MBTA considers the future of commuter rail service

Options include long-term pact

By Eric Moskowitz |  Globe Staff    November 30, 2011

 

 

The MBTA board began talks yesterday on the future of one of the largest contracts in state government: the nearly $300 million-a-year deal to run the T’s commuter rail, responsible for moving 70,000 suburban workers in and out of Boston daily.

 

With the contract expiring in June 2013, T leaders are first considering whether the MBTA should end the outsourcing deal and run commuter rail itself.

 

If they decide to stick with a contractor, they will weigh whether to continue with something like the current arrangement - a 5- or 10-year deal to manage the system using MBTA-owned trains and coaches - or try a new one, such as a decades-long, multibillion dollar pact requiring the contractor to provide some of its own equipment.

 

Read more at: http://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2011/11/30/mbta-considers-future-commuter-rail-service/0PYjB4oKlvxRvXijm0CDXO/story.html

(mostly) saved by the senator - particularly 2nd ave subway!!

 

 

 

Schumer Saves Funding for East Side Access, Second Avenue Subway

 

November 16, 2011 8:59pm | By Mary Johnson, DNAinfo Reporter/Producer

 

 

A construction crew works on an escalator tunnel that will carry passengers in the new Terminal. (DNAinfo/Paul Lomax)

 

 

MANHATTAN — Sen. Charles Schumer has saved two key Manhattan infrastructure projects from drastic budget cuts that could have put those plans in jeopardy.

 

The cuts, proposed by the House of Representatives as part of a 2012 transportation/housing and urban development appropriations bill, would have eliminated nearly 50 percent of funding for the East Side Access project that will dramatically expand the underground rail tunnels at Grand Central Terminal, Schumer’s office said.

 

The bill also proposed cutting the funding request for the Second Avenue subway project by 21 percent.

 

Residents cover their faces as they cross the street at Second Avenue and East 70th Street on Thursday. The dust and odor fills the air when the MTA blasts underground for the subway. (DNAinfo/Amy Zimmer)

 

Of the $197 million sought for the Second Avenue subway, $186 million was saved.

 

Of the $215 million requested for the East Side Access project, roughly $203 million will remain earmarked for the expansion.

 

“While the cuts passed in the House put the project on life support, I am pleased we were able to beat back these cuts and keep the [East Side Access] project moving forward,” Schumer said in a statement. “East Side Access is a transformative infrastructure project that employs thousands of New Yorkers and will shave off commute times for tens of thousands of commuters.”

 

While the Second Avenue Subway project has been much maligned for the dust and noise it has wreaked on the Upper East Side, the East Side Access project has remained mostly under the radar.

 

Construction is already underway on the project, which is slated for completion in 2016, but it's going on 140 feet underground.

 

The project will add eight new station tunnels to Grand Central Terminal. It will also expand the number of tracks from 67 to 75 and create four new platforms.

 

The purpose behind the massive, multi-year endeavor is to streamline commutes between Manhattan, Long Island and Queens.

 

"This is nothing short of a signature project in exactly the same way that Grand Central Terminal was back in its day,” project consultant Richard Gottsegen told DNAinfo earlier this month. “When it's finished, the East Side Access is going to be 'the blueprint' for all future transportation construction projects worldwide."

 

To fill in the remaining funding gaps in both the East Side Access and the Second Avenue subway projects, Schumer said he is looking to secure $2.2 billion in unused railroad funds, which New Jersey forfeited when it rejected a plan for a set of rail tunnels that would run under the Hudson River last year.

 

 

Read more: http://www.dnainfo.com/20111116/murray-hill-gramercy/schumer-saves-funding-for-east-side-access-second-avenue-subway#ixzz1fD36bLGp

Va. advocates push another Amtrak extension   

Wednesday, November 30, 2011 

 

Buoyed by recent state-supported extensions of Amtrak service that have proven popular, state rail advocates are clamoring for Amtrak service to be extended to Virginia’s southwestern reaches, including Roanoke, Va., last served by Amtrak’s Hilltopper in 1979.

 

The National Association of Railroad Passengers reports Amtrak operated a special train Nov. 5 between Bristol, Va., in the extreme southwest corner of the state, and Roanoke. Supporters envision service continuing northeast from Roanoke to Lynchburg, Va. , where Amtrak service currently terminates.

 

Read more at: http://www.railwayage.com/breaking-news/va.-advocates-push-another-amtrak-extension-3765.html

 

Transportation Committee Briefed by Amtrak Official

Posted: Wednesday, November 30, 2011 9:00 am | Updated: 6:09 pm, Tue Nov 29, 2011.

