» November - December 2009 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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November - December 2009

Vol. 33, No. 6

The View from the Cab

The Wait Continues…In case you haven’t already heard, the Federal Railroad Administration has postponed the announcement of the first round of ARRA funding grants.

In statement released October 6th, FRA Administrator Joseph Szabo stated: “We have received numerous applications from states and groups of states for the development of high-speed and intercity passenger rail programs for grant funding from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.  These include 45 applications from 24 states totaling approximately $50 billion to advance high-speed rail corridor programs. We also received 214 applications from 34 states totaling $7 billion for corridor planning and smaller projects. Due to the overwhelming response and our desire to lay the groundwork for a truly national high-speed and intercity passenger rail program, we will be announcing all awards this winter. Our selections will be merit-based and will reflect President Obama’s vision to remake America’s transportation landscape. We look forward to further evaluating these proposals and spurring economic development while providing Americans with clean, energy-efficient transportation choices in the years and decades to come.”

This comes as quite a disappointment, as most observers had expected that at least a portion of the ‘Track One’ grants would have been awarded by now, enabling many smaller projects to go out to bid over the winter and then actually start construction in the spring. And for the various state DOT staff’s (very much including New York’s) that worked hard and long over the summer to meet the application deadlines, this delay takes on a particular irony.

BUT, Let’s Stay Positive…The announcements will be coming in only a couple months and as I have stated previously, I believe that New York is well positioned to receive significant funds that will make a real difference.

I draw your attention to the enclosed Special Appeal letter, the first such special fund raising effort by ESPA in several years. More so now then ever we need your financial assistance so we can continue to focus our advocacy efforts intensively at the state level and insure that the positive momentum of the past year is not lost in the profound financial challenges facing Albany. Thank you in advance for your generous contributions to help ESPA attain our goals.

And as the holiday season approaches, I extend my best wishes to you for a Happy Thanksgiving and a joyful month of December.

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

ESPA Testifies on Capital Plan at Senate Transportation Hearing

On Friday, October 30, State Senator Martin Dilan (D, Brooklyn), Chairman of the Senate’s Standing Committee on Transportation, held the second of four scheduled public hearings in Buffalo, focused on the recently released NYSDOT FY 2010 – 2015 Capital Program. The first hearing had been held in Syracuse the previous day, with two other hearings now scheduled for Long Island and Albany during November.

ESPA President Bruce Becker was afforded the opportunity to provide both verbal and written testimony to the Committee. On a very positive note, the desirability of investment in high speed rail for upstate New York and the need for meaningful improvements in passenger rail service were part of the testimony of several of the other witnesses that spoke at the hearing.

In his testimony, Becker applauded Senator Dilan for his recent trip to Washington in support of New York’s bid to receive significant funding fr om the $8.0 billion ARRA high speed rail grant program. Becker also acknowledged the outstanding work of the NYSDOT staff in preparing and submitting the state’s 39 ARRA funding applications.

In specifically addressing the proposed Capital Program, Becker commented on two areas of particular concern to ESPA:

•The plan calls for a total state investment of only $300 million over the five year period, representing a mere 1.2% of the total proposed capital investment of more than $25 billion in all of the state’s transportation modes. This is an average of just $60 million per year. Based on the required 20% state match for future anticipated federal passenger rail capital funding programs, this $300 million would be able to leverage only a potential maximum of $1.5 billion in combined federal and state dollars.

In that the state’s currently submitted applications for ARRA based grant funding totals over $11 billion, it is clear that the proposed $300 million in state funding would be woefully inadequate to leverage and match the federal dollars necessary to advance the state’s goal of doubling intercity rail passenger volumes by 2020. Accordingly, ESPA strongly urges that the annual state capital funding level for passenger rail be increased to at least $250 million, thus allowing for a potential total investment of more than $6.0 billion over the five year period.

