Save Our Trains Michigan
Conductor
Mr. Marderosian:
Thanks for your January 15th e-mail related to the Blue Water service
to East Lansing on last Saturday.
Please understand Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) does
not run these trains, but MDOT contracts with Amtrak for the
operations of the Blue Water service. MDOT does monitor the Blue
Water's operations on a daily basis.
After the first of the year it looked like On-Time-Performance (OTP)
was getting better then delays started to show up almost every day.
MDOT has been in contact with Amtrak related to these delays. Also,
as a part of on-going discussions, MDOT and Amtrak generally discuss
OTP once a week.
In addition to our discussions with Amtrak MDOT has met directly with
CN to discuss OTP issues and how MDOT and CN can work jointly to
improve OTP. Also, Amtrak has agreement to setup joint MDOT-Amtrak-
CN meetings to discuss OTP issues. I like this approach because MDOT
has not contractual relationship with CN related to the Blue Water
Service, the contract is between Amtrak and CN. So we will have all
the players in the room or on the phone at the same time.
Improving OTP is probability the single best service improvement
Amtrak could make, but as you are aware OTP is a system wide issue
for Amtrak with all the freight railroads they operate over. MDOT
will continue to work with Amtrak and the freight railroads to try an
improve OTP.
Tim Hoeffner
Tim Hoeffner, Manager
Rail Passenger Services
Multi-Modal Transportation Services Bureau
Michigan Department of Transportation
Van Wagoner Building
425 West Ottawa
P. O. Box 30050
Lansing, Michigan 48909
Phone: 517-335-1931
Fax: 517-373-7997
e-mail address: [email protected]
>>> <[email protected]> 01/15/05 9:29 AM >>>
Mr Hoeffner
Today in East Lansing Mark Way the Amtrak ticket agent called CN TD 3
to find out where the train was at TD 3 told Mr Way that 365 would
not leave west Flint until 0840.Mr Way made an announcement over the
PA that the train would not leave West Flint until 0840 then about 10
min later Durrand called him at 0817 and said the train departed
Durrand and arrived in East Lansing at 0903.The State of Michigan
needs to get more involved in this type of thing since you run the
train this is not the 1st time this has happened.Also this wrong
information from the train dispatchers could cause passengers to miss
the train.
Thank You
Matt Marderosian
Leader Of Save Our Trains Michigan
Thanks for your January 15th e-mail related to the Blue Water service
to East Lansing on last Saturday.
Please understand Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) does
not run these trains, but MDOT contracts with Amtrak for the
operations of the Blue Water service. MDOT does monitor the Blue
Water's operations on a daily basis.
After the first of the year it looked like On-Time-Performance (OTP)
was getting better then delays started to show up almost every day.
MDOT has been in contact with Amtrak related to these delays. Also,
as a part of on-going discussions, MDOT and Amtrak generally discuss
OTP once a week.
In addition to our discussions with Amtrak MDOT has met directly with
CN to discuss OTP issues and how MDOT and CN can work jointly to
improve OTP. Also, Amtrak has agreement to setup joint MDOT-Amtrak-
CN meetings to discuss OTP issues. I like this approach because MDOT
has not contractual relationship with CN related to the Blue Water
Service, the contract is between Amtrak and CN. So we will have all
the players in the room or on the phone at the same time.
Improving OTP is probability the single best service improvement
Amtrak could make, but as you are aware OTP is a system wide issue
for Amtrak with all the freight railroads they operate over. MDOT
will continue to work with Amtrak and the freight railroads to try an
improve OTP.
Tim Hoeffner
Tim Hoeffner, Manager
Rail Passenger Services
Multi-Modal Transportation Services Bureau
Michigan Department of Transportation
Van Wagoner Building
425 West Ottawa
P. O. Box 30050
Lansing, Michigan 48909
Phone: 517-335-1931
Fax: 517-373-7997
e-mail address: [email protected]
>>> <[email protected]> 01/15/05 9:29 AM >>>
Mr Hoeffner
Today in East Lansing Mark Way the Amtrak ticket agent called CN TD 3
to find out where the train was at TD 3 told Mr Way that 365 would
not leave west Flint until 0840.Mr Way made an announcement over the
PA that the train would not leave West Flint until 0840 then about 10
min later Durrand called him at 0817 and said the train departed
Durrand and arrived in East Lansing at 0903.The State of Michigan
needs to get more involved in this type of thing since you run the
train this is not the 1st time this has happened.Also this wrong
information from the train dispatchers could cause passengers to miss
the train.
Thank You
Matt Marderosian
Leader Of Save Our Trains Michigan
