ink
A Monthly Publication for and by Amtrak Employees
Volume 18 • Issue 6 • July 2013
The Veterans
P42 Locomotive
Amtrak Salutes Our
Veterans with a custom
painted locomotive
A Fond Farewell to
Senator Frank
Lautenberg
Prepared at All Times
Emergency Management
and Corporate Security
Train of Thought
level, but the lack of
stable funding has not
allowed a consistent
program to address
ballast and subgrade
maintenance.
Economists call that
“decapitalization” and
it’s Amtrak’s biggest
long term challenge.
When Amtrak was
formed to become
America’s Railroad, we
inherited an
infrastructure from a
Joseph H. Boardman
bankrupt freight
railroad that has never
been brought to a state of good repair.
Without continuous adequate funding, the
gap between our current state and a state
of good repair is growing.
Our Engineering department
management knows what needs to be
done and our Engineering department
employees have the talent to do it.
We need to find creative solutions to
the problem of decapitalization and we
need to find them soon. For my part I will
do everything I can, because our future
safety record and indeed our future
viability depend on it. Senator Lautenberg
understood this and the experience and
wisdom he brought to advancing
transportation issues to his colleagues in
the Senate will be surely missed.
Thank you for your support and all you
do to make this a better railroad every
day. ■
Amtrak Employee and Customer Communications
Joe McHugh, Vice President
Government Affairs &
Corporate Communications
I. Suzi Andiman
Director, Employee
Communications
Marlon Sharpe
Principal Graphic Designer
Chuck Gomez
Multimedia Specialist
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July 2013
Amtrak Ink
200,000
200,000
180,000
160,000
140,000
May:
122,509
April:
115,142
March:
107,681
February:
103,060
January:
97,668
120,000
100,000
The peer-to-peer injury
prevention program, Safe-2Safer, reached its previous
goal of 100,000 observations
in February 2013. Track
Amtrak’s system-wide
progress each month.
Correction:
Liliana Lopez
Sr. Communications Officer
Check out one of our
social media channels today!
2
Help with our
Safe-2-Safer Goal!
AA
T
he word “hero” is
often overused these
days, so it’s best to
let Senator Frank
Lautenberg’s life speak for
itself. Born into poverty, he
enlisted in the military, then
became a successful
businessman and was the
last World War II veteran to
serve in the United States
Senate. After his passing in
early June, Amtrak was
honored and humbled to
accept a request from his
family to transport his body
from New Jersey to
Washington.
Senator Lautenberg knew the
importance of a balanced transportation
network in tying America together and
was a stalwart supporter of Amtrak. In his
honor, I changed my testimony before the
House Transportation and Infrastructure
committee at a recent hearing in New
York. Representing you and our
passengers, I shared with the committee
some of the concerns that Senator
Lautenberg and I had shared through the
years.
We’re able to run a safe and efficient
railroad only because of your efforts, not
because we have all the resources we need
to do the job. The degradation of our ride
quality on the Northeast Corridor is an
indicator that we’re consuming our assets
quicker than we’re replacing them. We’re
able to maintain safety at the track surface
In the June issue of Ink, we
neglected giving photo credit to
Don Crimmin for the photo of the
Super Chief in “Amtrak History.”
We regret the omission.
Table of
Contents
5
This Month’s Leading News:
7
Sen. Lautenberg’s Goodbye
Meet the winner of the Burch Award. Amtrak is
recognized for environmental achievements during
the John F. Chafee Environmental awards. Summer
timetable available on July 15.
Amtrak was honored to carry Sen. Lautenberg back to
Washington, D.C.
9
Beech Grove Team Supports
National Train Day
National Train Day became an opportunity to show
what teamwork and volunteerism means for a Beech
Grove team.
12 Niantic Bridge Completed
Read about the latest bridge project completed in the
Northeast Corridor.
17
Reaching Out to Millenials with
Social Media
Learn about what our social media team is doing to
expand our customer base by reaching the younger
generation of travelers.
18 Milestones
We are still trying to catch up
with the Employee Milestones.
Read Milestones from March
to April.
On the Cover
The custom-painted
Amtrak P42 locomotive
unveiled to salute
American veterans.
Amtrak Headquarters
60 Massachusetts Ave., NE
Washington, D.C. 20002
Ecom@Amtrak.com
Amtrak Ink is a monthly employee publication of Amtrak, the
National Railroad Passenger Corporation.
® AMTRAK is a registered service mark of the National Railroad
Passenger Corporation.
Front Line Focus
“I wish to praise one of your attendants. On May 12, 2013, I
took the Empire Builder from Whitefish to Chicago in a
sleeper car. My attendant was Mr. David Baber. I was
traveling shortly after dental surgery and could not eat any
solid foods. Mr. Baber made sure the dining car supplied
me with yogurt and sorbet. He promptly delivered my food
to my cabin, made sure I had plenty of bottled water, and
checked on me from time to time. This man is a marvel.
Mr. Baber represents the
high standards and
superiority of your train
service. This is why I travel
on Amtrak.”
― Lavonne Mueller,
Whitefish, Mont.
Amtrak Capitol Limited
#29 “Carlos Roberto
Aguilar could not have
been nicer or more
helpful. Everything was
always very fine. The
service was all one could
ask for.”
― Peter and Ellen Bennett
Irvington, Va.
“I have a pretty cool picture I wanted to share with you. It
was taken while Mr. Boardman was returning from
Sacramento, Calif. for the unveiling of the new electric
locomotives on California Zephyr train #5. His 10001
car was attached to the end of the train where this
photo is taken. I have been with Amtrak for five years.
I was the assistant conductor while Mr. Boardman was
on the train from SLC - GJT. This photo was taken by
his car attendant Lou Drummeter on May, 14, 2013,
while the train was stopped in GJT after we had turned
over to the outbound crew.
This is my fav!”
― Jesse A. Redden, SLC
“I had a great, relaxing and fun time on the
California Zephyr this week. Thanks, Caleen in the
dining car, for remembering so many names and the
great service. And of course, thanks to the rest of
the Amtrak staff on board. You rock!”
