http://www.railwayage.com/breaking_news.shtml#Feature1-5-14

 

May 13, 2008

Schumer: PA should oversee New York-Penn Station work

 

U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., Monday called for the Port Authority of New York & New Jersey (PA) to take over the reevelopment of Pennsylvania Station, saying it would spur economic development on Manhattan's West Side. Schumer said current economic woes should not interfere with the project.

 

"The natural inclination in these conditions can be to retract. Pull back. Put all big projects on hold. Yet that is exactly the wrong approach and will leave us in worse condition than we are in today when the next upswing occurs," Schumer said in written remarks.

 

Penn Station, served by New Jersey Transit, the Long Island Rail Road, and Amtrak, is Amtrak's largest station on the Northeast Corridor and the only major Hudson River crossing (road or rail) linking New Jersey and Manhattan not controlled by the PA. (Amtrak owns the Northeast Corridor; it and the LIRR share operational control of Penn Station.)

 

Current plans, tabbed at $14 billion, call for moving the transportation hub across Eighth Avenue into the James A. Farley post office, a landmark building. The station would be named after the late U.S. Sen. Daniel Patrick Moynihan, who spearheaded the idea. But the current plan has been dogged by some community resistance and political maneuvering among Manhattan real estate interests.

 

Notwithstanding such difficulties, Mayor Michael Bloomberg reiterated the city's intent to proceed with the current plan, questioning Schumer's timing. "If he gets us the money for Moynihan, we'll be able to do that at the same time" as rebuilding the World Trade Center site, which the PA does oversee, Bloomberg said.

Illinois' elected officials sure aren't popular these days with rail and transit industry folks. Check out CN's comments today in the freight railroad thread....

 

http://www.rtands.com/breaking_news.shtml#Feature3-5-14

 

May 13, 2008

 

Illinois transit executive chastises state leaders

 

The chairman of the Regional Transportation Authority lashed out at state politicians for failing to work aggressively toward completing a capital spending plan for mass transit and repairing deteriorating roads, the Chicago Tribune reports.

 

"The state is in a very tough fiscal situation, and at some point somebody has to have the guts to fix it. And it hasn't happened yet," RTA Chairman Jim Reilly told the City Club of Chicago.

 

More at above link:

http://www.railwayage.com/breaking_news.shtml#Feature2-5-16

 

May 15, 2008

TRAX orders 77 LRT cars from Siemens

 

Siemens Transportation Systems has landed an order for 77 S-70 light rail cars, worth $277 million, from Salt Lake City's TRAX light rail system, with an option for 180 additional cars.

 

The 77-car order reportedly is the largest LRT vehicle purchase ever made by a U.S. locale from Siemens, surpassing the company's delivery of 55 cars to Denver's Regional Transportation District. Siemens will manufacture the cars at its plant in Sacramento, Calif.

 

Utah Transit Authority is overseeing the addition of four light rail lines, including a link to Salt Lake City International Airport, to its existing two-route system connecting Salt Lake City points and Sandy. TRAX currently operates with 69 light rail vehicles, also provided by Siemens, which UTA acquired as part of an option placed by the San Diego Metropolitan Transit System. TRAX began operations in December 1999.

wow didn't realize how much rail cars cost. Is that number correct? 77 cars for $277 million?

$3.59 million per light-rail car? Yep, that's about right.

 

Brand-new diesel locomotives cost about $3 million to $4 million each, and new passenger rail cars cost about $1 million to $3 million each (depending on if they're single-level or two-level cars, have cab controls in them for push-pull operation, etc). But you can always get good used equipment for much less. Locomotives built in the 1990s can be had for less than $500,000 and second-hand refurbished rail cars can cost as little as $100,000 each.

Hmm. . . sounds like an interesting career . . . used train sales.

No joke, you can start your own railroad just by visiting these sites....

