The American High Speed Rail Alliance (AHSRA) is pleased that $100 million is included for a “high performance” passenger rail grant program for states, in addition to funding for Amtrak, the TIGER program and the New Starts program.

Highlights of the bill include:

•$1.75 billion for the nation’s rail infrastructure. Of the total amount provided, $100 million is for the High Performance Passenger Rail grant program to assist states with the improvement of existing intercity services, congestion mitigation and multi-state planning initiatives and $1.45 billion is for Amtrak.
•$2.044 billion, $89 million above the fiscal year 2012 enacted level, for the Federal Transit Administration’s “New Starts” program. This funding supports projects that will provide new or expanded public transportation services.
•$500 million for the TIGER grant program to support significant transportation projects in a wide variety of modes, including highways and bridges, public transportation, passenger and freight railroads, and port infrastructure. The funding level included in the bill is equal to the fiscal year 2012 enacted level.

The bill now heads to the full Senate Appropriations Committee on Thursday, April 19, 2012 for further review. The House Appropriations Committee has yet to act on the fiscal year 2013 THUD appropriations bill.

After a brief legislative update by Katie Kachel, associate at Chambers, Conlon & Hartwell and a legislative advisor to AHSRA, Dwight C. Jones, mayor of Richmond, Va., began the briefing by stressing the importance of fostering public-private partnerships for the development of the Southeast High Speed Rail Corridor. He said that though the city is doing all it can to build infrastructure, the federal government must step in to help connect major metropolitan areas.

Meanwhile, Charles Hunter, the assistant vice president of government affairs at RailAmerica, offered his company’s New England Central Railroad (NECR) project as a successful example of federal investments serving to strengthen the nation’s economy. Using PRIIA and stimulus funds, as well as matching private funds, the company will upgrade 192 main track miles in Vermont and New Hampshire, and increase passenger train speeds in 45 miles of signaled territory to 79 mph from the current 59 mph.

So far, the project has resulted in 150,000 man hours of direct project work, and the NECR has hired suppliers from the country across the country. Furthermore, the local communities along the railway have benefitted from the influx of workers and visitors to the area.

Hunter said the NECR project will be completed by fall 2012. Because of the success of this project, RailAmerica has partnered with state governments in New England to apply for a TIGER IV grant to extend the railway upgrades to the Canadian border near Montreal.

Colin Stackhouse, director of government affairs at Siemens Mobility, also talked about the economic benefits of investing in high speed rail from a supplier standpoint. His company has invested $50 million over the last four years to upgrade the company’s rail manufacturing plant in California, where over 800 people are employed.

Rich Sampson from the Community Transportation Association of America (CTAA) said policymakers must make sure to stress “reliability, frequency and connectivity” for passenger rail systems, especially those providing access to rural areas.

Sampson suggested high speed rail alone cannot solve the nation’s transportation system if there is no infrastructure to connect high speed rail with other modes of public transportation. Sampson said making sure high speed rail stations become a hub or transfer station for local transit such as light rail and buses would make high speed rail travel accessible to more Americans, including those who live in rural areas. He pointed to Minnesota’s Union Depot as a good model.

Lastly, Art Guzzetti, vice president of policy at the American Public Transportation Association (APTA) finished the briefing by reminding the audience of the significant increase in passenger rail ridership over the last few decades, in part due to the mega-trends of population growth and urban migration. Guzzetti suggested momentum was continuing to shift to high speed rail despite the recent focus on the budget crisis, and that advocates and policymakers must continue to define transportation and infrastructure as investment, rather than just spending.
The high turnout for the briefing showed that there continues to be strong interest among congressional staff, individuals, private companies and government entities on the viability of high speed intercity passenger rail (HSIPR) development despite the current political climate.

AHSRA continues to support the development of HSIPR corridors that fundamentally expand and improve passenger transportation in the geographic regions they serve, while upgrading existing intercity passenger rail services. This expansion can only occur with sustained federal and private investments from all stakeholders. The panelists gave concrete examples of how federal funding can make an enormous impact on strengthening the nation’s economy and competitiveness.

Charles Hunter presentation for AHSRA-HSIPR Caucus – NECR – 4-10-12

Siemens HSIPR Caucus briefing – 4-2012

HSR Capitol Hill Briefing – Sampson

Some major highlights include:

• Constructing 300 miles of electrified rail from Merced to San Fernando Valley in ten years;
• Improving existing rail service in the Bay Area and Los Angeles regions to prepare those systems for high-speed rail service;
• Cutting $30 billion in costs, through the blended approach, cost savings and inflation assumptions; and
• The potential to access cap & trade funds as a backstop to federal funding.

Previously, AHSRA had applauded the 2012 Draft Plan released last fall, pointing to the business plan’s details on contingencies, schedules and funding plans that plot “the most realistic approach this country has seen in implementing true high speed rail.”  AHSRA is pleased to see the Authority responding to dialogue with legislative leaders, the public and other stakeholders by addressing their major points of criticism and creating a more rational proposal.

