Florida Transportation Today

‘Sour grapes’ over SunRail?

 TAMPA BAY – A Tampa TV station is alleging improprieties – if not wrongdoing – by SunRail executives in promoting the coming$1.2 billion commuter rail service project.

Reporter Noah Pransky at WTSP Tampa wrote that in the past seven years, the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) has spent $1.7 million in taxpayer money on “public involvement,” which includes public relations, producing videos, and focus groups to come up with the perfect name for the 61-mile commuter rail project.

“Because (FDOT) couldn’t win in the court of public opinion, they had to spend a lot of our money,” said SunRail critic Rosemary Goudreau, a former Editorials Editor at The Tampa Tribune.

“(It) tried to influence public opinion to think that this is a good deal, when it was one of the worst deals Florida has ever made in terms of transportation.”

SunRail has been criticized recently for its high price, low ridership projections, degree of risk to the state, and possible negative impact on Polk County. About half the cost of the project is a payment to private corporation CSX for partial use of the tracks.

Even before the state legislature gave the final approval for the project in 2009, FDOT was spending large amounts of money on shaping opinion.

A public information request revealed the following FDOT expenditures on SunRail between 2004 and 2011:

•$831,613 to Marianna Ingborg Amberg Gurnee, a former Orlando Sentinel writer, for public relations consulting.

•$352,135 to Glatting Jackson Kercher Anglin for public relations on environmental assessment.

•$299,917 to “MyRegion.org,” a private pro-rail group, for hosting public meetings and focus groups to come up with SunRail’s name.

•$118,380.76 to Pecora & Pecora for public relations, including “message development” and “strategic communications leading up to the Aug. 2006 announcement of an Agreement in Principle between FDOT and CSXT for sale of the SunRail corridor”

•$105,638 to Data Transfer Solutions for public relations videos.

Goudreau, who was acting as a private consultant to the Downtown Lakeland Partnership by 2009, calls the MyRegion.org contract particularly appalling. She said she would frequently see representatives from the group and its parent company, the Central Florida Partnership, in Tallahassee.

The complete story can be found at www.wtsp.com/news/local/article/205449/8/10-News-Investigators-find-hidden-costs-of-SunRail-

Amtrak launches free i-phone app

 WASHINGTON – Amtrak passengers can now plan trips, purchase tickets, modify existing reservations, check train schedules and status, and view station information from the convenience of an i-Phone with the free Amtrak application (app) now available through i-Tunes.

The new app provides quick, convenient and on-the-go Amtrak travel planning and organization. Customers can purchase one-way and round-trip tickets that can be printed at a Quik-Trak machine, picked up from an agent or mailed. Passengers will be able to access the latest train arrival and departure information for their itinerary.

Customers can use the app to show the nearest station to their current location and obtain addresses, directions, amenities and hours. Users will be able to use their Amtrak.com account to see all trips booked and modify existing reservations including changing dates or trains and upgrading seats.

Amtrak customers can also utilize the entertaining “Passport” feature to share their travels on Facebook or Twitter.

Customers using other web-enabled mobile devices can access the Amtrak mobile website at m.amtrak.com. This site provides features available on Amtrak.com in a mobile-friendly format.

TSA launches new airport scanners

 TAMPA – The Transportation Security Administration plans to implement new imaging technology software called “Automated Target Recognition” at Tampa International Airport (TPA), as well as at St. Petersburg-Clearwater International Airport (PIE)and Sarasota Bradenton International Airport (SRQ) within weeks.

The scanner aims to enhance passenger privacy by producing a generic outline of a person on a monitor, as opposed to an image specific to a passenger, according to a press statement.

The technology detects metallic and non-metallic threats, such as explosives, concealed under clothing.

– Tampa Bay Business Journal

LYNX needs transportation supervisors

 ORLANDO – LYNX, the Central Florida Regional Transportation Authority, is looking for transportation supervisors. The jobs pay $21.20 an hour.

Responsibilities include supervising the activities of bus operators; supporting the needs of bus operators; maintaining LYNX’ service standards; ensuring on-time performance of bus routes; problem solving; investigating accidents, incidents, and complaints; completing reports; providing service delivery; and assuring that the highest quality of customers service.

Online applications only are accepted. For instructions on how to apply online, go to www.golynx.com and click on “Career Opportunities.”

Norwegian offers cruise savings

 MIAMI – Norwegian Cruise Line is inviting Florida Alabama and Georgia residents on a “freestyle “cruising vacation to the Caribbean or Bahamas with special rates on select sailings in 2011 and 2012 for new cruise reservations booked beginning Monday, August 15 through Sunday, August 21.

Norwegian’s cruises offer residents a vacation close to home with departures from Miami, Port Canaveral and Tampa,. Guests can choose from a variety of itineraries including quick three-day weekend getaways to the Bahamas or more relaxing 11-day voyages to the Southern Caribbean.

From Miami, guests can enjoy a three or four-day cruise to the Bahamas on board Norwegian Sky; a seven-day cruise to the Western Caribbean on board Norwegian Pearl; or an Eastern Caribbean cruise on the line’s newest ship, Norwegian Epic.

