» March - April 2006 Newsletter

Empire Passengers

State Association

THE ESPA EXPRESS

NEWSLETTER OF THE
EMPIRE STATE PASSENGERS ASSOCIATION

The following is a summary of our association’s bi-monthly newsletter. 
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March - April 2006

Vol. 30, No.2

The View from the Cab

My thanks go to the over 80 ESPA members who attended our recent Annual Meeting in Schenectady. As reported in this issue, the attendees heard excellent presentations from a variety of speakers. The brightest promise for our cause that we have seen in years is highlighted by the ongoing efforts of John Egan, Executive Director of State Senate High Speed Rail Task Force. Our thanks must go to Senator Joseph Bruno for his leadership in recognizing and advancing the need for higher efficient service across the state. As Mr. Egan reported, plans are underway for a number of near-term accomplishments and we should see plans for tangible service improvements being announced in the near future.

I am pleased to announce the appointment of two new Regional Coordinators for the Association. John Raha of Bethpage, NY has been named Nassau County Coordinator and Don Nimphuis of Miller Place, NY has been named Suffolk County Coordinator. John and Don will be working together to better mobilize our base of support across Long Island and bring our message to the elected officials of this area.

After many years of outstanding service to the Association, Maggie McCurry, our Adirondack Regional Coordinator, is stepping aside. On behalf of the entire membership, I thank Maggie for her tireless efforts to promote rail travel, particularly along the route of Amtrak’s Adirondack through the North Country. Accordingly, the position of ESPA Adirondack Regional Coordinator position is currently vacant. ESPA members interested in being considered for this open position should contact me. As information, the ESPA By-laws define the Regional Coordinator’s positions as follows: “The Regional Coordinators shall report on membership activity in their respective regions and shall relate Association activities to the regions.” Attendance at the bi-monthly Officers and Coordinators Meeting is encouraged.

Your Officers and Coordinators have accomplished two principal goals for the Association during the past year:
•A re-design of our printed materials and graphics was completed.
•Our Association’s new web site, http://www.esparail.org was launched.

Utilizing these outstanding resources, our principal goal for the coming year is to undertake a significant membership development campaign. Our Association’s continued success depends on growing our membership numbers and I welcome your suggestions on ways we can reach out to potential members. 

As reported by Frank Barry, the fight in Washington for adequate Amtrak funding for FY 2007 is just starting. As ESPA has done many times over our 25-year history, we stand ready again do whatever is necessary to get our message out. As the timing of this effort becomes clearer, the Officers and Coordinators will once again be calling on all ESPA members to help, both with financial resources and with the power of the pen.

I wish to extend my thanks to all of the Association’s Officers and Statewide Coordinators, who spend countless volunteer hours advancing our cause, and to each of you, the members of ESPA, who make our Association the finest state rail advocacy group in the country.

As always, I welcome your comments, critiques and suggestions, on how ESPA can better attain our goals of improved passenger rail service in New York State. Don’t hesitate to contact me at anytime. 

Bruce B. Becker, President

State High Speed Rail Task Force, NARP and Amtrak Leaders Address ESPA Annual Meeting

The ESPA/National Association of Railroad Passengers (NARP) Region Two 2006 Annual Meeting featured presentations on upgrading the Empire Corridor, rejuvenating the National Association of Railroad Passengers (NARP) and Amtrak’s impending food service changes. The meeting took place March 11th at the Schenectady Holiday Inn.

John Egan, the last Commissioner of Transportation under Governor Mario Cuomo, currently directs the New York State Senate High Speed Rail Task Force, which has just issued its Action Program for incrementally upgrading the Empire Corridor. In between he has directed the Albany International Airport, overseeing improvements and negotiations that attracted low fare Southwest Airlines. This and other accomplishments have given him a reputation for getting things done.

The High Speed Rail Action Program resulted from a study commissioned last year by Senate President and Majority Leader Joe Bruno to assess the feasibility of 90 minute New York-Albany, and 3 hour New York-Buffalo service. Sen. Bruno got $5 million into the budget for a three year study.

But John Egan had other ideas: “I told him we didn’t want $5 million; $2 million would be enough. And we only wanted six months, not three years.” Bruno agreed and Egan took the job in an unpaid capacity. A $1.2 million consulting contract was awarded to Parsons Brinkerhoff “because they had good contacts with all the organizations involved.” So far only $1.3 of the $2 million has been spent.

