UPDATE, DEC. 6, 9:00 a.m.: Director Wray was removed from the final witness list. No reason given.

I know its probably on here somewhere, but I'm banking on the fact that someone probably knows this off the top of their head:

 

What is the amount the Highway Trust fund was bailed out most recently?

What is the amount of Amtrak's operating subsidy authorized by congress?

What is the per user subsidy for both highways and Amtrak?

 

I'm having a convo with someone, and am curious to see these numbers.

What is the amount the Highway Trust fund was bailed out most recently?

 

$35 billion in trust fund bailouts, $27.5 billion in stimulus funds for projects that would/could have been paid out of the trust fund.

 

What is the amount of Amtrak's operating subsidy authorized by congress?

 

For Fiscal Year 2012 which started Oct. 1, $1.42 billion for Amtrak total, including $466 million for operations and  $954 million for capital improvements.

 

What is the per user subsidy for both highways and Amtrak?

 

That is a difficult, if not impossible number to confirm because of the different ways financial performance for each mode are calculated. And its different just among different highway users. For motorists, the usage is determined for private passenger cars as vehicle-miles traveled. For trucks, is ton-miles. For buses, its passenger-miles. And what costs do you include? Does it include the costs to build and maintain roads? Should the maintenance cost include traffic enforcement, emergency response, legal costs etc.? If not, why not, as municipalities bill railroads whenever there is a train accident? If so, should municipalities and other local governments count the cost of extensive stormwater drainage systems because of the parking lots, superstore roofs and other impermeable surfaces over a much larger, low-density area required to accommodate so many cars? And if so, should other environmental costs be counted? Or numerous oil industry subsidies? Or the expense to maintain military defense of oil shipping lanes worldwide? If many of these external costs were counted, some estimate that we would be paying taxes of up to $15 per gallon at the pump, rather than pay so much every April 15th.

 

Here's an interesting calculator....

http://commutesolutions.org/external/calc.html

what if we look at it from the number of Amtrak riders and the number of highway users?  How might that break down?

What kind of highway users? If I used I-275 to get to work this morning, why should that be counted in a comparison with Amtrak funding that pays for travel between cities? Should that even be counted if I used I-275 to get to the airport? Shouldn't the cost of local and regional mass transportation systems be counted then if local, state and interstate highways are counted in the comparison?

 

Problem is, they cannot be compared because the systems are designed, owned, operated and maintained so differently, as highways are government owned and most railroad corridors are owned and financed by private corporations. And rail is the only mode where the primary carrier (service provider) typically owns, finances and maintains their own right of way.

 

Here's a better way to compare investments -- what is the economic impact for every dollar invested in each mode? After all, this is what we ultimately want out of transportation, correct? More jobs. More wealth. More quality of life. Those things do carry a value which can compared across modes of transportation....

 

Are there Economic Benefits to Investing in Surface Transportation Networks? Absolutely. Transportation is the platform of the U.S. economy. In the long term, transportation improvements lead to economic development locally and regionally and ultimately facilitate the economic growth of the entire country. In the near term, each dollar invested in highway construction generates $1.80 of GDP. (Source: Standard & Poor's DRI) According to the USDOT, each $1 billion in federal highway investment plus the state match supports 34,000 jobs, and every dollar that taxpayers invest in public transportation generates about $6 in economic returns. (Source: Cambridge Systematics)

SOURCE: http://www.fasterbettersafer.org/questions-a-answers.html

 

More info......

http://www.cnt.org/news/media/ARRA-Public-Transit-Jobs-Fact-Sheet-Dec-17.pdf

http://www.streetfilms.org/williamlind/ (Lind is a Cleveland-area native and resident)

http://www.vtpi.org/gentraf.pdf

http://www.vtpi.org/tranben.pdf

http://www.vtpi.org/railcrit.pdf

 

Its just hard arguing with people who refuse to acknowledge facts, and feel that their "common sense" is on the same level as facts.

 

So thank you, KJP, for providing me with this information. I really appreciate. I just need to stop engaging in arguments with people who will never get it and refuse to try.

