http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/news/local/html98/rail_199908 29.html The above url should be reviewed by everyone who is soon to be asked by Ron Sims to vote more taxes for Sound Transit.

Before you vote, wouldn't you like this issue resolved, or if not resolved, at least the potential costs defined?

The article below demonstrates why this is important. Even if you believe this 100 year old tunnel is safe for Sound Transit use, a formal finding of such from the Seattle Fire Marshal will still be necessary to reassure the passengers that using it is safe.

If it isn't safe, wouldn't it be appropriate to have someone give us an estimate as to how much money it would cost to fix it before we vote to put MORE money into Sound transit?

Another Metro fire alarms commuters 
By Daniel F. Drummond and Ellen Sorokin
THE WASHINGTON TIMES



JJJJJAnother fire on Metrorail's tracks Thursday has commuters 
and board members expressing concern about the transit 
system's safety procedures.
JJJJJIt was the latest in a series of problems Q small rail fires, 
reports of trains being sent into tunnel fires as probes, and a 
train rolling away without power and brakes.
JJJJJThursday's fire on the Blue Line outside the Arlington 
Cemetery station was the third consecutive day that fire crews 
have been called out on reports of "smoke in the tunnel."
JJJJJCheryl Johnson, a spokeswoman for Metro, said the fire 
occurred at 5:01 p.m. when employees noticed smoke coming 
from a wooden section of the tracks. Passengers in trains near 
the incident were evacuated and power was restored to the line 
at 5:53 p.m.
JJJJJSome commuters are becoming alarmed.
JJJJJSuzanne Taylor of Dover, Del., was getting ready to take her 
first ride on Metro when she found out about the recent incidents.
JJJJJ"Well, now I feel uneasy," she said while standing outside 
Foggy Bottom-GWU station. "I guess ignorance is bliss. Now I'm 
just scared to death."
JJJJJMetro is investigating Thursday's incident, but Ms. Johnson 
said the fire may have been caused by electricity from the 
750-volt third-rail that powers the trains, or simply warmer 
temperatures.
JJJJJ"There was a smoldering crosstie that caused the smoke Q it 
was not in the tunnel," Ms. Johnson said. "I know it's not unusual 
for the rail system to have crossties smolder."
JJJJJOn Wednesday, Montgomery County, Md., fire crews checked 
out an unfounded report of smoke in the tunnel near the 
Friendship Heights station, and on Tuesday, county firefighters 
responded to a debris fire near the White Flint station. Both 
resulted in lengthy delays for riders.
JJJJJMetro board members conceded even before Thursday's 
incident that the transit agency is suffering an image problem 
that could affect riders' confidence in the 24-year-old system.
JJJJJ"It's a heightened awareness," said Chairman Gladys W. 
Mack. "The new policy certainly did shed some light [on the 
problems]."
JJJJJUnder the new policy, Metro stops subway trains when there 
is a report of a fire and immediately evacuates passengers. 
Also, Metro employees are no longer allowed to extinguish fires.
JJJJJThe changes were prompted by an April 20 fire on the Blue 
line between the Farragut West and Foggy Bottom-GWU 
stations, leaving 273 persons trapped in a train for more than 
two hours.
JJJJJAt a hearing before the D.C. Council last Friday, Metro officials 
said that after initial reports of the fire, they sent a train full of 
passengers toward the blaze to determine its seriousness.
JJJJJGeneral Manager Richard A. White said he is concerned 
about the string of incidents, because public perception about 
Metro safety is vital to its success.
JJJJJ"I think the effect [of all the coverage] is that we are under a 
heightened state of scrutiny," Mr. White said.
JJJJJHe added, however, that the mishaps should be looked at 
separately.
JJJJJ"Each incident that's occurred, you can't connect the dots Q 
they're all unique in nature," he said.
JJJJJMetro Deputy Manager Charles Thomas said a May 26 
incident in which a disabled train came close to going over an 
incline when mechanics tried to hook it to another nearby train to 
push it into the Dupont Circle station Q first reported in 
Thursday's Washington Times Q shows the incidents aren't 
necessarily related.
JJJJJUnlike the April fire where the lack of policy may have been to 
blame, human error played more of a role in the "runaway" train 
incident, Mr. Thomas said.
JJJJJ"This issue kind of overlaps into a personnel issue," Mr. 
Thomas said. "This will not be rectified by a review of policies 
and procedures."
JJJJJMetro board Vice Chairman Christopher Zimmerman said he 
saw firsthand the problems the transit system has, especially in 
the area of communications. On Wednesday, Mr. Zimmerman 
found himself stuck at the Friendship Heights station while 
firefighters investigated a report of smoke in the tunnel.
JJJJJ"You couldn't figure out what was being heard," he said.
JJJJJBoard members made their comments after Thursday's 
weekly meeting, in which Mr. White announced that weekly 
ridership on Metrorail had increased 7.4 percent since last year. 
He also said trains will run until 2 a.m. on the weekends as part 
of a yearlong pilot program.
JJJJJCoincidentally, the Blue Line between the Capitol Heights and 
Addison Road stations will be part of a drill Saturday that will 
simulate an accident inside the tunnel, with about 20 "victims" 
involved.
JJJJJEven those who were not inconvenienced by the Blue Line 
evacuation said they felt a little uneasy about the safety of Metro.
JJJJJ"I am just hoping they fix the problem so they don't put anyone 
in danger anymore," said Jenifer Bookman, 25, of the Rosslyn 
section of Arlington, as she stood outside the McPherson 
Square station Thursday afternoon. "We pay to ride the Metro. 
The least they can do its keep us safe."
JJJJJOthers said that, despite worries about safety, the transit 
system is their only option.
JJJJJ"I am concerned about what's happening, and I hope they're 
trying to resolve it, but I still have to take Metro," said Roger Miller, 
of Vienna, while waiting at the Farragut West station. "I still have 
to go to work." 