“Many of our recommendations are yours,” Egan told the group. (ESPA President Bruce Becker has provided significant input, urging an incremental approach to bring immediate improvements to existing service rather than looking only at expensive high tech systems many of us would never live to see).

Egan said Senator Bruno has promised $22 million for the coming budget as “a symbol that the state is doing something meaningful.” The first step will be an addition to present service: a new non-stop Albany-New York express “demo” that will either start from Saratoga or have a connection from there. Initial running time should be two hours, 10 minutes--long term goal, 1:59. “The public has to see something good coming out of this to demonstrate that something can be done.”

“We want to do what the customers want,” Mr. Egan asserted. This involves “reliability, frequency and reduced travel time,” he continued, reflecting ESPA’s insistence that restoring reliability is most important in the current environment. “Unified control is critical,” he said, pointing out that “ownership of operations is fragmented among three different railroads.” The report notes that “Amtrak is the lowest priority service in the Empire Corridor” since virtually all dispatching is done by others--Metro-North, CSX and CP (to Montreal). The report strongly urges consolidation of ownership and of dispatching.

The plan includes “relatively small” fixes to track between New York and Albany, many of which coincide with the Hudson Valley study described elsewhere in this newsletter. New equipment will be needed for additional service--possibly including a new design “New York Car.”

“The easiest fix for the Western route is to put back the two tracks” (that were ripped up years ago), Egan said. But this would cost $3.6 billion; “if we’re going to get the Western Corridor in shape we have to borrow to do it.” However the first steps will be to sit down with CSX and identify bottlenecks that can be fixed, according to the plan.

In answer to a question Egan said “there is absolutely no reason not to double track from Rensselaer to Hoffmans,” Egan said, referring to a project ESPA began promoting about 20 years ago; “it just goes back to money.”

Estimated funds needed (millions):
2006: $22
2007-2009 $516
2010-2013 $819 (includes new cars)
2014-2015 $444
Total $1.8 bil.

Work on very high speed rail or maglev “is at least fifteen years out. We can’t wait for that.” This could cost $8-10 billion, according to the plan. “We’re going to have to have bonded money--and we want to explore private participation,” Egan said.

Mr. Egan indicated that ESPA’s participation will be crucial.  For our part it will be important that we mention this to our state Senator and Assembly representatives, and get their commitment to support passenger rail improvements, especially during this campaign year.

George Chilson was elected as NARP’s President in 2004, after serving on the Board of Directors for several years. He grew up near Kingston, NY but has spent most of his career in the Midwest and Southwest in various business ventures.

“I’m not a caretaker, I’m an innovator. I love change,” he said. “I’ve found that the positive generally trumps the negative and that persuasion is better than confrontation. Minimum pressure resolutely applied is most effective in bringing it about.”

George Chilson became President when NARP’s deficits were growing and membership was flat. “The president has to focus on the big picture,” he said. He asked the group to remember three things from his presentation, which illustrate the big picture for NARP:
1) NARP is a growing organization and will be getting more aggressive.
2) We will have tremendous success if we are unified.
3) Success demands that we get politically involved.

Chilson worked with NARP staff to stabilize finances, cutting expenses and bringing in outside expertise to grow membership. “We are now at almost 19,000 members,” he said. This represents an increase of 54% in 6 months; it is a result of outsourcing some membership functions and bringing in outside expertise.  NARP membership in New York has grown to 1800 members--a 41% increase. (Only California has more members).

NARP has upgraded its website (http://www.narprail.org), making it easy to join on the Internet. The website now includes a “Fact Check” page which posts accurate information to counter false claims by Administration officials and others. This was used frequently by media writers last year when Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta made sometimes blatantly inaccurate statements in promoting elimination of long distance trains and other Administration “reforms” around the country. NARP has also issued more press releases of its own which has generated more media coverage. And finally, NARP is developing phone banks to be able to deluge members of Congress when an important issue comes up.

“We have to become a big league organization,” Chilson said. “Our message is:
Modern Rail, National Scope, Public Funding.” Transportation is so important to economic development, personal freedom and our quality of life that “we cannot entrust it to the private sector.”

