[net-gold] This Week at Amtrak; January 28, 2010
- From: "David P. Dillard" <jwne@xxxxxxxxxx>
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- Date: Fri, 29 Jan 2010 06:23:16 -0500 (EST)
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Date: Thu, 28 Jan 2010 15:37:46 -0500
From: brucerichardson <brucerichardson@xxxxxxxx>
Reply-To: Net-Gold@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
To: Net-Gold@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [Net-Gold] This Week at Amtrak; January 28, 2010
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This Week at Amtrak; January 28, 2010
A weekly digest of events, opinions,
and forecasts from
United Rail Passenger Alliance, Inc.
America?s foremost passenger
rail policy institute
1526 University Boulevard, West, PMB 203 ?
Jacksonville, Florida
32217-2006 USA
Telephone 904-636-7739, Electronic Mail
info@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx ?
<http://www.unitedrail.org>
Volume 7, Number 4
Founded over three decades ago
in 1976, URPA is a nationally
known policy institute which
focuses on solutions and plans
for passenger rail systems in
North America. Headquartered
in Jacksonville, Florida,
URPA has professional associates
in Minnesota, California, Arizona,
New Mexico, the District of Columbia,
Texas, New York, and other cities.
For more detailed information, along
with a variety of position papers and
other documents, visit the URPA web
site at
<http://www.unitedrail.org>
URPA is not a membership organization,
and does not accept funding from any
outside sources.
1) To the surprise of no one, when
political decisions are made, those
decisions are not always based in
reality. Today?s announcement from the
White House on how the $8 billion pie
for high speed rail is being carved
up can be viewed as nothing more than
a string of political decisions,
but, with some good results.
Every region of the country gets a
piece of the pie, but,
surprisingly and, with a certain
note of disappointment, the Chicago area
received a rather small portion.
Billions are needed to untangle the web
of rail lines in and out of Chicago
to make both passenger and freight
trains move smoother and quicker.
Illinois received only $1,102,000,000
for upgrading a line between Chicago
and St. Louis.
Minneapolis-Milwaukee-Chicago got
another chunk of money ? $823,000,000 ?
but not much of the money actually
goes into Chicago-based
infrastructure. On the east side of
Chicago, the Chicago-Detroit line got
$244,000,000 for stations and some
signaling and infrastructure
improvements.
Never really addressed were the
core problems directly in and
around Chicago, the nation?s
largest rail hub.
Here in Florida, we received
$1,250,000,000 which proves the
point you shouldn?t look a gift high
speed rail system in the mouth, but
you really have to figure out how to
feed it. Florida?s share of the
spoils will pay for a hair less than
half of the cost of building the
redundant Orlando-Tampa high speed
rail system, which the voters of
Florida rejected in 2004 as too
expensive.
So, now, the feds have given us
half of the cost of the
system, and we have to come up
with a matching amount. The problem is,
the State of Florida is pretty well
broke, and we are a state with
exceptionally high unemployment, an
exceptionally high amount of home
foreclosures, and a nearly stagnant
tourism economy. We may have billions
in federal monies coming, but it?s
anybody?s guess if the Florida
legislature and Governor Charlie
Crist can find the matching funds.
If it would have been a typical
federal/state partnership of 80/20,
most likely $500,000,000 could have
been found by scrounging through various
state capital budgets for a number of
programs. But, with a 50/50 match, it?s
not a lock Florida can find the money.
Some money was awarded to the
Commonwealth of Virginia and
the State of North Carolina for track
and infrastructure upgrades, as
well as rolling stock purchases,
totaling $620,000,000. Political
language can be found in the award,
such as ?doubling the number of
frequencies between Charlotte, North
Carolina and Raleigh, North
Carolina.? Well, gee, yes, that?s
a true statement, but we?re only
talking about from two frequencies
to four frequencies, hardly an
Interstate highway-clearing endeavor.
A fascinatingly small amount of
money went to the Northeast;
only a total of $485,000,000,
which includes some work on the
Northeast Corridor.
California received the
largest prize, totaling
$2,344,000,000, which not only goes
to the proposed new California high
speed route, but also includes monies
for the Pacific Surfliners, the
Capitol corridor trains, and others
areas, specifically for pollution
mitigation. Considering the cost of
California?s new high speed system is
going to be north of $40,000,000,000,
California isn?t going to be
getting much federal help from this
go-round.
