clvlndr, Michigan has more Amtrak service because, quite simply, the state pays for it.

 

noozer, I'm not sure I understand how being "in the middle" of a rail line implies a lesser degree of service than at the terminals.  By your reasoning, New York has lesser train service than DC or Boston.

The trains leave New York or Chicago at the best times in the AM or PM, so they have to be somewhere in the middle of the night and that's usually Ohio.  That's why it seems like Amtrak treats Ohioans like they were bats.  We won't get beyond nocturnal passenger rail service until we take control of how it is structured.

In that context, what you're saying makes sense.  If Ohio ponied up money like other states, though, you wouldn't have to catch a train in the middle of the night.

True, but with the current legislature I doubt that is going to happen.  They just aren't inclined to do what Illinois, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and New York have done to improve passenger rail.  Too bad, because it would give people at least a taste of better service and having more options than having to reach for the car keys.

Last update: May 09, 2006 – 2:26 PM

 

Deal nudges Northstar a bit closer to reality

 

The BNSF will get $107.5 million for capital improvements and operating rights for the rail line running from Minneapolis to Big Lake.

Conrad deFiebre, Star Tribune

 

 

http://www.startribune.com/587/story/420271.html

 

"This is expensive," said Sen. Mady Reiter, R-Shoreview, a persistent critic of the project. "It's a highly subsidized way to travel and it still isn't going to take enough cars off the road."

 

What a moron! All transportation projects are by nature expensive. Hello Senator.... what do you call highways?...pay as you go?

 

Every freight rail car is equivalent to roughly 3 to 4 semis.  Do the math lady!  A passenger train takes hundreds of people off the roads.... or perhaps the good Senator would rather be surrounded in traffic by several hundred more cars?

 

Sorry, but it is absolutely appalling in this day and age, especially considering that transportation and fuel costs are very top of mind ... that some of our electeds are so blissfully ignorant.

 

clvlndr, Michigan has more Amtrak service because, quite simply, the state pays for it.

 

The Chicago-Detroit trains receive no operating subsidy from the state (Chicago-Grand Rapids and Chicago-Port Huron do, however). The reason why Chicago-Detroit has service that's fully paid for by Amtrak is because that route was included in the original Amtrak network (called the Basic System) in 1971 -- at the behest of Michigan congressmen.

 

No Ohio congressional support was expressed for any basic system routes within or across the state. Thus, at the outset, Amtrak operated only those routes which it felt it needed to create a true national system. These were the initial routes across Ohio:

 

> Broadway Limited -- Chicago - Ft. Wayne - Lima - Mansfield - Canton - Pittsburgh - Altoona - Harrisburg - Philadelphia - New York City (with a section of the train operating Harrisburg - Baltimore - Washington D.C.);

> Spirit of St. Louis (later the National Limited) -- St. Louis - Terre Haute - Indianapolis - Richmond - Dayton - Columbus - Pittsburgh - Altoona - Harrisburg - Philadelphia - New York City (with a section of the train operating Harrisburg - Baltimore - Washington D.C.);

> James Whitcomb Riley -- Chicago - Layfayette - Indianapolis - Cincinnati;

> Washingtonian -- Cincinnati - Huntington - Charleston - Charlottesville - Washington D.C.

 

Notice no service through Toledo and Cleveland was operated at the outset. Ohio and New York state stepped in and said they wanted a Chicago - New York train operating on that route and promised to pay for it. The Lake Shore began operating about two weeks after Amtrak started on May 1, 1971, but the train didn't last the year. It ended in November when Ohio failed to provide its operating support. Toledo and Cleveland were without any intercity trains from late 1971 to 1975, when the Lake Shore Limited was started as an experimental train, fully funded by Amtrak. It continues to operate today.

 

Ohio has a history of non-support when it comes to providing funding for intercity passenger rail. It's why Amtrak doesn't hold its breath when Ohio proposes new services.

OK, it's another state ... of mind:

 

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/newspaper/0,,171-2171296,00.html

 

The Times May 09, 2006

 

High-speed trains to take on planes

By Ben Webster, Transport Correspondent

 

A HIGH-SPEED railway line carrying double-deck trains at 190mph between London and Scotland is being planned by Network Rail to win back millions of passengers from domestic airlines.

 

The journey time from London to Glasgow or Edinburgh would be halved to just over 2½ hours, with a train departing every 30 minutes.

 

The line would run via Birmingham and Manchester and sections would be built alongside the existing West Coast Main Line to minimise planning disputes.

 

It would connect with the Channel Tunnel Rail Link in northeast London, allowing direct services in under three hours between Birmingham and Paris.

 

Network Rail, the public interest company created by the Government to operate Britain’s rail infrastructure, believes that the line could eliminate almost all the 45 daily flights between London and Manchester. A handful of flights would survive between Scotland and London, but only to serve passengers catching connecting flights to overseas destinations.

 

A combination of cheap air fares and poor train punctuality has resulted in a shift from rail to air in the past decade, with six times as many people flying from Glasgow or Edinburgh to London as catching a train.

 

Network Rail has previously declined to enter the debate over the expansion of the rail network, saying that it needed to focus on punctuality. But the company now admits that the need to cater for rising demand for rail travel — up 42 per cent in the past ten years — is the more urgent issue.

 

Iain Coucher, Network Rail’s deputy chief executive, presented yesterday the results of a nine-month feasibility study by the company on a new high-speed line. He said that the 420-mile line could be built for as little as £11 billion, a third of the sum envisaged by the Strategic Rail Authority (SRA) in 2003.

 

Construction costs would be reduced by avoiding building new tracks into city centres, either by constructing “parkway” stations on the outskirts, or by connecting in the suburbs with existing lines.