Chilson noted that several forces may make it easier to promote this to Congress:
“We are losing mobility;
“Funding for transportation is collapsing (we are underpricing services);
“Cheap oil is ‘history’;
“People in Congress are realizing that oil dependence is a national security issue.”
“All transportation starts with legislation,” Chilson concluded; “we have to get politically involved.”

Lenore Slimbock began her career with Amtrak 33 years ago and has worked various management positions with in the company. She is the General Superintendent of the New York Division, which extends from Holmesburg, Pa. to New Rochelle and New York’s Empire Line. The Division works closely with Metro North over their territory.

She described Amtrak’s response to the Congressional mandate to reduce the $120 million deficit incurred by food service on trains: “Reducing cost and improving quality has been our main focus.” Amtrak’s new dining service utilizes pre-plated meals, which reduces on-board labor expense for food preparation and support. Meals are heated and served on board using disposable plates with linen-like tabletops and napkins.

She said the changes are programmed to begin on the Lake Shore Limited on April 12.  Dining cars will be open for business from 6:30AM to 11:30PM; the car will not close between meal periods.  Dining car service will be available for 7 additional hours and lounge service will be available for 3 additional hours.  This is to “expand opportunities for coach passenger dining sales.”

During March, Amtrak is also testing a food cart on one Acela Express round trip between New York and Washington in addition to its Cafe Car. We are testing the cart service “as an alternative to attract and improve revenue and service.”

Amtrak mechanical in New York is aggressively addressing equipment problems. “Recently we have seen an improvement with dispatchments,” she said. Also, Amtrak has signed an agreement with MTA to begin the East Side Access Project in Sunnyside Yard. This is the largest project in recent history for New York. East Side access will route the LIRR through new track connections in Queens to a new tunnel under Sunnyside yard and on to the existing 63rd St. Tunnel under the East River. “This agreement will benefit Amtrak since we will be able to make improvements in Sunnyside Yard.”

Amtrak’s Empire Service Director Jim Turngren, who accompanied her, said corridor schedules will be lengthened again this summer in preparation for CSX track work in Western New York with “mega-gangs” that can cause up to 20 miles of single track operation.

ESPA Consultant Joe Landry described a new method for funding transportation projects that is generating interest around the country.  Called Transportation Development Partnerships, this involves long term leasing (99 years) of a transportation asset, such as a highway or bridge, to a private operator. The private operator pays a significant fee up front for the asset and is then free to collect tolls or other charges. This also removes the onus for raising tolls from government officials when increases are necessary but political will is lacking--an attractive quality, especially for elected officials.

This method has been used for the Chicago Skyway which generated a a $1.8 billion initial payment to the city of Chicago which can be used for “whatever they want” It has also removed the burden of maintenance from Chicago’s budget.

Joe learned about this at a March 8th conference sponsored by New York State’s Department of Transportation “to look at what the private sector can do that the government can’t do.” In New York it is being viewed as a possible way to finance large complex projects like the Tappan Zee Bridge replacement, the Second Avenue Subway, High Speed Rail Service and existing toll roads.

The luncheon speaker was Amtrak Board Chair David Laney who discussed in the positive results of involving the private sector in Texas highway improvements when he chaired the Texas Transportation Commission. (He didn’t mention Amtrak).

ESPA Susquehanna Co-ordinator Ben Gottfried and his Associate Doug Kadow gave a poignant power point presentation on rail service on the ex-Lackawanna Route and current goals for the I-81 Corridor Coalition, which hopes to start a website.

The meeting ended on a high.  While the national scene involving Amtrak remains very uncertain, our State’s new High Speed Rail Task Force and NARP’s new vision provided welcome cause for optimism. 

Frank Barry

Hudson Valley Projects Detailed

On January 26th the New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) outlined results of a joint users study to identify specific projects to improve rail service between New York and Albany. The study resulted from NYSDOT’s interest in bringing more freight into New York City by rail, according to Paul Pastecki, Acting Chief of the Rail and Port Program Delivery Bureau. This led to efforts by each of the line’s four current users--Metro-North, Amtrak, CSX and Canadian Pacific--to project its growth in service levels during the next 20 years.

When these projections were made in 2002, Amtrak assumed a 61% increase in Amtrak service by 2022, while Metro-North projected a 13% increase (22 new trains). CP freight service was assumed to increase from 1 to 6 trains, and CSX from 9 to 22.  The study aimed to identify specific improvements needed to make these increases viable.

