January-February-March 2011 Issue #65 Nationally-known rail leader: Back track for Amtrak in Denver Union Station Gene Skoropowski to speak at ColoRail winter meeting -- At 8:02 p.m. on February 3rd, the waiting room (formerly the Light March 5th - Englewood last Amtrak train pulled out of Bulb Supply Co.). Train 5 of that Denver Union Station on Track 1 morning had been canceled due to Community Center/Library with conductor Brad Swartzwelter the aftermath of the Midwest at Englewood Station in charge. 22 hours later, Train 6 blizzard. The well-appointed was parked on new Track 8 and building is about half the size Doors open 10:30 a.m. passengers were making their way needed to handle peak loads during Meeting starts 10:45 a.m. across Wewatta Street to the new the next three to four years.
Temporary Amtrak location is downhill on Wewatta Street from Park Avenue West viaduct. The one-story building is to right of roadway, beneath the 20th Street HOV viaduct; new platform and Track 8 are to left of roadway. -- Photo by Bob Brewster.
“A Voice for Colorado’s Rail Passengers” Page 2
Will the new tun- nel just be a big bore? Tunnel was “in the way” The ColoRail Passenger normally tures and demolished to make way ColoRail board member Edie Bryan avoids nostalgia, but an objective for a new era of rail transportation. orchestrated a fitting farewell to our look at the well-utilized pedestrian While we should be thankful for the tunnel on Sunday, February 6. tunnel under Denver Union Station new rail era, we are left with a num- Channel 9 was in attendance to compels attention to this now lost ber of questions about how our plan- mark the occasion. We all owe Edie part of our history. ners and "deciders" accomplish the our heartfelt gratitude in celebrating coming era. Does it reflect poorly on the passing of a piece of Denver's Tunnels are more noted for their utili- us that a historically- designated tarian purposes rather than their de- "buried treasure." Thanks, Edie! symbol of Denver's past transporta- cor. They're built to avoid some- Bob Brewster is a former Vice- thing. Our former pedestrian tunnel tion achievements will exist only in President of ColoRail and partici- at Denver Union Station served that photographs, books, and fading, pated in the Union Station planning purpose for almost 100 years: a con- fragile memories? process when permitted to do so. duit for travelers , coming and going Decisions were made that deemed by rail. It was a Spartan, all- our tunnel "in the way of progress." business facility, passing beneath ColoRail Board and But must progress trample on the behemoth steel girders whose as- Colorado NARP Council past if it is avoidable? Could our signments were to support the Members: existing, functional tunnel have been weight of hissing iron monsters, later (with telephone numbers) modified once again to continue its and
Easy to get Californians will never ride trains? to Englewood
It has a nice ring to it: to Englewood March 5th meeting will be Gene Corridor Joint Powers Authority and by train! ColoRail will once again Skoropowski. He is known a former NARP Director. hold a general meeting in the (large) throughout the transit and rail indus- Doors will open at 10:30 a.m., with Community Room at the city’s com- tries for his success at developing refreshments laid out. Business will bined city hall, community center, the weakest of the California state- begin at 10:45 a.m. The meeting is gallery and library adjacent to Engle- sponsored Amtrak routes into a thriv- expected to continue after the wood Station. ing service with many uses (San speaker’s presentation with updates Featured speaker for the Saturday, Jose - Oakland - Martinez - Sacra- on legislation and a discussion of mento - Sierras). And that was ac- ColoRail activities until 1:30 p.m. complished while dealing with the Nominating legacy of a railroad that seemed to Englewood’s Community Center at take delight as the top company in 1000 Englewood Parkway may be committee at work the West for obstructing passenger accessed on weekends by the D- service (Southern Pacific). All the Line and bus Rtes 0, 12, and 27. The ColoRail Board would like to while, critics were claiming that Cali- Located at the site of former Cinder- invite you to nominate yourself and/ fornians will never ride trains. ella City, the center and adjacent or others for the ColoRail board of shopping and restaurants draw cus- directors. Directors serve for two Skoropowski is now working with the tomers from neighboring cities to this years. Four board positions will be HNTB Corporation, and is the former Transit-Oriented Development. Managing Director of the Capitol open for election in 2011. Nomi- Nearby parking is also available. nees must be members of ColoRail in good standing. If you are nomi- nating someone else, first please Grand Junction group tackles landmark station secure their permission. The Nomi- nating Committee will be develop- and veterans’ health issues in restoration project ing a slate of candidates for mem- bership approval at the Annual “We will bring the two together. Veterans will be employed to repair and Meeting in May 2011. (Specific mid- restore the Grand Union Depot to its former glory and splendor. The un- month date to be announced.) skilled