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Draft PA State Rail Plan

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Draft PA State Rail Plan This page left blank intentionally Draft 2020 Pennsylvania State Rail Plan [contact information] [All copyright-protected information and images in this document used with permission or a license.] [auspices] [copyright] This page left blank intentionally Executive Summary The 2020 Pennsylvania State Rail Plan includes a comprehensive description and assessment of the current rail system, an analysis of the role of rail and integration within the state’s transportation system, and a vision for the future of passenger and freight rail in the commonwealth. A Rail Service and Investment Program (RSIP) is included to provide guidelines and identify rail investments needed to achieve Pennsylvania’s vision for the rail system in the short (2021–2024) and long range (2025–2045). This State Rail Plan meets the requirements stated in the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) State Rail Plan Guidance issued in September 2013, Section 303 of the Passenger Rail Investment and Improvement Act of 2008 (PRIIA) (P. L. No. 110-432), and Section 11315 of the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation Act of 2015 (FAST Act) (P. L. No. 114-94). State Rail Vision The 2020 State Rail Vision was developed through a collaborative effort and is intended to provide the framework for passenger and freight rail improvement projects. 2020 State Rail Vision Pennsylvania’s integrated rail system will provide safe, convenient, reliable, cost-effective connections for people and goods. As a viable alternative to other modes, it will support economic competitiveness, smart growth, environmental sustainability, and resiliency, thereby strengthening Pennsylvania’s communities. To achieve this vision, several goals and supporting objectives have been identified. These goals and objectives provide the framework for the passenger and freight rail improvement projects that constitute the RSIP, the program of investment needs for passenger and freight rail service in Pennsylvania over the next 25 years. Draft 2020 Pennsylvania State Rail Plan ES-1 Photo: BPiRR Photo: Buffalo & Pittsburgh Railroad Executive Summary Pennsylvania’s Rail System Passenger Rail Intercity rail service in Pennsylvania is provided by the National Railroad Passenger Corporation, commonly known as Amtrak, which provides 21,400 route miles of service in 46 states. Main Amtrak routes in Pennsylvania include several long-distance and corridor trains operating on: The Amtrak-owned Northeast Corridor (NEC) between Washington, D.C., Philadelphia, New York, and Boston; trains using this route through Pennsylvania include the Acela Express, Northeast Regional, Keystone Service, Vermonter, Palmetto, Carolinian, Crescent, Cardinal, Silver Star, and the Silver Meteor CSX’s Chicago Line (between the New York-Pennsylvania and Pennsylvania-Ohio borders in Erie County) for the Lake Shore Limited between Chicago, Erie, and New York CSX’s Keystone Subdivision (between the Maryland-Pennsylvania border and Pittsburgh) and Norfolk Southern’s (NS’s) Fort Wayne Line (between Pittsburgh and the Pennsylvania-Ohio border) for the Capitol Limited between Washington, D.C., Pittsburgh, and Chicago Amtrak’s NEC and Keystone Corridor and NS’s Pittsburgh Line for the Pennsylvanian between New York, Philadelphia, Harrisburg, and Pittsburgh Amtrak’s Keystone Corridor for the Keystone Service between Harrisburg, Philadelphia, and New York Commuter rail service is provided in the Greater Philadelphia region primarily through the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) Regional Rail system, with 280 route miles served by 13 rail lines, as well as New Jersey Transit’s Atlantic City Line, which connects 30th Street Station to eight stations in southern New Jersey. Pennsylvania also hosts 15 heritage and tourist railroads, which offer educational and recreational experiences to riders. Several of these railroads also function as short lines providing rail freight service. Freight Rail Pennsylvania’s freight rail system comprises more than 5,600 miles of track operated by 63 railroads. The Pennsylvania freight rail network carried an estimated 190.5 million tons of freight in 2017, and inbound and outbound traffic accounted for 27% and 29%, respectively, of the commonwealth’s freight rail tonnage. Through freight rail movements ES-2 Draft 2020 Pennsylvania State Rail Plan Executive Summary (freight that does not have an origin or a termination in the state but rather travels across the state) comprised 56% of the total freight rail tonnage shipments in Pennsylvania, indicating the relative significance of Pennsylvania as an important link between the East Coast and the Midwest. Intermodal shipments (trailers or containers on flatcars or double-stack