I know its probably on here somewhere, but I'm banking on the fact that someone probably knows this off the top of their head:

 

What is the amount the Highway Trust fund was bailed out most recently?

What is the amount of Amtrak's operating subsidy authorized by congress?

What is the per user subsidy for both highways and Amtrak?

 

I'm having a convo with someone, and am curious to see these numbers.

 

I also saw a Truth-o-Meter article that asked about a quote from New Jersey Senator Frank Lautenberg that Amtrak's entire 40 year cost was less than one year's worth of highway funding. Truth-O-Meter found the statement to be true. Also, over 40 years, we have spent a trillion dollars on roads, about $600 billion on avaiation and about $37 billion on Amtrak. Google this to find the exact figures.

 

I also saw a Truth-o-Meter article that asked about a quote from New Jersey Senator Frank Lautenberg that Amtrak's entire 40 year cost was less than one year's worth of highway funding. Truth-O-Meter found the statement to be true. Also, over 40 years, we have spent a trillion dollars on roads, about $600 billion on avaiation and about $37 billion on Amtrak. Google this to find the exact figures.

 

http://www.politifact.com/new-jersey/statements/2011/dec/05/frank-lautenberg/Lautenberg-says-federal-highway-spending-last-year/

 

I also saw a Truth-o-Meter article that asked about a quote from New Jersey Senator Frank Lautenberg that Amtrak's entire 40 year cost was less than one year's worth of highway funding. Truth-O-Meter found the statement to be true. Also, over 40 years, we have spent a trillion dollars on roads, about $600 billion on avaiation and about $37 billion on Amtrak. Google this to find the exact figures.

 

http://www.politifact.com/new-jersey/statements/2011/dec/05/frank-lautenberg/Lautenberg-says-federal-highway-spending-last-year/

 

 

Thanks for posting the link!

UPDATE, DEC. 6, 9:00 a.m.: Director Wray was removed from the final witness list. No reason given.

 

A friend told me that when Wray was head of ODOT under then-Gov. Voinovich, he resisted the idea of creating the Ohio Rail Development Commission to the point where Gov. Voinovich and his chief of staff, Paul Mifsud created it by executive order while Wray was out of town vacationing! Interesting tidbit.

Its just hard arguing with people who refuse to acknowledge facts, and feel that their "common sense" is on the same level as facts.

 

So thank you, KJP, for providing me with this information. I really appreciate. I just need to stop engaging in arguments with people who will never get it and refuse to try.

 

Ultimately, this is not about subsidies. People will pay subsidies for things if they see the value in it, even if they personally won't use it or directly benefit from it. That value judgment often comes from experience. And that means having an ability to allow for that kind of assessment. Not everyone can or will do it. And that's why you'll never see 100 percent of the population support something no matter how wonderful it may be.

Downeaster celebrating 10 years of success

By LAURENNE RAMSDELL

[email protected]

Sunday, December 11, 2011

 

DOVER — Ten years ago Thursday the Downeaster train service made its groundbreaking trek from Portland, Maine, to Boston's North Station, opening up a world of transportation options for those looking to travel along the Atlantic coastline of Maine, New Hampshire and Massachusetts.

 

Though there were many skeptics who thought the Downeaster was the little engine that couldn't, the commuter rail has prevailed and is a success story, according to supporters.

 

The Northern New England Passenger Rail Authority (NNEPRA) has managed the Amtrak Downeaster for the past decade following the Maine Legislature's decision in the late 1990s to develop a passenger rail service between Maine and Boston. NNEPRA holds a 20-year contract with Amtrak to operate the Downeaster, as well as agreements with Pan Am Railways and Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) to operate on their rail lines.

 

Read more at: http://www.fosters.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20111211/GJNEWS_01/712119891

Its just hard arguing with people who refuse to acknowledge facts, and feel that their "common sense" is on the same level as facts.

 

So thank you, KJP, for providing me with this information. I really appreciate. I just need to stop engaging in arguments with people who will never get it and refuse to try.

 

Maybe this will help you.......