 

http://www.coloradorailcar.com/

http://www.edwardsrailcar.com/

http://www.bhamrail.com/

http://www.nortrak.com/

http://www.equipmentsearch.com/categories/railroad/

http://www.ozarkmountainrailcar.com/

http://www.railmerchants.net/

http://www.trains-trams-trolleys.com/home/equipment.htm

 

Or buy new at:

 

http://www.coloradorailcar.com/

http://www.hitachi-rail.com/

http://www.emdiesels.com/

http://www.getransportation.com/na/en/

http://www.transport.alstom.com/

http://www.talgousa.com/default.asp

http://www.mobility.siemens.com/mobility/en/pub/home.htm

http://www.bombardier.com/index.jsp?id=1_0&lang=en&file=/en/1_0/1_0.jsp

Good story from CNN on the growth in rail & rail-based transit ridership....

 

http://money.cnn.com/video/#/video/news/2008/05/13/chernoff.commuters.gas.cnnmoney

Haha, already posted the video link and the article days ago at:

 

http://www.urbanohio.com/forum2/index.php/topic,5087.msg284911.html#msg284911

I didn't see it, and I betting a few others may not have as well.  So no harm in repeating it.

"I wanna go to Miami"....

_________________

 

http://www.rtands.com/breaking_news.shtml#Feature6-5-19

 

May 15, 2008

 

HNTB team wins Miami's Orange Line Phase One 
Project

 

The Miami-Dade Transit Authority has awarded the team of Pistorino & Alam Consulting Engineers Inc. and HNTB Corporation the construction engineering, inspection and administration contract for Orange Line Phase One of the Miami Intermodal Center - Earlington Heights Connector Metro Extension. The $300-million project, which features the first transit line to be built in the county in 20 years, will provide a direct connection from downtown Miami to the Miami International Airport.

 

 

California Capitol Corridors News:

 

The April 2008 Capitol Corridor statistics from Amtrak are again

'off-the-chart', even with Easter having been in March this year and April

last year.  The early Easter this year showed up as a 'bump up' on the

Pacific Surfliners and San Joaquin's last month (March), so the

leveling-off in April was not unexpected this month.  Additionally, weekend

trackwork on the Pacific Surfliner service has artificially depressed those

ridership and revenue numbers for April.  What remains a surprise is the

continued phenomenal growth of the Capitol Corridor ridership and revenue.

 

As with the 'bump-down' in riders on the San Joaquins due to the Easter

holiday being in April last year (the Easter holiday always causes a

'bump-up' in riders on all services in whichever month it occurs), we

expected only a modest increase in Capitol Corridor riders and revenue in

April.  Wrong! 

 

Instead, not only did the April numbers sustain the +12-14%

monthly growth every month since October 2006, and April 2008 is now the

single highest ridership month of any month in Capitol Corridor history!

 

Amtrak reports for :

 

Capitol Corridor (April 2008):

 

145,234 passengers  +13.8%  vs. 2007, (7 months YTD: +13.6%)

another record for the month, and highest ridership month ever for

the service.

$1,790,054 revenue  +17.9% vs. 2007  (7 months YTD: +21.7%)

 

The revenue-to-cost ratio for April is 56%, and

the year-to-date revenue-to-cost ratio is about 54%.

 

The on-time performance for April was 89.2%, up considerably, with

year-to-date on-time at 86.1%.  (Union Pacific April performance was well

over 92%)

__________________________________________________

 

 

Pacific Surfliners (April 2008):

 

213,369 passengers  -7.4% vs. 2007  (7 months YTD: +4.7%)

$3,255,674 revenue  -13.1% vs. 2007 (7 months YTD:  +6.0%)

 

On-time performance for April: 75.7%

YTD on-time:  78.1%

__________________________________________________

 

San Joaquins (April 2008):

68,334  passengers  -2.7% vs. 2007  (7 months YTD: +11.1%)

$2,008,936  revenue  +5.8%  vs. 2007  (7 months YTD: +12.8%)

 

On-time performance for April:  85.8%

YTD on-time: 85.7%

 

Eugene K. Skoropowski

Managing Director

Capitol Corridor Joint Powers Authority

Gee, I'm sorry to hear Americans won't ride trains that don't travel any faster than 80 mph...