This began with a charette, or brainstorming session of 15 operating personnel representing each of the users. “It was hands off for management,” Pastecki said; “We wanted to hear from the people who work on the railroad every day and know exactly where the problems are.” The “common sense” projects they came up with were then subjected to computer simulations to determine which had the biggest impact and were most cost effective.

The following projects emerged:
Near Term (2005-2009)
•Croton-Poughkeepsie: New high capacity signal system for shorter headways between trains. ($76.8 mil.)
•Hudson: “Mini High Level” platforms (on curve) for both tracks, with overpass ($6.6 mil.)
•Poughkeepsie: Move all yard tracks to East side of main with powered switches and capacity for 15 trainsets; add 3 miles of third track by upgrading siding ($55.4 mil.)
•Hyde Park: New crossover (80MPH) ($8.7 mil.)

Mid Term (2010-2014)
•Spuyten Duyvil: Double track Harlem River bridge on line to Penn Station ($62.5 mil.)
•Tarrytown: pocket track and crossovers to allow local trains reversing direction to get off main tracks ($47.6 mil.)
•New crossovers near Tivoli (80mph), and Castleton (45mph) ($17.8 mil.)

Longer Term
•Cold Spring-Beacon-New Hamburg: 7 miles of new third track ($84.3 mil.).
•Stuyvesant: new 3rd track (2 mi.) and crossovers to allow waiting space for freights to and from CSX Hudson River Bridge. ($34.8 mil.)

Total cost for all defined projects: $395 mil.

Additional improvements were suggested for Rensselaer for which no costs were available:
•Add 4th platform and track.
•Extend current platforms to accommodate longer trains.
•Expand yard capacity.
•Provide power switches for wye and freight bypass.

These projects are designed primarily to increase frequency and reliability rather than decreasing running time. However the study assumed they would enable Amtrak to run one turboliner non-stop express in 1 hour, 59 minutes. (The fastest time ever was 2 hours, 8 minutes in 1987-88).

The $900,000 study was managed by Metro-North and conducted by Systra Consulting and Engineering with funds from NYSDOT and the four user railroads. Although major funds have yet to be allocated, DOT and Metro-North are jointly contributing $10.8 million for the engineering study for the newCroton-Poughkeepsie signals, according to Pastecki. All users will benefit. 

Frank Barry

NYSDOT Drafts Transportation Master Plan

The New York State Department of Transportation has drafted a 25-year master plan for transportation in New York State. It gives much attention to highways but recognizes that relying on construction of new infrastructure to meet future demand is “not feasible.” It predicts strong growth in freight shipping, as more and more Asian goods are shipped across the country from West Coast ports. This will cause increasing congestion in all modes, so the state must focus on better management and utilization of existing facilities, according to the Plan.

This will be done in part by designating and planning strategy for major multimodal corridors based on freight movement, intercity passenger, tourist and commuter travel. Municipal Planning Organizations, transportation providers, local governments, major customers and stakeholders will participate in this process. So far the following corridors have been identified (by highway designations): I-87, I-90, I-81, I-86/NYS-17, I-390, I-88, I-84/684, I-190, I-95 and I-495.  Beyond highways the plan describes ways to make public transportation more responsive in order to increase its travel share. Strategies include some expansion of service, a statewide “smart card” program, improved connections to airports and rail stations, adequate parking at boarding points, improved bus service and better co-ordinated connections. The plan proposes “seamless transportation” with easy transfers between modes.

Much attention is given to the downstate region where population is increasing and capacity constraints are most severe. Strategies include improving rail and bus access to New York City through the East Side Access from Long Island as well as better rail and bus access from Orange and Rockland Counties and New Jersey. Other projects include the 2nd Avenue Subway and rail access from Long Island to downtown Manhattan. Triple tracking the Long Island mainline from Queens to Hicksville “is currently under study.”

“With few exceptions Upstate has adequate capacity to meet its transportation needs well into the 21st century,” according to the Plan.  Upstate strategies must “sustain and strengthen the region’s..urban centers while meeting..the changing demands of..rural areas and growing suburbs.” Improvements to upstate rail passenger service “will continue to be explored,” including development of intermodal rail stations and new stations. Improvements in quality and quantity of service will be pursued “in partnership with the federal government.” Reducing travel time by rail between New York and Albany will “continue as a priority.” No specific projects are listed west of Schenectady.