cars) dominate Pennsylvania’s rail traffic. In addition to intermodal traffic, freight railroads in Pennsylvania move raw materials, such as coal, crude oil, chemicals, nonmetallic minerals, agricultural products, and industrial output such as primary metal products and unassembled automobiles. Photo: PennDOT Rail System Needs and Opportunities The primary need among freight and passenger railroads in Pennsylvania is improved safety. The greatest rail safety needs in Pennsylvania include improving safety at highway-rail at-grade crossings, minimizing derailments, reducing the opportunity for human error, and ensuring tracks are in a state of good repair. In order to address rail safety, Pennsylvania promotes a proactive approach to improve safety involving Draft 2020 Pennsylvania State Rail Plan ES-3 Executive Summary personnel training, public outreach, and capital investment as well as supporting federal efforts of regulation and inspection. Commercial and societal trends, institutional factors, regulations, and evolving technologies that save costs and make rail service more convenient for users present continuing opportunities for Pennsylvania’s rail system. Specifically, passenger rail opportunities include supportive local land use planning to enhance mobility, improved station designs to build connectivity and facilitate access, and new funding mechanisms to deliver improved rail systems. Current market trends for major freight rail-oriented economic sectors offer insights into future freight rail opportunities. Pennsylvania’s rail traffic varies across the commonwealth, with the eastern regions dominated by coal, primary metals, and nonmetallic minerals such as gravel and sand, while the western regions are dominated by chemicals or allied products and intermodal traffic. Of particular importance are the three main marine ports—Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, and Erie—which handle a broad range of products in bulk, break-bulk, and intermodal. Thus, domestic and international intermodal traffic, energy, manufacturing, international trade, and consumer market sectors all influence future freight rail system needs and opportunities. Rail Service and Investment Program The State Rail Plan identifies an investment of capital projects totaling $5.0 billion between 2021 and 2045 (see Table ES-1). In addition, there are $1.0 billion worth of vision projects for which implementation dates are yet to be determined. The RSIP includes two components: the passenger rail investment program and the freight rail investment program. The passenger rail component of the RSIP includes 127 passenger rail projects totaling $4.8 billion. The freight rail component of the RSIP consists of 319 projects totaling $1.2 billion from Class I, Class II, and Class III operators. Class I railroads are the largest railroads such as Norfolk Southern and CSX. Class II and III railroads are the commonwealth’s regional, short line, and switching roads. However, the majority of the investment needs pertain to the Class III railroads. Table ES-1 provides a summary of the RSIP projects and costs. It is important to note that several passenger and freight projects do not have known cost estimates. While these projects are included in the total number of projects, they are not reflected in the total cost estimates. ES-4 Draft 2020 Pennsylvania State Rail Plan Executive Summary Table ES-1: Rail Service and Investment Program Summary (in Billions of $2020) Passenger Freight Total No. of Cost No. of Cost No. of Cost Time Range Projects ($billion) Projects ($billion) Projects ($billion) Short-Range 48 $3.0 86 $0.3 134 $3.2 (2021–2024) Long-Range 45 $1.5 84 $0.2 129 $1.7 (2025–2045) Vision(1) 34 $0.3 149 $0.7 183 $1.0 Total 127 $4.8 319 $1.2 446 $6.0 (1) Projects not yet scheduled for construction The Pennsylvania passenger rail investment program will seek capital funding through all feasible resources. As for the freight rail investment program, Class I railroads generally finance projects themselves using revenue generated through operations. However, due to direct and indirect benefits of freight rail corridors as well as shared infrastructure with some public rail operations, public funding may be needed to complement private sources. This is especially the case for Class III railroads, which may not have as much access to revenue-generated private funds as Class I carriers typically do. Financing plans for the passenger and freight rail investment programs, inclusive of potential funding sources, have been identified as part of the RSIP. Public and Private Benefits of Rail Investment The proposed RSIP will result in both public and private benefits, namely increased safety, efficiency, and capacity. With these improvements, industries and individuals who use freight and passenger rail will have an
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