Printable Version

For Immediate Release (#10-07)

May 5, 2010

Contacts: Ross Capon, Sean Jeans-Gail

202-408-8362 (Capon cell 301-385-6438)

At a field hearing in Miami Monday to determine how high speed rail will connect with other modes of transportation, the chair of the House Railroads Subcommittee unequivocally called for restoration of passenger train service between Florida and New Orleans.

Congresswoman Corrine Brown (D-FL) led the May 3 hearing, which focused on the federal grant Florida received to establish high speed trains between Orlando and Tampa.

Brown took the opportunity to express her concern to an Amtrak witness about the delay in restoring the New Orleans-Florida link, which Amtrak discontinued during Hurricane Katrina and has never restored—even though CSX restored its damaged rail line to better-than-new condition, reopening the line in March, 2006.

While Amtrak has gone on record to admit that the line is “the missing link” in the national passenger rail network—and still includes the New Orleans to Jacksonville in their official timetable as a “temporarily suspended” route—there has been no real effort to restore service to the corridor, outside of a restoration study done by the railroad in July 2009, which includes some cost-estimates that some industry insiders have questioned.

“I want the Sunset restored to New Orleans - Jacksonville - Orlando.  This train is vital to transcontinental transportation and an important safety backup for evacuation in a disaster,” Brown said at the hearing.  I am holding a subcommittee hearing in Jacksonville in a few weeks at which the Sunset will be a major item of discussion, and look forward to Amtrak appearing.  We must get the train back, one way or another.”

The issue highlights the strict budgetary restraints Amtrak is working under.  A full Sunset Limited route—Los Angeles to Orlando—connects the eight southernmost states, which together account for one in every three Americans, and half the nation’s population growth since 1970.  Although the economic importance of this corridor to the nation’s transportation and tourist sectors is widely recognized, Amtrak still faces undercapitalization on most of its network, and will require strong Congressional leadership to acquire the additional funds to restore service (the train company’s study puts the capital and mobilization costs at around $33 million).

Brown’s public demand that the train be restored should offer transportation advocates hope that they have finally found that leader.

“With just $1 billion budgeted for Fiscal Year 2011, we need to find a dedicated revenue source so that states, operators, and manufacturers aren’t afraid to make investments in infrastructure and manpower,” said the Chairwoman.  “I feel so passionately about this that I spearheaded a letter that over 100 Members [of Congress] signed to President Obama, requesting that he include a dedicated source of revenue for high-speed rail in the transportation reauthorization policy objectives that the Administration is developing.”

The date of the hearing in Jacksonville has yet to be determined.

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About NARP

NARP is the only national organization speaking for the users of passenger trains and rail transit. We have worked since 1967 to expand the quality and quantity of passenger rail in the U.S. Our mission is to work towards a modern, customer-focused national passenger train network that provides a travel choice Americans want. Our work is supported by over 18,000 individual members.

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Printable Version

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE (#10-08)

May 11, 2010

Contact: Sean Jeans-Gail – 503-888-5738

National coalition urges Congress to raise high speed rail allocation to $4 billion

Also call on Congress to fully fund Amtrak at $2.6 billion

WASHINGTON, DC – With the call “Keep High-Speed Rail Moving,” a national coalition of rail, transportation and consumer advocacy organizations called on Congress today to increase the high speed rail FY2011 appropriation to $4 billion to modernize U.S. transportation, stimulate economic and job growth and advance energy policy. The coalition also seeks full funding of Amtrak at $2.6 billion.

“High speed rail is a long-term investment in our nation’s economic prosperity and competitiveness,” said Petra Todorovich, director of America 2050. “By serving dense job centers and connecting to regional and local transit, high-speed rail can act as the framework for sustainable, transit-oriented growth in the 21st century.” 

In addition to the increased mobility and improved national transportation network brought about by high speed rail, studies and estimates from around the country compiled by the coalition show investing in the technology could generate more than 2 million U.S. jobs, avoid 11 million tons of emissions annually and cut the nation’s oil dependence by nearly 600 million gallons each year.

