^That's good news.  I really hope RTA and the local and community groups can come and work together on this and other transit proposals.  Whether one loves (as I do) or hates the Waterfront Line, it's one of the few examples where RTA, local groups and pols came together to make a significant rail project happen - and in a hurry at that... a Parma line would be nice as, I understand, W. 25th is one of the busiest bus corridors in all of RTA...

funny about the commuter rail noise issue. after a lot of worry in oceanside, california it turned out to be not a problem:

 

 

VISTA: City finds Sprinter not so noisy after all

Officials say $2.25 million for noise abatement goes to general fund

 

By GIG CONAUGHTON - Staff Writer | Saturday, May 17, 2008 6:09 PM PDT

 

A year after getting more than $2 million from the North County Transit District to help manage potential noise problems caused by the Sprinter light-rail line, Vista officials said they have no immediate plans to spend the money on sound control because the Sprinter hasn't been that noisy.

 

more:

http://www.nctimes.com/articles/2008/05/17/news/coastal/vista/zbacc29ae2f8c24d48825744a0066addf.txt

Good find!

I did not attend this most recent meeting but this study has been mentioned in various other Old Brooklyn community meetings.  I believe this study does not just focus on Rail or extended bus transportation.  It is my understanding that a large part of the study (at least in the Old Brooklyn area) is on how to reshape the streetscape to promote business, visitors and transportation.

 

The study looks at the affect of reducing traffic to 2 lanes with bike lanes, expanded sidewalks, etc.  Looking at public transit is a portion of it - but by no means is the sole purpose of the study.

I was at last night's public meeting and public transportation is the primary thrust of the study. But the improvements to public transportation, as well as better settings for pedestrians and cyclists, would come via an attractive streetscape. The study's principals said it would, however, be a streetscape that's quite large -- five miles long, including five bridges whose sum total measures nearly one-fifth of the corridor's length. The neighborhoods along the corridor are broken up by those bridges and the study seeks to unify those communities by making those bridges part of the neighborhoods rather than separators of them.

 

I will have an article in Thursday's papers (West Side and Brooklyn) about this project, including summarizing the public feedback.

Some lessons from Salt Lake City's new FrontRunner commuter rail service, which began service in late-April, 2008...

 

+ Utah Transit first in USA to offer free WiFi on commuter trains

+ New commuter rail, transit combines to redevelop station areas

+ Longest quiet zone in the USA is on 38-mile commuter line

(KJP note: 38 miles is the same distance from Cleveland to Vermilion)

_______________________

 

http://www.rtands.com/breaking_news.shtml#Feature5-6-16

 

June 13, 2008

 

NOMAD Digital partners with Utah Transit to offer free WiFi

 

Nomad Digital said that it has partnered with the Utah Transit Authority to launch the first “free to all passengers” onboard WiFi wireless broadband network on a U.S. railroad. Nomad, which worked with local partner Wasatch Electric, provided its high-speed wireless broadband connection for the 12 double-decker trains on the new 40-mile FrontRunner commuter rail line between Ogden and Salt Lake City. In the six weeks since the railroad opened for business, the number of passengers using the WiFi service has already risen rapidly from 300 per day at the start of May to 700 per day by early June.

 

This is the first full-scale commercial roll-out for Nomad Digital in the U.S. but the company anticipates more. Nomad is already established internationally, providing passenger broadband services to Southern Railways and to the Heathrow Express in the U.K. It has also recently won the contract to design, construct and manage the world’s longest broadband corridor for Virgin Trains on the U.K.’s 600-km London to Glasgow route. Nomad has also won the on-train and station Internet service contract for the Dubai Metro and its most recent major win was for a nationwide rail network for the Norwegian State Railway.

 

_______________________

 

 

http://www.sltrib.com/ci_9512735?IADID=Search-www.sltrib.com-www.sltrib.com

 

UTA, Salt Lake City seek to balance preservation, revitalization

Ralph Becker and John Inglish

Article Last Updated: 06/07/2008 11:09:41 AM MDT

 

  * RALPH BECKER is mayor of Salt Lake City, and JOHN INGLISH is general manager of the Utah Transit Authority.

