WE WANT -- JENNY:
TIM: IT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE HERE
ABOUT 9:20.
THE PEOPLE THAT WERE GOING TO
GET ON THE TRAIN BEFORE THE
UNFORTUNATE ACCIDENT IN THE
DUPONT AREA HAVE SINCE BEEN PUT
ON ALTERNATE EQUIPMENT AND
DIFFERENT TRAIN AND ARE HEADED
SOUTH TO EUGENE.
THAT WOULD BE TOTALLY SEPARATE.
JOINING ME HERE NOW IS DONALD
LEE.
P.
HE KNOWS A LOT ABOUT THE SYSTEM
AND WITH AMTRAK.
YOU ARE WITH AORTA.
TELL US WHAT THAT IS.
IT IS AN ACRONYM
.
WE HAVE BEEN AROUND SINCE 1975,
PROMOTING AND EXTENDING
INNER-CITY PASS FOR TRAINS AND
STANDARD FREIGHT SERVICE AND
INTERCONNECTING BUS SERVICE.
TIM: TELL
ME HOW YOUR DAY
UNFOLDED AFTER YOU HEARD ABOUT
THE ACCIDENT, AND WHAT IT MEANS
FOR WHAT YOU ADVOCATE FOR?
IT IS A SAD DAY
AND DEALING
WITH THE LOSS OF LIFE AND
DISRUPTION OF TRAVELERS PLANS.
IT IS A DAY THAT WAS SUPPOSED TO
BE A CELEBRATION ALONG THE
ENTIRE ROUTE THE BETWEEN
SEATTLE
AND PORTLAND.
THIS REALLY PUTS A DAMPER ON IT.
UNFORTUNATELY, WHEN YOU DEAL
WITH HUMAN BEINGS AND MECHANICAL
THINGS, WE KNOW
THINGS CAN
HAPPEN.
UNFORTUNATELY, IT HAD TO HAPPEN
ON OPENING DAY FOR US.
TIM: IT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE A
CELEBRATION DAY, AND OTHER IS
MO
URNING AND FEAR.
HOW DO YOU THINK THIS WILL PLAY
OUT FROM YOUR EXPAND IN THE
PAST?
FIRST OF ALL, RAIL TRAVEL IS
ONE OF THE SAFEST WAY OF MOVING
TRAVELERS ON EARTH.
IT IS FAR SAFER THAN TRAVELING
IN AN AUTOMOBILE.
THAT IS A SPECIFIC
-- STATISTIC
THAT HAS HELD FOR YEARS AND
YEARS.
WE WILL BE LOOKING FORWARD TO
THE RESTORATION OF SERVICES AS
SOON AS THE TRACK CAN BE
REPAIRED.
ADDITIONALLY, WE WILL LOOK
FORWARD TO FINDING OUT THE
RESULTS OF THE INVESTIGATION TO
FIND OUT EXACTLY WHAT HAPPENED.
WAS IT A RAIL OR A TRAIN ISSUE
OR SOME OTHER ACTIVITY?
RIGHT NOW, IT LOOKS LIKE
SOME
OTHER ACTIVITY.
THE ROUTE WAS TESTED.
THERE WERE NEW TRACKS AND
EQUIPMENT.
WE JUST HAVE TO SEE
THE OFFICIAL
DECLARATIONS OF THE RESULTS OF
ANY KIND OF INVESTIGATIONS THAT
CONTINUE.
JIM: AT THIS POINT, YOU HAVE
BEEN IN TOUCH WITH SOME PEOPLE
AND HAVE NOT HEARD ANYTHING YET
IN TERMS OF WHAT HAS HAPPENED.
WHAT HAS BEEN COMING
OUT SO
FAR IS SOME KIND OF A TRUCK OR
MOTOR VEHICLE POSSIBLY ON THE
TRACKS.
TIM: SOME MITIGATING FACTOR.
A TRAIN ON NEW TRACKS THAT
IS
NOT CURVY OR DANGEROUS AND NO
WEATHER, A PASSENGER TRAIN
LEAVING THE RAILS THAT HAS JUST
BEEN INSPECTED WITHIN THE
LAST
40 HOURS IS SO UNLIKELY
THAT
STATISTICALLY AS TO BE CLOSE TO
ZERO.
PERSONALLY, I WOULD SUSPECT SOME
KIND OF OTHER OBJECT.
SOME OF THE EARLY NEWS I AM
HEARING AND THE EARLY REPORTS
SAY THERE WAS SOME TIME -- KIND
OF TRUCK INVOLVED.
TIM: K YOU TELL US WHAT ABOUT
--
CAN YOU TELL US ABOUT WHAT THE
CELEBRATION WAS SUPPOSED TO BE.
THIS WAS SUPPOSED TO BE A
CELEBRATION MOST OF THE DAY.
THIS WAS A TRAIN
ENDING IN
PORTLAND AND THEN ALSO ANOTHER
ONE HEADING NORTH.
WE ANTICIPATED REDUCED
TRAVEL
TIMES AND LATER EVENING TRAIN
THAT WOULD LEAVE AROUND 9:00 AND
GET AROUND 11:00.
THIS WAS ALL AN EXPANSION OF THE
CASCADES SERVICE.
IT HAS GROWN IN RIDERSHIP
CONSISTENTLY OVER THE YEARS
SINCE IT WAS INAUGURATED.
WE HAVE ENJOYED TREMENDOUS
PUBLIC SUPPORT FOR THE SERVICE.
THERE IS WI-FI ABOARD YOUR YOU
CAN BE PRODUCTIVE.
IF YOU NEED TO MAKE A BUSINESS
TRIP ONE WAY OR THE OTHER, YOU
CAN BE PRODUCTIVE ON THE TRAIN.
SULTRY --
CELL PHONES ARE
WORKING AND THE SUCH.
WE WERE EXTREMELY FORTUNATE TO
HAVE THE SORT OF SERVICE.
THIS WAS THE THIRD OR FOURTH
MOST POPULAR STATE RUN ROUTE IN
THE NATION.
OBVIOUSLY, THE NORTHEAST QUARTER
IS CONSIDERED MORE POPULAR, BUT
IT WAS VERY POPULAR.
I DON'T THINK THIS WILL CAUSE
ANY LOSS OF RIDERSHIP BECAUSE OF
THAT.
TIM: LET'S HOPE NOT.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR JOINING
US.
THERE YOU HAVE IT.
WE WILL SIMPLY
AWAIT THE
INVESTIGATION RESULTS TO FIND
OUT ANYTHING MORE ABOUT WHAT
HAPPENED.
RIGHT NOW, IT IS ABOUT DEALING
WITH THE SITUATION SOUTH OF
TACOMA WITH ALL THE CASUALTIES
AND INJURIES.
IT IS PRETTY MUCH AN EMPTY UNION
STATION.