"I wanna go to Miami"....

_________________

 

http://www.rtands.com/breaking_news.shtml#Feature6-5-19

 

May 15, 2008

 

HNTB team wins Miami's Orange Line Phase One 
Project

 

The Miami-Dade Transit Authority has awarded the team of Pistorino & Alam Consulting Engineers Inc. and HNTB Corporation the construction engineering, inspection and administration contract for Orange Line Phase One of the Miami Intermodal Center - Earlington Heights Connector Metro Extension. The $300-million project, which features the first transit line to be built in the county in 20 years, will provide a direct connection from downtown Miami to the Miami International Airport.

 

 

why? you already live in a city with super easy direct rail service to the airport....arrgh d#@n ya!  :laugh:

Just wanted an excuse to give that famous whine.

^ ha!

 

good news, after a change of developers, the manhattan westside railyard development plan is right back in play. hopefully they will respect the northern end of the old elevated highline/new highline park and incorporate it:

 

 

 

MTA Signs Deal With New Developer For West Side Rail Yards

 

May 19, 2008

 

The city released a statement Monday confirming that the Metropolitan Transit Authority has struck another billion-dollar deal to develop the West Side rail yards, less than a week after the previous deal fell through.

 

The MTA says it has chosen Related Companies and Goldman Sachs to build a mixed-use development on the 26-acre plot, just one week after the deal with Tishman Speyer fell apart.

 

More at:

http://www.ny1.com/ny1/content/index.jsp?stid=5&aid=81765

 

http://www.railwayage.com/breaking_news.shtml#Feature5-5-22

 

May 21, 2008

Oklahoma City supports Amtrak extension plan

 

The Oklahoma City Council has approved a proposal to to extend Amtrak's Heartland Flyer north of the city to Newton, Kan., where it would link with Amtrak's existing system and offer passenger rail access to Chicago.

 

The current Heartland Flyer, a state-supported train, runs between Oklahoma City and Fort Worth, Texas. The Northern Flyer Alliance, a grassroots organization which advocated the establishment of the train in 2005, is behind the current effort to extend it north.

 

More at link above:

http://www.railwayage.com/breaking_news.shtml#Feature5-5-22

 

May 22, 2008

Kansas City gets federal grant for light rail analysis

 

The Kansas City Area Transportation Authority will receive $2.6 million from the U.S. Department of Transportation for a Light Rail Alternative Analysis, according to the office of Sen. Kit Bond, R-Mo., ranking member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee for Transportation, Housing and Urban Development.

 

More a tlink above:

"I wanna go to Miami"....

 

Hopefully the rail to the airport will be nothing like the rail debacle at the airport.

 

Awesome trains though - Video after quick commercial: http://wn.wsvn.com/global/video/popup/pop_player.asp?ClipID1=2443947&h1=7%20News%20Investigation%20-%20Off%20Track&vt1=v&at1=News

 

Off Track

 

http://www1.wsvn.com/features/articles/investigations/MI84701/

 

 

 

Is that what all that crap is when you're heading towards I-195 or route 836?

http://www.douglasdispatch.com/articles/2008/05/10/news/doc482212d2d0eef501820876.txt

 

Group seeks tax increase for new roads, mass transit

 

By Howard Fischer

Capitol Media Services

 

PHOENIX — Business and community groups took the first steps Tuesday to convincing Arizonans to raise the taxes on virtually everything they buy to build new roads, widen and repair existing ones and fund a series of mass transit projects including a rail line from Tucson to Phoenix and perhaps beyond.

 

Papers filed with the Secretary of State’s Office will allow the group, organized as the TIME Coalition, to start gathering signatures to put the $42.6 billion project on the ballot.

 

Time is running out: Backers need 153,365 signatures by July 3 even to put the question to voters in November.

 

Realistically, that translates to at least 200,000 signatures, given the number which are routinely disqualified because of bad addresses and people not registered, about 3,500 signatures a day.