― Armando Soliz
Amtrak Ink
July 2013
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3
Upcoming News & Promotions
Amtrak employees receive
discounts at Please Touch Museum®
in Philadelphia
2
Extra daily Amtrak
Cascades trips between
Seattle and Bellingham,
Wash. that were established from May 31 to June
20 to assist travelers after
the Skagit River Bridge collapse.
4.2
Percent
The increase in ridership on
the Northeast Regional
for May 2013 compared to
May 2012.
1969
The year that President
Eisenhower was transported by train to his final
resting place. This year,
Amtrak transported Sen.
Lautenberg back to
Washington, D.C., for
burrial at Arlington
National Cemetery.
1,228
Priority offloading vehicles
reservations made up to
June 11, 2013 on the Auto
Train for revenue of
$61,300. The program
began on April 29, 2013.
$4,038
Food and beverage
remittance that Lead
Service Attendant John
Pellettiere averaged per
trip in May 2013 in the
café car of the Texas
Eagle.
4
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July 2013
Please Touch Museum®, the Children’s
Museum of Philadelphia™, is offering Amtrak
employees a discount off
general admission from
now through April 30, 2014.
You can purchase your
tickets online at pleasetouchmuseum.org and
enter promo code
AMTRAK at checkout to
receive a $3.00 discount for
up to four general admission tickets.
Please Touch Museum®
recognized as one of the
nation’s top 10 children’s
museums in the country by
Parents Magazine and is
dedicated to enriching the
lives of children by providing learning opportunities
through play. The museum
features two full floors of exhibit zones:
Roadside Attractions, Flight Fantasy, City
Capers, Wonderland, River Adventures and
Centennial Exploration, along with daily activities and theater performances. Highlights
include a century-old fully refurbished
Woodside Park Dentzel Carousel
and Railway Play exhibit. Open
Monday-Saturday 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.
and Sundays 11 a.m.-5 p.m.
Admission: $16 for adults and children age one and over.
Get your N.Y. Mets fix with
Discounts for Amtrak Employees
Amtrak employees receive a discount to
New York Mets games. Visit the wiki page for
our Employee Store on the Amtrak Intranet
and reserve your tickets for the following
games:
• July 19 – 7:10 p.m. vs. Phillies
• August 23 – 7:10 p.m. vs. Tigers
Amtrak Ink
Please visit:
http://wiki.corp.nrpc/display/ES/New+York+
Mets
If baseball is not your thing, check out the
Employee Store wiki space for other promotions.
Amtrak is proud to
offer discounts to travelers during the 2013
Baltimore Artscape
Artscape is the largest free
arts event in the country. It
attracts more than 350,000
attendees in three days. From
July 19-21, Artscape will
feature more than 150 artists,
fashion designers and craftspeople. The festival also has
outdoor live concerts including dance, opera, theater, films
and the Baltimore Symphony
Orchestra.
Children’s events are also
part of this family-friendly
event that contributes over $25 million to
Baltimore City’s economy.
Amtrak is proud to offer a 30 percent companion rail fare discount each year to
encourage travel on Amtrak.
The Baltimore
Office of Promotions and the Arts (BOPA)
actively promotes travel on Amtrak and prominently features the Amtrak discount fare on
each of its events’ websites. Amtrak and BOPA
have been marketing partners for several years
to promote ridership into the Baltimore station
via Amtrak from all other Northeast Corridor
cities. For more information visit:
Amtrak.com/VisitBaltimore. ■
Bulletin Board
The Federal Railroad
Amtrak’s Michael Tomas received
Administration (FRA) and Volpe
Award for Railroad Safety
National Transportation Systems
Contributions
Center have been working with a
Michael Tomas from Amtrak’s
number of railroads to investigate
Engineering department received the
recent low-speed derailments not
19th Annual Dr. Gary Burch
involving Amtrak equipment of
Memorial Award presented by the
Burch family in
partnership with
the National
Association of
Railroad
Passengers
(NARP) this
March during a
ceremony in
Washington,
D.C.
Tomas
received the
award for his
extraordinary
contributions
towards reducing derailment
risks and
From left to right: U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood,
improving the
NARP President Ross Capon, Michael Tomas, U.S. Representative John Carney
overall safety of
(D-Del.)
rail operations.
certain passenger equipment designs
“Mike’s work focuses in instruhaving “stiff” suspension systems.
ment and condition measurement.
These vehicles were negotiating track
Being able to measure, track and
that—while possessing a high-degreeprovide the condition of equipment
of-curvature and track warp— was
and infrastructure is a key goal for
still within the limits set forth in
strategic planning, and that resource
FRA’s track safety standards.
feeds a safety culture. But moreover,
Tomas responded by designing a
a culture of safety is founded on an
wayside measurement station to
attitude that a problem or condition
monitor the curving performance of
potentially leading to safety degradarail vehicles, employing a system to
tion cannot be accepted, and has to
simultaneously measure forces on all
be found before it leads to a failure.
eight wheels of a vehicle. He also
Mike is tireless in his efforts and
configured a system to read identifiability to figure out how to get to the
cation tags on passing vehicles in
root cause of a problem,” said
order to correlate the data to the
Michael Trosino, senior director of
vehicles, allowing the monitoring of
clearances, inspections and tests.
performance over time and prioritiza-
tion of suspected “bad actor” vehicles.
By meticulously analyzing months
of data, Tomas was able to identify
several vehicles exhibiting poor
performance that—upon further
inspection—possessed the same worn
equipment found on the previously
derailed cars. The innovative techniques Tomas developed to analyze
trends in data have provided insight
into the fundamental understanding
of safe performance of rail
equipment.
“I think it is very important for
Amtrak to receive this award. It
gives recognition to our employees
for going above and beyond to
provide a safer railroad. It also shows
people outside of Amtrak that we
truly believe in making safety a top
priority, and that we are interested in
getting to the true root cause of a
failure and having an attitude that we
will find the cause even if it is not
easy, or hasn’t been done before,”
added Trosino.