laborers will be offered opportunities for training and the veterans skilled in construction, brickwork, electrical and other trades will work to- The deadline for nominations is gether under the non profit Operation Revamp, Inc to carry out the exten- March 15, 2011. Nominations will sive restoration of the station. Healing will take place. also be permitted from the floor at the annual meeting, but again we “During the second phase of the project an art studio, with wood and metal ask that you secure the approval of workshops will be established in the freight area of the building for use by the candidate to be nominated. veterans and military families suffering from PTSD, TBI and other emo- tional issues. Catharsis is a tremendous therapeutic tool and is easily ac- Nominations may be sent to the cessed through art. The art studio will continue to develop as the renova- Don Zielesch of the Nominating tions continue in the main depot culminating with a public art gallery and Committee at [email protected] or gift shop. Quiet space will be available for alternative therapy. by US Mail at Ste. 271, 1550 Larimer St., Denver, CO 80202. “The refurbishing and restoration will take from 5 to 10 years. Those work- ing on this project will be invited to become part of a team who will provide free or low cost remodeling and renovation services to veterans and mili- Pueblo Hub Developing tary families in the area. They will continue to be part of the Depot and will The week of February 14th saw have an office in the building. the Greyhound station operation “Museums and permanent collections will be installed in the former in Pueblo relocated to the city’s women’s lounge and men’s smoking room. Meeting rooms will be avail- Downtown transit center. The able. Office space upstairs will be offered for counselors and art thera- City will provide agency services. pists. Subject to the reopening of US50 “Once a refuge station for those fleeing the San Francisco earthquake of after a rockslide, the Greyhound 1906 – where many were treated and healed -- the formidable building will and Pueblo transit buses are to again provide refuge and healing to a different group, the heroes and vet- be joined by a Salida <> Pueblo erans who will heal the building’s wounds.” service using federal funds ob- tained by Colorado DOT. From http://www.operationrevamp.org/ Page 4
There was nothing second-class Policy Affairs, OmniTrax, moderated cal Year 2009 revenue, including about the second panel at the Inter- the panel. John C. Bennett, P.E., ancillary businesses. Understanding city Passenger Rail conference held Assistant Vice-President, Policy that helps to put the amount of Am- at the University of Denver last Sep- Management, Amtrak started with an trak’s FY2010 $563 million operating tember 16th. Michael J. Ogborn, update on intercity and high speed subsidy into perspective. Amtrak Managing Director, Government and rail from Amtrak’s perspective. covers the highest percentage of its While Amtrak is often referred to in operating costs from revenues of The September 16th program was discussions of high-speed and other any U.S. and Canadian passenger introduced by Dr. Patrick Sherry, types of rail service, it is not uncom- railroad. Director of the National Center for Intermodal Transportation. mon for the people discussing it to Federal funding for Amtrak capital The center emphasizes the inter- only be referring to their own experi- needs in FY 2010 is $1 billion. Much modal in its name. Along with ences with it. Bennett started out of that is going to the capital project their partners at the University of with a broad summary of the 21,100 backlog that developed through two Mississippi, the Center at DU mile Amtrak system covered by 310 generations of neglect since World works to bring modes of transpor- daily trains through 528 stations. War II. tation together for greater bene- Nearly half of the trains run on some Bennett reviewed the ridership re- fits than might be gained in sepa- segments at speeds above 100 mph, rate traditions. cord of recent years at Amtrak. In but 70% of Amtrak train-miles run on spite of the economic downturn, Am- In the late morning session, the track owned by other railroads. issues of planning and financing trak experienced its best first quarter high speed rail and improved cor- Amtrak generated $2.3 billion in Fis- and first half boarding counts in its ridor services were discussed. history. The return of higher gas Other presentations were sum- prices is a continuing incentive for Graphics in this issue are as presented marized in ColoRail Passenger ridership where train service is avail- in the conference, without editing. Issue #64. able. The company was enjoying Page 5
Planning was New possibilities for Amtrak future prohibited
