February 1999

A Message from the Executive Director Keeping Our Coaches Clean Tri-Rail passengers have come to expect a ride in a clean, comfortable and smooth-riding air-conditioned coach. Our dedicated maintenance employees make every effort to deliver just that. I'd like to give you a brief overview of what our coaches see in the way of maintenance to keep them running as clean and efficient as possible. Each coach is taken off the railroad line once during each day for cleaning and daily safety inspection, either at our main facility in Hialeah or our satellite facility in West Palm Beach. A coach beginning its day in Hialeah, for example, will make four trips to Mangonia Park before retiring at West Palm Beach for cleaning and inspection during the night. The next day the coach will return to the Hialeah shop during the daylight hours, where a more thorough inspection is made over a lighted pit. The toilets are emptied, water tanks are filled, the locomotive is fueled and a thorough check of the train's braking system, air conditioning system, lights, horns, bells, radio and public address systems are made. After all the inspections and needed repairs are made, the train is given a bath in our newly renovated train washer and made available for the next assignment. During the weekends, there is not as much demand for coaches in service. It is at this time that heavier maintenance can be performed, such as carpet shampooing, heavy cleaning and wheel, brake and air conditioning maintenance. Every two to three years, each coach gets a bi-annual air brake overhaul. This year we are also having the air conditioners changed and upgraded to cool our passengers even more effectively. The last time around our coaches received door closing warning lights and buzzers, along with new bicycle racks for our biker passengers. As always, we continue to appreciate the help our thoughtful passengers provide us, by taking their newspapers with them when leaving the train and refraining from eating and drinking on board, except in the cab cars. This makes for a more pleasant atmosphere for fellow passengers when it is not possible for maintenance workers to be present on the train. See you on board! Linda Bohlinger -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- A New Look For Tri-Rail Tri-Rail unveiled its commemorative 10th Year Anniversary coach car on January 21, 1999, during a ceremony at the Miami Airport Tri-Rail Station. Tri-Rail's look is scheduled to change during the next year and all trains will be redesigned to reflect Tri-Rail's second decade in operation. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Did You Know… Tri-Rail owns the national championship among the nation's commuter railroads the most miles per month accumulated by each individual coach car? Each Tri-Rail coach averages 108,000 miles per year. Our closest competitor, Long Island Railroad, only makes 54,000 miles annually. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Double-tracking Project to Boost Reliability Tri-Rail's Board approved the $338 million Double Track Corridor Improvement Project in November 1998, which will add a second mainline track along Tri-Rail's 71-mile corridor from West Palm Beach to Miami. Double tracking will help ensure that Tri-Rail trains run more frequently and on time. The first two phases of the eleven-phase project are complete and the third and fourth phases are under way. By the end of 2000, Tri-Rail will have completed half of its double-tracking work. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- February Rider of the Month Rider Alan Tarrab writes: I think you should charge differently depending on the exact departure and arrival station. You should also check each passenger for a valid ticket while boarding and leaving the train - not at random during the trip. This way nobody could get away with riding without paying. Tri-Rail responds: Tri-Rail ticket prices vary, based on where you board and where you depart from a train. Ticket prices on weekdays range from $2 to $9.25, depending on distance traveled. On weekends, ticket prices range from $2 to $4. Ensuring that all passengers who ride Tri-Rail have paid for a valid ticket is the goal of our Zero Tolerance Fare Evasion Program. Zero tolerance means that anybody who is found riding Tri-Rail trains without first purchasing a valid ticket will be issued a $50 citation by onboard security officers and removed from the train. The policy sounds tough because it has to be - Tri-Rail cannot afford to transport non-paying passengers. At this time, an honor system exists for South Florida commuters. Entry to Tri-Rail trains is barrier-free (no turnstiles and no conductor checking tickets at the door). Purchasing tickets from automated ticket vending machines at our stations saves Tri-Rail passengers time and saves Tri-Rail administration costs. Because most Tri-Rail passengers travel only an average of four stations, checking all riders would significantly increase Tri-Rail's labor costs. Stationing a ticket inspector at each door would increase the need for security officers on all cars. You can help us educate other riders about Tri-Rail's Zero Tolerance Fare Evasion Policy. Avoid a citation or potential confrontation by remembering to buy a valid ticket prior to boarding. And try to arrive early at stations so there is sufficient time to purchase a ticket. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Have a question or comment about Tri-Rail? Here's your opportunity! Simply mail your question to: Tri-Rail Marketing Department, Attn: Rider of the Month, at our new administrative office, 800 NW 33rd St., Suite 100, Pompano Beach, Fla., 33064, to be featured in an upcoming issue.