 

Mr Coucher said that minimising the need for tunnels and using more efficient construction techniques would cut the cost of the line to £24 million to £30 million a mile. That is still double the cost of new high-speed lines in France and Spain but allows for the added expense of compensating land owners in Britain’s more densely populated countryside. The line would be built in stages, with the London to Manchester section open in 2016 and the full route five years later.

 

Passengers would pay a small premium on today’s fares, but prices would have to be comparable with those offered by budget airlines. Mr Coucher said: “Depending on the time of day, a one-way ticket between London and Scotland would cost £30 to £60. If it cost more than that, we would not get the modal shift we are seeking from planes and cars to trains.”

 

The taxpayer would probably have to contribute to the construction cost, justified by the benefits of regenerating regional economies.

 

The line would also create capacity for dozens of extra freight trains a day on the West Coast Main Line, removing thousands of lorries from congested motorways. Cutting the number of domestic flights would also ease pressure on Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted and could allow development of new runways to be deferred for several years.

 

But Mr Coucher gave warning that the project could be undermined by objections from cities that would not be served by the line. The SRA, abolished last year, had considered two routes: the West Coast one favoured by Network Rail and another on the East Coast via Leeds and Newcastle.

 

Network Rail’s proposal is likely to win support from Rod Eddington, the former British Airways chief executive, who has been commissioned by the Government to review Britain’s transport needs and is due to report this summer. Ministers are unlikely to make a commitment to any scheme before next year, when the Department for Transport publishes a 30-year strategy for Britain’s railways.

 

Chris Grayling, the Shadow Transport Secretary, said: “The public are right to be highly sceptical . . . Rather than concentrate on these vague aspirations, the Government should be concentrating on delivering projects that could actually make a difference to people’s lives in the short term.”

 

###

Amtrak could start new runs by October

By Elisa Crouch

ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH

Tuesday, May. 09 2006

 

Illinois' commitment to double its funding to Amtrak means two more trains

could be making daily runs between Chicago and St. Louis as early as October.

 

The number of round trips between the two cities would increase to five,

possibly giving passengers in St. Louis at least one evening train to choose

from. Carbondale also would receive an additional daily round-trip run,

increasing its number to three.

 

more at:

http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/news/stories.nsf/metroeast/story/70AD223828B63B818625716A00180C9D?OpenDocument

 

The added trains in Illinois is the most interesting development in the Midwest in some time. Five round trips between St. Louis and Chicago could set off a ridership boom similar to what we have seen elsewhere when frequencies were added. Boston-Portland, Chicago-Milwaukee and especially San Diego-Los Angeles, San Jose-Oakland-Sacramento all experienced huge ridership increases when trains were added as opposed to faster speeds.

 

It's a simple fact: Running enough trains to fit into people's plans leads to greater ridership.

 

As far as what we had in the past and what Amtrak runs today goes, the railroads focused their service on routes that had a higher rate of return, mainly the overnight services that catered to business travel. These were the famous (and some not-so-famous) trains that are the stuff of legend: 20th Century Limited, Broadway Limited, Capitol Limited, Spirit of St. Louis, Commodore Vanderbilt, The General, Detroiter, Ohio State Limited and so on. These trains and others which carried much mail and express traffic all tended to cross Ohio at night.

Even today, this philosophy is at work, as Noozer notes. Amtrak properly runs what few trains it has to maximize the benefit to the national network. If Ohioans have to ride in the wee hours, that's too bad.

 

Other secondary trains served the markets in between, but even here, some were a cut above the rest and certainly a far cry from what passes for a train today. The Cleveland Mercury, Cincinnatian, James Whitcomb Riley and others set a standard that would be hard to match today in terms of either speed or amenities.

 

Unfortunately, for places like Ohio, once the network began to unravel in the 1950's, management tended to keep the trains that lost the least amount of money and those were the long distance overnight trains. The secondary runs were the first to go and that accelerated when the mail came off in the late '60's. By the time Amtrak was formed in 1971, daytime intercity service in Ohio was a thing of the past and this worked against those of us here who wanted to see more service

 

By 1971, Chicago was the one place in the Midwest where there was still a reasonable number of day trains to places like St. Louis and Detroit that formed the base for what has happened there since. State involvement on the part of Michigan and Illinois was built on that base, which Ohio lost, leaving us with no example to point to here or build on. It all has to be done from scratch, a much more difficult proposition.

 

It's also worth noting that in its entire 36 year history, any success Amtrak has had with expanded service outside the Northeast, has come as a result of state involvement. It's that simple, but this is where the Ohio Hub plan comes in. It focuses service where WE need it, not where Amtrak might run it.

 

If the new trains in Illinois are a success, we can at least say that added service WILL work in this part of the country.

Vermont Officials Lay Out Rail Plans

Rutland Herald

May 11, 2006

 

By Brent Curtis Herald Staff

   

State officials showed off plans Wednesday for tracking their progress toward a number of goals for Vermont's rail system.

 

Initiatives to improve rail weight capacity, provide clearance for double-stacked rail containers, bridge improvements, add multimodal facilities and more were presented during a public meeting at the Howe Center in Rutland.

 

more at:

http://rutlandherald.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060511/NEWS/605110389/1002

When you read this, consider that this is a relatively small city in West Central Illinois and are seeing phenomenal numbers of riders.  The draw passengers from a large region and it directly reflects that if you give people multiple trains at convenient times, they will beat a path to the station.

 

All aboard Amtrak - really

 

Ridership up 28% here since '02; Galesburg tops Illinois Zephyr route

 

Wednesday, May 10, 2006

By JOHN R. PULLIAM

The Register-Mail

 

GALESBURG - Ridership on Amtrak's Illinois Zephyr line is booming and nowhere is that more evident than in Galesburg.

According to the Illinois Department of Transportation, 71,383 passengers got on and off the Illinois Zephyr here in 2005, an increase of 12 percent compared to 2004 and a staggering jump of 28 percent since 2002 when 55,683 passengers were recorded in Galesburg. Galesburg's ridership is almost double that of Macomb, the stop on the route with the next highest ridership, and more than Macomb and Quincy combined, or Macomb and Naperville combined.

