1、Passenger Rail Moves Ahead Meeting the Needs of the 21 stCentury February 2012Paula Hammond Gene Conti Chair, AASHTOs High-Speed and Chair, AASHTOs Standing CommitteeIntercity Passenger Rail Leadership Group on Rail TransportationSecretary, Washington State Secretary, North CarolinaDepartment of Tra
2、nsportation Department of Transportation W e are entering a new era in the history of passenger rail in this country. Passenger trains in many corridors are now the preferred option for busy business executives, students, and smart travelers seeking to get where they are going in style and with less
3、 hassle. Given the expected population growth in the mega regions, intermodal services must be a viable, reliable, and inexpensive alternative to airports and automobiles in order to keep Americans mobile. The 32 states and the District of Columbia that provide passenger rail services are excited ab
4、out this new wave of interest, and are actively engaged in making improvements that will expand the passenger rail options for our residents. Almost $10 billion in federal dollars are being invested in projects large and small and across urban and rural landscapes. Track and safety improvements, sta
5、tion rehabilitation, planning for new servicethese are only the beginning. In fact, the past two years have laid a strong foundation for what is to come in the years ahead. States know that in order for passenger rail to be a preferred option, it has to be safe, reliable, easy to get to, and relativ
6、ely inexpensive. Good planning, partnerships with host railroads and Amtrak, judicious procurement, and astute decisions about where and when to invest will ensure these objectives are met. States are using these federal investments wisely. Many are matching this funding with state and private dolla
7、rs to add increased value to their projects. Overall, our goals are simple: I m p r o v e s er v ice a n d t h e p a s s en g er exp er ien ce; B u y e q ui p m en t m ade in A m er ic a; En h a n ce m o b i li t y in o ur co mm uni t ies b y cr e a t in g m u l t i-m o d a l h u bs; I m p r o v e s
8、 a f et y a t cr os sin gs; a n d M a k e w i s e in v es t m en ts b y p l a nnin g f o r t h e f u t ur e m o b i li t y o f o ur ci t izen s. But we cannot accomplish these goals alone. It is critical that we continue to maintain the strong working relationships we have developed with our freight
9、 hosts and partners. As states construct their projects, create jobs, and prove how successfully they can invest taxpayer dollars, we need Congress to continue to partner with us and provide additional resources so we have a long-term, predictable source of federal matching funds. P a s s en g er ra
10、 i l i s a s a f e , fa s t, a n d efficien t t ra v e l o p t io n. I t i s n o t j u s t p a r t o f A m er ic a s p a s t; i t i s p a r t o f Americas future. Passenger Rail Is Our Connection to the FuturePassenger Rail Moves Ahead. Meeting the Needs of the 21 stCentury 3 R idership is up, trave
11、l times are improving, and the WiFi is humming along key corridors across the country. Passenger rail is becoming a preferred option for many of todays travelers, particularly on the two coasts and in the nations heartland. In the past year, states have begun pumping hundreds of millions of dollars
12、into the nations economy as they work to expand and improve passenger rail in their communities. And much more will move into the pipeline in 2012 as states ramp up their activities. “There is definitely local excitement in our communities about pas- senger rail. State-sponsored rail organizations m
13、ust now work hard to provide a solid customer experience so people will come back,” said AASHTO President Kirk Steudle, director of the Michigan Department of Transportation. “What we are doing in Michigan mirrors whats being accomplished in other states: We want to build service thats faster, bette
14、r, cheaper, safer, and smarter, and our efforts are all about ac- complishing these goals.” Since a significant boost in federal funding was made available just 30 months ago, the state departments of transportation, the Federal Rail- road Administration, and the freight railroads have moved into hi
15、gh gear with the goal of creating a more integrated passenger rail system that will be more reliable, offer more frequent and faster service, generate economic activity and jobs, and create real travel options for a growing population. Jim Souby, president of the Colorado Rail Passenger Association,
16、 offers this assessment: “Passenger rail provides the readily available solution to our highway congestion. It provides great economic benefits at home and reduces massive environmental impacts.” The work now being undertaken by the states is focused in several areas: Restoring or building new rail
17、stations and transportation hubs; Purchasing new equipment, locomotives, and passenger cars; Replacing or installing new track that will support higher speeds, greater safety, and more reliability; Adding new advanced warning signal systems, upgrading crossings, and implementing other safety-related