The capital plan specifically does not include the proposed state funding for high speed passenger rail in the list of ‘core program’ investment elements, which are, in part, defined as: “investments intended to maintain the system in the best condition possible…to improve the infrastructure toward a State Of Good Repair…(and) include investments in existing rail”. Instead the proposed high speed rail funding is characterized as an ‘enhancement’ investment element, which is defined as: “providing funding for new activities and projects that improve the system above existing levels”.

However the plan specifically addresses the inadequacies of the current existing rail infrastructure for passenger service, particularly on the route west of Albany to Buffalo and Niagara Falls, and states that: “rail infrastructure deficiencies have become increasingly apparent. Limited capacity, obsolescence and other obstacles render the existing system unreliable and inconvenient…passenger service on the Empire Corridor West is slow and cannot presently compete with other modes.”

It is ESPA’s contention that the proposed funding for high speed rail readily qualifies as a vital ‘core program’ element and if the state is indeed committed to the long-range vision of high speed rail being a catalyst for improved mobility and commerce, then the necessary expenditures must viewed as such a core need. In addition, given the state’s precarious financial picture, ESPA is very concerned that programs defined as ‘enhancements’ would likely be the first to be sacrificed if funding for the five-year capital plan is not fully available.

Chairman Dilan thanked Becker for his testimony and he assured all those in attendance at the hearing that he is committed to the adoption of a comprehensive Capital Program plan which would include the goals of high speed rail for the state.

Bruce B. Becker

NYSDOT Submits ‘Track Two’ Application

Meeting the second deadline in two months, NYSDOT submitted its ARRA Track Two Service Development Program application to FRA on October 2nd.  The comprehensive application, which outlines multi-year expenditures totaling $11.6 billion through 2017, lays out a vision for a vastly improved passenger rail system to be accomplished through steady incremental infrastructure improvements, a new fleet of equipment, reduced trip times and increased frequencies.

Significant capital projects outlined in the application include:
•The ‘third track initiative’ across upstate.
•Acquisition of the current CSX right of way between Poughkeepsie and Schenectady
•Double tracking the Spuyten Duyvil bridge and improving Metro North’s CP12 at the north end of the Empire Connection.

The supporting 2018/2030 operating plan for the corridor envisions reducing overall trip times by as much as 90 minutes fr om the current Buffalo-Depew to New York travel time of 7 hours, 50 minutes, reducing it to 6 hours, 25 minutes. Times fr om Syracuse would be cut by roughly an hour, down to 4 hours, 35 minutes for the trip to New York.

Frequencies are envisioned to increase to 16 round trips between New York and Albany by 2018 and to 22 by 2030. Service to Buffalo would grow to 6 round trips by 2018 and to 11 by 2030. By 2018 service expansions are contemplated to Saratoga Springs with 4 daily round trips and to Geneva with the daily introduction of service to this city.

Corridor fleet requirements for the projected 2018 service levels include over 100 coaches and café cars and 25 locomotives, growing to over 140 cars and 33 locomotives by 2030.

The complete Track Two application documents can be viewed at the NYSDOT website.

As has been announced, FRA is currently reviewing all the applications submitted to date fr om across the country and intends to award all of the ARRA funded grants, in all four funding tracks, at one time during the coming winter months. 

Bruce B. Becker

NYSDOT Releases Five Year Capital Plan

On October 8th Acting State Transportation Commissioner Stanley Gee submitted to Governor Paterson the Department’s proposed FY 2010 – 2015 Capital Program plan document. Totaling more than $25.8 billion in proposed spending, the plan lays out a vision for infrastructure investment in state and local highways and bridges, intercity passenger and freight rail, suburban and upstate transit systems, ports and airports.

Not surprisingly, the plan’s spending is predominantly targeted at highway and bridge ‘state of good repair’ projects. The recent emergency closure of the Crown Point Bridge between New York and Vermont highlights the increasingly precarious condition of many bridges across the state.

