The RIOC Column

Safer and better than ever, the Tram is back.

Roosevelt Island’s signature transportation system returned to service last week after the State Department of Labor conducted tests of newly upgraded safety systems installed in the aftermath of last April’s outage.

Herbert E. Berman President Roosevelt Island Operating Corp. e-mail: HBerman@rioc.com

Among the upgrades and changes are:

• The Tram now has two fully-operational primary Silicon Control Rectifier (SCR) drive systems – a brand new one and a second that was fully refurbished in Switzerland over the summer and recently reinstalled. In case of a failure of the system in use, the second drive can be activated by a simple turn of a switch and the Tram can continue normal operation. To ensure both drive systems are maintained in top operating condition at all times, we plan on using both drives on a regular, alternating, schedule.

• A motor generator (MG) set that operated the Tram for its first 20 years of existence has been repaired and refurbished and is on-site. In the extreme case in which both SCR drives are out of service, it can be activated within 24 hours and operate the Tram while the SCR units are serviced.

• A new diesel hydrostatic drive unit designed to bring the Tram back into the station safely in case of a power failure has been installed to replace a 30-year-old unit that failed on April 18. This drive, with a new generator powering it independent of the power grid, can be activated within ten minutes. Supervisors and maintenance staff will have ongoing training in activating the diesel unit.

• The emergency evacuation plan, including the basket rescue system that worked according to plans and training on April 18, has been revised in cooperation with the City’s Office of Emergency Management and the police and fire departments. More than 160 firefighters and police officers have received orientation on the Tram operation in recent months, and training with RIOC personnel will continue on a regular basis.

• Wiring has been refurbished and upgraded throughout the Tram system.

• All deck areas in Tram stations both in Manhattan and Roosevelt Island have been waterproofed to block water leakage that could affect mechanical systems.

• A new evacuation ladder has been purchased to be deployed in assisting passengers getting out of the emergency basket should it ever be needed again.

• Cabins have been painted, and there are new windows and window seats in the cabins as well.

• We have purchased emergency preparedness kits for each cabin to meet initial needs of passengers in the case of an emergency stoppage. Kits include warming blankets, light sticks, water, food, toilet facility and privacy curtain among other things.

• We have purchased Nextel phones with 24-hour battery life to be used as back-up by cabin attendants in case of an emergency. This will be in addition to the newly upgraded radio systems installed in the cabins.

The repairs and upgrades, at a cost of about $500,000, were paid out of monies that had been approved by the RIOC Board prior to the April 18 outage that were part of a multi-year plan to upgrade various components of the 30-year-old system. In addition, the State has committed $15 million to a modernization program that is scheduled to be completed by 2009 and is designed to ensure the Tram’s operation decades into the future.