In Testimony Before Congress

Amtrak President Alexander Kummant gave a fact-filled primer to Congress this past week on the history, current status, and challenges facing Amtrak, in testimony before the Railroads Subcommittee of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee.

He also clarified the difficulties of providing a true TGV-like high-speed rail service in this country, citing money issues as the chief barrier.

Testifying July 11, Kummant reported: Of its 21,000 route miles, Amtrak owns only 626 miles of the lines: 363 miles of the 457-mile Northeast Corridor (NEC), Boston to Washington, DC; 104 miles of Keystone Corridor, Philadelphia to Harrisburg, which has recently been upgraded; 62 miles from Springfield to New Haven; and 97 miles from Porter, Indiana to Kalamazoo, Michigan. Amtrak operates the entire length of the NEC which sees nearly 1900 trains a day: 50 of those are freight trains, about 1700 are commuter trains run by eight different commuter railroads, and the balance are Amtrak’s Acela and Regional services. Speeds range from the slow freight trains to the 135 mph Acela Express, whose average speed is 82 mph. In 2006, nearly 10 million passengers rode Amtrak on the NEC. Add to that the 750,000 daily riders on commuter trains. 500,000 go through Penn Station every day with 1200 train movements a day. Since FY 2003, Kummant said, Amtrak has invested $1.3 billion in infrastructure, an investment which has yielded improved on-time service, increased capacity, equipment brought up to a state of good repair, the ability to focus on planning large capital improvements such as the tunnels in New York and Baltimore. During the hearing, members of the committee expressed frustration about the lack of truly high-speed rail service in the U.S “Why no European-style high speed rail in the NEC?” Rep. John Mica of Florida, the ranking Republican on the transportation committee, has long advocated creating European-style high-speed rail on the northeast corridor with private capital. Kummant explained that, in Europe, high speed rail corridors go through open rural land where it is easy for the line to be a dedicated high speed right-of-way, unlike the curving shore line of the NEC which accommodates multiple types of trains that travel at different speeds. Using the current infrastructure, the company’s president told Congress, it would be impossible to maintain speeds of 125 to 150 mph on the entire route. Even if it spent $7 billion on track upgrades, Amtrak couldn’t reduce the travel time between Washington and New York to less than 2 hours and 20 minutes, which is only 25 minutes less than the trip now takes.

The closest thing Amtrak has to high-speed service is the Acela Express, the railroad’s premier Washington-Boston train, he said, which travels at an average speed of 82 miles per hour and reaches 150 mph in parts of Rhode Island and Connecticut.

The cost for the French TGV line is between $20 and $25 million a mile, whereas here it would require an investment of $10 billion (excluding real estate acquisitions) to make the NEC a truly high speed line, and even then there are the issues of scarce open rural land and tunnel and station capacity in New York City.

Three examples of recent high speed rail construction projects in Europe by the International Union of Railways (UIC) shed light on the range of costs:

• TGV Est France, Paris – Strasbourg: 200 miles $4.8 billion, $24 million a mile, mostly rural.
  
• France – Spain link, Figueres – Perpignan: 8 miles, $1.3 billion, $46 million a mile.
  
• Taiwan, Taipei – Kaohsiung: 215 miles, $9 billioni, $42 million per mile, less rural than France.

While high speed rail corridors are moving forward in Europe and the Third World, Amtrak needs $1.8 billion from 2008 to 2013 just to cover deferred maintenance and other financial obligations, Kummant said, among them:

• Replacement costs of infrastructure $350 million.
  
• Legacy costs - $300 million. This refers to pension and other costs of former rail workers who never worked for Amtrak, but whose costs were shifted to the new company when it was formed in 1970, freeing up the very shaky (at that time) freight railroads from paying those costs, but putting a tremendous cash burden on the company.
  
• Rolling stock overhauls, replacement of equipment, making stations ADA (Americans With Disabilities Act) compliant, security, environmental and business initiatives and a few other items on the list bring the total cited, $1.8 billion.

Another list of deferred maintenance/capital items comes to $3 billion for replacement or repairs of eight bridges, improvements in the Baltimore and Potomac River Tunnels and other repairs/upgrades.

Several states are waiting for federal partnership investment program before committing state funds. Almost all involve freight lines. Examples of these corridors are:

• Northeast Corridor, (NEC).
  
• Pacific Surfliner, California.
  
• Capitol Surfliner, California.
  
• Empire Builder, New York.
  
• Keystone Corridor, PA.
  
• San Joaquin, California.

• Reduce delays.
  
