Hotline #916

The U.S. Senate’s Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation dropped its version of the passenger rail reauthorization bill -- the Railroad Reform, Enhancement, and Efficiency Act of 2015 (RREEA 2015) -- on June 18. NARP issued a press release, along with a blog post, explaining the details soon after the bill was unveiled. While we didn’t get everything we wanted, we see it as a big improvement over the House’s Passenger Rail Reform and Investment Act of 2015 (PRRIA 2015). The bill provides $1.8 billion for Amtrak and passenger rail grants in Fiscal Year 2016, steadily increasing funding levels over the duration of the authorization to $2.8 billion in FY 2019.

“The funding levels identified by the Senate bill are far below what is required to meet the investment needs of the national rail network, and we will work with Senators to improve those numbers. The upward funding trend, however, is a positive one, and serves as a much-needed antidote to cuts proposed in the House,” said NARP President and CEO Jim Mathews.

The bill contains a number of extremely promising provisions that—with the proper funding levels—could be used to build the efficient intermodal transportation network that American businesses will need to compete globally in the 21st century. They include:

• Authorizes the U.S. Department of Transportation to develop a program for issuing three-year operating assistance grants to launch or restore intercity rail passenger transportation, emphasizing projects that would restore service over routes formerly operated by Amtrak, as well as projects that provide daily or daytime service where such service does not previously exist;
• Authorizes a 50/50 federal-state partnership for passenger rail rehabilitation and improvement, designed to address the state of good repair backlog that is hindering the efficient operation of U.S. trains and preventing growth across the national network;
• Creates a Gulf Coast Rail Service Working Group to restore intercity rail passenger service in the Gulf Coast region between New Orleans, Louisiana, and Orlando, Florida;
• Reorganizes Amtrak’s Board of Directors to ensure regional regional representation in the railroad’s leadership; and
• Establishes a committee to promote mutual cooperation and planning on state-supported routes.

But as the Congressional deadline to fund transportation projects runs out on July 31, House Ways and Means Chairman Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wisc.) made it clear during a hearing June 18 that raising the gas tax to fill a budgetary shortfall was not the solution, reports the Washington Post. Read NARP's intern’s take on the hearing here.

And in remarks reported by Bloomberg, Ryan’s counterpart, Senate Finance Committee Chairman Orrin Hatch, said “real policy changes” are needed to get the money needed to fund the highway bill. “You don’t find that kind of money by sifting through the cushions of your couch,” he said in opening remarks at his own hearing on Highway Trust Fund.

NARP has been consistent in the need to include passenger trains as part of a comprehensive transportation program that will provide predictable, sustainable levels of funding that would allow Amtrak and the states to plan, to buy new equipment, and to make much-needed investments in critical infrastructure.

During the same Senate Finance Committee hearing, former Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood issued a resounding rebuke to an anti-rail advocate who advocated for shoring up the Highway Trust Fund by cutting funding to passenger trains.

In his opening remarks, Stephen Moore of the Heritage Foundation complained that, despite not using public transportation, he and other drivers like him had a portion of their fuel tax go towards public transportation such as subways. Moore also spoke out against the California High-Speed Rail project, calling the plan, “the biggest boondoggle in the history of the United States,” and saying that, “the reason [California is] building [high-speed rail] is that people in Wyoming, people in my home state of Illinois, people in Florida are going to fund this project.”

LaHood destroyed Moore's argument, noting that he had been in favor of block transportation grants previously, but, “when [the states] decide they want to use it on high-speed rail, you don’t like that idea so it’s a bad idea. It doesn’t work that way.” LaHood also noted that the California legislature had spent millions of dollars of state money on the project.

Sen. Robert Menendez (D-N.J.) also called out the Heritage Foundation spokesman, saying that, “if I follow Mr. Moore’s thinking, Eisenhower would’ve never gotten the interstate highway system.” Sen. Menendez continued by saying that 82% of people who use public transit live in a house with a car and 87% of that 82%, 71.3% of public transit users total, use a car three or more times a week.

The senator continued by saying that public transportation was a benefit for drivers and non-drivers alike, that at least 860,000 park-and-ride spaces for commuter trains existed across the U.S., and that any modern transportation system had to work with every mode of transportation to be effective and efficient. In his closing, Menendez read an excerpt from President Ronald Reagan’s speech from the 1982 signing of a transportation bill, saying, “‘Our cities need new buses, new and rebuilt rail cars, and track improvements…. It will cost a lot less to keep the system we have in good repair than to let it disintegrate and have to start over from scratch,” and noted that, while the House of Representatives debated whether to give Amtrak a budget of $1 billion or $1.3 billion, the Chinese national railway spent $121 billion in one year.

Further undercutting Moore's arguments, members of Congress are stating they will have to authorize another infusion of general funds to keep the HTF afloat, as it has multiple times over the last several years to the tune of around $63 billion.

Construction began June 16 on California's $68 billion high-speed rail system, reports the Fresno Bee. Crews have started building 16 concrete footings that will become the foundation of a 1,600-foot elevated bridge, over the Fresno River, Highway 145 and Raymond Road. Officials said they expect the work to be completed within eight months to a year. The project is scheduled to be completed by 2028.

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) hinted at using the highway bill as a bartering chip with Republicans, saying Democrats would be more likely to support a trade deal they favor that was defeated last week in exchange for a long-term transportation funding package, reports The Hill. "The overwhelming vote today is a clear indication that it’s time for Republicans to sit down with Democrats to negotiate a trade promotion authority bill that is a better deal for the American people. The prospects for passage of a such a bill will greatly increase with the passage of a robust highway bill," she wrote in a letter to her conference.