 

More at:

 

http://www.register-mail.com/stories/051006/MAI_B9PD2GDF.GID.shtml

According to the Illinois Department of Transportation, 71,383 passengers got on and off the Illinois Zephyr here in 2005, an increase of 12 percent compared to 2004 and a staggering jump of 28 percent since 2002 when 55,683 passengers were recorded in Galesburg.

 

In other words, Galesburg's Amtrak ridership numbers are better than Cleveland's, which is about 50,000-55,000 per year (though it was about 72,000 in the early 1990s when we had a decent schedule to/from Chicago and the East Coast).

Sunday, May 14, 2006

 

Bus, train riding high

By TOM BELL, Portland Press Herald Writer

 

Copyright © 2006 Blethen Maine Newspapers Inc.

 

 

The parking lot at the Portland Transportation Center is filled to its 750-car capacity most days, forcing some motorists to park on the narrow entrance road.

 

So many people are coming here that Concord Trailways last month built a new satellite lot for 150 cars, upping the parking fee $1 to fund it. The company is talking with city and state officials about adding even more parking, including a possible garage some day.

 

Apparently, the skeptics were wrong.

 

Before passenger rail service from Portland to Boston began four and half years ago, critics warned that motorists would balk at trading the freedom of the open highway for the rigid schedules of public transportation. They said there wouldn't be enough demand to fill both trains and buses.

 

But demand for both the Downeaster and Concord Trailways is surging. While the Downeaster's growth has generated more attention, much of the new parking demand at the Portland terminal can be attributed to the bus company, which carries four times the volume of passengers.

 

State transportation officials see Concord Trailways' success as good news, because it means less traffic congestion, particularly on the increasingly crowded highways in New Hampshire and Massachu- setts.

 

Maintaining strong transportation links to Boston also is vital to Maine's economy, said Ron Roy, director of the MDOT's Office of Passenger Transportation. Boston is the financial center for New England, and Logan is Maine's gateway for International air travel, he said.

 

Concord Trailways came to Portland in 1992, operating out of a small terminal on Marginal Way. It offered four trips a day and attracted 47,875 riders in its first year.

 

Today, the bus shares an 8,000-square-foot, $10.4 million terminal with Amtrak. It offers 21 daily round-trips to Boston. This year, 400,000 passengers are projected to ride Concord Trailways buses in Maine, an increase of 54 percent since 2003.

 

Harry Blunt, who owns Concord Trailways, said he is seeing a cultural shift. Public transportation between Boston and Portland, he said, has become acceptable to the pubic.

 

"It's become a common practice," he said. "Between us and the train, there are 600,000 people who are using public transportation. That wasn't there a decade ago."

 

Blunt, who drove his own buses when he began his company 39 years ago in New London, N.H., is enjoying the benefits of a bold decision he made in 2001. Rather than see the emerging train service as a threat, he sought it as a partner.

 

Concord built a $1.5 million addition to the terminal, expanded the waiting area and ticketing area, and added office space for people operating the train. The rail authority built the $1.2 million train platform and concourse. The rail authority rents space from Concord and shares in the operating and maintenance expenses for the facility and the parking lots.

 

Also, the State Department of Transportation built a new parking lot, adding more than 400 spaces.

 

City officials also pushed for the location of the Transportation Center because it helped speed up state funding for a new off-ramp for I-295.

 

Both the Downeaster and Concord offer a "flex pass," a round-trip ticket that allows a passenger to ride the Downeaster one way and the bus the other. The bus company and the Downeaster even share a voice mail system for providing schedules.

 

In other states, there has always been tension between Amtrak and bus companies, said John Melrose, who was MDOT commissioner in 2001. He said Blunt from the beginning saw that the two modes of transportation could help each other.

 

The bus and train also connect to different parts of Boston. The bus goes to South Station, which is closer to the financial center. The train goes to North Station, which is near Mass General Hospital and TD Banknorth Garden.

 

"It gives people options," Blunt said. "At the end of the day, the competition is not between us. It is between the Downeaster and myself (versus) the cars on the Maine Turnpike."

 

Concord Trailways also benefited from the rail authority's marketing campaign, which brought new customers to the Transportation Center, said Patricia Douglas, the executive director of the Northern New England Passenger Rail Authority.

 

For Blunt, the big prize was parking, which he has long considered to be a crucial factor for luring riders.

 

Blunt's business plan is to attract middle-class suburban dwellers who already own cars. Instead of putting his bus stations in their traditional downtown locations, he puts them near the highway and where there is room for lots of parking.

 

Historically, bus terminals were gritty, urban hangouts, he said, and served mainly people who couldn't afford cars.

 

He keeps the Portland terminal clean, well lit and safe, like a miniature airport terminal. He tells his employees that his business and stations must pass a "mother-daughter test."

 

"Are you comfortable," he asks his workers, "having your mother or your daughter use that service or use the facilities?"

 

And Concord Trailways gives customers pretzels, bottled water and headsets for listening to music or the movies that play on video monitors.

 

The round-trip fare from Portland to Boston is $32.75 or $29 for a same-day return. The parking fee at the Portland Transportation Center is $3 a day.

 

Vermont Transit charges less: $31 for a round-trip to Boston and $26 to return on the same day.

 

But unlike Concord Trailways, Vermont Transit Lines, which operates a small terminal on St. John Street in Portland, ignored the train's arrival and kept to the status quo - a no-frills downtown terminal that offers little parking.

 

That approach turned out to be a mistake.

 

Between 2002 and 2005, Vermont Transit's ridership has fallen from 31,000 to 24,500. The bus company used to offer five daily trips to Boston and New York but dropped a trip last year.

 

Vermont Transit was hurt by the start-up of the train service, and parking also is an obstacle, said General Manager Chris Andreasson. Vermont has only 15 parking spaces at its terminal.

