This isn't about trying to keep up with the rest of the world, because the Amtrak model is as government owned as SNCF in France or DB in Germany. This is about ideology.

 

Sadly, it is an ideology built on a baseless double-standard because these characters aren't seeking a similar privatization of highways and airports/air traffic control systems in the Northeast Corridor and elsewhere.

 

If railroads are to remain a uniquely private good in America's transportation scene, then let its owners enjoy 100 percent federal corporate income tax breaks on the same costs that their competition are not responsible for paying on publicly owned infrastructure.

This isn't about trying to keep up with the rest of the world, because the Amtrak model is as government owned as SNCF in France or DB in Germany. This is about ideology.

 

Sadly, it is an ideology built on a baseless double-standard because these characters aren't seeking a similar privatization of highways and airports/air traffic control systems in the Northeast Corridor and elsewhere.

 

If railroads are to remain a uniquely private good in America's transportation scene, then let its owners enjoy 100 percent federal corporate income tax breaks on the same costs that their competition are not responsible for paying on publicly owned infrastructure.

 

Sounds like the basis for a good op-ed to the Washington Post or The Hill.

RAILWAY AGE COMMENTARY: Mica/Shuster bill: Reagan-Gingrich-Bush rehash?    

Thursday, June 16, 2011 

By William C. Vantuono, Editor

 

It seems as though every few years, somebody in the White House or Congress tries to kill or dismantle Amtrak. In the 1980s it was Ronald Reagan and White House Budget Director David Stockman. In the 1990s it was the Newt Gingrich-led Republican Revolution, which prompted Amtrak itself (under the leadership of the late, beleaguered George Warrington) to attempt a “Glide Path to Self Sufficiency.” In the past decade, it was George W. Bush and Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta pushing an ill-conceived privatization plan. In each case, the attempted destruct sequence fizzled out.   

 

On June 15, we were introduced to the latest “Let’s Pull Amtrak Apart, Pulverize All the Pieces In a Blender, Dump It Out, and Get People Who Have No Idea What They’re Doing or Talking About Attempt to Mold Something Back Together” bill. This is the “Competition for Intercity Passenger Rail in America Act,” concocted by Rep. John L. Mica (R-Fla.), Chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, and Rep. Bill Shuster (R-Pa.), Chairman of the Railroads, Pipelines, and Hazardous Materials Subcommittee. This bill, according to the second-coming-of-Christ press release heralding its introduction, is “a dramatic new direction that focuses on bringing competition to high-speed and intercity passenger rail service across the country [that] incorporates competitive bidding and private sector involvement to bring high-speed rail to the Northeast Corridor and improve intercity passenger rail service nationwide.”

 

Wow. I’m impressed.

 

Not.

 

Read full editorial at: http://www.railwayage.com/breaking-news/mica-shuster-eye-passenger-rail-competition-3234.html

Be consistent in how right-of-way ownership is treated. Either sell all transportation infrastructure to private interests or make it all publicly owned. No selective privatizations!

 

Durbin aims to thwart Midway, Amtrak privatizations

By: Paul Merrion June 17, 2011

 

(Crain's) — Democratic Illinois Sen. Richard Durbin is proposing legislation that would make privatization of Midway Airport and other major transportation assets such as Amtrak far more difficult, if not impossible, by requiring the federal government to be reimbursed for its investment in that infrastructure before a deal could go through.

 

The bill also requires disclosure of any depreciation or other tax benefits that would accrue to private investors in a deal, as well as any estimates of savings from reductions in jobs, pay or benefits.

 

“It's a deal killer,” said an investment banker who worked on Chicago's suspended Midway deal, who asked not to be named.

 

Read more: http://www.chicagobusiness.com/article/20110617/NEWS02/110619884/durbin-aims-to-thwart-midway-amtrak-privatizations#ixzz1PYHx78Il

From an e-mail news release......

 

The American High Speed Rail Alliance Pleased with Rail Provisions in U.S. Sen. Kirk's Public Private Partnership Bill

June 20, 2011

 

The American High Speed Rail Alliance announces that several provisions of its legislative proposal were included in U.S. Senator Mark Kirk's (R-IL) "Lincoln Legacy Infrastructure Development Act," a bill which harkens back to the public private partnerships used to build the transcontinental railroad under President Lincoln's leadership.  The Lincoln Legacy Development Act incorporates the Alliance's proposal to modify the Railroad Rehabilitation and Improvement Financing (RRIF) loan program to encourage more high speed rail development in the U.S.  The existing RRIF program is underutilized and has $34 billion in available loan capacity that could be used to develop rail infrastructure.

 

"Recognizing the continuing downward pressure on the federal budget, this legislation allows for an appropriate balance of public dollars - monies which must be repaid - with private investment, creating solutions for our increasingly congested and resource-constrained transportation system.  AHSRA is encouraged by these responsible rail provisions in Senator Kirk's bill," said Charlotte Muller, Operations Manager for the American High Speed Rail Alliance.

 

Among other provisions, Senator Kirk's Lincoln Legacy Development Act allows for RRIF loans to cover pre-construction activities such as planning, feasibility analysis, and revenue forecasting for high speed rail projects.  These activities are frequently too risky for the private sector to take on themselves and cash-strapped local governments are unable to fund these activities up-front.  Sen. Kirk's bill also allows for repayment in the form of anticipated dedicated revenue or user fees, such as a dedicated local funding source.  With this expansion of acceptable collateral sources, it is expected that loan applicants will be charged lower credit risk premium fees to secure RRIF loans.

 

The draft Lincoln Legacy Infrastructure Development Act was presented by Senator Kirk to a bipartisan transportation summit at Union League Club in Chicago, IL on Monday, June 20, 2011.  For more details visit Senator Kirk's website at http://kirk.senate.gov/.

 

 

The American High Speed Rail Alliance is  a nonprofit advocacy organization dedicated to creating and sustaining high speed rail corridors and improved passenger rail transportation in the United States.  The Alliance serves to strengthen the U.S. manufacturing industry by promoting the advancement and deployment of the technologies and services they provide while working to fill the overall need for infrastructure through advocating for a broad range of grants, loans, public/private partnerships and other innovative investment strategies.  The Alliance supports the development of key corridors through media, Congressional and federal agency outreach activities.

 

For more information, please visit www.americanhsra.org. 

Also available under “What’s Hot” by clicking on http://www.narprail.org/cms/index.php/resources/more/mica_bill_statement/

 

Statement for the record of the June 22, 2011 hearing:

“Competition for Intercity Passenger Rail in America.”

Ross B. Capon, President & CEO

National Association of Railroad Passengers

 

Submitted: June 21, 2011

 

We appreciate and largely share your goals – improved intercity passenger train service both in the Northeast Corridor and nationwide.

 

I.          Careful Study of Specific Private Sector Opportunities

 

With a view to opening on a positive note, the Committee might ask DOT or the Amtrak Board or some other entity to look at specific examples of how Amtrak might engage more with the private sector to the benefit of both parties. 

 

For example, consideration should be given to a possible connection between the need for redundancy in the power grid and the potential to construct new transmission lines along the Northeast Corridor where local opposition likely would be minimal.  A private sector consortium could profit from selling power both to the railroad and to utilities along the route.  Meanwhile, passenger train operations—intercity and commuter—would benefit from replacement of antiquated electric traction infrastructure.  This would make the trains more energy efficient and—especially considering constant tension catenary (overhead wires)—more reliable, particularly in hot weather.  A salutary benefit to freight operations would result from the elimination of passenger train delays caused by catenary problems.  

 

II.        Our general view of the committee’s draft bill

 

We do not believe the specific actions outlined in the draft legislation will lead to the identified, attractive outcomes.  We do not agree with Chairman Mica’s assessment that “Amtrak has repeatedly bungled development and operations in the Northeast Corridor, and their new long-term, expensive plan to try to improve the corridor is simply unacceptable.”

 

Section numbers referred to here are those in the June 15 discussion draft of the Mica/Shuster bill “to develop high-speed rail in the Northeast Corridor through a public-private partnership, and to encourage private sector competition on intercity passenger rail corridors.”

