Governor’s Veto of Gas Tax Increase Overridden

On Monday, February 25, 2008, the Minnesota Legislature voted for the first time to override a veto from Gov. Tim Pawlenty. The House voted 91-41 for the override, and the Senate followed shortly after by a vote of 47-20. A $6.6 billion transportation bill is now law.

Suspense over the weekend about whether there were 90 votes for the override subsided when it became clear during Monday’s session that the votes were there. That’s because many Republicans supported it. In the House, six Republicans broke ranks and voted with the Democrats for the increase. Republican Representative Jim Abeler of Anoka said it was time to get something done on transportation.

“It’s a grievous problem. A bridge fell down and we’re all moved to do the right thing, not out of emotion, but out of commitment to good work and principle,” said Abeler. “It’s a constitutional duty. Education and transportation and public safety are public duties.”

By fall, the gas tax will climb a nickel, to 25 cents per gallon. It will go up an additional 3-1/2 cents to pay off road bonds, though those increases would be spread out over the next five years and eventually roll back as debt is satisfied. The average state gasoline tax is 28.6 cents per gallon, according to the American Petroleum Institute (API), a national trade association that represents the oil and natural gas industry.

Pawlenty was furious, ripping in to the Democratic Farmer-Labor-Party (DFL) for the tax increase. He predicted the increase will be a major issue in the November election and said he expects a “tax revolt” among “hard-working Minnesotans” against the gas tax.

He also said it would cause problems with the budget, which is already expected to show a shortfall. Overriding a governor’s veto is extremely rare in Minnesota. In the 60 years from 1939 to 1999, there were only four successful overrides. During Jesse Ventura’s term in office from 1999 to 2003, there were nine. None of Pawlenty’s 36 previous vetoes had been overturned, including two before on transportation proposals. The legislature tried once before, and failed, to override a Pawlenty veto in 2003. After many hours of debate and considerable wrath among Republicans toward those who defected, the House vote passed. Rep. Shelley Madore, DFL-Apple Valley, said before the vote that she couldn’t help but think of a man from her district -- Peter Hausmann -- who died in the Minneapolis bridge collapse, leaving four children behind. “Is his life worth a nickel a gallon? I’m telling you it is,” she said. Dozens of sign-carrying supporters of the transportation bill swarmed outside the House chamber before the vote. Among them was construction worker Oscar Sletten of Owatonna, whose sign showed the wreckage of the collapsed bridge. “This is what happens when you ignore it,” Sletten said. Rep. Abeler said before the vote, “We have so many unsafe roads in my area with twists and turns-- on a rainy night I’m scared to drive down the roads. The people who die on those roads are teenagers in single-car accidents. If we don’t do something we will have some kid’s blood on our hands.” In addition, registration fees for new cars will go up, also rental car fees, and a 0.25 percentage point rise in the sales tax in the seven-county metropolitan area. Republicans who broke rank may lose some staff and committee positions. Abeler was philosophical about it: “This actually is evidence of what kind of member I am, that I’m willing to vote for what I believe.” Return to index

MPR Photo/Tom Scheck   DFL leaders Bernie Lieder, Crookston, Speaker Margaret Anderson Keilher, Minneapolis, and Tony Sertich, Chisholm, discuss the House’s override of the Governor’s veto of the transportation bill.

SAN MATEO, CA---Even in “car-crazed California” as the cliché goes, Amtrak ridership is accelerating in the face of soaring gas prices, ABC News reported this week.

“In San Mateo, Calif., $4 a gallon has become less of a shock and more of a reality. A Shell station here recently sold regular gas for $4.23 per gallon,” reported ABC. “I’ll drive farther and use more gas to not pay over $4 for gas,” ABC quoted one motorist as declaring.

But many others are heading towards the rail lines in California. Although the development has gotten little publicity in the general news media, California for more than a decade has been rebuilding what was once one of the nation’s most extensive passenger rail networks, and is even proposing to build a true high speed rail line Los Angeles-San Francisco to rival the world-class trains of Europe and Asia.

“Though the rest of the country isn’t seeing $4 gas yet,,” reported ANC News, “consumers are finally changing their behavior. In the last six weeks, according to new government data, Americans bought less gasoline than they did a year ago -- the first sustained drop of its kind in 16 years. So Americans are making adjustments. Last year, U.S. sales of hybrid cars -- using a combination of gasoline and electricity -- rose 39 percent. When buying conventional models, more Americans are choosing smaller 4- and 5-cylinder engines, reported the network.