 

Vermont Transit and state officials have had more success working together on projects elsewhere in Maine. The state helped Vermont Transit move into a new intermodal facility in Lewiston and get a new bus stop at the Augusta Airport.

 

A major reason Concord Trailways is succeeding so well in Portland is that it's the only bus company that offers direct service to Logan Airport.

 

As a result, Blunt has been able to take advantage of changes in the airline industry that have made Logan a better alternative than the Portland Jetport for getting cheaper flights on bigger jets to more destinations.

 

Moreover, air traffic congestion at Logan made shuttle flights between the jetport and Boston a money-loser. The flights ended last summer.

 

To keep up with demand, Concord has added an express bus to Logan that leaves at 3:15 a.m. The bus company offers 21 trips a day to Boston, nine of which go directly to Logan, and 12 go directly to South Station.

 

About half of the Concord Trailway's Maine passengers now ride the bus to Logan.

 

In a sense, the parking lot at the Portland Transportation Center has become a satellite parking lot for Logan.

 

The bus service also has benefited from rising gasoline prices, Blunt said. In terms of passenger-miles-traveled, buses are far more efficient than cars and even the train, he said.

 

Higher fuel prices don't have a major impact on operating costs, he said. At the same time, rising gas prices are causing more people to take the bus, filling seats with paying customers.

 

Blunt's philosophy can be seen in his plan to offer bus service between Augusta and Portland. Rather than put the station downtown, he wants to put it on or near I-95 so he can build a large parking lot. He's also working with the state to build a facility that can serve as a hub for regional bus companies that bring passengers to Augusta from outlying communities. He hopes to start out with six trips a day to Portland.

 

The company now offers three trips daily out of Bangor. That may increase to four, with one bus stopping in Augusta.

 

The Augusta bus service could ease the parking crunch in Portland because many central Maine residents now drive to Portland to catch the bus or train to Boston, Roy said.

 

A decade ago, when rail advocates were lobbying for the Downeaster service, much of the debate focused on whether the bus service would kill the train, or whether the train would kill the bus, said Charlie Colgan, a University of Southern Maine economist who has studied transportation issues.

 

But he said the region has experienced enough growth to support both modes of transportation.

 

"Nobody would have predicted that the bus and rail would both survive and thrive," he said.

 

Staff Writer Tom Bell can be contacted at 791-6369 or at:

 

[email protected]

 

 

According to the Illinois Department of Transportation, 71,383 passengers got on and off the Illinois Zephyr here in 2005, an increase of 12 percent compared to 2004 and a staggering jump of 28 percent since 2002 when 55,683 passengers were recorded in Galesburg.

 

In other words, Galesburg's Amtrak ridership numbers are better than Cleveland's, which is about 50,000-55,000 per year (though it was about 72,000 in the early 1990s when we had a decent schedule to/from Chicago and the East Coast).

 

i was about to say....do they have to board at 3:00am? blah. build the ohio hub and forget about amtrak. let'em tag on later.

 

Plans for train station rolling forward

BY GREG KOWALSKI

STAFF WRITER

 

What passes for a railroad station along the tracks on the far east side of Birmingham will be replaced with a $4.5 million complex within four years in the city of Troy, just a short ways down the track.

 

Doug Smith, economic development director, and Brian Murphy, assistant city manager for services, both with the city of Troy, updated the Birmingham Planning Commission on Wednesday on the status of the project.

 

Morea t:

 

http://observer-eccentric.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060514/NEWS02/605140424/1019

California News in Brief

SACRAMENTO (San Jose Mercury News)

 

Bond measure for high-speed rail likely to be pushed back to 2008

 

California's attempt to build a high-speed rail system is headed for the siding again, pushed off track by the $37.3 billion public works bond package lawmakers approved earlier this month.

 

 

http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/news/local/states/california/northern_california/14582531.htm

There was a nice article in the latest issue of Railway Age about the changing face of light rail, and specifically noted some of the diesel light-rail projects (New Jersey, California, Ottawa etc.) that have recently come on line or are about to.

 

One I find particulary interesting is the new service north of San Diego. It is being offered as a low-density branch line from the main Los Angeles-San Diego route. Here are some links to more information about it -- and consider the applications this might have here in Ohio (including a permanent service between Lorain and Cleveland)....

 

http://www.gonctd.com/oerail/oerail.html

 

A brochure about the train equipment they will use:

 

http://www.gonctd.com/oerail/sprinterpdf/sprinterbroch1_04pages.pdf

May 16, 9:55 PM EDT

 

Senate panel OKs another two-year delay for high-speed rail bonds

 

SACRAMENTO (AP) -- Legislation that would delay a public vote on a $9.95 billion high-speed rail bond measure for another two years was approved Tuesday by the Senate Transportation and Housing Committee.

 

More at:

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/C/CA_XGR_HIGH_SPEED_RAIL_CAOL-?SITE=CADIU&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT

 

Illinois ranks highly in Amtrak subsidies

By Kurt Erickson

 

SPRINGFIELD — Illinois is second only to California when it comes to subsidizing Amtrak service, according to updated figures from the nation’s passenger rail service.

 

Under the state’s new budget, which is awaiting Gov. Rod Blagojevich’s signature, Illinois will pay Amtrak a total of $24 million to boost the number of trains running through the state.

 

 

http://www.qctimes.net/articles/2006/05/17/news/state/doc446ab6dba7fed992224112.txt

Massachusetts bill would fund commuter rail

www.trains.com

 

BOSTON — Massachusetts legislators yesterday unveiled a bill that calls for $500 million for a commuter rail line between Springfield and Worcester, according to a story in The Republican in Springfield.

 

More at:

 

http://www.trains.com/Content/Dynamic/Articles/000/000/006/668ybntx.asp

The Mass. funding concept makes sense for transit...taking transport-related tax and using it for all forms of transport, not just roads.

