OBAMA ANNOUNCES HIGH SPEED RAIL INITIATIVE

From the NY Times, April 16, 2009:

With clogged highways and overburdened airports, economic growth is suffering, Mr. Obama said at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, shortly before leaving for a trip to Mexico and then Trinidad and Tobago.

“What we need, then, is a smart transportation system equal to the needs of the 21st century,” he said, “a system that reduces travel times and increases mobility, a system that reduces congestion and boosts productivity, a system that reduces destructive emissions and creates jobs.”

And he added, “There’s no reason why we can’t do this.”

Mr. Obama said the $8 billion for high-speed rail in his stimulus package — to be spent over two years — and an additional $1 billion a year being budgeted over the next five years, would provide a “jump start” toward achieving that vision.

The stimulus money has yet to be allocated to specific projects, but Mr. Obama said the Transportation Department would begin awarding money by the end of summer.
The government has identified 10 corridors, each from 100 to 600 miles long, with greatest promise for high-speed development.

They are: a northern New England line; an Empire line running east to west in New York State; a Keystone corridor running laterally through Pennsylvania; a major Chicago hub network; a southeast network connecting the District of Columbia to Florida and the Gulf Coast; a Gulf Coast line extending from eastern Texas to western Alabama; a corridor in central and southern Florida; a Texas-to-Oklahoma line; a California corridor where voters have already approved a line that will allow travel from San Francisco to Los Angeles in two and a half hours; and a corridor in the Pacific Northwest.

Only one high-speed line is now operating, on the Northeast corridor between Washington and Boston, and it will be eligible to compete for money to make improvements.

Mr. Obama’s remarks mixed ambition and modesty, reflecting the fact that American high-speed rail is in its infancy compared with systems in France and Japan.

“Imagine whisking through towns at speeds over 100 miles an hour, walking only a few steps to public transportation, and ending up just blocks from your destination,” Mr. Obama said. “It is happening right now; it’s been happening for decades. The problem is, it’s been happening elsewhere, not here.”

The Federal Railroad Administration defines high-speed rail as any train traveling 90 m.p.h. or faster. In Japan, the Shinkansen trains average about 180 m.p.h. The TGV train in France uses special tracks to sustain speeds of 133 m.p.h. on the Paris-Lyon route.

The Acela Express operated by Amtrak is capable of a speed of 150 m.p.h., but track conditions and other rail traffic bring its average speed to just over half that.

A Call to Action in the Morning Call

Article Link:

http://www.mcall.com/news/opinion/all-recon122908,0,6913426.story

ACTION TO TAKE: Please write POSITIVE comments on our need for rail to the Morning Call



Reconnaissance 2009

In 2009, start to make Valley's rail connections real

December 29, 2008

Imagine speeding over the land at 200 miles per hour, reading this newspaper while having a drink and chatting with your family or business associates in absolute comfort and safety.

That is quickly becoming the reality for the rest of the world.

Over the next decade, the Chinese government is planning to spend roughly $500 billion to construct an extensive high-speed rail network. They are hardly alone. Vietnam, Korea, Taiwan, Japan, Russia, Germany, France, Spain and others -- the list of countries investing in high speed rail is too long to print here.

Meanwhile, the United States spent just $1.3 billion on Amtrak in 2008, or about 2 percent of the federal transportation budget.

Amtrak has been on life support for decades, receiving just enough money each year to keep it from shutting down completely. Yet, despite aging equipment and slow service, more than 28 million people rode Amtrak last year, a record.

In the 1950s, America had the fastest and most luxurious trains in the world. That was then. Today European and Asian rail networks are extensive and growing with trains that can exceed speeds of 200 mph. In a competitive world economy, we are falling far behind.

In fact, we are the only large developed country in the world that does not use the tripod of transportation: air, roads, and rail. As author James Howard Kustler says, "The United States has a passenger rail system that Bulgaria would be ashamed of." This must change -- and it is.