 

Monday, December 12, 2011

Transit’s Not Sucking the Taxpayer Dry — Roads Are

by Tanya Snyder

 

We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again: Roads don’t pay for themselves.

 

But maybe they should.

 

“Taxpayers cover costs that should be borne by road users,” asserts the State Smart Transportation Initiative at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. “Road subsidies push up tax rates, squeeze government services, and skew the market for transportation.”

 

SSTI, along with the smart growth group 1,000 Friends of Wisconsin, published a study in October showing that “between 41 and 55 percent of [Wisconsin’s] road money comes from non-users” [PDF].

 

Between 2004 and 2008, roads in the state cost an average of $4.24 billion annually. Of this, $1.74 billion came from revenue sources unrelated to road use—primarily property and sales taxes—while another $600 million was borrowed…

 

The fact is, roads constitute one of the biggest tax burdens we face.

 

READ MORE AT:

http://dc.streetsblog.org/2011/12/12/transit%E2%80%99s-not-sucking-the-taxpayer-dry-roads-are/#more-119623

Yes! I saw that yesterday and shared it on my social media pages... no one responded. I think those who disagree with me have take to ignoring the things they 'disagree' with. That article is great though.

Yes! I saw that yesterday and shared it on my social media pages... no one responded. I think those who disagree with me have take to ignoring the things they 'disagree' with. That article is great though.

 

That seems to be how disagreements among viewpoints are increasingly resolved these days.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

December 13, 2011

ATK-11-157

Contact: Media Relations

202 906.3860

 

AMTRAK POSTS BEST EVER THANKSGIVING

Strong ridership increases on routes nationwide help set new record

 

WASHINGTON – It is official. With 724,051 passengers, more people chose Amtrak this Thanksgiving holiday than ever before. In addition, travel on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving was the railroad’s single busiest day ever with 138,736 passengers and the Sunday after Thanksgiving was close behind with 130,093 riders.

 

“As America’s Railroad, we value connecting families and friends, especially during the holidays,” said Amtrak President and CEO Joseph Boardman. “Strong ridership increases over the holiday were seen on routes across the country as passengers chose Amtrak to provide convenient and affordable travel.”

 

Comparing Thanksgiving 2011 to Thanksgiving 2010, total Amtrak ridership was up 2.8 percent. In addition, all three Amtrak business lines saw ridership increases, including on the Northeast Corridor which rose by 3.6 percent, state-supported trains and other short distance corridors grew 2.6 percent and long-distance trains were up 1.8 percent.

 

The previous Thanksgiving record was set in 2010 with 704,446 passengers. The 2011 Thanksgiving travel holiday week extended from Nov. 22 through Nov. 28.

 

East Highlights

Ridership on the Northeast Corridor continued its upward trend, with the Northeast Regional service up 4.7 percent and the high-speed Acela Express experiencing a slight 0.5 percent increase over the Thanksgiving travel week last year. Gains also were realized on Amtrak’s state-supported routes, including Keystone Service (New York – Philadelphia - Harrisburg) up 6.2 percent, Downeaster (Portland, Maine – Boston) up 6 percent, Ethan Allen (Rutland, Vt. – New York) up 3.5 percent and Adirondack (New York – Montreal) up 2.9 percent when compared to last Thanksgiving.

 

South Highlights

In addition, Virginia routes had sizable gains over Thanksgiving last year with the Washington – Lynchburg route increasing 24.6 percent and the Washington – Newport News route up 11.9 percent. The North Carolina supported Piedmont service (Charlotte – Raleigh) experienced a gain of 10.6 percent.

 

Central Highlights

In the Central U.S., every corridor reported ridership increases, including on routes in Illinois, Michigan, Missouri and Wisconsin. The largest gains were seen on the Heartland Flyer (Fort Worth – Oklahoma City), up 16 percent and up 7 percent on the corridor between Chicago and Carbondale, Ill., where ridership is shared by the Illini/Saluki/City of New Orleans state-supported and national network trains.

