The RIOC Column

Because of WIRE deadlines, this column was written before Thursday’s meeting of the Roosevelt Island Operating Corporation’s Board, at which an update on preparations to restore Tram service was given. Let me take this opportunity to outline some of the developments and look into the future.

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

Engineering studies are close to completion on the events of April 18, when 68 passengers and crew were stranded mid-trip. Preliminary findings point to a previously undetected wiring problem within the main operating electrical system for the Tram that set off a series of events beginning with a power interruption. I am not an engineer, but let me give you a layman’s explanation of what happened.

First, the power interruption caused three very large fuses within the operating system to blow. That caused an immediate activation of the emergency brakes, which is a built-in safety feature of the Tram in case of any such event. The problem was exacerbated when a backup diesel-powered system designed to bring the Tram cars back to the station failed to send a signal to release the emergency brakes. The third back-up emergency system – involving the rescue Tram car permanently installed for just this purpose – worked as intended, and all those stranded made it safely back to ground.

We remain proud of the Tram workers, who had trained on the rescue Tram for 30 years but never had to activate it in an emergency, and did so flawlessly. Police officers, firefighters and others performed bravely, and I again express my apologies and admiration for those passengers who were stranded for so many hours on the Tram.

Soon after the last person was safely back on the ground, engineers were able to bring the Tram cars back to the base stations on Roosevelt Island and in Manhattan. During testing in the following week, the same operating system fault that occurred on April 18 happened again, allowing engineers to find what they preliminarily believe to have been the cause. They replaced the main operating system with a spare system, and during hundreds of test runs, that fault has not been repeated.

In addition, we are in the process of replacing the diesel-powered backup system, which dates back to the Tram’s beginnings in 1976, with a modern one. That backup system had passed an inspection less than three weeks before it failed.

Once we have completed the repairs and the upgrades, investigators from the State Department of Labor will come in and conduct their own tests to be sure the Tram is operating safely with the appropriate backup emergency systems. We trust those tests will be successful, and that will be the signal that we are ready to resume Tram service.

Our best estimate at this time is that the continuing work could take up to 12 weeks. It is expected that Tram service will be back by the fall.

But let there be no doubt that RIOC remains committed to returning the Tram to service. It has proven itself time and again as a reliable, attractive transportation option for an Island that needs redundant transportation options because, well, because it is an island.

That is why we are pleased that the State has committed to seek additional funding for a major modernization and upgrade of the Tram system beyond the $3.9 million partial upgrade program approved last year by the RIOC Board.

And we applaud Councilwoman Jessica Lappin’s support for seeking to resume water taxi service to Manhattan for the first time in decades.

All of these efforts should ensure that the Roosevelt Island Tram, the symbol to the rest of the world of our unique Island in the middle of the East River, should be operating safely and efficiently for decades to come.