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Flag Stops: Refilling the Coffers
Monday, August 24, 2009
—Malcolm Kenton
Posted by Malcolm Kenton
Tags: airlines, amtrak, arc, congress, florida, gas taxes, grassroots, high-speed rail, hudson river tunnels, idaho, michigan, organization, penn station, pioneer, railroads, short-haul flights, transportation for america, travel,Unleashed TIGER Forges a New Path
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Just three weeks after history-making intercity passenger train grants were announced, the Obama Administration unveiled $1.5 billion in Recovery Act grants under a revolutionary framework in which rail and transit figure prominently. The program, dubbed Transportation Investments Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER), marks the first time that the US Department of Transportation has awarded money across the institutional barriers that have historically held back funding for railroads and transit—and infrastructure that connects these with the rest of the transportation network.
As with the High-Speed Intercity Passenger Rail “pot,” states’ applications greatly exceeded the available funds—$56 requested for every $1 awarded. Determining what percentage of TIGER funds went to each mode of travel is (happily) difficult since many of the projects benefit multiple modes. Grants benefitting passenger rail (including rail transit) total $574.1 million (about 38% of the total), while those aiding freight rail add up to $408.8 billion (about 27%). Transit improvement ventures (subway, light rail, streetcar and bus) got $699 million (about 47%), with highways getting almost 30%, and bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure about 10%.
TIGER’s innovative, merit-based funding mechanism should become the mold in which most future federal transportation financing is cut. Including more funding for TIGER or a similar program in the Jobs Bill (currently before the Senate) would be an ideal way for Congress to signal its commitment to meaningful reform that will give Americans better mobility choices. NARP and our partners in the OneRail Coalition [link to come] will continue to sound the call for strong, balanced transportation investments that put rail in its rightful place as a key component in how America moves.
Read on for an overview of how the awards are distributed, or go here for complete descriptions of each funded project.
—Malcolm Kenton
Posted by Malcolm Kenton
Tags: congress, department of transportation, federal government, funding, grants, infrastructure, investment, job creation, jobs, light rail, passenger trains, railroads, recovery act, stimulus, streetcar, tiger, transit, transportation,Roads, Railways and Runways
Tuesday, September 07, 2010
President Obama’s Labor Day announcement in Milwaukee is praiseworthy, not only because it focuses on creating jobs that address real public needs, but also because the President quietly, but emphatically, placed rail on an equal footing (rhetorically speaking) with highways and aviation. Every time Obama referenced the targets of investment in the speech, he listed the three R’s: roads, railroads and runways. This was also the case in subsequent press coverage of the announcement.
On the rail side, the President called for the construction and maintenance of 4,000 miles of railroad, enough track to go coast-to-coast. It is not known, though, how this will break down between true high-speed and improved conventional-speed track, and in what proportion passenger and freight operations will benefit. Obama also specifically mentioned “a long-overdue overhaul of Amtrak’s fleet” as part of his rail plan—recognizing that new and improved services must be built on the backbone of a healthy Amtrak system. The passenger railroad’s two-sentence statement [PDF] on the Obama plan calls it “a smart move with major benefits for increasing personal mobility, jump-starting job creation and improving the environment.”
The President also lays out his framework for using the next surface transportation policy legislation as a way to lay the foundation for sustainable American prosperity. It includes the establishment of a National Infrastructure Bank to tap private financing for projects in all modes and the integration of high-speed rail into the surface transportation program (from which intercity passenger rail is currently left out). Obama also stressed that transportation policy should work to enhance the livability of communities and environmental sustainability in addition to safety and economic competitiveness.
The President has heard Americans’ cries for more and better travel choices and for good domestic jobs, and has responded with a promising proposal. NARP, along with our partners at OneRail and Transportation for America, will remain engaged in the battle to turn the president’s promising words into deeds. Getting there will require reliable, dedicated funding as well as continued strong support from the White House and from Congress, private railroads, and—most importantly—the traveling public.
—Malcolm Kenton
Posted by Malcolm Kenton
Tags: economic recovery, goals, infrastructure plan, job creation, labor day, president obama, railroads, roads, runways, transportation investment,©2010 National Association of Railroad Passengers | » NARP website
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