 

It is highly doubtful that there ever will be high speed rail transportation between St. Louis and Kansas City on the present Union Pacific lines that pass through Washington and Hermann, according to an Amtrak official.

 

The reason is that the rail line has too many curves due to following the Missouri River’s path. Also, freight trains are numerous and track time is limited.

 

In the Midwest, the freight carried by trains between Kansas City and St. Louis is the busiest. Amtrak rents track time from Union Pacific Railroad. The official did not rule out high speed rail at another location but there aren’t any plans for that alternative now.

Marc Magliari, Amtrak’s governmental affairs and corporate communications officer, who is based in Chicago, addressed the Washington Area Highway and Transportation Committee at the group’s regular monthly meeting at city hall Monday.

 

Read more at: http://www.emissourian.com/news/washington_news/article_084ad673-3d2d-5dcf-a43f-81f58588c29f.html

 

Direct Miami-to-Jacksonville Amtrak passenger service on the FEC railroad coming soon

Service between Florida's two largest cities could begin by 2015

By Angel Streeter, Sun Sentinel

 

8:39 p.m. EST, November 30, 2011

 

Direct Amtrak service between Florida's two largest cities is just a few years away.

 

The state will spend about $118 million to restore passenger service to Henry Flagler's old railroad — the Florida East Coast Railway — between Jacksonville and Miami.

 

That money will help build eight new stations in coastal towns between Stuart and Jacksonville, build a critical connector just north of West Palm Beach and make other improvements to the railroad.

 

Read more at: http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/palm-beach/fl-amtrak-fec-south-florida-20111130,0,6957241.story

The state will spend about $118 million to restore passenger service to Henry Flagler's old railroad — the Florida East Coast Railway — between Jacksonville and Miami.

 

 

Even in a state where the governor hates passenger trains, the state is spending money on passenger trains. Sigh.

and only just over $100M to revive the service? thats a further distance than 3C would have been -- and all in all just peanuts for what it will do for fla!! geesh.

and only just over $100M to revive the service? thats a further distance than 3C would have been -- and all in all just peanuts for what it will do for fla!! geesh.

 

That's because the Florida East Coast RR is in amazing condition. It's almost all laid with concrete ties and it has a cab signal system with automatic train stop. That means passenger train speeds in excess of 79 mph are allowed. When Amtrak ran an inspection train over this line earlier this year, it reportedly sustained near 90 mph over long segments. And since freight traffic is relatively light, few additional tracks have to be laid to avoid passenger conflicts with freight trains. So rerouting Jacksonville-Miami trains over this route might save Amtrak at least two hours each way.

and only just over $100M to revive the service? thats a further distance than 3C would have been -- and all in all just peanuts for what it will do for fla!! geesh.

 

That's because the Florida East Coast RR is in amazing condition. It's almost all laid with concrete ties and it has a cab signal system with automatic train stop. That means passenger train speeds in excess of 79 mph are allowed. When Amtrak ran an inspection train over this line earlier this year, it reportedly sustained near 90 mph over long segments. And since freight traffic is relatively light, few additional tracks have to be laid to avoid passenger conflicts with freight trains. So rerouting Jacksonville-Miami trains over this route might save Amtrak at least two hours each way.

 

According to the article, the TOTAL cost is projected to be $250 million. The state is chipping in $118 million with the rest hopefully coming from other federal and Amtrak sources. KJP is right, the railroad is in terrific condition, but they still need to build stations and construct a track connection near W Palm Beach. The Amtrak PIP report says they would like to run the Silver Star (NY-Miami) over this route, which would cut about four hours off the current schedule. The Star now runs New-York to Jacksonville and goes to Orlando and Tampa and then to Miami, a very convoluted route with a backup move at Tampa. Amtrak proposes to leave the current setup as is to serve present locations, but also to split the train and run a section directly to Miami.

 

This isn't the only project along the east coast. TriRail, the current Miami-W Palm beach commuter agency is considering the following:

 

a) A 20 mile Extension north to Jupiter by way of a new connecting track to the FEC near W Palm Beach.

b) Start of new service between Jupiter and Miami via the FEC - Allows a direct entrance to downtown Miami - Current service goes to the Airport

c) Extension of existing service northeast along CSX about 20 miles on the line to Sebring.

d) A new line from Miami Airport southeast

 

In addition, a new light rail line in Broward County (Ft. Lauderdale) is being considered and a new intermodal hub at Miami International Airport is under construction. Miami Metro rail is being extended to serve the intermodal hub and the airport.

 

You can Google this easily. Just key in "South Florida Regional Transit" and also "Miami Intermodal Center." Both sites have a lot of maps and info. The latter has a lot of construction photos of what is a very large, elaborate project.

 

Clearly, there is a lot going on in this part of Florida!