The plan specifically calls for a state investment of $300 million in high speed rail and another $340 million for freight rail and port projects over the five year program period. The proposed $300 million for passenger improvements is planned to be primarily used in providing the necessary twenty percent state match which will be required for all post-ARRA funding for passenger projects, as prescribed in last year’s Passenger Rail Investment and Improvement Act (PRIAA), Amtrak’s long-delayed reauthorization legislation. The Capital Program document does not provide specific details on how the state funds would be spent, other then referencing the ‘third track initiative’ to increase capacity and speeds across upstate as part of the overall high speed rail initiative. The goal of doubling statewide intercity passenger rail ridership by 2020 is stated as a driving objective of the improvements to be made.

The Capital Program lists the vast bulk ($23.7 billion) of the overall proposed spending (including the $340 million for freight rail and ports) as core investment elements, which indicates that they would be given the highest priority for full funding.

But of obvious critical concern to passenger rail interests, the Capital Program specifically excludes the proposed $300 million for high speed rail fr om this core element list, instead characterizing this spending as an ‘enhancement’ investment element.

Please see the related article on ESPA’s response to the proposed Capital Program.

The complete proposed Capital Program can be viewed and downloaded fr om the NYSDOT web site. 

Bruce B. Becker

Rail Supporters Unite in Erie

A group of interested citizens and passenger rail advocates fr om across northwestern Pennsylvania has come together this fall to form ‘All Aboard Erie’. This new organization’s mission is to improve and expand rail service at Erie in the near term and to have the Buffalo to Cleveland rail line segment designated a federal High Speed Rail corridor, thus allowing for future longer-term investment and development.

Erie is currently served solely by the Lake Shore Limited, providing a middle-of-the-night westbound stop and an early morning eastbound stop. Erie is fortunate that its historic downtown New York Central era station is in excellent condition and while Amtrak currently only uses a small portion of the building for a compact, caretaker-attended, waiting room and platforms, the facilities could easily accommodate higher passenger volumes in the future. Advocates in both New York and Ohio have long promoted the desirability of extending one of the current Empire Corridor trains to Cleveland (with a stop in Erie) as an initial step forward.

In looking at the map of the currently designated high speed corridors, the missing ‘gap’ through Erie would be an obvious positive addition to the future national network; if included, it would unite Buffalo (at the west end of the Empire Corridor) with Cleveland (at the east end of the Chicago Hub network and the north end of the proposed Ohio ‘3-C’ corridor). It would also provide an opportunity for future high speed service between many additional significant city pairs, ultimately linking New York and Boston to Chicago. A similar initiative is also underway to have the Pittsburgh to Cleveland segment designated a high speed corridor.

‘All Aboard Erie’ has already held several public awareness events and rallies, which have generated considerable media coverage and support fr om both business and elected representatives in the area. ESPA has lent its full support to ‘All Aboard Erie’s’ efforts, as has our sister passenger advocate organization ‘All Aboard Ohio’. Plans are now being formulated for the coordination of a three-state publicity and public outreach campaign in the coming months in support of the initiative. 

Bruce B. Becker

Geneva Service Proposal Advances

The proposal by the Finger Lakes Railway calling for a new Amtrak train frequency to operate west of Albany, through Syracuse, and originating/terminating in Geneva, continues to advance.

Seneca County, NY, acting as the government lead agency for the overall infrastructure improvement proposal, submitted a grant application in mid-September to the USDOT under the Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) program, totaling $17.5 million. The TIGER program, a component of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, encompasses $1.5 billion in discretionary grant funds for capital investments in surface transportation infrastructure to be awarded by the U.S. Department of Transportation.

The ‘Finger Lakes Regional Rail Infrastructure Improvement Program’, as the project is now formally called, includes the purchase of the 14.5 mile currently out-of-service ex-NYC, Norfolk Southern line extending south fr om the CSX main line connection at Lyons to just north of Geneva and improvements to bring this line up to FRA class III standards, permitting passenger speeds up to 59mph. In addition, the program calls for improvements at Geneva to support the proposed passenger service and it would also fund a number of other freight rail service improvements on the Finger Lakes Railway system.

