And you think the 3C Corridor has had a rocky route to realization?

 

SunRail startup’s latest obstacle: Amtrak

 

Amtrak President and CEO Joseph Boardman says the National Railroad Passenger Corp. will require similar liability protection that Florida has offered Class I railroad CSX Corp. if Amtrak is to continue serving central Florida while SunRail regional rail service is established.

 

In a letter mailed Monday to the Florida Department of Transportation, Boardman said he was terminating a previous agreement Amtrak had with the state to share tracks with SunRail.

 

READ MORE AT:

http://www.railwayage.com/breaking-news/sunrail-startup-s-latest-obstacle-amtrak.html

WTF??? What sets this operation apart from other commuter lines??? :wtf:

Too bad the O in ODOT is for Oregon! The added trains are needed to handle booming ridership that has increased 823 percent since the state-sponsored service began in 1994. The Cascades (like many new routes) started out with just one train a day and an average speed of just 41 mph!  KJP

_______________

 

http://www.oregon.gov/ODOT/COMM/nr10022601.shtml

 

ODOT purchases passenger trains!

ODOT News

For more information: Patrick Cooney, 503-986-3455

 

New train cars will enhance passenger train service in the Willamette Valley

 

The Oregon Department of Transportation has negotiated the purchase of two new passenger trains from Talgo-America. Each train seats 285 people and will provide continued Amtrak Cascades passenger service in the Pacific Northwest rail corridor between Eugene and Vancouver, British Columbia.

 

The trains, which cost $36.6 million, will be assembled at a new Talgo plant in Wisconsin with a majority of American-made components. There are 13 cars per train. The Oregon Transportation Commission approved use of American Recovery and Reinvestment Act stimulus funds for the purchase on July 23, 2009.  By pooling the train purchase with Wisconsin, Oregon saved about $6 million.

 

Oregon’s current passenger rail service relies on trains owned by the Washington state and Amtrak. As Washington state fulfills its plans to increase daily Portland-Seattle service, the trains would no longer be available to Oregon.

 

“The commission’s decision to buy trains will assure continued passenger rail service in the Willamette Valley and provide the potential for increased service in Oregon at some future date,” said ODOT Director Matthew Garrett.

 

When delivered in 2012, the Oregon-owned trains will join five older Talgo-America train sets; Washington state owns three, and Amtrak owns two.

 

Amtrak’s Cascades and long-distance train services have a positive effect on the economy. Each year they purchase $1.2 million worth of goods and services and sustain 73 Oregon jobs paying $4.77 million in wages. Eventual expansion of Portland-Eugene service will require adding more jobs and purchasing more goods and services.

 

“This is a significant step forward for Oregon and the Pacific Northwest,” said President and Chief Executive Officer of Talgo-America Antonio Perez. “These new trains will greatly enhance service in Oregon and on the entire Cascades corridor.”

 

“Amtrak applauds ODOT’s forthcoming procurement of Talgo equipment,” said Joe McHugh, Amtrak’s vice president of government affairs and corporate communications. “Since the debut of the Amtrak Cascades in 1999, we have created strong partnerships with Oregon, Washington and Talgo to provide reliable, attractive and environmentally friendly intercity rail service in the corridor,” he said.

 

Since 1994, ridership has increased 823 percent on Cascades trains. In Oregon, more than 186,000 passengers rode trains in 2008.

 

The new trains will be updated versions of Talgo-made trains presently serving the Northwest. Amenities include WiFi capability, a Bistro (food and beverage) car, a business class section with roomier seats, and baggage car bicycle racks. Although the corridor’s current top speed is 79 mph, the new trains are designed to run up to 125 mph.  Any diesel-electric locomotive can pull them.

 

##ODOT##

after 33yrs of service, the original roosevelt island aerial trams are retiring tonight....

 

http://rooseveltislander.blogspot.com/2010/02/last-ride-on-roosevelt-island-tram-at-2.html

 

 

Rail is Virginia’s transportation future, officials say

 

By Peter Bacque

Published: March 1, 2010

Updated: March 1, 2010

 

Virginia's future is on rails.

