1. travel
2. transports
3. train travel

ink
A Monthly Publication for and by Amtrak Employees
Volume 19 • Issue 8 • October 2014
On-Time Performance
Testimony to the STB
Southwest Region:
Making the Operating
Rule Book Real
Making Way for New
Trainsets for Acela
®
Train of Thought
Help with our
Safe-2-Safer Goal!
400,000
AA
O
National Railway for
ne of the cornercausing unacceptable
stones of our
delays on the corridor
Customer Focus
between Chicago and
goal is our on-time
Carbondale, Illinois.
performance (OTP). Our
Recently, Vice President
customers value arriving at
of Operations DJ
their destinations safely
Stadtler testified before
and in a timely manner. As
the STB on this issue. DJ
a corporation that works
did a great job bringing
with many entities to make
attention to the urgent
sure that our trains operate
need for action to be
safely and on time, we are
taken by the STB and by
responsible for those outour host railroad partcomes, and we want and
Joseph H. Boardman
ners.
need to deliver them to our
On-time performance
travelers.
is not only affected by dispatching
Poor on-time performance creates a
decisions, but also by the state of the
major disruption for Amtrak customers
infrastructure. Better maintenance of
due to delayed trains and missed
infrastructure by host railroads will
connections. It also negatively impacts
minimize speed reduction orders that slow
Amtrak and state-supported services
both freight and Amtrak traffic.
through decreased ridership, lost revenues
Infrastructure is an especially big issue on
and higher operating costs.
the Northeast Corridor (NEC). The NEC
OTP is a complex industry-wide issue
is North America’s busiest stretch of
involving a number of factors and stakerailroad and accommodates approximately
holders. Seventy-two percent of the miles
2,200 Amtrak, commuter and freight trains
traveled by Amtrak trains are on host raileach day. It’s overcrowded and underroad infrastructure and are subject to
funded. We have asked Congress for a
operational decisions made by dispatchers
dedicated source of multi-year funding to
and employees working for entities other
replace heavily-used infrastructure so that
than Amtrak.
the NEC is more resilient.
But we are being proactive in facing this
We know OTP is an issue and we are
issue. We are meeting with our host railfacing it head on. We will continue to build
road partners to insist on improved service.
support from the inside out, and I know
We recently filed a complaint with the
we can count on you and our partners to
Surface Transportation Board (STB)
make a difference. ■
seeking an investigation of Canadian
400,000
350,000
August:
303,470
July:
293,629
June:
283,509
250,000
200,000
The peer-to-peer injury
prevention program,
Safe-2-Safer, has a goal of
reaching 400,000 contacts
by the end of Fiscal Year
2015. Track Amtrak’s
system-wide progress each
month.
Amtrak Government Affairs and Corporate Communications
Joe McHugh, Vice President
Government Affairs &
Corporate Communications
Rod Gibbons
Chief, Corporate
Communications
I. Suzi Andiman
Director, Employee
Communications
Marlon Sharpe
Principal Graphic Designer
Lisa V. Pulaski
Graphic Designer
Chuck Gomez
Multimedia Specialist
Check out one of Amtrak’s
social media channels today!
2
|
October 2014
Amtrak Ink
300,000
Liliana L. Lopez
Sr. Communications Officer
Corporate Communications
Table of
Contents
2
Train of Thought
5
Bulletin Board
Read Mr. Boardman’s message about what we are
doing to address OTP issues.
Learn about Amtrak’s Rising Stars; Operations
Vice-President DJ Stadtler testifies in front of the
STB.
14 Employee Q&A
Bob LaCroix tells us about his role at Amtrak and
how his team is helping our development efforts.
16 Civic Conversations
Read about Amtrak’s latest Civic Conversation event
recently held in Memphis, Tennessee.
17 Milestones
Employee Milestones.
On the Cover
At dusk, the Amtrak
Train #22 pulls out
of San Antonio,
Texas northbound
for San Marcos.
Photo: Courtesy of
Patrick Phelan.
Front Line Focus
“I write to thank the excellent travel experience during July
4-9, 2014 round-trip PDX to SEA. Amtrak 's exceptional rail
services has made my family reunion time the most valuable
and unforgettable trips in my life. Thank you for letting your
employees know how wonderful they are from ticketing,
boarding upgrade to dining and the moment we were bid
farewell to each other.”
Laura Li
Perrysburg, Ohio
“We would like to pass on a very sincere compliment on the
service we received during our trip from Harrisburg to
Pittsburgh, and return, on the Pennsylvanian this week, August
23-26, to celebrate our 64th wedding anniversary …The reason
for this letter is to commend several of your staff at the
Pittsburgh station for service we felt was outstanding, and for
which we were very appreciative.
On Tuesday, August 26, we arrived at the station about an
hour early and settled down to wait. At our ages, eighty-five and
eighty-eight, we were apprehensive about boarding... My wife
has some disability and walks with a cane. Apparently the cane
was noticed by your staff, and to our great surprise and
pleasure, we were approached by several staff members who
inquired as to our destination, then immediately gathered up
our luggage and escorted us, up the elevator, to our business
class car, well ahead of time, giving us the freedom to choose
our seat (near the restroom!) and get comfortably settled.
With our highways clogged and getting worse every year, it's
very unfortunate that more people do not take advantage of
Amtrak service, and that Congress has been reluctant to supply
the funds needed for updating and expanding rail service, as
compared to the billions supplied for airports and highways!”
Mary Ellen and James Waters
Gettysburg, Pennsylvania
Amtrak Headquarters
60 Massachusetts Ave., NE
Washington, D.C. 20002
Ecom@Amtrak.com
Amtrak Ink is an employee publication of Amtrak, the National
Railroad Passenger Corporation, published 10 times a year.
® AMTRAK is a registered service mark of the National Railroad
Passenger Corporation.
Amtrak Ink
October 2014
|
3
Upcoming News & Promotions
Body Worlds: Animal Inside Out
6
The minimum distance in
feet that you need to keep
between you and a moving
train. Trains are wider than
the tracks. If you get too
close you can be hit or
dragged under the train.
42
The number of days that
passengers aboard the
Adirondack service can
experience the splendor of
Upstate New York’s fall
foliage season in unique
fashion when the historic
“Great Dome” car returns
from September 25
through November 4.
.59
Seconds was the amount
of time that took Los
Angeles K-9 Officer Robert
Solomon-Billings and his
K-9 partner Pal to detect
an explosive device during
a bus sweep competition
phase at the annual TSA
sponsored “Reno K911”
training and competition
event.
$2,625
Food and beverage
remittance that Lead
Service Attendant (LSA)
Beth Carter averaged per
trip which is the highest
remittance for August
2014 in the café car of the
Auto Train.
4
|
Amtrak employees have an opportunity to
embark on an anatomical safari at a discounted
rate. From goats to giraffes, squids to sharks,
and octopuses to
ostriches, discover the
intricate biology, zoology
and physiology of the
world’s most spectacular
creatures. Learn how
each species, large and
small, plays an important
role on our planet.
“BODY WORLDS:
Animal Inside Out”
opens October 4 at The
Franklin Institute in
Philadelphia.
Amtrak employees
qualify for $5 off daytime
adult admission tickets to
the exhibit through
March, 29, 2015. Limit of
four tickets per person. The admission to the
exhibit includes general admission to The
Franklin Institute, but cannot be combined
with any other offer or discount. Admission
upgrades are available on-site for IMAX and
3D Theater. The Amtrak employee discount
code AMTRAKBWA is redeemable online or
over the phone. Processing fees apply when
ordering tickets in advance.