 

III.       Access to host railroad tracks

 

As explained by Joyce Rose at your June 15 national briefing, Amtrak would retain its statutory right of access on an incremental cost basis.  This presumably also means the right to seek redress by the Surface Transportation Board (STB).  We support this.

 

Section 206 raises serious doubts as to whether any competitor to Amtrak could gain access to host railroads’ tracks, and certainly at competitive rates.  Both “the right of access” and the “cost of such access, shall be subject to contract negotiation with the owner of that track,” apparently with no measure of what is acceptable or provision for STB review.

 

The railroad industry has made clear its opposition to giving Amtrak’s access rights to other parties.  In fact, opposition to “rights extension” has been a key industry position.  The draft respects the railroads’ concerns but the likely result would be extraordinarily high costs for a prospective non-Amtrak carrier for either the short corridors or the long-distance (“interstate”) routes. 

 

The railroad industry accepted the 1970 creation of Amtrak and its access rights as a quid pro quo for being relieving of the railroads’ intercity passenger train losses.  Today, Amtrak is considered a known quantity which has paid its bills for over 40 years.  By contrast,  CSX predecessors Seaboard and RF&P suffered significant financial losses and even embarrassment dealing with the private intercity passenger ‘tenant,’ Auto-Train Corporation.  See Appendix. 

 

Amtrak has had longstanding agreements with the host railroads that include provisions regarding an allocation of responsibility.  Any non-Amtrak operator would have to reach a separate agreement on allocating the responsibility for damages and indemnification with the host freight railroads, similar to the existing Amtrak-freight railroad agreements to indemnify, assuming the railroad is inclined to enter into such an agreement.  Since current federal rail passenger liability limits apply only to passengers and damages to property of passengers, the freight railroads might seek to require new operators to cover third party damages.

 

Finally, a private operator would want some profit. 

 

These factors—access rights; indemnification agreements; need for profits—have big cost impacts that must be factored into the equation when privatizing rail passenger operations.  These issues do not bode well for compliance with section 301a, which applies to interstate routes and requires an “operating subsidy less than Amtrak’s on average over the life of the contract,” or for realizing the similar expectations this bill and its publicity have generated regarding subsidy requirements for state-supported routes.

 

IV.       Applicability of Labor Laws

 

Three labor-related laws generally apply to railroads, including Amtrak: 

·        Railroad Retirement Act;

·        Railroad Unemployment Insurance Act;

·        Federal Employers Liability Act

 

However, these laws do not apply to Veolia, which operates Tri-Rail—the Miami-West Palm Beach commuter railroad—under contract to the South Florida Regional Transportation Authority.  This is relevant to judging the significance of criticism of Amtrak for having been underbid by $70 million for the right to operate the Miami-West Palm service.  Using the South Florida situation as the basis for repeated attacks on Amtrak also seems inconsistent with the assurances we have heard that the new order as envisioned by the chairman would preserve existing labor agreements and rights.

 

If the chairman’s vision of competition for the right to operate intercity routes includes exemption from these laws, then the entire railroad industry should be concerned about the potential impact on the Railroad Retirement system of such a large number of employees exiting the system.  Amtrak accounts for more than 10% of railroad industry employees. 

 

V.        Flexibility of existing law

 

Section 202 calls out a number of functions which could be contracted out, including call centers.  The implication is that this can’t be done today.  Actually, it is being done.  As an example, the joint powers authority that administers Amtrak’s California-funded Capitol Corridor has contracted with BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) to run the call center.  Thus, a different information telephone number is shown in Capitol Corridor timetables (including on pages 117, 119 and 120 of Amtrak’s “Spring Summer 2011” system timetable).  The joint powers authority also is housed within BART, taking advantage of the economies of scale inherent in using their administrative functions.

 

VI.       Fully Allocated vs. Avoidable Costs

 

The route specific financial numbers which Amtrak is required to report show “fully allocated” losses.  These numbers do not represent what would be saved by discontinuing a given route as

they include many cost elements that would not change; the costs would simply be reallocated to routes that continued to exist.  In other words, fully allocated losses are much higher than what could be saved by eliminating a given route or group of routes.

 

For example, the disappearance of the Sunset Limited would not change President Boardman’s salary nor have a material impact on other departments including, but not limited to, legal, planning, and the Amtrak Office of Inspector General.  The Sunset Limited, moreover, is a particularly poor example to cite because the Texas Eagle and Sunset Limited function as a single route due to the heavily-used through-cars that operate Chicago-San Antonio-Los Angeles.  Eliminating the Sunset would immediately and drastically worsen the Eagle’s performance, depriving the latter train of the significant share of revenues associated with trips between Eagle stations and points on the Sunset route west of San Antonio.

 

VII.     Disposition of Amtrak Rolling Stock

 

We oppose the section 205 provision that effectively hands to a private entity the right to cherry pick Amtrak’s fleet, determining both which cars and how many cars are needed to serve the route(s) the entity has won the right to operate. 

 

“To the extent that an entity identifies Amtrak equipment or rolling stock to be required for the performance of the covered service…the entity and Amtrak shall enter into an agreement to purchase or lease such equipment or rolling stock.”

 

If, for example, Chicago-based services are split among more two or more contractors, there would need to be:

·        special equipment pooling agreements among the carriers;

·        a dramatic reduction in spares ratios; and/or

·        a larger fleet than currently exists, just to provide the same service level.

 

There appears to be no independent means to determine the outcome of conflicting and/or unjustified demands for the equipment.  Of course, cherry picking of routes could parallel cherry picking of rolling stock, leaving Amtrak with the weakest routes and worst rolling stock.

 

VIII.    Northeast Corridor

 

Northeast Corridor Executive Committee:  It is hard to imagine a “five-member public-interest body” able to make key decisions effectively.  Of particular concern is the absence of any requirement that intercity passenger rail interests or expertise be represented.  One important advantage of the present set-up is that, with the intercity carrier (Amtrak) dispatching and owning most of the Corridor, the danger is minimized that decision making would be hijacked by people who place more value on specific commuter train scheduling concerns than on creating optimum pathways for intercity trains, whose expeditious passage requires coordination with commuter schedules in multiple metro areas.  The intercity concern includes, but is not limited to, maintaining the hourly (‘clockface’) memory pattern that is key to Acela’s marketability.  There is also the possibility that real estate development pursuits would trump transportation and/or transportation safety concerns.    

 

Logistical Challenge:  In October, 2005, the Amtrak Board voted to split the Northeast Corridor into a separate subsidiary.  One of the reasons this was not pursued was the huge complication involved in transferring the thousands of titles of everything in the Corridor even just to a subsidiary.  As the Amtrak Board’s own April, 2005, resolution put it: “the costs, complexities and risks of such a split within Amtrak outweigh the benefits.”

 

Express Service Goals: Section 106 anticipates maximum two-hour run time NYP-WAS and 2:30 NYP-BOS, doubling the existing frequency, and doing so within 10 years.  Clearly, this involves relying primarily or exclusively on a brand-new railroad, as the Northeast Corridor Infrastructure Master Plan for the existing railroad (at page 21) foresees average “express service” travel times in 2030 of 2:21 NYP-WAS (“2-stop 2:15”) and 3:08 BOS-NYP.  There is no enforcement mechanism and, again, no solid basis for believing that the goals can be accomplished.

 

Private and federal funding:  Amtrak’s vision for the ‘new’ Northeast Corridor does include private participation to the maximum extent feasible.  Conversely, any privately-managed alternative development likely would be dependent on substantial federal investment.  Again,  the project would have to have a significant stream of revenues that would justify any private sector investment.  Finally, there is no hard evidence that demonstrates why any private entity would be interested in taking over responsibility for infrastructure and/or equipment without being able to show that such an investment would not be damaging to shareholders.

 

Amtrak’s Stewardship:  In general, Amtrak has done an impressive job of managing the Northeast Corridor.  Key elements of the infrastructure are antique.  The B&P Tunnel (south approach to Baltimore) and Union Tunnel (north approach) both opened in 1873; the New York-Washington electrification entered service in 1935.  These make the nation’s oft-lamented air traffic control system look modern by comparison; many Amtrak workers would consider it a luxury to work with 1950s-vintage facilities. 

