Hotline #762 -- June 8, 2012

The deadline for a successful surface transportation compromise between the House and Senate conferees is fast approaching, and it appears more and more likely that no compromise will be reached.

The main source of disagreement between the two parties appears to be House GOP insistence on including legislation that would fast-track approval of the Keystone XL oil pipeline between Canadian tar sands and Texas refineries.  House Speaker John Boehner told reporters that if a deal couldn’t be reached by the June 30 expiration of current law, he would move for a six month extension to push talks beyond the elections when the atmosphere is less charged.  Staff for one suburban Republican who a week ago was pushing hard for a multi-year bill put out an e-mail today calling “the Highway bill likely more-or-less gone from this year’s legislative activity.”

This is sure to disappoint transportation stakeholders, who have publically reprimanded Congress for failing to come through with a longer-term compromise that would let public and private transportation interests plan out their budgets.  The White House has called on Congress to keep working, arguing that tens of thousands of summer construction jobs are at stake.

As negotiators continue to discuss possible agreement on a surface transportation bill, it is important for them to hear public support for the Senate bill’s rail title, especially these provisions (section numbers in parentheses):

• Create a 100% federal grant program for improvements to or preservation of routes over 750 miles long (which could help preserve existing Southwest Chief service in Kansas, Colorado and New Mexico). (35107(d))
• Make Amtrak eligible to receive federal grants under PRIIA sections 301 (intercity passenger rail service corridor capital assistance grants) and 302 (congestion grants) and let Amtrak use its own revenues as the 20% match for these grants. (35107(a) and (d))
• Eliminate the three-year limit that has applied when states use CMAQ funds for operating grants for Amtrak routes meeting the CMAQ program’s requirements. This would eliminate the need for a special, legislated exception every three years.  The three-year limit is not in law but is in guidance from the Federal Highway Administration. CMAQ stands for Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Improvement, one of the programs in existing surface transportation law. (1113)

Even if talks fail, train and transit advocates will be laying the groundwork for success in future talks.  So call your Representative and Senators.

[House of Representatives directory]

[Senate directory]

While the surface transportation reauthorization seems to have fizzled, on June 6 the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development  approved a FY 2013 transportation budget that boosts Amtrak’s funding, reduces funding for mass transit, and zeroes out high-speed rail.

The appropriators boosted Amtrak’s capital budget to $1.45 billion, an improvement over both the Senate proposal and what the railroad received this year.  The subcommittee did reduce Amtrak’s operating budget to $350 million, but they seem to have provided some ameliorating provisions.  Specifically, the Amtrak capital figure includes a $500 million  “bridge and tunnels” provision that has certain restrictions but also certain flexibility – up to $80 million can be flexed to Amtrak operations.

High-speed rail was zeroed out entirely, compared to $100 million provided by the Senate.  This number has the potential to affect deliberations happening in California over the state’s planned 220 mph train between San Francisco and Los Angeles.

The House’s bill provides $8.4 billion for the Federal Transit Administration’s (FTA) transit formula and bus grants—the same as fiscal 2012.  But the bill would zero out funding for the popular TIGER (Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery) grant program.  The TIGER program targets transportation projects of national or regional significance, and has an established track-record of funding intercity passenger rail and rail transit projects.  The House bill also reduces funding for FTA’s New Starts program—which provides grants for new commuter rail and light rail projects—by $418 million from what was enacted in 2012.

House and Senate appropriators will now have to convene and reconcile the different proposals before the next Fiscal Year, which begins on October 1.

Pressure continues to ratchet upwards as the California High-Speed Rail Project moves closer to construction, with Governor Jerry Brown promising to expedite the review process for challenges to the project and a heated debate over what Californian’s really want.

The NARP blog covered the week’s events in detail:

The project's opponents continue to distort reality in arguing that the state can't afford high-speed rail—when, in fact, it would cost the state even more over the next few decades to meet the travel needs of its growing population in the absence of high-speed rail. Not only that, but if California fails, it becomes very difficult to get major passenger train improvements built elsewhere in the country.