Legislation would fund mass transit, roads

Resolution asks voters to amend Constitution to allow state tax, gives them local levy option.

 

Jennifer Chambers / The Detroit News

 

LANSING -- Two state senators have introduced a resolution to allow Michigan voters to consider a one-half-cent sales tax to fund a transit system and another one-half cent for road improvements.

 

The joint resolution, introduced Wednesday by Democratic state senators Gilda Jacobs of Huntington Woods and Liz Brater of Ann Arbor to the Michigan Legislature, is twofold:

 

 

http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060518/POLITICS/605180369/1016/METRO05

 

Wow!  Pretty progressive piece of legislation for the home of the auto industry.

I missed this one! Note the reference to three Ohio cities at the end of this piece...

______________

 

 

http://www.lightrailnow.org/news/n_tuc_2006-05b.htm

 

It's streetcars for Tucson!

 

"Voters made it clear Tuesday that they want this town's traffic woes to hit the road" declared an editorial (17 May 2006) in the Arizona Daily Star – which had backed the ballot items proposing a Regional Transportation Plan (a comprehensive bus transit/streetcar/roadway improvement program).

 

Advocates of transit and urban livability have scored a major victory in Tucson, with voters' approval on Tuesday, 16 May 2006, of this plan, and its funding via a new half-cent sales tax increment. The "crown jewel" of the plan is a modern light rail transit (LRT) streetcar system that will initially traverse a 4-mile route from the University Medical Center, through the University of Arizona campus, then through downtown, and finally terminating at the Rio Nuevo master plan area.

[simulation: Yes on 1 and 2 Campaign]

 

For more background on Tucson's LRT streetcar plans, see:

 

Tucson Area Public Transport and Rail Transit Issues

http://www.lightrailnow.org/facts/fa_lrt_tuc.htm

 

With 100% of precincts reporting, results for the two propositions on the 16 May ballot were as follows:

 

• Prop. 1 (RTA road/transit/streetcar plan) – 60% yes

• Prop. 2 (half-cent tax to fund plan) – 58% yes

 

First rail starter line

 

While, to win diverse community approval, the Tucson plan includes major roadway expansions, these do not include any new freeways. On the other hand, the modern streetcar project represents the city's first rail starter line, and perhaps a foot in the door for a more extensive system.

 

Similarly, Denver started in the early 1990s with just a streetcar-like, street-routed light rail transit line, which was embraced by the Denver public and has since become both a catalyst for and the backbone of the urban area's massive transit expansion and New Urbanist-style transit oriented development (TOD) development program. Hopefully, events in Tucson will follow a similar pattern.

 

As our previous coverage of the Tucson situation has indicated, Tucson's new light rail streetcar system will actually be a major expansion, with modern rolling stock, of the tiny heritage tourist-oriented trolley which currently operates, mainly on weekends, for about a mile near the University of Arizona campus. While this little operation has been important, even its supporters and volunteers will undoubtedly admit that it's functioned mainly as a kind of transport curiosity within Tucson's urban transportation environment. Now, however, its role as a viable element within the city's mobility system stands to be substantially enhanced under the Regional Transportation Plan.

[Photo: Salaam Allah]

 

"Decisive" victory for public transport

 

While voter turnout was light for the May 16th ballot, "the margin of victory was decisive" declared the editors of the Arizona Daily Star, adding that "By ratio of 3-2, people throughout Tucson and its surrounding suburbs agreed to add a half-cent per dollar to the sales tax to help raise $2 billion for transportation improvements over the next 20 years."

 

"The message was inescapable" said the Star. "They've had enough of traffic congestion, aggravating bottlenecks and inadequate public transit."

 

Turning to the streetcar project, the Star noted,

 

One of the more interesting experiments embodied in the plan calls for a modern streetcar system between UMC and Downtown. Most of the $87.7 million cost of that project will come from federal grants. Planners hope the streetcar will encourage students and workers in the university area to leave their cars in a lot and use the streetcar for trips through the surrounding area. The streetcar route will end near the Fourth Avenue underpass.

 

At a victory party on the election night, Tucson Mayor Bob Walkup observed, "The voters will want fast, positive action and we're going to give it to them."

 

Steve Farley, a local artist and transit activist who had spearheaded Tucson's previous but unsuccessful LRT ballot initiative, was ecstatic over the electoral victory. "Tucson is growing up," Farley said on election night. "This is not just thrilling from a transportation standpoint. This is a template for how we solve our problems now." (Tucson Citizen, 17 May 2006)

 

Many supporters were simply relieved that, after many efforts to rally the community behind a program of comprehensive transportation solutions, success had finally been achieved. "It is refreshing indeed that voters rejected the concerns of some very vocal critics and concluded that it's better to adopt this plan than wait for absolute gridlock to arrive before tackling the problem" said the editors of the Arizona Daily Star.

 

Inspiration for other cities

 

In assessing the impact of these developments on Tucson-area mobility, it's important to keep in mind that, while one light rail streetcar line is funded under this plan, more than 30 roadways will be widened or newly constructed. This is significant in view of rail critics' incessant blather about transit's declining "market share" (mode share) vis-a-vis private motor vehicle transportation. Even with improvements to bus services, it is absurd and deceptive to encourage public expectations that transit's proportional share of total travel should increase under such conditions.

 

Nevertheless, it's clear that this is a critically important victory for high-quality public transport in the Tucson area. Furthermore, the Tucson vote is a significant success for rail advocacy – a success which can provide inspiration to other North American cities, such as Austin, Birmingham, Spokane, Madison, Columbus, Toledo, and Cincinnati, which are also considering possible streetcar systems, interurban-type light rail transit, or other light railway systems.

 

Light Rail Now website

URL: http://www.lightrailnow.org/news/n_tuc_2006-05b.htm

Updated 2006/05/18

Nice article on the changing face of light rail in many U.S. cities....

