According to The New York Times, Amtrak’s management “knew
for years that they would have to replace large sections of deteriorating track
in Pennsylvania Station in New York City.”[1]
The management instead had engineering crews apply “short-term fixes to rows of
rotted ties, crumbling concrete and eroded steel.”[2]
Incredulously, the management was putting off replacing the tracks in part “to
give work time to a nearby passenger hall renovation.”[3]
Additionally, the management sought to minimize taking tracks out of service even
on weekends so as not to disrupt service. In 2017, three accidents at the
station finally got the management to commit to undertake an emergency repair
program that “cut back service through the summer for thousands of passengers
daily.”[4]
Even by the objective of minimizing impaired service, prioritizing a hall
renovation and putting off needed track
repairs are problematic. The deeper problem is that of seriously misjudging
utility.
The full essay is at "Amtrak."