“The benefits that will flow to our society far outweigh the proposed investment,” said Eric Peterson, President of the American High Speed Rail Alliance. “An aggressive investment in high speed rail will create tens of thousands of new jobs, incredible reductions in green house gas emissions, huge savings in energy costs, and overall lower transportation costs for users of a high speed rail system that is highly integrated with other transportation services.”

The strong need for significantly higher appropriations is illustrated by the fact the Federal Rail Administration received high speed rail applications from 24 states totaling $50 billion this year, while just $8 billion was made available under the stimulus. In addition to new high speed rail projects, it is vital for Congress to fully fund Amtrak in order to launch a long-delayed fleet replacement program to replace aging rail cars and equipment while contributing to the development of an American rail manufacturing base.

“Amtrak has seen ridership growth in six of the last seven years,” said Ross Capon, president of the National Association of Railroad Passengers. “By investing in a program to expand the national rail network, Congress can help meet this increasing

public demand, while at the same time creating thousands of good-paying U.S. manufacturing and construction jobs.”

Participants in the rally at Washington’s Union Station praised President Obama for jumpstarting a renaissance of American rail with $8 billion under the stimulus and Congress for last year more than doubling his proposed annual appropriation to $2.5 billion.

Intercity passenger rail accounts for only 2 percent of all Federal transportation spending. The U.S. House last year voted to allocate $4 billion, but the Senate only agreed to $2.5 billion. In addition, Amtrak was funded $400 million less than requested.

“The quicker we build the system, the sooner America will enjoy the benefits,” said John Krieger, Federal Transportation Policy Analyst for U.S. PIRG. “High-speed rail requires long-term commitment from all levels of government, including at least $4 billion from Congress in 2011.”

Prospects for economic and energy policy as well as Americans’ changing lifestyles point to the need to diversify the nation’s transportation infrastructure. 

“The Obama administration demonstrated significant leadership on high speed rail last year, and now is the time for Congress to pick up that charge for the benefit of all Americans,” said James Corless director of the Transportation for America Campaign. “Transportation systems have enormous impacts on our everyday lives – from our pocket books to climate change, from our household expenses to the global economy. Americans are increasingly demanding alternative options that will make our communities more connected, more energy efficient, more equitable and healthier.”

The U.S. Joint Forces Command, under U.S. Marine General J.N. Mattis, issued a report earlier this year stating that oil demand could outpace supply as early as 2015. The potentially devastating consequences for our economy, transportation system and national security require an urgent and important investment in high speed trains, which can be nine times more energy-efficient than cars or planes, advocates argued.

“President Obama has made high speed rail a pillar of America’s recovery and continued prosperity,” said Rick Harnish, executive director of the Midwest High Speed Rail Association. “Congress last year took a good first step but we must do more as oil grows scarcer and our environment grows sicker every day.”

The energy crunch and expected rise in prices is combining with congestion to limit America’s ability to meet the challenges of the future without expanding its current transportation offerings.

“Congestion is at all time highs on both our interstate and air systems” stated Daniel L. Plaugher, Executive Director of the Southeast High Speed Rail Association and Virginians for High Speed Rail. “We need to build a comprehensive, national transportation system that includes a vibrant, efficient, and accessible high speed rail system, because we are not going to pave our way out of traffic.”

The benefits of high speed rail extend to freight as well, coalition members noted.

“OneRail strongly supports robust funding to continue to move the nation’s investment in high-speed and intercity passenger rail forward,” said Anne Canby, one of the founders of OneRail.  “We also urge an integrated approach to surface transportation investment to ensure our intermodal and freight network remains strong, maximizing our competitiveness and enabling people and goods to travel by rail quickly and efficiently.”
Andy Kunz, President & CEO of the US High Speed Rail Association, said “We support a major ongoing investment in a 17,000 miles of high speed rail network across America.  This is the single most important thing we can do as a nation to reduce our dependence on oil, address national security, cut our carbon output, and move the nation safely, swiftly and efficiently into the 21st century.  This national system has the capacity to pay for itself by significantly reducing our $700 billion per year trade deficit purchasing foreign oil.  It will revitalize our cities, revive our manufacturing sectors, and be the catalyst for the next real estate boom.  We need to build this as quickly as possible.”