Amtrak Employee Recognized for
Helping Amtrak with Its Green
Goals
At a ceremony in Washington,
D.C., Amtrak’s Director of Fuel
Management, Renee Strolis, received
a plaque from the Association of
American Railroads during the John
H. Chafee Environmental Excellence
Award presentation. The plaque recognizes Strolis’ work on helping to
make Amtrak a greener company.
Strolis has been an Amtrak
employee for 36 years and in her
most recent role she works with the
Environmental and the Operating
groups to identify and implement fuel
conservation initiatives. Strolis was
recognized for her commitment and
her ability to get the job done by
Amtrak Ink
July 2013
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5
Bulletin Board
Assistance Program (EAP),
Operation RedBlock, U.S. Eye
Safety, Cigna and Fidelity
Investments.
Summer 2013 Timetable Available
July 15
The new summer-fall Amtrak
system timetable will be available
July 15, and includes updated and
revised schedules for seasonal construction in
the railroad.
This
timetable
cover features The
Carolinian
traveling
through
the
Left to right: Pat Morasco, Craig Caldwell, Joanne Maxwell, Camille Ross, Albert Strolis, Lois Cunning,
Washington
Renee Strolis, Robin McDonough, Kelsey Gibbons, Lisa Pedrick, Fannie Hill, Jonathan Hines, David Nichols.
landmarks
of the Mid-Atlantic Division for all
working with an array of different
and famous
employees in Washington Union
departments within and outside of
cherry blosStation and organized by the three
Amtrak.
soms. “This
station managers and chief clerk.
“It was an honor to be nominated
cover just
Among the 24 participants presenters
by my peers, especially because this is
fell in our
in the fair were Safe-2-Safer, the
something that I love to do,” said
laps,” said Joe
Railroad Retirement Board, Amtrak
Strolis. “Working with the
Wenclawiak, marketing support
Medical department, Employee
Environmental and the Operating
manager. “We are very excited for the
teams is a great opportunity to
public to see it.”
assist in meeting Amtrak’s enviThe magazineronment and energy strategic goal
style booklet,
by improving our efficiency and
printed bi-annually,
reducing transportation related
will be available in
carbon emissions and fossil fuel
stations and can be
consumption. This recognition is
ordered and viewed
for the teams who work collaboraonline at
tively every day to reach our
Amtrak.com. In
goals.”
addition, passengers
can get Amtrak
Washington Union Station
schedule informaHighlights Health and Safety
tion by calling
The Mid-Atlantic Division
1-800-USA-RAIL
Health and Safety Fair was held in
or on the Amtrak
Organizing team from left to right: Betty Exum, station manager; Jacqueline
Washington, D.C., on May 16,
iPhone and
Clark, station manager; Mike Tsikalas, assistant superintendent; Linda
2013. The event was sponsored by
Android apps. ■
Davenport, superintendent; Karen Larkin, station manager and Crystal Mack,
the Customer Service department
chief clerk.
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July 2013
Amtrak Ink
Senator Lautenberg’s Goodbye
U.S. Senator Frank Lautenberg, a tireless
advocate of Amtrak, passenger rail and
improved mobility for the entire Northeast
region, passed away on June 3, 2013.
Amtrak was honored to carry his remains
on one of our trains from Secaucus, N.J.,
back to Washington, D.C. Sen. Lautenberg
was a World War II veteran and was buried
in Arlington National Cemetery.
Amtrak Ink
July 2013
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7
Americans Celebrate Why Trains Matter on National
Train Day
M
ore than 250 communities in every state
celebrated the importance of trains to their
town at National Train Day (NTD) on May 11,
2013, a record for the annual event conceived by Amtrak
six years ago.
Over 500 Amtrak employee volunteers made events
in over 111 station locations across the country a success,
and showed the true meaning of this year’s theme:
“Trains Matter.”
“Our employee volunteers were essential to the
success of this event, as evidenced by the wonderful work
done by the
Beech Grove
employees
restoring the
shine to the
Visitors gathered in Los Angeles, Calif. to see train equipment and learn more about
Indianapolis
Amtrak’s history in the West.
station as well
as at stations
Marketing and Sales Officer Matt Hardison. “Quality rail
across the U.S. This
passenger transportation is one of the most important needs
is our opportunity
for our country, and National Train Day is a great platform to
to share with the
share the work we do for our communities everyday.”
rest of the
NTD events in 23 key markets featured a variety of activiAmerican public
ties including train equipment displays, a Kids Depot with
why we love what
Chuggington train-themed kids’ activities based on the
we do and why
popular children’s animated television series on Disney Junior,
trains - and Amtrak
an HO scale operating model train provided by Walthers,
Amtrak volunteers at the Sanford, Fla. Auto
- matter to this
community and rail partner displays, and other train-themed
Train Station. From Left to Right: Jason Altman,
Charlotte Berry, Jeremy Eaddy. Below: People
nation,” said Chief
displays. Many events featured remarks from local dignitaries
lined up to visit Amtrak’s Exhibit Train and see
the displays in Albuquerque, N.M.
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July 2013
Amtrak Ink
including Mayor Steve
Williams of Huntington, W.V.;
Mayor AC Wharton, Jr.,
Memphis, Tenn.; Mayor Mark
Mallory, Cincinnati, Ohio;
Mayor Johnny Dupree,
Hattiesburg, Miss.; City
Manager Rick Klein, La Junta,
Colo.; and City Councilman
Steve Cohn, Sacramento, Calif.
The Amtrak Exhibit Train
was on display in Albuquerque,
N.M., giving visitors an opportunity to learn about Amtrak’s
history. The Exhibit Train was
one of the highlights during the
major celebration in the
city. “In Albuquerque, our
Transit department
partnered with Rio Metro
Regional Transit District to
make National Train Day
even more of must-attend
event,” said Albuquerque
Mayor Richard J. Berry. ■
Right: Paul Henley, city of Hope
parks and tourism director,
receives one of the new Amtrak
Served Community signs from
Todd Stennis, Amtrak
Government Affairs Director, at
a dedication ceremony in Hope,
Ark. as part of NTD
celebrations.