 

"Whether you like rail or not, it is the future," said Thelma Drake, the new director of the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation. "It's all about mobility and how you serve the maximum number of people."

 

The state suffered a setback in the recent announcement of federal stimulus grants for high-speed passenger-rail projects across the nation. Virginia sought $1.8 billion but got just $75 million for its top rail initiative.

 

Full story at: http://www2.timesdispatch.com/rtd/business/local/metrobusiness/article/COVR01_20100228-165806/327432/

Please note the governor and the DOT's rail director are both Republicans -- ie: this need not be a partisan issue!

 

Also note Drake's quote:

 

"There's been a sea change," said Drake, a former congresswoman from Hampton Roads. "The public and our elected officials have come to understand that we just can't build enough roads. They want us to expand their transportation choices."

 

Too bad the wave apparently hasn't made it to Ohio yet....

Onorato unveils plan to solicit private investors for Downtown-Oakland transit corridor

Pittsburgh Business Times

 

Allegheny County Executive Dan Onorato announced Wednesday he is launching an effort to solicit private investors and partners to improve "transit connectivity" between Downtown Pittsburgh and the city's Oakland neighborhood.

 

Creating a Downtown-Oakland transit corridor has been on the agenda of Onorato's Transportation Action Partnership for some time. He created the partnership in March 2006, and the group spent more than a year evaluating existing transportation studies and identifying projects that could improve mobility and promote economic development within the county.

 

http://pittsburgh.bizjournals.com/pittsburgh/stories/2010/02/22/daily28.html

^The downtown-to-Oakland corridor in Pittsburgh is very similar to the Euclid corridor in Cleveland... Let's see whether Pittsburgh, like Cleveland, punks out and goes cheap with BRT or does the right thing and extends light rail thru the corridor... indicators?  They already have downtown subways (we don't), they're extending it under the river to extend to, w/in a decade or less, extend to their airport, 18 miles away... And their transit chief and local leaders are all generally on board with extending rail... heaven forbid that would ever happen in uber-progressive Cleveland... in C-Town, similar leaders (and the Transit Chief) are on board for ... building a roadway, a freeway connector if you will, to connect its cultural area.  Hmmmm.

Where will the operating funding come from? Capital funding is easier to come by, be it from local, state, federal and/or private sources. As the article noted, Pittsburgh (like everyone else) is scrambling to deal with transit operating funding shortfalls. Building something is one thing. Sustaining it is another.

Building something is one thing. Sustaining it is another.

 

Building a subway is one thing.  Building BRT is another.

OK

KJP, I am not able to comprehend your ambivalence toward BRT.  I'm missing something.  Here we have what is obviously a cheap substitute for local rail, whose widespread accpetance could lead to a dramatic reduction of local rail options in our future.  You're a peak oil proponent and BRT is more fossil-fuel-oriented than rail is.  Yet whenever BRT and rail go head to head... as here, potentially... you're notably deferential.  I like being surprised, but I can't make heads or tails of this at all.

Because each urban travel corridor warrants a level of transit investment that's appropriate for it. I have my personal preferences, but those don't matter. Only an alternatives analysis does.

I see.  Thank you. 

 

For reference, the reason I get so hot and bothered on this is I believe personal preferences are absolutely crucial in transit planning.  It matters that people don't like BRT... it matters a great deal what people like, because they're the ones voting.  They could care less about this study or that study, they care about choices and results. 

 

So Pittsburgh builds a subway and Clevleand builds BRT, and then it is claimed that people prefer Pittsburgh because it has more hills.  I beg to differ.  Pittsburgh cares what people want, and that's what it gives them.  People prefer that approach.  Give them BRT on main street instead, and they turn against transit and they turn against Cleveland.

And Pennsylvania contributes over $800 million dollars a year to public transportation, and has many pro urban policies... Ohio is down to around $12 million dollars a year in transportaion funding and doesn't seem to be interested in it's cities.  Draw your own conclusion.

You just stated my conclusion, pretty much.

 

The difference with Pittsburgh is policy choices, including some at the state level... but it's not reports, and it's not topography.  If the report says to build BRT and the people say "meh" the report is toilet paper.  Any such report is a blueprint for alienating the people from transit, and to some degree from government itself.  That's why other states are doing things with rail, and that, in a nutshell, is why other states enjoy a better reputation than ours.