 

I recall a meeting with President & CEO Joseph Boardman early in his tenure at Amtrak.  There had recently been a major power failure on the NEC, and Boardman—a Republican who served as Federal Railroad Administrator under President George W. Bush—was filled with praise for the skill of the Amtrak power directors and other Amtrak employees responsible for managing the aftermath of the failure in a way that minimized both the recovery time and damage to the system.

We were disappointed to notice that the “Flat Northeast Corridor Ridership” table at page 3 of A New Direction apparently is unchanged from the table shown at your May 26 hearing, notwithstanding information readily available from Amtrak and included in Rep. Brown’s letter of June 2.  As I wrote in our comments for the record of your May 26 hearing:

 

There has been much discussion of NEC ridership trends over the past 34 years, and the suggestion that this “proves” Amtrak has been an unworthy steward of the NEC.  As indicated by the attachments to Rep. Brown’s June 2 letter, on an apples-to-apples basis, ridership on the “NEC Spine” (Boston-Washington) rose from 6.4 million in 1976 and 6.8 million in 1977 to 10.4 million in 2010.  Thus, 2010 ridership was 62.5% higher than the 1976 level and 52.9% above 1977.

 

These figures are constrained by three, related factors. 

·        Amtrak has been mandated to maximize revenues, not ridership.

·        The size of the available fleet could not support the significant traffic growth that lower fares would produce.

·        Infrastructure “choke points” that partly stem from the tripling of NEC commuter trains since 1976.  These important services consume a considerable amount of track capacity.

 

IX.       United Kingdom and Separating Tracks from Carriers

 

At the June 15 briefing, reference was made to a $10 million investment, half from the private sector.  It was stated that Virgin got $300 million from the government in 2004, contrasting with Virgin in 2010 paying the government “a quarter of a billion dollars.”  National Rail Trends published by the UK Office of Rail Regulation shows that Virgin Rail received government support for its West Coast intercity franchise in every year from 1998 through 2010 with the exception of 2009.  Support ranged from between £332 million in 2004 and an estimated £52.5 million in 2010.  Payment to the government in 2009 was £71.6 million.  (British fiscal years end March 31.)

 

However, no such discussion would be complete without acknowledgment of the British government’s far larger infrastructure investment which made Virgin’s performance possible.  That investment was £8.9 billion (US$14.4 billion).  The numbers mentioned at the briefing do not reveal what portion of Virgin’s true infrastructure costs the company’s payments covered. 

 

The following passages from Railway Gazette International Editor-in-Chief Christopher Jackson June “Comment” column may be of interest:

 

“Sir Roy McNulty’s Rail Value for Money Review published on May 19 raises serious questions over the effectiveness of the UK’s fragmented model, and postulates a return to something like vertical integration [common ownership of infrastructure and train operator].  Pointing out that the cost to the UK taxpayer has increased five-fold since privatization, McNulty says unit costs per passenger-km have been rising as traffic has increased, rather than falling as one would expect from economies of scale…

 

“The pro-separation lobby, including the independent infrastructure managers and many politicians at all levels, believes that competition is good for customers, driving costs down and quality up.  Integrationists argue that the very essence of railway technology requires unified control of track and trains to optimize the system…

 

“Addressing the argument that separation facilitates competition, the authors [Jeremy Drew and Chris Nash, in a Working Paper published by the Institute for Transport Studies at the University of Leeds] point out that competition is not an objective in its own right but simply a means of achieving a more efficient railway.  Any efficiencies gained must be set against ‘higher transaction costs between infrastructure manager and operator, reduced pressure on costs and the negative impact on decision making, particularly for investment.’…

 

“A key factor is the degree of government support for infrastructure investment…Thus they feel ‘on existing evidence there is no reason to conclude that vertical separation improves rail performance.’  The jury is still out.”

 

As I have previously noted, a May 25 Financial Times report, “UK rail reform poses ‘big test’ for operators,” said, “Train operators could take over the running and maintenance of the tracks, ending the separation between track and train management that has been blamed for many of the network’s failings.”  FT said operator Stagecoach “supports the integration of track and trains.”

 

Thank you very much for this opportunity to present our views.

 

APPENDIX: AUTO-TRAIN CORPORATION

 

As reported in the May 4, 1981, Washington Post “Washington Business” section: 

“Seaboard and RF&P [CSX predecessors] are believed to be the biggest losers in the Auto-Train bankruptcy, although a complete listing of the railroad’s debts has not been made public.

“…executives of the two railroads have been embarrassed by losing several million dollars in the bankruptcy. 

“Not only does Auto-Train owe the railroads millions of dollars for services, but also the two roads were forced to pay off $2.6 million of Auto-Train’s other debts.  They co-signed an Auto-Train bank loan.  When the loan was not paid, Seaboard had to put up $2 million and RF&P $600,000.  Marriott Corp., which provided food on Auto-Train, guaranteed $400,000 of the company’s borrowings and lost that money along with what the company lost on unpaid food bills. 

“The two railroads were so anxious to be rid of Auto-Train that they agreed to put up $800,000 each to pay for Auto-Train’s final week of operations and to finance expenses involved in shutting down the company entirely. 

“In return for the $1.6 million, Auto-Train bankruptcy trustee Murray Drabkin agreed not only to stop the train but also to cancel the long-term contract with the railroads, freeing them from future obligations…

“Amtrak already runs trains over the Auto-Train route and could run its own Auto-Train service for much less than it would cost an independent railroad.”  [Note: Auto-Train Corporation’s last departure from Lorton, VA, was May 1, 1981; Amtrak’s AutoTrain began service October 30, 1983.]

 

Wall Street Journal reporter Robert S. Greenberger’s cover story, “Once I Had a Railroad: How Auto-Train Ran Off the Rails,” appeared in the May-June 1981 issue of Regardie’s, The Magazine of Washington Business & Real Estate.  Here is one passage: “Angry creditors also confronted the company.  By September 1980, Auto-Train would owe more than $5 million to Seaboard Coast Line Railroad, on whose tracks the train ran.  It also owed $400,000 to Marriott Corp., Auto-Train’s food supplier.  Further, the train owed nearly $700,000 in refunds to passengers.  The Interstate Commerce Commission and other government agencies issued complaints because of this use of customers’ money to finance operations.”

 

Later, Trustee Drabkin sued Auto-Train’s auditor Alexander Grant & Co., contending “that the company’s financial difficulties were misrepresented for years to stockholders and the board of directors and that Auto-Train, with equipment that was rusting away for lack of spare parts, was trying to expand when it should have been consolidating its assets…In late 1979, more than half the company’s equipment was inoperable…” [The Washington Post, March 1, 1983].  Auto-Train, of course, relied on used equipment and did not purchase new cars, which would have considerably increased costs.

 

National Association of Railroad Passengers www.narprail.org

505 Capitol Court NE, Suite 300, Washington DC, 20002-7706

 

  Hey KJP, could you take a break from railroad politics for a moment and take a question about railroad operations?

 

  Over the years, there has been talk of splitting the Cardinal route into two, which both routes terminating in Cincinnati. Apparently the Cardinal acts like two separate routes anyway from a rider's point of view, since most riders either go to Washington or Chicago from a point on either side of Cincinnati. There are very few through riders at Cincinnati.

 

    From where does the Cardinal operate now? Do they have facilities at both ends, or just one? If they did split the route, would they have to turn the trains at Cincinnati? Was the proposal to split the route taken seriously, or was it just a thought?

 

Thank You.

Given the hour layover in Indy on the way to Chicago, it seems like the Cardinal already splits there. Especially since it is synonymous with the Hoosier State line after that point.

 

Unfortunately, the Cardinal is not very useful to Ohioans in the Cincinnati area. meanwhile, the Megabus route to Chicago seems to be doing well so far. I know, "Never send a bus to do a train's job," but the bus seems to be winning hands down. It looks like an opportunity to improve Amtrak's performance, but I don't know enough about the operation to tell if it is a good idea or not.

 

 

 

  Hey KJP, could you take a break from railroad politics for a moment and take a question about railroad operations?