“Even in California, where the car is king,” ABC reported, “Amtrak is selling more seats. In Chicago, ridership on Metro commuter trains is the highest in 24 years.”

‘Metro-North at 25’ at New York Transit Museum Annex
Grand Central Terminal

NEW YORK CITY --- MTA Metro-North Railroad, which commenced service in 1983 on the former New Haven and Harlem and Hudson rail lines, is exhibiting at the New York Transit Museum Gallery Annex “A Railroad Reborn: Metro-North at 25” now through July 6, 2008. 2008.

Through images and artifacts from the Museum’s collection and on loan from the railroad, “A Railroad Reborn...”, highlight the events of the past quarter century: “Over the past 25 years,” the railroad said in a statement, “Metro-North has revitalized the New Haven, Harlem and Hudson commuter lines by updating rolling stock, renovating historic stations and lines, and building new facilities. Also impressive is the increase in yearly rider ship that increased from 48 million 25 years ago to commuter numbers currently approaching 80 million annual riders.”

In a development more oriented to the future, MTA Director Elliot Sander announced this past week that under a new 40-year plan, “freight rail lines could be converted into subway lines, new regional train stops could open in the Bronx and a train could take passengers directly to LaGuardia Airport,” the Associated Press reported.

In a “State of the MTA” speech Monday, Metropolitan Transportation Authority executive director Elliot Sander proposed several long-range projects for the agency that runs the city’s subways, buses and suburban train lines, the AP reported, including use of dormant freight lines, a second “AirTrain” service connecting LaGuardia Airport to Brooklyn, light rail service on State Island, and new Metro-North stops in the Bronx.

To raise awareness of the vital role rail plays in our nation’s transportation system, Amtrak announced today that it will celebrate its first annual National Train Day during six weeks of celebrations culminating on Saturday, May 10, 2008. “With ridership growing to record levels, we continue to see a strong demand for rail travel as a link between growing communities,” said Alex Kummant, President and CEO of Amtrak. “Passenger and freight service is on the rise, and there’s never been a better time to celebrate the railroad industry and passenger rail service in the U.S.” Amtrak’s celebration of National Train Day will begin six weeks prior to May 10 with special promotions, events, partnerships and an advertising campaign.

On May 10 Amtrak will host events at four of its largest stations, Washington, New York, Chicago and Los Angeles, where visitors may take part in a variety of activities including live musical performances, exhibits, trip planning, VIP appearances and trip giveaways. Serving as spokesperson for National Train Day is television personality Al Roker. Mr. Roker will experience, first-hand, the benefits of rail travel when he travels from New York to Washington, by train, for the day’s festivities. “I’m thrilled to be a part of Amtrak’s National Train Day because as a native New Yorker, I can attest to the vital role trains play in our everyday lives,” Roker said. “Whether it’s a quick business trip or a leisurely vacation, the train is a great way to get there.”

May 10 is the anniversary of the completion of the first transcontinental railroad at Promontory Point, Utah in 1869. At Promontory Point, the east coast and west coast were connected for the first time by rail.

Photo: Charles R. Savage Completion of the Pacific Railroad, May 10, 1869. Harper’s Weekly engraving

GROWING POPULARITY: Amtrak’s ridership and revenue have never been stronger. During fiscal year 2007, more than 25.8 million passengers traveled on Amtrak, setting a record for the most passengers ever since Amtrak began operation in 1971. Total ticket revenue for fiscal year 2007 was more than $1.5 billion, an increase of 11 percent over the previous year. It was the fifth straight year of increases for Amtrak, and the trend continues. For the first quarter of fiscal year 2008, more than 7 million passengers traveled on Amtrak, an increase of 11 percent, and revenue was up 14.6 percent to more than $434 million. “Increasingly Americans are turning to rail to complement other modes of transportation,” said Kummant. “With more than 500 stations in 46 states, Amtrak is a relevant transportation option for many Americans whether they live in small towns or in large metropolitan areas.”