And I'm just saying it's a lot easier to be "pro rail" when you have adequate funding.  I don't think it's coincidence that from 1990-2000 ohio was doling out between 30 and 40m a year (by no means lavish, but also not the pitiful sums given out now), things like the wfl extension happened.  Obviously it's not the only factor... but it's a very big one.

A bit of jealousy from across the state line?....

 

Freight rail investment could free passenger congestion

Thursday, March 04, 2010

By Jon Schmitz, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

 

On rail lines, freight trains have priority over passenger service, which frequently causes delays for Amtrak customers.

 

Freight also appears to have the upper hand when it comes to money for improving service and infrastructure. Recent federal grant awards to Western Pennsylvania have included $35 million for improvements for cargo-hauling trains and just $750,000 for those that move people.

 

But people stand to benefit from the freight investment because it will mean fewer trucks on congested highways, less pollution and lower road maintenance costs, railroad officials told a state House committee on Wednesday

 

Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10063/1040135-147.stm#ixzz0hDxqLnQH

 

On track – Saco Transportation Center marks first year Updated: 11:37 am, Fri Feb 26, 2010.

By Dan Bustard [email protected]

 

Most people might not want to spend their Friday and Saturday nights sitting inside a train station. But John Bay is not most people.

 

"I never get bored," said Bay, a Saco resident and one of more than a dozen volunteers who man a desk inside the Saco Transportation Center every evening, helping people use the automated ticket machine for Amtrak's Downeaster and answering questions about the area.

 

The center opened a year ago this week. Other than the 100-foot windmill not producing as much electricity as originally planned, the $2.4 million center is getting good reviews.

 

Full story at:

http://www.keepmecurrent.com/sun_chronicle/article_f345e08e-22f4-11df-a3e8-001cc4c03286.html

Even though my state transit agency is cutting raising fares.  We do have some pretty awesome Projects still going forward.  Like the New ARC Tunnel to NYC which would allow for double the capacity into NY Penn Station and allow for one seat rides into Manhattan via the Diesel lines.  NJT order 48? Dual Diesel - Electric Locomotives which would make this possible.  Also Electrification of the North Jersey Coastal line form Long Branch to Bay Head thanks to the feds.  2 New Light Rail extensions on the Hudson-Bergen Light Rail network.  West Trenton Line service restored hopefully by 2013 , Northern Branch Extension by of the Hudson-Bergen LR by 2013.  A few states and Provinces are buying our old fleet except Ohio?  Please buy a few sets .... hehe.

 

Heres what our Newest Electric Loco looks like , i filmed this on Sunday.

 

 

 

 

Thanks Nexis4Jersey. Keep us posted and welcome aboard!

92 percent of the region's goods are transported by truck versus an average of 60 percent in all other major metropolitan regions. In the east-of-the-Hudson region, less than 2 percent of freight travels by rail.

 

Freight trains bound for the east-of Hudson region are forced to go 140 miles north to Selkirk, NY near Albany just to cross the river, a diversion the inhibits the competitiveness of rail as a mode of freight transport.

 

 

The Current Situation

Today, much of the freight destined for New York, Long Island and Connecticut is moved by train from the southern and western parts of the United States, but it gets only as far as Jersey City by rail, because there is no direct connection to railroads east of the Hudson. Instead, goods are transferred to trucks in New Jersey and then carried over our bridges and highways to their final destination. In other cases, the lack of a direct rail freight connection is so prohibitive to sustainable transport that long-haul trucks travel across many states, burdening both New Jersey and New York in the last legs of the journey. Less than 2 percent of freight moves by rail in the region east-of-the-Hudson.

 

The underdevelopment of our freight rail network will increasingly compromise our region's economy and quality of life. Limited rail freight service ends up clogging our roads, driving up the cost of doing business, constraining our economic growth, and worsening air quality in neighborhoods with record high asthma rates.