-- Craig Carson (craigcar@crosswinds.net), June 10, 2000

Answers

No way will anyone tell you that this is going to be expensive to fix before the rest of the money is sunk into the stations and buying equipment. After that, you'll HAVE to vote the money for fixing the tunnel, "to keep from wasting what's already been spent."

zowie

-- (zowie@hotmail.com), June 11, 2000.

You guys are wasting your time. Nobody is going to ask the question until the project is past the point of no return, because they know what the answer is going to be, increased cost and increased project time.

zowie

-- (zowie@hotmail.com), June 13, 2000.

Amtrak and the GAO say that the passenger tunnels in the Northeast corridor are unsafe, because they have the same defects found in the Seattle train tunnel that Sounder will use.

Is it unreasonable to ask Sound Transit or the Seattle Fire Department to give us an honest assessment of whether or not the Seattle train tunnel also needs to be upgraded, and what it might cost?

Page 42 GAO/RCED-00-138 Amtraks Costs and Capital Needs
Needs Focus on the
Northeast Corridor
The short-term capital investment needs that Amtrak officials and 
reports
have identified focus largely on the Northeast Corridor. In 
particular,
Northeast Corridor officials have estimated that about $316 million 
will be
needed over the next 4 years to continue life safety investments at 
various
locations on the Northeast Corridor. While not one of the highest cost
investments, Amtrak officials have said that safety to passengers,
employees, and others is of paramount importance. An analysis 
conducted
by Amtraks Northeast Corridor business unit of life safety 
improvements
shows short-term investment needs concentrated primarily on the 
tunnels
leading into and out of New York Citys Pennsylvania Station. This 
station
serves, on average, over 300,000 intercity and commuter rail 
passengers
each weekday. The tunnels were built in the early 1900s and, 
according to
Amtrak, are in serious need of modernization. According to Amtraks
assessments, these tunnels have outdated ventilation systems, 
emergency
exits, and communications equipment, among other things. In June 1997,
Amtrak, along with the Long Island Rail Road and New Jersey Transit
the
two commuter railroads that use these tunnelsreported that a fire or
other serious incident in these tunnels or in Pennsylvania Station 
could
endanger the safety of passengers and those who respond to the 
accident.2
According to this report, necessary improvements include adding 
improved
exits, emergency power sources, tunnel lighting, better communications
systems, structural repairs, and fire protection. Amtrak will be 
working
with New Jersey Transit and the Long Island Rail Road to identify what
specific work remains to be done and how this work will be funded.3
Amtrak is also studying the life safety needs of other tunnels and 
stations,
such as those in Baltimore and Philadelphia. Amtrak
and the Federal Railroad Administration have also identified the 
Baltimore
and Potomac tunnel in Baltimore as being in need of major structural
repairs or replacement. This tunnel is over 130 years old and is also 
critical
to Amtraks Northeast Corridor service. Among the current problems 
with
this tunnel are substandard life safety conditions, poor drainage, and
structural defects. Amtraks preliminary cost estimate for replacing 
this
tunnel is about $563 million.
2 See Life Safety Effort, Pennsylvania Station and the New York 
Tunnels: An Improvement
Program for the North and East River Tunnels, Amtrak, Long Island 
Rail Road, and New
Jersey Transit (June 1997).
3 In commenting on a draft of this report, both Amtrak and the 
Federal Railroad
Administration noted that work is being done on these tunnels, and 
according to the Federal
Railroad Administration, $40 million (nominal dollars) has been 
budgeted for this in 2000.

Or is zowie right?

the craigster

-- (craigcar@crosswinds.net), June 20, 2000.

Is zowie right????

Is zowie right??????


zowie is ALWAYS right!!

-- (zowie@hotmail.com), June 23, 2000.

WHEN you are asked to vote more money for Sound Transit (and you will be asked to vote more money for Sound Transit) you'd be weel advised to vote "no" until/unless the fire authorities indicate that there is either no requirement for upgrading this tunnel or until they have a firm bid (backed by a performance bond) on just how much the upgrade will cost, and a contract signed by BNSF detailing what percentage they'll pay!

-- Mikey (m_alworth@olympusnet.com), June 29, 2000.