Federal leadership is required to leverage local support and resources, said Rob Simpson, President and CEO of the Metropolitan Development Association of Central New York and Representative for the High Speed Rail New York Coalition.

“As we continue to mobilize within New York State to ensure we have the necessary capacity to successfully develop High Speed Rail service, we need the federal government to continue their already commendable commitment to this initiative,” said Simpson. “Though we must continue to identify state and private funding partners, the support of the federal government is crucial to the success of this project on a state and national level.”

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About NARP

NARP is the only national organization speaking for the users of passenger trains and rail transit. We have worked since 1967 to expand the quality and quantity of passenger rail in the U.S. Our mission is to work towards a modern, customer-focused national passenger train network that provides a travel choice Americans want. Our work is supported by over 18,000 individual members.

About Fourbillion.com

The Fourbillion.com Campaign is a coalition of transportation, environmental, and planning groups that are dedicated to securing the benefits that a modern, high-speed, high frequency passenger rail network would bring to the United States.  You can find out more about the coalition at the coalition’s website.

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Printable Version

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE (#10-09)

May 27, 2010

Contacts: Sean Jeans-Gail and Ross Capon – 202-408-8362

On Energy Problems, President Should Turn to Trains

Rail’s Energy Efficiency Offers Solutions for a Long-Term Energy Strategy

In response to President Obama’s call for “a long-term energy strategy,” the National Association of Railroad Passengers urged dramatic expansion of the nation’s passenger rail fleet as a key element in plans to increase energy efficiency and reduce American dependence on oil.

The President’s remarks—delivered yesterday during an event in San Francisco—highlighted the dwindling reserves of conventional sources of fuel, and called for the development of a national plan to reduce energy consumption and increase alternative methods of energy development.

“Even if you hadn’t seen the catastrophe down in the Gulf, the reason that folks are now having to go down a mile deep into the ocean, and then another mile drilling into the ground below, that is because the easy oil fields and oil wells are gone, or they’re starting to diminish,” the President said.  “That tells us that we’ve got to have a long-term energy strategy in this country.”

Transportation—which accounts for two thirds of U.S. oil consumption and one third of carbon emissions—is a crucial sector to address in meeting energy constraints.  Federal figures show that Amtrak is 28% and 19% more energy efficient per passenger-mile than automobiles and airplanes, respectively.  These numbers actually understate rail’s advantage, both because Amtrak has been undercapitalized and because rail supports transit and pedestrian-friendly real estate development, reducing the distances most people must travel to live, work and play. 

Serious investment in passenger trains would divert travelers to more energy-efficient transportation and create domestic manufacturing and operating jobs.  Passenger trains also offer “fuel flexibility,” as rail is the only transportation that delivers high performance over long distances on electricity.  Trains have a low impact on land and water quality, as the porous nature of rail infrastructure eliminates the flooding and toxic runoff generated by paved surfaces, tarmacs and parking lots.

“If we doubled the size of Amtrak’s fleet, and had the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) and Amtrak work closely with the freight railroads to identify bottlenecks that can be removed to allow the doubling of train frequencies, we could—in a relatively short period of time—save literally millions of car-trips every year while improving quality of life for the American people,” said NARP President Ross Capon.

First Steps Already Being Taken

Capon praised the Obama Administration for the intercity passenger train funding including in last year’s Recovery Act, and noted that just today the FRA announced the first actual release of funds—$80 million—from the $8 billion in Recovery Act money set aside for passenger train capital grants for states.

“Delivering these funds is an important step forward in our efforts to upgrade and transform America’s transportation system, while spurring economic activity and creating jobs here at home,” said Vice President Joe Biden. “Our unprecedented investment in high-speed and intercity passenger rail is not only going to provide real environmental benefits and greater convenience for travelers, but also long-term economic development for communities across the country.”

The foundation for distributing this money has been put in place.  Transportation advocates and the public are asking Congress to follow the President’s lead and provide significant funding for high speed rail in this year’s budget—with an emphasis on procuring new cars and locomotives to expand and replace the existing fleet.

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