 

West Highlights

In the West, the Capitol Corridor service (Auburn/Sacramento – SF/Oakland – San Jose) was up 9.1 percent over the same period last year. Ridership on San Joaquin trains (Oakland/Sacramento – Bakersfield) was up 6.4 percent and the Pacific Surfliner service (San Luis Obispo – Santa Barbara – Los Angeles – San Diego) was up 3 percent.

 

Long-distance Highlights

Among the 15 overnight long distance trains, ridership was up 1.8 percent over the Thanksgiving period last year, with the largest percentage gains posted by the Texas Eagle (Chicago – San Antonio) up 17.2 percent, Crescent (New York – Atlanta – New Orleans) up 15.4 percent, City of New Orleans (Chicago – Memphis – New Orleans) up 12.6 percent and the Lake Shore Limited (Chicago – New York/Boston) up 10.5 percent.

 

In preparation for the anticipated heavy passenger volume during Thanksgiving, Amtrak operated every available passenger rail car in its fleet and scheduled extra trains to accommodate additional passengers in the Northeast and on the West Coast. The Amtrak equipment fleet was slightly larger this year due to rehabilitated and refurbished railcars and locomotive engines that were recently restored to service.

 

Amtrak is expecting continued strong ridership for December, following the busy November and the all-time record of 30.2 million set in the fiscal year ending September 30, 2011.

 

Its just hard arguing with people who refuse to acknowledge facts, and feel that their "common sense" is on the same level as facts.

 

So thank you, KJP, for providing me with this information. I really appreciate. I just need to stop engaging in arguments with people who will never get it and refuse to try.

 

Maybe this will help you.......

 

Monday, December 12, 2011

Transits Not Sucking the Taxpayer Dry Roads Are

by Tanya Snyder

 

Weve said it before and well say it again: Roads dont pay for themselves.

 

But maybe they should.

 

Taxpayers cover costs that should be borne by road users, asserts the State Smart Transportation Initiative at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Road subsidies push up tax rates, squeeze government services, and skew the market for transportation.

 

SSTI, along with the smart growth group 1,000 Friends of Wisconsin, published a study in October showing that between 41 and 55 percent of [Wisconsins] road money comes from non-users [PDF].

 

Between 2004 and 2008, roads in the state cost an average of $4.24 billion annually. Of this, $1.74 billion came from revenue sources unrelated to road useprimarily property and sales taxeswhile another $600 million was borrowed

 

The fact is, roads constitute one of the biggest tax burdens we face.

 

READ MORE AT:

http://dc.streetsblog.org/2011/12/12/transit%E2%80%99s-not-sucking-the-taxpayer-dry-roads-are/#more-119623

 

Has this been posted to AAO email distribution lists?

It was sent out via Facebook and Twitter, but not on e-mail. I didn't have any free time to do a more time-consuming e-mail distribution until today.

It was sent out via Facebook and Twitter, but not on e-mail. I didn't have any free time to do a more time-consuming e-mail distribution until today.

 

I know you've been very busy! Hopefully in a good way. When you get this posted, I'll forward it to others.

Done

Not entirely accurate about Obama's  $8 Billion, but I thought I'd pass it along anyway:

 

R.I.P High Speed Rail

 

http://www.treehugger.com/public-transportation/rip-american-high-speed-rail.html

cross posted from a yahoo group:

12/15/2011

Private bidders hint at interest in Amtrak routes

 

A Trains.com article today says that three private rail operators

have queried the FRA regarding operation of Amtrak intercity routes

when the federal government officially opens them up for bidding. The

FRA was requesting comments and questions as they proceed with

rulemaking under which the bidding and contracting will occur.

 

They were "...Herzog and Veolia, both of which operate U.S. commuter

railroads under contract. The third is RATP Development America, a

French company that operates the Paris Metro..."

 

In the best Government "drag our heels" tradition, "...rulemaking was

supposed to be finalized by Oct. 16, 2009, one year after the

legislation was enacted, but the FRA did not issue a request for

comments until Sept. 7, 2011, with responses due by Nov. 7..." The

rules are now supposed to be final by Feb. 12, 2012, barring any more

heel-dragging by the Feds.