 

  Over the years, there has been talk of splitting the Cardinal route into two, which both routes terminating in Cincinnati. Apparently the Cardinal acts like two separate routes anyway from a rider's point of view, since most riders either go to Washington or Chicago from a point on either side of Cincinnati. There are very few through riders at Cincinnati.

 

    From where does the Cardinal operate now? Do they have facilities at both ends, or just one? If they did split the route, would they have to turn the trains at Cincinnati? Was the proposal to split the route taken seriously, or was it just a thought?

 

Thank You.

 

The Cardinal operates three days a week in each direction between Chicago and New York City via two dozen enroute stations, including cities like Indianapolis, Cincinnati, Charleston, Washington DC, Baltimore and Philadelphia. On the days that the Cardinal does not operate, the Hoosier State operates between Indianapolis and Chicago to ensure daily service on that segment. The train has an immense amount of schedule padding (extra time built into the schedule to absorb delays) at Indianapolis to guard against delaying departures from that city for Chicago. There is also a lot of schedule padding between Indianapolis and Cincinnati since this is in the middle of the night and most travelers are dozing.

 

EDIT-1: Here is the Cardinal/Hoosier State schedule and service descriptions....

http://www.amtrak.com/servlet/BlobServer?blobcol=urldata&blobtable=MungoBlobs&blobkey=id&blobwhere=1249225012299&blobheader=application%2Fpdf&blobheadername1=Content-disposition&blobheadervalue1=attachment;filename=Amtrak_P50.pdf

 

There are two "split" proposals that I can think of, but they involve two totally different kinds of "splits."

 

Most recently, and this is still an active proposal, is to make the Cardinal daily. A sub-proposal that is farther into the future than making the Cardinal daily is to take the westbound Cardinal and split it into two trains at Indianapolis. After the westbound Cardinal arrives Indianapolis, it would switch out a coach car or two and probably a sleeper bound for Chicago. A waiting locomotive with additional coaches and a cafe car would take those railcars from the East Coast (and any heavy overhaul cars coming out of Beech Grove) to Chicago. The remaining train cars from the East Coast would be taken to St. Louis over the fast CSX mainline that goes through Terre Haute and Effingham. This process would be reversed in the eastbound direction.

 

EDIT-2: The reason why this split is farther into the future is because Amtrak does not have enough spare rail cars to do it. They are extremely short of locomotives, baggage cars, coaches, food service cars and sleepers.

 

The other proposal was offered about 10 years ago. It was to make the Cardinal into a Cincinnati-Washington train, and leave the Chicago-Indianapolis Hoosier State service as-is, except it would become daily. All Aboard Ohio opposed that change because it would have created a 120-mile gap in the national system, reduced city-pair travel options, reduced more lucrative long-distance revenues and saved little on operating costs. Amtrak agreed and rescinded it.

 

While there is heavy travel between Indy and Chicago, that proposal did not fully reflect ridership patterns as many travelers on the Cardinal also travel between West Virginia, Virginia and the Northeast Corridor cities, AND between West Virginia and Chicago. The West Virginia travelers are those who have few other travel options, or are people traveling to West Virginia for camping, fishing and other outdoor tourism. So it is not correct that there are few through riders at Cincinnati. Few people get on/off at Cincinnati given the horrible scheduled arrival/departure times there. Cincy is the rail equivalent of a flyover city.

 

So the Cardinal/Hoosier State is designed to serve three basic travel functions:

 

> Chicago-Lafayette-Indianapolis

> Chicago-West Virginia (travelers connect at Chicago to the western trains)

> West Virginia-Virginia-Northeast Corridor

 

I'm not sure what you mean by "facilities" -- are you referring to servicing and maintenance facilities? If so, these exist at Chicago, Indianapolis (actually in Beech Grove -- Amtrak's principal Midwest heavy overhaul facility), Washington DC, Wilmington, Philadelphia and New York City. If you mean are there turning tracks for a train to reverse direction, there are multiple locations along the Cardinal route where this can happen.

 

BTW, I would much rather talk about rail operations and future service possibilities than politics. So thank you for giving me an escape from these nasty politicians!

  Thanks KJP. That was helpful.

 

  So here is the Megabus company offering service from Cincinnati to Chicago with just one stop in Indianapolis, and it is growing in popularity. It is clear that the demand is there. Is there any hope that Amtrak will ever offer service between Cincinnati and Chicago at convenient times and reasonably fast?

  Thanks KJP. That was helpful.

 

  So here is the Megabus company offering service from Cincinnati to Chicago with just one stop in Indianapolis, and it is growing in popularity. It is clear that the demand is there. Is there any hope that Amtrak will ever offer service between Cincinnati and Chicago at convenient times and reasonably fast?

 

It won't happen on its own.  If the same number of supporters of the Cincy streetcar would send e-mails and letter to Amtrak, you might see some progress toward that improvement.  Such an effort wouldn't be that difficult, as the streetcar campaign has already built an effective and vocal support base.

  Thanks KJP. That was helpful.

 

  So here is the Megabus company offering service from Cincinnati to Chicago with just one stop in Indianapolis, and it is growing in popularity. It is clear that the demand is there. Is there any hope that Amtrak will ever offer service between Cincinnati and Chicago at convenient times and reasonably fast?

 

No, not unless the state of Indiana leads an initiative to provide the infrastructure necessary for the kind of improved service you and I might want. Under current federal law (the Passenger Rail Investment & Improvement Act of 2008), all passenger rail capital improvement projects are to be initiated by the states. Amtrak or other qualified passenger operator would then be the turnkey operator of whatever service the state of Indiana might want to initiate. Right now, Indiana doesn't want to initiate anything.

 

So this is why I am involved in the politics of passenger rail. Not because I want to be. But because I have to be.

  Thanks KJP. That was helpful.

 

  So here is the Megabus company offering service from Cincinnati to Chicago with just one stop in Indianapolis, and it is growing in popularity. It is clear that the demand is there. Is there any hope that Amtrak will ever offer service between Cincinnati and Chicago at convenient times and reasonably fast?

 

Ya, but you always seem to forget the massive federal subsidy that megabus relies on- AKA the interstates.  There is no comparable federal subsidy to rail lines- most of the cardinals rail lines are over 100 years old- and have for this extended period of time needed almost no maintenance-  by the same token, they are privately owned and passenger rail is given low priority.  Amtrak's most profitable lines exist where tracks where the government owns the track (just like megabus is profitable where the government owns the interstate). 

 

I have nothing against megabus! it's a great option, at the same time- it's impossible to do a direct comparison.

 

Unfortunately, the Cardinal is not very useful to Ohioans in the Cincinnati area. meanwhile, the Megabus route to Chicago seems to be doing well so far. I know, "Never send a bus to do a train's job," but the bus seems to be winning hands down. It looks like an opportunity to improve Amtrak's performance, but I don't know enough about the operation to tell if it is a good idea or not.

 

None of Ohio has very useful train service.  It's always a good idea to improve service in a corridor like Cincinnati-Chicago.  The problem is the lack of a government commitment to support rail like it does other modes.  It costs money to upgrade tracks and stations and buy rolling stock-- money Amtrak doesn't have, money congress bickers about and refuses to spend, money Ohio and Indiana refuse to spend.  Meanwhile, Megabus is able to do what it does because of a federal and state commitment to spend disproportionately on highways. 

 

I see three things that need to happen in order for us to start getting the train service America needs and deserves:  1.  Congress needs to grow up and  acknowledge that passenger rail is no different than highways and aviation in that it requires a government commitment to fund infrastructure and some operating costs;  2.  The Republican Party has to stop turning Amtrak and passenger rail into a political football; and 3.  Amtrak needs to pay the host railroads on a similar scale to what Via Rail Canada does, which brings us back to point #1.   

NOTE: Business & jobs coming to Norwood, Ohio with this news.