ESPA has written a letter of support for the program application to DOT Secretary Ray LaHood, noting that the return of passenger service to this Finger Lakes community would be a boon for upstate tourism, in addition to allowing for the addition of a long-sought additional Amtrak frequency serving Syracuse. USDOT has until February 17, 2010 to announce the projects which have been selected for funding under the TIGER program. 

Bruce B. Becker

FY09 Ridership and Revenues Drop

The combined effects of the recession on both business and leisure travel led to an overall 6.0% drop in Empire Corridor ridership for the FY 2009 year, which ended on September 30. Overall corridor revenues were down 10.1% for the year.

All corridor services saw ridership losses compared to 2008, with the Ethan Allen down 0.3%; West of Albany trains down 4.2%; the Adirondack down 6.6%; and the Hudson Valley trains down 6.9%. The Lake Shore Limited was down 3.2% for the year.

However, the 2009 results compared favorably to 2007, with overall Corridor ridership up 1.8% over two years ago. Only the Hudson Valley service saw a drop in 2009 ridership below 2007 levels. West of Albany trains carried 17.7% more passengers in 2009 then 2007; the Ethan Allen saw a 6.4% increase and the Adirondack carried 3.5% more. The Lake Shore was also up 7.0% over 2007.

Revenues fell across the board in 2009, with overall Corridor ticket revenue down $7,178,961. Though again, compared to 2007, the 2009 results were positive, with overall revenue up 1.6% over the period two years ago.

Empire Corridor on time performance for the year through August 2009 stood at 75.6%, an improvement of 11.8% over the prior year. The Lake Shore continued its OTP improvement, with YTD results of 74.7%, up 16.6%. 

Bruce B. Becker

Amtrak Releases Strategic Guidance and Five Year Financial Plan

Amtrak released a new Strategic Guidance and a fiscal year 2010-2014 Five Year Financial Plan on October 29th.  The two documents combined create a new vision that supersedes Amtrak’s 2005 Strategic Reform Initiatives and conform Amtrak’s goals to congressional legislation adopted in 2008 and 2009.

The Strategic Guidance outlines the opportunities and challenges facing Amtrak in the new passenger rail environment where states have the primary role in developing new or expanded intercity and high-speed rail service. It establishes six broad goals: to be safer, greener and healthier, and to improve financial performance, customer service, and meet national needs. Key performance indicators are created to measure progress.

The FY 2010-2014 Five Year Financial Plan for the first time provides substantially detailed financial projections for Amtrak’s revenue, operating costs, capital programs and debt service obligations.  Among the specific goals to be accomplished by the end of fiscal year 2014 are the following: increase ridership by 15 percent, grow ticket revenue by 20 percent, expand service on eight existing state-supported corridors, form two new state partnerships, and improve reliability of service across the railroad.

According to the Financial Plan, authorized funding will grow fr om $1.49 billion in fiscal year 2009 to $2.25 billion in the final year. In the same period, authorized capital funding is scheduled to rise fr om $655 million to $1.3 billion and the authorized operating grant would grow fr om $475 million to $631 million. Congress has not yet actually appropriated funds for the fiscal years covered by the new plan.

For the 2009-2014 period, the financial plan indicates new equipment needs of 130 single-level long distance coach-type cars, 20 single-level cab cars and 20 electric locomotives. Amtrak has already issued RFPs for the coach-type cars and locomotives, with contract awards slated for the first quarter of 2010.

The new financial plan does not identify the eight current state partners targeted for passenger service expansion or the two new state partnerships. 

Amtrak Launches New Improved Website

Amtrak is launching a newly designed Amtrak.com, with a number of features to make it even easier for customers to book tickets online. The enhanced Website has a fresh new look and feel with updated and reorganized content and functionality.