• Remove freight bottlenecks that affect Amtrak service.
  
• Build additional capacity in high-growth corridors to prevent congestion.

Other matters of concern are procurement of new equipment and capital improvements to structures and facilities such as shops, stations, and dispatch centers to renew and maintain those assets properly.

The need to provide for growth is a major goal. Demand could explode as new equipment is provided in the corridors. Renewal of an aging fleet is imperative:

• Passenger cars average age is 23 years.
  
• Useful life is from 40-50 years.
  
• 73% will be in state of good repair by end of FY07.
  
• Locomotives’ average age is 16 years.
  
• Useful life is 25-30 years.
  
• 89% will be in state of good repair by the end of FY 07.

In summary, Kummant testified, Amtrak’s policy wish list is to:

• Achieve meaningful labor settlements.
  
• Clarify ADA station accessibility requirements.
  
• Create a multi-year funding device.
  
• Establish state/federal investment partnerships.

Busy Rail Crossing Finally “Interlocked”

Three Photos: Bill Gustafson - http://www.dhke.com/CRJ/index.html   Workmen with cranes move new “diamonds” into place at Brighton Park earlier this month.

One of a number of at-grade railroad crossings in the freight-heavy Midwest where one railroad system’s tracks cross directly over the other at the same grade, Canadian National (CN) owns the east-west tracks; CSX and NS rail own the north-south tracks.

Interlocking is a means of preventing a “clear” signal being given for two or more routes that cross each other.

Until recently, the crossing was not interlocked. That meant the operator could give clear signals to conflicting movements (ie: sending a northbound train through the crossing at the same time as an eastbound). As a result, all trains had to come to a complete stop so that the engineer could confirm that no other trains were approaching.

“Why Brighton Park was constructed without being interlocked, I do not know. But the fact that the problem continued to exist into the 21st century has been a wonderful example of how the free market often does not provide the railroad infrastructure the country needs,” noted Rick Harnish (see separate editorial).

The problem was corrected this past weekend. In addition to installing a remote controlled interlocking, the owning railroads replaced the diamonds.

Busy trains cross at the Brighton Park Crossing before construction began. To view other pictures of the cranes moving the diamonds into place, go to: http://www.midwesthsr.org/photos/Brighton_Park/Brighton_Park.html

The next step is for the CN and the State to fix the slow zones between there and Union Station, Harnish reports.

Rail expert Bill Gustafson creator of the “Chicago Area Rail Junctions” reports: “Traffic is usually heavy here--more than 80 trains a day. NS and CSX are the busiest lines, although CN sees a fair amount of traffic also. There are only occasional movements on the Panhandle and the BNSF feeder line. Augmenting the traffic, however, is the overhead CTA Orange Line viaduct that enters from the east paralleling CN. It curves to the south, crosses the NS and CSX lines, and then parallels them on the west. CTA trains run frequently--about every 10 minutes.”

“Until July of 2007, Brighton Park was a unique spot, one of the most fascinating--and antiquated--rail locations anywhere. Despite all the trackage, it was not an interlocking, but was run by a "switchtender" who occupied a ramshackle cabin between the CSX and Panhandle tracks. All trains approaching the junction were required to come to a full stop; they were allowed to proceed only when signalled by the switchtender, who used manually operated semaphores to convey his messages. The switchtender was also responsible for the manually operated switches allowing trains on the BNSF connection to access NS. Going to Brighton was like going back to the 1940s--one of the few places where semaphores actuated by rods could still be found,” writes Gustafson.

Pennsylvania Legislature $150 million Package
Would Avert More SEPTA Fare Hikes this year

HARRISBURG, PA---Philadelphia area commuters would get a break from further fare hikes and service cuts, if an agreement in the Pennsylvania Senate passes the legislature and is signed by the Governor, the Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

In the agreement, the South-Eastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) would get $150 million, enough to avoid a second fare increase this fall on top of the 11 per cent increase that went into effect July 9, and the service cuts which were also forecast, the paper’s Paul Nussbaum states.

Importantly, he writes: “…the proposed measure is designed to fund mass transit in a way that may reduce the need for annual brinksmanship in Harrisburg. With a new Public Transportation Trust Fund, supported by tolls from the Pennsylvania Turnpike and I-80 and 4.4 percent of the revenue from state sales taxes, mass transit agencies may have the stable funding they have long sought.”

“Neither the transportation bill nor the state budget has been approved by the legislature and signed by Gov. Rendell. Until that happens, things could still change, states the Inquirer

Although the fiscal year began July 1, the legislature and the governor have not yet agreed on a final budget.