This past November, despite a massive recession and state budge woes, California voters approved $10 billion in state bonds to construct a high speed rail system. The bonds will help to provide the local match for partnerships with other investors, such as Uncle Sam.

Other states are watching with interest. In the Midwest, 10 states have joined forces to plan an expansive rail network with a hub in Chicago. Texas has looked at high speed rail to link Houston, Dallas, Austin, and San Antonio. Virginia, Ohio, Colorado, and numerous other states are developing state rail plans to expand passenger rail service.

If Pennsylvania does not act quickly, we will be left behind when the federal government gets serious about funding passenger rail. Other states will have solid plans and environmental clearances ready, so they will get the infrastructure dollars.

And, the United States is falling behind the rest of the world in terms of transportation. China, for example, is investing hundreds of billions of dollars in high speed rail to link its cities.

When people visit the United States from other countries, they are often shocked by our lack of viable public transportation. They act as if a basic element of modern infrastructure is missing, as if we had opted not to build something as essential to them as hospitals or fire departments.

Pennsylvania is ideal for passenger railroads. We have areas of high population density, and many of our cities and towns are already linked by rail infrastructure. We have great downtowns that are perfect for rail stations. We also have experience with high-quality passenger rail. The Keystone trains between Harrisburg and Philadelphia zip along at 110 miles per hour.

Yet, there is a common belief in other parts of the country that the "northeast" rail network is complete just because we already have the Northeast Corridor connecting Boston to Washington D.C. We already have trains in New York and Philadelphia, so what else do we need?

The Lehigh Valley has more than 800,000 residents, yet we have no rail service. Meanwhile, cities like Norfolk, Va., and Phoenix, Ariz. are building light rail. This week, a new commuter train opened in Santa Fe, N.M., a city with only 72,000 residents ( Allentown has over 100,000). Clearly, our rail network is nowhere near as extensive as it needs to be.

A state rail plan is needed to bring rail service to all of Pennsylvania's population centers. Trains must be frequent, reliable, and fast. Such a network will help our local economies remain competitive, create jobs, reduce our dependence on foreign oil and will provide an option for residents to travel quickly and safely.

Paul J. Marin of Allentown is the chair of the Transportation Committee of the Lehigh Valley

More Progress!!

Northampton County council approves passenger rail study

Friday, November 07, 2008

From LehighValleyLive

http://www.lehighvalleylive.com/northampton-county/index.ssf?/base/sports-0/1226034415272971.xml&coll=3

EASTON A second vote on funding a passenger rail study was the charm as Northampton County council approved $75,000 Thursday for it.

The resolution passed 5-3, with council members Ron Angle, John Cusick and Peg Ferraro voting against it.

Paul Marin, a member of the Lehigh Valley Economic Development Corporation's transportation committee, wants to include the Lehigh Valley in a New Jersey transit study considering a train connection from the area to New York City.

The study will cost about $250,000 and Marin has asked Northampton and Lehigh counties to kick in $75,000 each.

Northampton County's resolution failed at the Oct. 16 meeting for lack of a majority vote, but the funding was still listed in the county's 2009 budget.

Councilman Michael Dowd re-introduced the measure.
Dowd said if significant federal funding becomes available for rail "the Valley ought to be in a position to take advantage of that."

Ferraro said she wanted to wait a few months before spending the money to see if the county was in good financial shape.

"I feel very uncomfortable spending any money until our own house is in order," Ferraro said.
The approval came with the caveat that the county will not release the funding unless the other entities involved approve their funding.

LVEDC officials have already approved a contribution of $100,000.

THE FAST TRACK

Paul Marin has announced that "We are currently setting up a committee to work on the rail initiative starting in the next 30 days."

Stay tuned!!!!!!!!!