Beech Grove Team Takes National Train Day
Volunteering to the Next Level
A
Beech Grove
team of volunteer employees
made National
Train Day (NTD) a
reality for the
Before
Indianapolis Amtrak
Station. The employees
did a makeover on the
station and showed visitors that “Trains Matter” during
National Train Day.
During a short stretch of two weeks before NTD, the
team cleaned, painted and made general improvements to
the station and waiting room areas. Amtrak logos were
After
updated in the ticketing window area. The team also
cleaned the track area, tore down an old storage shed and
Above, left: Indianapolis Union Station before National Train Day makeover. Above:
replaced signage at the station.
A spruced up Indianapolis Union Station after volunteers from Beech Grove facility
Volunteer employees coordinated, provided support and contributed to preparations for National Train Day.
staffed the National Train Day events which included a
display of rail equipment, distribution of NTD material and information and sale of National Train Day merchandise.
Among those in the Beech Grove team who led this voluntary effort are John Grey, Rick Burton, Greg Smith, Brian
Connors, Rick Luck, John Milenbaugh, Steve Anderson, Geoff Montgomery, Randy Douglas, Brian Gross, Adam Bean, Mike
Fisher, Jim Gibson, Connie Bundy, Susan Wood, Barb McNary, Dorothy Brown-Johnson, Cathy Martin, retiree Michele
Harmon, Jan Botkins, Scott Madon, Amtrak Police Department Sergeant John Keller, Officer Larry Jones and Dave Kuhn. ■
Amtrak Ink
July 2013
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9
Amtrak Salutes Our Veterans:
Custom painted locomotive honors
those who have served
Amtrak is committed to honor American veterans and their families by participating as a partner in The United States of
America Vietnam War Commemoration, by setting recruitment goals for veterans and by showing our gratitude with a
locomotive dedicated to the men and women of the United States Armed Forces.
The Veteran’s Locomotive features a red, white and blue paint scheme, 50 stars and a specially designed logo with military
service ribbons.
Locomotive #42 was painted at our facility in Beech Grove. The group below is part of the team that painted the locomotive.
In alphabetical order: Frank Anderson, Eric Bolin, Robin L. Boling, Chris Bright, Curtis Brown, J. Carnes, Bill Cecil,
Martin Coble, James Cook, Jason Corlette, Dustin Cowger, Larry Crouch, Sr., Michael Cutler, Robert Duguay, David
Dykstra, Jess Foor, Anthony Frazier, Mark Furr, Barry Goodwin, Jim Gordon, Troy Gorham, David Green, Joseph Guthrie,
Michael T. Haggard, Tyrone Harris, Leroy Hicks, Donald Hobbs, Dwayne Jones, John Keller, Sam Leckron, James D. Liddle
III, Rob Lowder, Thomas McFarland, Michael McHugh, Richard Memmer, Michael Milburn, Jeffrey Morris, Greg Neeb, Pete
Neeb, Don Oberlies, Jerry O'Neal, Bryan Pipes, Jerry Price, Michael Ray, Steven Richman, David Roberts, Randal Robinson,
Alberto Rodriguez, Daniel Ross, Jacob Sellars, Paul Sellars, George Sherril, Gerald Sims, Jr., Zack Smock, Robert Stapleton,
Keith Tolliver, James H. Vaughn, Mike Vititoe, Rob Voland, Rick Voris, Astor Wagers, Milton L. "Big Daddy Milt" Ward,
Dennis Watson, Larry Webb, Tony Wilson and William R. Wilson.
10
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July 2013
Amtrak Ink
days,
than two .
er
ted in less
m
le
ri
p
p
m
f
o
co
work was as ready for a coat
The body
ve w
ti
o
m
co
and the lo
Above: After the body
work was completed,
the primer was applied.
Shortly afterward, the
paint scheme was
executed to precision.
And, a day later, the
team applied the special
veterans logo created
by Seth Geist.
Right: Garry Shepherd
applied the last color of
the scheme.
The custom
paint was co
m
lights were
affixed to m pleted two days ahea
d of schedu
ake the loco
le, and
motive read
y for the ra
ils.
Amtrak Ink
July 2013
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11
Niantic Bridge Project
Completed: Another
Milestone in Our Future
T
With the extra clearance,
he Niantic Bridge replacement project was
more boats may pass through
successfully completed in May 2013. This
without the bridge opening.
project took three years to complete and it
Another highlight is that the
replaced one of the oldest movable bridges in
bridge can open twice as fast as
the country, a two-track draw bridge that was built in
before, in about a minute and a half.
1907.
"We did not build just a bridge,”
“The replacement of the Niantic Bridge is a posisaid Andrew Ingram, engineer of
tive step in modernizing and enhancing critical rail
structures and one of the project
infrastructure along the Northeast Corridor (NEC)
leaders. “The Niantic Bridge project
that supports the regional economy,” said Amtrak
took nearly three years and within that
President and CEO Joe Boardman.
time span, Amtrak oversaw
The Niantic is
the construction of roughly
one of five
one mile of new two-track
movable bridges
alignment, including new
along the NEC
signals and overhead catenary,
rail line between
a parking lot, sediment and
New Haven and
storm protection and the ability
Boston. The
to have train speeds increase
completion of
from 40 mph to 60 mph on the
this project is an
bridge and to 90 mph on the adjaimportant milecent curves for trains equipped
stone in
with tilt technology."
Amtrak’s plan to
The bridge is not only a step
replace outdated
Some of the crew members from the Niantic Bridge
forward in the rehabilitation of our
infrastructure on project. From left to right: Conductor flagmen Joe
Sarro and Jim Hughes with Andrew Ingram, engineer
infrastructure, but it is plays a large
the NEC. The
of structures and one of the Niantic lead project
role in the socio-economic life of the
current bridge
managers.
towns connected by it. As part of the
had to comproject Amtrak rebuilt the Niantic Bay Boardwalk
pletely replace the existing bridge because repairing
and replenished the beach. The refurbished beach
the bridge was not economically efficient and it no
and boardwalk re-opened to the public in early June
longer offered reliable rail operation.
in time for the summer season.