 

http://www.fra.dot.gov/roa/press_releases/fp_FRA14-11.shtml

 

 

DOT Announces $562.9 Million AMTRAK Loan for 70 Locomotives to Run on Northeast Corridor

 

U.S.Department of Transportation

Office of Public Affairs

Washington, D.C.

www.dot.gov/affairs/briefing.htm

 

FRA 14-11

Wednesday, June 29, 2011

Contact: Brie N. Sachse

Tel.: (202) 493-6024

 

 

American Manufacturers Get a Boost From U.S. Department of Transportation Financing Plan

 

WASHINGTON - Today, U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood announced a $562.9 million loan to Amtrak under the Federal Railroad Administration’s Railroad Rehabilitation and Improvement Financing (RRIF) program that will create hundreds of manufacturing jobs across several states.

 

This is the largest loan issued through the RRIF program to date, and the dollars will finance the purchase of 70 high-performance, electric locomotives from Siemens Industry USA. These locomotives are more energy-efficient and will enable Amtrak to improve frequency, performance and reliability for regional and intercity routes along the Northeast and Keystone Corridors.

 

“President Obama has a bold vision to provide Americans with a world-class, passenger rail network, while giving American manufacturers and suppliers nationwide an opportunity to get into the rail business,” said Secretary LaHood. “The Obama Administration is committed to making strategic, long-term investments that create jobs and boost the economy now, and this financing plan is already putting Americans back to work at assembly plants and supply companies in Ohio, Pennsylvania, California and Georgia.”

 

Siemens Industry USA is adding 250 new manufacturing jobs in order to design and build 70 new energy-efficient locomotives for Amtrak. Three of Siemens’ U.S. manufacturing plants will deliver the equipment order, with traction motors and gear units being produced in Norwood, OH, traction converters and braking choppers being built in Alpharetta, GA, and final assembly of the locomotives in Sacramento, CA. The RRIF loan will also upgrade maintenance facilities and allow for the purchase of spare parts needed to support the new locomotives.

 

Suppliers from communities around the country will soon be tapped by Siemens Industry USA to provide components for the order, further boosting U.S. manufacturing. For example, PHW, Inc. a company based in East Pittsburgh, PA, has already been contracted to manufacture safety-related parts for the locomotives.

 

“The RRIF program is a model of how we can leverage federal dollars to spur private investment and build up the economy,” said Federal Railroad Administrator Joseph C. Szabo. “It provides steady, affordable financing for major rail construction and expansion projects, and best of all, it comes at zero cost to the taxpayer.”

 

As part of a comprehensive plan to modernize and expand its fleet of equipment, the 70 Amtrak Cities Sprinter ACS-64 locomotives – still in the final design phase – will replace existing units that have been in service for 20-30 years with an average of 3.5 million miles traveled. The electric locomotives will begin operating along regional and intercity routes in 2013 on the Northeast and Keystone Corridors, which together serve more than one million Amtrak passengers every month.

 

The Federal Railroad Administration’s RRIF program provides direct loans and loan guarantees through $35 billion available for railroads to acquire, improve, or rehabilitate rail and intermodal equipment, infrastructure or facilities. RRIF offers a responsible approach to supplementing capital investment for all types of railroads. For more information about the RRIF program, please visit www.fra.dot.gov

####

 

Does this free up locomotives to add/improve service elsewhere among Amtrak's fleet?

No. These will replace aging AEM-7 electric locomotives on a pretty much 1-for-1 basis. Some of the better conditioned AEM-7's will likely end up with new owners, but those will only be for services operating under electric wires like MBTA in Boston or MARC between WDC and Baltimore. Those two commuter rail systems use a lot of diesels on the Northeast Corridor because they can't afford to buy more electrics. This might give them the opportunity to afford switching from more diesels to electrics.

 

Amtrak has some spare diesel locomotives. That's not where their shortage is. Their shortage is in coaches. They need more of them DESPERATELY. All Aboard Ohio is trying to charter a train for one day this fall, and the most coach cars Amtrak can spare for the trip is four. FOUR.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amtrak_Cities_Sprinter

 

More on the Cities Sprinter locomotive, still in final design stage.

Wow.

 

On a recent trip to visit my family in Niles, Oh, I was heading out of town and drove down SR45 in Lordstown. At one point, you go over some RR tracks on a viaduct. Off to the West, I saw NUMEROUS coaches. I wonder what those are doing there.

They are parked at the Ohio Commerce Center, a former WWII distribution facility (most recently called the Space Center). The two Bakeris brothers who own it also run LTEX, the nation's largest locomotive leasing operation. LTEX is Larry's Truck & Electric, a small business started by their father. LTEX is based at the old McDonald plant of the US Steel Ohio Works. It buys second-hand locomotives and it either scraps them for metal or parts, or rebuilds them for lease.

 

They are now getting into real estate, including the Ohio Commerce Center. There they fix up old railroad passenger cars for various uses. They have a post-war streamliner on the property, but they don't run it anywhere. Instead the Bakeris brothers use it to entertain guests, negotiate business deals and sign contracts.

Interesting. Good to know.

NARP News Release

505 Capitol Ct. NE Suite 300 w Washington, D.C. 20002-7706

Phone 202-408-8362 w Fax 202-408-8287 w [email protected] w http://www.narprail.org

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE (#11-17)

July 6, 2011

Contact: Sean Jeans-Gail – 202-408-8362 [mobile: 202-320-2723]

 

Passengers Voice Concern Over Transportation Spending Proposal, Seek Pursuit of Revised Priorities

 

With the expected unveiling tomorrow of the initial draft of the House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee’s surface transportation reauthorization, the National Association of Railroad Passengers is calling for a change of direction, with protections for the investments in the transportation network that will allow America to succeed in the 21st century.

 

A bipartisan group of Representatives—including Reps. Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) and Steven LaTourette (R-OH), noted leaders on transportation issues—called on House T&I Chairman John Mica (R-FL) to maintain or increase funding for infrastructure.  The coalition of House Members cited warnings issued by transportation experts who have identified hundreds of billions of dollars in state of good repair backlogs, saying we will need to invest $2 trillion to rebuild roads, rails, bridges, and other elements of U.S. infrastructure that are reaching the end of their useful life cycles.  NARP supports the call for funding, while advocating for more efficient and balanced investment.

 

“We appreciate the difficult task Chairman Mica faces, but the simple fact is reduced transportation investment cannot build a better transportation system for Americans,” said NARP President Ross Capon.  “Getting the right mix of public and private investment—and identifying the right set of outcomes—will require serious rethinking of national priorities and changes to current processes and incentives for moving away from the status quo.

 

“This funding crisis should be a chance to rethink how the whole network can more efficiently meet a wider range of objectives—goals for funding; energy security; and household, business and public costs.  By achieving synergy across sectors—transportation, energy, housing, economy, and environment to name a few—America will build a transportation system capable of supporting a vibrant 21st century economy.  This synergy includes integrating rail, road, water, transit, pedestrian, and bike networks into seamless systems for local, regional and interstate travel.  Most importantly, we must stop overemphasizing the automobile and the creation of communities that will isolate anyone who cannot drive.”

I've ridden both lines compared at the start of the article. And even though the new, parallel 300km/h line opened between Frankfurt and Cologne, the old line along the Rhine was still filled with speedy, crowded passenger trains.....

 

July/August 2011

The Case for Not-Quite-So-High-Speed Rail

The bad news: Republicans have torpedoed plans for American bullet trains. The good news: The Obama administration is quietly building a slower, but potentially much better, rail system.

By Phillip Longman

 

After concluding some business in Frankfurt, Germany, recently, I found myself with a day to kill and decided to use it to tour the historic Cologne Cathedral, about 120 miles away. I could have rented a car and driven through traffic on the autobahn for about two hours, but instead I decided to walk a few blocks from my hotel and board Intercity-Express #616. The sleek bullet train left Frankfurt’s magnificent nineteenth-century main terminal on time and sped along a super-engineered, beeline right-of-way completed in 2002 at a cost of $5.6 billion. The scenery wasn’t much, as we were often in tunnels built to keep the line straight and fast. But the ride was smooth, quiet, and comfortable, even at 180 miles per hour, and in a mere fifty-six minutes the train arrived on time to the second within steps of the Cologne Cathedral. The fare was $109.

