Canada Report Winter 2018 NEWSLETTER p. 5 Summer 2018 Vol. 15, Issue 3 It’s Time to Register Individual For the Rail Summit! Highlights By Richard Rudolph, Ph.D. also examine plans for more rail Transportation Planner, Chair, Rail Users’ Network service between the Twin Cities- Ramsey County Regional Rail, Chicago, Duluth, Eau Claire, Des David Christianson, Exec. Dir. Join us to learn about what’s Moines and Kansas City, as well as -Organizing Council-W. Central A Survey of Train happening with passenger rail plans for more commuter and light Wisconsin Rail Coalition; and Service in the West, and rail transit in the Twin rail service around the Twin Cities Brian Lamb, General Manager, Cities and Upper Midwest. metro area. The focus will be on Metro Transit. Part 2 p. 2 The MOVING FORWARD projects which are moving forward, BY RAIL SUMMIT is taking and those which are standing still During lunch, participants will RPA Council Meets place Friday, June 1, 2018 at the and need support. have an opportunity to share in DC p. 3 Minneapolis Central Library, information and experiences 300 Nicollet Mall, Minneapolis. Morning speakers include Alice regarding their efforts and NJ Transit Riders Wait Hausman, the DFL’s State those of their organizations to Sponsored by the Rail Users’ Representative; Alene Tchorumoff, promote passenger rail and rail for Improvement p. 4 Network and All Aboard Chair, Metropolitan Council; transit in their local areas. Minnesota, the conference will focus Kevin Brubaker, Deputy Director, Canada Report on how passenger rail and rail transit Environmental law & Policy The afternoon session will be Spring 2018 p. 6 already creates greater mobility Center; Dan Krom, Chief, devoted to two advocacy panels choices, reduces greenhouse gas Minn. Dept. of Transportation; with a Q & A Audience Forum The Dreams and emissions, and generates new Frank Loetterle, Northern which will include an open economic development along rail Lights Express Project Mgr.; dialogue with the audience. the Doable p. 7 corridors in the Midwest. We will Kevin Roggenbuck,Senior (Continued on page 10) A Short Ride on FL’s Andy Byford Takes the Reins Brightline Will Become Longer p. 8 At NYC Transit By Andrew Albert to deal with the multitude of resulting in layoffs of over 1,100 What’s Needed to Shore issues affecting NYC Transit, the maintenance personnel. This Up U.S. Passenger Rail NYC Transit has a new operator of New York’s subways resulted in general maintenance, Infrastrucure p. 11 President, and he is already and buses, as well as the Staten and in particular signal & track making waves. Coming to New Island Railway. He is already maintenance, being deferred, A Colossal Blunder York from Toronto, where he quite deep into the Subway and as we all know, when you was the CEO of the Toronto Action Plan, which is dealing ignore important infrastructure in the Making? p. 14 Transit Commission (TTC), and with tracks, signals, rolling stock, maintenance, performance suffers, formerly the General Manager and even trackbed cleaning. which was the case with the Piedmont Service Gets of the Central, Bakerloo, & poorest on-time performance in Fourth Train p. 15 Victoria Lines of the London NYC’s subways have had a many years. The crisis grew so bad Underground, not to mention disinvestment, largely beginning that Governor Andrew Cuomo the Chief Operating Officer of around 1991, and continuing until declared a “state of emergency” the Sydney Transit System, Mr. a few years ago. The budget was and, along with transit leaders, put Byford has a long and successful cut, and two governors took money together a “subway action plan”— transit background. He will allocated to the MTA and put it to the tune of $839 million. need this type of experience into the State’s general treasury, (Continued on page 5) RAIL USERS’ NETWORK NEWSLETTER Page 2 of 16 A Survey of Long-Distance and State-supported Passenger Train Service in the Western U.S. Part Two: Existing (Continued) By Dana Gabbard California Everyday Discounts was Joaquin Joint Powers Authority Board launched Jan. 7, 2018 by the three state- meeting outlined the key elements of To keep this survey at a manageable supported Amtrak routes in California, the passenger component of the plan: length, it is being divided into multiple to preserve ongoing savings that were parts. This part deals with existing recently reduced or eliminated by • Statewide System – Passenger state-supported passenger train Amtrak on a national level – 15% for rail service will tie together urban, services in Northern California. Part students, seniors and the disabled, also suburban, and rural areas of the state. three in the Fall issue will be about keeping the eligibility requirement for • Integrated System – Multimodal hubs state-supported and long-distance senior discounts at 62 (nationally it is will connect all levels of service with a services in Southern California. now 65). common fare system, which allows trips Part four (and if necessary five) will to be made on a single