Challenges and Opportunities for Intercity Passenger Rail Service
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BUILDING A 21ST-CENTURY INFRASTRUCTURE FOR AMERICA: CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES FOR INTERCITY PASSENGER RAIL SERVICE (115–19) HEARING BEFORE THE SUBCOMMITTEE ON RAILROADS, PIPELINES, AND HAZARDOUS MATERIALS OF THE COMMITTEE ON TRANSPORTATION AND INFRASTRUCTURE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES ONE HUNDRED FIFTEENTH CONGRESS FIRST SESSION JUNE 22, 2017 Printed for the use of the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure ( Available online at: http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/browse/ committee.action?chamber=house&committee=transportation U.S. GOVERNMENT PUBLISHING OFFICE 25–937 PDF WASHINGTON : 2017 For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Publishing Office Internet: bookstore.gpo.gov Phone: toll free (866) 512–1800; DC area (202) 512–1800 Fax: (202) 512–2104 Mail: Stop IDCC, Washington, DC 20402–0001 VerDate Aug 31 2005 11:56 Nov 06, 2017 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 5011 Sfmt 5011 P:\HEARINGS\115\RR\6-22-2~1\25937.TXT JEAN COMMITTEE ON TRANSPORTATION AND INFRASTRUCTURE BILL SHUSTER, Pennsylvania, Chairman DON YOUNG, Alaska PETER A. DEFAZIO, Oregon JOHN J. DUNCAN, JR., Tennessee, ELEANOR HOLMES NORTON, District of Vice Chair Columbia FRANK A. LOBIONDO, New Jersey JERROLD NADLER, New York SAM GRAVES, Missouri EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON, Texas DUNCAN HUNTER, California ELIJAH E. CUMMINGS, Maryland ERIC A. ‘‘RICK’’ CRAWFORD, Arkansas RICK LARSEN, Washington LOU BARLETTA, Pennsylvania MICHAEL E. CAPUANO, Massachusetts BLAKE FARENTHOLD, Texas GRACE F. NAPOLITANO, California BOB GIBBS, Ohio DANIEL LIPINSKI, Illinois DANIEL WEBSTER, Florida STEVE COHEN, Tennessee JEFF DENHAM, California ALBIO SIRES, New Jersey THOMAS MASSIE, Kentucky JOHN GARAMENDI, California MARK MEADOWS, North Carolina HENRY C. ‘‘HANK’’ JOHNSON, JR., Georgia SCOTT PERRY, Pennsylvania ANDRE´ CARSON, Indiana RODNEY DAVIS, Illinois RICHARD M. NOLAN, Minnesota MARK SANFORD, South Carolina DINA TITUS, Nevada ROB WOODALL, Georgia SEAN PATRICK MALONEY, New York TODD ROKITA, Indiana ELIZABETH H. ESTY, Connecticut, Vice JOHN KATKO, New York Ranking Member BRIAN BABIN, Texas LOIS FRANKEL, Florida GARRET GRAVES, Louisiana CHERI BUSTOS, Illinois BARBARA COMSTOCK, Virginia JARED HUFFMAN, California DAVID ROUZER, North Carolina JULIA BROWNLEY, California MIKE BOST, Illinois FREDERICA S. WILSON, Florida RANDY K. WEBER, SR., Texas DONALD M. PAYNE, JR., New Jersey DOUG LAMALFA, California ALAN S. LOWENTHAL, California BRUCE WESTERMAN, Arkansas BRENDA L. LAWRENCE, Michigan LLOYD SMUCKER, Pennsylvania MARK DESAULNIER, California PAUL MITCHELL, Michigan JOHN J. FASO, New York A. DREW FERGUSON IV, Georgia BRIAN J. MAST, Florida JASON LEWIS, Minnesota (II) VerDate Aug 31 2005 11:56 Nov 06, 2017 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 0486 Sfmt 0486 P:\HEARINGS\115\RR\6-22-2~1\25937.TXT JEAN SUBCOMMITTEE ON RAILROADS, PIPELINES, AND HAZARDOUS MATERIALS JEFF DENHAM, California, Chairman JOHN J. DUNCAN, JR., Tennessee MICHAEL E. CAPUANO, Massachusetts SAM GRAVES, Missouri DONALD M. PAYNE, JR., New Jersey LOU BARLETTA, Pennsylvania JERROLD NADLER, New York BLAKE FARENTHOLD, Texas ELIJAH E. CUMMINGS, Maryland DANIEL WEBSTER, Florida STEVE COHEN, Tennessee MARK MEADOWS, North Carolina ALBIO SIRES, New Jersey SCOTT PERRY, Pennsylvania JOHN GARAMENDI, California MARK SANFORD, South Carolina ANDRE´ CARSON, Indiana TODD ROKITA, Indiana RICHARD M. NOLAN, Minnesota JOHN KATKO, New York ELIZABETH H. ESTY, Connecticut BRIAN BABIN, Texas CHERI BUSTOS, Illinois RANDY K. WEBER, SR., Texas FREDERICA S. WILSON, Florida BRUCE WESTERMAN, Arkansas MARK DESAULNIER, California LLOYD SMUCKER, Pennsylvania DANIEL LIPINSKI, Illinois PAUL MITCHELL, Michigan PETER A. DEFAZIO, Oregon (Ex Officio) JOHN J. FASO, New York, Vice Chair JASON LEWIS, Minnesota BILL SHUSTER, Pennsylvania (Ex Officio) (III) VerDate Aug 31 2005 11:56 Nov 06, 2017 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 0486 Sfmt 0486 P:\HEARINGS\115\RR\6-22-2~1\25937.TXT JEAN VerDate Aug 31 2005 11:56 Nov 06, 2017 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 0486 Sfmt 0486 P:\HEARINGS\115\RR\6-22-2~1\25937.TXT JEAN CONTENTS Page Summary of Subject Matter .................................................................................... vi WITNESSES Paul Nissenbaum, Associate Administrator, Office of Railroad Policy and Development, Federal Railroad Administration: Testimony .......................................................................................................... 6 Prepared statement .......................................................................................... 60 Responses to questions for the record from the following Representatives: Hon. Jeff Denham of California ............................................................... 