TRAVEL GREEN: More than just a convenient way to travel, Amtrak is also energy efficient. Traveling by rail contributes less per passenger mile to greenhouse gas emissions than either cars or airplanes. According to U.S. Department of Energy data, Amtrak is 17 percent more efficient than domestic airline travel and 21 percent more efficient than auto travel on a per-passenger-mile basis. When combined with all modes of transportation, passenger railroads emit only 0.2 percent of the travel industry’s total greenhouse gases. In addition, Amtrak is a charter member of the growing Chicago Climate Exchange*, the world’s first legally-binding integrated greenhouse gas reduction and trading system. When Amtrak joined the Exchange in 2003, it committed to cutting diesel emissions by 6 percent by 2010. This represents the largest percentage of reduction committed to in the United States on a voluntary basis and is the first commitment made by a transportation company. By choosing to travel by rail, Amtrak passengers are already a step ahead because the carbon footprint generated by their trip is smaller than that of most other modes of transportation.

*Chicago Climate Exchange (CCX), launched in 2003, is the world’s first and North America’s only active voluntary, legally binding integrated trading system to reduce emissions of all six major greenhouse gases (GHGs), with offset projects worldwide.

CCX Members are leaders in greenhouse gas (GHG) management and represent all sectors of the global economy, as well as public sector innovators. Reductions achieved through CCX are the only reductions made in North America through a legally binding compliance regime. The founder, Chairman and CEO of CCX is economist and financial innovator Dr. Richard L. Sandor, who was named a Hero of the Planet by Time Magazine in 2002 for founding CCX, and in 2007 as the “father of carbon trading.”

CCX emitting Members make a voluntary but legally binding commitment to meet annual GHG emission reduction targets. Those who reduce below the targets have surplus allowances to sell or bank; those who emit above the targets comply by purchasing CCX Carbon Financial Instrument ® (CFI ™) contracts.  

Peterborough Awarded High Speed Rail

PETERBOROUGH, ONTARIO, FEB 28 -- High-speed rail between Peterborough, Ontario, and Toronto could start running as early as 2010, reported the Toronto Star last week. Finance Minister Jim Flaherty said this project is part of a plan to provide $500 million to support investments in public transit. It will cost $88 million to upgrade the existing track and rail infrastructure to support high speed service for passenger and freight rail.

Some transit officials are upset that this funding was awarded to a project that serves a city of 80,000 when there are thousands of other transit-hungry commuters in the Greater Toronto area that could benefit from improved and expanded commuter rail service. The province has an $18 billion MoveOntario transit plan with a laundry list of projects and many leaders are disappointed that the budget didn’t include some of the other projects.

Nine hundred riders is the minimum number who would be served by the Peterborough link, according to Dean Del Mastro, Peterborough’s rookie Member of Parliament (MP), who has been working on this since he was elected in 2006 and is being credited locally for the strong push that got Flaherty’s support.

Photo: Fred Thornhill and The Toronto Star   Resident Dean Roberts and his dog Zeus walk past the former train station in Peterborough, recently renovated, on Feb. 27, 2008.

“The Greater Toronta Area should be absolutely celebrating this. It’s a great news story for everyone, right from Peterborough, through the Durham Region, right through downtown Toronto,” he said. He contends the train could take 500,000 cars a year off the road between Peterborough and Toronto. Based on *GO’s prices, he suggests a monthly pass for the 60- to 90-minute trip would cost about $500. Del Mastro said Canadian Pacific Railway has committed to pay a portion of the cost and Via Rail plans to provide passenger service. Via Rail shut down its Peterborough-to-Toronto rail line in 1990, citing a high per-passenger cost of operating the service. “This was the most significant federal infrastructure investment into our area since John A. Macdonald committed to the completion of the Trent-Severn Waterway,” Del Mastro told The Peterborough Examiner shortly after the budget speech. “Rail transit is environmentally friendly,” Flaherty said yesterday when questioned about the utility of the Peterborough-Toronto link. “This is an existing railway that is not being used for commuter traffic,” he added. “This is the way to go.” But no one, from the rail companies to Ontario Transportation Minister Jim Bradley, had details on exactly how the Peterborough train would operate. Michael Spenard, spokesperson for Canadian Pacific, couldn’t say where the new train might stop or how often it would run. “The furthest I could go is, we’re reviewing the budget and we’re looking at what kind of effect this would have on our operations.” [ *Greater Toronto Transit Authority (GO Transit) - Ed. ] Return to index

Massachusetts’ transportation officials are considering a possible new rail route between Worcester and Boston that could supplement existing commuter rail service, and provide new commuter service to West Boylston, Clinton and Lancaster.