 

The Utah Transit Authority and Salt Lake City share a vision for the future of the downtown site of Salt Lake Central Station and the intermodal hub.

 

Virtually overnight, Salt Lake Central Station has become a vibrant downtown destination with thousands of people transferring between FrontRunner, TRAX, Greyhound, Amtrak and UTA buses every day.

 

........

 

_______________________

 

 

http://www.rideuta.com/mediaRoom/pressReleases.aspx?pressReleaseID=727

 

UTA Press Releases

Shhh! Quiet Zone Begin Along FrontRunner Corridor

05/02/2008

 

Longest quiet zone in the United States hushes trains for neighbors Beginning at 12:01 a.m. this morning

 

Salt Lake City, UT—Trains along the 38-mile FrontRunner Commuter Rail Corridor from Ogden to Salt Lake City will not be required to regularly sound horns at crossings starting May 2, 2008. This quiet zone applies to all trains in the corridor and is the longest quiet zone in the nation to date.

 

Normally the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) requires trains to sound horns a quarter mile before and after an at-grade crossing. Under a FRA rule, cities can apply for a quiet zone provided that crossings meet certain safety requirements. The UTA FrontRunner Project improved safety at the grade crossings between Salt Lake City and Ogden by adding features that prevent cars from entering a crossing when gates have been lowered.

 

"UTA made the safety improvements because we would be operating over 60 FrontRunner Trains a day in the corridor," said Steve Meyer, UTA manager of FrontRunner Design and Construction. "This quiet zone is one of many benefits that this project is bringing to the citizens of Weber, Davis and Salt Lake counties. We are proud of the leadership shown by the corridor cities to make this quiet zone possible."

 

Woods Cross City Mayor Kent Parry led fourteen other cities through the quiet zone application process. "For years our citizens have lived with nearly 35 trains a day, sounding their horns at all hours. Woods Cross and other cities seized the opportunity of this new horn rule and UTA's safety improvements to provide a better quality of life for those who live and work in our communities," said Parry.

 

UTA encourages motorists and pedestrians to always expect a train, never trespass in a railroad corridor and obey all traffic laws. While trains will not be required to regularly sound horns, they may do so on occasion if there is a safety concern such as a trespasser or vehicle entering the crossing, or other compelling need.

 

END

_______________________

 

Kenneth Prendergast

Director, Research & Communications

All Aboard Ohio!

[email protected]

www.allaboardohio.org

Merged "Would a west side transit line be feasible" with this thread.

This type of technology has potential applications for the West Shore Corridor.....

 

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

 

http://www.railwayage.com/breaking_news.shtml#Feature1-7-8

 

July 6, 2008

Bombardier lands NJ Transit dual-power locomotive contract

 

After a long development process, New Jersey Transit is expected to award a $325.42 million contract ($309.92 million plus 5% for contingencies) to Bombardier Transportation for 26 dual-power (diesel/a.c. catenary, also known as “electric-diesel”) locomotives at its July 9 board meeting. The contract includes spare parts and is “subject to the availability of funds,” according to NJT’s board agenda.

 

The new-technology locomotives fall under NJT’s $1.29 billion Fiscal Year 2009 capital program. They will replace the oldest units in the agency’s fleet, some of which are 40 years old. The procurement is part of NJT’s ongoing rolling stock modernization program, which also includes 326 Bombardier MultiLevel commuter railcars, 27 Bombardier ALP-46 electric locomotives, 110 electric multiple-units, and 1,365 new buses.

 

“The purchase of dual-powered locomotives is a cost-effective solution for operating in both electrified and non-electrified territory,” NJT’s board agenda item states. “Dual-powered locomotives will provide the flexibility to operate throughout the entire system as needed” and “will also allow NJT to develop operational experience with dual-power capability in anticipation of the Access to the Region’s Core project (Trans-Hudson Express Tunnel), which is designed to provide one-seat, direct rail service to New York City.”