 

None of the private freight railroads expressed any interest but that

does not preclude them nor any other parties from bidding, even if

they have not yet contacted the FRA.

 

Full story (subscription only):

 

<http://trn.trains.com/en/Railroad%20News/News%20Wire/2011/12/Private%20bidders%\

20hint%20at%20interest%20in%20running%20Amtrak%20routes.aspx>

 

The complete text of yesterday’s rulemaking can be found in the Federal

Register at:

 

<http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2011-12-14/pdf/2011-31990.pdf>

There are two reasons why the freight railroads will let Amtrak use their tracks:

 

1. Amtrak has been running passenger trains for 40 years so they know what they are doing even if they don't look like it sometimes; and

2. Because they have to. Under federal law, Amtrak has eminent domain-like powers to use any right of way it wants so long as the property owner is "fairly" compensated.

 

There is one reason why the freight railroads won't let any of the FRA's prospective private bidders use their tracks:

 

> Because they don't have to. The private bidders would have to pay more to use the freight RRs than Amtrak does, and that means either higher operating subsidies for the private bidders or higher fares for the traveling public.

 

That's why this FRA exercise is an exercise in futility, pushed by some legislators who are more interested in ideology than asking responsible questions.

 

EDIT: by the way, I support having private operators of passenger rail. But if legislators were truly serious about it, they'd pass a corporate income tax credit for passenger rail-related operating and capital expenditures. The feds keep treating the railroads with grants like they're bus companies or airlines that use publicly owned and financed rights of way. Rail carriers are the only mode that is responsible for the massive fixed costs of owning, maintaining and improving its rights of way. Acknowledge passenger rail as public-benefit that private railroads may provide, and give them tax credits as a reward for providing that public benefit.

Read more at: http://allaboardohio.org/2011/02/21/all-aboard-ohio%E2%80%99s-house-ti-testimony-with-right-policies-rail-will-be-the-only-mode-that%E2%80%99s-privatized-%E2%80%9Cfrom-the-infrastructure-on-up%E2%80%9D/

Riding High-Speed Rail to a U.S. Recovery

By John Rosenthal Dec 18, 2011 7:01 PM ET

 

Bipartisan enthusiasm greeted President Barack Obama’s announcement in 2009 that the U.S., long the world’s caboose in train travel, would finally invest in high-speed intercity passenger rail.

 

Much as Dwight D. Eisenhower made the Interstate Highway System a hallmark of his administration, Obama pledged to make a national network of bullet trains the legacy of his. Governors from both parties applied for the initial round of $8 billion in funds from the $787 billion stimulus bill.

 

Because of its ingenious scope, neither the airlines nor the auto industry contested the plan. It targeted corridors among major cities that are too far apart to drive, but too close to make flying worth the time and hassle of trudging through airport security: Chicago, Detroit, St. Louis and Milwaukee, for example, or Atlanta, Charlotte, Birmingham and New Orleans. Although trains wouldn’t compete with planes between New York and Los Angeles or, for that matter, Chicago, the plan would put high-speed rail within the reach of 80 percent of Americans.

 

Read more at: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-12-19/riding-high-speed-rail-to-a-u-s-recovery-john-rosenthal.html

I don't like the cheesy graphic of the steam locomotive, but this is otherwise a nice article:

On a Long Train Trip, Rare Pleasures Return

By JOE SHARKEY

Published: December 12, 2011

I TRAVELED from Tampa, Fla., to Manhattan over the weekend. What a pleasure! Nobody hollered at me to sit down or turn off my electronic devices. Nobody warned me to obey all instructions from crew members.

Enlarge This Image

Chris Gash

 

“I didn’t get treated like a terrorist,” a man sipping a beer told me en route.

 

“Nobody patted me down,” added a woman, who joined the conversation...

 

 

Read more at:

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/13/business/pleasures-return-on-a-long-train-trip.html?_r=1

 

KJP wrote:

 

But if legislators were truly serious about it, they'd pass a corporate income tax credit for passenger rail-related operating and capital expenditures.

 

Anyone in Congress interested in changing this?  Tim Ryan?  Steve LaTourette?  Anyone?

