Trinity Railway Express steps up to the plate

[chad thomas]

From Altamont Press:


Trinity Railway Express on Galveston emergency mission

A Fort Worth-Dallas commuter rail line on Tuesday sent an emergency train on a special mission to the Houston-Galveston area to help evacuate senior citizens and other residents trying to flee from Hurricane Rita.


At the request of Texas Gov. Rick Perry, six cars and two locomotives from the Trinity Railway Express left Fort Worth about 14:00 Tuesday with a crew of four employees for the eight-hour trip to Houston.

About 800 evacuees are expected to board the train, which is capable of holding up to about 900 people.

"We're the only commuter train in this part of the country. We've been asked to respond, and we're going to do it," said *** Ruddell, president of the Fort Worth Transportation Authority. The agency, also known as the T, co-owns the rail line along with Dallas Area Rapid Transit.

The TRE is the only commuter rail line in Texas and surrounding states capable of responding to an emergency evacuation, Ruddell said. Other cities such as Houston have light-rail service, but those trains cannot run on cross-country freight rail lines.

The TRE is acting under the directions of the governor's office, which is in the midst of its emergency hurricane evacuation plan, Ruddell said.

The Trinity Railway Express, which began operation in 1996, normally offers Monday through Saturday service between the downtown areas of Fort Worth and Dallas.

That service will continue uninterrupted, but the temporary loss of some equipment will mean cramped conditions for Metroplex commuters.

"We're going to be making announcements on the trains, to let people know why it's crowded, and to ask for their patience and understanding," Ruddell said.

The emergency train should be back in North Texas by Friday, he said.

On Tuesday afternoon, Ruddell said he didn't yet know precisely where the train would arrive. The governor's office asked TRE officials to immediately get the train headed toward the Houston-Galveston region, and to expect more precise directions later Tuesday evening.

The train will be using railroad tracks owned by Fort Worth-based BNSF and Union Pacific. The governor's office has asked those companies to give the train high-priority passage, so it won't be stuck behind freight train congestion, Ruddell said. - Gordon Dickson, The Fort Worth Star-Telegram, courtesy Larry W. Grant

[oltmannd]

more RR style "git-R-done"!

[daveklepper]

I hope they have the opportunity to make more than one round-trip from Galvaston to wherever the elderly will be accommodated.
Great thinking. Hurray for the Governor and for Trinity Express

[videomaker]

The Gov. is tring to beat the mess that La. had ..Its better to be safe than sorry,Rita' already a catagory 4 hurricane ,No telling what it will be by Fri night Sat morn.. NICE GOING GOV.Perry Videomaker

[Anonymous]

Yes, Rick Perry has some foresight with trains. He supported the Trans Texas Corridors. Hopefully somebody someday will build a HSR line between Dallas and Houston, the Texas Triangle adding San Antonio and Austin to the mix, or the Texas Tbone, a three legged star joining in the Temple area. Any of the above ideas is something Amtrak should be thinking about doing.....and investing in..... instead of keeping the long distance trains afloat forever.....

[videomaker]

AMEN Don ! Thank you..Ive said for a long time that we as a country should utilize rail more than highways..Look at the mess in Houston today ..Its grid lock ! And Gov Perry and other state officials are saying to shelter in place where if your not out of Houston by now...Danny

[AntonioFP45]

I hope Amtrak jumps in as well.

[Anonymous]

I hope this gets some national exposure. With the administration cutting costs to cover these disasters Amtrak is already on the block. When will it sink in - mass transit long or short haul is a public service just like the highway system. Just because "people" ride the rails along with steel, sulphur, etc. does not mean it's the same "profit center". Other countries have have a more sophisticated understanding of this reality.

[siberianmo]

Thanx for the Post - that IS good news!

I have some friends with TRE, and in fact visited with them in Dallas in August. Anyway, that's the kind of stuff our Congress needs to know about. They are the ones who make the laws and decide where the bucks will be spent.

We have no 21st Century rail transportation plan or policy and it's positive stuff like this that needs to be circulated. Hope the railroad lobby groups pick up on it ....

