As many of you already know, several ACE trains were delayed yesterday as a result of an accident down line; a trespasser was fatally struck on the tracks by an Amtrak train.  I want to give you a recap of how this incident delayed our trains. 

ACE 04 was still at the San Jose station when the Amtrak train, en route to the Great America station, was involved in the incident. Union Pacific officials, Amtrak police and the local police had to complete their investigation before the rail line was able to be opened.  Amtrak also needed to inspect there train and the coroner needed to release the scene, which then allowed train service to continue.  ACE 04 was ultimately about 30 minutes behind schedule.

ACE 06 was also delayed because of this incident, and was halted behind an Amtrak train at the Great America station.  The Amtrak train was waiting on a bus carrying passengers from the San Jose Diridon Station.  Once the passengers from the bus were transferred to the Amtrak train, ACE 06 was able to depart about 60 minutes behind schedule.

We appreciate your patience as we strive to deliver you and information safely and efficiently.

Please remember that the last day to enter to win the iPhone™ is Friday, February 29, 2008.  To find out how to enter visit www.conductormax.com.

I would like to say thank you to those who have sent in comments so far.  Here is one of the first comments I received from passenger Hari: 

I am very proud to announce that our ACE Purple Line West Milpitas Shuttle has had its highest average daily ridership since November 2006.  I want to say thank you for supporting the Purple Line and the other various shuttles that are available to you.  Our operations team is continually working on improving and maintaining the efficiency of our shuttles as we know they are a vital connection in your commute. 

I am proud to say that our OTP has been very good so far in 2008.  With a strong 89% OTP, we are working hard to eclipse the 90% mark.  One of the main reasons behind the increased OTP is the improvements in the signal system which was completed by Union Pacific Rail Road (UPRR) and funded by ACE.  We also had better rerouting and rescheduling of trains by the dispatchers.  The UPRR has expressed its dedication to our passengers working with us to make these improvements.

In November of 2007, our vendor began replacing some ineffective WI-FI equipment and acquired a different satellite link.  We have been running a test program for the WI-FI on ACE 05 since the First week of February 2008. Once the testing program is complete, we will be able to determine the best direction we should head with WI-FI.  I will post more on this topic soon.

Hello, I am very excited to introduce you to the MAX Blog!  Thank you for taking time to read the blog and I hope you have been able to explore the tools on the new Conductor MAX site. I also encourage you to sign up for the MAX Insider.  The MAX Insider is our e-newsletter that we will be using in conjunction with MAX Blog to keep you informed of the latest activities around ACE. 

The MAX Blog will give me an opportunity to speak directly to you on a consistent basis.  The purpose of this blog is to keep you informed regarding news that will impact you as a train rider and commuter.  We are continually working on new projects, and my goal is to give you accurate updates on these projects.  It is also important that we let you know where we stand on existing projects.  There have been many questions regarding the status of Wi-Fi, and if and/or when it will be operating again. This project as well as others will be addressed here.  I encourage you to send comments and feedback so that we can work together to give you information the way you want it.  This means that I definitely want to hear from you!   

I hope that the new MAX Blog will be informative and keep you connected with us.