To learn more about this
exhibit and other programs at
The Franklin Institute visit
www.fi.edu.
Amtrak Residency Program
Update
The Amtrak Residency
program is moving along. A judging panel met
in early September and selected the final 24
residents from 92 semifinalists. The members of
the panel are Amtrak’s Government Affair and
Corporate Communications Vice President Joe
McHugh, author and social media influencer
Alexander Chee, National Endowment for the
October 2014
Amtrak Ink
Arts Director of Literature Amy Stolls and
Random House Editor Samuel Nicholson. The
final 24 Amtrak residents were announced in
September. The Amtrak Social Media team
will work with the residents to
schedule their individual trips on
one of our long-distance routes
over the next 12 months. The
16,000 applicants who were not
selected will receive a 15 percent
discount which can be used on
Amtrak long-distance service.
“We are very excited to be at this
point in the program that was
inspired by our passengers,” said
Social Media Director Julia
Quinn.
Visit blog.Amtrak.com to
keep up with updates on this
program.
Operation RedBlock Creates
Peer-To-Peer Awareness
Amtrak offers resources to reinforce our
desired culture of safety. Among the resources
offered is Operation RedBlock, a drug and
alcohol prevention program geared toward
agreement employees. Operation RedBlock is
a grass roots effort that
empowers employees who
believe in a safe workplace.
“Operation RedBlock saves
lives and jobs,” said
Director Michael
Oathout. “We have
employees helping
each other to have
a safe work environment every
day.”
The program offers training to employees
to become captains. A team of 350 captains
across the organization organize Operation
RedBlock awareness activities. Amtrak
employees interested in learning more about
the program can visit www.redblock.com or
call ATS 782-2822. ■
Bulletin Board
Amtrak Rising Stars
Two Amtrak employees were
honored as Progressive Railroading
magazine “Rising Stars of 2014.”
Director of Process Engineering
Jessica Allen Hawkins and Principal
Officer of New York and New Jersey
Development Petra Todorovich
Messick were
part of a
group of 20
selected
among more
than 100
nominations.
The Rising
Stars were
honored
during a ceremony in
Chicago on
September
Jessica Allen Hawkins
14.
According
to the magazine, the 2014
Rising Star
finalists were
chosen based
on their contributions to
railroading,
career
achievements,
education,
Petra Messick
demonstrated
leadership,
professional association activity
and/or community involvement.
Both employees were nominated
for going above and beyond their
duty to successfully meet the
Amtrak’s goals. According to her
nomination, Hawkins “has a natural
ability to lead people and generate
improved business results. She is a
team player who has gained and
applied knowledge through her experience working in diverse
Not just more delay –
environments supporting
longer delay!
24/7 operations.”
“I was pleasantly surprised when I got the email.
I work really hard at whatever I do and it was really
nice to see that other people
see how hard I work,” said
Hawkins. “I feel like in my
position I have the ability to
be a change agent.”
Messick is also a change
agent. According to her
nomination, Messick is a
OTP performance. “By the end of the
leading proponent at Amtrak for
first quarter of FY 2014, long-distance
infrastructure investments in the
train performance at all stations had
Northeast Corridor. She conducts
fallen a total of 11.4 percentage
strategic outreach to a range of partpoints over the previous year, and by
ners and stakeholders impacted by
the end of March, the decline had
Amtrak’s plans for the Northeast
grown to a total of 16.2 percentage
Corridor.
points, with a long-distance system
Since joining Amtrak, Messick has
average of just 43.1 percent for the
led outreach and communication
year to date,” said Stadtler in his testiefforts to build support for the
mony. One of the most telling
Gateway Program, a comprehensive
examples about the problem preprogram of strategic rail investments
sented to the STB is the case of The
from Newark, New Jersey to Penn
Empire Builder, which arrived on
Station, New York.
time at its stations only 19.6 percent
“I am honored to be chosen for
of the time in FY 2014, through the
this recognition and I hope to live up
end of March. Stadtler’s presentation
to its suggested promise during my
career at Amtrak,” said Messick. “The showed the different causes of delays
to the Empire Builder and how on all
award is helping to cultivate and recof its host railroads, freight train interognize the next generation of talent
ference is the single largest cause by a
in the railroad industry, and hopefully
very wide margin.
it helps to spark and reinforce interStadtler pointed out that Amtrak
est among young people in rail as a
is addressing the system-wide
career.”
problem by working cooperatively
with our host railroad partners. He
On-Time Performance
also pointed out that we have an obliTestimony to the STB
gation to provide the traveling public
Vice President of Operations, DJ
Stadtler discussed issues pertaining to with the level of service mandated by
the statute. He also expressed that the
on-time performance (OTP) during a
STB could significantly assist Amtrak
testimony to the Surface
by monitoring the statistics Amtrak
Transportation Board (STB) this
publishes and asking the freight carriSeptember.
ers to report periodically to the STB
Stadtler presented documentation
on their handling of Amtrak trains. ■
to the STB that showed Amtrak’s
Amtrak Ink
October 2014
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5
Financial Excellence
Minding Their Own Business
The following article appeared as a cover feature on the August 2014 issue of Progressive Railroading magazine. Amtrak
Ink includes this article courtesy of Progressive Railroading. The original piece and an exclusive on-line Q&A with Board
of Directors Chairman Anthony Coscia is also available at progressiverailroading.com
By Angela Cotey, Progressive Railroading senior associate editor
I
n 2011, Amtrak officials
unveiled a strategic plan that
called for dividing the organization into six business lines in
order to help the railroad better
serve customers and manage operating and financial performance. Since
then, Amtrak leaders have
appointed managers to oversee the
business lines.
Now comes the hard part:
executing the plan. And in order to
meet customer service and financial
sustainability objectives, Amtrak's
culture needs to shift.
"Historically, Amtrak has been a
very strong railroad command-andcontrol organization," says Chief of
Corporate Research and Strategy
Jeff Clements. "We need to move
from a siloed, functionally driven
organization to a more nimble, customer-focused business."
The national intercity passenger
railroad is positioned to meet the
challenge, Amtrak officials believe.
For one, President and Chief
Executive Officer Joe Boardman has
been with the railroad for nearly six
years now, making him the secondlongest-serving chief in Amtrak's
history. The leadership stability has
given the management team time to
not only create a long-term plan, but
see it through. And they are able to
focus more on the long term because
of federal funding stability and —
perhaps as a prerequisite to that —
strong rider demand.
"I think the focus at Amtrak for
many years was on survival and self
preservation," says Amtrak
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October 2014
Amtrak Ink
Chairman Anthony Coscia. "Today,
Amtrak is in the business of selling a
service that is in great demand."
Now, it's time to capitalize on it.
To that end, Boardman & Co. have
instituted an "operate like a business" directive that calls for taking a
hard line on expenses, continually
seeking to grow revenue, becoming
more financially transparent and
accountable, and providing the best
possible customer service.
Of course, Amtrak, which relies
on a government subsidy, never will
be able to operate the way unsubsidized entities try to.
"Amtrak is required by their
main funding source — the U.S.
government — to do all sorts of
things they wouldn't have to do if
they were operating like a business,
and that puts them in a very
challenging situation," says Joshua
Schank, president and CEO of the
Eno Center for Transportation, a
nonprofit organization that aims to
improve transportation policy. "They
have long-distance routes that are
not profitable, so what's the business
reason for providing those services?
There's a social service aspect to it."
That said, Amtrak's customerservice and financial-sustainability
shift has been a noticeable one,
Schank says, and in that respect, it's
no longer business as usual.
