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.

ACTION ALERT

Northampton County Council Meeting:

Vote on Funding for the Planning Phase of a Unified Rail System

Thursday, OCTOBER 2 at 6:00PM

Northampton County Government Center

669 Washington Str, 3rd floor Easton PA

Paul Marin will be making his presentation and the council should be voting on a commitment of $75,000 toward the planning phase.

BTW: There were about 80 attendees at the gathering last Tuesday at the Third Street Alliance in Easton. Paul did a great job again. There was lots of healthy discussion, even a strong thought provoking comment questioning the effort. That was responded to by equally thought out comments.

Lehigh Valley residents TOLD LANTA THEY ARE A TRANSPORTATION AGENCY, NOT A BUS COMPANY !!!

LANTA is in the midst of developing a regional plan to change and improve public transit in the Valley. Three public open house meetings were conducted to gather your suggestions, ideas and comments about what YOU want in your public transportation system:

The numbers of people attending were very good! We put RAIL ON THE RADAR. Some viewers of this blog were concerned that LANTA was completely fixated on only bus service. Do not despair. Our voices were essential in making them realize that the people are demanding a Unified Rail Service.

KEEP UP THE PRESSURE!!

Pressure must be applied consistently and over time to succeed.

WE CANNOT STOP NOW!

More on the Open House Meetings.......

Fellow rail supporters,

It has been a long time coming, but we finally have a legitimate opportunity as citizens to affect a sea-change in the course of rail transportation in the Lehigh Valley. Paul Marin is on the Board of Directors of LANTA. He is also a member of the Transportation sub-committee of the Lehigh Valley Economic Development Corporation (LVEDC). He has gained the support of the LVEDC in funding a rail study that will provide an opportunity for the Lehigh Valley to partner with the ongoing study being prepared by New Jersey Transit (NJT) that will evaluate bringing rail to Phillipsburg. Our participation would assure that Easton, Bethlehem and Allentown are included as potential stops in that study. Obviously, Easton is the key link to this system.


The LVEDC has committed $100,000 to this effort. The study will cost $250,000 - the cost of one, modest suburban home in Forks Township. Further funding of $150,000 will be required to move forward. That money will be requested (in the amount of $75,000 each) by County Executives Don Cunnigham and John Stoffa from Lehigh and Northampton County Councils respectively. Lehigh County is probably solidly behind it. Our job will be to make sure Northampton County hears our message loud and clear.

Paul Marin has put his money where his mouth is by hiring Wallace, Roberts and Todd, Architects and Planners (WRT) of Philadelphia to do a preliminary PowerPoint presentation on the potential of rail in the Lehigh Valley. WRT is well known for it's planning of Inner Harbor in Baltimore and the Dallas Area Rapid Transit plan (DART). This PowerPoint will also be presented to County Council on October 2nd. Paul and I agree that you - the Easton transit-using community - deserves to have the presentation personally delivered to you so that you have all your questions answered before the funding request is delivered to the County.

It will be very important to show up in force at the County meeting to let the politicians know we are behind this modest investment to direct our future transit system towards rail and the economic benefits it will enable here. Please do everything you can to attend this presentation and let everyone you know in the Easton area who will be affected by this transit study to attend as well.

Also that same evening, as luck would have it (and coincidentally right next door to our meeting location) LANTA will be presenting their regional transportation plan update for the Lehigh Valley. There will be a presentation, an opportunity to review the plan and to make public comment. It would be great for as many people as possible to also attend part of this meeting.

Let LANTA know that a plan that does not include provision for future rail service is no plan at all. LANTA must be made to understand that they are a transportation agency - not just a bus company. We have a unique opportunity to drive the point home and we should take advantage of it.

I look forward to seeing all of you soon and working together - with Paul and all of you - to lead Easton and the Lehigh Valley into the 21st Century of transportation planning and economic success.

Dennis R. Lieb

WE DID IT!!

The Morning Call: Valley planners support a $250,000 rail study

http://www.mcall.com/news/local/all-a1_4rails-aug29,0,3068682.story

LANTA board member Paul Marin Comments on Transportation Choices

http://www.bclip.com/movieplayers/apta/index.php?num=50