Don't let hole sink train service
Memphis city officials shouldn't delay repairs on a problem that is disrupting train service because of missing paperwork
Friday, June 27, 2008
http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2008/jun/27/editorials-dont-let-hole-sink-train-service/
Maybe some day, centuries from now, some latter-day Indiana Jones will uncover a moldy, dust-covered contract that spells out Memphis' legal liability for fixing sinkholes under railroad tracks.
By then, it probably won't be worth the paper it's printed on -- unless it has historical significance as the document that indirectly led to discontinuation of passenger train service to the Mid-South's largest city.
This week, an Amtrak official said the train company is thinking about bypassing its stops in Memphis if a sinkhole at Central Station isn't fixed soon.
The sinkhole developed in April after an underground culvert collapsed, allowing the dirt above it to fall into a drainage tunnel that empties into the Mississippi River.
Initially, the sinkhole was only about the size of a basketball, but it quickly grew into a small chasm.
Which has forced Amtrak to bus Memphis passengers from Central Station to satellite locations so they can catch the train. Not only is that inconvenient for the passengers, but it adds to Amtrak's cost of providing the service.
So why hasn't someone fixed this sinkhole? Well, Memphis City Atty. Elbert Jefferson said there's a disagreement about who should be responsible for the estimated $1 million cost of making the repairs.
Jefferson said city officials have been trying to locate a late 19th Century contract that could clarify whether the city, which owns the land, or Canadian National Railway, which owns the tracks, should pay.
And Jefferson said he's not optimistic the contract will be found anytime soon. "It may take years or months to find a document of that age," he said. "It could be anywhere."
Let's hope someone has already thought to look under "R" for railroad and "S" for sinkhole.
Seriously, though, it's maddening to think that city officials could put Amtrak service at risk over this.
More than 50,000 passengers used Central Station last year. The Amtrak route, which runs between Chicago and New Orleans, helps bring tourists to Memphis and gives Memphians access to a nationwide rail network.
With more people looking for alternatives to traveling by car or airplane, now seems like a terrible time to get rid of passenger rail service here.
The common-sense solution to the problem is obvious: Memphis, which owns the culvert that caused the sinkhole in the first place, ought to go ahead and make the repairs.
If it's later determined that Canadian National should share part of the cost, the city could always seek reimbursement.
Those legal issues can be sorted out in time. Meanwhile, the city can't afford to be left at the station.
Memphis city officials shouldn't delay repairs on a problem that is disrupting train service because of missing paperwork
Friday, June 27, 2008
http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2008/jun/27/editorials-dont-let-hole-sink-train-service/
Maybe some day, centuries from now, some latter-day Indiana Jones will uncover a moldy, dust-covered contract that spells out Memphis' legal liability for fixing sinkholes under railroad tracks.
By then, it probably won't be worth the paper it's printed on -- unless it has historical significance as the document that indirectly led to discontinuation of passenger train service to the Mid-South's largest city.
This week, an Amtrak official said the train company is thinking about bypassing its stops in Memphis if a sinkhole at Central Station isn't fixed soon.
The sinkhole developed in April after an underground culvert collapsed, allowing the dirt above it to fall into a drainage tunnel that empties into the Mississippi River.
Initially, the sinkhole was only about the size of a basketball, but it quickly grew into a small chasm.
Which has forced Amtrak to bus Memphis passengers from Central Station to satellite locations so they can catch the train. Not only is that inconvenient for the passengers, but it adds to Amtrak's cost of providing the service.
So why hasn't someone fixed this sinkhole? Well, Memphis City Atty. Elbert Jefferson said there's a disagreement about who should be responsible for the estimated $1 million cost of making the repairs.
Jefferson said city officials have been trying to locate a late 19th Century contract that could clarify whether the city, which owns the land, or Canadian National Railway, which owns the tracks, should pay.
And Jefferson said he's not optimistic the contract will be found anytime soon. "It may take years or months to find a document of that age," he said. "It could be anywhere."
Let's hope someone has already thought to look under "R" for railroad and "S" for sinkhole.
Seriously, though, it's maddening to think that city officials could put Amtrak service at risk over this.
More than 50,000 passengers used Central Station last year. The Amtrak route, which runs between Chicago and New Orleans, helps bring tourists to Memphis and gives Memphians access to a nationwide rail network.
With more people looking for alternatives to traveling by car or airplane, now seems like a terrible time to get rid of passenger rail service here.
The common-sense solution to the problem is obvious: Memphis, which owns the culvert that caused the sinkhole in the first place, ought to go ahead and make the repairs.
If it's later determined that Canadian National should share part of the cost, the city could always seek reimbursement.
Those legal issues can be sorted out in time. Meanwhile, the city can't afford to be left at the station.