Impact of Hurricane Ike

Transcription

1 Island Transit History, Design and Impact of Hurricane Ike By Gary A. Gordon, P.E. Assistant Federal Security Director-Surface Surface, South Central Region and Michael Worthy Director of Transportation, Island Transit 2009 AREMA Annual Conference September 22, 2009

2 Introduction History of Island Transit Trolley Early E l Systems Pre-1900 Hurricane Systems Post-1900 Hurricane and Current System Design Considerations of Current Trolley System Underlying and General Considerations Car C Body Truck Assembly Car Interior Infrastructure Characteristics of Trolley System Routes and operations Rolling stock Hurricane Ike General background and details Impacts Island Transit Recovery Plan

3 History of Island Transit Trolley - Pre-1900 Galveston Hurricane 1866 Galveston City Railroad (GCRR) established 1868 GCRR begins operations with mule cars 1874 People s Railroad (PRR) begins operations GCRR acquires PRR 1883 Gulf City Street Railway (GCSR) established 1887 GCSR merged with C+GCRR 1890 In May GCRR votes to electrify system Operating 23 track miles 1891 First electrified streetcar operation Track rebuilt (40# rail), 3,000 ties/mile & OH electrification 1892 GCRR expands to 40-mile system 1900 Galveston Hurricane Severely damages electrification system

4 History of Island Transit Trolley - Post-1900 Galveston Hurricane and Current System Reconstruction of streetcar lines 1905 Streetcar system completely electrified and mule cars retired Birney Safety Cars acquired Circa 1930 Bus lines began replacing streetcar lines 1938 Streetcar operations cease 1988 Re-establish system serving Seawall Blvd., Downtown and The Strand 1995 and 2003 Expanded system to Galveston Wharf and UTMB Campus

5 Design Considerations of Current Trolley System Underlying and General Considerations History of the development of electric traction ti parallels U.S. with local variations 1900 hurricane extended use of mule cars Subsequent slow growth in Galveston slowed modernization of system Delayed purchase of Birney Safety Cars Prevented purchase of PCC cars Intent of new trolley project was to replicate the historic streetcars Decision to use self-propelled streetcars because of the damage to the OH electrification system caused by the 1900 Hurricane New vehicle to be traditional and replicate the vehicles circa

6 Design Considerations of Current Trolley System Car Body Design Considerations Closed car because of varied environmental and weather conditions Size of car to be based on projected ridership (32-40 PAX seated facing forward) Closed vs. open ends, but operator comfort considered Design to allow for one operator (different from old Galveston streetcars motorman and conductor) Air conditioning unlikely so operable windows required Truck Assembly Considerations Target design period had single and double truck vehicles Operating characteristics - single vs. double trucks to be compatible with: Specific body design Propulsion system selected Operations of the system Track geometry

7 Design Considerations of Current Trolley System Car Interior Considerations Little historic i information to guide design consideration Should be simple and functional Allow for low maintenance and easy cleaning Material used should be durable (i.e. wood seats used St. Charles Street Line in New Orleans should be considered) Infrastructure Mostly Street operations Embedded track in street 7 girder rail, wood ties and conventional fastening Not electrified because of 1900 hurricane experience Use highway traffic signals for control Open stations with defined platform, signage and some with canopies

8 Characteristics of Trolley System Pre-Hurricane Ike Operations and Routes Two Route, 6-Mile System Beach/Downtown Route (approx. 5.2 miles) 19 stops 20 minute headways Seawall Boulevard, 25 th /Rosenberg Street, Downtown and The Strand UTMB/Downtown Route (approx. 0.8 miles) 5 stops 15 minute headways Downtown, The Strand and UTMB Campus Street running Pre-Hurricane Ike ridership 55,000 (mostly tourists) Pre-Hurricane Ike hours of operation Winter - 10 AM to 6 PM/8 PM (weekends) Summer 9AMto8PM

9 Rolling Stock Characteristics of Current Trolley System Four cars purchased built by Miner Railcar (now Kasgro Rail Corporation) Replica of 1903 Brills (used on Council Crest Line., Portland, OR) Steel bodies and wood seats for authentic appearance Capacity: Seating 40 PAX maximum, standing - 40 PAX maximum Propulsion Caterpillar 3208 diesel engine w/192 HP at 1800 RPM Engine drives generator capable of furnishing V AC/ V DC for four 40 HP series-wound traction motors

10 Hurricane Ike

11 Hurricane Ike Forecasted landfill until Thursday, 9/11/08, was SW down Texas coast Approached Galveston and Houston as a Category 2 (110 MPH) Had a very large wind field (tropical storm force winds) 425 miles Inner structure/eyewall became more organized as it approached Texas Made landfall ll at Galveston as a Category 2 hurricane 2:10 AM on Saturday, 9/13/08 Maximum sustained winds of 110 MPH Large wind field yielded storm surge approaching a Category 4 hurricane Storm surge was (< 20 ± forecasted) Entered Galveston Bay Final Texas Landfall near Baytown

12 Impact of Hurricane Ike

13 Impact of Hurricane Ike

14 Impact of Hurricane Ike Water damage to 2 operating trolleys outside car barn Water damage to all 4 trolleys (2 trolleys were in the car barn, not in service and were for parts)

15 Impact of Hurricane Ike Interior damage Exterior damage

16 Impact of Hurricane Ike Damage to track and switches Damage to Stations

17 Trolley System Island Transit Recovery Plan Repair all 4 rail trolleys (est. $600 K each) Repair trolley tracks and switches Repair p car barn/maintenance facility (awaiting trolley repair) Bus system Replace buses (15 damaged) Repair bus maintenance facility Repair administration building (attached to bus maintenance facility) Working with FEMA on repairs and funding, no set time frame No date set for resumption of trolley service

18 Island Transit History, Design and Impact of Hurricane Ike Questions