ESPA President Bruce Becker wrote a response congratulating the Department for its vision of a seamless system but said ESPA is “extremely disappointed” that the plan “does not fully acknowledge the role of intercity passenger rail...especially west of Albany.” ESPA will work to ensure that the State goes beyond “exploring” rail passenger improvements Upstate so improvements actually occur by 2030. 

Frank Barry

FY 2007 Amtrak Funding Fight Begins

President Bush threw down the gauntlet for the annual fight over Amtrak’s budget by proposing to cut its funding by more than 30% when he presented his 2007 budget on February 6th. Of the $900 million he proposed, approximately one third would have to go for debt service, leaving $600 million for operations and capital expenditures including urgent projects on the Northeast Corridor. Last year operating expenses alone totaled $570 million. Only $490 million are allocated for operations in 2006--a difficult goal to achieve, meaning the $900 million figure would require either a massive elimination of trains or of food, sleeper and baggage service, or a halt to nearly all the urgent rehabilitation now underway.  Ross Capon, of the National Association of Railroad Passengers, calls it a “shutdown budget.”

Actually this is the same amount Bush proposed in 2004 and 2005, but Congress added sufficient funds to keep nearly all trains running and to undertake substantial repairs each year. Last year Bush offered no funds at all in an attempt to force Congress to carry out reforms.

“The Administration believes Amtrak, working with DOT, could achieve needed savings by.... phasing out costly overnight trains and restructuring its train schedules to emphasize regular short trips,” according to the budget document. This would of course eliminate the current extensive train travel between New York and Florida, including Autotrain, as well as the Lake Shore Limited, which links New York State with the West.

The Office of Management and Budget (OMB), which develops the Presidential budget, has produced a system for rating government programs in terms of performance (http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/expectmore). It lists Amtrak as “Ineffective"--a rating given to only 4% of all programs it has rated. It says this results in part because “Amtrak’s purpose is ambiguous...Congress has not specified whether Amtrak should: 1) provide alternative transportation nationwide at any cost, 2) maximize ridership, or 3) take a business based approach focused on minimizing losses.” It says “We are working with Congress to develop legislation that better articulates the Federal policy on intercity passenger rail, including Amtrak’s mission and goals,” as well as with Amtrak’s Board to increase accountability. Based on OMB’s past positions it seems unlikely they will support either of the first two options.

Some in Congress reacted quickly: 27 Republican House members signed a letter to Budget Committee Chairman Jim Nussle urging adequate funding for Amtrak. The letter had six more signatures than a similar letter last year.  New York Reps. Peter King, Sue Kelly, John Sweeney, Sherwood Boehlert and James Walsh signed both letters; John McHugh of Jefferson County signed last year’s letter, but sent his own letter this year. John Kuhl, still in his first term, signed the letter for the first time this year. This response is heartening because many other programs are being cut as well. (New York’s other two Republican Representatives Tom Reynolds and Vitto Fossella have not signed any pro-Amtrak letters since ESPA started keeping track five years ago.)

The public has left little doubt about where it stands. A Harris poll released on February 8 found that the American people clearly want more opportunity to travel by rail. 

The Administration’s 2007 budget would increase highway funding by $762 million (2%) while cutting rail funding by $418 mil. (27.8%)---just the opposite of what the public wants, and hardly responsive to the President’s expressed concern about America’s “addiction to oil.”

On March 7 the House subcommittee that funds transportation held its first hearing. Regarding Amtrak, Chairman Joe Knollenberg (R., Mich.) said, “I support reform. We’re going to push that hard.”

Ranking Member John Olver, (D., Mass.) said, “If President Bush took his comments about imported oil seriously, maybe we would already have a rail passenger network.”

When Olver asked Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta how Amtrak could pay its nearly $300 million in debt service, Mineta said, “I don’t think it was ever anticipated that debt would come from appropriated funds” (in fact Amtrak’s debt service has been funded this way for several years). Mineta also claimed Amtrak pays interest “at Treasury rates as low as you can get;” actually Amtrak pays very high interest on some of its debt.