Rail Freight Tunnel

To address this problem, New York City conducted a two-year study on the benefits of connecting rail lines east and west of the Hudson by constructing a tunnel under New York Harbor. The Cross Harbor Rail Freight Tunnel would provide a direct connection between existing active rail freight lines on the east and west sides of the Hudson River via a tunnel underneath New York Harbor. The alignment of the tunnel would connect the Greenville Yard in Jersey City to the 65th Street Yard in Brooklyn. Goods coming into the region would be able to move directly across the Hudson River from the west and continue by rail to points much closer to their final destination, whether in the Bronx, Brooklyn, Long Island, Westchester or Connecticut. To visualize how, see the map above.

http://movenynj.org/index.php

This could have been written by an Ohio mayor about 3C. Instead, this is from the mayor of Milwaukee and a candidate for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination.........

 

 

Tom Barrett | A debate on high-speed rail

This project means both jobs and Midwest connectedness

 

Posted: March 6, 2010 |(21) Comments

 

Today's policy debate over high-speed rail brings back memories of the debate in the 1980s when we argued over investments for train service between Milwaukee and Chicago. The naysayers today echo the naysaying from 30 years ago: "No one will ride it!" "Boondoggle!"

 

In fact, the Hiawatha service has grown enormously, exceeding passenger and revenue projections. Approximately three-quarters of a million trips are made annually on the Hiawatha line, carrying Milwaukee business people and residents to Chicago, carrying northern Illinois Summerfest-goers and their wallets to Wisconsin and carrying sports enthusiasts, arts lovers and shoppers in both directions.

 

READ MORE AT:

http://www.jsonline.com/news/opinion/86681992.html

 

 

Very well put.  I think he absolutely nails the naysayers on their own short-sightedness about the economic impacts of these investments in rail.

Reading the comments after the article give a dose of the stick-in-the-mud mentality of many of our fellow midwesterners.  They apparently think all of their beloved highways were built and are maintained by the grace of God and cost nothing.

 

Mayor Barrett is a cool cat by any measure, though.  His political fortunes are well worth watching.  If he doesn't get caught up in anti-Obama backlash from the teabaggers and their ilk, he could be a national figure within the next six to eight years.

I just lost the last couple of hours of my life looking through all the plans, maps and reports about all the amazing projects underway, funded or planned in Los Angeles....

 

http://www.metro.net/projects/

 

Staggering.

 

But wait, there's more.......

 

http://glam.fminus.com/plan_lines.php

 

Sickening.

RailRunner adds 12th station stop    

 

New Mexico's Rail Runner Express, next week will begin serving a new station Kewa Pueblo Station, located on tribal land between Santa Fe and Albuquerque, N.M.

 

Augusta Meyers of the Mid-Region Council of Governments said passengers will see only small changes in the Rail Runner's operating schedule when the station opens.  The new station is the 12 on the growing system, which runs approximately 100 miles between Santa Fe and Belen, N.M.

 

Full story at: http://www.railwayage.com/breaking-news/railrunner-adds-12th-station-stop.html

Construction continues for light rail in Seattle

Tuesday, March 16, 2010 

 

Construction at the University of Washington light rail station in Seattle is under way and during the week of March 15, 2010 there will be several construction activities along Montlake Blvd. adjacent to Husky Stadium that will affect the roadway and sidewalks.

 

.....

 

University Link is the 3.15-mile extension of light rail from downtown Seattle to the University of Washington. U-Link includes twin-bore tunnels and two stations, one at Capitol Hill (Broadway and East John Street) and the other on the University of Washington campus at Husky Stadium. Local tax funding for U-Link was approved by voters and the project also received a $813-million Federal Transit Administration grant.

 

READ MORE AT:

http://www.rtands.com/newsflash/construction-continues-for-light-rail-in-seattle.html

92 percent of the region's goods are transported by truck versus an average of 60 percent in all other major metropolitan regions. In the east-of-the-Hudson region, less than 2 percent of freight travels by rail.

 

Freight trains bound for the east-of Hudson region are forced to go 140 miles north to Selkirk, NY near Albany just to cross the river, a diversion the inhibits the competitiveness of rail as a mode of freight transport.