Technology has been implemented
and employees have been coached
on ways to improve the passenger
experience. Spending has been
curtailed and revenue increased in
order to keep Amtrak's operating
subsidy to a minimum. Meanwhile,
management is trying to ensure the
right people with the right skills are
in place to help support the railroad's end goals.
"Every time we spend money in
the wrong way, that's a problem.
Every time a train is late, that's a
problem," says Coscia. "Our job is
to create passenger-rail alternatives
for a large cross-section of the
American public, and do it in a way
that is wrapped around a sustainable
business model."
Regarding the latter, Amtrak
already has made some strides. In
fiscal year 2010, the railroad's operating subsidy stood at $565 million.
In FY2014, it was $340 million. Chief
Financial Officer Gerald Sokol
expects that figure to drop further in
FY2015.
He attributes the lower subsidy
to what he would characterize as
"fairly robust revenue growth for an
industry that is relatively mature."
The past several years, revenue has
increased anywhere between 2
percent and 4 percent annually, in
large part because of gradually
increasing ridership and "modest"
ticket price increases, Sokol says.
The value of a dollar
Amtrak officials are more closely
examining expenses, too. Boardman
took a harder line on spending when
he joined the railroad, says Sokol.
"He has adopted this philosophy
of running the railroad like a
business, and the definition of that is
that every dollar we spend has to
create value for Amtrak," he says.
"For example, if we know
"The company has
he five o'clock Acela is
taken a hard look at
booked, we can automatits costs, making
cally adjust pricing to try
strategic decisions on
and push people to the
where we should and
four o'clock or six
shouldn't be spending
o'clock train, which
money."
might have some seats
The railroad is
left."
going through the
In many respects, the
FY2015 budget
focus on customer satisprocess now, and
faction and financial
finance officers have
sustainability go hand-ingrown more aggreshand. One of the best
sive about questioning
ways to increase revenue
department managers
s to grow ridership, and
on every budget
Amtrak's sales and marrequest as they try to
keting team has launched
determine why each
a series of initiatives
dollar is being spent,
during the past several
Sokol adds.
A web-exclusive Q&A with Amtrak Board Chairman Anthony Coscia was also featured
years to improve the
"What value is it
in the Progressive Railroading website.
passenger experience.
bringing? Is it increasChief among them is
ing revenue? Is it
coming from, what the expense base
an
electronic
ticketing
system implegovernment mandated? It forces
is, how much money we're making,
mented two years ago that enables
people to go back and analyze and
where we're breaking even, where
passengers to download tickets on
question themselves on why they're
we're losing money," says Sokol.
their mobile device.
coming forth with budget requests,"
Amtrak officials hope the new
"Say you wanted to switch to an
he says.
reporting method will give Congress
earlier departure time. Before, you'd
Amtrak officials have worked to
a clearer picture of the financial
have to go to the ticket counter and
reduce debt, as well, which peaked
progress Amtrak has made, as well
hope you could get through early
at $3.9 billion in the mid-2000s and
as where capital infusions are
enough to get a ticket issued," says
today stands at about $1.5 billion,
needed. Continuing to lower the
Chief Marketing and Sales Officer
says Sokol, who joined Amtrak in
operating subsidy could make
Matt Hardison. "Now, you can do it
November 2013.
political leaders more willing to
right
on your phone, get confirma"Amtrak went through a pretty
invest capital money in the railroad,
tion,
and
get right on the train."
active period of using capital and
too.
Amtrak since has been working
grant dollars to pay off high-yield
"The operating subsidy can conto update the "nuts and bolts" of the
debt, refinance and put things into
tinue to come down, no question, if
e-ticketing system, which enabled
leases," he says.
we simply hold expenses flat and
the railroad to begin issuing
The railroad also has changed the
continue to grow revenue — it's
electronic vouchers last year. Riders
way it reports its financial informasimple math," he says.
previously had to visit a station to
tion to Congress. Amtrak previously
The price is right
obtain a printed voucher if they
reported numbers for the railroad as
A new revenue management
wanted to exchange or refund
a whole. This year, for the first time,
system could help on the revenuetickets.
the railroad presented financial
growth front. Officials in the sales
The railroad also is continually
information for each business line,
and marketing department are in
updating apps for iPhone, Android
which shows the profits and/or
the midst of implementing a system
and Windows phones, and updating
losses for the Northeast Corridor,
that can automate pricing based on
the mobile website. The efforts have
state corridors and long-distance
ridership and demand.
routes. Officials also outlined capital
given riders more options, such as
"We can make pricing much
requirements for each service.
the ability to view multiple fare
more
dynamic and fluid, sort of like
"That way, they can see much
classes or check schedules while on
the airlines have now," says Sokol.
more clearly where the revenue is
the go.
Amtrak Ink
October 2014
|
7
"Incrementally, we have been
able to remove impediments to
travel for our customers, and
improve the entire reservation and
ticketing experience," says
Hardison.
A locomotive telemetry system
implemented in 2011 is helping to
keep passengers informed, too.
Railroad workers now can track in
real time where trains are across the
entire system, and Amtrak has
developed algorithms that enable
shot up and slowed the system.
So in 2013, Amtrak implemented
a fourth-generation wireless backhaul that supports communications
from the train to trackside in an
effort to speed the WiFi service. To
develop a longer-term solution,
Amtrak earlier this year issued a
request for proposals to build a
trackside dedicated radio network
that would support broadband and
WiFi on trains. The railroad plans to
conduct a pilot along 10 miles of
The Northeast Regional pulled by the ACS-64 leaves New York Penn Station.
the railroad to more accurately
predict train arrival and departure
times, says Hardison. Now, officials
are working to create a new national
standard for displaying the information in stations and on platforms.
Staying connected
Going forward, one of the biggest
passenger demands — and Amtrak
technology challenges — will be
upgrading WiFi on trains. The railroad first launched WiFi on Acela
trains in 2010, and since has
expanded it to trains throughout the
Northeast, California and the
Midwest. But demand for bandwidth
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October 2014
Amtrak Ink
track in the Northeast Corridor to
determine if it provides the level of
service Amtrak officials want. If so,
they hope to expand the network
throughout the Northeast Corridor.
"Our goal is to deliver true
broadband to customers that allows
them to use the Internet on the train
much like they would at home — if
they want to stream Netflix or send
or receive very large files, they can
do that," says Hardison.
Improving the passenger experience always is top of mind for those
in the sales and marketing department, regardless of what the latest
company directive might be.
Arguably, the technologies that have
been and will be implemented are
not so much about increasing
customer focus as they are about
ensuring passengers are provided
with the modern-day amenities they
have come to expect. But in
Amtrak's case, with limited
resources, technology investment
has become a choice.
"The strategic plan has given us
more clarity on what our priorities
are. As a result, when we
get around the table to
talk about capital
improvements — knowing
that customer service and
financial performance are
critical — we're making
trade-offs, with the goal of
meeting those priorities,"
says Hardison. "That has
significantly accelerated
the investments we're
making."
On the operations side,
those priorities have led to
an increased focus on
keeping passengers happy,
from the conductor
addressing riders to
department managers
ensuring the right
equipment is in place at
the right time.
Amtrak's operation department
recently launched a praise-to-complaint program, under which
conductors hand out cards to
passengers asking about their
onboard experience. The responses
are tracked by employee and by
train, and operations officials now
are issuing scorecards that show
which lines have the best praise-tocomplaint rate, says Vice President
of Operations DJ Stadtler.