California – and the nation – is in desperate need of transportation investments that take into account its growing future. With the state’s population expected to grow to 60 million by 2050, California faces ever growing demands on clogged high way arteries and airspace. At a total cost about half of what it would take to provide the same capacity on new freeways and expanded airports, high speed rail delivers the most cost effective option.

The latest plan will go before the full Authority’s  board on April 12 and, if approved, to the state Legislature.

For more details on the plan, click here.

Senators approved the measure by voice vote, averting a shutdown of highway programs set to begin Sunday.

“I would hope that during the Easter recess that the House would be able to come back with something … or accept our bill, which is our preference,” Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) said.

Senate action came after the House passed the extension earlier today 266-158.

Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.), who leads the Senate Democrats’ communications and policy operations, said the House left the Senate with a lamentable choice: “Shutting things down or [extending] an old law … that throws people out of work.”

Democrats sought three times to attach the Senate bill that was passed earlier this month on a 74-22 vote. The Senate-passed transportation package would extend the program for two years and provide $109 billion.

But Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) objected to the Democrats’ requests because, he said, the move would result in a shutdown of the federal highway program.

He said a shutdown would cause states to further cut back on transportation work and add $100 million a day to the deficit because of the inability of the highway trust fund to collect the 18.4-cent-a-gallon gas tax.

Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-La.) warned that she would object to any further extensions and urged the House to take up the Senate bill.

Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.), who is chairman of the Environment and Public Works Committee, said that move will result in job losses.

“They sent out a signal that America should be ready for hardship,” Boxer said.

Source: Roll Call

“It’s [the House’s] job to get this done. They should come back from their break, turn to the bill, amend it if they don’t like certain things in it—that’s what democracy’s about,” Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA) told reporters. “And let’s get to conference.  Or just pass the bill.”

The Senate transportation bill essentially continues current funding levels for another two years, which allows for necessary investments to support our nation’s infrastructure.  While the bill doesn’t include any funding for the High Speed & Intercity Passenger Rail Program, it does include a number of important rail provisions, including:

• Requires U.S. DOT to develop a long-range national rail plan, as well as regional rail plans that address how the national rail plan will be implemented;
• Requires the Next Generation Corridor Equipment Pool Committee to establish an equipment pooling entity to lease or acquire equipment to be used in State-supported services;
• Creates a transition fund to help states adversely affected by Section 209 of PRIIA, which requires that states support the operating costs of short-distance services;
• Creates a grant program—at 100% Federal cost—for Amtrak and the states to improve or preserve long-distance service;
• Allows U.S. DOT to extend the PTC deadline in 1-year increments—up until December 31, 2018;
• Creates new licensing and insurance requirements for passenger rail carriers where all carriers would be required to carry insurance of at least $200 million. (Under current law, such requirement only applies to Amtrak.)

Additionally, the Senate transportation bill focuses on other programs such as the TIFIA program.  “If America wants to continue leading the world economically, we must continue to find new and innovative ways to finance transportation,” Lewis Goetz said, Founder of the American High Speed Rail Alliance. “This is why I am glad the Senate bill has greatly expanded the availability of TIFIA and includes language supporting the development of the Northeast Corridor.”

“We hope the House and Senate are able to come together before the current transportation bill expires at the end of March,” Goetz added.

TIFIA, also known as the Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act, is a program that provides federal credit assistance to nationally or regionally significant surface transportation projects. The program is designed to fill in market gaps and leverage private co-investment by providing projects with supplemental or subordinate debt.

The Obama Administration is proposing an additional $6 billion for passenger trains immediately as part of a larger jobs-creating initiative that looks to build on recent economic growth through investment in America’s infrastructure. The 2012 rail money will be broken down into two pots, with $4 billion going to network development and $2 billion going towards system preservation.

The budget provides $2.7 billion in 2013 and $47 billion over six years to develop high speed passenger rail corridors and improve intercity passenger rail service to significantly enhance the national rail network. The proposal includes merging Amtrak’s stand-alone subsidies into the high speed rail program as part of a larger, competitive System Preservation initiative.

For a link to the Budget’s funding highlights for the Department of Transportation, click here.

Today, U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood announced the availability of funding for transportation projects under a fourth round of the popular TIGER (Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery) Discretionary Grant program. Out of the $500 million in available funds, up to $100 million will be available for high speed and intercity passenger rail projects.

On November 18, 2011, the President signed the FY 2012 Appropriations Act. This Act appropriated $500 million to the Department of Transportation for National Infrastructure Investments (TIGER) for surface transportation projects having a significant impact on the nation, a metropolitan area, or region.

As in previous rounds of TIGER, high speed and intercity passenger rail projects remain eligible for funding under this program and a high priority of this Administration. The DOT encourages those seeking funding for passenger rail projects to consider TIGER and has made up to $100 million in TIGER funds available to HSIPR projects.

The first three rounds of the TIGER program provided $2.6 billion to 172 projects in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. Demand for the program has been overwhelming, and during the prior three rounds, the DOT received more than 3,348 applications requesting more than $95 billion for transportation projects across the country.