2) What will the $8 billion do
specifically for Amtrak? Actually, Amtrak
will benefit nicely from a number of
these projects, mostly in the form
of enhanced track and infrastructure,
which will improve running times,
eliminate a lot of railroad congestion,
add some new station buildings
(something Amtrak pretty desperately
needs in a lot of cities), and boost
rolling stock.
3) A lot of fuss was made during
the announcement about how all of this
is a ?down payment? for the beginning
of high speed rail, and we should
be happy for all of the jobs these
few dollars (in Washington terms, not
in real world terms) will create.
Comparisons were made to the early days
of the Eisenhower Interstate Highway
system, and we can look to a future
of high speed rail rivaling today?s
Interstate highways.
Some very reasonable arguments
were made (which were not
political arguments, so therefore
ignored) that perhaps one high speed
system ? as a demonstration project ?
should have been selected and
completely built to prove the
wonderfulness of high speed rail.
Not a bad idea; however, political
realities said as much money as
possible should be spread around to
political swing states which will
benefit incumbents at the expense
of reality.
4) Of interest to many of us are
the dozens and billions of dollars worth
of projects which didn?t receive funding.
Will those projects remain
viable for future funding? Will some
other source of funding be found for
the best of those projects?
We know the White House has
proposed a funding level freeze
for three years for all non-defense
and non-entitlement programs in
Washington. This freeze includes
the Department of Transportation.
Since Amtrak received a high amount of
funding in the current fiscal year
budget, life will be good for Amtrak
if current levels are maintained.
But, what about these new projects?
Will an annual infusion
of $1 billion be enough to keep
these programs going, especially in
California?
Take a look at one specific,
unfunded project here in
Florida; a favorite of many.
Amtrak and the Florida Department
of Transportation proposed
a request for $268 million ? using
the old, true metaphor of about the
same or lower cost than an urban
Interstate interchange ? for restoring
service on Florida?s original tourist
passenger line and first real
economic engine, the Florida East
Coast Railway.
We lost primary passenger service
on the FEC when the unions
ferociously struck the railroad in
1963. All of the ?name? Florida
passenger trains from the Midwest
and originating on the Atlantic Coast
Line Railroad were moved off the
FEC at Jacksonville and picked up the
old Seaboard Air Line Railroad route
at Auburndale, Florida into West
Palm Beach, Fort Lauderdale, and Miami.
For $268 million, service
would be restored on the FEC
between Jacksonville and West Palm
Beach, returning passenger trains to
major tourist destinations such as
St. Augustine, Daytona Beach, the Cape
Canaveral area, and the coast just
above Palm Beach. Included in the cost
of restoration were eight stations,
upgrading the FEC for 90 M.P.H.
running, a track connection between
the FEC and the Tri-Rail line at West
Palm Beach which Amtrak uses,
upgrades to the proposed Miami Intermodal
Center, and additional rolling stock
for regional frequencies in addition
to splitting the Silver Meteor and
Silver Star in Jacksonville and
sending half of the train to Miami
via the FEC and the other half via
Orlando.
The proposal was a great,
inexpensive deal for Florida, and,
beyond Amtrak, would have benefitted
the future of Tri-Rail by building
the connecting track between the
FEC and Tri-Rail?s track for future
Tri-Rail expansion up and down the
FEC to both the north and south of
West Palm Beach.
What will happen now to this
project? If Florida has to pony
up $1.25 billion to build the high
speed rail between Orlando and Tampa
(which will provide redundant service
to existing Amtrak service), will
there be any money for new service
on the FEC? It?s doubtful the proposed
Orlando-Tampa high speed line will
bring any additional visitors to
Florida, but the FEC line has the
potential of adding eight new highly
desirable tourist destinations to
the Amtrak system, as well as
dramatically cutting the travel time
between Jacksonville and Miami.
Most likely, it?s the same
story all over the country.
Political decisions were made to
carve up the $8 billion, but what are
the immediate results and consequences?
Perhaps it would have been better
to designate $1 billion to the
Orlando-Tampa line, and almost fully
fund the FEC project? Inquiring minds
want to know.
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where other rail-related writings of
Bruce Richardson may also be found.
URPA leadership members are available
for speaking engagements.
J. Bruce Richardson
President
United Rail Passenger Alliance, Inc.
1526 University Boulevard, West, PMB 203
Jacksonville, Florida 32217-2006 USA
Telephone 904-636-7739
brucerichardson@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
<http://www.unitedrail.org>
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