The new design of the bridge broadens the
channel access for maritime traffic from 45 feet to
The total project cost was $154 million and it was
100 feet and raises the vertical clearance above the
funded, in part, by the American Recovery and
water from 11.5 feet to 16 feet.
Reinvestment Act of 2009 and Amtrak general
capital funds. The bridge was constructed by
Cianbro/Middlesex Joint Venture VII Group from
Littleton, Mass. Partners in the project included the
U.S. Department of Transportation, the Federal
Railroad Administration, town of East Lyme, Conn.,
town of Waterford, Conn., U.S. Coast Guard and the
East Lyme Public Trust Foundation. ■
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Amtrak Ink
These bridge and tunnel projects
are contributing to our efforts to
renew and improve the Northeast
Corridor infrastructure for the next
century of service:
Northeast Corridor Bridge and Tunnel Projects
Thames River Bridge
New London, Conn.
Hell Gate Line Bridge
New York, N.Y.
East & West Harbor
Bridges
Stonington, Conn.
Sawtooth Bridges
Harrison, N.J.
Movable Span
Replacement
Completed 2008
Ballast Retainer
Project
Completed 2011
Bridge
Replacements
Under Construction
Concept
Design
Portal Bridge
Kearny, N.J. Secaucus, N.J.
Final Design
Completed
Pelham Bay Bridge
Bronx, N.Y.
Baltimore and
Potomac Tunnel
Baltimore, Md.
Susquehanna River
Bridge
Havre de Grace
-Perryville, Md.
Connecticut
River Bridge
Old Saybrook, Conn. Old Lyme, Conn.
Design
Phase
Preliminary
Design and
NEPA*
Preliminary
Design and
NEPA*
Preliminary
Design Complete
* National Environmental Protection Act
approvals and permitting
Amtrak Ink
July 2013
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13
Employee Q&A
Prepared at All Times: Emergency Management
and Corporate Security
O
ne of the most important goals in the Strategic Plan
is ensuring the safety and security of our employees
and customers.
In this Employee Q&A, Ink had the opportunity to talk to
Emergency Management and
Corporate Security (EMCS) Chief
Susan Reinertson and discuss what is
going on and what is to come in the
department.
What does EMCS mean to Amtrak?
The EMCS is responsible for the
strategic administration and management of Amtrak’s system security and
emergency management programs. In
order to accomplish that, we coordinate an interdepartmental planning
team that includes members from
every department at Amtrak that look
at all kinds of risks that pose potential
threats to the safety and security of our
customers, employees and business
through a multi-hazard planning and risk management
process.
Being prepared will improve our response to storms,
equipment failures, fires, derailments, you name it. The first
task is to figure out how to prepare for the worst case, if you
can. That involves analysis, planning and process improvement. The second task is to figure out what to do when
something unexpected happens. That’s planning, training,
practicing. Our goals involve assisting the company in safely
and efficiently responding and facilitating a fast and safe
recovery.
Can you give some specific examples of these things?
EMCS oversees security-related infrastructure protection
and video surveillance projects. We manage Amtrak’s access
control through the employee identification program (Smart
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Amtrak Ink
I.D.). We also oversee vulnerability assessments that identify
and rank potential threats and risks, allocate funding to
appropriately address these risks and ensure that Amtrak
security expenses support priorities.
EMCS develops and maintains emergency response plans with host railroads.
We oversee federally required emergency training of on-board crews and
local responders identify training and
exercise opportunities to ensure that
Amtrak employees are able to safely and
effectively respond to emergencies.
Can you talk to us about the changes
that were recently made in your
department?
In our first year, we had a lot of
things going on and we still do, as our
work continues to evolve. We started
simply by getting good people on board.
In addition to internal Amtrak employSusan Reinertson
ees, we brought in a few professionals
from the outside with various emergency management experiences. We now have 11 regional managers with defined
regional areas of responsibilities nationwide, and we have
allocated funds for projects to protect Amtrak assets – stations, yards, rights of way – against terrorism. We also
completed a full year of tabletop exercises with Amtrak
employees around the country to better define how and in
what way we will respond to all kinds of emergencies, especially those that could be terrorism-related.
Can you share with us the biggest opportunity on this
job so far?
The biggest opportunity is that Amtrak strongly believes
in having a focus on security and on emergency management,
including looking hard at security risks, and updating our
processes and our teams that respond to incidents. It means
that the components of emergency management and security
are important and part of the overall
way of thinking at Amtrak, and this
presents huge opportunities.
How are we focusing on
preparedness, response and
recovery?
We employ a collaborative style.
We talk with people, the subject
matter experts in every department,
to help us develop plans and procedures that inform how they do their
jobs in the field. We use those plans
to develop training and we practice
and adjust as needed.
“
So far, we have identified a
minimum of 800 Amtrak
employees who will qualify to
be a member of the Incident
Response Team (IRT). The
IRTs are designed to replace
and improve the “GO Team”
concept. The IRT is designed to
effectively organize response
to and manage large-scale,
emergency incidents. IRT
members are in almost every
Amtrak location, from coast to
coast and border to border.
It’s the model for successful
operations everywhere – astronauts
practice, the military practices,
community response agencies practice,
practice, practice.
It’s a cycle with constant refinement. It never is a complete product. You build plans that
prepare you for the worst case situation, you train and exercise the plans to see how good the plans are – and actual
response efforts give you great insight – and then you fix any
gaps, large or small, that you found during the exercises.
How does your department influence crisis
management?
We developed the company’s Crisis Communication Plan
and the Corporate Emergency Plans that are in final draft
right now. Like a lot of these plans, EMCS doesn’t do the
work itself; we provide the framework and the organizational
discipline for the plan and then work with professionals all
over the company to refine and validate the plan.
How is EMCS tied to our company's goals?
Like everyone else across Amtrak, every initiative, every
project, is tied to the Amtrak corporate strategy map that
emerged from the Strategic Plan. This is what ensures that
what we do supports what everyone else is doing to implement the goals that have been set.