"It's created a competitive
environment where everyone wants
to be the best," he says. "We didn't
always have that here."
Keeping customers happy has
proven to be more difficult of late,
particularly on long-distance routes.
On-time performance has suffered
because host freight railroads are
dealing with traffic surges they didn't
necessarily expect, says Stadtler. As a
result, it's become more difficult for
the freight railroads to get passenger
trains through the network in a timely
fashion.
"In those cases, we can't control ontime performance, but we can control
the customer experience," says
Stadtler. "When we have late trains,
we're becoming more vocal with
announcements, telling riders why
we're delayed, what we're doing to fix
it and the estimated schedule from
here on out."
If a train is going to be too far off
schedule, operating officials now will
consider canceling it.
"We were frequently celebrating the
fact that we got a train through, even if
it was 12 hours late or even if we had a
lot of issues associated with it," says
Stadtler. "But what was the customer
experience? Would we have been
better off canceling the train, apologizing to passengers, and then booking
them on another train?"
Optimal solutions
Optimizing train consists will go a
long way toward limiting the frequency
of such occurrences, Stadtler believes.
Planning for the Thanksgiving holiday,
for example, now begins in March so
the railroad can ensure it has enough
cars on routes that have had sold-out
trains in recent years. Staffing and
train-consist planning will be a top
priority heading into this winter, too,
after Amtrak was caught off guard in
some areas during the particularly
nasty winter of 2013-14. Again, it traces
back to making sure customers are
provided with the type of transportation service they expect, says Stadtler.
"It's not the trains that create
revenue — it's the customers. The goal
should be that every passenger that
gets off the train says they had a great
trip and can't wait to ride again," he
says.
All employees play a role in helping
Amtrak achieve its financial and
customer satisfaction goals. It's crucial,
then, for workers to understand and
support the mission. To that end,
officials in the human capital department are working to create more of a
performance-oriented culture within
Amtrak.
"We're looking at developing a
competitive advantage for the business
by ensuring we have the right workforce aligned to the strategy," says
Chief Human Capital Officer Barry
Melnkovic. "We have to enroll the
hearts and minds of all employees."
One way to do it is by showing them
the money. After the strategic plan was
introduced, Amtrak created a shortterm incentive program for
non-agreement employees based on
reducing losses, becoming more efficient and improving customer
satisfaction.
The railroad also has implemented a
pay-for-performance plan that rewards
workers who meet their assigned goals.
At the beginning of each fiscal year,
Amtrak managers set three to five
goals for non-agreement employees
that align with strategic plan goals.
"Goals were set before, but a lot of
them weren't really goals — they were
just part of that person's job description," says Melnkovic. "A goal
typically goes beyond that, and it needs
to be something that will move the
performance needle for Amtrak."
Non-agreement employees meet
with their manager several times each
year to get a feel for how they're
stacking up against the goals.
Employees are reviewed at the end of
each fiscal year; those who meet or
exceed their goals receive a merit
increase; those who don't won't get an
extra dime, says Melnkovic.
Hiring help
The human capital department also
is moving toward behavior-based
interview training, using profile and
assessment software that help hiring
managers ensure they find candidates
that are the best fit for Amtrak. The
program analyzes a candidate's
integrity, as well as his or her ability to
deliver customer satisfaction, be
collaborative and operate with a safety
focus.
For existing employees, Amtrak is
implementing a Total Rewards and
Integrated Talent Management
Strategy. The initiative will better link
benefits — such as compensation,
wellness programs and educational
assistance programs — with professional-advancement initiatives such as
career and executive development,
training, succession planning and talent
management protocols.
"An employee here once told me
that Amtrak is a great place to come to
obsolete your career," says Melnkovic.
"We're out to change that dynamic, to
show Amtrak is a great place to grow
your career."
To that end, Amtrak is looking to
ink deals with "some major
universities" for executive leadership
development, and is piloting a
professional development program,
Melnkovic adds.
FY2014 served as a transitional year
of sorts for Amtrak, with the business
lines officially set up and functioning.
In FY2015, railroad managers will be
better able to gauge how their efforts
are making a difference by measuring
changes in operating performance,
operating ratio, safety and customer
satisfaction, says chief strategy officer
Clements.
"Making our strategy operational is
the heart of what we're working on,"
he says. "Our mission is to move
America where it wants to go, and
we're getting clear about what we're
about." ■
Amtrak Ink
October 2014
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9
Washington Terminal’s Legacy to
Amtrak
T
he Washington Terminal Company (WTC) was established in 1901. WTC was originally jointly owned by
the private railroads that operated the passenger trains that serving Union Station. It became a whollyowned subsidiary of Amtrak in 1981.
WTC is comprised of Washington Union Station, which opened in 1907, Ivy City Yard and the Coach Yard,
and the tracks extending approximately a mile from Union Station in each direction: north to New York
Avenue on the Northeast Corridor, and south through the Virginia Avenue Tunnel towards Virginia.
While WTC once had more than 5,000 employees of its own, current operations are conducted by Amtrak’s
employees. Amtrak trains, and Virginia Railway Express and MARC commuter trains, operate over WTC
trackage, and are serviced at Ivy City and adjacent yards.
lly works on
cian Curtis Di City.
hinist Techni
y
ac
Iv
M
in
e
ity
ov
cil
fa
Ab
e high speed
an Acela at th
d in K-Tower
control boar Ivy City to
o shows the
m
fro
s
he
itc
Right - Phot
ckings and sw
for the interlo ion Station.
Un
Washington
10
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October 2014
Amtrak Ink
Top (Left) - Historical view of the tracks of Washington Terminal
(Right) - A current view of the tracks extending from Washington
Union Station to Ivy City.
Above- Machinist Bernardo Brown works at the Ivy City
mechanical facility which also services diesel equipment.
Left- K-Tower has controlled Washington Terminal Company
tracks since 1907.
Amtrak Ink
October 2014
|
11
Safety & Security
Southwest Region:
Making the Operating Rule Book Real
“O
operations over four railroads and considerable freight train
ne of the keys to rules compliance is taking an
traffic.
abstract operating rule and making it real in an
“This is a huge milestone on a route as busy and complex
employee’s life,” said Albuquerque Road
as the Pacific Surfliner,” said Pasadena-based Conductor
Foreman of Engines Gary Woo.
Chris Leo. “Over the
The Southwest Region is
past few years we
celebrating a successful run of
have changed our
compliance with the operating
way of thinking
rules. The Pacific Surfliner
because we know
Service and crew bases in
that we are all in this
Albuquerque, New Mexico; El
together.”
Paso, Texas; Los Angeles
“These accomUnion Station Zone 12 and
plishments
12a; and Los Angeles terminal
demonstrate what
are the Southwest region
Amtrak employees
teams that have had zero
from coast-to-coast
major operating rules
and border-toviolations this past year.
border can
The safety of our
accomplish when
operations is governed by the
they keep their focus
operating rule book. There are
on our number one
25 major operating rules
priority, the safety of
highlighted to help keep
our customers, our
Amtrak safe. Not following
co-workers and the
any of these major operation
residents of the
rules constitutes an operating
The Pacific Surfliner reaches milestone on rules compliance this year.
communities where
rule violation.
we operate,” said
Gary Woo and Road
Amtrak President and CEO Joe Boardman.