ticket. be on proposals, efforts to revive On Feb. 15, 2018 the 10% discount • Coordinated Schedules – Services will discontinued Amtrak routes and offered to American Automobile be coordinated in a “pulsed” schedule projects under construction. Association members was eliminated by across the network to reduce wait times Amtrak, followed on March 24, 2018 by and allow direct transfers. Please see the introduction to part the elimination of the national Veterans •Frequent Service – Service frequency one in the Spring issue regarding the Advantage Members discount. The will make rail a timely option for purpose and certain other underlying three California state-supported routes travelers, meeting trip demands aspects. One addenda: the section are working to re-establish both (or throughout the day. “State-supported Amtrak passenger something similar) for their services. • Customer Focus – Enhanced ticketing, rail service coordination” should have The state of California has just released scheduling, and passenger information will included the States for Passenger Rail the draft 2018 State Rail Plan. This is be supported by coordinated services Coalition (SPRC), an alliance of 20 being praised as bold and visionary. state departments of transportation The website for the plan is www.dot. and four passenger rail authorities from At a briefing in Sept. 2017 to the San ca.gov/californiarail/ across the United States who work Francisco Bay Area Planning and together to support the development Urban Research Association (SPUR), A California Integrated Travel and growth of intercity passenger rail Chad Edison, Deputy Secretary for Conference was held May 1-2 at the service for America. Its website is www. Transportation with the California State University of California, Davis to “… s4prc.org/ Transportation Agency, summarized its facilitate a process to integrate travel philosophy and goal. “In Switzerland across multiple modes throughout California State-supported there are hundreds of operators and the state.” Its website is www. Amtrak Intercity Passenger they all come together to give one californiaintegratedtravel.com Rail Services Joint Issues-- product to the customers that are Annual Passenger Rail seamless. … What we’re recommending California has been a leader in funding Summit, Discounts, in the rail plan is a statewide network capital acquisition and operations California Rail Plan, Funding that integrates high-speed rail, blended of intercity passenger rail services. rail, urban transit, and bus connections, This includes funds from the auction The 6th Annual California Passenger focusing on the multi-modal nature of of carbon credits (cap & trade) and Rail Summit was held April 18-19, our hubs.” (“SPUR Gets Preview of a recent increase in the sales tax on 2018 at the L.A. Metro Board Room State Rail Plan,” Streetsblog SF) petroleum (Senate Bill 1 aka SB 1) that (adjacent to Union Station), bringing is already resulting in millions being together key stakeholders from the Andy Cook, Chief of the Rail awarded competitively for passenger rail public and private sectors. I attended Planning Branch at California Dept. service improvements. Over a 10-year representing RUN. Its website is www. of Transportation Division of Rail and period, this will include $40 million californiapassengerrailsummit.com/ Mass Transportation at the Nov. 17 San (Continued on page 12) RAIL USERS’ NETWORK NEWSLETTER Page 3 of 16 RPA Council Meets Ahead of Day on the Hill By Phil Streby Afternoon sessions concentrated on and mandated, though not funded by Amtrak’s national network issues recently Congress, there appears to not be a lot of Members of the Rail Passenger brought to light by public announcements, interest on their parts to maintain on-time Association (RPA) convened their annual and what we must address to our performance for passenger rail. council meeting in Washington, DC, congressional representatives during our Monday, April 16, 2018 with welcoming “Day on the Hill” event scheduled for Two other handouts address these two remarks by the Chairman of the Board, all day Tuesday. These issues (including issues. The first describes PTC by the Peter LeCody of Texas, and President our suspicions involving the collapse of numbers: the timeline and cost for and CEO Jim Mathews. Also welcoming the national network, and the possible implementation, numbers and costs the membership was Alexandria, VA’s takeover of the Northeast Corridor by of preventable accidents (and much Mayor, Allison Silberberg. The Hilton- an investment group) were solidified with discussion about the accidents caused by Olde Town located across the street from four handouts we could refer to during the implementation and reliance of PTC), the combined Amtrak/Virginia Railway discussion and leave at each office visited. and where we are currently with PTC. As Express and Metro stop in Alexandria was Those nicely designed, colorful, double- always, OTP (on-time performance) is a the host location for this year’s gathering.