Wisconsin’s Hiawatha Service States for Passenger Rail Coalition, Inc. ANNUAL REPORT 2019 SPRC Membership and Mission The States for Passenger Rail Coalition, Inc. (SPRC) is an alliance of 24 State and Regional Transportation Officials and Passenger Rail Authorities from across the United States. The Coalition Member agencies includes: California Missouri Capitol Corridor Joint Powers Authority (CCJPA) Nevada Connecticut New York Illinois North Carolina Indiana Northern New England Passenger Rail Authority (NNEPRA) Iowa Oregon Los Angeles-San Diego-San Luis Obispo Rail Corridor Agency (LOSSAN) Pennsylvania Louisiana San Joaquin Joint Powers Authority (SJJPA) Maine Vermont Massachusetts Virginia Michigan Washington Minnesota Wisconsin and we would like to welcome our newest member – Southwest Chief & Front Range Passenger Rail Commission – State of Colorado. SPRC’s Mission is to promote the development, implementation and expansion of Intercity Passenger Rail as part of an integrated national transportation network. It accomplishes this by working together with a non-partisan approach to: • Promote research, planning, development, implementation, operation, sustainability, and expansion of publicly supported intercity passenger rail service throughout the United States, • Facilitate coordination and cooperation among state officials and between the public and private sector at all levels (federal, state and local), • Advocate and assist in the pursuit of state and federal funding to support on-going development of America’s passenger rail system, and • Support current efforts and projects managed by state transportation departments. The Coalition offers a centralized forum to interact with decision makers, stakeholders and advocacy groups to share information and offer direction in support of intercity passenger rail. s4prc.org SPRC and Passenger Rail in the United States Intercity passenger rail is a key component of our Nation’s transportation network and represents a viable, energy efficient, and economically attractive transportation option. Each day, millions of passengers travel on our network of intercity passenger rail, long distance trains, and commuter rail. States and intercity passenger rail operating agencies are the primary entities responsible for the initiation, implementation, oversight and/or operation of intercity passenger rail service. The SPRC Member States and Rail Authorities are a vital part of Amtrak’s three principal business lines: 1) the Long Distance trains that provide intercity passenger rail transportation on 15 routes of more than 750 miles between endpoints; 2) the State Supported trains that provide intercity passenger rail service along shorter-distance corridor routes of not more than 750 miles between endpoints; and, 3) the Northeast Corridor (NEC) service operating between Boston, New York City, and Washington, DC. Our members sponsor a combined 29 intercity passenger rail routes serving 296 communities across America. Last year State Supported trains carried nearly 15½ million passengers, representing over 47% of Amtrak’s total ridership, the largest source of ridership among the three Amtrak business lines. They also contributed over $750 million directly to Amtrak through passenger ticket revenue and contract payments. 1 States/Regional Rail Authorities Stand Ready to Advance Passenger Rail Clearly, the Coalition’s member agencies are well-positioned projects that receive grant awards. Please note that to advance the development, implementation and expansion the list and project costs cited above do not include many of Intercity Passenger Rail as part of an integrated national projects that are in states that are not yet SPRC Members or transportation network. To that end, significant advance projects that are in the earlier phases of planning. The most planning is taking place within the states and passenger rail current list can be found on the SPRC website at https:// authorities. tinyurl.com/SPRC-Project-List. In an ongoing survey, SPRC Members have provided details It is important to reflect upon what such an investment in on prospective intercity passenger rail projects either ready rail would mean for the nation. Intercity passenger rail is for construction or at or near the final design stage. The an integral part of our Nation’s transportation network and Members also provided information on those projects that represents a safe, reliable, energy efficient, and economically are in the initial stages of the project development, “scoping attractive, transportation option. Completed, these projects phase” stages. could result in 65 additional daily round trips, more than As of the time of printing, we have received project lists 30 new cities being served by passenger rail, significant from 20 of the 24 SPRC states and rail authorities. To date, improvements to nearly 60 stations, at least 150 new or our Members have identified well over 100 projects with a refurbished locomotives and passenger rail cars, and total project cost of over $12.4 billion. There are 49 “ready upgrades or closures of 350 grade crossings with safety, for funding” projects valued at close to $8.2 billion with an positive train control, capacity and reliability improvements. additional 58 scoping phase projects making up over $4.2 These are significant benefits that not only provide positive billion. The lists are continually updated to reflect both the improvements for passenger rail but also for freight rail addition of new projects as they are developed and those traffic. SYSTEM SAFETY PROGRAM = “STATES AS RAILROADS” An ongoing issue of critical importance to the future of This rule would not absolve existing railroad operators from intercity passenger rail deals with the Federal Railroad ensuring the safety of their operations, but it would in fact Administration’s (FRA) proposed passenger rail “System add an unneeded and potentially contradictory layer of Safety Program” regulation. SPRC’s 24 Member States and oversight. The additional burdens imposed by the rule could Passenger Rail Authorities continue to voice deep concern on cause multiple States to cease supporting intercity passenger the ramifications of the adoption of a pending FRA action. rail service altogether. In 2016, the FRA published a final rule requiring commuter While SPRC hoped the FRA would heed the advice of its and intercity passenger railroads to develop and implement Member agencies, the FRA’s proposed revisions in June have a system safety program (SSP) to improve the safety of not addressed the major issue of designating the “States as their operations. In response to concerns first raised by the Railroads.” Subsequently, in August 2019, SPRC, collectively, SPRC, the FRA held the effective date of the rule in abeyance along with several of its individual Member organizations, and subsequently issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking submitted detailed and well-substantiated comments to the (NPRM) on June 12, 2019. FRA. In order to consider these comments and others, the The safety and security of passengers, employees, host FRA extended its stay of the effective date of the SSP rule railroads, and our communities are our collective top until March 4, 2020. priority. However, SPRC analyzed the final rule and While this extension allows for further discussion of this determined that it would require the States to shoulder new matter, the SPRC continues to work collaboratively with its operational and fiscal responsibilities that are well beyond Members and federal officials to ensure that appropriate their abilities, expertise, and resources. As currently drafted, language is included that will achieve the highest level the rule would force States to become railroads, impose of passenger rail safety for our nation without imposing obligations outside of the States’ statutory mandate and redundant, unworkable demands and potentially, extensive legal liability exposure that could be detrimental to States fiscal liabilities upon the States. and its citizens. 2 SPRC FAST Act Reauthorization Principles The authorizing legislation for federal surface transportation programs, including intercity passenger rail, is set to expire in October 2020. It is imperative for Congress to enact reauthorizing legislation to build upon the success of this five-year landmark legislation. SPRC members have worked together to develop principles that we believe should be considered during the development of the next federal surface transportation bill. These principles are as follows: • Amtrak Board members charge must include • The Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety consideration of all service lines, including the interests Improvements (CRISI) Grant Program, State of Good of State-Supported and Long-Distance Routes. Repair Grant Program (SOGR), and the Restoration and • A dedicated capital funding program should be Enhancement Grant Program should be reauthorized established for intercity passenger rail. at no less than FY18 funding levels and support cross border investment. • Clear and timely mandates should be established for the United States Department of Transportation (USDOT) in • The eligibility of the State of Good Repair Program the award and deployment of grant programs. beyond “publicly owned assets” should be expanded to allow for funding for non-public assets with Projects with over 50% match should not automatically • the requirement that such funding results in some receive priority selection preference in the award