are freight train interference and temporary speed restrictions,” said Amtrak spokesman Marc Magliari.
The agreement is aimed at coordinating trackwork, passenger and freight schedules to keep delays to a minimum.
In the short run, it will mean a schedule that is three hours longer for the Zephyr, which runs from Emeryville to Chicago, Magliari said, which will better reflect temporary speed restrictions through Nevada and Utah. In the meantime, Union Pacific will do repair work and the schedule will be shortened as speed restrictions are removed.
Train riders can take some solace in more accurate scheduling, but only time will tell if reliability will increase, said Alan Miller, executive director of the Train Riders Association of California.
“It’s reliability through diminished expectations,” Miller said.
“I find the plan hopeful, I don’t find the immediate result to be anything to celebrate.”