 

 

The Current Situation

Today, much of the freight destined for New York, Long Island and Connecticut is moved by train from the southern and western parts of the United States, but it gets only as far as Jersey City by rail, because there is no direct connection to railroads east of the Hudson. Instead, goods are transferred to trucks in New Jersey and then carried over our bridges and highways to their final destination. In other cases, the lack of a direct rail freight connection is so prohibitive to sustainable transport that long-haul trucks travel across many states, burdening both New Jersey and New York in the last legs of the journey. Less than 2 percent of freight moves by rail in the region east-of-the-Hudson.

 

The underdevelopment of our freight rail network will increasingly compromise our region's economy and quality of life. Limited rail freight service ends up clogging our roads, driving up the cost of doing business, constraining our economic growth, and worsening air quality in neighborhoods with record high asthma rates.

Rail Freight Tunnel

To address this problem, New York City conducted a two-year study on the benefits of connecting rail lines east and west of the Hudson by constructing a tunnel under New York Harbor. The Cross Harbor Rail Freight Tunnel would provide a direct connection between existing active rail freight lines on the east and west sides of the Hudson River via a tunnel underneath New York Harbor. The alignment of the tunnel would connect the Greenville Yard in Jersey City to the 65th Street Yard in Brooklyn. Goods coming into the region would be able to move directly across the Hudson River from the west and continue by rail to points much closer to their final destination, whether in the Bronx, Brooklyn, Long Island, Westchester or Connecticut. To visualize how, see the map above.

http://movenynj.org/index.php

 

They were going to build a freight tunnel but now there are problems with that.  But The land that would have become the Tunnel Approach is now being turned into Condos & mixed use.  So they will now have to change the plans and on top of the leaders of the NJ Gold Coast are putting the pressure on Freight lines to shift there routes.  Jersey City wants to take over 2 key freight lines and replace them with Light Rail same in 2 other cities.  But i do see this tunnel going through within 10 years although the plans will be changed , Passenger & Freight Tunnel as part of the new Through Commuter line.  Truck Traffic east of Manhattan is starting to get really bad.  Also hopefully with this new Freight line , the Northeast Corridor sections in NYC & CT will be upgraded to at least 130mph form there current 90-110mph speeds.

^Thanks for the update and welcome to our forum :hi:.

Also hopefully with this new Freight line , the Northeast Corridor sections in NYC & CT will be upgraded to at least 130mph form there current 90-110mph speeds.

 

The speeds on the Northeast Corridor between Sunnyside Yard (NYC) and New Haven, CT aren't limited by the presence of freight service. Almost all of the Northeast Corridor has some freight service on it. Rather, they are limited by the old overhead electric catenary power systems erected by the New Haven Railroad mostly in the 1910s. Replacing this source of electric power to the trains with a more modern system would cost perhaps a billion bucks, but allow the average speed from New York City to New Haven to rise from 50 mph to perhaps 70 or 80 mph and cut 30 minutes from the NYC-Boston trip. That could allow Acela Expresses to cover NYC-BOS in three hours flat.

Illinois is starting projects such as the renovation of Chicago's Union Station to prepare for the $1.2 billion infusion of federal money for high-speed rail.

Christian Science Monitor, March 18, 2010

Chicago

 

Illinois is already investing to make way for a high-speed rail system expected to spread across the Midwest and hasten commutes between its major cities.

The projects are in preparation for the $2.6 billion President Obama promised the Midwest in January to modernize its transportation network with high-speed rail. That money is part of a larger $11 billion high-speed rail package made available through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA).

 

State lawmakers in the Midwest have jobs on their mind.

 

Last week Gov. Pat Quinn announced $133 million in federal stimulus funds to build a railroad “flyover” in Englewood, one of Chicago’s poorest neighborhoods. It will untangle the existing Metra, Amtrak, and freight tracks there so they can connect with a future high-speed rail line.

 

More at:

http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/2010/0317/Midwest-gets-a-jump-on-high-speed-rail

Want to know why California voters passed a $10 billion bond issue for high-speed rail and won another $2 billion in federal stimulus funds? Because Californians know what a train is and that people will use them....