(Continued from page 4) ready familiar with, generously not ministration, the states and Amtrak strong administration and public sup- mentioning how blind many op-ed to work in partnership to establish port for passenger rail, with support columnists are to those facts. new or improved rail passenger ser- also from Congress. It was in part- As the excerpts from his presenta- vices. States are expected to plan nerships with 15 states. tion on these pages show, all that rail service and to provide opera- This was all done with 3000 fewer spending on other modes is not get- tional and capital funding. The FRA employees than in 2000 and with a ting us very far. He then introduced is expected to provide capital fund- specific prohibition from 2002 the legislative blueprint from which ing and integrate state planning into through 2008 against planning High Amtrak is developing its plans. a national system. Speed Rail or other new services. It basically would apply the same The American Recovery and Rein- And, as this time passed, customers concepts to Amtrak as are used with vestment Act (ARRA) passed in Feb- could see that the equipment grew other forms of transportation. The ruary 2009 also provided funding for older than at any time in Amtrak’s Passenger Rail Investment and Im- rail projects, without requiring a state history. provement Act (PRIIA) sets up match. 79 applications from 31 Bennett reviewed the various subsi- matching grant programs for inter- states were selected. dies to other passenger modes that city/HSR capital investments. It en- Bennett took the audience through readers of this newsletter are al- courages the Federal Railroad Ad- the many aspects of the PRIIA and ARRA. The announced grant pro- grams would benefit at least 13 ex- isting Amtrak routes. The funds were also expected to extend the existing Hiawatha service from Mil- waukee to Madison and to begin service on the corridor from Cleve- land to Cincinnati through Columbus. While those have since been scut- tled, some other projects are moving ahead. A variety of financing sources are under consideration with attempts to provide longer-term funding to end the turmoil which has blocked pro- gress through annual funding fights. These include motor fuels taxes, the use of airport charges for air-rail sta- tions, loans and credit assistance, tax-exempt and tax-credit bonds (used now for airports and high- ways), highway tolls or Vehicle Miles Traveled taxes, carbon taxes or emissions trading, petroleum-related fees on imports or elimination of the current tax breaks, and the exotic communications spectrum auction concept. Bennett called for a level playing field between the modes, something that the railroad industry has been requesting since World War I. Additional reports from the confer- ence are on the following page. Page 6
The intercity passenger rail financial they describe high-speed rail The contractors are responsible for panel at DU continued with Alex schemes that depend on unproven operation and maintenance of all Brown, financial consultant. He pro- new technology and/or are not pro- design/build elements, including re- vided an overview of the characteris- tected against future government placements. Security of passengers, tics and demands of fixed income intervention of the sort that ended staff and assets will be a joint effort markets, often thought of as the privately-run rail transit and intercity under RTD’s direction. bond market by the public. passenger service. The concession period will combine The fixed income markets often sup- He expertly surveyed the factors that the 5-year Design/Build program ply the most intense scrutiny of pub- reassure investors that they will re- with 29 years of Operation/ lic or private projects, if investors ceive their expected return, using the Maintenance. RTD is to retain all believe that their money is at risk. Denver Union Station Project Au- assets at all times, with revenues Proponents of high-speed rail are thority as an example. Important generated by the project remaining not exempt from this caution. assurances come from its lease with RTD. Fare policy and structure Brown summarized the primary con- agreement by RTD and the City and and the operating plan are to be es- cerns of these long-term investors County of Denver’s “contingent com- tablished by the RTD Board. Fare as : mitment.” enforcement will be a joint effort. Recent practical experience with rail A Colorado High Speed Rail project 1. Security of principal. project financing was represented by would likely have similar objectives 2. Certainty of coupon payment. Brian Middleton of the RTD’s to the FasTracks projects, using ad- 3. Liquidity. “Eagle P-3” project. This element of justable payments based on project What these pension fund and wealth the FasTracks program uses a pub- completion and performance. And, managers do not want, he summa- lic-private partnership to deliver pas- “the project must be capable of be- senger commuter rail service, but ing sustained financially over the rized as: Middleton suggested that the same long-term.” 1. To own physical assets. approach might be used for high The conference included a luncheon 2. A ‘story’ bond. speed rail projects. at which animated discussions took 3. Innovation. The Eagle project will deliver its ser- place. After the Luncheon Keynote vice through a “DBFOM” package talk by Rod Diridon, Sr. that was 4. Burdensome surveillance. that has drawn in a consortium of covered in Issue #64, a Q & A ses- 5. Refinancing risk. firms to Design, Build, Finance, Op- sion offered an opportunity to clarify What struck some listeners in regard erate and Maintain three initial com- some of the issues raised. to items 2 through 4 is how aptly muter rail lines for RTD.