“The new Amtrak.com offers customers improved navigation to make access to needed information faster and more intuitive,” said Kathleen Gordon, senior director, e-Commerce. 

An enhanced fare-finder feature consolidates all booking functionality – reservations, train status, schedule search and the “My Trip” section – into a single dynamic menu. Customers can now find the train they want by sorting by departure time, lowest cost and trip time.

Yankee Stadium Service Update

Metro-North has operated trains directly to Yankee Stadium, fr om all three of its east of Hudson lines, for each Playoff and World Series game at the Stadium, located on the Hudson line in the Bronx.  Depending on the exact start time of the game, Metro-North has tailored its Hudson line schedule by adding two trains fr om either Croton or Poughkeepsie.  For example, for the World Series games, Metro-North added a train starting fr om Croton-Harmon, with just one stop at Tarrytown, then ending at Yankee Stadium.  This reduces crowding on other trains, as these two stations are the most popular stations for Yankee fans.  About 30-45 minutes after each game, Metro-North has run two trains fr om Yankee Stadium north on the Hudson line, in addition to regular Hudson line trains stopping at the Stadium station during and after the games.

Metro-North has also offered one direct train to the Yankee Stadium for playoff games fr om Southeast (Harlem line), with stops at all stations through Mount Vernon West.  Passengers can take other Harlem line trains to 125th Street, then transfer to Metro-North Shuttle trains to the Stadium. There have been two direct trains to Southeast operating after each playoff game.

Fr om New Haven, Metro-North has offered 2 trains direct to the stadium and 4 trains fr om the Stadium to the New Haven line after each game, with 2 of those trains operating non-stop to Stamford, then continuing to New Haven.  Note that before the opening the Yankee Stadium station, Metro-North indicated that it would not operate direct service for evening weekday games fr om the New Haven and Harlem lines, due to equipment needs for rush hour service and the need to cross many tracks in the Hub area of the Bronx necessary to access Yankee Stadium fr om the northern stations on the New Haven and Harlem lines.  Passengers are very pleased with the direct service to the stadium for evening games fr om all three Metro-North lines.

Gary Prophet

Vermont Rail Group Meets

The Vermont Rail Action Network held a well-attended annual meeting on September 30th in Rutland celebrating its success in convincing Vermont officials to continue support for the Ethan Allen passenger service fr om Albany, NY to Rutland, VT.  Wayne E. Davis, Chairman of Trainriders/Northeast was the featured speaker. Several state legislators were in attendance.

The 3,400 member Vermont group, headed by Executive Director Christopher Parker, seeks to educate the public and elected officials about the environmental and economic benefits of more investment in both passenger and freight rail. In addition to its successful campaign to save the Ethan Allen, the Network wants to extend intercity passenger service to Burlington fr om Rutland, re-establish service to Montreal and run commuter trains to Burlington and Essex Junction. On the freight side, the organization advocates building a new Rutland freight yard and upgrading Vermont tracks to handle the industry standard 286,000 pound rail cars.

Speaker Wayne Davis recounted the twenty year effort to restore passenger rail service to Maine.  The grassroots citizen organization he led worked for over 12 year to restore service between Portland and Boston culminating in the establishment of Amtrak’s highly successful Downeaster.  In the year ending September 30th, the Downeaster’s five daily roundtrips served over 460,000 passengers and generated over $6.5 million in ticket revenues.

Trainriders/Northeast’s 1,300 members continue to support both passenger and freight rail improvements in Maine, New Hampshire and Massachusetts. In addition to continued improvements for the Downeaster, the group is seeking passenger service expansion northward to Freeport, Brunswick and Augusta the state capital.

Anthony Ruddman

Dome Car Returns to Adirondack Service

For the third consecutive year, the Albany-Montreal route will see the dome car run northbound on Thursday, Saturday and Monday, returning southbound on Friday, Sunday and Tuesday. There is no extra charge to ride in the dome car and service will continue until November 10th.

