(Reuters distributed the following article by John Crawley on December 15.)
WASHINGTON — A U.S. government transportation watchdog warned on Monday of increasing congestion on the nation’s rail networks, saying some routes cannot safely support growing passenger and freight demand.
“Despite railroads’ investments, certain parts of the railroad system have become severely congested and cannot accommodate the conflicting demands of both increasing freight movement and increasing commuter and (Amtrak) traffic,” said Kenneth Mead, the Transportation Department inspector general.
Rail traffic has increased 64 percent since 1980 with strong growth forecast through 2020, according to a freight and passenger industry audit by Mead.
More traffic combined with a steady decline in track miles and reductions in railroad staff to save money aggravates already crowded conditions, industry officials said.
The audit found that problems are magnified by numerous infrastructure bottlenecks, including undersized bridges and tunnels, track design limits and outmoded communications systems.
While Mead did not say which routes were less able to handle their loads, a government-industry analysis in 2002 showed the mid-Atlantic region was facing a capacity crisis. In Chicago, industry and government are working on a plan to untangle acute congestion around that city. Texas and California also have crowded routes, industry officials said.
Amtrak, the nation’s only city-to-city passenger rail service, plans to spend more than $460 million on capital projects during the current fiscal year. Priorities include bridge and tunnel upgrades on its Northeast Corridor system.
But Amtrak runs 70 percent of its operations on tracks owned and maintained by freight railroads.
Amtrak offers these companies millions of dollars annually to ensure passenger trains can meet their schedules. But Mead said two freight companies in fiscal 2002 passed up a combined $37 million in Amtrak incentive payments, telling auditors it was not worth the cost of altering their operations to accommodate passenger trains.
Cliff Black, an Amtrak spokesman, said freight rail reluctance to take Amtrak incentives was not a “nefarious plan” to disrupt passenger service.
“It’s an endemic problem that resides in the railroads themselves. They have difficulty getting their own trains over the road,” Black said.
Gary Sease, a spokesman for freight rail giant CSX Corp., acknowledged the problem managing tracks for its commuter rail customers, especially in Maryland and Virginia.
“It’s a constant challenge to give those commuter agencies the level of performance they demand and at the same time meet the needs of our freight network,” Sease said.
Mead recommended that regulators review CSX’s program for replacing gravel ballast that helps stabilize ties and rails.
But Sease challenged that maintenance criticism, saying if it was inadequate there would be more safety incidents caused by track problems.
“Our track-caused derailments are among the lowest in the industry,” Sease said.