 

 

Contact: Deborah Fischer Stout FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Cell Phone: 913-523-5371

Email: [email protected]

 

NORTHERN FLYER ALLIANCE WEIGHS IN ON SERVICE DEVELOPMENT PLAN

Outcome great news for expanded service in Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas

 

December 4, 2011 —Overland Park, Kan.—  Northern Flyer Alliance, Inc. President Deborah Fischer Stout says with few exceptions, her organization is well pleased with the results of the Service Development Plan. 

 

The evening before the Service Development Plan was released last Thursday, members of the Northern Flyer Alliance, Emporia RAIL, KDOT, Rep. Jean Vickrey, and NFA’s lobbyist, Mary Ellen Conlee gathered at KDOT’s headquarters in Topeka to discuss the outcome of the study produced by Parsons Brinkerhoff.  “We were told by KDOT staff that no form of transportation pays for itself, so KDOT was shocked to see how close this project will come to paying for itself through direct benefits only (at a 15% contingency, Alternative #1’s cost/benefit ratio is at .93 with a ratio of 1.00 indicating a transportation corridor that pays for itself). No indirect benefits such as economic development were considered in the analysis”, explains Deborah. She says “such additional benefits are not allowed in FRA’s standard calculations, but should not be ignored when analyzing overall benefits to society”.

 

NFA Secretary Mark Corriston had this to say about the news, “we have always said that ridership would be significantly higher than the Feasibility Study estimated, and we couldn’t be more pleased with the figures: 256,700 estimated annual ridership for Alternative #3 (daytime service) and 368,000 estimated annual ridership for a combination of Alternative #1 (nighttime service) and Alternative #3.” 

 

During the Amtrak press conference to announce the release of the Feasibility Study on March 11, 2010, Mike Franke, Amtrak Assistant Vice President for Policy and Development was quoted as saying “at 174,000 estimated annual ridership for Alternative #3, these are very good numbers, and this will be a very, very successful train.”  Of course, the 2010 Feasibility Study was a preliminary estimate. Thursday’s debut of the Service Development Plan blew early estimated ridership numbers out of the water. The Service Development Plan took a much more in depth look at population growth and direct benefits and costs.  “These ridership numbers are great news, and one of the reasons the benefit/cost ratios were so impressive”, explains Mark.

 

Mark goes on to say that “we get a little bent out of shape when we see headlines that imply that this rail corridor is ‘expensive’. Expensive compared to what? What the media time and again fails to show is that the figures quoted for the costs to establish this passenger rail corridor pale in comparison to the cost of airports and road and bridge projects.” 

 

Here is a list of comparable projects:

• Passenger Rail Alternative #1: $136 Million (200 miles of upgraded rail tracks)

• Passenger Rail Alternative #3: $475 Million (602 miles of upgraded rail tracks)

• Wichita’s future Greenwich/Kellogg Interchange: $430 Million

• Oklahoma City’s I-40 Cross Town relocation (4½ miles of relocated interstate): $600 Million

• Denton – Dallas, TX 10-mile stretch of expanded interstate: $416 Million per mile for a total near $5 Billion

• Kansas City, MO’s airport renovation: at $2 Billion, this one airport renovation (which will take years), is nearly the same annual amount that runs the ENTIRE nationwide Amtrak system

 

All road, bridge and airport projects are paid for with federal and state tax dollars. These projects also benefit from dedicated funding streams, which passenger rail currently does not have.

 

“Clearly, there is a double standard in our society regarding transportation options”, says Mark. “What is also clear, after comparing this passenger rail corridor project to relative large scale highway and airport projects, is that passenger rail is a transportation bargain.”

 

###

If you’d like more information about this topic, contact Deborah Fischer Stout, 913-523-5371 or Mark Corriston 913-406-0827.

Got a link that PR? I'd love to share it on Facebook and Twitter.

So the very red state of Kansas is moving a rail project forward and the purple state of Ohio can't get the job done?  How sad is that?

 

Don't forget Oklahoma, Missouri, and Texas.

Could be a great model for a number of routes in Ohio.......

 

Innovative Financing Points the Way Ahead for a Rail Project in Charlotte

Yonah Freemark

December 5th, 2011

 

In addition to transit-oriented development, Charlotte’s planners envision a system that appeals to freight users.

 

In the case of Charlotte, necessity may be the mother of invention.

 

Lacking sufficient revenues to construct the planned Red Line commuter railroad designed to connect Center City Charlotte with its northern suburbs, planners working for local transit agency CATS have developed a unique vision for its financing.