According to Vice President Fremaux, the dome car was built in 1955 and conveyed to Amtrak in 1971. Refurbished by Amtrak in 1985 and 1999, the dome car has served on the east coast Auto-Train and the west coast Pacific Surfliners.  A special custom design exterior wrap appears on the car this year, promoting the 35th anniversary of the New York State-supported Adirondack service. Over 112,000 passengers utilized the service in 2008, an 11 percent increase in ridership.

The National Park Service Trails and Rails program is providing personnel to ride the dome and explain scenic and historic locations along the route.

State Transportation Commissioner Stanley Gee noted the importance of the Adirondack service to the tourism industry and travelers, as its Montreal – New York City route links two of the largest metropolitan areas in the U.S. and Canada. He noted passenger rail “is typically the most efficient mode of transportation in corridors of this length because of superior fuel efficiency, extremely low emissions per passenger mile and a reduction in highway congestion.”

According to Commissioner Gee, New York State has requested nearly $170 million in federal American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) funds to improve passenger rail service along the Adirondack route. He specifically mentioned requests for the Albany-Rensselaer station fourth track, the Livingston Avenue Bridge over the Hudson River, double-tracking between Albany and Schenectady, improvements to the Schenectady station, additional main-line track just south of Saratoga Springs and improvement at Rouses Point.

The Adirondack Service north of Albany is supported by New York State funding approved as part of the annual state budget. The current funding contract expires on March 31, 2010.

An article published in the Plattsburgh Press Republican on October 19th reinforced the importance of the Adirondack service.  Pierre Arcand, minister of international relations for the government of Quebec, said high speed rail service between Montreal and New York City is one key way to make North America’s first green transportation corridor. He said such a high speed line was one of the topics discussed by Quebec Premier Jean Charest and New York Governor David Paterson in an early October meeting.

Anthony Ruddman

Safety vs. Money: Today’s Positive Train Control Continues Century Old Battle

There is growing concern that the Obama Administration’s passenger rail renewal could be derailed by another federal effort to improve safety upon the rails by the mandated installment of positive train control (PTC) on virtually all main line track by 2015, a deadline which likely will be missed.

As reported in the Wall Street Journal, Amtrak has told the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) that the cost of such safety systems “may be so high as to not be undertaken and therefore result in the elimination of Amtrak service”.

Outside the Northeast Corridor very few Amtrak trains operate on lines equipped with the necessary systems, so a strict enforcement of the mandate would eliminate much passenger rail service, including long distance trains across most the nation.

The freight railroads and transit agencies are also pushing back, as freight railroads are required to install PTC on all lines that in addition to passenger trains, handle hazardous chemical, explosive or nuclear cargo. Cost of the new safety rules are estimated to be fr om $7 to $24 billion dollars, and according to the American Public Transportation Association, this would result in “increased fares, decreased service levels and deferral of state-of good-repair projects”.

The mandates gained support after the deadly front-end collision last year between a Metrolink commuter train and a UP freight train north of Los Angeles on the Coast Line. In response Congress passed the U.S. Rail Safety Improvement Act of 2008 that was signed into law by President George W. Bush.

PTC would use a combination of global positioning satellite technology (GPS) and trackside transponders to not only prevent collisions, but to replace or overlay the existing dispatching and signal systems to allow trains to run faster and closer together thereby increasing capacity in addition to safety.

It would supplement or replace the existing block-signal systems, allowing for more uniform braking by continually calculating the safe distance to a preceding train (or station stop) due to always knowing exactly where every train is, as well as its speed and operating characteristics.

When the system detects that an engineer has exceeded the speed limit, overrun a signal, or is in danger of collision with another train, it would override the engineer and either reduce speed or stop the train.