For a longer retreat, guests can set sail on a 10- or 11-day cruise to the Southern Caribbean aboard the newly renovated Norwegian Dawn.

Similar sailings depart from Port Canaveral and Tampa.

Useful website: www.ncl.com. Residents may use promo codes Florida, Alabama and Georgia.

CSX replaces some tracks

 SOUTH TAMPA -- Several small businesses in South Tampa are bracing for a major road closure scheduled for next week.

Dale Mabry, just north of Gandy Boulevard will be shut down in both direction for several days as CSX replaces some older railroad tracks, including ties and rails.

Florida DOT is handling the road closure part of the project, which will be north of Gandy Boulevard and south of Fair Oaks.

Detours will take traffic along Bay to Bay Boulevard and then north or south on either MacDill or Manhattan Avenue, depending upon which way drivers need to travel.

“It’s a busy stretch, but the only way to replace the rails is to shut it down, get it done quickly, and if we have good weather, we may be able to open it up earlier,” said FDOT spokesperson Kris Carson.

Two trains currently use the stretch of rail being replaced, making runs to the Port of Tampa five days a week, but some 34,000 motorist use the same section of road daily.

Several more closings are taking place this month, including August 15-18 at Howard Ave. between Watrous and Morrison Avenues; August 22-25, 21st Street between 5th and 7th Avenues in Ybor will be closed; and South MacDill at Santiago Street.

From August 29 through September 1, Euclid Ave. between Himes and Lynwood Avenues will be closed for rail work, as well as Doyle Carlton Drive between Cass and Polk streets.

Modest gains in weekly rail traffic

 
    File photo | Leo King

    General freight showed modest gains last week, says the AAR. This northbound local CSX train has just passed Wells Road in Orange Park in 2007.

  WASHINGTON – The Association of American Railroads (AAR) yesterday reported modest gains in weekly rail traffic, with U.S. railroads originating 287,321 carloads for the week ending August 6, 2011, up 0.4 percent compared with the same week last year. Intermodal volume for the week totaled 235,568 trailers and containers, up 1.9 percent compared with the same week last year.

Thirteen of the 20 carload commodity groups posted increases from the comparable week in 2010, including: iron and steel scrap, up 37.6 percent; metal and products, up 14.2 percent, and farm products excluding grain, up 13.6 percent. Groups showing a decrease in weekly traffic included: grain, down 22.5 percent, and waste and nonferrous scrap, down 14.2 percent.

Weekly carload volume on Eastern railroads was up 3.7 percent compared with the same week last year. In the West, weekly carload volume was down 1.8 percent compared with the same week in 2010.

For the first 31 weeks of 2011, U.S. railroads reported cumulative volume of 8,938,230 carloads, up 2.2 percent from the same point last year, and 6,987,350 trailers and containers, up 6.7 percent from last year.

Canadian railroads reported 72,493 carloads for the week, up 2.3 percent compared with the same week last year, and 47,353 trailers and containers, down 4.3 percent compared with 2010. For the first 31 weeks of 2011, Canadian railroads reported cumulative volume of 2,296,140 carloads, up 2.4 percent from the same point last year, and 1,461,867 trailers and containers, up 2.2 percent from last year.

Mexican railroads reported 13,918 carloads for the week, up 1.6 percent compared with the same week last year, and 9,034 trailers and containers, up 23.9 percent.

Cumulative volume on Mexican railroads for the first 31 weeks of 2011 was 444,419 carloads, up 5 percent compared with the same point last year, and 247,706 trailers and containers, up 24.5 percent.

Combined North American rail volume for the first 31 weeks of 2011 on 13 reporting U.S., Canadian and Mexican railroads totaled 11,678,789 carloads, up 2.3 percent compared with the same point last year, and 8,696,923 trailers and containers, up 6.3 percent compared with last year.

DOT fines two charter airlines

 WASHINGTON – USDOT this week fined two companies for violating the department’s rules governing charter flights.

Aviation Advantage, Inc. (AAI) of Atlanta was assessed a civil penalty of $150,000 and Swift Air, LLC, of Phoenix was assessed a civil penalty of $100,000.

“Air travelers using charter services have rights, just as those using scheduled airlines do,” said Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. “We will take enforcement action if our rules protecting the rights of charter passengers are violated.”

The Department’s Aviation Enforcement Office found that AAI, a public charter operator, advertised flights in 2009 without listing the name of the charter operator or the airline operating the flights, as required by DOT rules. The advertisements also violated DOT regulations by failing to disclose that passengers would have to sign an operator-participant contract. Also, in 2010, AAI sold tickets for public charter flights and operated the flights without obtaining necessary authority from the department.

The company also violated DOT rules by using Capital Airways, an aircraft operator that did not hold the required commercial license, for a number charter flights in 2010.

The Department fined Capital Airways $175,000 in January for operating and marketing charter flights without required authority.

The Department fined Swift Air for cancelling a public charter flight on June 17, 2011, minutes before its scheduled departure. Under the department’s rules, a charter operator may not cancel a public charter flight less than 10 days before scheduled departure unless it is physically impossible to operate the flight. The carrier had been aware for nearly a month of compliance concerns raised by the FAA and should have known it might not be able to operate the flight, the department found. The entire charter program was canceled, affecting hundreds of consumers’ plans.

