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Canada Report Winter 2018 NEWSLETTER p. 5 Spring 2018 Vol. 15, Issue 2 Join Us at the Moving Forward Individual By Rail Regional Summit Highlights Next steps for expanding rail in the Upper Midwest By Richard Rudolph, Ph.D. rail advocates who are working at of Transportation Rail Office, Chair, Rail Users’ Network the state and local level to expand and Arun Rao, Passenger Rail Uncertainty Continues passenger rail and rail transit. Implementation Manager, on NJ Transit Rails p. 2 Our 16th annual conference is WisDOT. They will talk about taking place Friday, June 1, 2018 The day will begin with opening the proposed second daily from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at remarks given by Richard Rudolph, frequency over the 418-mile Secrecy in Indiana Rail the Minneapolis Central Library, Chair of the Rail Users’ Network, route between St. Paul and to Trail Plan p. 3 300 Nicollet Mall in downtown and Brian Nelson, the President Chicago. Frank Loetterle, the Minneapolis. The conference, which of All Aboard Minnesota. Northern Lights Express Project Report from En Route to is sponsored by the Rail Users’ Alice Hausman, the DFL’s (the Manager who has also been New Mexico p. 5 Network and All Aboard Minnesota, Minnesota Democratic–Farmer– invited, will provide an update will examine what’s happening Labor Party) State Representative on the current efforts to expand in the Twin Cities and the Upper who serves on the House passenger rail to Duluth, MN. Brightline Launches Midwest regarding passenger rail Transportation Finance Committee, Intercity Service p. 6 and rail transit issues. The focus will will also be on hand to greet and talk The morning session will be on recent success stories, which with attendees. also include presentations Transport Focus in projects are moving forward and by the Ramsey County Rail the UK p. 8 which are standing still and could The morning featured speakers Authority spokesperson, Keven use more help. Time will be also be include Dan Krom, Chief of Roggenbuck, who has been set aside to hear from the grass roots: the Minnesota Department (Continued on page 10) Canada Report February 2018 p. 9 MTA Prepares Service Options Places to Stay and Eat For Canarsie Tube Shutdown in the Twin Cities p. 11 By Andrew Albert the F trains, and the Canarsie Train Control (CBTC). The Tube. The big difference with the frequency is often every two Survey of Passenger Hurricane Sandy devastated Canarsie Tube is that unlike the minutes—even at 11 p.m., Rail in the West p. 12 quite a few under-river subway others, it is not interchangeable when hordes of people are tunnels, and many have had post- with other lines. Running riding either to Williamsburg Remembering Jim Hamre storm work done to keep them from the Canarsie section of clubs and restaurants, or back safe and reliable. Work has been Brooklyn through Brownsville, to Manhattan after enjoying and Zack Willhoite p. 16 done on the Montague Tube, East New York, Bushwick, those clubs and restaurants. which carries the R trains; the Ridgewood, Williamsburg, and Empire Service’s Cranberry Tube, which carries across 14th Street in Manhattan, Built in 1924, the Canarsie 50th Anniversary p. 17 the A,C trains; the Joralemon it carries over 400,000 daily Tube was made of cast iron, Tube, which carries the 4,5 riders. It is largely responsible with a concrete liner. There A Missouri Town Gets an trains; the 53rd Street Tube, for the explosive growth of the are two tubes, each carrying which carries the E, M trains; Williamsburg and Bushwick one track. In 2012, Hurricane Amtrak Stop p. 18 and the Steinway Tube, which areas, and was the first line in Sandy exploded into the New carries the 7 trains. This leaves the New York subway system York City area, devastating the Rutgers Tube, which carries to get Communications-based (Continued on page 7) RAIL USERS’ NETWORK NEWSLETTER Page 2 of 20 Uncertainty Continues for New Jersey Transit’s Riders By David Peter Alan had not promised fast-track funding Christie took office, or they were secretaries for Gateway, as politicians on both who have no line authority. Not all of the In our last issue, we highlighted the sides of the Hudson had expected, and them have been fired yet; some have been uncertainty that Garden State rail President Trump warned on Feb. 12 of retained on a day-by-day basis. Their riders face on New Jersey Transit (NJT). a reduced federal role in infrastructure futures could not be more uncertain. At that time, the system was plagued funding. These developments make by delays, there was a shortage of it less likely that the Feds will chip Murphy has appointed a new engineers that renders train service in a major portion of the estimated Commissioner of Transportation, who is unreliable to the point that some $30-billion cost of Gateway. also Chair of the NJT Board, and a new trains are canceled, and it was unclear Executive Director for NJT. Neither has where riders would stand under recent The Lackawanna Coalition and other experience in managing transit operations changes in New Jersey