Foreman of Engines Phil Nerkowski have been working
Deputy General Manager Mike Chandler credits teamtogether for over five years at the Albuquerque crew base.
work and collaboration for the accomplishment. “It’s about
What has made a difference in the crew base’s operating
teamwork and the entire team looking out for each other
rule violation statistics is just to keep going back to the
and for our customers. It really is about being your brothers’
basics. “We try to be consistent and go back to the basics,”
and sisters’ keeper. It’s nothing fancy; it’s solid job briefings,
said Nerkowski. “We have strong job briefings and we use
attention to detail and focus, focus, focus.”
that time to engage our crew members and talk about the
“We bring up the daily issues and reinforce when a good
operating rules.” The
job is done following the rules, but we also bring up real life
Albuquerque crew
scenarios on rule violations and elaborate the code of
base runs 730 trains a
Over the past few
general rules and point out the examples of what happens in
year covering 631,450
years we have changed
their territory,” said Nerkowski.
miles annually.
our way of thinking
“It's critical everyone stays focused and we not loose
The Pacific
situational awareness. And this starts with a good job briefSurfliner employees
because we know that
ing in which all are involved and participate,” said Chief
operated 8,310 trains,
we are all in this
Safety Officer Michael Logue.
generated
1,600,000
together.
“A good job briefing is critical. Employees need to
train miles without a
understand and be certain that they are doing the right
single major operatChris Leo
thing,” said Woo. “Our operating rules are there to keep us
ing rules violation.
Conductor,
safe and we are passionate about our employees going home
This is a challenging
safe.” ■
territory with
Pasadena, Calif.
“
”
12
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October 2014
Amtrak Ink
Financial Excellence
Making Way for New Trainsets for Acela
A
mtrak’s Board of Directors
recently authorized the
acquisition of new equipment
to supplement and eventually replace
the equipment presently used to
provide Acela® service. Proposals
were due on October 1, and the
project managers hope to take a
recommendation to the Board next
spring, with the first trains entering
revenue service about three years
after that.
“This is a critical initiative for
implementing Amtrak’s Strategic
Plan, meeting growing customer
demand, and expanding the positive
impact that Acela service has on our
financial bottom line,” said Chief of
Strategic Rail Fleet Initiatives Mark
Yachmetz. This initiative addresses
Amtrak’s safety and security,
customer focus and financial
excellence priorities.
The equipment Amtrak is looking
to acquire will have 425 seats,
compared to the current 304, and be
expandable to as many as 600 seats.
The equipment will also have to meet
or reduce the current trip times on
the Northeast Corridor (NEC)
without any significant infrastructure
improvements.
The initial order will most likely
be for a sufficient number of trainsets
to operate our current schedules plus
provide for half-hourly service during
peak hours in the Washington-New
York City market.
While Acela accounted for 11
percent of Amtrak’s passengers
system-wide and 25 percent of
Amtrak’s total ticket revenue in FY
2013, the service accounted for 70
percent of the NEC’s operating
surplus. That operating surplus has
been used to meet the corporation’s
other operating needs and with the
acquisition of the ACS-64 locomotives, has begun to contribute to
meeting capital investment needs of
the NEC.
Acela has been a clear success
since its introduction in 2000, growing
to more than 3.3 million passenger
trips in FY2013. Many Acela trains
between Washington and New York
®
City regularly see peak load factors in
excess of 90 percent. New trainsets –
and new capacity - present an
opportunity to continue to grow the
business and meet more of our
investment needs.
According to Yachmetz, many
aspects of the acquisition will be new
to Amtrak. “We seek equipment that
has been service-proven in highspeed operation rather than a design
unique to Amtrak. We believe this
will result in equipment arriving
sooner, at lower cost and with higher
reliability than if we sought a custom
design,” said Yachmetz. The
equipment will also need to meet the
proposed Federal Railroad
Administration (FRA) Tier III safety
standards. Amtrak plans to finance
the equipment through FRA’s
Railroad Rehabilitation and
Improvement Financing program,
which will require the acquisition be
compliant with FRA’s new Buy
America requirements. ■
Amtrak Ink
October 2014
|
13
Employee Q&A
Setting Goals and Direction to Develop the Corridor
C
hief Corridor Development Bob LaCroix came back
to Amtrak after 17 years leading other companies.
Amtrak Ink had the opportunity to ask him questions
about his role at Amtrak and his leadership style.
Tell us about your role at Amtrak and the roles your
team plays.
I am currently the chief of corridor development, reporting to Stephen Gardner in the Northeast Corridor
Infrastructure and Investment Development Business Line.
In general, corridor development drives all commercial and
business arrangements required to
bring our plans for the future of the
Northeast Corridor (NEC) to life. This
includes, among other things, developing and implementing comprehensive
master plans at our largest stations:
Washington Union Station, Baltimore
Penn Station, Philadelphia 30th Street
Station, New York Penn Station and
Chicago Union Station. Corridor
development also negotiates and
administers all NEC commuter access
and service agreements, and advances
other significant commercial, opportunities and arrangements for example,
strategies for improving the operational and financial performance of
our assets.
14
fortune to work in a variety of challenging roles at Disney,
and as chief financial officer of a staffing company, and as
chief executive officer of a travel technology company.
While I enjoyed those opportunities, I never really got
Amtrak out of my blood. I am grateful that I was able to
experience the “rough and tumble” of working for a profit
company, but I found I am more motivated and energized
by working for a purpose, as we do here at Amtrak. I found
that the camaraderie and espirit de corps we share at
Amtrak because of our combined, purpose-driven efforts
eclipses what I experienced in my
other professional experiences.
Your role has now expanded to
include Chicago. What are you
looking to achieve in this new part
of your role?
Chicago Union Station, like our major terminals in the
NEC, not only has existing and growing needs – especially
the need for additional capacity, but also substantial
untapped value. Our approach there will mirror our efforts
at our other major terminals. These efforts tackle the nearterm passenger safety and comfort issues, while stepping
back and looking more holistically at the station and our
other nearby assets to map out a long-term plan that will
deliver the maximum value to Amtrak and other stakeholders.
Tell us about how the company
had changed during your absence?
What are you hopes for the future
of Amtrak?
The company improved in many
significant ways while I was gone. The
first and most obvious was the introduction and successful operation of
the Acela and Northeast Regional
brands. Likewise, Amtrak’s ridership
and revenue rose and its operating
subsidy fell dramatically. When I left,
the perennial question we faced on
the Hill was whether or not the
Amtrak “experiment” should continue. That question seems to have
been permanently answered. Now the
Bob LaCroix
only question is not whether Amtrak
should be funded, but how much
funding we should receive. That is an enormous change.
I would also say that one of the first things I noticed
when I came back was that routine things are now done
routinely. For example, originating trains are always in position, cleaned and ready to depart well in advance of the
scheduled time.
My hope is that Amtrak will continue moving forward
on that path, not only driving ever increasing ridership and
revenue, but also getting the substantial capital infusion it
will need to sustain its exceptional performance and realize
its full potential.
You left the company and came back. What made
you return?
I joined Amtrak in 1976, left in 1994 and returned in
2010. During the almost 17 years I was away, I had the good
What is your leadership style?
My style is based on a fundamental belief that people are
good and come to work every day wanting to do the best
job they can. Given that, my style is to create the environ-
|
October 2014
Amtrak Ink
ment within which
they can realize their
full potential. That
means my job as
leader is to hire
wisely, train and
develop constantly,
set challenging but
realistic goals and
deliver the resources
and support needed
to achieve those goals.
Since I also recognize that all leaders
are also followers, I
believe I also need to
continually coordinate and align with
Stephen Gardner, Mr.