 

But Marty Shultz, treasurer of the committee more formally named Transportation and Infrastructure Moving AZ’s Economy, said he believes businesses that want all that new construction, for whatever reason, will provide him enough money to hire the paid circulators  and eventually to wage a campaign designed to convince voters to hike their own sales taxes by a penny for every dollar they spend beginning Jan. 1, 2010, for the next 30 years. That computes out to everything from an additional dime on a movie ticket to $250 more tacked on to the price of a $25,000 new car.

 

Many of those dollars for the campaign are likely to come from the construction industry. In fact, the chairman of the coalition is Doug Pruitt, chairman of Sundt Construction, a firm which makes money building roads road and also has a $135 million contract to build part of the current Phoenix light rail project. Exactly what taxpayers would get for that $42.6 billion, however, is not yet in cement. In fact, there is nothing in the 15-page initiative the document Arizonans are being asked to sign and eventually enact into law that spells out a single road that will be constructed.

 

Instead, Shultz, a lobbyist for Arizona Public Service, said he expects the state Transportation Board to approve a priority list next month. That list, he said, will form the basis for what will be financed.

 

Even that, however, would not be legally guaranteed: Shultz said changes could be made if the state’s growth patterns defy projections during the 30-year life of the tax.

 

Still, the initiative does contain some general categories.

 

The biggest chunk of the money  — more than $23 billion —  is specifically earmarked for “strategic highway projects,” including freeways and other state highways that will be identified as priorities. Preliminary studies have included widening all of Arizona’s interstate highways as well as new lanes and improvements on many of the current two-lane roads.

 

Cities, counties and tribes would divide up another $8.5 billion in revenues to spend on their own priorities.

 

The balance includes money for bikeways, scenic roads, protecting neighborhoods  and more than $7.6 billion for mass transit, with the lion’s share of that designated for that proposed intercity passenger rail service.

 

Here, too, the initiative does not spell out a specific route. But Shultz said the general idea is to have it run from Tucson through Phoenix and perhaps beyond to Wickenburg, Prescott and even into Northern Arizona.

 

Shultz said he sees nothing wrong with asking voters to commit now to financing construction of a rail system from scratch in a state with no history or hard evidence of how many people would use it.

 

“You look around the world and you see examples of people who, when their populations are large enough and their economy is of a particular configuration, they do use it,” he said.

 

Closer to home, he said light rail systems that have been built in other cities “have immediately blown the doors off” usage estimates. He predicted the same result in Arizona when the light rail system being built through Phoenix and Tempe begins operating in December.

 

“With the population projections, the ‘megapolitan’ concept of the population between Phoenix and Tucson, there’s no reason to believe that a major rail system in Arizona won’t work,” Shultz said.

 

The same is true, he said, of money earmarked to expand that Phoenix-area rail system as well as new funds for a Tucson light rail system. And he said that will be helped along by $4 a gallon gasoline and increased congestion.

 

The one guarantee in the initiative is creation of what he called “firewalls” between the various categories. He said, for example, that means money earmarked for freeways can’t be spent on rail, or rail dollars can’t end up going for bike paths.

 

Overall, he said, the package is designed to attract voters by having a little bit of something for everyone.

 

Some people, he said, want more mass transit. That, he said, will include not just the intercity and commuter rail projects but also things like dial-a-ride service in rural communities.

 

Others who commute to work, Shultz said, will be attracted to putting more dollars into road improvements, not just in the major urban areas but in other communities. And he said urban residents have an interest in improving rural roads between communities if for no other reason than making it easier for them to get to their summer homes in the mountains.

^^ Kansas City's city council should be impeached en masse on the grounds of group stupidity.

I didn't ready anything about Kansas City.

It's on the previous page.

seems the relatively new articulated busses aren't "all that" for ny, so mta is experimenting with reviving double-decker busses:

 

Transit 

NYC Transit Weighs Return Of Double-Decker Bus

May 22, 2008

 

City streets could soon start looking a lot more like the streets of London as transit officials say they are considering bringing back the double-decker bus.

 

The buses would replace so-called "articulated" buses, the extra-long buses that bend in the middle like an accordian. NYC Transit officials say they are evaluating different models.