18、 projects; Expanding or providing service to new areas; and Planning for the future. Federal funding for passenger rail during the past few years has come as a result of two important pieces of legislation: The Passenger Rail Invest- ment and Improvement Act and the American Recovery and Reinvest- m
19、ent Act. As of January 2012, the Federal Railroad Administration has approved $9.6 billion for 149 projects in 32 states and the District of Columbia. Prior to receiving the federal funds and to protect the taxpay- ers investment, states and private railroads had to negotiate agree- ments that inclu
20、ded quantifiable measures such as reliable trip times and frequency of service that must be met by all parties once work is completed. Because nearly all passenger service outside of the northeast corridor runs over rails owned by private railroads, it was critical that the agreements protected this
21、 private investment and ensured that freight continue to move in a timely fashion. As an example, proposed new passenger service on Norfolk Southerns busy Heartland Corridor route between the Hampton Roads region and Petersburg will serve one of Virginias largest population centers and offer an alte
22、rnative to the heavily congested I-64 and I-95 corridors. “The partnership between the Commonwealth and Norfolk Southern is a perfect example of business and government working creatively, coop- eratively, and quickly to meet a challenge,” said Norfolk Southern CEO Wick Moorman. “We are proud to be
23、part of a timely and forward-looking response to a pressing public issue.” Passenger Rail Moves Ahead Meeting the Needs of the 21 stCentury Amtrak Empire Corridor train operating in 110 mph territory track between Albany and Hudson New Y ork stations. Photo by Bill l iPfer t, l t K4 Passenger Rail M
24、oves Ahead. Meeting the Needs of the 21 stCentury Ridership Is Increasing More people than ever are riding the rails. Business travelers can work while they ride; others want a respite from high gas prices. From students seeking a cheaper alternative to driving to retirees who want to leave their ca
25、rs behind and every demographic in-between, trains are at capacity in many parts of the country. Travelers along Amtraks Cascades line between Vancouver, British Co- lumbia, and Eugene, Oregon, must certainly like the experience. Ridership for 2011 topped 850,000. In Michigan, ridership on three pas
26、senger rail lines surpassed 730,000 in FY 2011, with revenues almost reaching $25 million. Along the Blue Water Line from Port Huron through East Lansing and into Chicago, targeted marketing campaigns such as “Home for the Holidays” and “Girls Weekend in Chicago” have been successful in producing an
27、 almost 20 percent increase in ridership from 2010 to 2011. “Ridership on the Hiawatha service is up nearly 5 percent in 2011 compared to 2010,” said Wisconsin DOT Secretary Mark Gottlieb of the trains that run from Milwaukee to Chicago. “The expansion project at the Milwaukee Airport Rail Station w
28、ill improve the quality of service for the growing number of passengers using rail service.” Overall, Amtraks long-distance and state-supported network carried a record 30 million passengers in FY 2011, a 5 percent increase over FY 2010. Revenue was also up, rising more than 9 percent to $983 millio
29、n in FY 2011. Within this network, state-supported rail lines saw some of the biggest gains, experiencing a 6.5 percent increase overall. Some lines, such as the Blue Water in Michigan, the Piedmont in North Carolina and two in Virginia saw double-digit growth. Creating More Business Opportunities a
30、nd More Jobs Expanding passenger rail is expected to spur economic growth around rail hubs in addition to generating jobs during and after construction. “This is not just a railroad story but a business development story,” said Patricia Quinn, executive director of the Northern New England Pas- seng
31、er Rail Authority, in discussing the expansion of the Downeaster from Portland to Brunswick, Maine with new stops at Freeport and New Brunswick expected by Fall 2012. The private investment associated with the Brunswick Station is about $25 million and includes restaurants, retail shops, medical fac
32、ilities, and the new Inn at Brunswick. In Freeport, construction has begun on a new state-of-the-art movie theater adjacent to the platform. Virginias effort to improve service from Arlington to Richmond is part of a larger project that will develop the Southeast High-Speed Rail Corridor from Washin
33、gton, DC to Charlotte, North Carolina. The project is cur- rently undergoing planning and environmental review and would include track and signal upgrades to achieve higher operating speeds. “This is a no-brainer for us,” said Kim Scheeler, president and CEO of the Greater Richmond Chamber of Commer