 

Traditional dual-mode (diesel/third-rail-electric) propulsion has been around for quite some time in North America, but dual-power rolling stock that combines a.c. catenary with diesel propulsion has, until now, never been seriously attempted here. For at least the past two years, NJT and Montreal's AMT (Agence Metropolitaine de Transport) have been collaborating on workable, cost-effective dual-power equipment to provide passengers with one-seat rides between electrified and non-electrified territory. NJT already operates services where a transfer is required; AMT plans to construct new lines that feed into an existing electrified line.

 

STV, Inc. provided engineering assistance to NJT and AMT on the dual-power locomotives. These locomotives, which will cost about $12 million each, are designed to satisfy several of NJT's operating constraints. Among these are Amtrak’s Northeast Corridor tunnel clearances (the locked-down-pantograph height in the Hudson River tunnels is 14 feet 7 inches), carbody space (no more than 75 feet long), noise levels, EPA emissions compliance (Tier II, with Tier III coming up in 2010), performance, and—most problematic—weight. Amtrak's maximum locomotive weight on the Northeast Corridor is 288,000 pounds gross rail load for speeds above 79 mph.

 

The challenge has been to fit a diesel power plant and electrical transformer into one carbody within those parameters. How do you distribute weight on four axles (NJT's preference), provide good adhesion on grades, and not be off the charts on curving forces? One way is to reduce unsprung mass by suspending the traction motors on the trucks, not the axles (this is done with the Alstom Transport PL42AC diesel and Bombardier ALP46 electric). As for the diesel engine, a traditional 16- or 12-cylinder low-speed (900 rpm) diesel is too heavy. A high-speed (1,800 rpm) diesel is much lighter yet just as powerful, but its components will have a much higher wear rate. The solution is utilizing not one but two engine/generator sets, with computerized engine management that equalizes engine service hours.

 

AMT expects to order as many as 20 dual-power locomotives in its five-year capital plan. This agency has the same operating constraints as NJT, namely, the three-mile-long tunnel on the 25Kv-electrified Deux Montagnes Line, which serves Montreal's Central Station. AMT plans to connect the non-electrified Blainville Line to the Deux Montagnes Line just outside the tunnel, and construct the new, non-electrified Repentigny-Mascouche Line, which will feed into the Deux Montages at Mont-Royal.

Seeing as how a BRT line is less costly to build than rail, I would love to see a BRT down W25th/Pearl Rd. to Parma.  It could essentially be an extension of the Silver/ Health Line.  The HealthLine title will still be relevant as it would pass MetroHealth and could teminate at the Parma General Hospital.  The BRT vehicles continue across the Detriot/Superior bridge, make a left onto W25th and continue on.  The Old Brooklyn to Parma corridor is heavily populated and makes sense for a future project.  In times of high fuel costs etc, this is just my wish.

Sometimes BRT is less costly to build and operate than rail. Not always, despite the predisposition of some at RTA.

It's rather dense (for a suburb) on W.25/Pearl in Parma/Parma Hts-heck even Middlebug Hts.  I grew up in Parma Hts. and Pearl Road-around York-W130th is a nice ped-friendly stretch of city. 

Do you get the sense Lakewood Council President Moran is more on board with this than Mayor Bobst?  In NS's Harris' spreading the "good news," do you think NS is more motivated by keeping its nose clean viz safety and NSRT  train counts?  Is it clear to the pols that the cities (w/ whatever help) would have to pony up for the quiet zones whether or not West Shore commuter ever gets built?  (at least, it seems pretty clear to me)... Or, as the cynical side to me suspects, the pols are hiding behind the quiet zones, and the funds needed to implement them, as a back door veto of the West Shore Line? 

 

And what’s that pesky Bay Village mayor/wood be county commissioner saying about all this?