 

 

http://www.ny1.com/ny1/content/index.jsp?stid=5&aid=81928

 

http://www.rtands.com/breaking_news.shtml#Feature5-5-28

 

May 27, 2008

 

LA Metro Gold Line Eastside Extension is more than 80 percent complete

 

Construction of the Metro Gold Line Eastside Extension light rail project in the Los Angeles area is more than 80 percent complete. In addition, other milestones have been reached including the unprecedented construction safety record of more than three million work-hours without an accident that requires a single day away from work. The project also is on budget and scheduled to open on time in mid-2009.

 

More at link above:

Senators ask Amtrak to get rail cars ready for Q-C route

Quad City Times

By Ed Tibbetts | Wednesday, May 28, 2008 |

 

Iowa and Illinois lawmakers are asking that Amtrak move quickly to prepare rail cars in the event Amtrak connections between Chicago and Iowa are built.

 

U.S. Sens. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., Barack Obama, D-Ill., Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, and Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, made the request in a letter dated Tuesday.

More at:

 

http://www.qctimes.com/articles/2008/05/28/news/local/doc483cafec408ad078835266.txt?sPos=2

 

Bloomberg Considers NYC-D.C. Bullet Train At World Science Festival

 

May 28, 2008

 

Mayor Michael Bloomberg said Wednesday that he would consider giving the slow commute between New York and Washington, D.C. a rocket boost.

 

Mayor Bloomberg is meeting Friday with a high-powered congressman pushing the idea of a train that could trim as much as 80 minutes off the ride.

 

http://www.ny1.com/ny1/content/index.jsp?stid=5&aid=82118

 

 

That's almost funny.

 

 

May 28, 2008

Poll: Kansas City residents will accept light rail sales tax

 

A poll of Kansas City (Mo.) area voters released Tuesday shows that more than half of voters in Jackson, Clay and Platte counties approve of a proposed half-cent sales tax to finance a regional light rail system.

 

http://www.railwayage.com/breaking_news.shtml#Feature2-5-29

http://www.rtands.com/breaking_news.shtml#Feature4-5-29

 

May 28, 2008

 

New Mexico Rail Runner Express breaks ground for new station

 

Lt. Governor Diane Denish and Isleta Pueblo Governor Robert Benavidez, joined by state and local transportation officials recently broke ground to build the Isleta Pueblo Rail Runner Station. Construction on the Isleta Station will start in the next few weeks and is expected to be completed by late fall.

 

Also, the last two crossings in the stretch of railroad track between Menaul and Osuna Boulevards in the North Valley officially “got quiet.” Even though that whole section of track was designated a quiet zone back in January, two of the six crossings had to wait until construction work on Montaño Boulevard was complete before the train horns could stop sounding their horns when passing through the area.

 

More at link above:

http://www.rtands.com/breaking_news.shtml#Feature4-5-29

 

May 28, 2008

 

Snohomish-Renton commuter rail link taking shape

 

Commuter trains are expected to shuttle workers from Snohomish to Bellevue by 2013 under a deal just signed by Snohomish County, Wash., local newspapers report. Tom Payne and his company, GNP Railway, were granted the exclusive right to use a football-field-sized piece of county land in downtown Snohomish.

 Over time, the company hopes to spend as much as $150 million to $200 million to rehabilitate miles of tracks, build five train stations, a 12-foot-wide trail and buy locomotives and passenger cars.

 

More at link above:

Friday, May 30, 2008

Posted on Thu, May. 29, 2008

Light-rail line rolls right along

By Steve Harrison

The Charlotte Observer

 

Last fall, light rail was synonymous with delays and cost overrruns.

 

What are people talking about today? The parking deck filling up by 9 a.m. and trains being too crowded.

 

“I have to admit, they are doing better than I expected,” said former Mecklenburg County commissioner Jim Puckett, who helped lead a failed effort to repeal the half-cent sales tax for mass transit last fall. “Our concern was whether we would have a white elephant, and it doesn't seem we do.”

