New Orleans tower closing

[Superliner Diner]

I just read that Amtrak will be closing their Clara Street Tower in New Orleans. This tower controls movements into and out of New Orleans Union Passenger Terminal (NOUPT), including the backup moves that most trains make when they arrive in New Orleans.

Control of the switches and signals will shift to --- get this --- Chicago's 21st Street Tower. As if 21st Street does not have enough worry with all the trains into and out of Chicago Union Station, they now assume this responsibility as well. So now the same tower will control the movements of the City of New Orleans train at both ends of its run.

This reminds me in a way of CSX, whose dispatching is headquartered in Jacksonville, FL but is responsible for controlling their line between Grand Rapids, MI and Porter, IN over which Amtrak's Pere Marquette travels. Again two completely different parts of the country.

I guess in this computer age we live in, anything is possible; however I see this as a negative move to give control of a rail line to a tower that is so remote from the actual tracks.

 

[battalion51]

Well SD look at the cost benefit for Amtrak. 21st Street is already staffed and has lots of movement, where NOUPT has little movement, and can easily be handled by 21st Street. (Just as an FYI, CSX has now established five control centers across the east, each one can control the whole system in case of a terrorist attack on one of the dispatch centers. It also is better in case mother nature ever hits one of the centers, another can just pinch hit for it.)

 

[Superliner Diner]

Well SD look at the cost benefit for Amtrak. 21st Street is already staffed and has lots of movement, where NOUPT has little movement, and can easily be handled by 21st Street. (Just as an FYI, CSX has now established five control centers across the east, each one can control the whole system in case of a terrorist attack on one of the dispatch centers. It also is better in case mother nature ever hits one of the centers, another can just pinch hit for it.)

That did not really help very much with the weather-related problems CSX had in the past two months. There were several complete closures, specifically on CSX's former RF&P trackage in Virginia, that were severely impacted by snow, and the threat of flash flooding.

 

[battalion51]

Well I mean these guys are still going to have to be in a room somewhere. From the RR's standpoint its easier to have ops in one (or several) central locations, rather than dispatchers all over the map. This also makes it so that when a dispatcher has to step out (restroom, coffee, etc.) someone can just watch over his/her console. I'm not in any way excusing what CSX did, but your information is only as good as the source you get it from. Also, from their satndpoint, better safe than sorry.