Seems kind of funny quiet zones are suddenly a major emergency, now, when freights have been rumbling through Lakewood, et al. for over a century and the commuter trains, as was noted, emit only a fraction of the freight train noise.

 

 

This is Rocky River, not Lakewood.

 

And since people don't stay in the same home for a century or two, your basic premise about Quiet Zones makes no sense. People move around, and as long as they do, quiet zones are needed to improve the marketability of homes within 1,000 feet of the railroad tracks where there are lots of road crossings. The end result of quiet zones is higher property values and thus a stronger tax base.

 

While freights produce more vibrations and block crossings longer than commuter trains, freight and commuter train horns are equally loud. Add quiet zones and suddenly one of the few downsides to commuter trains is eliminated.

This is Rocky River, not Lakewood.

 

And since people don't stay in the same home for a century or two, your basic premise about Quiet Zones makes no sense. People move around, and as long as they do, quiet zones are needed to improve the marketability of homes within 1,000 feet of the railroad tracks where there are lots of road crossings. The end result of quiet zones is higher property values and thus a stronger tax base.

 

While freights produce more vibrations and block crossings longer than commuter trains, freight and commuter train horns are equally loud. Add quiet zones and suddenly one of the few downsides to commuter trains is eliminated.

 

I never said they shouldn't have quiet zones.  I'm just making a statement that I hope this modern can make for better housing, but I don't want to see this used simply as a way to block or stall commuter rail; we've seen too much of this in that past, a la Dennis K... I'm assuming there's some tie to commuter rail or else why even bring it up under this thread?

Because some community officials won't accept commuter trains on the West Shore Corridor without quiet zones. I'm sympathetic, as someone living 10 houses from the tracks (and 5 floors up so there's no obstructions between me and the train horn).

 

And in the past I recall you questioning the validity of quiet zones.

Not to be Debbie Downer, but to add my own personal experiences. 

 

I can hear RTA Green/Blue line trains in my apartment, in winter it's even worse as there is a "canyon like" affect since there are no trees to buffer the sound.  In NY, I can hear Metro North Trains horns at all hours and I'm two avenues over.  I'm a light sleeper and the horns/bells on both systems are loud as hell!

No bells are allowed either in a quiet zone, unless there is an emergency situation which requires them.

No bells are allowed either in a quiet zone, unless there is an emergency situation which requires them.

thanks for clearing that up.

Not to be Debbie Downer, but to add my own personal experiences. 

 

I can hear RTA Green/Blue line trains in my apartment, in winter it's even worse as there is a "canyon like" affect since there are no trees to buffer the sound.  In NY, I can hear Metro North Trains horns at all hours and I'm two avenues over.  I'm a light sleeper and the horns/bells on both systems are loud as hell!

 

Switch apartments.. it's easy in NYC :P

Switch apartments.. it's easy in NYC :P

I don't live in an apartment.

Commuter rail project inching closer to fruition

JEFF GREEN, Morning Journal Writer

07/25/2008

 

LORAIN -- The feasibility of a Lorain-Cleveland commuter rail, which has been talked about for years, might be determined soon. That's what backers of the project hope anyway.

 

The Northern Ohio Commuter Rail Coalition, a group of community leaders from the area, are in the process of raising $40,000 as a match for $160,000 from the state to fund a rail business plan. The rail line would go along the Norfolk Southern line linking Vermilion, Lorain and Cleveland...

 

Post edited 9-5-09 to comply with terms of use.

 

©The Morning Journal 2008 http://morningjournal.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=19870797&BRD=1699&PAG=461&dept_id=46371&rfi=6

This group of rail buffs is trying to find every way possible to cut corners, impatiently get trains running, and skirt All Aboard Ohio's efforts at using a proven implementation process.

 

And they don't understand that the purpose of this effort isn't to get trains running. It's to serve people with the most effective modes of transportation possible. If that's trains, great. If it's buses, fine. If it's a combindation of both, wonderful.