 

More at:

 

http://www.charlotte.com/109/story/644352.html

interesting article about rebuilding the subway at the wtc, however, clik below because the video report is even better:

 

 

 

WTC Subway Tunnel To Be "Elevated"

 

May 30, 2008

 

Lower Manhattan will soon be getting an elevated subway line -- only it's not a new line and riders won’t know they’re above ground. NY1’s Bobby Cuza filed the following report.

 

Though you wouldn't know from looking at it, the 1 train runs right through the center of the World Trade Center site, in this black concrete tunnel box. Only it's becoming less and less accurate to call it a subway.

 

That's because the Port Authority has transferred the weight of the tunnel onto steel supports and is now digging out the ground underneath. Soon, the tunnel will be suspended in midair.

 

"If you come back in a couple of months, it will be looking like it's on stilts. It'll look like some of the old railway trestles you see in the Rocky Mountains in the late 1870s," said Port Authority Chief Geotechnical Engineer Raymond Sandiford.

 

The work is necessary because the space beneath the tunnel will eventually become part of the Trade Center basement.

 

For now there are small underpasses beneath the tunnel, only about enough room for workers and small machinery to maneuver below as they excavate. Eventually the subway tunnel will stand about 50 feet in the air, on what are known as mini-piles that have been drilled deep into bedrock.

 

"We're basically building this thing on stilts- about 450 stilts. There are 450 mini-piles that we had to put in there," said Port Authority Program Director Mark Pagliettini.

 

Before 9/11, there was actually a station there. The Cortlandt Street stop on what was then the 1 and 9 lines. But the collapse of the World Trade Center destroyed not only the station, but also a portion of the tunnel itself.

 

The MTA rebuilt that segment of tunnel and eventually plans to reopen the Cortlandt Street station, though by then the tunnel will be back underground.

 

"You'll actually see, on top of the subway will be a street. Greenwich Street will be reinstated as a street. So it'll look just like Church Street," said Sandiford. "You'll have curbs. You'll have fire hydrants and lights. Underneath it will be the subway. And underneath that will actually be the basement to the expanded Trade Center."

 

Unlike the PATH train, which is exposed to light as it passes through the Trade Center, there is no view of the site for riders on the 1 train.

 

In fact, though some daylight is visible out the window, most riders probably have no idea of the monumental engineering project going on right beneath them.

 

http://www.ny1.com/ny1/content/index.jsp?stid=5&aid=82202

 

Pretty cool. But ya know, there's a whole nation of rail/transit projects out there, west of Piscataway, just waiting for your Web browser to discover them!  :wink:

^ sorry kjp i'll pick up the web surfing slack. guess i've been too busy over this past month having real life transit experiences and seeing real life projects in ny, texas, nj and connecticut.  :wink:

no more booze allowed on the tube? blimey!

 

http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/world/2008/06/01/sesay.uk.tube.drinking.cnn

 

 

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/06/02/MN75110KU1.DTL

 

Trains gaining as sensible alternative to cars

Michael Cabanatuan,

San Franscisco Chronicle Staff Writer

 

Monday, June 2, 2008   The car may still be king in California, but with drivers tiring of traffic congestion and feeling the pinch of high gas prices, the train is quickly gaining popularity.

 

Ridership is booming on three intrastate Amtrak lines that are primarily managed and paid for by the state: the Capitol Corridor from the Bay Area to Sacramento and Auburn, the San Joaquin from Oakland to Bakersfield, and the Pacific Surfliner from San Diego to San Luis Obispo.

 

More at link above:

 

[indianapolis is considering commuter rail]

 

http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080522/LOCAL0102/805210509

 

'95 track deal set path for commuter rail

By John Tuohy

 

Posted: May 22, 2008

 

Thirteen year ago, the former president of the Fishers Town Council engineered the purchase of 37 miles of railroad track between Indianapolis and Tipton.

 

Now, with gasoline prices at record levels, the investment looks prophetic. Transportation planners announced last week that they could build a commuter rail line from Hamilton County to the Circle City for $20 million. The diesel-powered train would use the tracks that Kelly and the city of Noblesville paid a combined $200,000 for in 1995.

