NARP Blog

Monday, October 05, 2009

The first installment of an occasional blog feature reporting interesting news from NARP’s state-level cousins.

Maine: Gov. John Baldacci (D) presented a strong vision for the future of passenger trains in his state in the pages of TrainRiders/Northeast’s Summer 2009 issue of TrainRider. The Governor’s statement acknowledges the advocacy group’s hard work, calling it a “critical force in the December 2001 commencement of the Downeaster service.” “Without TrainRiders, there would be no Downeaster,” he proclaims, “and passenger rail service in Maine might be a dead issue even today.” Baldacci, who has ridden the Downeaster on various occasions, announced the state’s submission of pre-applications for Recovery Act high-speed rail funds to extend service north to Brunswick through Freeport, and to upgrade track on the existing line to increase speed. He also promised to seek extension of the federal Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality (CMAQ, pronounced SEE-mack) money on which Downeaster relies, and noted the legislation he signed to dedicate half of the revenues from the state’s car rental tax to an account for non-highway transportation projects. “I understand that all modes of transportation, including road, aid and water travel, require government subsidies to continue in operation,” Baldacci explains. “Passenger rail is no different, and should be treated no differently.”

New York: A bill has been introduced in the New York state legislature to establish a state Rail Authority, reports the Empire State Passengers Association in The ESPA Express (July/August). “The new public authority would be independent of the State Transportation Department and outside the normal budget process,” similar to the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, an independent agency funded by both states that runs ferries, PATH trains, the tunnels and bridges across the Hudson into Manhattan, and the city’s bus terminal. The legislation intends the Rail Authority to be the operator of “an affordable high-speed rail network across New York State” and to finance incremental improvements to existing service. Funding for the Authority would come from a variety of public and private sources. Also noteworthy is that the bill stipulates that one of the members of the Authority’s 17-member governing board be “a member of a statewide rail passenger advocacy organization.”

New York: Also from ESPA comes news that the Finger Lakes Railway, operator of freight and excursion passenger trains in the west central part of the state, is advancing a proposal to extend Amtrak service to and from Geneva via Syracuse, using a currently out-of-service ex-New York Central line that splits from the CSX main line at Lyons. The company envisions an existing New York City-Albany Empire Service train being extended west to Geneva (home to 13,000 residents and two colleges), providing an early morning eastbound departure from Geneva and a late evening westbound arrival. Finger Lakes Railway will provide a station and overnight servicing facilities at Geneva.

New Jersey: Two major sports arenas around New York City, Yankee Stadium in the Bronx and the Meadowlands complex in East Rutherford, NJ (Home to the New York Giants and New York Jets (NFL football), New Jersey Nets (NBA basketball), New York Red Bulls (MLS soccer) and a horse racetrack), now have direct commuter rail service. As ESPA reports, the “Yankees - E. 153rd St” station on Metro-North Railroad’s Hudson Line, which opened on May 23, allows residents in the outlying areas served by all three Metro-North lines to go to Yankees baseball games and other stadium events without having to drive all the way into the Bronx, and has been well-used so far. Meanwhile, the Delaware Valley Association of Railroad Passengers (DVARP) announces that, on July 20, New Jersey Transit (NJT) inaugurated train service to the Meadowlands via a 2.5-mile branch of the Pascack Valley Line from Hoboken Terminal. Trains will only be run during football and soccer games, concerts and other large events at the Meadowlands, with a bus connection to all NJT lines at Secaucus Junction available for all other events there.

—Malcolm Kenton

Wednesday, March 10, 2010

Friends of the Cardinal, a route support group composed of active train advocates (many of whom are NARP members) based in Charleston, West Virginia, issued the release below today. The story of the introduction and passage of Senate Bill 527 in the West Virginia legislature is a great model for grassroots advocacy—showing what we are all capable of, with a little time and energy, as citizens in a republic.

For Immediate Use, March 10, 2010:

By a vote of 97-0 the West Virginia House of Delegates passed a Bill which mandates that the West Virginia Rail Authority must “establish a state plan for transportation and local rail services.” The legislation requires that this plan meet the Federal requirements necessary to capture and administer Federal monies “for rail transportation, local rail services, and inter-modal facilities. . .” Further, the act allows the Authority to seek input from “freight and rail passenger associations.” The same Bill had already passed the WV Senate by a vote of 32-0 earlier in the session. The Bill now goes to the Governor Joe Manchin’s desk for his signature.

This legislation was developed in response to concerns expressed by many individuals about the lack of adequate planning for a passenger rail system for the state of West Virginia. The Friends of the Cardinal, a Charleston WV-based “Route Support Group” affiliated with the National Association of Railroad Passengers articulated these concerns to various members of the legislature. The National Association of Railroad Passengers is the largest citizen-based advocacy organization for train and rail transit passengers in the nation.

J. Charles Riecks, Chair of the Friends of the Cardinal, said: “I was very pleased with the overall positive response that passenger rail received in the West Virginia Legislature this year. Hopefully, this bill is just the beginning of a new day for transportation in the state of West Virginia.”

In speeches before several committees, and also on the floor of both legislative bodies, several members of the legislature spoke to the long overdue need for West Virginia to begin supporting a modern, customer-focused national passenger train network that provides a travel choice Americans want.

Friends of the Cardinal, particularly Riecks and Bonni McKewon, participated in the legislative process from start to finish, corresponding with nearly every legislator and calling upon other West Virginians to contact their Representative and Senator. As soon as Gov. Manchin signs the bill into law, the state Department of Transportation will begin work on the rail plan, an essential first step towards better train service in the state and a process in which NARP and Friends of the Cardinal will continue to be involved. With a strong plan and agreements with Amtrak, MARC and the host railroads in place, West Virgnia stands a much better chance of winning future federal funds to improve existing service and potentially to add new routes.

—Malcolm Kenton

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NARP blog

Hopping the Local: News from State Rail Advocacy Groups

Monday, October 05, 2009

Posted by Malcolm Kenton

Grassroots Pressure Gets Results

Wednesday, March 10, 2010

Posted by Malcolm Kenton

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