Gov. Ed Rendell called the transportation plan “by far the most significant amount of money devoted to transportation needs . . . in the history of the commonwealth” and that it would shore up roads and transit for the next 10 to 15 years, the paper reported.

Rendell said the new funding would have a “dramatic impact” on mass transit, and he said he hoped it would allow SEPTA to restore free transfers that are scheduled to be eliminated August 1, the paper said.

Better Late Than Never

Unless you are a die-hard rail fan, you may have been shocked to read that a heavily travelled at-grade railroads crossing has at last been “interlocked,” or configured so that one train can not cross over in the direct path of another.

Given that mechanical, then electrical-mechanical, and finally electronic interlockings have been around starting more than 150 years ago, and are an absolutely basic kind of safety feature.

Reading about Brighton Park Crossing and its recent “modernization” was like reading about the decision of General Motors to stop installing buggy whip holders in the dashboards their new cars; of course, they didn’t do that last week. They did it 100 years ago.

Rick Harnish is absolutely right to report, bemusedly, that this belated safety upgrade is a good example of how “the market” can’t be relied upon to do all things, especially expensive, infrastructure things. The market doesn’t put in traffic lights; taxpayer dollars pay for that. Taxpayer dollars should pay for grade separations too, not just for two tracks that cross, but for every highway that crosses a track at grade, starting with every major line in the country, passenger or freight.

How much will that cost? Less than the value of the 10,000 lives that will be lost someday when a truck hits an ammonia tank car at a grade crossing, or vice versa, in a populated area.

Transparency Needed In Rail and Bus
Transit System Fare Increases

Sometimes it's hard to tell in which direction public transit in the USA is going. There are numerous American success stories such as new light rail systems in several cities in the traditionally car and freeway crazy western half of the USA, including places like Dallas, Salt Lake City, Houston and L.A. There are new systems in the final planning stages or under construction in places such as Seattle, Phoenix and Minneapolis / St. Paul. There are the seasoned veterans such as Boston’s MBTA, New Jersey’s NJ Transit and Washington DC’s WMATA, which despite challenges and tight budgets, still manage to add capacity and services slowly but surely. Even Amtrak continues to deliver, despite heavy adverse political meddling from the current White House Administration and despite humungous federal and state government subsidies going to the interstate highway network and commercial air traffic system since the 1950s.

And then there are the difficult cases such as Chicago’s CTA / METRA and Philadelphia’s SEPTA, whose financial difficulties and fare increases were reported in D:F and elsewhere in the news media in the past weeks. In SEPTA’s case, it has been reported that the transit provider has had no significant fare increases in six years, it is just now introducing an 11% increase in fares and elimination of certain transfer passes. In that same period of time oil and gasoline prices have gone up by 100% or more. New and used car prices have also increased far more than 11% in the last six years, as have costs of automobile insurance and maintenance.

Here in Germany, local transit authorities as well as intercity train fares increase once per year at a rate which covers increases in fuel and energy prices, thus keeping the vast majority of regional transit authorities financially healthy. However service cuts in local rail transit in some parts of Germany are also on the menu, as in Philadelphia and Chicago. The reason for this is primarily a loss of population in some cities and towns, mostly in the formerly communist East, with a resulting lower demand for public transit in those areas. In other areas of Germany, some state governments foolishly follow the American model of building new roads and highways at no apparently tangible cost to the public, with the real costs hidden elsewhere in income and sales taxes, while they avoid the unpopular move of raising taxes and fees to make up for recent cuts in public transit grants from the German federal government.

Photo: David Beale Costs more but still a bargin --- a five-car train set of new Bombardier multi-level coaches behind a DB 111 series electric locomotive operating on a Bielefeld - Braunschweig regional express train stops in Haste, Germany on the 8th July 2007. Ticket and monthly pass prices on the regional rail network in the greater Hannover area are up 25% in the past three years - but service has increased dramatically since the mid 1990s. Ridership has also increased steadily during the past ten years.

In this day and age, we should all know that almost nothing is for free. This includes transportation from point A to point B. The USA ended up addicted to foreign oil and automobiles by building “freeways”, roads and highways, which seemed, to the casual user, to be free, i.e. no extra charge, regardless of how much one uses them. In fact, the nation’s “freeways” and other highways are heavily subsidized by income taxes, general sales taxes, property taxes, and other tax revenues. You are paying for the Interstate Highway System with your income, sales and property taxes regardless if you walk to work day in and day out or if you drive 25 miles each way to work.