 

Maybe Steve LaTourette. He likes passenger trains and tax credits.

I don't like the cheesy graphic of the steam locomotive, but this is otherwise a nice article:

On a Long Train Trip, Rare Pleasures Return

By JOE SHARKEY

Published: December 12, 2011

 

[ ... ]

 

I TRAVELED from Tampa, Fla., to Manhattan over the weekend. What a pleasure! Nobody hollered at me to sit down or turn off my electronic devices. Nobody warned me to obey all instructions from crew members.

Enlarge This Image

Chris Gash

 

[ ... ]

 

Read more at:

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/13/business/pleasures-return-on-a-long-train-trip.html?_r=1

When people compare the cost of a sleeper with cheap air fares, I don't bother explaining that they've paid some substantial tax dollars to keep those air fares low; I know their eyes would glaze over and they'd tune me out. Instead, I explain to them that you get what you pay for; $500 for a relaxing overnight trip in comfortable surroundings with scenery, halfway-decent food served on china at a table where you have the opportunity to meet friendly, interesting people, versus $300 for two hours of treatment that is at best indifferent and at worst hostile, where the lack of an in-flight meal is a blessing considering the quality of food and its presentation on longer flights, and where you spend two hours crammed into an uncomfortable seat with no legroom, two chances out of three that you won't get a window that may or may not offer a view of anything on the ground depending upon weather, and limited opportunity to get up and move around.

Instead, I explain to them that you get what you pay for; $500 for a relaxing overnight trip in comfortable surroundings with scenery, halfway-decent food served on china at a table where you have the opportunity to meet friendly, interesting people, versus $300 for two hours of treatment that is at best indifferent and at worst hostile, where the lack of an in-flight meal is a blessing considering the quality of food and its presentation on longer flights, and where you spend two hours crammed into an uncomfortable seat with no legroom, two chances out of three that you won't get a window that may or may not offer a view of anything on the ground depending upon weather, and limited opportunity to get up and move around.

 

Now THAT is a run-on sentence! ;-)

 

On a commercial airline, you're treated like cattle.  :whip:

 

On passenger rail, you're treated like a human being.  :-D

 

On a commercial airline, you're treated like cattle.  :whip:

 

On passenger rail, you're treated like a human being.  :-D

 

Amtrak should adopt this slogan...

Thursday, December 15, 2011 - 12:51

Can American Trains Achieve Steam Speeds in the Modern Era?

 

I began writing this piece aboard Amtrak's Acela, the fastest train in North America.  It travels from Washington to Boston in 6 hours and 32 minutes.  Eventually, we read, despite Republicans, we may have truly high-speed rail, linking those cities and also perhaps speeding through corridors in California, Florida, and the Midwest.

 

Pardon me, but haven't we been around this track before?

 

I remember reading the same story back in 1965.  Then they called it the Metroliner.  It would speed between Boston and Washington at an amazing 115 mph.  I remember that story because I remember where I was when I read it.  I was on a train.  Indeed, I was riding the famous City of New Orleans between Jackson, Mississippi, and Mattoon, Illinois.  I got to the Metroliner article as we were passing through the flat corn fields of central Illinois.

 

Read more at: http://hnn.us/jim_loewen/articles/143567.html

Instead, I explain to them that you get what you pay for; $500 for a relaxing overnight trip in comfortable surroundings with scenery, halfway-decent food served on china at a table where you have the opportunity to meet friendly, interesting people, versus $300 for two hours of treatment that is at best indifferent and at worst hostile, where the lack of an in-flight meal is a blessing considering the quality of food and its presentation on longer flights, and where you spend two hours crammed into an uncomfortable seat with no legroom, two chances out of three that you won't get a window that may or may not offer a view of anything on the ground depending upon weather, and limited opportunity to get up and move around.

 

Now THAT is a run-on sentence! ;-)

 

But ... but ... it's hard find a stopping place when enumerating the ways in which train travel is superior to flying!  :-D

No buts! :-o

FYI: more than one out of three flights in the Midwest are to cities less than 400 miles away. And trips up to 1,000 miles, already a growing market for overnight trains (Chicago-East Coast Amtrak trains carried 724,000 riders last year and may reach 1 million by 2013), could become more lucrative with faster train speeds, more train equipment and more trains.....