On the Senate side, Senator Trent Lott (R., Miss.), who chairs the surface transportation subcommittee, pledged at a January 18 news conference to push for a full Senate vote this year on S-1516, his Amtrak authorization bill. He said part of his goal will be to “put a little pressure on the Administration, because I don’t think their proposal has any credibility at all.” He also said he wants to pressure the House to pass its counterpart bill.

Bush’s extensive budget cuts will make budgeting extremely difficult because so many other programs will be competing to restore their cuts.  It is extremely important that members of Congress hear from constituents regarding Amtrak.

Frank Barry (from NARP Hotline, Newsletter and other sources)

Ambitious Agenda for New York City Regional Rail Discussed at Annual Meeting

A quick overview of ESPA activities in support of “Regional Rail” in the NY metropolitan area was given by Manhattan Coordinator George Haikalis, at the Annual Meeting on March 11, 2006.  An informal collaboration of representatives from ESPA, the New Jersey Association Of Railroad Passengers (NJ-ARP), the Lackawanna Coalition and other transit advocates meet on a monthly basis as the “Regional Rail Working Group”
(RRWG).  The group maintains a website http://www.rrwg.org that describes activities and proposals.  Meetings are held the third Wednesday of each month in Lower Manhattan, and all ESPA members are welcome.

The group’s key mission is to advance proposals for converting the commuter rail lines serving the Manhattan business district into a “Regional Rail” system, with frequent service and fully integrated fares. By better using existing lines that converge on Penn Station, a “hub” can be established that permits these rail lines to offer many more travel options for motorists who have no choice but to use congested highways.  The Penn Station Metro-Hub plan, the group’s first initiative, has been presented to the heads of NJ Transit and LIRR, and the planning director at MTA.  Numerous presentations have made to local officials and civic organizations.  A key component of the plan is the establishment of a direct one-seat ride service from Penn Station to JFK Airport, reactivating the disused LIRR Rockaway Cut-off in Central Queens.  A talented graduate student in Urban Planning at Columbia University has recently been engaged as an Intern to assist the RRWG in this effort. The broad right of way can be used for the rail line, and also can accommodate bike and walking trails, other public open space and noise barriers to minimize community impacts.

The RRWG is advancing the Upper Level Loop Alternative (ULLA) for bringing LIRR commuter’s to Manhattan’s busy East Midtown area.  ULLA would use five existing platform tracks that lead to the Upper Level loop at Grand Central Terminal.  With 46 platform tracks, Grand Central is the world’s largest railway station.  ULLA has significant advantages over the MTA plan for a deep cavern station, some 150 feet below Park Avenue, which has a $6.3 billion price tag, and lacks full funding. According to a study prepared by the Delcan Corporation, a leading Canadian engineering firm, ULLA can be constructed three years sooner, saving $1.2 billion in cost.  ULLA would save LIRR commuters three to four minutes, each way, per trip, when compared with the MTA plan, and avoids the unnecessary risk associated with a deep cavern station.  RRWG members are actively promoting this plan, meeting with elected officials and business interests.

The third key initiative of RRWG is to advance “Alternative G”, a plan developed by NJ Transit, MTA and the PANYNJ as part of their Access to the Region’s Core (ARC) study of new rail capacity across the Hudson River. That plan would link NYC’s two main railway stations, Penn Station and Grand Central. In the major investment phase of this study, Alternative G was compared with a deep cavern station similar to one now proposed by NJ Transit adjacent to the existing Penn Station. The study found that Alternative G would have lower capital and operating cost, attract more passengers, divert more motorists and save more travel time. For the plan to successfully use the new cross-Hudson capacity it would require full cooperation between MTA and NJ Transit, with through running of trains, like Philadelphia’s Center City Connection. Both transit operations have balked at cooperating, and the riders (and taxpayers) will suffer.  Alternative G would not only allow West-of-Hudson travelers, including those from Orange and Rockland Counties in New York, to gain direct access to East Midtown destinations, it would also permit riders from the Bronx, Westchester, and Connecticut to reach the growing West Midtown developments, as well as Newark Airport and other travel destinations in NJ.  The Boston-Washington Northeast Corridor could be routed through both of Manhattan’s main business centers, increasing the attractiveness of this service in competing with air shuttle passengers.  The RRWG is meeting with numerous elected officials, and also with campaign staffs of announced candidates for Governor of New York, to make the case for two-state cooperation to gain this, the “mother of all train station connections”.