73 Hon. Michael E. Capuano of Massachusetts ........................................... 76 Supplementary information to hearing remarks ........................................... 80 Charles W. ‘‘Wick’’ Moorman IV, President and Chief Executive Officer, Am- trak: Testimony .......................................................................................................... 6 Prepared statement .......................................................................................... 88 Responses to questions for the record from the following Representatives: Hon. Jeff Denham of California ............................................................... 97 Hon. Michael E. Capuano of Massachusetts ........................................... 101 John D. Porcari, Interim Executive Director, Gateway Program Development Corporation: Testimony .......................................................................................................... 6 Prepared statement .......................................................................................... 105 P. Michael Reininger, Executive Director, Florida East Coast Industries, LLC: Testimony .......................................................................................................... 6 Prepared statement .......................................................................................... 110 Responses to questions for the record from the following Representatives: Hon. Jeff Denham of California ............................................................... 120 Hon. Michael E. Capuano of Massachusetts ........................................... 121 Dan Richard, Chairman of the Board, California High-Speed Rail Authority: Testimony .......................................................................................................... 6 Prepared statement .......................................................................................... 124 Responses to questions for the record from the following Representatives: Hon. Jeff Denham of California ............................................................... 136 Hon. Michael E. Capuano of Massachusetts ........................................... 139 Supplementary information to hearing remarks ........................................... 141 PREPARED STATEMENTS SUBMITTED BY MEMBERS OF CONGRESS Hon. Eddie Bernice Johnson of Texas .................................................................... 3 SUBMISSIONS FOR THE RECORD Letter from constituent submitted by Hon. Elizabeth H. Esty of Connecticut .. 29 Testimony of Keli’i Akina, Ph.D., President/CEO, The Grassroot Institute of Hawaii ............................................................................................................... 148 (V) VerDate Aug 31 2005 11:56 Nov 06, 2017 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 5904 Sfmt 5904 P:\HEARINGS\115\RR\6-22-2~1\25937.TXT JEAN vi QI:ommittee on 1tran~portation anb 11nfra~trm:ture m.~. ~ou~e of 1\epre~entattbe~ j!liU ~I)U$ter Wa~btngton 119QC 20515 ~et<r i!!. lllrJfa>in llCIJainnan lil.anking ;ffiember Mathew M. Sturges Katherine W. Dedritk StaffD1rector DemocratlC Staf'fDue<:tor June 16,2017 SUMMARY OF SUBJECT MATTER TO: Republican Members, Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines, and Hazardous Materials FROM: Majority Staff, Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines, and Hazardous Materials RE: Subcommittee Hearing on "Building a 21'' Century Infrastructure for America: Challenges and Opportunities for Intercity Passenger Rail Service" PURPOSE The Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines, and Hazardous Materials, will meet on Thursday, June 22,2017 at 10:00 a.m., in 2167 Rayburn House Office Building, to receive testimony related to "Building a 21" Century Infrastructure for America: Challenges and Opportunities for Intercity Passenger Rail Service". The Subcommittee will hear testimony from the Federal Railroad Administration; Amtrak; representatives of two high-speed rail initiatives, All Aboard Florida and the California High-Speed Rail Authority; and John Porcari, former United States Deputy Secretary of Transportation and interim executive director of the Gateway Program Development Corporation, an organization formed to facilitate a program of rail projects in northern New Jersey and New York City. BACKGROUND Since 1971, most intercity passenger rail service in the United States has been operated by Amtrak, formally known as the National Railroad Passenger Corporation, by statute a for profit corporation. At the time, the private freight railroads were losing money on passenger service. In exchange for being relieved of the obligation to operate the service, Amtrak in now required to provide access to their tracks on an incremental cost basis and to give Amtrak trains priority over freight trains. Amtrak serves over 500 stations and in fiscal year 2016 carried 31.3 million passengers,