How does EMCS affect our employees? Our workforce is
geographically spread out, so how are the regional
teams working to manage emergencies?
”
Susan Reinertson,
chief, Emergency
Management and
Corporate Security
Why was the name GO Team
changed to Incident
Response Teams (IRTs)?
The new name reflects better that we don’t just “go.” We
go with a plan, and we carry training and experience to
respond to all kinds of incidents. That’s not to say we didn’t
bring training and experience to events before, it just gives it
a better and more inclusive name.
What does every employee need to know about EMCS
procedures?
It isn’t so much that everyone needs to know EMCS
procedures. It’s that everyone needs to know and understand
that every one of us has a role to play in making Amtrak safe
and secure for ourselves, our employees, our customers and
the communities through which we operate. Our department
provides some of the structure and training and guidance
around that concept.
What can we expect next?
We can all expect that planning, training and exercises
become a regular part of everyone’s Amtrak life. It’s the
model for successful operations everywhere – astronauts
practice, the military practices, community response agencies
practice, practice, practice. If we ever need to respond to an
unexpected incident, it should feel like you know exactly what
to do now, and exactly what to do next and you know your coworker knows it too. ■
Amtrak Ink
July 2013
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15
Community
Pacific Northwest Communities Participate in
Great Amerian Stations Civic Conversation
O
n June 5th, the
Great American
Stations Project held
its tenth Civic Conversation
in Portland, Ore. for city officials and state partners along
the routes of the Empire
Builder, Coast Starlight and
Amtrak Cascades.
Since the program
launched in 2006, more than
140 Amtrak-served communities have attended the one
day conferences to learn
more about station reinvestment and meet Amtrak staff
from the Government Affairs
The Civic Conversation panel discussion included from left to right: Jim Mičulká of the Amtrak-National Park Service
and Corporate
Trails & Rails Program; Mayor Sharon Konopa of Albany, Ore.; Ms. Kate Porsche, urban renewal manager for the city
Communications, Real Estate of Albany; and Rob Eaton, Amtrak director, Government Affairs-West.
and Engineering departments.
Topics covered include
local leaders’ efforts to revitalize and promote their stations.
station planning, accessibility and the Americans with
Mayor Sharon Konopa of Albany, Ore., showed how the city’s
Disabilities Act, funding sources, historic preservation guiderehabilitated depot sparked adjacent development and
lines and station signage. Participants also gained insight into
encouraged private investment. Another topic of discussion
the station development process from the viewpoint of a host
was the impact that Amtrak has on tourism and visitation to
railroad
national parks presented by Jim Mičulká of the National Park
partner and
Service-Amtrak Trails & Rails Program. In addition, Rob
heard case
Eaton, director, Government Affairs West, spoke about his
studies on
previous experience as mayor of Leavenworth, Wash., and
develophow during his tenure the city added a stop on the Empire
ment from
Builder route and worked with BNSF Railway and Amtrak to
other
construct a station.
AmtrakDuring the conversation attendees also shared stories
served
from their communities. Representatives from Oregon City,
communiOre., outlined a vision for transforming their depot into a hub
ties.
for bicycle tourism, and Councilman Dan Myers of Kelso,
The day
Wash., described how volunteers staff the depot to assist travconcluded
elers and answer questions. Rita Green, president of the
with a
Dunsmuir Railroad Depot Historical Society, told the crowd
panel dishow a grass-roots campaign led to refurbishment of the city’s
cussion
depot, which now houses a waiting room and small history
Bill Burckhalter, Train Station Volunteer Coordinator, speaks
highlighting museum. ■
about the volunteer program he instituted at the Kirkwood,
Mo. depot.
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July 2013
Amtrak Ink
#Amtrak: Growing Our Social Media Brand
D
id you know
that Amtrak has
a group dedicated to managing and
growing the organization’s social media
presence? The group was
formed in the summer of
2012 and has been
focused on embracing
social media as an important communications tool for the
organization.
With the bulk of Amtrak’s customer
base falling into the 35-54 age range, the
social media group is focusing on introducing our brand and products to a
younger demographic: the 18-34 yearold millenials.
“By introducing Amtrak to a
younger audience early, we hope to be
able to build brand loyalty amongst that
demographic, resulting in a long-standing relationship with these new
customers over the next several
decades” said director of social media
Julia Quinn. “We not only want to turn
this audience into long-standing customers; we want to engage them as
advocates for our brand and
what a national passenger rail
network means for this country.”
Last year, 49 million millennial consumers used a
smartphone, with 84 percent
being avid social
media users,
according to a
recent study.
To introduce the
millennial generation to
Amtrak, the social media
group focuses on engaging
these consumers by identifying and targeting specific
passion points for this generation.
Strategic partnerships with like-minded
brands, such as Spotify, a digital music
service, create an opportunity for
Amtrak to develop
branded social media
content that is relevant to
our younger customers.
The first phase of the
Spotify partnership was
launched in June as a
contest and Spotify membership giveaway. Our
partnership is focused on
providing an additional
social media outlet to
Amtrak customers who have
a passion for music. Spotify
was deemed a great fit for
Amtrak social media
because it is seen as a naturally social brand and also
has a huge audience in the millennial
target demographic.
“We really want to use our social
channels to learn what our customers
love about Amtrak and then use our
customer experiences to tell a more
personal story about our brand. The
great thing about Amtrak is we don’t
just move trains, we move people and
that is the story we want millennials to
understand. The train is an inherently
social atmosphere which makes social
media a great place to share the story of
Amtrak with a new generation of
customers,” Quinn added.
To check out what the social media
group is up to visit one of Amtrak’s
social media channels:
• Facebook.com/Amtrak
• Twitter.com/Amtrak
• Instagram.com/AmtrakOfficial
• Blog.amtrak.com ■
Amtrak Ink
July 2013
|
17
Employee Milestones
Congratulations to All of You!
STIER, ARTHUR
T&E Toledo, Ohio Crew
Base
JONES, JOYCE
Seattle Transportation
Bldg.