 

Posted: March 17th, 2010 11:19 AM EDT

Record Ridership for Californias San Joaquin Trains

 

Recently, Caltrans announced that Californias San Joaquin intercity passenger rail service reached an all-time ridership record for the four-month period from November 1, 2009 through February 28, 2010. More than 310,000 riders boarded trains, a 6.6 percent increase from the same period in 2008-09.

 

More riders are choosing our safe, reliable and green intercity train service, said Caltrans Director Randy Iwasaki. This keeps California on the right track to reduce congestion on our highways and keep our air clean.

 

With five million annual passengers, California has more than 20 percent of all Amtrak riders. Since 1990, the state has invested more than $1.3 billion in infrastructure and equipment for intercity passenger rail and about $1 billion in operating support.

 

READ MORE AT:

http://www.masstransitmag.com/publication/article.jsp?siteSection=1&id=10996

Also hopefully with this new Freight line , the Northeast Corridor sections in NYC & CT will be upgraded to at least 130mph form there current 90-110mph speeds.

 

The speeds on the Northeast Corridor between Sunnyside Yard (NYC) and New Haven, CT aren't limited by the presence of freight service. Almost all of the Northeast Corridor has some freight service on it. Rather, they are limited by the old overhead electric catenary power systems erected by the New Haven Railroad mostly in the 1910s. Replacing this source of electric power to the trains with a more modern system would cost perhaps a billion bucks, but allow the average speed from New York City to New Haven to rise from 50 mph to perhaps 70 or 80 mph and cut 30 minutes from the NYC-Boston trip. That could allow Acela Expresses to cover NYC-BOS in three hours flat.

 

True , there currently upgrading the Catenary & Tracks to handle at least 110mph and then they were work to get it up to 150mph.  This should all take 5 years.  And then the NYC section which will require the same thing + 2 new tunnels.

Meanwhile as Ohio legislators debate.... the much-less densely populated State of Maine rolls forward.  make sure you take a look at Brunswick, Maine's brand new intermodal station...already built and ready ahead of the beginning of service!

 

Train coming right on time in Brunswick

Service from Portland is scheduled to start in 2012 shortly after the naval air base closes, providing a boost to the local economy.

By Tux [email protected]

Staff Writer

 

BRUNSWICK — The air smelled of fresh paint, not beer and food, Thursday morning inside Byrnes Irish Pub. Good reason. The business had hustled to have a grand opening Wednesday, just in time to be mobbed on St. Patrick's Day.

 

Patrick Byrnes is hopeful that the turnout is a sign of things to come. His family chose to expand here, from Bath, to take advantage of the planned arrival of Amtrak's Downeaster train service in 2012.

 

At Brunswick's new Maine Street Station, the pub has a door facing the platform to entice passengers who step off the train to come inside. Byrnes said he will try to line up the pub's hours with the train schedule, to cater to Bowdoin College students and their families, tourists and other travelers.

 

"I think (the Downeaster) is going to be great for the area," he said. "It probably will change the face of downtown Brunswick."

 

Find this article at:

http://www.pressherald.com/news/train-coming-right-on-time-in-brunswick_2010-03-19.html 

 

Meanwhile as Ohio legislators debate.... the much-less densely populated State of Maine rolls forward. make sure you take a look at Brunswick, Maine's brand new intermodal station...already built and ready ahead of the beginning of service!

Maine is less densely populated, but the vast majority of its population is in one dense corridor, oh wait, what were we talking about?

Yeah...kind of flies in the face of those who say Ohio isn't dense enough to support passenger rail.

Another state moves ahead on a new passenger rail corridor.  Note especially how Virginia funds its Rail Enhancement Fund:

 

Published on HamptonRoads.com | PilotOnline.com (http://hamptonroads.com)

Richmond-Hampton Roads rail plan gains speed

 

NORFOLK-- Momentum is building for running conventional passenger trains between Norfolk and Richmond as an interim step to getting high-speed rail.

 

The budget approved by the General Assembly last week waives a 30 percent match on state Rail Enhancement Funds, clearing a financial hurdle that will allow construction to begin later this year and for trains to run within three years.

 

"We can advance the project with state funds; otherwise, it would not have been able to go forward," said Jennifer Pickett, a spokeswoman for the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation.

