Just on the news tonight.....Cap Metro has fired Veolia Transportation as its contract operator for the Austin-Leander Red Line commuter service. The report said that Herzog Transportation has been hired to handle the much maligned and never started passenger service, while WATCO has been retained as the freight operator.
Veolia was apparently let go over insurance issues, and Herzog was immediately signed. This appears to me like it might be more than just insurance, since it caught everyone, including Veolia, off guard, and Herzog was already standing in the wings.
It just gets more interesting as time goes on.
New soap opera "As Austin spins"
I saw it on News 8 Austin news at noon ! All I can say it GOOD ! Like you said,they finally grew a brain and got rid of the problem ! The news said it was over contract issues but didnt elaborate,I didnt hear that Herzog had took over,..I heard them say it would not effct the projected opening date tho...Now maybe they can get something accomplished ! Lets pray they do !
Danny
Is Veolia the outfit fired by Los Angeles and replaced by Amtrak, or the outfit hired by Virginia Railway Express, replacing Amtrak? Hard to keep track of them 'furrin' outfits. Is Herzog still running Tri-Rail in South Florida? I know they have some really cool TLMs (Track Laying Machines) and computerized ballast trains. Fun to watch!
Hays
BNSFwatcherIs Veolia the outfit fired by Los Angeles and replaced by Amtrak, or the outfit hired by Virginia Railway Express, replacing Amtrak? Hard to keep track of them 'furrin' outfits. Is Herzog still running Tri-Rail in South Florida? I know they have some really cool TLMs (Track Laying Machines) and computerized ballast trains. Fun to watch! Hays
Yes in Los Angeles, no in Virginia, I don't know about Florida.
BNSFwatcher Is Herzog still running Tri-Rail in South Florida?
YES!
In a way it does. Herzog does have experience with railroad infrastructure construction and maintenenance, so they would be in a position to analyze and help correct any issues related to the signal system. Veolia was in the same position; their signal maintainers roamed up and down the line looking at problems, I used to see one at the gas station, fortifying himself with coffee in the mornings while on my way to work.
In the short term this is probably a good move, in spite of Herzog being another one of those "non-majors, i.e., Amtrak, UP, BNSF, CSX, NS, etc., and presuming Herzog is more nn nonsense about the signaling and getting operations safely underway. Up to this point CapMetro has behaved like most communities with new commuter rail do.....they act like kids on Christmas and the equipment might as well say "Lionel Lines" as much as anything else. Herzog has enough experience overall in dealing with all aspects of railroading that they shouldn't fall into that trap, and the many issues including the "insurance" one, should start to go away. Herzog has dealt with the immaturities of many communities in new startups and should handle CapMetro;s Board with more skill than Veolia probably did.
sunbeamThis still doesn't address the issues of whether the signaling systems and automatic warning devices are functioning properly. Cap Metro had contracted for these systems before they contracted an operator.
sunbeam,
I agree with 4merroad4man that Herzog has the talent and experience to fix the signaling problems,along with other issues as far as the railroad goes..I have more faith in Herzog than I did in Veolia...
videomaker sunbeamThis still doesn't address the issues of whether the signaling systems and automatic warning devices are functioning properly. Cap Metro had contracted for these systems before they contracted an operator. sunbeam, I agree with 4merroad4man that Herzog has the talent and experience to fix the signaling problems,along with other issues as far as the railroad goes..I have more faith in Herzog than I did in Veolia...
In addition to the problems discussed above, the financial aspects of the project are disturbing. The project is at least $30 million over budget. In addition, Capital Metro announced last week that it will cost approximately $6 million per year to operate the system, but it will only recover about $500,000 or 8.3 per cent of the operating expenses from the fare box.
Every time an article regarding this project appears in the Austin American Statesman, there is a flurry of negative comments regarding it. It is a public relations disaster for passenger rail in central Texas.
Sam1videomaker sunbeamThis still doesn't address the issues of whether the signaling systems and automatic warning devices are functioning properly. Cap Metro had contracted for these systems before they contracted an operator. sunbeam, I agree with 4merroad4man that Herzog has the talent and experience to fix the signaling problems,along with other issues as far as the railroad goes..I have more faith in Herzog than I did in Veolia... In addition to the problems discussed above, the financial aspects of the project are disturbing. The project is at least $30 million over budget. In addition, Capital Metro announced last week that it will cost approximately $6 million per year to operate the system, but it will only recover about $500,000 or 8.3 per cent of the operating expenses from the fare box. Every time an article regarding this project appears in the Austin American Statesman, there is a flurry of negative comments regarding it. It is a public relations disaster for passenger rail in central Texas.