 

The way we determine that is to go through an alternatives analysis, which will take about a year. Then we can answers all sorts of questions. But the Brian McCann's and Dennis Lamont's of the world are far too simple in their predispositions to come close to understanding what the true mission of this endeavor is.

^ if i read that correctly and it's taking away money that could be used for an alternatives analysis, which i thought must be done (again...sigh), then this is a serious problem. i am guessing you know this crew, but certainly all aboard ohio is going to have to rope them in somehow. also, i wonder if the lorain county commisioners were just silent on approving this open-ended application?  makes me wish the reporter would have spoken to the lc commissioners too.

Well, plainly someone needs to speak with the reporter who wrote that story. He needs the facts.

The reporter didn't talk to the commissioners. Had he, he would have learned that the commissioners weren't approving seeking an ODOD request for the so-called "Northern Ohio Commuter Rail Coalition" plan, but for the nonfederal share for an update of the feasibility study that NOACA completed in 2001.

Delusional transit advocates + sloppy reporting = a f**king mess

Delusional transit advocates + sloppy reporting = a f**king mess

Now add in a half-educated editorial and you get...

 

OUR VIEW: Commuter rail service needs public's support now to become reality

07/26/2008

 

As gasoline prices linger within sight of $4 a gallon, the idea of a commuter rail line from Cleveland to Vermilion makes more and more sense every day.

 

Fortunately, this week brought news of some additional momentum to help make it a reality, perhaps as soon as 2010, according to consultant Dennis Lamont...

 

Post edited 9-5-09 to comply with terms of use.

 

http://morningjournal.com/articles/2008/07/26/opinion/19872768.txt

 

©The Morning Journal 2008

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

By the way, letters to the editor can be submitted to:

[email protected]

 

or you could propose writing a guest column to editor Tom Skoch

[email protected]

The rail coalition also this week won approval from the Lorain County commissioners on its application for an $80,000 grant from the Ohio Department of Development for a business plan or a federal alternatives analysis by the Federal Transit Authority.

 

My understanding is that the Lorain County Commissioners HAVE NOT endorsed this grant request or any of the actions of the Northern Ohio Commuter Rail Coalition.

More from Dennis Lamont here (see the comments section where KJP and All Aboard Ohio are mentioned a couple of times):

 

http://thewomblog.com/?p=1757

 

"word of mouth

epic tales from a city held hostage

 

On The Right Track: Guest Blogger Dennis Lamont

 

Dear WoMnation -

 

Given the recent news around the potential of commuter rail in our area, I asked commuter rail expert, Dennis Lamont, to discuss the critical success factors needed to bring such a complex project to fruition.

 

I would encourage everyone to read what Dennis has to say and share your thoughts, comments, questions and concerns.

 

Roman"

 

[NOTE: just a reminder from a 2-year-old Free Times article why Debbie Sutherland must be defeated in her bid for Peter Lawson-Jones' commish seat... PLJ is the best of the 3, and this wayward woman would be an absolute disaster; All Aboard Ohio must obviously redouble it's efforts versus her transit intransigence, while she’s still mayor, viz the West Shore project as well.]

 

http://www.freetimes.com/stories/14/4/train-in-vain

 

BAY VILLAGE MAYOR Deborah Sutherland wants to just stick with the Kucinich formula. Period. Allow commuter rail to set up shop, she says, and you might see the railroads giving the formula the finger. Besides, she doesn't see how the price tag is justified.

 

"When I asked, 'Where's the funding coming from?' and they said, 'The communities are going to fund it,' I just said, 'No, we're not.' You might as well buy everybody who'd use this thing a Cadillac and let them drive that. It'd probably be cheaper."

So, let's take her up on the offer and she if she'll buy all of us an Escalade with a year's worth of free gas. :wink:

Question: Where can I find the financial feasibility studies on this project?

On my hard drive. They aren't posted anywhere on the web, sorry to say.