 

The $452 million upgrade of the existing Norfolk Southern O Line would allow a significant expansion of capacity not only for passenger trains, but also for freight trains running on the same tracks. In doing so, this agency’s planners are suggesting that the sometimes rivalry between the two types of transportation should really be approached hand-in-hand, especially for a project whose primary right-of-way extends far beyond dense urban neighborhoods that characterize the zones around most successful transit links. Perhaps for the first time so directly, transit-oriented development is proposed to be joined by “freight-oriented development.”

 

READ MORE AT:

http://www.thetransportpolitic.com/2011/12/05/innovative-financing-points-the-way-ahead-for-a-rail-project-in-charlotte/

Amtrak celebrates 10 years on the Downeaster

The Associated Press

 

PORTLAND — Amtrak's Downeaster is celebrating its 10-year anniversary this week, capping off a year in which annual ridership surpassed half a million passengers, Amtrak launched its eTicketing pilot program and workers made progress on an expansion of service north to Freeport and Brunswick that's to begin in the new year.

 

Ridership has doubled over the past six years, and the number of passengers topped 500,000 for the first time in 2011, Amtrak said. All told, more than 3.5 million passengers have ridden the train.

 

"It's been a success by every measure and we're looking forward to the expansion of the service to Brunswick," said Stephen Gardner, Amtrak's vice president of Northeast corridor infrastructure and investment development in Philadelphia. "This is a corridor to watch."

 

Read more at: http://www.pressherald.com/news/Amtrak-celebrates-10-years-on-the-Downeaster.html

If passenger rail is to thrive in the Midwest, improvements to Union Station in Chicago are critical to that happening.

 

New master plan emerges to transform Union Station

Chicago Tribune / December 9, 2011)

 

Jon Hilkevitch's Getting Around

 

Extravagant proposals to transform Union Station in Chicago from a 1920s passenger depot into a modern transportation center have come and gone like passing trains.

 

As the result of a lot of plans and little action over the years, Union Station, last remodeled in 1992, has become increasingly crowded and uncomfortable. Moves like the one announced last week by Sara Lee Corp. to soon relocate business offices to 400 S. Jefferson Street will undoubtedly attract more commuters who live in the suburbs to Union Station.

 

 

A press release on a route last served in 1978 -- one year before Columbus and Dayton were last served by passenger rail......

 

http://www.fra.dot.gov/roa/press_releases/fp_FRA%2039-11.shtml

 

U.S. Transportation Secretary LaHood Awards $177 Million to Illinois to Connect Chicago and the Quad Cities

 

U.S.Department of Transportation

Office of Public Affairs

Washington, D.C.

www.dot.gov/affairs/briefing.htm

News

 

 

FRA 39-11

Monday, December 12, 2011

Contact: Warren Flatau

Tel.: 202-493-6019

 

U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood today announced more than $177 million for the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) for a passenger rail project that will operate twice daily round-trip service between Chicago and the Quad Cities and put nearly 2,000 Americans back to work this spring.

 

“With America’s population set to grow by 100 million over the next 40 years, passenger rail will play a vital role in meeting America’s long-term transportation challenges,” said Secretary LaHood. “This project, and the others like it, will reduce congestion for the region, create jobs and make the Midwest a better place to start a business.”

 

The start of twice daily round-trip service between Chicago and the Quad Cities, with intermediate stops at Geneseo, Princeton, Mendota, and Plano, IL will be made possible by infrastructure improvements including, a new station at Geneseo, a layover facility in the Quad Cities area, communication and signaling improvements and the purchase of new passenger rail equipment.

 

“Providing regional connectivity is critical to America’s long-term economic success,” said Federal Railroad Administrator Joseph C. Szabo. “These infrastructure and service improvements will provide Americans with more transportation options and allow them to travel the Midwest with greater ease.”

 

The introduction of next-generation American-made trains, funded as part of previously announced grants totaling $782 million, will help reinvigorate domestic manufacturing. States will purchase 36 quick-acceleration locomotives and 130 bi-level passenger cars to operate in Illinois as well as Indiana, Michigan, Iowa, Missouri, California, Washington and Oregon.

 

To date, the U.S. Department of Transportation has invested $10.1 billion to connect America’s mega-regions with expanded rail access and improved reliability, speed and frequency. Illinois is among thirty-two states throughout the U.S. and the District of Columbia that are laying the foundation for new and improved high-speed intercity passenger rail corridors that will link Americans with faster and more energy-efficient travel options.

 

####

The Downeaster 10 Years Later: Thriving and Expanding

12/14/2011  Reported By: Irwin Gratz

 

Ten years ago Thursday, a dream of rail enthusiasts was realized when trains once again began carrying paying passengers between Portland and Boston. It had taken more than a decade to find the money and navigate bureaucratic hurdles to launch the new service, while facing doubters who said trains were a bygone technology with no future. The last 10 years have seen ridership grow, official doubts shrink, and work begun on future expansion.