What are they projecting for ridership? 250 people per day, 200 days per year, and if you charge each of them $1 you get $500,000. You can't even justify a bus service with those numbers.
Sam1 videomaker sunbeamThis still doesn't address the issues of whether the signaling systems and automatic warning devices are functioning properly. Cap Metro had contracted for these systems before they contracted an operator. sunbeam, I agree with 4merroad4man that Herzog has the talent and experience to fix the signaling problems,along with other issues as far as the railroad goes..I have more faith in Herzog than I did in Veolia... In addition to the problems discussed above, the financial aspects of the project are disturbing. The project is at least $30 million over budget. In addition, Capital Metro announced last week that it will cost approximately $6 million per year to operate the system, but it will only recover about $500,000 or 8.3 per cent of the operating expenses from the fare box. Every time an article regarding this project appears in the Austin American Statesman, there is a flurry of negative comments regarding it. It is a public relations disaster for passenger rail in central Texas.
This is a PR disaster. Herzog, and this would probably apply to anyone who is a contract carrier for CapMetro, is going to have to show some quiet competence in fixing all of the ills of the system, either real or perceived, in order to gain public trust. Throw the fiscal issues out the window; they stopped being reasonable long ago. Just the fact that CapMetro is now thought of as a bunch of rank amateurs who hire rank amateurs is disturbing enough, especially since they still have to deal with that old stick in the mud, the FRA. And if the FRA continues to view them the same way, startup could be a long time coming.
Well,
We can add another fly to the onitment ,CapMetro now says the hiring and firing or Veolia and Herzog is illegal,what will they do now
videomaker Well, We can add another fly to the onitment ,CapMetro now says the hiring and firing or Veolia and Herzog is illegal,what will they do now
""As Austiin spins"
Here's a link to the Austin American-Statesman story about Cap Metro firing Veolia, and Veolia's protest.
http://www.statesman.com/news/texas/cap-metro-no-bid-deals-illegal-fired-contractor-121065.html
The attorneys will all get paid.
Did anyone there actually think that one had to BID on that contract? And if none of these guys did then I say OOPS to this whole schmozzola
There are supposedly protocols that were to be followed---one was that it would be an open bid scenario. Now you have two non contract contracts that are illegal?
We had a hospital up here in our "fine" city that had an individual within the admin pull this stunt of contracting out a rather lucrative deal---without going through an open bid process. Why? Because the fellow was a friend of theirs------
If there was an open bidding process ---then use the dang thing
Any argument carried far enough will end up in Semantics--Hartz's law of rhetoric Emerald. Leemer and Southern The route of the Sceptre Express Barry
I just started my blog site...more stuff to come...
http://modeltrainswithmusic.blogspot.ca/
blownout cylinder videomaker Well, We can add another fly to the onitment ,CapMetro now says the hiring and firing or Veolia and Herzog is illegal,what will they do now Did anyone there actually think that one had to BID on that contract? And if none of these guys did then I say OOPS to this whole schmozzola There are supposedly protocols that were to be followed---one was that it would be an open bid scenario. Now you have two non contract contracts that are illegal? We had a hospital up here in our "fine" city that had an individual within the admin pull this stunt of contracting out a rather lucrative deal---without going through an open bid process. Why? Because the fellow was a friend of theirs------ If there was an open bidding process ---then use the dang thing
Im beginning to wonder if the same thing happened with CapMetro? (Which I casualy mentioned when we started this thread) Somebody knew somebody that knew somebody' s B-I-L that knew something about trains...Apparently very litte ! And even less about letting bids !
The funny thing is,Vieola's bid was the low bid the first time around,and Herzog's bid was 15 million dollars higher than Vieola's. Doug Allen, current CEO of Capital Metro and formerly with DART, is familiar with Herzog during his tenure with DART. how can herzog all of a sudden do it soo much cheaper now? I predict no first quarter startup.
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