George Haikalis, ESPA Manhattan Coordinator

Schenectady Plans Station Improvements

A $200,000 contract has been awarded to a Philadelphia firm to design a revamped train station in Schenectady. The Capital District Transportation Authority (CDTA), which managed the Rensselaer and Saratoga Station projects, will manage this as well. The engineering firm will make recommendations to improve the station and linkages to CDTA bus service. The firm may recommend minor repairs or major rebuilding and expansion or something in between. A regional improvement plan recommends up to $7 million for rail station improvements in 2007 and 2008.

Kise, Straw and Kolodner of Philadelphia, which won the contract, will be assisted by local technicians from Creighton Manning Engineering Associates. Funds for their work will come from a $1.1 million federal grant obtained by Congressman Michael McNulty (D, Green Island). The remainder of the grant will fund administrative costs and immediate repairs to the station, owned by Amtrak. 

(from 2/24 Cathy Woodruff article in Albany Times Union)

Bush Reappoints Amtrak Board Members

Early in January President Bush re-appointed Floyd Hall and Enrique Sosa, Amtrak Board Members whose terms had expired. Again he used the recess appointment method, which allows appointment for one year only without Senate confirmation when Congress is in recess. They were first appointed in this manner last year when the Senate failed to act on their confirmation.  The Board now has four of the seven mandated members, which constitutes a quorum according to the Administration.

Revenue Management Expanded for Acelas

On February 6 Amtrak broadened the range of Acela fare level “buckets” from 3 to 5, adding a new fare about 15% above the previous high level and another about 15% below the lowest level. As a result, those who book early can now save 15% while those who book late will likely pay 15% more.  The same range of levels applies to Metroliners, although they have more fares in the lower buckets. This “Revenue Management” approach is widely used by airlines.

Thruway Killington Connection Ends

The Thruway bus linking the New York-Rutland Ethan Allen with the Killington Resort has been discontinued due to losses and logistical problems with pickups at numerous ski lodges. However skiers can still get individual taxi transfers for $40 provided by the Resort or take the $2 Diamond Run Express bus from the transit center a short distance from the station

USDOT Moves to Collect More From NE States For Usage of Amtrak Corridor

The US Department of Transportation (DOT) has sent invoices to the eight Northeast Corridor States totaling $59 million for use of the Northeast Corridor by local transit agencies. The proceeds will be turned over to Amtrak, according to a DOT official quoted in a February 27 New York Times article by Matthew Wald. This amount is small in comparison to Amtrak’s total budget, and when divided among the eight states it is less than the average of over $10 million that states pay for less frequent, slower regional trains outside the Northeast Corridor.

But it has created a firestorm among the corridor states, all of which provide extensive funding for rail transit and already pay Amtrak for use of its tracks and stations through negotiated contracts. Adding insult to injury, DOT announced in the February 10th Federal Register that it may deduct the designated amount from federal transit grants awarded to any state that doesn’t pay.

Amtrak’s 2006 appropriation legislation requires DOT to “determine and assess appropriate fees for the commuter railroads based on” use. But the American Public Transportation Association (APTA) is protesting. It points out that the Congressional Conferees’ report says Conferees expect DOT to establish these fees “through an open and transparent process that seeks to the maximum extent possible to yield a consensus (among) all stakeholders.” But “such a process has not occurred..,” APTA President William Millar wrote in a January 31 letter to Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta. A February 9th letter from the governors of Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware to Mineta also said DOT had not been “open and transparent” in explaining the added charges.

On February 22nd APTA’s Chief Counsel wrote to the Federal Transit Administration challenging its legal basis for deducting payments to Amtrak from FTA grants: “We find no authority in this provision to make grant conditions designed to enforce other laws.”

Wald’s New York Times article exposed other inconsistencies as well. For example, Amtrak charges 90¢ per car mile for use of its tracks by Connecticut’s Shore Line East trains east of New Haven, but pays only 18¢/car mile for its own use of Connecticut-owned Metro-North tracks west of New Haven.

The whole issue may result from a larger inconsistency--resentment by states in other parts of the country who are asked to pay the full operating deficit for their regional trains while Northeast Corridor states pay no such charge for much more service. But New Jersey Transit representative Dan Stessel told the Times that New Jersey has invested over $100 million a year in capital costs to upgrade Amtrak tracks within that state. 

Frank Barry

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