 

Sutherland is basing her stance on fear, not on information, logic or experience. If she had any of those three about this project, she wouldn't be afraid of the big bad commuter train that's been "quiet-zoned" and clears a road crossing faster than it takes a typical traffic light to go through half of its cycle.

 

For all the good a commuter train will do for Bay Village in an era of ever-higher gas prices, she should be hugging her friendly neighborhood choo-choo, not a gas-guzzling Cadillac.

^She's just a typical obstructionist, fear-mongering pol with nothing to add; too common in this State.  It doesn't speak well of Bay Vill that she's mayor... County voters must not compound Bay's mistake and reject her by a wide margin.

On my hard drive. They aren't posted anywhere on the web, sorry to say.

 

That seems like something you'd want to put out there if you want to change people's minds..

They're out of date. The findings -- in terms of capital costs, operating costs, ridership and revenues -- don't mean anything anymore. Materials costs have gone up more than 40 percent since the reports were completed in 2000. And gas prices rose from what were then about $1.20 per gallon.

 

The study assumed a locomotive-hauled train, with all-new train equipment. Now, there's interest in using self-propelled trains (either diesel, electric or hybrid) and/or possibly used/refurbished train equipment. Also, the study assumed all trains would go to a new station on downtown Cleveland's lakefront. That option is still valid, but it's just an option. A self-propelled electric or hybrid train could operate over RTA tracks into its existing Tower City station.

 

That's why we need new study data, which means a new study. It's why we need an alternatives analysis.

I'm not sure this is the same project, but this seem to be the best place for this article.  A few questions - When did the commuter rail project get extended to Sandusky?  Where is the $200k from the state coming from?  Department of Development?  Department of Transportation?

 

County on board with rail proposal

By TOM JACKSON | Friday August 29 2008, 12:07am

 

PERKINS TWP.

 

If a commuter train comes down the track, Erie County’s commissioners want to climb aboard.

 

All three of Erie County’s commissioners said they’re interested in a proposal to link Sandusky to Cleveland with a commuter train that would run at least five times a day in each direction.

 

............

 

http://www.sanduskyregister.com/articles/2008/08/28/front/doc48b771e4126a6086357918.txt

That article is so wrong, I don't even know where to begin to start correcting it. It's not the reporter's fault, except for relying on a source who hasn't a clue of what he's talking about.

The Northern Ohio Commuter Rail Coalition’s efforts are backed by Gov. Ted Strickland and Lt. Gov. Lee Fisher, said Brian McCann, campaign consultant for the group.

 

No they aren't. Strickland and Fisher aren't supporting the "coalition's" efforts. They have some very serious concerns about their efforts and the people involved with them.

 

“We could probably have something up and running in two to three years,” McCann said.

 

Buses, maybe. Trains, no.

 

Previously, the rail coalition had discussed running trains that would connect Cleveland and Vermilion. McCann said Sandusky  leaders  encouraged the coalition to include Sandusky in its plans.

 

All Aboard Ohio proposed it, got the advocacy project up and running and now the "coalition" is trying to raise money for purposes that aren't entirely clear yet.

 

A proposed high speed train corridor that would link Cleveland, Columbus and Cincinnati “is in preliminary engineering,” McCann said.

 

No it's not. The Ohio Rail Development Commission is still trying to get federal funds for preliminary engineering. There is an Amtrak implementation study that's about to begin, but that's not preliminary engineering. It's clear that the source doesn't know one from the other, and should therefore not be relied upon as a source for factual information.

 

Trains could run on existing tracks at 89 mph, speeding employees and tourists to and from Sandusky, McCann said.

 

Out of what orifice did he pull this information??? The current speed limit for freight trains on the West Shore Corridor's tracks is 55 mph. NS's Chicago Line tracks west of Vermilion through Sandusky are rated for 79 mph for passenger trains. To exceed that speed would require a more advanced signal system which costs a significant sum per track-mile.

 

“Frankly, trains could run tomorrow,” he said.