Looking at the bigger picture, Metro magazine’s 2015 Top Rail Projects survey said funding for the nation’s needs would cost $91 billion. Number one on the list, with $16.5 billion in projects, is the New York City Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s New York City Transit. The remaining four top projects are: the Toronto Transit Commission, $13.2 billion; Seattle’s Sound Transit, $7.8 billion; Boston’s Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, $5.6 billion; and the city and county of Honolulu DOT Services’ Rapid Transit Division, $5.2 billion.

NARP President and CEO Jim Mathews was among those who sat on a panel -- Y’All Aboard -- on the progress and support for restoring passenger rail service across the Gulf Coast corridor June 17. The event, hosted by the Southern Rail Commission, was covered on WXXV-TV, the Gulfport, Mississippi, Fox affiliate. “There’s a widespread amount of support from your governments, from your planning organizations, and from your business community to get the train service back. And that’s what is most important part of this. We have to have local support. Your elected representatives in Washington have to know that this is important,” said Pelahatchie, Mississippi, Mayor Knox Ross, chairman of the commission.

Between 1993 and 2005, Amtrak operated the nation’s only coast-to-coast passenger train, the Sunset Limited, that connected larger cities including Orlando, New Orleans, Tucson, Arizona, and Los Angeles, with 29 smaller communities. In 2005, Hurricane Katrina caused significant damage to the railroad line along the Gulf Coast, forcing Amtrak to suspend service east of New Orleans. Although the line has since been repaired, Amtrak has yet to restore the service.

“Since 2005, NARP has consistently called for restoration of service between New Orleans and Orlando. Our members have made the case for its renewal to their state and local governments, and we have made the case here in Washington,” said NARP’s Mathews.

Illinois Gov. Bruce Rautner (R) has been threatening to cut $16 million from the $42 million the state pays in subsidies for Amtrak service by July 1 as he tries to close a $3 billion gap in the budget, reports the Pantagraph. But the newspaper reports that the governor has not informed Amtrak of its plans. "We've not had any formal word from Illinois DOT," spokesman Marc Magliari said June 16. "We're still accepting bookings for current levels of service." NARP has encouraged members to contact Illinois legislators and ask them to protect passengers from rail cuts that could cause major disruptions to the system.

Speaking of states paying Amtrak subsides, the Philadelphia Inquirer reports that northeast states and transit agencies are being asked to pay more to maintain the high-traffic rail corridor between Washington and Boston. The new cost-sharing plan is due to take effect on Oct. 1, although Massachusetts has objected, expressing concern about the higher bill and a potential plan to push more “federal responsibility down to the states." The move will not only affect the Northeast Corridor, it will also affect state-supported feeder routes, including the Keystone Corridor that links Pittsburgh, Harrisburg and Philadelphia, that connect to the NEC.

The Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT), Amtrak and city and state transportation officials are concerned they may not make the Dec. 31, 2015, deadline to install Positive Train Control (PTC), reports the Missourian. While MoDOT has allocated $8.2 million this year for Amtrak, PTC installation is estimated to cost Amtrak $12 million and the state an additional $18 million. NARP is looking for a way to include provisions in the Senate's rail reform bill to address the loophole that places the funding burden for PTC installation in Kansas City and St. Louis entirely on passenger operators.

Connecticut is celebrating the 25th anniversary of the ShoreLine East rail line, reports the Hartford Courant. When the service started in 1990, it wasn’t used much, only offered 11 trips a day, went no farther east than Old Saybrook and was closed on the weekends. Fast forward to today, where the line runs every day, with 21 trains on the weekend and 34 on weekdays, extending from New Haven to New London. Most riders are commuters, but the Connecticut Department of Transportation has been marketing ShoreLine East to weekend riders for getaways or tourism visits to Branford, Old Saybrook, New London and other stops on the route.

A Pueblo Chieftain editorial applauds state efforts to fund track improvements that will allow the Southwest Chief to continue operating in Colorado. The Pueblo County Board of Commissioners voted unanimously to contribute $12,500 in matching funds to support a $15.2 million TIGER grant for the improvements. Local matching funds of $9.2 million are required for the grant; Colorado, Kansas and New Mexico have pledged to contribute $1 million each. Amtrak has pledged $4 million, BNSF Railway pledged $2 million and 20 counties and cities, along with the Colorado Rail Passenger Association, will also contribute to the cause, for a total of $233,000 in matching funds.

NARP has emphasized the importance of creating public-private partnerships to contribute to building an effective intermodal transportation network, with passenger rail a key part of that effort. NARP has encouraged state and local governments to work with private companies to build and maintain a transportation network for the 21st century.

We’ll end the week with a story from Technical.ly on the Millennials Train Project. The nonprofit project is the brainchild of Fulbright Scholar Patrick Dowd, who came up with the idea while traveling through India. The project put 25 young “changemakers” on a 10-day train ride across the country to explore new opportunities in the communities where their trains stop. Katlyn Grasso wrote in Yahoo Travel about how she used her train ride to promote the GenHERation Summer Leadership Series 2015, a 10 city tour across North America to hold leadership conferences for high school girls.

NARP understands the importance of Millennials bringing awareness to the importance of having safe and reliable rail as part of a 21st century transportation system. When Millennials are given a reason to become part of the conversation, with efforts like this train project, they can be enthusiastic and effective advocates. A great example of this is the student government associations at Sam Houston State University and the University of North Texas issuing resolutions in support of Texas Central Railway’s privately funded high-speed rail project to connect Dallas and Houston. Those students were at NARP’s Spring Council meeting in April where they were presented with an award for their efforts.