Arrive Magazine - January/February, 2008

All Aboard

Meet the Crew

If you’re one of our regular riders you’ve probably come to know our on-board crews. While they ensure that you have a safe and pleasant journey, there are many other employees you might not have the opportunity to know. It is their beyond-the-platform efforts that contribute to the comfort and reliability you’ve come to expect.

Our engineering department is largely responsible for shorter travel times and ride quality. Using curve geometry analysis, we shaved time off Acela Express schedules between New York and Washington last year. Also, our Northeast Corridor infrastructure is in excellent condition—thanks to an aggressive approach to bringing the railroad to a state of good repair and the work of exemplary engineering employees like Roy Wilkins, John Froehlich Jr. and Ron Davis.

The equipment we use in the Corridor is serviced by mechanical employees along the route. Before you board a train, it undergoes a thorough review and cleaning. If you are traveling from Boston aboard Acela Express, your train may be serviced by High Speed Rail Machinist Michael Morrissey or Electrician Veronica Ifill from the Southampton Yard facility. If your train originates in Washington, D.C., it is thoroughly inspected by mechanics like Mark Osborne or Lynwood Salaam from our Ivy City facility. Equipment is also serviced by employees like Carman Kenny Carlin at Sunnyside Yard in Long Island City, N. Y., where trains are run through a carwash and given an interior cleaning by the likes of Coach Cleaner Monique Branch.

Before a freshly serviced train reaches Washington, D.C., Train Director Daniel Moffett Sr., who is among the employees responsible

for coordinating the on-time movement of the trains, assigns a yard crew to bring the train to the platform and then controls the switches and signals for its safe and efficient operation.

On the platform, the engineer—maybe Engineer PJ Smith—meets with the conductor and assistant conductor to discuss any special operating instructions and review safety measures before passengers begin boarding. Once the conductor gives the engineer what’s known as “two to go”—railroad parlance for ready to proceed—the train is on the road.

The on-time performance of your train is managed by train dispatchers like Sandra McAr-dle, who communicates with the engineer and conductor throughout the trip. Sandy’s attention is focused on the monitors at our Philadelphia dispatching center and on ensuring the safe and efficient movement of your train, one among the approximately 1,900 Amtrak, commuter and freight trains that travel along our busy Northeast Corridor each day.

We’re a people-powered company, and the individuals I mentioned are just a few of the many extraordinary Amtrak employees whose diverse sets of skills and dedication come together to ensure you have a safe, reliable and comfortable travel experience. We’re pleased to have you with us today and look forward to serving you often.