 

Read & listen to story at: http://www.mpbn.net/News/MaineNewsArchive/tabid/181/ctl/ViewItem/mid/3475/ItemId/19396/Default.aspx

The Downeaster 10 Years Later: Thriving and Expanding

12/14/2011  Reported By: Irwin Gratz

 

Ten years ago Thursday, a dream of rail enthusiasts was realized when trains once again began carrying paying passengers between Portland and Boston. It had taken more than a decade to find the money and navigate bureaucratic hurdles to launch the new service, while facing doubters who said trains were a bygone technology with no future. The last 10 years have seen ridership grow, official doubts shrink, and work begun on future expansion.

 

Read & listen to story at: http://www.mpbn.net/News/MaineNewsArchive/tabid/181/ctl/ViewItem/mid/3475/ItemId/19396/Default.aspx

 

Hmmm...if trains will work in tiny Maine with its lower population, they'll work here, won't they? Oh never mind...

Texas on track for passenger rail expansion

.by CASEY NORTON

WFAA

Posted on December 14, 2011 at 10:10 PM

 

KRUM, Texas — Railroads are a big part of Texas history, and the rails might be a bigger part of the state's future.

 

The Texas Department of Transportation is spending millions to look at new ways to connect our biggest cities and surrounding states, and the investment could put smaller towns on the track to "boom town" status.

 

Shelli Gomes is ready for her business to bloom. Everyone in Krum already knows about her flower shop, so the key for growth lies just a block away — on a set of steel rails that most people see as a speed bump.

 

Full story and video at: http://www.wfaa.com/news/consumer/Texas-on-Track-for-Rail-Expansion-135534603.html

Another rail transit progress story south of the Mason-Dixon Line. Although land use is as much of a reason for the long commutes, but land use type/density is a result of the type of transportation system the public sector has developed....

 

Transport in Georgia

Spare a penny?

Taxes for infrastructure

Dec 10th 2011 | ATLANTA | from the print edition

 

ATLANTANS, it is estimated, have the longest average rush-hour commute in America: 127 minutes. The city’s transport infrastructure has not kept pace with its rapid growth and sprawl. According to Georgia’s government, the state spends less per head on transport than any other except Tennessee. But fixing the infrastructure means raising taxes—politically unpalatable even in fat years, and this is not one. So in June 2010 Georgia’s legislature decided to let citizens vote on whether to raise their own taxes.

 

The Transportation Investment Act (TIA) directed elected officials in each of Georgia’s 12 regions to come up with a list of projects. The last of those lists was finalised in October. At the time of next year’s state primary elections, citizens in each region will vote on whether to finance those projects by imposing a one-cent sales tax within that region.

 

READ MORE AT:

http://www.economist.com/node/21541433

So the very red state of Kansas is moving a rail project forward and the purple state of Ohio can't get the job done?  How sad is that?

 

 

HEARTBREAKING!!!!

Detroit light-rail line plan scrapped for city, suburban buses

 

By Matt Helms, Paul Egan and John Gallagher

 

Detroit Free Press Staff Writers

 

The ambitious plan for a light-rail line on Woodward Avenue between downtown Detroit and 8 Mile has been scrapped in favor of a system of city and suburban buses, several officials briefed on the decision told the Free Press today.

 

U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood told Detroit Mayor Dave Bing that doubts that Detroit could pay operating costs over the long term for the light-rail line because of its and the state’s financial problems swayed him against the plan. The decision came despite earlier public support that included LaHood’s 2010 visit to Detroit to award a $25-million grant to get the project moving.

 

http://www.freep.com/article/20111213/BUSINESS06/111213071/Detroit-light-rail-line-scrapped?odyssey=tab|topnews|text|FRONTPAGE

Yep. The investors are now scrambling to save a smaller version of the rail line.

 

Something else is at work here. First USDOT gives the light-rail project money. Now they tell Detroit they doubt they can afford to run it. Is it simply Detroit's declining financial position? Or the lack of a regional transit authority?

This was e-mailed to me by a friend in Detroit.....

 

 

Dave Bing, Mayor of Detroit, has killed the Woodward Light Rail project, which had been moving forward fairly smoothly. Bing did so because the City's fiunances simply would not allow the city to help operate the system. The city said it hopes the project can move forward with express bus service. That is unlikely because the city's finances are so dire that an Emergency Financial Manager is expected to be appointed by the governor almost any day, and the city is expected to be insolvent before April. The city has already stopped paying many vendors. However, the City Council refused to cut its salaries or perks, including free cars.