 

http://www.railwayage.com/A/feature3.html

 

LRVs, the next generation

Innovation and advanced technology are beginning to be seen in a new generation of North American light rail vehicles after two decades during which, for the most part, the status quo ruled.

 

By Julian Wolinsky, Contributing Editor

 

The North American light rail vehicle is evolving dramatically from the first modern examples that entered service over 20 years ago. Among the advances coming to market are diesel LRVs, three-section vehicles in place of what had become the standard two-section car, and advanced construction methods including the use of lightweight composite materials. Most of these developments had their roots in Europe, in some cases many years ago, from the same manufacturers who continued to sell their traditional products in the U.S. and Canada.

 

 

For the full story, subscribe to Railway Age ... http://www.railwayage.com/subscribe.html

The Business Journal of Milwaukee - May 29, 2006

http://milwaukee.bizjournals.com/milwaukee/stories/2006/05/29/story1.html

 

 

Milwaukee, Madison to collaborate

'M2' would link cities' economies

The Business Journal of Milwaukee - May 26, 2006

by Pete Millard

 

 

After decades of mutual disinterest -- or perhaps disdain -- for each city's

problems, the mayors in Milwaukee and Madison have decided it's time to

work together for the common good of the state's two largest cities.

 

Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett and Madison's Dave Cieslewicz have begun

discussions on how to promote the economic well-being of both cities. They

would collaborate on legislative initiatives that benefit both cities -- high-

speed rail linking the two, development of the biotechnology industry and

even partnering with Chicago on its possible bid for the 2016 Summer

Olympics.

 

The collaborative effort, called M2, was revealed last week at a Madison

forum sponsored by the Wisconsin Academy of Sciences, Arts and Letters.

 

"We have to think regionally to succeed," said Barrett, who says he

understands Madison because of his time in the city as a University of

Wisconsin-Madison student and eight years in the state Legislature.

 

Cieslewicz, who grew up in West Allis and attended UW-Milwaukee before

transferring to UW-Madison, appreciates the challenges Barrett faces and will

work to bridge the cultural gulf between the cities.

 

"Our biggest obstacle may be building an understanding among constituents

about the value of working together," said Cieslewicz.

 

Cieslewicz may be the first Madison mayor to master sheepshead, a card

game that is an institution in Milwaukee.

 

Historically speaking, Milwaukee and Madison have little in common.

Milwaukee is home to big business and a blue-collar population. Madison's

reason for being is based on government and university services.

Better communication

 

The purpose of the M2 collaborative effort is to improve communication and

the exchange of ideas among the educational, business and cultural leaders

and organizations in the cities, said Cieslewicz.

 

The mayors have not established who will lead the organization, how it will be

structured and financed, or when it will begin functioning.

 

Barrett and Cieslewicz are working with Chicago Mayor Richard Daley on the

high-speed rail project and the Olympic bid.

 

They acknowledge that Chicago's exploration of the 2016 Olympics is a long

shot, but note that Milwaukee and Madison boast sporting venues that could

aid the pitch.

 

On the other hand, leaders in all three cities understand the need for high-

speed rail, and mustering support for such a bid is long overdue, said Barrett.

Representatives of the three cities will lobby in Washington, D.C., for federal

funding to help build the rail line.

 

The Chicago-to-Milwaukee, Madison and Minneapolis rail corridor has the

potential to be the second-busiest in the nation behind New York City-Boston.

 

"Improving our connections to Chicago is the cities' common bond," said

Barrett.

 

In the future, Barrett said the M2 collaborative could work on expanding the

biotech business base in the two cities. Milwaukee is planning to build a

biotech business park near the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs grounds

south of Miller Park. That development could benefit from UW-Madison

researchers and Madison biotech companies looking to expand production.

Existing ties

 

Most business executives and academic leaders in Milwaukee and Madison

already work together on some legislative or educational issues, said Tim

Sheehy, president of the Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce.

Building on the existing cooperative framework will not be difficult, he said.

 

The M2 collaborative will not damage the effectiveness of the M7 cooperative

project that has seven southeast Wisconsin counties pooling resources to

promote regional economic development, he said.

 

"The Madison-Milwaukee arrangement is a natural extension of M7," said

Sheehy, one of the leaders of the Milwaukee initiative.

 

UW-Madison and its Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation are forming

partnerships with Milwaukee-area research groups at UW-Milwaukee and the

Medical College of Wisconsin.

 

If Barrett and Cieslewicz are looking for companies that can serve as case

studies for the Milwaukee-Madison collaborative, Pat Ryan is willing to

volunteer the Milwaukee-based law firm Quarles & Brady.

 

"We have offices in both cities and share resources and expertise daily," said

Ryan, managing partner of Quarles & Brady.

 

Milwaukee's Godfrey & Kahn law firm merged in 2000 with the Madison firm

LaFollette Sinykin. Like other law firms in Milwaukee and Madison, Godfrey &

Kahn has clients who are investing in businesses in both cities, said Rick

Bliss, Godfrey & Kahn's managing partner.

 

"The basis for cooperation already exists," he said.

 

Send us your comments More Latest News

Sounds good....why isnt this being done with Cin-Day?

Frankly, this is something that all of Ohio's major city mayors should take up. We are never going to get a grip on transportation and sprawl-related issues until it is recognized uniformly across the state that we have common problems that could have common answers.

^Well, who's up for some letter writing to your city mayor? And I mean REAL letters, not emails. Not many people bother, so if enough people here did they'd think that quite a few people are concerned about this issue. Also, letters to the editor are a good way to reach out to the public. Perceptions of this and other issues that concern us on this board aren't going to change on their own. People aren't just going to be walking down the street and have a collective epiphany. It's time for action.  8-)

 

Post your letters here. It will give others some ideas on what to say and may inspire a few more folks to write.