KOCAR, JEFFREY
Wilmington Training
Center
LANDERS, CASTRO
Los Angeles Offices
THOMPSON, ALBERT
St. Cloud, Minn.
Station
TROIANO, SUSAN
Wilmington Shops
TUCK, STEPHEN
Kansas City
Maintenance Facility
LINKER, PAUL
Chicago Crewbase
WALTERS, VERNIE
Calif. Reservation Sales
Office
LIPFORD, HOMER
Butler Bldg.
Washington, D.C.
WICKER, SHIRLEY
Los Angeles Offices
LITTLE, JOHN
Chicago Crewbase
WILSON, PAUL
Los Angeles Offices
LOCKHART, THOMAS
Denver Station
AVILA, ARMANDO
Brighton Park, Ill.
Facility
GLICKIN, MARY
Chicago Offices
GULLO, THOMAS
Rensselaer, N.Y.
Mechanical Facility
JOHNSON, JUANITA
Chicago Mechanical &
Terminal Offices
PERKINS, RICKIE
Los Angeles Offices
BROWN, ROY
Perryville, Md. M/W
Base
SIMON, DENNIS
Chicago Mechanical &
Terminal Offices
POTEAT, DINAH
Ivy City Maintenance
Facility
Washington, D.C.
DELLEDONNE,
NICHOLAS
Wilmington Training
Center
SMITH, SHEILA
Chicago Offices
RHYMES-DRANE,
CARMALITA
Los Angeles 8th St.
Coach Yard
DIVEN, TIMOTHY
Quad Ave. M/W Base
Baltimore, Md.
RICHARDSON, DAVID
Los Angeles Training
Center
KING, GILBERT
Sunnyside Yard N.Y.
SCOTT, DANNY
Los Angeles Offices
MANNING, MARK
Wilmington Shops
SHELTON, FELICIA
Los Angeles 8th St.
Coach Yard
POWELL, HUBERT
New York Penn Station
SIMPSON, TWILVA
Oakland, Calif. Station
SINE, AMY
Richmond, Va. Station
SMITH, NINA
Los Angeles Offices
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July 2013
ROCK, BARRY
Providence MOW Base
THOMPSON-FRAZIER,
SHERYL
Chicago Crewbase
WILLIAMS, RAY
Chicago Mechanical &
Terminal Offices
WOJTAK, JOSEPH
Brighton Park, Ill.
Facility
Amtrak Ink
CARTER, STEPHEN
Boston South Station
CIMINO, JANET
Phila. 30th Street
Station
COHEN, FLORA
Calif. Reservation Sales
Office
DAMIANO, MICHAEL
Philadelphia Coach
Yard
MALESTEIN, ARTHUR
CNOC
Wilmington, Del.
ALLEN, ROBERT
Chicago Mechanical &
Terminal Offices
SAMSON, ROBERT
Providence MOW Base
SANTORO, PAUL
Phila. 30th Street
Station
SKINN, DONETA
Minot, N.D. Station
TEGGES, GORDON
Phila. 30th Street
Station
TIBERI, STEPHEN
Phila. 30th Street
Station
TRICK, VERNA
Trenton, N.J. Station
WHITE, ANN
CNOC
Wilmington, Del.
DAVIS, VAUGHN
Philadelphia Coach
Yard
DOWNS, TERRY
Philadelphia 30th
Street Station
ELLINGTON, LINDA
Calif. Reservation Sales
Office
GUARINO, EILEEN
Calif. Reservation Sales
Office
HAYES, ABEL
Los Angeles Offices
JONES, GARY
Chicago Union Station
LORIMER, MARY
Phila. 30th Street
Station
SCHAEFER, DEBORAH
Bear, Del. Car Shop
TROUT, DANIEL
Quad Ave. M/W Base
Baltimore, Md.
BRADLEY, MICHAEL
Wilmington Shops
BURNS, TIMOTHY
MOW Base
Hamden, Conn.
MILBURN, MICHAEL
Beech Grove
Maintenance Facility
GRAZIANO, PHILIP
New York Penn Station
RUIZ, DELORIS
Calif. Reservation Sales
Office
CALLOW, WAYNE
New York Penn Station
BAUBLITZ, MARK
Perryville, Md. M/W
Base
PATTERSON, MARCY
Chicago Union Station
BINDER, ALFONS
Oakland, Calif. Station
BROWN, DAVID
Perryville, Md. M/W
Base
LUSTIG, MICHAEL
Whitefish, Mont.
Station
MOHAN, ERIC
Transportation Bldg.
Washington, D.C.
ROANE, CURTIS
Washington Union
Station
BRZEZINSKI,
KATHRYN
Brighton Park, Ill.
Facility
AGNEW, DAVID
Bear, Del. Car Shop
MALLETT, ADA
New York Penn Station
APPLEGATE, GEORGE
Chicago Mechanical &
Terminal Offices
MENTZ, YOLANDA
Calif. Reservation Sales
Office
AHERN, VALEYRE
Calif. Reservation Sales
Office
ANDERSON,
CHARLES
Transportation Bldg.
Washington, D.C.
BAKER, JAMES
Richmond, Va. Station
BARNETT, ROBERT
Meridian, Miss. Station
BRYANT, ANTHONY
Los Angeles Offices
BUTLER, CLAUDIA
New York Division
Headquarters
CAHOON, MATTHEW
Los Angeles Offices
PHILLIPS, STEPHEN
San Diego Station/
Mechanical
COOKE, PAUL
Auto Train Lorton
Station
PORTILLO, ALICIA
Los Angeles Offices
COTHREN, MITCHELL
New Orleans Station
CVETIC, CHRISTY
Rensselaer, N.Y. Station
Employee Milestones
Congratulations to All of You!
DENNO, DEAN
Transportation Bldg.
Washington, D.C.
DICKERSON,
COLLEEN
Chicago Union Station
DO, TUAN
Los Angeles Offices
DOODY, ROBERT
Southampton St. Yard
Boston, Mass.
DOUGLAS, ROBERT
Washington Union
Station
MARYNOWYCH,
PAUL
Auto Train Lorton, Va.