 

Airlines Are Retrenching, and Alternatives Are Slim

By JOE SHARKEY

Published: December 26, 2011

 

The coming year will be a time of reckoning in business travel, as airlines reduce service at many airports and prospects fade for practical alternatives to flying, including the long-term promises of high-speed rail.

 

Consider the new realities of air travel. Competition is decreasing, fares are rising and airlines are adjusting routes (and charging extra fees) in ruthless calculations to extract the greatest possible revenue per mile flown.

 

Michael Boyd, the president of the consulting company Boyd Group International, sums up the phenomenon succinctly. “The cost of flying airplanes across the sky has eclipsed the ability to support it at many communities,” he said in a recent forecast. In 2012, he predicts, airlines will accelerate the mothballing of smaller 50-seat jets, the workhorses for connecting service between many midsize airports, and even some big ones.

 

Read more at: 

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/27/business/airlines-are-retrenching-and-alternatives-are-slim.html?_r=2&ref=todayspaper

I just realized I never posted this........

 

LaCrosse Tribune

Dec. 4, 2011

 

In an interview in a 1955 dining car aboard the BNSF’s Holiday Express, CEO Matt Rose said the future of passenger rail in America depends on gas prices.

 

If gasoline were priced to reflect the true costs — such as military campaigns to protect access to foreign oil — Rose said railroads would return to hauling passengers.

 

With $3.50 a gallon gas, he said, it’s not likely.

 

Read more: http://lacrossetribune.com/news/local/walker-defends-rejecting-fed-funds-for-passenger-rail/article_d3fb1326-1e2d-11e1-a602-001871e3ce6c.html#ixzz1hmbTV7ih

will they use amtrak trains to send you guys to the FEMA camps?

Please tell me you weren't sober when you posted that.

will they use amtrak trains to send you guys to the FEMA camps?

 

What does that even mean? 

 

CTownsfinest216, left field is calling.  It wants you back!

 

I agree, Ken.  I hope, for his sake, a brown bottle is to blame.

eTicketing on Amtrak

 

An article by Bob Johnston on page 20 of the February 2012 issue of Trains magazine says that Amtrak is testing eTicketing in Maine and will test it on certain other trains and on some Thruway buses. I hope they roll it out system-wide. Sometimes I want to make a reservation on short notice and the nearest staffed Amtrak station to me is in Toledo, 100 miles away. That means the tickets for on-line reservations have to be sent via a parcel delivery service and it adds $15 to my cost. It would be a great convenience to me to be able to make a reservation on line, print out a pass with a bar code, and let the conductor scan it when he comes around to collect tickets. Sometimes it would save me $15, too.

Or go with what Delta did, and create an app. Not sure if this already exists or not for Amtrak. What Delta has is:

 

Flight search, seat reservation (with handy map and airplane information), and check in that bypasses the line. Just hold your phone for your specific flight and there is a QR code, which can be scanned in via electronic terminals.

See if you can answer these questions after reading this article:

How many of the Lower 48 states requested federal funds for high-speed/passenger rail?

How many of those states won the federal funds and how many states kept the funding?

How many states returned ALL of their federal funds for high-speed/passenger rail?

How many of those states which returned some/all of their federal funds are continuing to spend state funds annually to support passenger rail development/services in their state(s)?

 

For High-Speed Rail, Support in the Past From G.O.P. Presidential Hopefuls

By MICHAEL COOPER

Published: January 2, 2012

 

President Obama’s program to bring bullet trains to the United States has been left on life support by the strident opposition of Republicans in Congress and in statehouses around the nation. But the idea may carry more favor with some of the Republican candidates vying to unseat Mr. Obama, who have a history of supporting high-speed rail.

