Posted by Tom Bogdan on October 01, 2003 at 21:28:04:
Senator Kenneth LaValle
325 Middle Country Rd.
Suite 4
Selden, N.Y. 11784
Dear Senator LaValle,
On August 12, the Montauk Anti Pollution Coalition (the “MAP Coalition”) forwarded an extensive report to your office identifying the Long Island Rail Road as the largest single source of industrial noise pollution and related anti-environmental activities in Montauk. The report also included a petition identifying over 1,000 of your constituents as being adversely affected by these actions of the LIRR. Support for this effort was immediate and wide ranging. As you can see from the attachments, media attention was very favorable and assurances have been made of continuing interest in all subsequent MAP Coalition activity.
Since the publishing of the report, continuing research has produced evidence that all the LIRR’s documented responses to these issues are in fact false, as well as having uncovered a number of additional serious problems concerning the actions of the LIRR within your district. While the following represents only a portion of the new data, it is indicative of the increasing level of dissatisfaction with the LIRR’s lack of attention to these issues, and the very real potential of disastrous accidents as a result of the LIRR’s use of antiquated systems, polices and practices.
Of the five LIRR diesel terminals on Long Island, the only one not technologically upgraded to modern railroad safety standards is the Montauk terminal. In terms of passenger safety, the LIRR has not upgraded the operational means of controlling train movement, within your district, in over 100 years. Rather than total computerization of operations as in all other Long Island terminals, the LIRR operates train movement based on three hand written notes passed from train to train in a same manner as employed in the 19th century. According to recently retired LIRR personnel familiar with LIRR operations, this antiquated form of operation has resulted in many “technical” LIRR train collisions within the first district. Under this century-old technique, it is only a matter of time before a “technical” collision turns into a real disaster.
Of all 5 LIRR diesel terminals on Long Island, only Montauk’s is not equipped with the electrical systems, called “wayside power”, which power auxiliary systems built into LIRR trains for the specific purpose of keeping passenger A/C or heat running (depending on season), as well as keeping the locomotives engine warm using electric heaters, thereby, completely eliminating the need to idle the locomotives engine while the train is at rest. As such, diesel engines in Montauk are kept idling for incredible periods of time. On Sunday, September 14th, total idling time of LIRR diesel locomotive engines exceeded 40 hours in a 12 hour period. Within the 24-hour time period of September 24, diesel engines idled for 22 of those hours. Examples of individual LIRR diesel engines left idling at Montauk station on September 14th are as follows:
Engine 406 - 4 hours
Engine 405 - 4 hours
Engine 418 - 4 hours
Engine 419 - 8 hours
Engine 413 - 9 1/2 hours
Engine 415 - 11 hours.
A total of over 46 hours of completely unnecessary, wasteful, destructive idling.
The reason, stated by LIRR management for this outrageously excessive idling is that diesel locomotive engines are too difficult to restart once turned off, and require extensive warm-up periods to operate “efficiently”. In fact, all of the above engines were lay-overs from September 13 and were shut down for the evening. All engines were started at the same time the morning of September 14 and idled for periods up to 11 hours. However, our observations of operations at the LIRR Montauk Terminal, as well as others, indicates that, even without “wayside power”, no more than 1 hour of locomotive idling time is required before a trains departure. With wayside power, or with the EPA-recommended, diesel-driven heating system identified in our first report, no idling is needed at all.
As of today, September 16, the MAP Coalition has not received any response from you or your staff regarding these issues. We once again request your aid and active support in rectifying the abuses of the LIRR within your district. We have met with Assemblyman Theile, who has expressed his full support, as well as his desire to arrange a meeting with the LIRR, Map Coalition representatives, and elected officials including yourself. Congressman Bishop also is supporting us, and has written to the LIRR to demand an end to unnecessary idling. We request a meeting with you and your staff to devise a plan of action.
Yours truly,