Station
MCDOUGALL,
THOMAS
Metrolink San
Bernardino, Calif. Crew
Base
MCGOWAN, SHEILA
Calif. Reservation Sales
Office
NAGRA, JONETTE
New Orleans Station
FRESQUEZ, MARY
Calif. Reservation Sales
Office
NESMITH, ISIAH
Ivy City Maintenance
Facility
Washington, D.C.
PAYNE, BARBARA
Memphis, Tenn.
Station
GUSHWAY, KENNETH
New York Penn Station
PEREIRA, LEON
CNOC
Wilmington, Del.
HARGES, JANEEN
Material Control
Facility
Beech Grove, Ind.
PETTIES, KEMORE
Ivy City Maintenance
Facility
Washington, D.C.
HERATH, WILLIAM
Rensselaer, N.Y.
Mechanical Facility
PLUMMER, ORVILLE
Boston South Station
JACKSON, TINA
Calif. Reservation Sales
Office
JONES, SHEILA
Charlotte Station
JURGENSEN, KATHI
San Diego Station/
Mechanical
KLINE, MAUREEN
Deerfield Beach, Fla.
Station
LAMBERT, MARC
Auto Train Station
Lorton, Va.
LINYEAR, CHERYL
New Orleans Station
LIZARRARAS,
VIRGINIA
Calif. Reservation Sales
Office
GOINS, JOHN
Transportation Bldg.
Washington, D.C.
WALKER, ALVIN
New York Penn Station
GROVER, TODD
Phila. 30th Street
Station
WHITMAN, JAMES
Auto Train Lorton, Va.
Station
WOOLSEY, CAROL
Transportation Bldg.
Washington, D.C.
PORTIS, RAYMOND
Miami Station
PRITCHARD,
STEPHANIE
New Orleans Station
ROMERO, STEPHEN
Orlando Station
ROSE, RICHARD
Washington Union
Station
SANDER, CAROLYN
Calif. Reservation Sales
Office
SEAL, ROBERT
Auto Train Lorton, Va.
Station
SGANDURRA,
RAYMOND
Engineering
Groton, Conn.
HALL, PATRICIA
Chicago Crewbase
HAMMOND,
THOMASINA
New York Penn Station
MCCREARY, TINA
Los Angeles Offices
MCDONALD,
GWENDOLYN
Pa. Reservation & Sales
Office
MCNAMEE, SUZANNE
CNOC
Wilmington, Del.
MESSINGER, ALICIA
Pa. Reservation & Sales
Office
HERNANDEZ,
ETHELINE
Auto Train Station
Lorton, Va.
MILLER, TIMOTHY
Phila. 30th Street
Station
ALVARADO, PEDRO
Miami Station
HOLCOMB, DAVID
Charleston, S.C. Station
MUNIZ, IGNACIO
Los Angeles Offices
BATEMAN, MICHAEL
Sanford, Fla. Station
HORNYAK-SMITH,
JEANIE
CNOC
Wilmington, Del.
O'BRIEN, WILLIAM
Southampton St. Yard
Boston, Mass.
MCLELLAN, DENNIS
Portland, Ore. Station
DRAPER, JOYCE
Chicago Crewbase
GREEN-HICKMON,
TRACIE
Ivy City Maintenance
Facility
Washington, D.C.
SMITH, JONATHAN
Birmingham, Ala.
Station
BUFFKIN, DAVE
Transportation Bldg.
Washington, D.C.
BYRD, EDWIN
Los Angeles Offices
JONES, CHARLES
Chicago Crewbase
CHUA, BOBBY
Los Angeles Offices
JOYCE, THOMAS
Southampton St. Yard
Boston, Mass.
CIANCIARULO,
FRANK
Los Angeles Offices
KANE, BRUCE
Seattle Mechanical
Yard
CRAFT, ROSEANN
Pa. Reservation & Sales
Office
LANGHAUSER,
RAYMOND
New Orleans Station
DA SILVA, ARNOLD
Los Angeles 8th St.
Coach Yard
LOCKHART, PETER
Sunnyside Yard N.Y.
ELKINS, SPENCER
Greenville, S.C. Station
FAGAN, DENNIS
Phila. 30th Street
Station
FENNER, TERESA
Odenton, Md. M/W
Base
LOSEE, OWEN
Salt Lake City Station
LYLE, SARA
Los Angeles Offices
LYONS, GERARD
Phila. 30th Street
Station
MALIZIA, ALFRED
Wilmington Shops
ORTIZ, SANTIAGO
Los Angeles Offices
PEREA, ANTONIO
Calif. Reservation Sales
Office
PETKOVIC,
ALEXANDER
Chicago Union Station
POLK, DEBORAH
Sunnyside Yard N.Y.
PORTER, KEITH
Calif. Reservation Sales
Office
SALISBURY,
RANDALL
San Juan Capistrano,
Calif. Station
SCHLEAR, CHRIS
Philadelphia Coach
Yard
SHEPARD, DERRICK
New York Penn Station
FLEMING, STEVEN
St. Louis Station
MARSHALL, ERVIN
Meridian, Miss. Station
SINGLETARY,
VALERIE
Chicago Crewbase
FORREST,
CHRISTOPHER
Philadelphia 30th
Street Station
MASON, ELIJAH
Philadelphia 30th
Street Station
SMITH, LESLIE
Amtrak Corp.
Headquarters
MCBRYDE, VERA
Pa. Reservation & Sales
Office
SMITH-HOWARD,
SHERRY
CNOC
Wilmington, Del.
GIPSON, LEROY
Metrolink Montalvo
Crew Base
Ventura, Calif.
Amtrak Ink
July 2013
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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
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Standard
U.S. Postage
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Des Moines, IA
Permit No. XXX
In Amtrak History
J U LY 2 5 , 1 9 7 9
Another 15 AEM7s electric locomotives
were ordered to add to the Amtrak fleet in
the Northeast Corridor and the Keystone
Corridor. The AEM7s will be replaced by the
new Siemens ACS-64 Cities Sprinter starting
this year.