Boardman and the
rest of the executive
team and so that I can
be sure that I am
Rendering of Washington Union Station Master Plan.
leading in the right
direction.
other things - and continuously improve the processes you
use to accomplish them.
What are some leadership lessons that you have
learned?
I think the main lesson I have learned is that no one can
follow you if they don’t know where you are going. To make
my point, I’ll use an example. Let’s assume that our goal is to
reach the North Pole. To be an effective leader, I would have
to inform everyone that is our goal, inspire and motivate
them to want to make the trek by explaining why we are
going there and what it means for them, and giving them the
tools they need to do it. Those tools would include, for
example, not only warm weather gear, but also a map and a
compass. But even more important would be to fix a “North
Star” in the sky so that they could always figure out for themselves where North is even when I am not around. After all, if
everyone always heads north all the time, they will eventually
get to the North Pole. I think that absolute need to figuratively put a North Star in the sky is the first and most
important job of a leader and, surprisingly, one that is often
overlooked.
How do you think we can accomplish our goals every
day?
The best way to accomplish goals every day is to focus on
them relentlessly, ensuring that they always remain your priority - despite the temptation to divert time and energy to
What are your priorities for the next fiscal year?
• Continue to advance the master planning work at all
of our major stations, especially in Chicago and New
York. In Washington, we also need to start construction of substantial improvements in the concourse
area to relieve the overcrowded conditions and
improve the experience for our passengers.
• Negotiate new access agreements with all of the
commuter agencies in the NEC as a result of
requirements of our authorizing legislation (PRIIA
212).
• Develop and begin implementing a strategy to realize
the untapped potential of our terminal assets.
• Begin and complete construction of an extension of
the Hudson Yards Concrete Casing beneath the 11th
Avenue Viaduct.
What is the biggest accomplishment that you have
achieved so far?
Personally: seeing my four children grow into wonderful
human beings with families of their own.
Professionally: being wise enough to come back to Amtrak
and being part of the team that launched the Hudson Yards
Concrete Casing project last August. ■
Amtrak Ink
October 2014
|
15
Customer Focus
Mississippi Delta Communities Participate in
Civic Conversation
O
n September 11th, the Great
American Stations Project
held its 11th Civic Conversation in
Memphis, Tennessee, for city officials
and state partners along the routes of
the City of New Orleans, Texas Eagle
and Sunset Limited stations from
Houston to New Orleans.
Since the program launched in
2006, representatives of more than 160
Amtrak-served communities have
attended the one-day conferences to
learn more about station reinvestment
and meet Amtrak staff from
Government Affairs and Corporate
Communications, Real Estate and
Engineering departments. Getting out
on the road and directly meeting with
communities impacted by our services
is an important part of our customer
focus goal.
“These meetings provide the communities we serve the opportunity to
learn more about what funding
options exist for these stations, how to
navigate the Americans with
Disabilities Act and engineering stan-
dards and guidelines, and how
local communities,
Memphis
included, have
gone through the
process,” said
Government
Affairs Vice
President Joe
McHugh. “They
also have the
opportunity to
learn more about
real estate practices, signage
standards and historic preservation
regulations, as
many of these
gems are a part of our American
history and tell unique stories about
our local communities.”
The day concluded with a panel
discussion during which regional
leaders highlighted efforts to revitalize and promote their stations. Mercy
Rushing, assistant
city administrator
of Mineola, Texas,
described that
community’s
effort to gain
Amtrak service in
1996 and restore
its 1906 depot as
part of a larger
downtown
renewal strategy
guided by Main
Senior Director of Facilities Planning Anish Kumar leads one of the presentaStreet principles.
tion at the Civic Conversation held in Memphis, Tennessee.
16
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October 2014
Amtrak Ink
Alvin
Pearson, assistant general
manager of the
Memphis Area
Transit
Authority, and
Paul Morris,
president of
the Downtown
Memphis
Commission,
spoke about
the late-1990s
renovation of
the city’s
Central
Station.
Converted into
a mixed-use
center that includes an Amtrak
waiting room, apartments, museum
and event space, the station anchored
the revitalization of the South Main
district, an area known today for its
artistic community, shops, restaurants
and entertainment venues.
Panelists agreed that a station
project has to be thought of as a longterm investment in a city. Working
with federal agencies, host railroads,
Amtrak and other parties requires
time, persistence and good organization; meanwhile, there’s a need to
keep the community informed of
progress and focused on the end
result.
To learn more about Amtrak Civic
Conversations visit
greatamericanstations.com. ■
Employee Milestones
Congratulations to All of You!
WEBSTER, BRIAN
Philadelphia 30th
Street Station
MCCARTHY, MICHAEL
Chicago Crew Base
DANT, MARK
Wilmington, Del. Shops
MCCANN, JAMES
Philadelphia 30th
Street Station
MCGARITY, RICHARD
Amtrak Corporate
Headquarters
MILLIES, STEPHEN
New York Division
Headquarters
MONEGAN, NORMAN
Chicago Crew Base
MYERS, BERNARD
New York Penn Station
NOBLE, GILBERT
Chicago Crew Base
OXNER, BRUCE
C&S Construction
Linden, N.J.
POPP, JERRY
New York Penn Station
QUINN, EDWARD
New York Penn Station
QUINN, HENRY
Engineering
Groton, Conn.
RODGERS, MELVIN
Auto Train Lorton
Station
SAMUILOFF,
NICHOLAS
Chicago Crew Base
SHAW, BOBBY
C&S Repair Shop
Lancaster, Pa.
STOKES, EARNEST
Transportation Bldg.
Washington, D.C.
TANGNEY, PATRICK
C&S Construction
Linden, N.J.
THOMAS, JAMES
Miami Station
WALKER-SMITH,
DELISA
New York Penn Station
BROWN, JEFFERY
Riverside Reservations
& Sales Office
DEAN, WAYNE
Perryville, Md. M/W
Base
DECRISCIO, PATRICIA
New York Penn Station
DESPER, ANNA
Philadelphia 30th
Street Station
PETTIT, ABRAHAM
Philadelphia 30th
Street Station
AHALT, MARK
Washington Union
Station
ESTY, ROBERT
Sunnyside Yard N.Y.
ALEXANDER, LOLA
Los Angeles 8th St.
Coach Yard
HOBBS, DONALD
Beech Grove
Maintenance Facility
ALLEN, JAMES
Carbondale, Ill. Station
HUMMEL, PAUL
NW Base
North Brunswick, N.J.
HUMMEL, TIMOTHY
Transportation Bldg.
Washington, D.C.
LESNIAK, WALTER
Chicago Union Station
LICHTMAN, ROBERT
Trenton, N.J. Station
MCATEER, JOHN
Sunnyside Yard N.Y.
PAUL, STEVEN
Wilmington, Del. Shops
RANDONE, MARK
Omaha, Neb. Station
STARK, KRISTOFER
Boston South Station
TAYLOR, ROBERT
Beech Grove
Maintenance Facility
WATSON, LEONARD
Philadelphia 30th
Street Station
WRIGHT, JOHN
Wilmington, Del. Shops
ALLEN, WILLIAM
Providence, R.I. MOW
Base
ARNOLD, KEVIN
Chicago Union Station
BANNON, SHIRLEY
CNOC
Wilmington, Del.
BECRAFT, ROD
Transportation
Bldg.Washington, D.C.