 

 

Source URL (retrieved on 03/22/2010 - 07:34): http://hamptonroads.com/2010/03/richmondhampton-roads-rail-plan-gains-speed

Missouri House panel keeps Amtrak funding

The Associated Press • March 19, 2010

 

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — Missouri House budget writers have decided to spare Amtrak passenger service from cuts in state spending.

 

Missouri’s proposed budget for the fiscal year that starts July 1 includes $8.6 million for Amtrak service in the state.

 

READ MORE AT:

http://www.news-leader.com/article/20100319/BREAKING01/100319007/1007/NEWS01/Missouri+House+panel+keeps+Amtrak+funding

Local rail ‘summit' lobbies for high-speed line on Amtrak route

By RICHARD MIAL | [email protected] | Posted: Friday, March 19, 2010 12:00 am |

 

One hundred high-speed rail advocates, several riding Amtrak from Minnesota, gathered Thursday in La Crosse to promote having the proposed Chicago-to-Twin Cities passenger train follow the river route used by Amtrak.

 

Billed as a rail "summit," the event at Train Station BBQ featured Wisconsin Transportation Secretary Frank Busalacchi and Minnesota Department of Transportation Commissioner Tom Sorel as keynote speakers.

 

READ MORE AT:

http://www.lacrossetribune.com/news/local/article_2ca39e1c-330c-11df-a248-001cc4c002e0.html

^ i always thought an active transit user advocacy group like los angeles riders union, chicago campaign for better transit, ny straphangers org, etc. would be a good idea for neo ohio transit. maybe someone like yourself can help start one up? even if for example its only an online presence for awhile it would be a start.

Maybe someday. For now, it's a statewide coalition of organizations.... http://www.policymattersohio.org/SaveTransitNow.htm

 

Austin’s Cap Metro (finally!) launches MetroRail   

 

 

Texas’ state capital joined the ranks of U.S. cities with rail service Monday as Austin’s oft-delayed 32-mile Capital Metro Red Line opened for service. An observer on the first train reported approximately 40 “real” people (other than dignitaries and media) boarding the morning’s first train out of Leander, Tex., bound for Austin.

 

Full story at: http://www.railwayage.com/breaking-news/austin-s-cap-metro-finally-launches-metrorail.html

MetroRail launches with smooth start

Morning runs less than full, but ridership tops initial projections.

By Ben Wear

AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF

 

MetroRail's first day of service Monday went off smoothly, with trains running on or near schedule all day. Reading the tea leaves of first-day ridership, however, proved difficult.

 

Morning trains heading from Leander toward downtown Austin made their runs, by and large, with many empty seats, but several of the outbound afternoon trains were packed with both commuters and plenty of folks giving the new curiosity a spin.

 

Full story at: http://www.statesman.com/news/local/metrorail-launches-with-smooth-start-425539.html

 

Interestingly.... ridership tripled in the afternoon.... read on.

Oklahoma City Readies Modern Streetcar as Centerpiece of Major Redevelopment Plan

 

Few American cities have as ambitious an urban reconstruction plan as Oklahoma City, which intends not only to reroute the primary highway through town but then also to rebuild the area adjacent to the Oklahoma River, doubling the size of the downtown core. The project, called Core to Shore, is notable in the degree to which it prioritizes the construction of dense, walkable neighborhoods through the use of government funds to spur private investment.

 

Until late last year, however, it lacked a significant public transportation element, unsurprising since the capital of this Plains state has never had the concentration of employment or housing to make the implementation of major new transit lines truly necessary.

 

But Republican Mayor Mick Cornett liked the idea of integrating a streetcar into the redevelopment plans, and so he worked to include it in a referendum approved by voters last December, pushing a $130 million public transportation plan towards reality.

Okay....can the critics in Ohio please stop using the "Ohio isn't dense enough to support passenger rail" line?  Take a look what Kansas is doing...

 

 

                                      Seth Bundy, Press Secretary

March 24, 2010                                                                                                                        785.368.8500

 

Governor Parkinson encourages passenger rail planning with signatures

Governor signs a variety of other bills

 

To plan and prepare for future passenger rail service in Kansas, Governor Mark Parkinson has signed legislation enacting the Midwest Interstate Passenger Rail Compact and establishing the passenger rail service program in Kansas.