 

You might expect me at this point to proclaim, like so many Americans who have sojourned in Europe, Japan, or China on gleaming bullet trains, that what the United States needs now is a crash program to catch up with our peers in building high-speed rail for the twenty-first century. And, for the record, I will proclaim that. It’s a vision almost all progressives have come to share, even as conservatives increasingly denounce it as creeping socialism, social engineering, or worse. But I’ll make an important qualification that should inform the increasingly partisan debate about high-speed rail in this country—one that is illustrated by my trip back to Frankfurt later that afternoon.

 

READ MORE AT:

http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/magazine/julyaugust_2011/features/the_case_for_notquite_sohighsp030492.php

After a freight train derailment July 6 destroyed a bridge over the Big Blue River in Morristown, Indiana about 20 miles southeast of Indianapolis, through passenger rail service has been severed on Amtrak's Cardinal route (with three-day-per-week trains in each direction between Chicago, Indianapolis, Cincinnati, Charleston, Washington DC, Philadelphia, New York City and 25 other station stops enroute; see: http://tinyurl.com/3fuwlby).

 

For the foreseeable future, Amtrak will be providing alternate bus transportation between CINCINNATI and INDIANAPOLIS/CHICAGO through at least early next week (except to/from Connersville, IN) and daily train service between CHI and IND for the duration. All Aboard Ohio hopes to learn know more from Amtrak and CSX early next week about when through Amtrak service can be restored to this route. Amtrak carries about 140,000 riders per year on this route, over which Amtrak has proposed to expand service to daily possibly by the end of 2011. Amtrak projects the daily service will cause the Cardinal's annual ridership to increase by 96 percent and reduce operating subsidies per passenger-mile by 31 percent (see: http://tinyurl.com/6hg5d9f).

 

Freight train derailment disrupting Amtrak service

Thursday, July 07, 2011

 

July 7, 2011 (MORRISTOWN, Ind.) (WLS) -- Amtrak service between New York and Chicago was disrupted Thursday after a freight train derailment in Indiana.

 

Amtrak says the derailment near Indianapolis affected the Cardinal line, which normally travels from Cincinnati to Indianapolis, then Chicago.

 

Due to the derailment, Amtrak passengers were told to get off the train in Cincinnati and take buses either directly to Chicago or to Indianapolis to catch another train.

 

READ MORE AT:

http://abclocal.go.com/wls/story?section=news/local&id=8236677

7/11/2011 10:00:00 AM    Federal Funding

 

Twenty senators seek $2.2 billion for Amtrak

 

U.S. Sen. Jim Webb (D-Va.) and 19 other senators have sent a letter to Senate Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development leaders calling for $2.2 billion for Amtrak’s intercity passenger-rail service in fiscal-year 2012.

 

In the letter, the text of which was released by Webb’s office, the senators request full funding of Amtrak’s FY2012 budget request. The funding level is necessary because of Amtrak’s growing ridership and its impact on reducing traffic congestion and spurring economic growth, the senators wrote. The subcommittee is in the process of considering the FY2012 Transportation, Housing and Urban Development and Related Agencies Appropriations Act.

 

 

Read more at: http://www.progressiverailroading.com/prdailynews/news.asp?id=27226

 

7/11/2011 9:30:00 AM    Legislation

 

House GOP budget/Mica proposal would cut 140,000 public transportation jobs, Democrats say

 

House Republicans’ budget plan and Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman John Mica’s (R-Fla.) six-year, $230 billion surface transportation proposal would cut current levels of public transportation funding by one-third and eliminate 140,000 jobs, ranking Democrats believe, according to an American Public Transportation Association (APTA) legislative alert.

 

Last week, Mica announced his outline for the six-year authorization proposal, which he said would adhere to the fiscal constraints as outlined by the House budget resolution passed earlier this year. Mica’s proposal calls for $230 billion in funding over the six years, or about $35 billion a year. The funding represents a one-third cut from current levels and a 19.5 percent decline compared with the $286 billion SAFETEA-LU measure.

 

 

Read more at: http://www.progressiverailroading.com/prdailynews/news.asp?id=27223

Update on Amtrak "Cardinal":

 

Source at Amtrak tells me that it will be at least a month before a CSX railroad bridge near Morristown, Indiana is replaced and through service is restored on the "Cardinal".  Bus connections will be discontinued and the train will operate from Chicago to Indy and from Cincy to Washington DC & New York until the bridge is repaired.

That sounds like it could be much more than a month (building a whole bridge??). That really sucks for anyone planning to ride to Cincy from Indy/Chicago (or vice versa).

It's a girder bridge and I'm told CSX already has one built and just needs to be transported to the site.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

July 12, 2011

 

ATK-11-100

Contact: Media Relations

202 906.3860

 

AMTRAK TO EXCEED 30 MILLION PASSENGERS FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER

Ridership projections show a new all-time record will be set

 

WASHINGTON -Amtrak is projecting that for the first time ever its annual ridership will exceed 30 million passengers and in the process set a new all-time record when the current fiscal year ends Sept. 30.

     

"We are having a very strong year because people around the country are choosing the convenience, efficiency and hassle-free environment of Amtrak to meet their travel needs," said President and CEO Joe Boardman.  "Amtrak has wisely invested the federal funding we have received to improve infrastructure and equipment.  Continued investment in Amtrak and passenger rail will support the further growth of this increasingly vital transportation option."

     

Amtrak is basing its projection of more than 30 million passengers on strong June ridership numbers and expected ticket sales for July, August and September. June 2011 was the best June on record with more than 2.6 million passengers for the month and marked 20 consecutive months of year-over-year ridership growth, a streak that began in November 2009.

     

This strong performance is part of a long-term trend that has seen Amtrak set annual ridership records in seven of the last eight fiscal years, including more than 28.7 million passengers in FY 2010.

     

Comparing the first nine months of FY 2011 (October - June) to the same time period in FY 2010, national Amtrak ridership is up 6.4 percent so far this fiscal year and all three major business lines are showing gains: the Northeast Corridor up 5.6 percent, state-supported and other short distance corridors up 7.8 percent, and long-distance trains up 3.9 percent. 

     

Factors contributing to the continuing success of Amtrak include high gasoline prices, continued growth in business travel on the high-speed Acela Express trains with free Wi-Fi service, the increased appeal and popularity of rail travel, and effective marketing campaigns.

 

About Amtrak®:

Celebrating 40 years of dedicated service as America's Railroad, Amtrak is the nation's intercity passenger rail provider and its only high-speed rail operator.  A record 28.7 million passengers traveled on Amtrak in FY 2010 on more than 300 daily trains - at speeds up to 150 mph (241 kph) - that connect 46 states, the District of Columbia and three Canadian Provinces.  Amtrak operates trains in partnership with 15 states and four commuter rail agencies.  Amtrak also is a strong financial performer achieving an 85 percent cost-recovery ratio in FY 2010.  Enjoy the journey at Amtrak.com or call 800-USA-RAIL for schedules, fares and more information.  Join us on facebook.com/Amtrak and follow us at twitter.com/Amtrak.

 

 

Ridership for trains serving Ohio in the fist 6 months of 2011:

 

Lake Shore Limited  +10.2%

 

Capitol Limited        +6.3%

 

Cardinal                  +10.2%

 

That also includes the last three months of 2010. Amtrak's fiscal year starts Oct. 1.

 

To me, the revenue growth is even more impressive......

 

OHIO ROUTE            VS. 2010    VS. BUDGET

 

Lake Shore Limited  +17.2%      +17.5%

 

Capitol Limited        +12.3%        +9.0%

 

Cardinal                  +20.3%        +3.1%

^But no one in Ohio wants to ride trains.  John Kasich told me so...

 

Congressional Research Service: Privatizing Amtrak violates constitution's Takings Clause

By Keith Laing - 07/13/11 01:50 PM ET

 

The Congressional Research Service said this week that the House Republican plan to privatizing rail service currently provided by Amtrak would violate the Takings Clause of the U.S. Constitution.

 

Looking into the proposal at the behest of Democrats on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, the CRS ruled that the proposal to transfer assets in the Northeast Rail Corridor currently owned by Amtrak to the Department of Transportation runs afoul of the constitutional provision that requires compensation for transactions of value.

