May 2011 - Amtrak

6 | May 2011 Amtrak Ink
“E
VERY DAY AT 7 A.M. Eastern time, the team
would run through the list of people on the line:
Transportation? Here. System Ops? Here.
Engineering? Here. Mechanical? Here. Passenger
Services? Here.
In the early 1990s, with Amtrak still under the watch of
W. Graham Claytor Jr., the top priority of the company
was to improve operating and safety performance. So each
day began with a number of executives and managers representing
every division nationwide and all facets of the
company on a conference call to address any operating
issues from the day before and make sure everything was
squared away for the morning rush hour. The emphasis
was on accountability.
Nothing illustrates the way Amtrak was run better
than that half-hour call.
Gary Boone
Carman Journeyman
Los Angeles 8th Street
Coach Yard
Hired 1990
Delivery of 20 new diesel
locomotives, P32-8BWH –
first of the new generation
of GE-built engines.
Amtrak begins operation of
leased Talgo trains in partnership
with Washington State
Department of Transportation.
The company was still run very much as a traditional
railroad — lots of involvement by senior management in
day-to-day operations. Top-down management and decision-making.
Vertical departments were operated
centrally and independent of each other.
But during that call they came together. The trains had
to move. On-time performance was critical.”
Lee Bullock Gil Mallery
Former Assistant Former President,
General Superintendent, Amtrak West Strategic
Chicago Business Unit
Excerpted from Amtrak: An American Story
Personal Accountability Brings Success
“Some of my favorite memories involve
former General Foreman Cecil Greenwood,
at our L.A. Mechanical Facility, I remember
when he had returned from a medical leave
and walked in at the beginning of our shift’s
safety briefing. He was greeted with a
tremendous round of applause that was
heartfelt by everyone. He was a wellrespected
manager who got the most out of
190 self-service ticket
machines installed nationwide.
every employee through mutual respect and
trust.
Over the years, I’ve certainly seen the
company move toward more personal
accountability and a cleaner and safer work
environment. We have adjusted to finding
ways to do more work with fewer employees.
We keep growing in success.”
1992 1994 1997
1998
Consolidated National
Operations Center (CNOC)
opens in Wilmington, Del.