Useful website: www.regulations.gov

FAA fines American Eagle Airlines

 FORT WORTH, Texas – The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is proposing $155,000 in civil penalties against American Eagle Airlines of Fort Worth for allegedly operating eight flights with incorrect weight and balance data, and for using improper maintenance procedures when repairing a jet engine and then operating the aircraft when it was not in compliance with FAA regulations.

FAA inspectors observed 12 American Eagle flights arriving at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, Dec. 28-29, 2010. In eight instances, loading documents for checked luggage did not match observations made by the inspector.

American Eagle’s FAA-approved weight and balance program calls for the use of an automated Electronic Weight and Balance System (EWBS) to make sure aircraft are operated with correct weight and balance information. However, accurate data must be entered for the EWBS to function properly.

Operators may not exceed an aircraft’s weight limit when loading the plane and the weight must be distributed so that the aircraft remains in balance during the flight.

The FAA alleges American Eagle entered inaccurate data in the EWBS, then operated the aircraft with incorrect weight and balance information. The proposed civil penalty is $80,000.

The FAA also alleges American Eagle used improper procedures to repair an engine on one of its Embraer 135 regional jets, and that a mechanic signed off as “complete” on work he had not performed. As a result, American Eagle operated the aircraft on 34 flights between September 11 and September 17, 2010, when it was not in compliance with regulations. The proposed civil penalty is $75,000.

American Eagle has 30 days from the receipt of the FAA’s enforcement letters to respond to the agency, USDOT said.

MIA passenger traffic soars

  
    Photo | anna.aero

        MIA is an American Airlines hub.

MIAMI-DADE COUNTY – Passenger traffic at Miami International Airport (MIA) continued to surge in the first half of 2011 with total volume up 6.8 percent through June, according to statistics from the Miami-Dade Aviation Department.

MIA saw 18.8 million travelers in the first six months of the year – 1.2 million passengers more than the airport served through the same period last year.

International passengers jumped 8.4 percent to 8.8 million travelers and domestic travelers grew 5.4 percent to 10 million. In the month of June alone, total passengers increased 7.6 percent to 3.2 million passengers. International traffic grew 8.6 percent to more than 1.5 million passengers and domestic travel rose 6.8 percent to nearly 1.7 million passengers.

Passenger numbers were boosted by new and expanded routes.

In March, KLM began new service from Amsterdam with four weekly flights, and Iberia began new service from Barcelona with three weekly flights. Also in March, Delta began providing daily service from London Heathrow. American Airlines launched new daily service to Casa De Campo, Dominican Republic in May and began increasing service to seven other destinations as well.

In June, Dutch airline ArkeFly also began twice-weekly service from Amsterdam and TAP Portugal began service from Lisbon five times per week. June also saw the beginning of Airbus A380 service by Lufthansa for its daily service from Frankfurt, which increases capacity on that route by nearly 200 seats per day.

Despite a downturn in air cargo movement worldwide that resulted in MIA’s total cargo volume to decrease 1.8 percent, freight shipments between Asia and MIA jumped 9.2 percent to 43,623 tons through June. After growing from nine weekly flights in 2009 to 19 weekly flights in 2010, Asian cargo service at MIA will expand further with the addition of three weekly freighter flights from Seoul’s Incheon Airport by Asiana Airlines on September 1. MIA’s four Asian cargo carriers combined will then provide direct freighter service to cargo hubs in Taipei, Seoul and Hong Kong, as well as connecting flights to 21 other destinations in mainland China, MIA’s leading Asian trade partner in both volume and value of goods.

Airline traffic rises 3.9 percent

 WASHINGTON – USDOT reported this week that U.S. airlines carried 63.8 million scheduled domestic and international passengers in May, a 3.9 percent increase from May 2010.

The May 2011 passenger total was also 6.9 percent above that of two years ago but remained 3.3 percent below the early recession level of May 2008.

The feds also reported that U.S. airlines carried 4.0 percent more domestic passengers last May than in May 2010. The number of international passengers on U.S. carriers in May increased 3.2 percent over May 2010. The May 2011 load factors of 83.6 percent systemwide and 84.5 percent domestic were the highest recorded for any May.

The nation’s largest airlines’ on-time arrival performance in June 2011 was an improvement from June 2010, but down from May 2011, according to USDOT’s Air Travel Consumer Report.

The 16 carriers reporting on-time performance recorded an overall on-time arrival rate of 76.9 percent in June, up from the 76.4 percent on-time rate of June 2010 but down from May 2011’s 77.1 percent rate.

The monthly report also includes data on lengthy tarmac delays, on-time performance, chronically delayed flights, flight cancellations, and the causes of flight delays filed with the department by the reporting carriers. In addition, the report contains information on airline bumping, reports of mishandled baggage filed by consumers with the carriers, and consumer service, disability and discrimination complaints received by DOT’s Aviation Consumer Protection Division. This report also includes reports of incidents involving pets traveling by air, as required to be filed by U.S. carriers.