Although the study began last fall by the state Executive Office of Transportation and the MBTA, no decision has been made whether the alternative commuter train line would be feasible.

Lt. Gov. Timothy P. Murray said he is encouraged by the initial reviews of the possible new commuter-train route from Worcester to Boston. “It’s in the preliminary stages. I think the EOTC officials are initially encouraged at the feasibility of this, but it is a long process.”

In February however, transportation officials undertook an examination of an existing freight line that runs north from downtown Worcester Union Station through the towns of West Boylston, Sterling, Clinton, Lancaster and Harvard to Ayer, Massachusetts. The plan envisions commuter trains continuing on the existing Fitchburg commuter line into North Station in Boston. The present Worcester-to-Boston line terminates at Boston’s South Station on the other side of Boston’s downtown district.

This study of an alternative commuter rail line from the City of Worcester into Boston comes after years of fruitless negotiations between the MBTA and CSX Corp. which owns the tracks currently used for the 10-train-per-day commuter line and which is being targeted for as many as 10 more trains per day. While the state has proposed purchasing and upgrading the line to allow greater use of the tracks for commuter service between Union Station and South Station in Boston, officials have reported little progress to date despite long-running and ongoing negotiations with CSX officials. As part of that plan the state has developed options including construction of a parallel line for some key stretches of the service, and advanced switching systems to allow additional commuter trains to share the tracks that are also used for freight trains. Lt. Gov. Murray said this new effort comes as the state, for the first time in decades, is starting to put together a comprehensive rail plan that will look at how Massachusetts can better utilize and integrate the rail infrastructure for passenger rail and freight. “They both are critically important to the current and future economic growth of the state,” Mr. Murray said. “Some of our transportation team saw this as a potential option as we strive to look at ways we can expand rail service between Central Massachusetts, Worcester and North Worcester County,” Mr. Murray said of the possible new commuter train route. “The initial review and ride by the EOT people has them wanting to further look at this internally and evaluate some of the costs and challenges that may be there. But to me it is encouraging in that there is at least an additional option for us to look at,” Mr. Murray said. He said the plan could eventually require an agreement between the rail companies that own the existing tracks. Except for an initial stretch of track leading out of downtown Worcester, the entire length of the route is owned by Pan Am Railroad. State officials have had some preliminary discussions with the company. “The future is clear with gasoline approaching $4 a gallon and roads getting clogged, that we are going to have to utilize all of our transportation assets,” Mr. Murray said. In both the passenger rail and freight businesses, he said, “everyone agrees the rail is one underutilized asset.”

BERLIN – Commuters were left to walking, biking or driving on massively overcrowded roads and streets in the City of Berlin last week when most workers of BVG, the main urban transit operator in Berlin, started an open-ended strike Wednesday. German’s capital and largest city went into grid lock as the city’s extensive network of subways, light rail and street trams, and busses was reduced to just a few essential services during the strike.

Although the S-Bahn system continued to function during the strike, many S-Bahn trips were also cancelled due to picketing workers. Intercity and regional trains operated by Deutsche Bahn and several independent passenger rail companies operated mostly unaffected by the strikes in the local transit network.

The transit strike in Berlin started during the second day of a large travel industry and packaged holiday convention, which was taking place at the Berlin city fair grounds and convention center. The strike resulted in major difficulties for convention attendees numbering close to the 100,000 range, many of whom are visiting from other countries. Also affected were those trying to use public transit in order to stay off roads and highways due to a moderate snow fall late Tuesday night and early Wednesday morning in the Berlin area.

Elsewhere in Germany, unionized transit workers at üstra, the city bus and light rail operator in Hannover, staged a four-hour walk-out in the early morning hours of Wednesday in order to picket for a significant pay raise. Most workers saw their last pay raise in 2003. The strikes were mostly over by 8:00 AM, so that busses and light rail trains could start transporting many thousands of convention goers to CeBIT, the largest business convention or fair of any kind in Germany. CeBIT is a six-day long electronics and IT convention and exhibition which attracts over a half a million visitors to Hannover annually, thereby placing the city’s public transit and highway system under maximum load and stress. Aside from the transit strikes in Berlin and Hannover, a number of commercial airports were the targets of striking ground handling and ramp workers this past week, causing significant flight delays and flight cancellations across Germany.