 

“Passenger rail service in Kansas would create economic opportunities for the future, but the planning must begin now,” said Parkinson. “A strong public infrastructure system helps attract businesses and jobs to our state, and a high speed rail service is another piece in furthering our economic recovery. I am pleased to sign these two bills that will set the gears in motion for increased avenues of transportation in Kansas and the entire Midwest.”

 

HB 2552 enacts the Midwest Interstate Passenger Rail Compact to promote improvements to passenger rail service and the development of plans for long-range high speed rail service in the Midwest. The legislation also coordinates interaction between Midwestern state elected officials and their designees on rail issues as well as the interests of public and private sector partners. This bill goes into effect upon its publication in the Kansas Statute Book.

 

In conjunction, SB 409 authorizes the Secretary of Transportation to establish and implement a passenger rail service program.  The Secretary would be authorized to enter into agreements with Amtrak, other rail operators, local jurisdictions, and other states. She would also be allowed to provide local jurisdictions assistance and encourage economic development as well as loans or grants to passenger rail service providers from a Passenger Rail Service Revolving Fund established by the bill. SB 409 is also aimed at helping Kansas attract further funding for passenger rail from the federal government. The bill does not propose a revenue mechanism for funding the activities and leaves the initiation of the activities outlined in the bill to the Secretary. The bill takes effect upon its publication in the Kansas Register.

 

 

Governor Mark Parkinson

State Capitol

300 SW 10th Ave. Room 241-S

Topeka , KS 66612

1-877-KS-WORKS

www.governor.ks.gov

HB 2552 enacts the Midwest Interstate Passenger Rail Compact to promote improvements to passenger rail service and the development of plans for long-range high speed rail service in the Midwest. The legislation also coordinates interaction between Midwestern state elected officials and their designees on rail issues as well as the interests of public and private sector partners. This bill goes into effect upon its publication in the Kansas Statute Book.

 

I love it.  Does Ohio have a similar agreement with surrounding states?

I wish there were some Midwest regional body that states could sign onto to manage rail issues. Since the feds are leaving this all up to the states, and state rail networks are nothing without other states connecting, this seems necessary. But very unlikely.

There is one. It's called the Midwest Interstate Passenger Rail Commission. Ohio is a member, and a longtime friend of mine Rep. Bob Hagan of Youngstown is the vice chair....

 

http://www.miprc.org/

 

I do not recall what the MIRPC's charter or enabling federal legislation allows it to do, such as whether it can raise funding and secure contracts necessary for implementing passenger rail services or merely advocate for them.

 

Ohio Senator Tom Patton is also a member, but only because as a condition of Ohio's membership, it must have a House and Senate person as member. Patton has never participated in the MIPRC in any way and his boss, Senate President Bill Harris, has never enforced his attendence.

HB 2552 enacts the Midwest Interstate Passenger Rail Compact to promote improvements to passenger rail service and the development of plans for long-range high speed rail service in the Midwest. The legislation also coordinates interaction between Midwestern state elected officials and their designees on rail issues as well as the interests of public and private sector partners. This bill goes into effect upon its publication in the Kansas Statute Book.

 

I love it.  Does Ohio have a similar agreement with surrounding states?

 

So Ohio is already in this agreement right here... whose purpose is already set forth, above... what cooperative options with other states have been discussed for Ohio through MIPRC?  At what point did they die, or get back-burnered?  How do those discussions relate to Ohio's decision to pursue an Ohio-only line?  Were any MIPRC discussions held at all regarding that decision? 

 

Based on their map, all the Ohio-Hub lines seem to be of equal priority, though some of the non-3C lines passing through Ohio appear more fundamental to the overall MIPRC plan.  I would imagine, just guessing, that Mr. Hagan would really like for Youngstown to get some attention.  But there's no discussion of that taking place, at least not on the public front burner. 

 

What exactly is the plan for Youngstown, and what is that plan's priority in the grand scheme?  And how many grand schemes are there?  A layman might look at that map and come away reasonably expecting Ohio to address Youngstown service before Columbus.