CARRENO, SERGIO
Chicago Crew Base
FELTON, IRMA
Los Angeles Offices
CAVANAUGH, ANNE
Boston South Station
FRANKLIN, JERRY
Niagara Falls Station
CHECK, RICHARD
Trenton, N.J. Station
GAGARIN, GREGORY
Philadelphia 30th
Street Station
COLLINS, KENNETH
Mid-Atlantic
Reservation & Sales
Office
CONWAY, JOSEPH
New York Penn Station
GASKINS, DURANT
D.C. Coach Yard
CRIST, DOUGLAS
C&S Repair Shops
Lancaster, Pa.
GETER, RENA
Butler Bldg.
Washington, D.C.
CUFF, MARIE
Los Angeles Offices
GRAVATT, ROBERT
Wilmington, Del. Shops
CURTIS, GAIL
Amtrak Corporate
Headquarters
HANES, MARK
D.C. Coach Yard
DAVIDSON-LEOKUM,
SHEILA
Philadelphia 30th
Street Station
DEITCH, RICHARD
Philadelphia 30th
Street Station
DEVINE, PAUL
Beech Grove
Maintenance Facility
DICKEY, WILLIAM
Lancaster, Pa. Station
BITLER, HARRY
Wilmington, Del. Shops
DORSEY, CLIFTON
Philadelphia 30th
Street Station
BULANDA, STEVE
Chicago Mechanical
&Terminal Offices
BUNDA, EDWARD
New York Division
Headquarters
BUTLER, KENNETH
Engineering
Groton, Conn.
GARSTKA, EILEEN
CNOC
Wilmington, Del.
COOK, GARY
Beech Grove
Maintenance Facility
BEDWELL, WILLIAM
Beech Grove
Maintenance Facility
BRADY, JOHN
Wilmington, Del. Shops
GALLOWAY, FREDIA
Beech Grove
Maintenance Facility
DUFFIN, BEVERLY
Los Angeles Offices
DUNN, WILLIE
Chicago Mechanical
&Terminal Offices
EICHINGER, WILLIAM
Philadelphia Coach
Yard
EVANS, WILLIE
Wilmington, Del. Shops
Amtrak Ink
HARRINGTON,
JOSEPH
Washington Union
Station
HENRY, DARLENE
Los Angeles Offices
HILL, TOMMIE
Chicago Mechanical
&Terminal Offices
HOLLOWAY, RICHARD
Wilmington, Del. Shops
IVANOSICH, FRANCIS
Ivy City Maintenance
Facility
Washington, D.C.
JACKSON, DONALD
Jacksonville Station
JAMES, GODFREY
Butler Bldg.
Washington, D.C.
JOHNSON, PAUL
Riverside Reservations
& Sales Office
JONES, MARCIA
Miami Mechanical Yard
October 2014
|
17
Employee Milestones
Congratulations to All of You!
KIRK, STELLA
Brighton Park Facility
LAMY, KENNETH
Sanford Station
LEVANDER, LINDA
San Juan Capistrano
Station
LONG, GAIL
Van Nuys, Calif. Station
MACKIE, KIMDALL
Riverside Reservations
& Sales Office
MAKSIM, VICKIE
Los Angeles Offices
MARIDUENA, ANIBAL
Chicago Union Station
MAY, DONALD
Beech Grove
Maintenance Facility
MCCREADIE, EDGAR
Providence, R.I.
MOW Base
MCMAHON, JOSEPH
New Haven, Conn.
Station
MERLE, GEORGE
Sunnyside Yard N.Y.
MEYER, JOSEPH
Quad Ave. M/W Base
Baltimore, Md.
MOLLER, DEBORAH
Amtrak Corporate
Headquarters
MOORE, HERMAN
Niles, Mich. Station
MUMLEY, THOMAS
Wilmington, Del. Shops
MYCHALEJKO,
SUZANNE
Whitefish, Mont.
Station
NUSBAUM, MARK
Mid-Atlantic
Reservation & Sales
Office
OSBURN, PATRICK
Beech Grove
Maintenance Facility
18
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October 2014
PADEN, JERRY
Metrolink San
Bernardino, Calif. Crew
Base
PADILLA, ALFRED
Chicago Locomotive
Shop
PALMINTERI,
BARLOW
Seattle Mechanical
Yard
PAUZA, ROBERT
Philadelphia 30th
Street Station
PENMAN, LARRY
Quad Ave. M/W Base
Baltimore, Md.
PERDOMO,
HUMBERTO
Beech Grove
Maintenance Facility
PERRIERO, ROBERT
Raymond Plaza West
Newark, N.J.
PRATT, SANDRA
Riverside Reservations
& Sales Office
PRING, GALE
Mid-Atlantic
Reservation & Sales
Office
RAFFERTY, JOSEPH
Pontiac, Mich. Crew
Base
RICHMAN, STEVEN
Beech Grove
Maintenance Facility
ROBERTS, DAVID
Beech Grove
Maintenance Facility
RODGERS, ROBERT
Memphis, Tenn.
Station
RODRIGUEZ, MIKE
Los Angeles Offices
ROMAN, NOEL
New York Penn Station
ROSEEN, JOHN
New York Penn Station
Amtrak Ink
RYAN, ROBERT
Philadelphia Coach
Yard
SALIDO, PAUL
Los Angeles 8th St.
Coach Yard
ZAVALA, PETER
Los Angeles Offices
ZISSIMOS, STEPHEN
Quad Ave. M/W Base
Baltimore, Md.
SANDERS, WILLIAM
Little Rock Station
SAUNDERS, TERENCE
Boston South Station
SCHANZ, RANDELL
Beech Grove
Maintenance Facility
ABRAMS, MIRANDA
Riverside Reservations
& Sales Office
AFZAL, SUGHRA
Sunnyside Yard N.Y.
FOLDETTA, FRANCIS
CNOC
Wilmington, Del.
FORBES-EFORD,
SHELLEY
Quad Ave. M/W Base
Baltimore, Md.
FORTES, ANTOINETTE
Southampton St. Yard
Boston, Mass.
FORTES, LATARA
Southampton St. Yard
Boston, Mass.
ANDERSON, MARK
Bear Car Shop
FOWLER, MARCUS
Seattle Mechanical
Yard
SIMMS, B
Bear, Del. Car Shop
ARTHUR, WILLIAM
Riverside Reservations
& Sales Office
GREENE, MATTHEW
Los Angeles Offices
STENCIL, DOUGLAS
D.C. Coach Yard
BARBACCIA, LINDA
New York Penn Station
HARRIS, HERBERT
Transportation Bldg.
Washington, D.C.
STEPHEN, NATHANIEL
Miami Mechanical Yard
BARTON, JOHN
New York Penn Station
INGRUM, LAWNDIA
St. Louis, Mo. Station
SUTPHIN, ROBERT
Butler Bldg.
Washington, D.C.
BENJAMIN, KENNETH
Baltimore, Md.
Engineering
JAWOROWSKI,
JUSTIN
Philadelphia 30th
Street Station
SCOTT, PATRICIA
Raymond Plaza
WestNewark, N.J.
THORNTON, BRUCE
Philadelphia 30th
Street Station
TORRES, RAFAEL
Los Angeles Offices
BUTLER, COURTNEY
D.C. Coach Yard
CALWISE, ALFONSO
Transportation Bldg.
Washington, D.C.
TURKEL, EDWARD
NW Base
North Brunswick, N.J.
CAMPAGNONE,
WILLIAM
Southampton St. Yard
Boston, Mass.
UNGER, HOWARD
New York Division
Headquarters
CERMINARA,
MICHAEL
Bear, Del. Car Shop
UPTON, DOREEN
Sunnyside Yard N.Y.
CONTEE, ARTHUR
Butler Bldg.
Washington, D.C.