Separately, the GDL union, which represents train and locomotive drivers, stated that they would resume strikes against Deutsche Bahn this coming Monday (10^th March), if long running on again / off again negotiations with DBAG do not make progress.

[ Editor’s note -- Included is the writer’s comment on how the strike affected his travel: . . .  I got a real taste of gridlock this week in Berlin, when the entire bus and subway system went on strike.  90 minutes of sitting on the A-115 highway in West Berlin, which at least on that day, was the longest parking lot in the entire world.  I was in Berlin for two days on business.  Then in the evening, a 50- minute trip from Tegel airport to Potsdammer Platz via a minivan.  Distance is about 8 km at most.]

BERLIN (Marketwire) - Bombardier Transportation announced today that it has won another contract for its award winning its Electrostar Electric Multiple Units for New Southern Railway in the UK. The contract, valued at around EUR 70 million (US$ 107 million), is for the supply of 11 four-car dual-voltage Class 377 trains. The vehicles will be manufactured at Bombardier’s Derby site and will be delivered during early 2009. They will be operated from either 700 VDC third rail or 25 kVAC overhead cantenary power with the flick of a lever in the control cab, due to the mixture of these two power supply methods on rail lines in southern England and around the London metropolitan area.

The award winning Electrostar series of regional trains is a well proven product, with over 1,600 cars already in service with three operators in the UK, c2c, Southeastern and Southern. The trains have been named the most reliable modern EMU in the UK for the past three years.. Electrostar series train sets were also ordered in 2006 by Transport for London for the “London Overground” services for East London Line and North London Railway. The prestigious Gautrain new railway in South Africa will also operate Electrostar trains, which will showcase for the 2010 Soccer World Cup.

Photo: Bombardier   Electrostar 375 (a DC only version) somewhere in southeastern England

Photo: Dieter Thomas   Electrostar 377 (a dual voltage version on DC third rail tracks) at Westham, East Sussex, England in November 2007

Since March 2007, the Electrostar fleet operated by c2c, has switched over to a regenerative braking system designed to reduce power consumption by returning the electrical power generated by applying the brakes directly back into the supply network. c2c is already, thanks to its sophisticated MITRAC Propulsion & Controls system, experiencing energy savings of up to 20% and is the only train operator whose entire fleet of 74 trains has adopted this energy saving process.

The Downeaster is worth supporting

The successful “Downeaster” Boston-to-Portland passenger train is run by Amtrak with grants from the federal government and the state of Maine. Maine is now trying to figure out how to keep the trains running when the federal subsidy expires next year.

If a reasonable deal can be worked out, Massachusetts and New Hampshire, which have contributed little except about 40 percent of the passengers, should do the neighborly thing and contribute to the needed subsidy. So far, Massachusetts has not charged for the use of North Station. New Hampshire made a one-time contribution of $1.6 million for capital expenses and pays for the upkeep of stations there.

At present the federal government pays $6 million a year, Maine pays $1.5 million and ticket revenue makes up the rest of the $13.5 million cost of five daily round trips. Ticket revenue was up 28 percent for the last six months of 2007 compared with the same period of 2006. In December the trains carried 34,240 riders, a gain of 20 percent.

For NCI: Mike Duprey A beautiful fall day on October 11, 2004 finds Amtrak’s Downeaster passing through Rollinsford, N.H. about to cross the Salmon Falls River into Berwick, Maine. The train may travel some 40 miles farther into Maine, if the right cards fall into place

Demand should grow as the cost of gasoline stays high. Buses also will get more riders because they are 20 percent faster and almost 30 percent cheaper, but you can’t walk to the cafe car on a bus. Negotiations should look toward more trains and more seats, which should yield more revenue than they would cost.
The average subsidy per trip works out to more than $18, though the calculation is skewed by daily commuters using discounted monthly tickets. The subsidy for the one-time rider would be markedly less.
The train sponsor, the Northern New England Passenger Rail Authority, believes 56 percent of riders live in Maine, 30 percent in New Hampshire and 14 percent in Massachusetts or elsewhere. But sharing the subsidy 56-30-14 might not be the fairest deal; that would take detailed negotiations. The benefits to Maine from the service are many times the benefits to Massachusetts.

We have often objected to excessive subsidies, and it is always awkward depending on the federal taxpayer because the San Franciscan or Chicagoan does not benefit. But New Englanders who can benefit should be willing to pay non-extravagant sums to keep the rail option to Portland open.