 

The metro area housing market has also led to draconian cuts by the SMART bus service, which is essentially suburban service. SMART is financed through a property tax millage, and receipts have fallen so sharply that SMART will no longer operate into the City of Detroit, instead, ending its runs at the city limits and forcing passengers to transfer to D-Dot buses. Several routes have also been discontinued, weekend service eliminated on almost all lines, and rush hour-only service on many remaining lines.

More bad news from Metro Detroit. This vote by tea-party city officials came despite pleas from the business community NOT to reject the funds and from rail advocates to ask other cities in Michigan that have built similar facilities if they regretted building them....

 

Transit center rejected by Troy

Dec. 20, 2011

 

A federally funded transportation center in Troy that leaders across the region considered an important piece to boost mass-transit opportunities in metro Detroit will not get built after the Troy City Council rejected the proposal Monday night.

 

Opponents called the $8.5-million, 2,500-square-foot center a waste of tax dollars, even though Troy City Hall would not have footed the bill.

 

Troy's new mayor, Janice Daniels, along with council members Wade Fleming, Doug Tietz and Dave Henderson, voted against accepting U.S. funds for the project. Opposing that decision were Mayor Pro Tem Maureen McGinnis and council members Dane Slater and Jim Campbell

 

"The council was turned over to new council members and a new mayor because we campaigned on a pledge to stop this transit center," Daniels said during the Monday night council meeting.

 

READ MORE AT:

http://www.freep.com/article/20111220/FROMPRINT01/112200450/Transit-center-rejected-by-Troy

Motown's clearly on a roll ... backwards!!

Not everyone in Motown likes what has happened. A staff editorial from the Detroit Free Press....

 

Editorial: In Troy, backward thinking on transit

10:54 PM, Dec. 20, 2011

 

As decisions by city councils go, the 4-3 vote Monday by the Troy City Council to turn down $8.5 million to build a transit center on the Birmingham border was about as dumb as they come -- and that's saying plenty.

 

The station would have not only provided a signature connection between Amtrak and local transit and taxi service, but also would have served as Oakland County's major station, with special bays, for the new rapid transit bus system. The $500-million proposal by Gov. Rick Snyder must now find added money to build a designated rapid transit station in Oakland County.

 

The Troy council majority also capitulated to silly and self-defeating anti-poor and ethnic stereotypes about who benefits from transit. Who would benefit from the 2,500-square-foot transit center, near Maple Road and Coolidge, and the economic development it attracted? Everyone. That's why employers and Snyder backed it.

 

READ MORE AT:

http://www.freep.com/article/20111221/OPINION01/112210320/Editorial-Troy-backward-thinking-transit?odyssey=mod%7Cnewswell%7Ctext%7CFRONTPAGE%7Cp

The “driving” factors in the push for more passenger rail in Delaware  

By Jon Hurdle

December 21, 2011

   

Is Delaware on board for more passenger rail?

 

That’s the question behind a number of projects and studies that aim to reduce traffic congestion, cut energy use, and improve air quality by boosting the opportunities for Delawareans to take the train rather than drive between cities in and out of state.

 

Both SEPTA and Amtrak report a long-term increase in the number of people taking the train, a trend officials attribute to factors including gas prices, parking fees, traffic congestion, and riders’ abilities to use their travel time working.

 

The train station in Wilmington serves an increasing number of SEPTA and Amtrak riders. SEPTA, whose services connect Newark and Wilmington with Philadelphia, has sharply increased ridership within Delaware since its inception in 1989. In the FY2011, the service reported 1.1 million passenger trips, a 63 percent increase since it began, thanks in part to more frequent service and the addition of stops at Churchman’s Crossing and Newark.

 

Full Story & Video at: http://www.delawarefirst.org/21016-factors-push-passenger-rail-delaware

No grant, but Downeaster facility still to be built

The rail authority loses out on a grant and has delayed the project, but passenger service will begin in 2012 as planned.

By Kelley Bouchard [email protected]

Staff Writer

 

 

The Northern New England Passenger Rail Authority is moving ahead with plans to build a layover and maintenance facility for the Amtrak Downeaster at a controversial site in Brunswick, despite the recent loss of a federal grant that would have paid for the project.

 

Construction of the large industrial shed, initially expected to start this spring, has been delayed for an undetermined period, in part so residents can help develop a plan to diminish its impact on residential neighborhoods off Route 1 in West Brunswick.

 

The lack of a layover facility won't delay the authority's plan to provide passenger service to Freeport and Brunswick starting in late 2012, said Patricia Quinn, the authority's executive director. Trains will continue to be serviced and parked overnight in Portland, where there is no maintenance building.