Projects will be evaluated on primary criteria that include safety, economic competitiveness, livability, environmental sustainability, state of repair and short-term job creation and are to be awarded on a competitive basis.

Pre-applications are due February 20 and applications are due March 19.

Please click here to view the Notice of Funding Availability.

The public focus was on “high-speed rail,” but many of the investments made by the Obama administration and Congress were small-bore improvements to the nation’s existing rail infrastructure designed to put reliable, quality passenger rail service within reach of more Americans.

Somewhere along the way, however, passenger rail became a political football, with Tea Party governors such as Wisconsin’s Scott Walker and Ohio’s John Kasich all but tying themselves to the tracks to prevent construction of new rail lines in their states.

It’s time they took a second look at what they’re missing, and Maine is a good place to start. Ten years in, Maine’s experiment with the restoration of passenger rail service is paying big dividends, proving that passenger rail has an important place in the nation’s transportation future.

Maine’s Downeaster rail line got its start as the improbable dream of a group of plucky citizen activists who envisioned running trains on a section of track between Boston and Portland, Maine, that last saw passenger traffic in 1965. After more than a decade of determined work, capped by passage of a citizen ballot initiative, the Downeaster made its initial run in December 2001.

The train was an immediate hit — a 1990 study projected that the line would ultimately attract about 167,000 passengers each year, a figure that it quickly surpassed. Last year, the train carried more than half a million passengers — twice as many as in 2005.

The Downeaster’s top speed of 79 mph won’t give the bullet trains of Japan or Europe much of a run for their money. But it is plenty fast enough to provide a comfortable, convenient alternative to driving. By linking tourist destinations, bedroom communities, and college towns to the commercial centers of Boston and Portland, the Downeaster serves a variety of travel markets, from commuters to vacationers.

It wouldn’t exist, however, without a sustained commitment from Maine taxpayers and the federal government, which has made critical investments in track improvements over the years. While the Downeaster brings in more than $7 million a year in fares, concession revenue and parking, the state of Maine still provides significant funding through a pass-through of federal transportation funds and a tax on car rentals.

The benefits of those investments more than outweigh the costs. More than $350 million worth of public and private development projects have been started or completed near Downeaster stations, while the visitors attracted by the train are estimated to pump $12 million addition into the state’s economy each year.

Results like that have enabled the Downeaster to draw support from across the partisan divide. Last year, Maine’s Republican U.S. Senators, along with the state’s Tea Party governor, Paul LePage, voiced their support for a federal grant to improve service on the Downeaster. And the state is in the midst of a project to extend the line beyond Portland to the towns of Freeport and Brunswick that will further boost ridership.

The success of the Downeaster is proof of the benefits that investments in passenger rail can bring to communities, the environment, and the economy. Maine isn’t the only place where Americans are hungering for alternatives to crowded airports and congested highways – Amtrak has broken ridership records in eight of the past nine years, with ridership up 44 percent since fiscal 2000.

In an era of high gasoline prices and limited transportation choices, the case for investment in passenger rail is clear. In some places, true high-speed rail is the answer. But in others, simply getting the trains rolling again is an important first step. Ten years later, Maine’s Downeaster has gone from uncertain experiment to unqualified success. It’s time that officials elsewhere in the country took notice and followed suit.

For the full article in the Huffington Post, please click here.

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) on Thursday November 17issued a record of decision for the DesertXpress Enterprises LLC passenger rail line in Clark County and San Bernardino County, Calif.

The decision authorizes the use of right of way to build the line on public land administered by the BLM.

The DesertXpress project received similar approvals from the Surface Transportation Board in October and from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Railroad Administration in July.

The BLM determined that about 821 acres of public land would be needed for the permanent right of way. An additional 95 acres would be needed for temporary construction use. The project also includes about 2,800 acres of private land.

DesertXpress plans to begin engineering and construction next year on the 185-mile double track that would run along Interstate 15.

The company plans to operate trains traveling at 150 mph, with ticket costs averaging $50 per passenger one way.

The company is pursuing a $4.9 billion federal loan to build the $6.5 billion project.

Source: Vegas Inc., by Richard Velotta – http://www.vegasinc.com/news/2011/nov/18/desertxpress-project-takes-another-step-forward/

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) on Thursday November 17issued a record of decision for the DesertXpress Enterprises LLC passenger rail line in Clark County and San Bernardino County, Calif.

The decision authorizes the use of right of way to build the line on public land administered by the BLM.

The DesertXpress project received similar approvals from the Surface Transportation Board in October and from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Railroad Administration in July.

The BLM determined that about 821 acres of public land would be needed for the permanent right of way. An additional 95 acres would be needed for temporary construction use. The project also includes about 2,800 acres of private land.

DesertXpress plans to begin engineering and construction next year on the 185-mile double track that would run along Interstate 15.

The company plans to operate trains traveling at 150 mph, with ticket costs averaging $50 per passenger one way.

The company is pursuing a $4.9 billion federal loan to build the $6.5 billion project.

Source: Vegas Inc., by Richard Velotta – http://www.vegasinc.com/news/2011/nov/18/desertxpress-project-takes-another-step-forward/