Hotline #925

A vintage post card of of the Hudson River Tunnels. Image courtesy of the Northeast Corridor Commission.

As the wrangling over when a new Hudson River Tunnel will be built and who will pay for it, the New York Times editorial board urged Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) to “get on board” with the Gateway project. The editorial noted that New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) recently met with Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx and said it was time for Cuomo to do the same.

Gov. Cuomo hasn't denied the necessity of the Gateway Project, but has held firm in his assertion that the "lion's share" of investment should be provided by the federal government.

"There's no question New York knows how to build a tunnel, but we need the funding and everyone from Senator Schumer to Senator Booker to Senator Menendez agrees the feds must pay the lion's share," said Governor Cumo. "We are waiting for the feds to tell us what they are prepared to fund in order for us to know if the project is viable. The feds have been talking about this for eight years, but have never said what they're willing to put up."

NARP—which has been arguing for over two decades that the busiest passenger rail corridor in the U.S. shouldn’t be depending on tunnels built more than 100 years ago—agrees with need for a strong federal funding source for passenger trains. Highways and airports generally receive an 80/20 federal-state split for capital investments, and there's no rational reason while passenger rail should be treated differently.

The solution is to provide funding to build the new tunnels already. Amtrak has already begun work on the Gateway Project, but needs help in funding the project. Congress and the White House have agreed upon a method to pay for it with revenue that would flow out of repatriation and tax reform—they just need to pass a law to make it happen. For as little as $3 billion to $4 billion in dedicated funding per year—a tiny fraction of what we spend on roads—we could begin the work of transforming not just the Northeast Corridor, but the entire U.S. rail network.

NARP has been championing the cause of “A Connected America,” where all transportation modes—road, air, water and rail—work together in balance doing what each mode does best to move people, goods and ideas seamlessly together across our states and regions as part of a 21st century transportation system.

One of the private sector groups that should play an important role in A Connected America is your local Chamber of Commerce, according to a NARP blog post. An example of this is Jill Meyer, the new CEO of the Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber. In an interview with the Cincinnati Enquirer, she was asked about the city’s streetcar system, which has faced its fair share of opposition.

“Whether you voted for it or against it, it’s here and it’s in everyone’s interest that it is a success. There were a lot of hurt feelings and angry words and people who have strong positions on both sides. Everyone is entitled to their opinion."

As Connecticut’s Bradley Airport begins to tear down Terminal B, the state’s airport authority would like to use part of the land to build a new transportation center, reports WNPR. Kevin Dillon, executive director of the Connecticut Airport Authority, said the public transit center will have a more regional impact. “One of the things that we would like to do as the new airport authority is enhance regional bus service, to enhance that mode of ground access to the airport,” he said.

Dillon also noted that the state’s work on the Hartford rail line from New Haven to Springfield has the airport authority looking at running a high-frequency bus service between the new transit center and the Windsor Locks Amtrak station.

And further south, Georgia is looking at redeveloping an old GM auto assembly plant in Doraville into a multimodal transportation center that would include an Amtrak station, linking intercity passenger rail and Xpress bus service to the existing Doraville MARTA station. That, in turn, could provide access to Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, reports AJC.com.

Both of these proposals sound very much like NARP’s “A Connected America,” which will see local and regional communities investing in links between intercity trains and airports, intercity buses, local transit, cycling and walking, and car rental and sharing service to create a seamless 21st century multimodal transportation network.

An op-ed in NWTimes.com by Indiana NARP Council Steve Coxhead notes that “the recent closure of Interstate 65 northbound until September, due to a bridge problem near Lafayette, underscores the role passenger rail can play in providing travelers to Indianapolis an alternative to car or bus travel.” The four-day-a-week Hoosier State train to Indianapolis is now operated by a private company, Iowa Pacific, LLC, which has upgraded the service to include a dome car, meal service, Wi-Fi and more. And the three-day-a-week Amtrak “Cardinal” service also offers meal service plus a sleeper car option.

Which is why this story in the Dallas Morning News on transportation options in Texas is so puzzling. In it, Texas Department of Transportation executive director Joe Weber admits that the state can’t build enough new highway lanes to meet the demands of a growing population. He also notes that ports, freight lines, passenger rail and roads work together to form a network of transportation options that keep people — and the state’s economy — moving. But he said TxDOT will not push for more transit funding, instead letting lawmakers and local leaders make those decisions.

After a disastrous winter of commuter rail service, the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority unveiled a plan that requires operator require Keolis Commuter Services to run trains on time at least 92 percent of the time, reports the Boston Globe. Record snowfall resulted in tens of thousands of commuters being stranded by late or canceled trains.

Astrid Glynn, administrator of the state Transportation Department’s rail and transit service, told the board that the commuter rail operator’s performance “was not what Keolis offered” when it took over in July 2014, after beating out the longtime operator, Massachusetts Bay Commuter Railroad, for a $2.68 billion, eight-year contract. “So to make sure we get what we bargained for, we are focusing on the very basics,” she said.

After a three-year legal battle, Wisconsin taxpayers will pay nearly $50 million to Spanish train manufacturer Talco for two sets that were never used -- and the company will keep the units, reports the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. Wisconsin won an $810 million federal stimulus grant to build a high-speed rail from Milwaukee to Madison, but the federal government revoked the award after Republican Gov. Scott Walker won election in 2010 on a promise to stop the train. The lawsuit came after Democratic Gov. Jim Doyle signed a deal with Talgo, then Walker nixed the no-bid contract for the trains. If the manufacturer is able to sell the trains, it will return 30% of the net proceeds of the sale, up to a limit of $9.7 million, back to Wisconsin.

Could daily rail serving between Cincinnati and Chicago become a reality? The Federal Railroad Administration will spend nearly $3 million dollars on a planning initiative to boost passenger rail service in the Midwest and Southeast regions, reports WCPO-TV. Local Cincinnati leaders are saying it will take the city a step closer toward daily rail service to Chicago.

A columnist for the Clean Technica blog writes a clarification about the All Aboard Florida high-speed rail project. Quoting AAF’s Ali Soule, the article explains that “AAF is a privately funded project, and we are not receiving any state funding. The FDFC board approved our request to sell $1.75 billion in tax-exempt bonds, not to give us funding.” Soule also clarified that AAF is leasing its terminal location at Orlando International Airport, noting it did not receive a grant or $123 million from the state to build the terminal.

A series of editorials came out covering rail travel this week. The CIncinnati Enquirer wrote “Love or hate the streetcar, it’s coming to Cincinnati. Everyone should want it to get here on time and within its budget. It is refreshing to see 90 percent of the work on the 3.6-mile loop is finished, on time and on budget.”

The Boston Herald chose to address MBTA’s woes, writing “State transportation officials have awakened to the fact that they need a tighter leash on the private operator of the MBTA’s commuter rail system. It only took a massive winter collapse, chronically late trains (even in good weather) and millions of dollars issued in fines to the newbie operator to focus the minds.”

And the San Antonio News-Express gets onboard about rail service between San Antonio and Austin: “For decades, the idea of rail between San Antonio and Austin has been as real as an illusion in the hot Texas sun. But there is a general feeling among officials that LSTAR could very well be running within eight years. To help make that happen, the city of San Antonio and Bexar County should provide this initial funding.”

We’ll end this week with this story from ESPN about the Cleveland Browns choosing a chartered Amtrak train to travel to Rochester, N.Y., for joint practices against the Buffalo Bills. “To me, it’s the best way to go,” coach Mike Pettine said. “It’s an airplane minus being way above the ground and having people search your bags.” He added that a bus trip would have been too long, while the team plane might not be able to land in the city’s small airport.