A University of Southern California/Los Angeles Times poll released June 1 purported to show a majority of Californians are opposed to high-speed rail, but the questions the poll asked were misleading, pitting HSR against other public needs while failing to acknowledge the need for, and benefits of, a modern transportation link within the state. Californians for High-Speed Rail Executive Director Daniel Krause responded by saying that the poll contains "he-said, she-said statements in the absence of well-researched and accurate information, thus unfairly influencing and biasing poll respondents."

"The public has been inundated by false claims that HSR will compete with schools and other priorities while it is shut out from hearing about how HSR will generate significant revenue for the State over the next few years and how it will lay the foundation for long-term economic prosperity and environmental transformation," Krause (also a member of NARP's Council of Representatives) pointed out.

[Read the full piece here.]

It's worth revisiting the San Francisco Chronicle’s op-ed piece Roger Christensen, originally published in August of 2011.  Christensen is a transit advocate and former chair of the Metro Citizens Advisory Council, and his piece, titled “The Great High Speed Rail Lie,” is a blunt reminder that many of the actors in this public debate have unstated motivations:

The Reason Foundation is funded by Chevron, ExxonMobil, Shell Oil, the American Petroleum Institute, Delta Airlines, the National Air Transportation Association and, of course, the Koch Family Foundation. They know what will happen once Americans, furious about gas prices and the way airlines treat them, experience electrically powered 200-mph trains. But big oil and aviation can’t attack high-speed rail directly – that would be an obvious attempt to abort competition. So they hire a “think tank.”

Reason collaborates on research with James Moore III, a transportation engineering professor at University of Southern California. They parrot Reason’s “train to nowhere” nonsense, a phrase they apply to all rail projects. It’s especially absurd in this case, because interim services will have high-speed rail trains slow and reach the Bay Area on existing rail lines. Reason’s minions claim there’s no business plan or ridership figures. Except that anyone can go on the California High-Speed Rail Authority website and download them.

Where does the corporate cash and propaganda end and the legitimate criticism begin? It was impossible to know in Florida, where high-speed rail was killed using the same techniques.

There’s a lot of uncertainty about how this project will move forward.  What is certain is that California’s population is growing—even the most recent projections, which have been scaled downward, predict 50 million Californians by 2050—and the state's transportation infrastructure will have to grow with it.  As the state’s residents think about how the growth takes place, it’s helpful to look at the graph created by the Transportation Politic in 2011.  While the state’s business plan has evolved since this graph was created, it’s helpful in creating a sense of scale for how much money will be spent on highways in the coming decades, and what kind of project is really “affordable.”

The American Public Transportation Association (APTA) revealed that public transit ridership has continued its steady growth in the U.S., increasing by 5% in the first quarter of 2012 compared the same time period last year.  This increase represents the fifth consecutive quarter of growth, and happened in spite of struggling economy.  APTA’s release came at its annual rail conference earlier this week in Dallas.  NARP Council Member Peter LeCody attended the conference and posted his reports at www.texasrailadvocates.org.

"We see record ridership on public transit systems throughout the country,” said APTA President and CEO Michael Melaniphy.  “In some regions, the local economy is rebounding and people are commuting to their new jobs by using public transportation."

Over 60% of those public transit trips come from regular commuters, and that’s a good thing for operators, because it provides predictability in passenger behavior.  It’s also good for manufacturers and builders of transportation equipment and infrastructure.  APTA noted that it was able to gather 35 pages of signatures from various groups opposing draft legislation released by the House Ways and Means Committee which would’ve diverted $25 billion in fuel-tax revenue away from transit.

"There will be many more battles to come,” warned Thomas Waldron, senior vice president with AECOM's transportation group.  “So get ready."

The conference also focused on high performance intercity passenger rail.  Federal Railroad Administrator Joseph Szabo was in attendance, and he praised the President’s FY2013 budget request for $8.5 billion for intercity and high-speed rail. 

"Through eight recessions, we built the best highway system in the world," said Szabo to the crowd in Dallas. "When future generations look at us, will they say we got it right?"

Commuter rail passengers in Lancaster, Pennsylvania found themselves locked out of the Amtrak station on the morning of June 4, forcing them to circumnavigate the building to access the platform.