34、ce, in an article in the Richmond Times Dispatch. “It is really all about jobs and growth and opportunities that can be created by building our infrastructure.” In Wisconsin, a recent survey conducted by the Texas Transportation Institute found that 33 percent of passengers using the newly expanded
35、Milwaukee Airport Rail Station on the Hiawatha line would have used a different airport if the Hiawatha service was not an option to access the Milwaukee Airport. This suggests that multimodal hubs can enhance the marketing and revenue potential for all related services. Additionally, the survey unc
36、overed an additional benefitcongestion relief. Almost 70 percent of the surveyed passengers said they would have driven if the rail service was not available. Opportunities to Build an American Rail Manufacturing Base New specifications adopted over the past two years for diesel-electric locomotives
37、; single-level, stand-alone corridor passenger cars; and bi-level coach, dining, baggage, and business-class rail cars will make it easier, faster, and cheaper to build and purchase rail cars and other equipment for Americas emerging high-speed and intercity passenger rail program. The Next Generati
38、on Corridor Equipment Pool Committee, a collaboration of states, FRA, Amtrak, and rail equipment manufacturers, is spearhead- ing the standardization effort. Any state or Amtrak using federal funds for its passenger rail program must use equipment that meets these specifications. Delawares 2004 Rail
39、 to the Fair excursion vicinity of Wyoming, Delaware. Photo by t im OBrien, D elDOt “To have high-speed rail talked about outside the Northeast Corridor has given a great boost in the arm to Amtrak and to those who support rail in this nation.” Amtrak President and CEO Joe BoardmanPassenger Rail Mov
40、es Ahead. Meeting the Needs of the 21 stCentury 5 As part of an effort to modernize and expand its fleet, Amtrak is buying 70 new electric locomotives and 130 new single-level rail cars to sup- port its long-distance service. Siemens will build the new locomotives at its plants in Sacramento, Califo
41、rnia, Norwood, Ohio, and Alpharetta, Georgia. CAF USA is assembling and building the single-level cars at its plant in Elmira, New York. Together, these equipment purchases have a value of $760 million. An eight-state consortium that includes Missouri, Michigan, Iowa, Illinois, California, Oregon, a
42、nd Washington State is developing the criteria to buy 120 bi-level passenger cars and 33 locomotives with a $782 million grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation. By separating the purchases into several contracts, it is anticipated that more manufacturing firms will have the option to bid f
43、or the work. North Carolina has already put into service three locomotives in 2011, refurbished by American Motive Power of Dansville, New York. As a result of recent federal investments in passenger rail, GE Transpor- tation has hired 1,000 production workers since late 2010. GEs locomo- tive plant
44、 in Texas will generate another 500+ high-tech jobs, according to Lorenzo Simonelli, president and CEO of GE Transportation, a major manufacturer of locomotives. Speaking at a recent meeting of AASHTOs Standing Committee on Rail Transportation, Simonelli said, “GE Transportation supports 1 in every
45、11 jobs in Erie County and one in roughly 350 jobs in Pennsylvania, including employees at our 1,400 suppliers across the state. One dollar in every $130 in the states economy is generated by GE Transportation, with an economic impact larger than all Pennsylvania-based professional sports teams and
46、the states mining, oil, and gas extraction industries combined.” New or Refurbished Stations Generate More Economic Activity Station improvements are not only adding to the aesthetics of their sur- roundings, they are also offering new facilities and parking, and, in many cases, are becoming the mul
47、ti-modal hub for the city or town they are serving. In Mount Joy, Pennsylvania, a train stop on the Keystone line is being enhanced with a covered platform and better parking and pedestrian access. The upgrades are linked directly with downtown development and a streetscaping project. In Lancaster O
48、nline, Mount Joy official Terry Kauffman calls the station a significant plus for his borough. “The value of having the train station in the heart of our downtown is just tremen- dous,” Kauffman said. Other stations along Keystone line are slated for relocation and renovation. The Elizabethtown Stat
49、ion has been fully renovated and the historic train station completely restored. The historic Portland Union Station along the Cascades line in Oregon is now undergoing significant repair work as a result of more than $10 million in funds from several federal, state, and local sources being made available to the state. Built in 1896, the station is on the National Register of Historic Places and serves as the citys transportation hub. The renovation project includes roof repair and replacement, seismic upgrades, masonry, and utility