In fact PTC is the descendant of automatic train stop (ATS), automatic train control (ATC), and the cab signaling systems that where quite widespread on mainline American railroads before they where de-installed in the 1970s.

These systems were installed on many heavily trafficked mainlines starting in the 1920s on the orders of the Interstate Commerce Commission, which wanted to reduce the number of fatal accidents involving passenger trains.

By the 1970s however the freight railroads reached a number of agreements with the newly formed Amtrak and the FRA that had replaced the ICC as part of the federal deregulation of the rail industry, enabling them to abandon much of the aging ATS and ATC systems, relying on line side signals and Centralized Traffic Control (CTC) alone to protect trains.

Thus the situation that exists today where outside the Northeast Corridor and a few other lines such as the Hudson Line fr om New York City to Schenectady, these train control systems don’t exist.

The only PTC system currently operating in the US today is also on the NEC where the original cab signaling of the Pennsylvania Railroad has been supplemented by Advance Civil Speed Enforcement System (ACSES) manufactured by Alstom.

While performing the work of the older ATC including collision avoidance and speed control it also doesn’t rely alone on the engineer’s personal route knowledge, as it takes into account temporary speed restrictions and work crews. Installment was necessary to allow for the very high-speeds and tilting capabilities of the Acela.

Thus the current battle over PTC is nothing new, with government and private industry both weighing the long-term benefit of greater safety and efficiency against the short-term problem of significant financial cost, and coming up with different answers. 

Benjamin J. Turon

Distraction of Drivers a Rail Safety Factor

Operation Lifesaver, Inc. says federal statistics show that inattentive drivers contribute to approximately 3% of all vehicle-train crashes at highway-rail grade crossings. In addition, 20% of grade crossing collisions involve motor vehicles striking trains at a crossing. A total of 2,397 highway-rail grade crossing collisions occurred in 2008, resulting in 286 deaths and more than 900 injuries.

“Distracted driving can lead to serious consequences at highway-rail grade crossings,” said OLI President Helen M.Sramek. “In addition to the tragic deaths and injuries caused by car-train collisions, these events also are costly for communities. Emergency responders and roadways can be tied up for hours, keeping responders fr om other community emergencies and drivers fr om their jobs and homes.”

Federal Railroad Administration statistics show that in 78 of these vehicle-train collisions, the cause was listed as “highway user inattentiveness,”’ resulting in 14 deaths and 117 injuries. Through the first six months of 2009, there were 34 highway-rail grade crossing incidents caused by highway user inattentiveness, resulting in six deaths and 52 injuries.

Other FRA statistics show that in 488 of last year’s grade crossing collisions the vehicle ran into a train already present at the crossing. Of those crashes, more than 60% were at crossings equipped with either gates or flashing lights, while just over 33% occurred at crossings with either stop signs or crossbuck warning signs.

“Although these collisions may have other causes, text-messaging or other distractions may be contributing factors,” said Sramek. “In one incident reported by a major railroad, the motorist stopped on the track to answer the phone; another railroad notes that in more than 41% of the incidents where a vehicle hit a train, the vehicle did not stop.”

Railway Age

Vegas Bullet Train Project Moves Forward

While public efforts to enact high-speed rail service have received the national limelight this year, speared on by the Obama Administration’s $8 billion commitment to improvements in inter-city rail, a private effort may actually succeed in bringing the first world-class rail travel to these shores.

DesertXpress is a private plan to construct an entirely new high-speed rail line fr om Las Vegas to Southern California.  The corporation recently completely it’s $25 million environmental impact study and is set to raise financing fr om Wall Street in addition to federal loans. If all goes well, construction could begin next March.

The project is unique in that it will not connect city centers but instead operate on the ‘park and ride’ principle, providing a fast and reliable alternative to driving the entire length of Interstate 15, which has increasingly become more congested, resulting in delays of hours.