 

Read more at: http://www.pressherald.com/news/brunswick-facility-for-train-work-still-alive_2011-12-28.html

from yesterday - fulton st station is really coming along in lower manhattan:

 

 

yikes! semi-truck vs subway 'el' station overpass:

 

 

yikes! semi-truck vs subway 'el' station overpass:

 

 

Location?

Somewhere in New York. That's the only description that matters to people living outside New York. :-P

California high-speed rail funding could be in jeopardy

January 3, 2012

 

The Legislature should not authorize the issuance of $2.7 billion in bonds to start building California's $98.5-billion bullet train project, a state-appointed review panel says in a key report to be released later Tuesday.

 

The conclusion by the California High-Speed Rail Peer Review Group is a serious blow to the project as it is currently designed because state law specifically empowered the group to make recommendation before any serious money on the train could be spent.

...

The panel concludes that the plan to start building a $6-billion initial segment of the project in the Central Valley without any assurance of additional federal funding for many years is not sound. It cites a lack of clarity in the business plan that was unveiled in November.

 

While the panel supports the concept of high-speed rail, it believes the best action now is to take a timeout on the project and reevaluate the overall goals, routes, financing and phasing of the effort, members of the panel said.

...

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2012/01/state-bonds.html

 

To which Governor Jerry Brown responded: that doesn’t change a damn thing. As reported by KQED’s John Myers, Brown’s office said the report’s concerns “are not new or compelling enough” to stop the project now.

...

As I’ve (Robert Cruickshank has) been arguing, California’s high speed rail project is getting screwed not by any internal flaws or by public rejection, but by the decision of the far-right extremists in the House of Representatives to oppose high speed rail funding. By calling into question future federal support for HSR, the House has made it easier to attack the California project. As we all know, the $10 billion in voter-approved bond funding and $4 billion in federal stimulus is not enough to complete the project or to build an initial operating segment that can generate its own revenue. That enables further attacks on the project, using the argument that no guarantee of future funding means no funding at all and therefore we shouldn’t even begin any construction whatsoever.

...

There is a lot more material on Cruickshank's blog about electrification and the construction-labor unions' support for California High Speed Rail.

 

http://www.cahsrblog.com/2012/01/peer-review-group-wants-to-delay-hsr-bond-funds-gov-brown-disagrees/

FL: Commuter Rail to Help Fuel Downtown Development

Created: January 4, 2012

 

The City of Orlando said its Downtown core is roaring into the new year with unprecedented development, as entertainment, transportation and technology drive billions of dollars in activity, according to a release.

 

More than a dozen major projects in the city's central business district - fueled by private and public investment and ranging from mixed-use developments to a digital arts complex - are making Orlando not only the top tourist destination but a leading location for commerce, city officials reported.

 

A driving force is development of a 61-mile commuter rail, to be fully operational by 2014. SunRail will pump $8.8 billion into the local economy and follow in the footprints of Amway Center, a sports and entertainment complex that posted a profit and hosted 1.4 million-plus people in its first year.

 

READ MORE AT:

http://www.masstransitmag.com/news/10601542/fl-commuter-rail-to-help-fuel-downtown-development

Glad to see Cincy on the map. The list of rail transit and BRT projects in this article is pretty impressive.....

 

http://www.thetransportpolitic.com/2012/01/02/opening-and-construction-starts-planned-for-2012/

 

Raleigh City Council agrees to transform warehouse into train station

Triangle Business Journal by Lee Weisbecker, Staff Writer

Date: Wednesday, January 4, 2012, 8:01am EST

 

The Raleigh City Council has agreed to retrofit a former warehouse on the west end of Martin Street in downtown Raleigh to accommodate a new rail station.

 

The vacant warehouse, built in the 1940s and called the Dillon Viaduct Building, will house the train station component of Raleigh's proposed Union Station. The warehouse, which already sits near railroad tracks, is owned by Triangle Transit.

 

Last October, Raleigh voters approved a $40 million transportation bond issue that included $3 million in improvements for the planned Union Station multimodal complex. State and federal funds totaling $30 million would also be used for the first phase of the facility.

 

READ MORE AT:

http://www.bizjournals.com/triangle/news/2012/01/04/raleigh-city-council-agrees-to.html

Busy day....

 

http://www.fra.dot.gov/roa/press_releases/fp_FRA%2002-12.shtml

 

U.S. Transportation Secretary LaHood Awards $186 Million to Illinois to Expand High-Speed Rail in the Midwest

 

U.S.Department of Transportation

Office of Public Affairs

Washington, D.C.

www.dot.gov/affairs/briefing.htm

News

 

 

FRA 02-12

Wednesday, January 04, 2012

Contact: Warren Flatau

Tel.: (202) 493-6019

 

U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood today awarded more than $186 million to the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) for a high-speed rail project that will reduce travel times and put Americans back to work this spring.