 

More at link above:

Interesting.  Did you know that the City of Cincinnati owns a major railroad line (used by the Norfolk Southern RR) between Cincinnati and Chattanooga (TN)?  I hope Indiana finally starts thinking about it's rail options.  They've been rather slow to the idea.

Both Ohio and Indiana have been "thinking" about improving their rail system for 30 years. I'm hopeful that Ohio will soon invest some money on starting actual service. We're the 17th largest economy in the world -- larger than many nations that have incredible rail and transit services.

This bond referendum is key to the future of the very successful "Downeaster" passenger rail service between Boston & Portland, Maine

 

Low-profile bond targets transportation

Election 2008: Roads and bridges would get much of the $29.7 million that the state would borrow.

 

By PAUL CARRIER, Staff Writer

Portland Press herald

June 3, 2008

 

 

AUGUSTA — Maine voters will decide the fate of a $29.7 million bond request when they go to the polls on June 10 for primary elections that have been dominated by hard-fought Democratic and Republican races for the 1st Congressional District seat.

 

The borrowing plan, carrying projected interest payments of $8.5 million, would help pay for a wide range of transportation, environmental and natural-resource programs.

 

More at:

 

http://pressherald.mainetoday.com/story.php?id=191791&ac=PHnws

 

I've done presentations here in Ohio that used North Carolina as an example of how to successfully develop a passenger rail development program. North Carolina's track record of success continues to leave Ohio in its dust....

_______________

 

http://www.governor.state.nc.us/News_FullStory.asp

 

State of North Carolina

Office of the Governor 

 

Michael F. Easley 

Governor 

 

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

 

Release: IMMEDIATE Contact: Sara Clark 

Date: 6/4/2008 Phone: (919) 733-5612

 

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

 

GOV. EASLEY ANNOUNCES MORE RAIL SERVICE BETWEEN RALEIGH AND CHARLOTTE

Third Train To Be Added To Meet Growing Ridership And Consumer Demand

 

Raleigh - Gov. Mike Easley today announced that a third intercity passenger train between Raleigh and Charlotte will be added to the current service to help meet growing demand as well as ridership increases. The new train service will run at midday, with departures from Raleigh and Charlotte. 

 

“Ridership is increasing significantly along this route and adding a midday train run will meet the growing demand and provide needed services to North Carolina travelers who are looking for economical alternatives to driving,” Easley said. “As fuel prices continue to climb, more and more people are turning to rail as their choice for transportation.” 

 

From October 2007 to April 2008, ridership was up more than 22 percent with 197,126 travelers riding either the Piedmont or Carolinian trains. On the Piedmont (trains 73 and 74) ridership was up almost 26 percent from 28,309 to 35,681 passengers; the Carolinian (trains 79 and 80) was up 18 percent from 136,358 to 161,445. 

 

The North Carolina Department of Transportation currently sponsors both the Piedmont and Carolinian trains as part of North Carolina’s Amtrak service. Each train makes a morning and evening run between Raleigh and Charlotte, a trip that is competitive with auto travel at 3 hours and 9 minutes, including intermediate stops at Cary, Durham, Burlington, Greensboro, High Point, Salisbury and Kannapolis. The Carolinian also makes stops in Selma, Wilson and Rocky Mount, in the eastern part of the state. Fares for the round trip between Raleigh and Charlotte start at $50. 

 

The estimated cost to operate the additional route is $3 million a year. The money will come from the federal Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality program. 

 

“Federal funds are going to cover startup and operational costs for the next three years, so it’s a win-win,” said Transportation Secretary Lyndo Tippett. “Riding the train offers a safe, efficient and environmentally-friendly way to travel.” 

 

Officials at the state transportation department estimate that it will take between six and 12 months to make the third run operational. Rail cars and locomotives will need to be refurbished for the service. 

 

The Piedmont and Carolinian trains are supported by the state transportation department, Amtrak and passenger fares. Complete schedule and train information is available by going to: www.bytrain.org on the Internet. Reservations are required. Travelers should book early for best fares. Tickets can be purchased at www.Amtrak.com or by calling 1-800-USA-RAIL. 