 

To where? To the West Boulevard Rapid transit station and force a transfer on commuters? You cannot get a West Shore Corridor commuter train to downtown Cleveland without first building a track connection that was estimated to cost $10 million (in 2000 $$). Forced transfers typically result in the loss of 1/3 of ridership -- and the West Shore Corridor was already at the low end of the feasibility range based on the NEORail study.

 

And where is the $500 million liability insurance policy to run commuter trains tomorrow on a freight railroad's tracks? Where are the stations with ADA accessibility? Where are the FTA waivers for not having ADA accessible trains? Where is the sensitivity to communities like Bay, Rocky River and Lakewood who want less noise from train horns, not more?

 

The next step is  to complete a $250,000 “business plan.”

 

No commuter rail service has been implemented upon completion of a "business plan." I've seen their business proposal and it is amateur-time, composed by people who have never had to follow a Federal Transit Administration process for implementing rail service (FTA oversees commuter rail planning). This process is completed by following a progression of planning steps recognized only through the National Environmental Policy Act. The first step is a feasibility study (ie: the NEORail study--but it needs updating), next is an Alternatives Analysis, next is Environmental Impact Analysis, then is Preliminary Engineering and then Final Engineering. Some of these contiguous steps can be combined (ie: AA-EIA, or EIA-PE).

 

“The business plan is not just another study,” he said. It will offer a specific proposal to public and private investors, he said.

 

It's not recognized by NEPA as a study at all. The people who propose such a business plan have no awareness, let alone experience, of the planning process. To undertake such a "business plan" is to spend money for something that is not recognized by metropolitan planning organizations, ODOT or USDOT. It might make for nice cat box liner or scrap paper, however.

 

McCann said he believes Ohio will release $200,000 to cover most of the cost of the business plan if local communities show enough interest to provide a $50,000 match.

 

He can believe in anything he wants. But don't make taxpayers pay for something that is not part of a recognized planning process and isn't worth anything.

 

But he said that for a commuter train system to work, it would have to run five times a day in each direction.

 

Based on what analysis?? Another number pulled out of an orifice...

 

Sad.

Actually, I do put some of the blame on the reporter for not fact-checking all of the above quotes by McCann... not the least of which is identifying just who the "coalition" is.  Likely a coalition of one or two and that's it. 

 

This is beyond sad.  It's a sham that will likely not do the cause of passenger rail any good: building false expectations and then being unable to deliver. 

I have read this and I am HOT! What sort of idiot does this??!! :x

let's just say none of this 'business plan' nonsense will progress one second past any funding of it....if you know what i mean.  :roll:

 

Dear West Shore Corridor Stakeholders:

 

I apologize for the long span between stakeholder meetings, and the short notice for the next one. But there is a need to meet again soon.

 

NEXT MEETING: The next stakeholders meeting will be from 9:00 a.m. to 10 a.m. Oct. 1 at the Sheffield Lake Community Center, 4575 Lake Road, in Sheffield Lake. Click on the link below for a satellite map of the meeting location:

 

http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&q=4575+Lake+Road,+Sheffield+Lake,+OH&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=X&oi=geocode_result&resnum=1&ct=image

 

AGENDA: The Ohio Department of Development may announce by Oct. 1 whether Lorain County's request for a regional collaboration grant of $80,000 for West Shore Corridor project planning has been awarded.

 

Depending on the outcome, what should our next step(s) be?

 

> If request is denied, what are the prospects for resubmitting?

> If request is approved but at a lesser amount, is it enough to provide the non-federal share of the planning funds? If not, who might be asked to fill the gap?

> If the request is approved in full, what are the next steps to undertake a transportation project planning process that is recognized by regional, state and federal transportation planning laws?

 

Please weigh in with additional questions and ideas. If you cannot attend but would like to submit your input, please reply to this e-mail or call me at (216) 288-4883. I will share your feedback with those in attendance.