politics. We can advocates have called for a scaled-down or the customer-oriented side of transit, now report that the uncertainly has project that would include two new tracks and advocates hope they will learn quickly. not abated, and New Jersey’s turbulent into the existing Penn Station, one new Donna Guiterrez-Scachetti, the new politics may not bring much-needed bridge with sufficient capacity for future Commissioner, worked in the highway transit improvements. train traffic, and improvements at Penn sector for her entire career. She will now Station itself. They say this “Affordable be required to preside over the governance For the riders, little has changed since Gateway” could be built for about one of the third-largest transit agency in the last fall. Each morning, WNYC and third of the cost of the currently-proposed nation. The new Executive Director is other New York radio stations report the Gateway Project, because it would not Kevin Corbett, whose last job was at morning’s transit delays that emiserate the include the separate Penn South station the large consulting firm AECOM. His commuters’ trips into the City. On most for NJT trains, or extra infrastructure in transit-related experience was promoting mornings, at least one line in the NJT the Secaucus area. The New York Daily and managing large-scale projects, and system is hampered by delays, but riders do News has also called for a scaled-down advocates expect that much of his job will not know in advance which one, or ones, version of Gateway. At this writing, be to push for Gateway and other big- will be hit that day. It also appears that Gateway’s proponents, Amtrak and most ticket capital projects, although it remains the shortage of engineers, which forced politicians in the region are still endorsing unclear how much money New Jersey numerous train cancellations last year, will the $30-billion project, despite the FTA’s has for its share of the cost, or how much continue for the foreseeable future. It takes and Trump’s advisories. the Trump Administration is willing to almost 18 months to train new engineers, chip in for the federal share. If the FTA’s while local media report that some of Many Trenton-watchers and NJT riders advisory letter from Dec. 29 and Trump’s those who have worked for NJT for years have hoped for major improvements infrastructure speech in February are any are defecting to Metro-North in New York in their transit with the exit of former indication, they will not contribute much. State, for better pay. Gov. Chris Christie and the arrival of his successor, Murphy. Murphy is a Democrat, The Lackawanna Coalition and other At this writing, it is too early to tell how while Christie was a Republican. The advocates have expressed their concern much funding the New Jersey legislature Democrats controlled both houses of the that Corbett has no experience in and Gov. Phillip Murphy will be willing legislature during Christie’s eight years operations or the customer-oriented side to provide for the state’s transit, so it is as Governor, and they still do. Murphy of transit. Robert Lavell, the current too early to tell how much service may be had complained about NJT during his head of NJT Rail, will have retired by cut and how much fares will increase this campaign, and he blamed much of the the time you read this. At this writing, year. Nobody seems to dispute that a fare agency’s bad performance on Christie nobody knows who will take his place, so increase is certain, though. and some of the managers he appointed. the uncertainty about rail service in the Before Murphy took office, the head of Garden State continues. It is also uncertain what will happen to his transition staff ordered NJT Executive the proposed Gateway Project, and even Director Steven Santoro to demand the There is a bill before the New Jersey the part of it that would build new tunnel resignations of a number of management legislature (Assembly Bill A-1241) that capacity into Penn Station, New York. employees, which effectively terminated purports to introduce reform at NJT but, in On Dec. 29, the Deputy Director of the their employment. Some of the most actuality, it will not do so. The Lackawanna Federal Transit Administration informed notorious Christie appointees were spared, Coalition and other advocates have Gateway officials in New York and New while most of the employees targeted were complained that the NJT Board is a Jersey that the Obama Administration either managers who joined NJT before (Continued on page 6) RAIL USERS’ NETWORK NEWSLETTER Page 3 of 20 IN Rail to Trail Plan Bypasses Public Input By Phil Streby By the 1930s, with passenger service on the Noblesville and Fishers, along with Hamilton decline, the last Nickel Plate passenger train County (AKA “the Owners”) forming a Port The Rail Users Network’s mission is to southbound carried a funeral wreath on the Authority to oversee the operation, acquired advocate for improvement in passenger rear of the last car, and the line became freight the property, and continued to allow for the rail service, whether on Amtrak or on local only.