Amtrak issued an apology later that day:

"We acknowledge that this is the second time the station has not opened on time in the past few months.  Since then, we have taken the step of adding an additional member of staff with the responsibility of opening the station, to serve as a backup.  In the case today, even our backup failed. 

We regret any inconvenience this delay caused our passengers. We continue to take steps to ensure this does not happen in the future".

Yesterday was International Level Crossing Awareness Day, and while U.S. highway-rail grade crossing incidents declined in 2011, deaths and injuries from these collisions increased, emphasizing the need for safety awareness.

Operation Lifesaver, Inc. released a video on the importance of their safety campaign that teaches about the danger of rail-road grade crossings. While vehicle-train collisions in 2011 declined to 1,966 (from 2,018 in 2010), crossing collisions increased from 257 deaths in 2010 to 265 in 2011.  Injuries also increased, from 867 in 2010 to 988 in 2011.

Helen M. Sramek, president of Operation Lifesaver, issued a statement reemphasizing the organization’s dedication to improving safety throughout the U.S.: 

“Operation Lifesaver USA is pleased to join its partner countries around the world for the 2012 observance of International Level Crossing Awareness Day.  Educating the public to remain safe at the crossing or on and around tracks is a mission that unites us all. As we celebrate the 40th anniversary of OL, we are pleased to report an 80% decline in vehicle-train collisions. We will not be satisfied until we push that number to zero.”

Amtrak received the 2012 CIO 100 award for its eTicketing program from CIO Magazine, which recognized the railroad for innovation in operational and strategic use of information technology.

"For 25 years now, the CIO (chief information officer) 100 awards have honored the innovative use of technology to deliver genuine business value," said Maryfran Johnson, editor in chief of CIO magazine and events. "Our 2012 winners are an outstanding example of the transformative power of  IT to drive everything from revenue growth to competitive advantage."

 CIO Magazine identified a number of benefits attending eTicketing, including:

• Onboard customer ticket validation from print-at-home documents or from barcodes presented on mobile devices, eliminating the time intensive manual processing of paper tickets;
• Automation of onboard passenger manifests for more accurate knowledge of who is on the train to improve the safety and security of passengers, allowing the seats of ‘no show’ passengers to be resold down the line;
• Providing for en route reporting of equipment problems such as a broken seat which may result in quicker turnaround times as mechanical crews can be prepared to fix the problem when the trains arrives;
• Convenience and enhanced self-service in making and modifying reservations, with lost tickets no longer be an issue.

"We are pleased to be selected and recognized as one of the CIO 100 award honorees. The Amtrak eTicketing initiative demonstrates our commitment to innovation and use of mobile technology to capture customer-focused business opportunities to transform the on-board environment," said Dee Waddell, Amtrak acting chief information officer.

The rollout of eTicketing began in November 2011 on the Amtrak Downeaster service.  It was extended in spring 2012 to City of New Orleans, Capitol Corridor, San Joaquin, and Heartland Flyer trains. Amtrak anticipates launching eTicketing on all remaining trains in its national network during the summer of 2012.

The North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) has appointed Anthony Fuller as the new director of the Rail Division, taking over from Patrick Simmons, who retired. 

“Anthony brings visionary leadership and broad-based management skills that will strengthen North Carolina’s leadership position in multi-modal transportation,” said Paul Morris, NCDOT Deputy Secretary for Transit. “His wealth of experience and knowledge obtained while working for over 22 years across the rail industry, combined with a dedicated and qualified staff in the rail division, will provide us with the ability to meet the challenges of creating a rail system for the 21st century.”

The NCDOT release says “Fuller comes…from Amtrak in Los Angeles where he most recently oversaw rail operations in the transportation department.  His career has spanned both public and private rail sectors across the country.  Fuller has worked on strategic projects that included integrating freight and passenger movement, and testing new and high speed rail equipment for revenue. He also is certified in Locomotive Engineer management, which enables him to operate trains and locomotives, as well as complete evaluations on engineers while they operate trains.”

Fuller has big shoes to fill—Simmons has been a pioneering voice in the development of North Carolina’s statewide, 3,300 mile railroad network.  Fuller will begin supervision of day-to-day operations on June 25.