VARGAS, LUZ
Miami Mechanical Yard
VARNADO, DEBORAH
Amtrak Corporate
Headquarters
WILLIAMS, CALVIN
Mechanical Office
New Haven, Conn.
WISE, LEWIS
Seattle Mechanical
Yard
DENT, KEVIN
Philadelphia 30th
Street Station
EAMES, JOHN
Rensselaer, N.Y.
Mechanical Facility
EARP, BRIAN
Philadelphia 30th
Street Station
JOHNSON, ANN
Riverside Reservations
& Sales Office
KANIUK, JOHN
New York Penn Station
KELLER, JEFFREY
Quad Ave. M/W Base
Baltimore, Md.
KENT, CARLYLE
Sunnyside Yard N.Y.
LABOLLITA, DEREK
Southampton St. Yard
Boston, Mass.
LEWIS, STACEY
Los Angeles 8th St.
Coach Yard
LOPEZ, JODY
Riverside Reservations
& Sales Office
LUCHS, GEORGE
Sacramento Station
MACKINNON,
JOSEPH
Boston South Station
Employee Milestones
Congratulations to All of You!
MADEKSIAK,
KENNETH
Philadelphia 30th
Street Station
SOMMERS, KAREN
Riverside Reservations
& Sales Office
MALINOWSKI,
JOSEPH
Sunnyside Yard N.Y.
STERNFELD,
MICHAEL
Transportation Bldg.
Washington, D.C.
MILLER, STEVEN
Rensselaer, N.Y. Station
TAYLOR, DARRYL
Los Angeles Offices
MOLLOY, DANIEL
Philadelphia 30th
Street Station
THRIFT, MICHAEL
Sanford Station
MOORE, DONALD
Philadelphia 30th
Street Station
NICHOLS, KURT
D.C. Coach Yard
OGBURN, GLENN
Transportation Bldg.
Washington, D.C.
PERCH, MARK
NW Base
North Brunswick, N.J.
POWELL, JEFFREY
Perryville, Md. M/W
Base
POWERS, KARYN
Riverside Reservations
& Sales Office
PROVENCE, DANIEL
Philadelphia 30th
Street Station
PRUNA, JON
NW Base
North Brunswick, N.J.
SANCHEZ, GEORGE
C&S Headquarters
Elizabeth, N.J.
SANDERS, JEANETTE
Riverside Reservations
& Sales Office
SEVERIN, MICHAEL
NW Base
North Brunswick, N.J.
SMITH, EARL
Philadelphia 30th
Street Station
SMITH, GERALD
Southampton St. Yard
Boston, Mass.
VAUGHNS, GAIL
Solana Beach, Calif.
Station
WALTERS, DAVID
NW Base
North Brunswick, N.J.
WASHINGTON,
MICHAEL
Ivy City Maintenance
Facility
Washington, D.C.
WETHERS, MICHELE
Riverside Reservations
& Sales Office
BURROWS, HARRY
Baltimore, Md. Station
DAVIS, JUDITH
Chicago Union Station
DIPOLLINA, DOMINIC
Engineering
Groton, Mass.
DUCKETT, FLORENCE
Mid-Atlantic
Reservation & Sales
Office
DUNN, HARRY
Ivy City Maintenance
Facility
Washington, D.C.
DURM, BRUCE
Transportation Bldg.
Washington, D.C.
EVANS, STEWART
Seattle Mechanical
Yard
FICKLIN, ANDRIE
Boston South Station
JONES, TERRENCE
16th & Glenwood Sts.
Philadelphia, Pa.
KELLEHER, JAMES
Sunnyside Yard N.Y.
KILGALLON,
KIMBERLY
Rensselaer, N.Y. Station
KRUZICK, DANIEL
CNOC
Wilmington, Del.
KUJALA, MICHAEL
Springfield, Mass.
Station
MCELROY, SHARON
Material Control
Facility
Indianapolis, Ind.
TARITY, MICHAEL
Philadelphia 30th
Street Station
AUSTIN, HAROLD
New York Penn Station
FORD, HOPELIN
New York Penn Station
BADESSA, SAMUEL
C&S Construction
Linden, N.J.
FORD, TRACEY
Philadelphia 30th
Street Station
MILLS, DARREN
Ivy City Maintenance
Facility
Washington, D.C.
BALLANCE, MARK
Huntington, W.Va.
Station
FURTADO,
CHRISTOPHER
Southampton St. Yard
Boston, Mass.
BARSNESS, TAMMY
Bear, Del. Car Shop
BIANCARDI,
ANTHONY
New Haven, Conn.
Station
HARPSTER, DANIEL
D.C. Coach Yard
HUYNH, DIEN
Ivy City Maintenance
Facility
Washington, D.C.
HUYNH, TUAN
Boston South Station
SMITH, SIDNEY
Los Angeles 8th St.
Coach Yard
SZYMKOWICZ,
JAMES
Boston South Station
MELLEN, DAVID
Springfield Station
GROSS, JOEY
W. Oakland
Maintenance Facility
SKERRITT, EDMUND
New Haven, Conn.
Station
MARTIN, JACQUELYN
Philadelphia 30th
Street Station
FONDREN, GREGORY
Denver, Colo. Station
BARKSDALE,
CHARLES
Chicago Mechanical
&Terminal Offices
RUSBARSKY, JAMES
New York Penn Station
STEWART, SANDRA
Boston South Station
MCGRADY, JOHN
New York Penn Station
GILMAN, WILLIAM
Springfield, Ill. Station
REESE, JEROME
Chicago Mechanical
&Terminal Offices
MAPLES, FRANK
NW Base
North Brunswick, N.J.
FONDA, WILLIAM
Philadelphia 30th
Street Station
BANKS, LISA
Philadelphia 30th
Street Station
RECTOR, MARION
Material Control
Facility
Indianapolis, Ind.
MUNFORD, JUANITA
Washington Union
Station
NAPIER, CARL
Beech Grove
Maintenance Facility
NELSON, KEITH
Los Angeles 8th St.
Coach Yard
THOMAS, EVANS
New York Penn Station
TOTTLE, SUZANNE
New Haven, Conn.
Station
WAITE, EARL
Philadelphia Coach
Yard
WALSH, JEFFREY
Raymond Plaza West
Newark, N.J.
WATKINS, MARVIN
Chicago Union Station
WILLIAMS, D.
Riverside Reservations
& Sales Office
WILLIAMS, GREGORY
Philadelphia 30th
Street Station
OREBEAUX,
CLARENCE
Transportation Bldg.
Washington, D.C.
WORLEY, SANDRA
Auto Train Lorton, Va.
Station
PHILLIPS, PATRICIA
Utica, N.Y. Station
ZBINDEN, TIMOTHY
Chicago Crew Base
PRETLOW, RICHARD
Bear Car, Del. Shop
Amtrak Ink
(Note: The 30-Year
Anniversary, August 2014,
list will be continued in the
November issue.)
October 2014
|
19
60 Massachusetts Avenue, N.E.
Washington, D.C. 20002
To change your address, sign onto the Employee Information
Portal or complete an NRPC 2001 form and submit according to
the directions.
In Amtrak
History
OCTOBER
October 29, 1978
More than 500 people
turned out on October 29
for the inaugural ceremonies
of the Niagara Falls, New
York to celebrate service
restoration. The ceremonies
took place at the former
Lehigh Valley Railroad
freight building which was
refurbished for use as an
Amtrak station. Niagara
Falls, New York, lost
passenger rail service in
April 1961, and it was not
restored until October 1978
through financial support
from the state.