 

###

North Carolina didn't do it overnight. Yeah, they're ahead of us, but they managed the political will to get this done.

 

Sorry, just getting a little tired of the "Ohio's being left in the dust".  It's not like the effort isn't being made here.

Yep, NC started 18 years ago by spending state funds on a single train. And maybe shame is actually a good thing, Noozer. It can be a powerful motivator. It shows how a state that is growing economically behaves -- by investing in diverse transportation. You've used the "we're getting left behind at the station" phrase many times.

 

You know I've been at this a long time, too -- since 1983. During those 25 years, I've seen at least three plans in Ohio get to the point where they were funding ready, and the legislature or governor or both balked each time. Next year, when Amtrak delivers the 3-C plan, it will be the fourth time for me.

 

Having the governor tacitly behind 3-C this time around will be a tremendous help. But this legislature is so miserly they must recycle mouthwash and they don't seem to do anything unless someone makes generous deposits in their campaign funds. Good data and rational arguments mean much less to them.

 

I've earned the right to be skeptical of Ohio and, until we do more than try (ie: succeed), I will remain in admiration of other states.

All I'm saying is that the rhetoric is pretty much preaching to the choir in this forum.  It needs to be directed at the Ohio General Assembly for the very reasons you cite.  That's why I've been telling people to demand answers of their state legislators and any other office-holder or candidate about what they plan to do to create more options like passenger rail.  Let them know their vote hinges on the answer to that question, because nothing else in our world works unless we have mobility that isn't fettered by a gasoline pump.

 

Hammering on the General Assembly and those who want to join it has to be a constant effort.  I've been around this issue for a long time as well and I have daily contact with legislators at both the state and federal level and their staffs.  Unless they are hearing a steady drum-beat from range of advocates, it doesn't become a priority issue. 

 

The good news is that I'm seeing more legislators who are recognizing the message and its sinking in. But if we limit our gripes to an on-line forum.... excellent as this one is...it is wasted..... and we'll continue to be admiring other states while we all get carpal tunnel syndrome talking about it on-line.

 

Sorry for the vent pal.  Guess I'm feeling a little cranky.

 

Me too. Sometimes I need convincing why I should even still care.

 

 

June 4, 2008

 

Kansas City making progress toward mass transit

 

The path to a regional light-rail and transit election in Kansas City is getting longer and perhaps bumpier by the week, local newspapers report. Just four days after Missouri-side government leaders set a deadline of June 20 to decide on a November election, those leaders backed off that schedule Tuesday.

 

http://www.rtands.com/breaking_news.shtml#Feature4-6-5

 

 

June 4, 2008

 

$350-million rail route would create link to Honolulu Airport

 

The City of Honolulu is proposing to add a 2.1-mile segment to its proposed rail transit system, pushing the overall price tag over $4 billion, according to Mayor Mufi Hannemann, local newspapers report. The spur would connect Ala Moana Center and Honolulu Airport and would be separate from the 20-mile route planned from Kapolei to Ala Moana Center that goes through Salt Lake and bypasses the airport.

 

 

 

http://www.rtands.com/breaking_news.shtml#Feature4-6-5

June 4, 2008

 

Sen. Durbin reports on northwest Ill. passenger train progress



 

On Janet Fisher's name tag was a simple descriptor: "The crazy train lady." 

It was meant as a lighthearted joke from Fisher, a member of the Blackhawk Area Railroad Coalition. But with it, she hoped to get across a serious issue: return the train to Galena, Ill.



 

U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin agrees.

 Durbin visited Galena May 26 and 27, and spoke of efforts to bring rail service back to Galena. The second-highest ranking Democrat in the U.S. Senate said he remembered when the train would travel through Galena in the '70s. "Unfortunately, rail service was suspended in 1981," Durbin said during the May 27 meeting at the Old Market House State Historic Site.



 

http://www.rtands.com/breaking_news.shtml#Feature4-6-5