 

Newt Gingrich, a former speaker of the House, has written books and given speeches about the importance of high-speed rail in the United States, and he supported a study for a high-speed line from Atlanta to Chattanooga, Tenn., sought by local boosters when he was in Congress. Gov. Rick Perry of Texas saw a role for high-speed rail in his failed $175 billion transportation plan to build what would have been called the Trans-Texas Corridor.

 

Even Representative Ron Paul of Texas, a small-government libertarian, signed a letter that several members of Texas’ Congressional delegation sent to federal officials in 2009 urging them to give the state money for rail studies to help it build “a truly ambitious and world-class high-speed rail network.”

 

READ MORE AT:

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/03/us/politics/for-high-speed-rail-support-in-the-past-from-gop-presidential-hopefuls.html?_r=1

 

Answers:

How many of the Lower 48 states requested federal funds for high-speed/passenger rail? 38

How many of those states won the federal funds and how many states kept all the funding? 25, 22

How many states returned all of their federal funds for high-speed/passenger rail? 1: Ohio

How many of those states which returned some/all of their federal funds are continuing to spend state funds annually to support passenger rail development/services in their state(s)? 2: Florida and Wisconsin

 

With that context in mind, here's one final question: What does that make Ohio? A pariah.

Redirect of a question posted at the Cincinnati Streetcar thread.....

 

- High Speed Rail, I don't see that happening in a long time. Aside from Acela on the left and right coasts, are any other high speed lines being built in the US?

 

Depends on your definition of high-speed rail. Here are the official definitions.....

http://www.fra.dot.gov/rpd/HSIPR/ProjectFunding.aspx

 

+ New express high‑speed corridor services (operating speeds above 150 mph on primarily dedicated track) in select corridors of 200–600 miles.

 

+ Emerging and regional high‑speed corridor services (operating speeds up to 90–110 mph and 110–150 mph respectively, on shared and dedicated track) in corridors of 100–500 miles.

 

+ Upgraded reliability and service on conventional intercity rail services (operating speeds up to 79–90 mph).

 

This is where the projects are happening (and aren't):

http://www.fra.dot.gov/rpd/passenger/2243.shtml

 

And this is what the projects are:

http://www.fra.dot.gov/rpd/HSIPR/ProjectFunding.aspx

 

All maps like that get me mad all over again about 3C.

 

And I also get annoyed how StL gets the nice connection to Chicago, while Cincy doesn't, despite having Indy between them.

And I also get annoyed how StL gets the nice connection to Chicago, while Cincy doesn't, despite having Indy between them.

 

Because the State of Illinois paid for it.

 

All maps like that get me mad all over again about 3C.

 

 

Because the State of Ohio didn't.

 

EDIT: Outside of the Northeast Corridor, every line on that map, from "emerging" routes to thicker ones, is the result of state leadership.

And I also get annoyed how StL gets the nice connection to Chicago, while Cincy doesn't, despite having Indy between them.

 

Because the State of Illinois paid for it.

 

All maps like that get me mad all over again about 3C.

 

 

Because the State of Ohio didn't.

 

Kasich makes my blood boil, and I'm still trying to figure out why we can't recall a governor around here.  Scott Walker in Wisconsin will almost certainly be recalled for his canceling of the train to Madison and removal of collective bargaining rights.  Grrr....Kasich

Kasich makes my blood boil, and I'm still trying to figure out why we can't recall a governor around here.  Scott Walker in Wisconsin will almost certainly be recalled for his canceling of the train to Madison and removal of collective bargaining rights.  Grrr....Kasich

 

Frankly, all you need to do is look at the streetcar to see why recalls aren't a good idea. Imagine having to vote for governor every election. Imagine how ineffective a governor would be who is constantly in campaign mode.

I posted my thoughts regarding a gubernatorial recall at this thread....

http://www.urbanohio.com/forum2/index.php/topic,24703.msg596913.html#msg596913

This is getting to be like choose-your-own-adventure posting.

The Chicago-Detroit line and the Buffalo-NYC line has me a little worried.  Connect the two lines through Ontario and the Chicago-NYC route bypasses Ohio entirely.

 

Although Buffalonians would benefit more from this route than a Chicago-NYC corridor running through Cleveland, Pittsburgh, and Philly.