 

"The terms of the clause make plain that if the proposed bill were enacted, Amtrak would be able to invoke the clause's protections if (1) Amtrak may be regarded as an entity outside the federal government for Takings Clause purposes … (2) the Amtrak assets to be transferred to the Secretary are 'property' under the Clause and (3) the transfer is a 'taking' under the clause," the CRS report obtained by The Hill said.

 

Read more at: http://thehill.com/blogs/transportation-report/railroads/171247-congressional-research-service-privatizing-amtrak-violates-constitutions-takings-clause

^

Talk about a poison pill!!!

Indiana railroad bridge damaged by train derailment reopens to traffic

 

MORRISTOWN, Ind. — Amtrak passenger train service between New York and Chicago is set to resume now that a railroad bridge that was closed after a freight train derailment southeast of Indianapolis has reopened.

 

Amtrak spokesman Marc Magliari says service between Cincinnati and Indianapolis will resume Wednesday. Service had been disrupted since the July 6 incident in which five of 16 cars that derailed went into the Big Blue River near Morristown, heavily damaging the bridge.

 

Read more at: http://www.greenfieldreporter.com/view/story/f5de054a25724e4e91e4f03da2c8bcc1/IN--Indiana-Train-Derailment/

Glad to hear the trains are rolling again. Now if we could just get the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic RR running again north of Akron!

Olver: High-Speed Rail Program Important for Strong Economy

·        By Rep. John Olver

·        Special to Roll Call

·        July 21, 2011,

 

        Any driver who has sat in bumper-to-bumper traffic and listened to radio reports about how Americans have the longest commuting times of any developed nation knows that our transportation network needs improvement.

 

At its core, the goal of our national transportation system is to move passengers and commercial goods from point to point as safely and efficiently as possible. Our current reality, however, is one of congested roads, delayed arrivals and rapidly aging infrastructure. Inevitably, the challenges we face will only get tougher as our population is expected to grow by 40 percent during the next four decades.

 

Moving forward, meeting our goal will require federal policy that re-evaluates the relative emphasis that is placed on each mode of transportation. While continued investments in our highways and airports are necessary, we must also acknowledge that improvements to these two modes cannot meet all the demand upon the system.

 

Read more at:

http://www.rollcall.com/features/Transportation-2011_Policy-Briefing/policy_briefings/olver-high-speed-rail-program-important-for-strong-economy-207561-1.html

 

FRA 16-11

Wednesday, August 03, 2011

Contact: Brie N. Sachse

Tel.: (202) 493-6024

 

American Manufacturing Gets a Boost through a Combined $782 Million Investment in Passenger Rail Equipment

 

WASHINGTON – U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood today announced that California, Illinois, Iowa, Michigan and Missouri will receive $336.2 million to purchase next-generation, American-made trains that will run on rail corridors in those states. Previously awarded rail dollars bring the amount received by these five states and Washington State to $782 million for the purchase of 33 quick-acceleration locomotives and 120 bi-level passenger cars.

 

“Today’s announcement is all about jobs. Thanks to the leadership of the Obama Administration, these orders will pump more than three quarters of a billion dollars into the domestic manufacturing industry,” said Secretary LaHood. “And, our Buy America standard will put people to work all over the county.” 

 

California and Illinois reached cooperative agreements with the Federal Railroad Administration to begin a multi-state procurement of equipment for passenger rail corridors in California, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Missouri, Oregon and Washington State.  Through a joint procurement process states will leverage these federal investments, along with state matching dollars, ensuring taxpayers receive the best possible deal while creating the necessary momentum to encourage manufacturers to build equipment in U.S. plants with American workers and suppliers.

 

“Building a nationwide rail network is critical to America’s long-term economic success.  More people are choosing to take the train and this year Amtrak is projected to set an all-time record by topping 30 million annual riders,” said Federal Railroad Administrator Joseph C. Szabo.

 

Trains will be designed to travel more than 110 mph along intercity passenger corridors, and meet standards developed by the state-led, Next Generation Equipment Committee.  This will provide manufacturers with consistent specifications for all passenger trains in the United States, reducing costs for manufacturers and customers, while providing a boost to the railcar manufacturing industry.  The state partners will now begin a joint procurement process, first issuing a request for information (RFI) and then a request for proposal (RFP) to allow for an open and competitive process.  The RFI is expected to be issued in late summer 2011.

 

A strict “Buy America” requirement ensures that U.S. manufacturers and workers receive the maximum economic benefits from this federal investment. In 2009, Secretary LaHood secured a commitment from 30 foreign and domestic rail manufacturers to employ American workers and locate or expand their base of operations in the U.S. if they are selected for high-speed-rail contracts.  In addition, in June, DOT announced a $562.9 million loan to Amtrak through FRA’s Railroad Rehabilitation and Improvement Financing (RRIF) program to finance the purchase of 70 high-performance, electric locomotives from Siemens Industry USA, creating 250 new manufacturing jobs in California, Ohio and Georgia. 

 

The Obama Administration has invested $10.1 billion to lay the groundwork for a high-speed and intercity passenger rail network in the United States, providing rail access to new communities and improving the reliability, speed and frequency of existing lines. Of that, more than $6 billion has been obligated, with corridor projects under way in New England, Illinois, Washington State and North Carolina and stations under construction in California and North Carolina.

 

 

 

Already posted at the Midwest Regional Rail Initiative thread...

^ not everyone reads that thread... And this article applies to Amtrak...

Already posted at the Midwest Regional Rail Initiative thread...

 

Worth having it reposted.  Shows how Ohio is (again) being left behind at the station platform while other states are embracing passenger rail and making jobs, economic development and transportation choice happen.

OK, what's wrong with this picture? "Ohio -- in the void of it all!"

 

FYI: HSIPR = High Speed/Intercity Passenger Rail. Some states received funds for construction of high-speed rail or conventional intercity passenger rail infrastructure and equipment. Other states received funding for planning so their rail development projects are sufficiently advanced to become eligible for federal construction funds....

 

SECRETARY LAHOOD ANNOUNCES NEARLY $745 MILLION IN RAIL FUNDING FOR MAJOR UPGRADES & CONSTRUCTION ALONG NORTHEAST CORRIDOR

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

  U.S.Department of Transportation

Office of Public Affairs

Washington, D.C.

www.dot.gov/affairs/briefing.htm

News

 

DOT 110-11

Monday, August 22, 2011

Contact: Brie Sachse

Tel.: 202-493-6024

 

 

Improvements Will Allow Future Amtrak Acela Service to Reach Speeds of 186 mph

 

WASHINGTON – U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood today announced nearly $745 million for construction along the Northeast Corridor (NEC) to upgrade some of the most heavily-used sections.  The NEC will receive $449.94 million to upgrade electrical systems and tracks between Trenton, NJ and New York City, resulting in improved on-time performance and reliability, and an initial increase in top operating speeds up to 160 mph and future maximum speeds of 186 mph.  Another $294.78 million will alleviate major delays for trains coming in and out of Manhattan with new routes that allow Amtrak trains to bypass the busiest passenger rail junction in the nation.

 

“These grants are a win for our economy and a win for commuters all along the Northeast Corridor,” said Secretary LaHood. “We are creating new construction jobs, ordering American-made supplies and improving transportation opportunities across a region where 50 million Americans live and work.”

 

Today’s announcement is part of the Obama Administration’s unprecedented capital investment in the Northeast Corridor, and the improvements will allow for the fastest passenger train speeds attained in North America to date. Thanks to these investments, Acela Express trains will soon reach up to 160 mph (up from 135 mph today) along a 24-mile segment of the corridor between Trenton and New Brunswick, NJ, with the replacement of electrical catenary, supplemented power supply, and modernized signals and tracks.  In the future, as Amtrak purchases new, next generation high-speed train sets, passengers will travel at world-class speeds of 186 mph along the improved track.

 

Improvements to the Harold Interlocking rail junction in Queens will eliminate congestion between intercity and commuter trains and allow for the future growth of high-speed service along the corridor.  A new flyover will separate Amtrak trains travelling between New York and Boston from Long Island Railroad and Metro-North commuter trains, and NJ Transit trains accessing Sunnyside Maintenance Yard in Queens.