One third of the 38 million annual visitors to Las Vegas come fr om Southern California, and most make the trip on the four-lane I-15, the sole major highway connecting the city to the mega-region on the coast.

Also the airports in the two regions including LAX and Las Vegas McCarran International are nearing capacity and low budget flights may fall victim to more lucrative long distant flights. 

A report by the Brookings Institution notes that McCarran is one of the busiest short haul airports in the nation, shuttling millions of travelers fr om across the Intermountain West. Last fiscal year (ending March 2009) LA-Las Vegas flights carried about 3.7 million fliers.

In the future, demand for oil may outstrip production, leading to an increase in gasoline prices and airfares. An electric railway would be energy independent and environmentally friendly.

The line’s southern terminus of Victorville, California lies at the opposite end of the Cajon Pass fr om the LA Basin and Inland Empire, placing the station within an hour or less drive of 5 million people.

The station will be conveniently located adjacent to several highway interchanges. Drivers could avail themselves of valet parking, hotel check-in and baggage service direct to the resort of their choice.

The Las Vegas terminal will be located in or near downtown and will be a multi-modal facility with convenient access to rental cars, hotel shuttles, taxis, and the Las Vegas Monorail.

In the future the DesertXpress could provide direct access to the proposed Ivanpah Valley Airport at the state line with dedicated shuttle trains. A 49-mile extension to Palmdale, California fr om Victorville would provide direct access to California’s High-Speed Rail System with trains to and fr om Los Angeles, the Central Valley, and the Bay Area.

The new line would be completely grade-separated, double-track, and electrified. It would make extensive use of public lands including surplus right of way of I-15, paralleling it across the Mojave Desert.

The plan is for electric multiple unit trainsets, possibly a high-speed inter-city version of the Swedish Regina that is manufactured by Bombardier. Initial operations would include 16 sets with 10 cars seating 675 passengers.

Top speeds on the line would be 150mph; the 186 miles between the two terminals being covered in 1h 24m, with an average speed of 132mph. During the week there would be hourly departures fr om 6am to 10pm, increasing to a train every twenty minutes during peak periods on the weekend.

The cost of the entire project (design, infrastructure, and rolling stock) is projected to be about $4 billion. A one-way ticket of $50 is expected to attract an annual ridership of 10 million passengers, 87 percent diverted fr om the I-15 highway, representing a modal shift of 25 percent.

While $1.5 billion is to be raised by private equity investment the rest would likely come fr om the Railroad Rehabilitation and Improvement Financing Program of the Federal Railroad Administration.

The DesertXpress is not the only group with a plan for high-speed ground transport connecting Southern California with Las Vegas; the public-private partnership of the California-Nevada Interstate Maglev is a major competitor, a joint project between the American Magline Group, the German Transrapid Consortium, and the State of Nevada.

While maligned by Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal as the train fr om “Disneyland to Sin City”, it does have the advantage of directly connecting Anaheim and San Bernardino with Las Vegas, and of being much faster (300mph).

However it has been in the planning stage for more than a decade and doesn’t use proven off-the-shelf technology that is compatible with the rest of the country’s existing rail network. It is estimated to cost over $10 billion, in part fr om the unique technology but also fr om construction through Cajon Pass, a step that the DesertXpress found uneconomical for a privately financed project.

This summer the Maglev lost a key supporter in Senator Harry Reid who now expresses his support for the rival steel wheel on steel rail enterprise. The paramount advantage of the Desert Xpress is that it can be built now and will save money by connecting in the future with the California High-Speed rail System, a feature now championed by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Despite being founded this decade by Vegas entrepreneurs and old transit hands fr om LA, the DesertXpress now seems to have the advantage over its older rival.  If shovels hit the dirt next spring it may become impossible for the Maglev to keep its political support.

At any rate, the success of a privately built high-speed rail service would be the biggest proof of the concept that rail advocates could hope for, and a devastating blow to the critics of passenger rail. 

Benjamin J. Turon

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