 

As for me, I have lots of meetings and presentations coming up in the next few weeks on the Lorain-Cleveland regional rail proposal. Even Vermilion officials are showing an interest. I'm also working on a visible, outspoken business person to take up this cause and possibly lead a public-private campaign for it. We'll see what happens!

Mainers start to drive less, carpool more

 

By JOHN RICHARDSON, Portland Press Herald Writer

Copyright © 2006 Blethen Maine Newspapers Inc.

 

So, you've slowed down - no more Mr. Lead Foot.

 

Your car is tuned, and your tires are pumped.

 

You've resolved that your next car will get at least 30 miles per gallon, if not 40.

 

Now, what more can you do?

 

Simple - don't drive.

 

Full story at:

 

http://pressherald.mainetoday.com/news/state/060531gassavingser.shtml

6/2/2006

Unemployment, Gas Prices Renew Transit Struggle

Advocates say better state support would boost Michigan economy

By Charlene Crowell

Great Lakes Bulletin News Service

 

LANSING—With high gas prices, high unemployment, and rising interest rates forcing many Michigan families to cut costs but still maintain their ability to get to work, schools, and stores, advocates for public transportation are telling state lawmakers that now is the time to reverse the three-year decline in state support for their cause.

 

More at:

http://www.mlui.org/transportation/fullarticle.asp?fileid=17056

***************************************************

 

Minnesota's commuter rail funding on track

 

Minnesota's first commuter rail project, Northstar, has cleared three more hurdles. The Minnesota Legislature approved $60 million in bonding authority for it late last month, and Governor Tim Pawlenty signed the bill into law today, allowing the state to seek federal matching funds.

 

<ore at:

http://www.railwayage.com/breaking_news.shtml

 

**********************************************

 

Make way for 500 more trains a day

The biggest news for New York commuters in 100 years.

By William C. Vantuono, Editor

 

New Jersey Transit has tunnel vision, and that's a good thing, because it's tunnel vision that's going to create the capacity for NJ Transit and Amtrak to run about 500 additional commuter and intercity passenger trains per day into Penn Station New York. Those 500 trains represent a 50% increase over the 1,000-plus trains presently operated by NJ Transit, MTA Long Island Rail Road, and Amtrak.

 

More at:

 

http://www.railwayage.com/B/feature1.html

 

 

As to Detroit, I finally think this car-crazy/sprawl metro region  (currently THE largest metro area in the industrial world without any rail transit [no, the 2 mile, one-way People Mover doesn't count]) is going to get off the schnide.  The Detroit-Ann Arbor commuter train, featuring the Metro Airport leg, will probably get done -- I think.  It's a little disheartening that the article writer wrongly calls this a rapid transit line when it's not.  We've clearly seen, in Cleveland, how bad journalism - w/ writers who are ignorant of mass transit and haven't done their homework -- can harm the viability of viable projects.

 

It's a challenge, esp in these hardcore conservative areas (and I don't mean politically, necessarily) like Milwaukee, Detroit, Cincinnati and, Cleveland -- the city that, amazingly, has a rapid transit system.  But it's now or never time for these hard core intransigent cities.  If the unstable Middle East and soaring gas prices, along with the growing publicity of city/transit success stories, can't get these towns moving, nothing will.

 

High speed rail has been talked about and studied (w/ this state being among the 1st) by many states since the 1980s, and yet not one inch of it has been yet built outside of the New Haven to Boston extension of the already existing N.E. Corridor of Amtrak.  We here in Ohio have the Midwest Hub plan backed by several local pols, but Bush and his cronies continue to squeeze Amtrak to its near deathbed.  Is there really change on the horizon or is it a mirage?  With all these partnerships, are we simply rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic?  New players, same ol' game?

 

The talk in Michigan as well as the Milwaukee partnership is nice talk... but we've seen this before on different levels.  I want to see some tangible progress before I do a jig down Euclid Avenue.

6/2/2006    State Funding

Minnesota governor signs bonding bill for Northstar project

 

It’s official. The Northstar Corridor Development Authority now can seek federal funds for Minnesota’s first commuter-rail line. Yesterday, Gov. Tim Pawlenty signed a bill that included $60 million in state bonding authority that, along with $37.5 million in bonds approved last year, will fulfill Minnesota’s 33 percent funding commitment for the $307.3 million project.

 

Local governments along the proposed 40-mile Minneapolis-to-Big Lake, Minn., line will finance 17 percent of project cost and the Federal Transit Administration is expected to provide a 50 percent funding match.

 

Under terms of a trackage agreement reached with BNSF Railway Co. last month, 12 weekday and three weekend trains would operate along the line, which is expected to open in 2009.

 

###

Rail service linking Duluth and Twin Cities in the works

Associated Press

 

DULUTH, Minn. - A 100 million dollar plan to restore high-speed rail service between Duluth and the Twin Cities is moving forward, thanks to the Minnesota Legislature.

 

Lawmakers approved a one-point-three (m) million dollar allotment to St. Louis County for the plan. Lobbyist John Ongaro (on-GEHR'-oh) said without the allotment, there wouldn't be a project.

 

Information from: Duluth News Tribune, http://www.duluthsuperior.com

http://www.twincities.com/mld/twincities/news/state/minnesota/14745319.htm

High-speed passenger train planned for Las Vegas

 

VICTORVILLE, Calif. — Southern Californians could park their vehicles in Victorville and be in Las Vegas in little more than an hour, if a privately funded high-speed train gains momentum, said a story in the Victorville Daily Press. Victorville is 40 miles north of San Bernardino.

 

More at:

 

http://www.trains.com/Content/Dynamic/Articles/000/000/006/706fgqks.asp

it's 15 routes. if they can squeeze it in, brt is good to add to the overall transportation mix, but i sure hope they do not try to use this as a way to cut out the second avenue subway.  :whip:

 

 

A Plan That Means to Put More Rapid in the City's Transit

By THOMAS J. LUECK

Published: June 8, 2006

 

In a city where riding the bus is often a slow-speed alternative to walking, the phrase "bus rapid transit" may seem hard to fathom.