New Article

'Visionary' rail network linking New Jersey and Pennsylvania regions would imitate passenger train system in Europe

Friday, October 31, 2008
By TONY NAUROTH
The Express-Times

http://www.lehighvalleylive.com/easton/index.ssf?/base/news-0/1225425988210560.xml&coll=3&thispage=1

EASTON An effort to bring rail service to Phillipsburg and Easton keeps chugging along a track that could tie in mid-Atlantic population centers via a network similar to that found in Europe.
Local leaders and passenger rail enthusiasts gathered Thursday morning at Lafayette College's Pfenning Alumni Center to hear about a plan college President Daniel Weiss called "visionary."
Paul Marin, chairman of the Lehigh Valley Economic Development Corp.'s transportation committee, laid out details.

"The key," Marin told the group, "is legislation; the key is political will."
That means marshaling the support of the mayors of the municipalities that would benefit from a rail line as well as state and national elected leaders who can funnel the money into such a project.
"This is not new," said Easton Mayor Sal Panto, "The idea has been around for 25 years. Now we're looking to have it as a reality in five to 10 years."
In his presentation, with the hefty title "Unified Passenger Rail Network for the Mid-Atlantic Region," Marin pointed to a $250,000 study, already approved, that could start in about six weeks to identify the state of tracks and stations along the proposed routes.
Vision beyond the Valley
But the vision Marin described goes beyond the Lehigh Valley.
"People think a rail line would only be for New York City commuters. That's not true.

"The forward edge of (baby boom) empty nesters will reach 2011, and they won't want to live in big homes in cul-de-sacs," he said, adding that people will want to live close to services, close to transportation and close to each other.
They'll have to give up their SUVs and learn to shop locally, not in huge malls accessible only by roads.
"The question we must ask ourselves," Marin said, "is, 'Are we ready for a lifestyle change?' "

For those who say rail service is too expensive, Marin noted the case of Charlotte, N.C. where, in 1999, a 10-mile light rail line was built, drawing people to live in downtowns that had been failing economically.
"They spent $700 million dollars to build it; the economic investment return was $7 billion," said Marin, who also is a board member with the Lehigh and Northampton Transportation Authority.
Building homes and business around rail lines and stations is called transportation-oriented development.

Marin also compared the rail line potential to what Switzerland already has. Using slides of the mid-Atlantic region next to a map of Switzerland, Marin showed that the land areas are similar in size.
Then he showed their respective rail lines with the central European country well-networked, despite its mountainous terrain.
"Fifty million people live within a 50-mile radius of the Lehigh Valley," Marin said. "Switzerland has 7 million people."
"We have a rail system Bolivia would be ashamed of," Marin added.
U.S. Rep. Charlie Dent, R-Lehigh Valley, attended the breakfast presentation and later said he supports a rail network, but noted, "This issue is more about money than anything else."
He said the federal government typically puts 50 percent into transportation projects. The other 50 percent must come from local governments and private contributions.
Dent said he's "very much aware" of the current Lehigh Valley study and says his hope is to link it with one already in progress in New Jersey that would offer suggestions on the feasibility of extending the current rail line from High Bridge to Phillipsburg.
"We're going to piggyback onto the New Jersey study," Dent said. "This is not a Washington-driven phenomena," he said. "It's got to be locally driven."

From the Morning Call:

Plan could bring commuter rail to Lehigh Valley in five years


Link to NJ Transit: Bridge panel would use millions in toll money to pay for it.
By Matt Assad Of The Morning Call
October 14, 2008


A plan to bring passenger railroads into the Lehigh Valley would tap the millions of dollars that motorists pay in Delaware River bridge tolls to fund a $100 million line that would link Easton to NJ Transit trains.

Talks to have the Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission pay to extend a line 20 miles west from High Bridge, N.J., began two years ago and have been re-energized by high gasoline prices and highway congestion.

Such a deal would mean trains could be running into Easton in as little as five years, helping regional planners avoid what could otherwise be a 10- to 20-year wait to get enough federal funding.

But for now, the plan remains a concept awaiting the blessing of the governors of Pennsylvania and New Jersey, said bridge commission Chairman David R. DeGerolamo.

