Showdown at the OK Corridor

1 Showdown at the OK corridor By John Zuspan

The rail renaissance is on the threshold of American Transportation. The railroad founders would be ill if they had seen the way the interstate system has taken over the rail industry. If the railroad pioneers from the 1850’s and 60’s were alive in the 1940’s and 50’, one would imagine how they would have fought to maintain the railroads of this country. I am sure they would have gotten their fair share and forced the government to contribute to the railroads in an unbiased arena. Hindsight is always 20-20, but if we had only invested some of that money into passenger railroads, we would not have the congestion we do today. People would have choices as to which mode of transportation they wish to use. The baby boomers would be more willing to ride mass transportation because they would have been born with it. Now we must at least wait another generation or two to change that mindset. We Americans love our privacy and do not invade that magical 3.7 foot space around my human body. The country must change or develop a way to entertain people while they sit in hours of bumper to bumper traffic. The outcry for a better transportation system is overwhelming. Anyone, who has been commuting the same route for more than 15 years, can express their aggravation the best. The commute is 10 times worse and takes at least 60% longer, depending on which metropolitan region you come from. If you could measure the tension in a cloud that looms over a traffic jam, it would be off the ricktor scale. Just imagine all that tension and aggravation somehow Congestion (change in annual person hours delayed) being put to productive use. from 1982 to 1996

Congestion in the morning causes 600 terrible attitudes when people get to 500

e 400 g work. They may need an hour or so n a 300 h C just to unwind before they tackle their

% 200 daily activities. What a way to start a 100 day. Then the commute home causes 0 o le le y e s e s i d s o o e d il a it tt i r ta le n i t g s C n v d o h o n m a u n e o D a s r C l p e ia l o e i . l i e s r im la g rt L D J h tension again and the anger at the end r u d a a m lt t n M o . m n s O o u s h e a A A t ra n a L C M P S c a a a n B s S S W L a o a t. K L S of the day may be transferred to our F family, either by outbursts or total exhaustion. The kids, unfortunately are the ones that suffer indirectly to road rage. Everyone’s quality of life is being jeopardized, whether directly or indirectly. Even vacations are creating tension. Who would have imagined that the south rim of the Grand Canyon suffers from gridlock? Congestion should be the # 1 issue for all that inhabit the United States of America. It is affecting everyone.

As a side bar. In 1984 I got married again and was determined to make a happy family. We moved to the country because that is the environment we wanted to raise our kids. My wife, raised in a city, was absolutely lost with cows and the stores being miles away. Now, we can walk to a shopping

2 center in less time than it takes to drive on certain days. I sit in 9 separate traffic jams to get home, one of which is 2 miles from my house. It used to take me one hour to get home; it now takes at least 2 hours and sometimes-even more. There is no public Passenger/Mile in Billions (People) transportation that can accommodate my needs. If we 6,000 4,800 would have only build a light rail system down the 5,000 middle of I-80 when it was being built. 4,000 3,000 The Texas Transportation Institute has reported that 2,000 4 billion hours are spent in congestion per year. We 1,000 6 0.01 40 have to wonder how much more is spent to recover - Rail Highway Water Air from the aggravation of congestion. Road rage is a common buzz phase now. People are fighting and getting shot in traffic fights, even without the use of alcohol. Instead of bar room brawls, we now have roadway riots. The American way of life is being jeopardized and we must do something NOW. “Build it and they will come”, will work. There are many examples of this theory throughout this country. Every light rail project has come under enormous scrutiny and yet they are all successful. They give Ton/Miles in Billions (Commodities) 1,200 people a choice. We have a right to sit in a traffic jam, 1,000 but we must have alternatives for those who want a 1,000 700 more serene existence. We must get the word out that 800 600 rail is a viable and comfortable form of transportation. 375 This country is so unbalanced with the 4 basic forms of 400 200 transportation. If only we had dedicated a 20’ wide 2 strip down the middle of every interstate highway for - Rail Highway Water Air rail, we would not be in this transportation melt down mode that we are today. Even a two-track light rail system can be built with only a 4’ strip of real estate, as proven by the JFK light rail project which is down the Van Wyck expressway in Queens, New York..

We must set our priorities properly. Instead of giving the American people a 1.3 trillion-dollar tax cut, why not invest that money into improving our quality of life and solve the congestion problem that haunts us all. I guarantee that Americans would Miles of Highway vs Miles of Railroad from 1850 to pay 10-20 dollars a week if we could give them 2000 some options to relieve congestion. Let’s quite arguing about money and just do it. It is the only way to prevent a “transportation melt down” to coin a phase from Governor Dukakis.

Another problem is how do we get the people out of the cars and the commodities out of the trucks? How do we change the mind set that rail travel is a subordinate way to travel? It seems more

Railways Highways x 10 trendy to fly from Washington DC to Philadelphia rather than taking a train. Let’s challenge the advertising industry to promote rail travel with all the zest they put into selling sneakers or beer. Billboards on highways that are always bumper to bumper. Futuristic and very comfortable trains with coffee shops and mood music. Show everyone what

3 the alternatives are and how they can improve their quality of life. No railroad wants to spend money on marketing, but they must. Someone must spend big dollars on marketing rail. Word of mouth is just not enough. I truly believe that once anyone takes a metroliner or Acela from New York to Boston or New York to Washington, they will rarely fly again.

Change in Population (from 1990 to 1999) The freight carriers must get By Metro Area better on time service and have their 30 own dedicated right of way to manage 25 as they see fit, however some of these e 20 g n a 15 h corridors can support high speed, C

% 10 commuter and light rail, but not on the 5 same tracks. I would suggest a 4-track 0 e o l a d te to o i y s e C s le s corridor and where there is not enough d a t n t g it le s i il i n d n a o n e m o D h v u r tl rl e i ia C e J . p s o la e la r D s g h i L r d t o a m M a n n s m u . O u A P h ra n s A a a e o t C c a n S M L S room, offer a gauntlet slab track were a S s W L a a o t. S K L F as each railroad can have their own rails with their own geometry and stiffness. We must not do this half way; we must do what Eisenhower did with creating the interstate highway system. We must have dedicated rail corridors for each discipline. Let’s not save a nickel so the next generation must spend a buck. We have a responsibility to give our children a first class rail transportation system just like Eisenhower did with the interstate system for our generation. We must design for the distant future and not settle for bandaid construction. The time is now and we all must be ready for the challenge. So let’s jump on a train and read a book, take a nap, do some homework, play solitaire, develop a strategic business plan, read a paper, write a thesis, play with the kids, enjoy our mates company or write this paper. As John RePass puts it, “Rail is Real”.