 

 

link:

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/06/08/nyregion/08bus.html?_r=1&adxnnl=1&oref=slogin&adxnnlx=1149861601-PuzoobjFcR4EF01ugZwumQ

 

the excellent mta brt study link looks at brt around the orld:

http://www.mta.info/mta/planning/brt/whatis.htm

 

New Phoenix light-rail stations to be palette for artists

 

PHOENIX – The success of Phoenix’s new light-rail line, now under construction, will be measured by the basics: the trains running on time to places that matter. But if the stations are graced with some beauty, passengers may ride more often, according to a story in The Arizona Republic.

 

 

http://www.trains.com/Content/Dynamic/Articles/000/000/006/721extaf.asp

^^mrnyc, I share your sentiments viz BRT.  BRT is simply the tool of anti-transit conservatives to thwart serious (rail) transit solutions.  Example: (one of many), Baltimore had a viable plan for expanding its rapid rail lines (with mainly economically sensible) light rail until new Maryland Gov. Ehrlich came in and squelched all the proposals substituting BRT, instead... Few Balto officials take it seriously and Ehrlich has effectively dampened the spirit of those who wanted serious transit change for the City.

 

... is it any surprise that Joe Calabrese is the unabashed BRT advocate here on the shores of Lake Erie?

 

Shops to lofts proposed at MAX stop

Gresham - The project, possibly one of many ideas for downtown, will be considered by Metro

Wednesday, June 07, 2006

ERIC MORTENSON

 

GRESHAM -- The culminating phase of Gresham Civic Neighborhood could include more shops, medical offices, restaurants, high-rise condos and a theater nestled around a MAX light-rail station clustered with artists' work lofts.

 

CenterCal Properties President Fred Bruning, who developed the neighboring Gresham Station and Gresham Station North and, more recently, Bridgeport Village in Tualatin, submitted a proposal for 11 acres owned by Metro, the regional government.

 

 

link:

http://www.oregonlive.com/suburban/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/metro_east_news/11496435267540.xml&coll=7

Newark light rail gains steam

Line will get in gear this summer

Thursday, June 01, 2006

BY RUDY LARINI

Star-Ledger Staff

 

Newark's light-rail city subway extension is almost ready to roll.

 

With equipment testing and crew training under way, the first passengers should be riding along the one-mile light-rail line from Newark Penn Station to NJ Transit's Broad Street Station by early summer, said Dan Stessel, a spokesman for NJ Transit, which will operate the line. He could not pinpoint the start of service any more precisely.

 

link:

http://www.nj.com/news/ledger/jersey/index.ssf?/base/news-3/1149139954306060.xml&coll=1&thispage=1

 

^Newark's not so totally broken down anymore w/ all those Manhattan yuppies (who can't deal w/ NYC rents) relocating to loft-style apts and new in-fill condos, townhouses and the like.

naah thats jersey city and along the waterfront. newark is still newark.

 

besides, it's nothing much or new. all they are doing is extending their 'lil subway line a little bit. this to both support and promote redevelopment efforts. no excuses!  :whip:

^Newark's not so totally broken down anymore w/ all those Manhattan yuppies (who can't deal w/ NYC rents) relocating to loft-style apts and new in-fill condos, townhouses and the like.

 

That wehawken, hoboken and all those little cities that connect down to jersey city and not all of them are "gentrified" or yuppied out. since its not always convienient to get to those places and the taxes are a bitch.  As MrNYC stated, they added the light rail, but the LR doesn't connect to anything else and has had some issues with safety and service.

 

Newark is pathetic...not even the NJPAC area could help ignite a revival of the city and they have a good transportation network.  But the city is just horrible.

Maine gives to CanAm study

Monday, June 12, 2006 

 

SAINT JOHN, New Brunswick - Maine is serious enough about finding out how to establish better transportation in the Northeast, from Nova Scotia to New York, that it is contributing money to a $1.25 million federal economic study on the topic.

 

Maine is contributing $250,000 to the study, which will be called Northeast CanAm Connections, Sandy Blitz, executive director of the East-West Highway Association in Bangor, said Saturday at a business conference in this coastal New Brunswick city.

 

Bangor Daily News

http://www.bangornews.com/news/templates/?a=135694&z=12%20class=

Posted: Thursday, Jun 15, 2006 - 06:39:54 am CDT

 

Amtrak considers line in southwest Missouri

 

By The Associated Press

 

State and Amtrak officials are considering adding passenger rail service between St. Louis and Springfield.

 

The line would cut southwest across the state, making stops in Kirkwood, Sullivan, Rolla and Lebanon. The Missouri Department of Transportation and Amtrak already have a route with eight stops connecting Kansas City and St. Louis, and Amtrak has national lines between St. Louis and Poplar Bluff and between Kansas City and northeastern Missouri.

 

http://www.newstribune.com/articles/2006/06/15/news_state/199state33amtrak.txt

Here are some shots I took today of the new commuter line in Nashville, this is the downtown terminal station at the foot of Broadway.

 

The "platform":

Here's an interesting little factoid: Did you know that the City of Cincinnati

owns a railroad line between Cincy and Nashville?  Found that out the other day. 

 

Apparently they have owned it since the line was built in the 1800's and it has been leased for operation by a series of railroads.... currently the NS.

 

Could make an interesting passenger rail connection.

Here is a link to the Milwaukee Connector a proposed close-in system where, at the moment, a mode has not been chosen, although there seems to be an underlying lean towards light rail/streetcar:

 

http://www.milwaukeeconnector.com/background.html

 

Also, Milwaukee's wikipedia article notes Metra is considering extending its Kenosha line north to Milwaukee.

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milwaukee#Transportation