[f14aplusfl]

Trains could actually move people out of harms way more efficently than airplanes or cars. For all intents and purposes, the major roads are gridlocked. Not everyone also is able to fly, and the airlines can only haul so many people. The railroads, all they need is the equipment and the right scheduke, and they will get it done.

I think the the Union Pacific RR had the best slogan that basically defines the railroading community: "We can handle it!"

[SchemerBob]

TRE's large coaches will hold a lot of people...they're also sending down two locomotives? The train's probably too heavy for one engine to handle alone (6 cars).

Not only is DART one of the most heavily-ridden railroads in the country, but now they're sending down a TRE train to help Galveston and Houston. They sure know how to be sucessful! Way to go TRE!!

[BudKarr]

Congratulations on posting some meaningful information! While I'm new to these forums, I've been around the cyber networks long enough to determine what is worth the read and what isn't. Good job!

BK

[spbed]

H'mm when you see what occurred on the roads it makes me wonder why our officals did not utlize rail transportation to get more folks out of town faster.[:p][:p]
quote]Originally posted by chad thomas
[

[Anonymous]

Great to see an outfit that is public-spirited, fast A-N-D competent, as opposed to the generally "can't do and don't want" attitude of the bureaucracies surrounding N.O.

[chad thomas]

Here is some more on the TRE train from Altamont Press:

Hurricane Rita evacuees ride train on BNSF Railway

A special Trinity Railway Express (TRE) passenger train with about 450 evacuees from the Houston area is operating over BNSF Railway Company trackage from Houston, Texas via Teague to Dallas Union Station.

The train, consisting of two TRE locomotives and six passenger cars, is being operated by a TRE crew provided by Herzog Transit Services Inc. The train left Houston at about 15:003 Thursday. It is expected to stop at about 20:00 at 208 S. Third Street in Teague, where passengers will be provided with meals and water.

The train will then continue to Dallas Union Station, 401 S. Houston St., where it is expected to arrive about 00:00. Amtrak will keep Union Station open until the train arrives and will provide personnel to direct passengers upon their arrival. - BNSF News Release, courtesy Larry W. Grant

[eolafan]

Very good thinking on the part of the TX governor and really wonderful cooperation on the part of TRE. If I were one of those trying to evaculate the area and facing the real prospect of a twelve hour car ride only to get about sixty miles or so, I would personally welcome BNSF and/or UP sendingin a bunch of box cars or gondolas, filling them up with people and highballing north. This could get a whole lot of people really far north very much faster than any car or bus could under the circumstances (I admit not very comfortable, but under the circumstances, who cares...likely not those who get away from Rita successfully, I'll bet you).

[csmith9474]

Alright TRE! Bravo!!!!![:D] What amazes me is folks are still complaining about the readiness of Texas in regards to evacs. I guess you can't make everyone happy. The same people complaining are probably the ones that waited until a day or two before projected landfall to evacuate when everyone had about a week's warning.

[samfp1943]

It is certainly gratifying to see government at any level being proactive. Especially in light of the lack of that same proactivity in the State of Louisiana during their fiasco of indecision..TRE surely steppped up to the plate and hit a home run. Congratulations![^][8D]

[Anonymous]

Being a "retired" member of the board for DART and thie senior memb er to the TRE advisory board it made me feel good to know that TRE jumped in to help with the evacuation. Yes, this will make some of the regular commuter trains shorter, however, after hearing the reason I doubt if a single passenger will complain. Both the BNSF and UP were requested to give the train priority which I assume they did. The sad part was that the train could handle 900 passengers, however, only 450 boarded the evacuation train. The train did arrive in Dallas about 4 AM the next day with all passengers in good shape.

[Anonymous]

When it comes time, will TRE take 'em back??

[chad thomas]

I don't know but I caught this, it's the last paragraph of a UP service bulliton:

Operating on a Union Pacific line, an Amtrak train was used to evacuate approximately 300 people Thursday afternoon, Sep22, from the Amtrak Station in Houston to the Amtrak Station in San Antonio. Amtrak has been contacted about the possibility of returning evacuees to Houston from San Antonio. They are holding one set of equipment in San Antonio with the capacity for 300 passengers in the event this move is requested. - UP Service Advisory, courtesy Larry W. Grant