 

In other West Shore news:

 

FALL FUNDRAISER NOV. 13TH: Save the date! Please plan to join All Aboard Ohio at its Fall Fundraiser Thursday evening Nov. 13 at the Black River Landing Transportation Center. The site was generously donated to us by the Lorain Port Authority. Plan for a festive evening of wine tasting and light food. This event will build awareness and funds for promoting the West Shore Corridor commuter rail project.

 

ADVOCACY FUNDING COMING IN: In just the past six months, All Aboard Ohio has raised more than $33,000 in funding for its West Shore Corridor advocacy efforts. All Aboard Ohio would like to thank the Stocker Foundation, the Nord Family Foundation and individual donors for their generosity!

Here we go again - more press for Mr McCann  :roll:

 

(sorry for any typos as this article isn't available online, but I thought it was worth posting)

 

www.2presspapers.com

 

The (Avon Lake) Press

 

Private funding sought to move commuter project forward

By: Bryan Wroten

 

Post edited 9-4-09 to comply with terms of use

Lovely. He has a lot of balls to say that. McCann's privatization plan does not have the support of All Aboard Ohio nor are we working with him. In fact he has made no attempt to communicate or coordinate with All Aboard Ohio's West Shore Corridor project manager. The AAO Board voted unanimously on Aug. 2 to support following a planning process which is nothing close to what McCann is promoting.

www.kentnewsnet.com/media/storage/paper867/news/2008/10/02/News/Parta.Union.To.Discuss.Proposed.Labor.Agreement-3465380.shtml]PARTA, union to discuss proposed labor agreement[/url]

Sides meet for first time since August, hope to sign contract

Stacey Carmany

Issue date: 10/2/08 Section: News

 

Negotiators for the Ohio Association of Public School Employees Local 037 will meet with federal mediator Laura Shepard, management and attorneys for the Portage Area Regional Transit Authority today in Independence.

 

Contact transportation reporter Stacey Carmany at [email protected].

A friend of mine who is one of the most respected transit consultants in the nation made an interesting (albeit unfortunate) observation. Passage of the new railroad safety legislation that requires Positive Train Control signals on all passenger train routes will likely increase the start-up costs of commuter rail in the West Shore Corridor by a significant sum. By his estimation, adding PTC to the West Shore Corridor could cost roughly $70 million.

 

Whatever the amount, it complicates the viability of the West Shore Corridor project. Other passenger rail projects are also going to be suddenly more expensive (except possibly the Cleveland - Pitttsburgh corridor, most of which already has cab signals so locomotives equipped with PTC *might* be able to interact with its signal system).

It might be cheaper to buy the NS line thru Lakewood and turn it into an extension of the RTA Red line and pay the cost of adding capacity on the ex-NYC thru Berea.

 

The extension would not have to necessarily be electrified. It could use diesel rail cars (DMU's), which could operate directly into Tower City.

 

You'd probably want to lay a third track from Rockport yard (near Hopkins airport) to at Vermilion to accomodate the freights which now operate thru Lakewood.

 

This way, the freight traffic would be totally segregated from the passenger trains.

It might be cheaper to buy the NS line thru Lakewood and turn it into an extension of the RTA Red line and pay the cost of adding capacity on the ex-NYC thru Berea.

 

The extension would not have to necessarily be electrified. It could use diesel rail cars (DMU's), which could operate directly into Tower City.

 

You could electrify it, especially since FirstEnergy (CEI) already has a transmission line along the NS line through Lakewood. Maybe they could use carbon credits to electrify the rail line? RTA already has an excess of light rail and heavy rail cars.

 

You'd probably want to lay a third track from Rockport yard (near Hopkins airport) to at Vermilion to accomodate the freights which now operate thru Lakewood.

 

This way, the freight traffic would be totally segregated from the passenger trains.

 

And a fourth track for passenger trains! Actually, I wouldn't be surprised to see the rail industry do some consolidations like this to save on the expense of all these PTC installations.

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