''The frustrating thing is if we had done this two years ago, when I first suggested it, we'd be close to having trains running,'' said DeGerolamo, who is also a Phillipsburg councilman. ''Now it's sort of in a holding pattern until we get some kind of direction from the governors. It's too bad, because I think we missed an opportunity.''

Chuck Ardo, spokesman for Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell, said Rendell supports establishing the line into the Valley and the bridge commission is free to fund the construction if it chooses, but said the costs of running the railroad must also be considered.

''It's unquestionably a worthwhile project,'' Ardo said. ''No one has specifically approached the governor about it, but even if they do, funding is going to be an issue, not only for construction, but for ongoing operations.''

New Jersey Gov. Jon Corzine's office did not comment.

If the commission had approved floating $100 million in bonds as DeGerolamo requested, it would have had to determine whether it could repay them through existing tolls, increased tolls or by adding tolls to one of its 13 free bridges. That's still the case.

The issue of extending NJ Transit into the Lehigh Valley resurfaced in recent months, as Valley highways became more crowded with people commuting to New York City and New Jersey and gas prices rose to more than $4 a gallon.

Lehigh and Northampton counties along with the Lehigh Valley Economic Development Corp. have together committed $250,000 to pay for a study of what it would cost to extend the NJ Transit line through the Valley and what it would cost to operate.

But Paul Marin, a former Wall Street money manager now living in Allentown, says the line would be a small piece of a statewide rail network that he's been advocating throughout the region.

He's spent the past two months meeting with officials, including Pennsylvania Community and Economic Development Secretary Dennis Yablonsky and Transportation Secretary Allen D. Bieler. Last week, he made his plea during the annual Pennsylvania Planning Partners Conference in Canonsburg, Washington County.

''If we can build a statewide rail plan, then we are eligible for billions of dollars in federal money,'' Marin said. ''Locally, the toll bridge commission is an option that could have trains running within four years after floating the bonds. That would be ideal.

To continue reading the article :

http://www.mcall.com/news/local/all-a1_3rail.6623500oct14,0,7150225.story

URGENT: Some Lehigh County Commissioners Threaten cuts to Rail Funding

New Cuts Proposed by

Some Lehigh County Commissioners

Yes, This meeting is being held the SAME TIME as the Northhampton Meeting:

Thursday October 2, at 6PM:

Lehigh County Executive Government Center
17 S. 7th St.Allentown, PA 18101


Don Cunningham, County Executive, and a supporter of our cause, urges us to attend the meeting to support his proposed budget. His budget is rail friendly and balances the books without any tax increases. Yet some commissioners have threatened to cut rail funding!!

Don Cunningham:

"Some or all of the funding proposed in my 2009 budget related to your organization and/or initiative in which we are partnered or you have expressed interest has been targeted for reduction or elimination in a motion introduced by a county commissioner. "

This Thursday (10/2), the Lehigh County Board of Commissioners will hold its final 2009 budget hearing at 6 p.m. in the County Government Center at 7th and Hamilton Streets in Allentown. The board will consider millions of dollars of proposed funding cuts to the following areas:

• Passenger rail study/mass transit funding
• Regional economic development funding
• Quality of Life grants to more than 20 cultural arts and community organizations
• Farmland preservation
• Open space preservation
• Borough revitalization funding
• Community partnership grants for townships
• Community police matching grants
• Urban parks funding
• Brownfield/industrial land economic development

Don Cunningham continues:

"My proposed 2009 budget is a modest 1.1 percent higher than this year's budget. It contains NO tax increase and continues a balanced investment in the operations of Lehigh County government while supporting our community partnerships, our downtowns, public safety, our cultural arts institutions and community events, regional efforts across municipalities, mass transit and passenger rail development, preservation of open space and farmland and the development of urbanparks. "

"Proposals will be considered and voted upon Thursday that would alter that agenda and affect our partnerships and/or funding. That should not occur without you having a voice in the matter. You may want to attend this important meeting to represent the interests of your group or initiative. "

For more information on the proposed funding cuts, please contact the County Executive Office at 610-782-3001 or the County Commissioner Office at 610-782-3050.