“Nowhere Man” “Taps” for the Union Station Tunnel” - as sung by the 25 people who gathered for the Sunday, February 6th farewell: Reported in the Denver Post of January 26th: “[Obama’s] call for more Now farewell / To the historic tunnel / To the trains / To the ‘investment’ is nothing more than games / Ring the bell! / Now goodbye, / With a sigh, / We sing more government stimulus. We don’t need to be spending more goodbye. 1st verse by Edie Bryan money on high-speed rail that goes from somewhere to no- where. … We’ve got to stop out- of-control spending and reduce Deed is done, / Gone the fun, / A last run. / No more steps, no government barriers to job crea- more schleps, the deed is done. / With a tear in the eye / We tion.” Rep. Cory Gardner,R- all say, / A final goodbye. 2nd verse by Ira Schreiber Yuma. Page 7
A time when Good news for California gas was cheap
(Continued from page 8) Fortunately Transportation Secretary and Ohio to a time when gas was percentage of the original federal Ray LaHood would have none of it. cheap and environmental concerns funding grant. And let's not forget the LaHood spoke with both governors- were minimal. They see no problem in fact that passenger rail equipment elect to make sure they did not want to promoting the automobile as a solution builder Talgo will move its backtrack on their decision and then to 21st Century problems. They have manufacturing plant from Milwaukee to moved quickly to assign the funds to no worries about diminishing Illinois in 2012 after trains for Oregon rail projects in other states that were petroleum supplies, the fact that much are finished, because of the rail project only too happy to get it. of our oil comes from places that cancellation. Jobs lost as a result of If there is to be a happy ending to this dislike us, or the growing climate refusing federal funds should put a story, it may come as officials in changes are tied to increasing use of crimp in the Walker's inaugural the automobile around the California could scrap their initially address promise to bring 250,000 new planet. They are unable to see that politically unpopular "train to nowhere" jobs to Wisconsin in two years. project between two small towns in the their states not only benefit from the Both Walker and Kasich made much San Joaquin Valley. With the new jobs created by construction and operations in their respective rail of returning the funds to the federal money, the first portion of their high- corridors, but also how such a service treasury to be applied to the national speed rail line will now connect the debt, however, before they made their sizable cities of Fresno with will attract new jobs, industry, and offers, both asked that the money be Bakersfield. Then there are newly residents to states which have been in kept by their states for highway and elected Governors Pat Quinn (IL) and the economic doldrums for some time. bridge maintenance projects. Both Andrew Cuomo (NY) who practically I guess there is a reason why they are men had received generous campaign tripped over each other announcing called "Rust Belt" states. contributions from highway, auto, and their interest in taking Wisconsin's and Jon Esty is Past President of ColoRail. petroleum industries. Apparently debt Ohio's money for their own state He resides in Ridgway, Colorado. reduction is OK if it is done by corridors. depriving citizens of passenger trains Walker and Kasich have decided to Often missed by national media: the California project will benefit the but not highway travel. reverse gears and move Wisconsin existing San Joaquins, too. -- editor
1550 Larimer St., Ste. 271 Denver, CO 80202
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Ill-informed decisions View from the Ridge:…Rusty Thinking in the Rustbelt by Jon Esty
"That train is dead. I said it during the campaign. It is wonder if these officials actually get out of their own states dead. Passenger rail is not in Ohio's future." Ohio into the country or abroad to see what is really going on. Governor-elect John Kasich, WDTN, Columbus, November In California, the Sacramento to the Bay Area Capitol 3, 2010. Corridor has moved from three round trips a day to a "Only the communists distort the truth more." The late Paul phenomenal 16 daily well-patronized round trips under the Weyrich, noted conservative transit advocate and founder leadership of Gene Skoropowski. Amtrak's new of the Moral Majority at a Transit Alliance sponsored Washington-Lynchburg service is running an operating meeting of transportation officials at the Oxford Hotel, surplus and the NE Corridor and other state rail corridors Denver, June 2, 2000. Mr. Weyrich was referring to fellow are chalking up steady ridership gains. Walker only needs conservatives who oppose passenger rail. to take a trip on one of the seven daily round trips from I wouldn't go as far as Paul Weyrich in almost labeling Milwaukee to Chicago (Hiawatha Corridor) to gauge the passenger rail opponents "communists." There is enough popularity of passenger rail serving his state. True, we are not talking super fast trains for the most part, but what we indiscriminate name calling already, although I do understand the emotional frustration of rail advocates when are seeing is that people will ride trains when a minimum investment in track, stations, and trains along with some elected officials make ill-informed decisions. decent marketing has been made. We had no lack of these decisions in the last election what with newly elected Governors Scott Walker (WI) and John In their desire to make passenger trains a political football, Kasich (OH) using passenger rail as political fodder to Walker and Kasich have forgotten to consider job benefit, transportation efficiency, environment, and global illustrate what they thought was pretentious and wasteful government spending in their campaigns. Because both competitiveness in their calculations. The $800 million men "felt" no one would ride trains in their states, they allocated by the Obama administration to the Milwaukee- decided they could kick well-established plans for higher Madison rail line would have paid completely for the project. The only state funding requirement was an speed rail programs to the curb and gain political advantage from it. So much for potential ridership and estimated $5 million annual operating subsidy, a tiny economic development forecasting. One also has to (Continued on page 7)
1550 Larimer St., Ste. 271 Denver, CO 80202