 

“With gas prices on the rise and congestion clogging our roads, more and more Americans are choosing to travel by train,” said Federal Railroad Administrator Joseph C. Szabo.  “With our population expected to grow by 100 million more people between now and 2050, we are investing in a high-speed rail system that connects to other modes of transportation, reduces congestion and improves the efficiency and reliability of travel in America. Increasing speeds and improving service on the Northeast Corridor, which is the most heavily-traveled passenger rail corridor in the nation, is a crucial part of our effort.”

 

Both projects are expected to generate 12,000 jobs.  Pre-construction work between Trenton and New York City will begin in late 2011, with initial construction commencing in 2012.  The project is expected to create 400 jobs per year over the period of construction. Through the Obama Administration’s strict implementation of the “Buy America” requirement, the opportunity for U.S. manufacturers and suppliers continues as more than 100 miles of wire, hundreds of catenary poles, and a large volume of electrical equipment such as transformers will be used as part of the upgrades.

 

Construction on Harold Interlocking will begin in September 2012, creating 9,200 jobs over the length of the project, and include the procurement of new switches, miles of track, concrete ties, bridges, signal towers, catenary poles, and retaining walls.

 

Thirty-two states across the U.S. and the District of Columbia are currently laying the foundation for high-speed rail corridors to link Americans with faster and more energy-efficient travel options. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act and annual appropriations have provided $10.1 billion to put America on track towards providing new and expanded rail access to communities and improving the reliability, speed, and frequency of existing service. Of that, more than $7.3 billion has been obligated to date.

 

####

..

That's great news, but I wish they'd replace the overhead wires between New York City and New Haven CT so that the average speed of 40-50 mph can be doubled. That could allow cutting 30+ minutes off the trip time between NYC and Boston. That 75-mile segment is the longest, slowest section in the entire Northeast Corridor.

Some Hurricane Irene aftermath...

 

Power Issues, Track Damage Lead To Train Cancellations

POSTED: 3:23 pm EDT August 28, 2011

UPDATED: 9:29 am EDT August 29, 2011

 

SUSQUEHANNA VALLEY, Pa. -- Amtrak officials said Hurricane Irene has left behind debris, floodwaters and has knocked out power in some areas leading to the cancellation of some train service on several lines, including the Harrisburg Line.

 

Service on the Keystone line between Harrisburg and Philadelphia will resume at 3 p.m. Monday.

 

Most regional service between Washington, D.C. and Philadelphia will resume Monday.

 

 

Read more: http://www.wgal.com/news/29007217/detail.html#ixzz1WQaxbnl1

 

 

Amtrak Working to Restore Service

Sunday, Aug 28, 2011  |  Updated 9:58 PM EDT

 

Numerous routes were canceled due to Irene's wrath, and Amtrak staff is now working to restore service. However, some trains have already been canceled for Monday.

 

Prior to the storm, Amtrak had canceled or truncated train service for Friday, Saturday and Sunday, both south and north of D.C.

 

Now Amtrak is inspecting and repairing infrastructure along their Northeast Corridor route, the Springfield Line and the Harrisburg Line. "Engineering teams are reporting areas of flooding, debris on tracks, and power issues," Amtrak said Sunday afternoon in a release.

 

The company is also working with other railroads to assess the conditions of their routes, where they're used by Amtrak trains.

 

Read more at: http://www.nbcwashington.com/news/local/Amtrak-Working-to-Restore-Service-128562288.html

House Subcommitee Approves Shutdown Budget for Amtrak!

High-Speed Rail Funding Eliminated

 

 

The House Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation & Housing proposed slashing funding for Amtrak to $1.1 billion—a reduction of more than $357 million from what Amtrak received in FY2011. 

 

The bill forbids use of the operating grant to fund short corridors, potentially endangering almost 150 weekday state-supported trains and stranding millions of passengers in California, Illinois, Maine, Michigan, Missouri, New York, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Texas, Vermont, Virginia, Washington and Wisconsin.

 

This really would kill all of Amtrak because of how loss of “state corridors” would cut revenues and increase costs of Northeast Corridor and overnight trains.  The NEC and interstate trains would be severely victimized both by assuming much of the shared costs now assigned to the short corridors, and the loss of revenues from connecting passengers disenfranchised by loss of those corridors.

 

The High-Speed and Intercity Passenger Rail program—a highly oversubscribed program that has seen 39 states apply for funds to improve (and introduce) modern passenger trains for the 135 million Americans that live in a community connected to a rail corridor—was given no funding at all. 

 

This proposed budget is a direct attack on the right of Americans to travel by train, indeed, on the very existence of intercity passenger trains in the U.S.  Take a minute and call your Congressperson to ask them to stand up for trains.  Or click the link and write a letter to your Representative.

 

We need your voice today!

 

GO TO:

http://org2.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=vfVB3OX54Z1R7O9i40FwS0IUTq0MGCAE

New initiatives put Amtrak on the fast track

By Rob Lovitt, msnbc.com contributor

Reporting from Future Travel Experience 2011 in Vancouver, B.C.

 

When you’re talking about the future of travel, the train is probably not the first image that comes to mind. In the U.S., at least, many travelers still view the railroad as more iron horse than innovative operator.

 

Amtrak would like to suggest otherwise. Despite an oft-well-deserved reputation for being slow on the technology uptake, the nation’s intercity-rail provider is rolling out initiatives like a Silicon Valley startup.

 

Among the recent developments:

 

Read more at: http://overheadbin.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/09/09/7690575-new-initiatives-put-amtrak-on-the-fast-track

 

Friday, September 9, 2011

Rail Advocates: House Bill Would Kill Amtrak

by Tanya Snyder on September 9, 2011

 

The 2012 transportation budget passed by a subcommittee of the House Appropriations Committee yesterday cut all high-speed rail funding and slashes Amtrak’s operating grant by 60 percent. What’s more, it forbids Amtrak from using that money to fund short corridors.

 

Ridership on those short corridors grew five percent in the last year [PDF]. Twenty-seven train lines, including several in and out of Chicago, would suddenly see their federal funding disappear, if the House budget were to becomes law. That would only leave the Northeast Corridor and a handful of cross-country routes; half Amtrak’s ridership would be cut instantly.

 

According to the National Association of Railroad Passengers, a rail advocacy group, the danger goes further than just the short corridors. The organization asserts that “the bill really would kill all of Amtrak because loss of the short corridors would cut revenues and balloon costs for Northeast Corridor and national network (overnight) trains… Overhead costs—such as for station facilities and maintenance back shops—which now are shared among routes would be dumped on the surviving trains. For example, the Texas Eagle would become the sole user of the St. Louis and Fort Worth terminals and six Illinois stations. And Amtrak’s Chicago terminal costs would be borne solely by eight overnight trains.”

 

Read more at: http://dc.streetsblog.org/2011/09/09/rail-advocates-house-bill-would-kill-amtrak/

 

Amtrak rolls on 40 years later, destination still uncertain

CURTIS TATE McClatchy Newspapers

 

WASHINGTON -- In 1958, an Interstate Commerce Commission report predicted that the passenger train would vanish by 1970, the victim of a traveling public whose affection had shifted to cars and airplanes.

 

But the passenger train refused to die.

 

Decades later, Amtrak is still rolling along, even outlasting the federal agency that predicted the passenger train's demise. Its ridership is growing - up 37 percent from 2000 - and it has many friends in Congress and staunch allies in the White House.

 

Read more: http://www.miamiherald.com/2011/09/13/2404602/amtrak-rolls-on-40-years-later.html#ixzz1XqMUoe9r

The ICC was one of the many co-conspirators in the murder of the privately run passenger train.

 

Yes, ridership is up 37 percent since 2000. But it's also up almost 100 percent since Amtrak began in 1971. In its first full year, Amtrak carried 16 million riders. This year it will break the 30 million figure, making it bigger than all but five domestic airlines (Delta, United, Southwest, American and US Air) and is now bigger than Greyhound.