 

“The Great Lakes-Midwest economic region is the world’s fifth largest economy by Gross Domestic Product, and nearly 100 million people live within 500 miles of each other,” said Secretary LaHood. “The Department of Transportation’s investment of more than $1 billion in the region’s high-speed rail service will reduce trip times and save travelers money, resulting in reduced congestion for the region and making the Midwest a better place to start a business and create jobs.”

 

The project will extend construction of the corridor north to Joliet, allowing for 110-mph service along nearly 70 percent of the route.  Construction is already underway on the Chicago – St. Louis corridor, and work on the extension to Joliet will begin this spring. Once construction is complete, travelers can expect reductions of more than an hour in trip time, with improved on-time performance as well. Ridership has grown 137 percent over the last five years.  The state has plans to add more frequent trips, and further reduce trip times on this popular route in the future.

 

The corridor will also benefit from next-generation American-made trains, funded as part of a previously announced $782 million grant that will pump new life into domestic manufacturing. States will purchase 33 quick-acceleration locomotives and 120 bi-level passenger cars to operate in Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Iowa, Missouri, California, Washington and Oregon.

 

Illinois is among thirty-two states throughout the U.S. and the District of Columbia that are laying the foundation for high-speed rail corridors that will link Americans with faster and more energy-efficient travel options.  To date, the U.S. Department of Transportation has invested $10.1 billion to put American communities on track towards new and expanded rail access and improved reliability, speed and frequency of existing service.

 

####

California HSR article was already posted. Try to keep up, OK?

I guess you like to screen out the negative posts.  Understandable.

Before you remind us again on how to be inattentive and combative, let me remind you that your post duplicated another on with the same article. If you somehow feel persecuted or wish to remain combative, we can reward you with time off to think about how to relate to other people in more productive ways. It's up to you.

Glad to see Cincy on the map. The list of rail transit and BRT projects in this article is pretty impressive.....

 

http://www.thetransportpolitic.com/2012/01/02/opening-and-construction-starts-planned-for-2012/

 

Shame that Detroit is no longer on that list.

 

Shame that Detroit is no longer on that list.

 

As a publicly funded project, true. But it seems to still be alive as a scaled-back, privately funded project.

Somewhere in New York. That's the only description that matters to people living outside New York. :-P

 

i was about to say...! among the other obvious clues the police car clearly says nypd lol!

 

secaucus or hoboken? hoboken or secaucus? the answer is most likely neither - joisey sheesh.

 

 

 

Hoboken one day the last stop on the 7?

 

METRO

Extending the 7 train to New Jersey would have “the Jersey City waterfront as an extension of Midtown Manhattan,” said transit planner Bob Previdi.

 

ALISON BOWEN/METRO

 

NEW YORK

 

Published: January 03, 2012 7:49 p.m.

 

Last modified: January 03, 2012 7:52 p.m.

 

 

Forget Secaucus. If Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s dream to extend the 7-train to New Jersey is ever realized, the subway should stop in Hoboken, said one former MTA planner.

 

After New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie killed plans for the ARC tunnel in 2010, which would have added an extra tunnel under the Hudson River for NJ Transit and Amtrak trains, an idea circulated to run the 7 line through the tunnel instead.

 

In fact, Bloomberg’s office has already spent $250,000 to analyze the feasibility of extending the 7 to Secaucus. Bloomberg is reportedly pleased with the findings and, according to reports, will make an announcement on the plan within the coming months.

 

http://www.metro.us/newyork/local/article/1062777--hoboken-one-day-the-last-stop-on-the-7

 

Detroit Mayor Dave 'Bada' Bing sez: "NEVERMIND!"

 

Detroit light rail revived, but with shorter route

Jan. 7, 2012

By Matt Helms

Detroit Free Press Staff Writer

 

Gov. Rick Snyder and Detroit Mayor Dave Bing insisted Friday that a light-rail line for Detroit is still possible, backtracking on their decision last month to pull passenger trains out of the mix of modernized transit options for the city.

 

Snyder and Bing said they're supporting a plan for a shorter rail line from downtown to New Center that would be built as part of an upgraded system of rapid-transit buses crisscrossing the city and suburbs.

 

"We see light rail as a part of regional transportation, so light rail is not dead," Bing said at a news conference at his office with Snyder and U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. "It's back on the table."

 

READ MORE AT:

http://www.freep.com/article/20120107/NEWS01/201070415/Detroit-light-rail-revived-but-with-shorter-route

Whew. Dodged a bullet there.

Whats going on in Sacramento?  It shows as a "construction start", but they've had light rail for years now...