Depending on whose and which study you read, the capital and maintenance costs of the nation’s freeway and highway system exceed revenues from motor fuel taxes, tolls, vehicle registration fees and the like in a range between 25% and 40%. If you add in costs from adverse side effects of the highway system such as local air and water pollution and lost time sitting in traffic jams on 8, 10 or 12 lane-wide “freeways (the USA has the widest expressways with the most lanes of anywhere in the world), the gap between revenue and costs increases dramatically. I will avoid the discussion of other potential hidden costs from all these freeways, such as possible global warming or the immense costs incurred by the US military in the Middle East, which some allege are also directly linked to the nation’s addiction to oil and other fossil fuels.

The end of effect of all these “freeways” is unprecedented air pollution, sprawl, traffic snarls and an addiction to foreign oil greater than anywhere else in the western world. It all boils down to providing something to the public at a perceived cost well below reality. Do we want to copy this failed policy to our public transit systems? My answer is no. In the long term transparency and fiscal responsibility is far better than false “freebees”.

Everyone who works for or is involved in managing or governing local and regional transit systems should recognize they are providing a valuable product and service to their customers. They should take pride that the product they deliver to the nation’s public transit users saves energy, increases worker productivity, improves mobility and freedom, and reduces local air pollution, thereby improving the quality of life of both their passengers / customers as well as for the general public. In order to continue delivering this valuable product to public well into the future, transit authorities should be willing to charge a fair price for it and attempt to manage the financial affairs of their organizations in a transparent and business like manner, despite the massive imbalance of government subsidies in favor of highways and automobiles.

It serves no one’s interests to keep train and bus fares artificially suppressed even as fuel and energy prices spiral upwards. While SEPTA kept fares at 2001 levels until this year, airlines, automobile manufacturers, OPEC and the oil companies raised overall prices aggressively the whole time. Now SEPTA has a massive budget deficit, and service cuts may be the end result. Is this a fair price to pay for keeping train and bus fares artificially low for the past six years? Did SEPTA’s management accept a future, where we are either more dependent on cars and highways or less mobile, just to avoid short-term heat from the public by artificially holding fares to 2001 levels for six years in a row?

It only plays into the hands of public transit foes, when financial irresponsibility ends up causing havoc with the budgets of regional and local transit authorities and endangers future service standards. The transportation needs of people on low incomes or fixed incomes should be handled separately via tax credits or reduced cost vouchers for transit tickets, with this assistance handled separately from the budget and books of the nation’s transit authorities and companies. The nation’s transit authorities are in the business of transportation, they should not be charged with providing economic assistance for those on low or fixed-incomes, there are other government agencies and groups which have that mission.

The USA desperately needs transparency in the financial aspects of its transportation network. Financial transparency of the “freeway” and highway component of the USA’s transportation network has been non-existent for the average citizen for many decades, perhaps going all the way back to days just after the end of World War 2. A minority of the nation’s population understands just how very expensive “freeways” have been for the nation. While we struggle to improve that situation, let us not allow the same problem creep into the public transit system.

Chicago Losing Ground As World Competes With Rail,
Comments New Urbanism’s John Norquist

A Blast From The Past!

Photo: New York Transit Museum   Vintage shot of R7A - No. 1575 Return to index

This year the New York Transit Museum is offering three Brooklyn bound excursions, the first is an afternoon - evening excursion, and the second and third are family friendly afternoon excursions. The Summer Nostalgia Train Excursions will run on Sunday July 22, Sunday August 12, and Saturday September 8, 2007, with 400 seats available per excursion. Get your tickets now while there is space available! This summer, the New York Transit Museum’s vintage R 1/9 subway cars will be taking the public on nostalgic subway rides to Rockaway Park and Coney Island in Brooklyn, Sunday July 22, Sunday August 12, and Saturday September 8, 2007. About the vintage cars: Built between the 1930s and 1940s, the IND R1/9 cars represented a new trend in subway car design. The front and rear entrances give way to multiple side doors and the exposed bulbs were replaced with fluorescent lighting. The last of the R1/9 cars were retired in 1977. Don’t miss New York City’s hottest rail excursions this season! Capacity on the New York Transit Museum’s vintage Nostalgia Train excursions is limited so reserve early. For reservations please call: (718) 694-1867 For more more information on these excursions, or notes on the cars planned to be operating contact: Roxanne Robertson, Director, Special Projects New York Transit Museum, 130 Livingston Street Brooklyn, NY 11201 - (718) 694-4915