REQUEST FOR INFORMATION REGARDING AN INNOVATIVE PROJECT DELIVERY APPROACH FOR THE AMTRAK STATIONS IMPROVEMENT PROJECT KEYSTONE CORRIDOR (HARRISBURG TO ARDMORE, PENNSYLVANIA) RFI Issuance Date: February 20, 2014 RFI Closing Date: March 17, 2014 Keystone Building 400 North Street Harrisburg, PA 17120 AMTRAK Station Improvements Request for Information Keystone Corridor – Harrisburg to Ardmore, PA TABLE OF CONTENTS 1.0 INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................................. 3 2.0 THE PROJECT ..................................................................................................................................... 4 2.1 Harrisburg ..................................................................................................................................... 5 2.2 Middletown ................................................................................................................................... 6 2.3 Elizabethtown ............................................................................................................................... 7 2.4 Mount Joy ..................................................................................................................................... 7 2.5 Lancaster ....................................................................................................................................... 7 2.6 Parkesburg .................................................................................................................................... 8 2.7 Coatesville ..................................................................................................................................... 9 2.8 Downingtown .............................................................................................................................. 10 2.9 Exton ........................................................................................................................................... 10 2.10 Paoli ............................................................................................................................................. 11 2.11 Ardmore ...................................................................................................................................... 12 3.0 RFI REVIEW AND PRELIMINARY PROJECT SCHEDULE ..................................................................... 13 4.0 INSTRUCTIONS FOR RESPONDENTS ................................................................................................ 13 5.0 INFORMATION REQUESTED ............................................................................................................ 14 5.1 General ........................................................................................................................................ 14 5.2 Commercial Structure ................................................................................................................. 15 5.3 Technical Challenges and Alternative Solutions ......................................................................... 15 5.4 Financial Structure ...................................................................................................................... 16 5.5 Additional Considerations ........................................................................................................... 16 6.0 CONFIDENTIALITY............................................................................................................................ 16 6.1 Confidential Information............................................................................................................. 16 6.2 Commonwealth Use .................................................................................................................... 16 6.3 Public Disclosure ......................................................................................................................... 17 6.4 Participation ................................................................................................................................ 18 APPENDICES Appendix A - Station Summary Table Appendix B - Station Overview Maps Page 2 of 18 AMTRAK Station Improvements Request for Information Keystone Corridor – Harrisburg to Ardmore, PA 1.0 INTRODUCTION The Office of Public Private Partnerships (P3 Office) of the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT), is issuing this Request for Information (RFI) to elicit responses to questions presented within this document concerning proposed improvements for the following stations along AMTRAK’s Keystone Corridor (the Project): Harrisburg, Middletown, Mount Joy, Elizabethtown, Lancaster, Parkesburg, Coatesville, Downingtown, Exton, Paoli, and Ardmore. The purpose of this RFI is to provide general background information related to the Project and to generate industry feedback from individuals, firms, teams, or organizations experienced in developing transportation and transit infrastructure projects and that may be interested in designing, building, financing, operating and/or maintaining the Project. This RFI is intended solely to obtain such information to assist PennDOT on an administrative level in the evaluation of delivery and procurement options and the further development of a financial plan for the procurement development. This RFI is for information only; it does not initiate a formal procurement process or represent a commitment to issue a Request for Qualifications (RFQ), a Request for Proposals (RFP), or any other solicitation. Responding to this RFI is not a prerequisite for future participation in the procurement process and those who respond (or do not respond) will be treated impartially in any subsequent procurement process related to the Project. Page 3 of 18 AMTRAK Station Improvements Request for Information Keystone Corridor – Harrisburg to Ardmore, PA 2.0 THE PROJECT The Keystone Corridor is a 349 mile (562 km) railroad line linking Pittsburgh and Philadelphia in Pennsylvania. AMTRAK currently runs two services along the Keystone Corridor: the Keystone Service or Keystone Line (Harrisburg to New York City) and the Pennsylvanian (Pittsburgh to New York City). Additionally, the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) operates daily commuter rail service between Thorndale and Philadelphia, making station stops at Downingtown, Exton, Paoli and Ardmore. This Project is specific to the series of stations, and their accompanying facilities, on the eastern section of the Keystone Corridor, including Harrisburg, Middletown, Mount Joy, Elizabethtown, Lancaster, Parkesburg, Coatesville, Downingtown, Exton, Paoli, and Ardmore (See Figure A). Additional information on the Keystone Corridor and these stations can be found at www.planthekeystone.com and www.accessthekeystone.com. Figure A -- AMTRAK Keystone Corridor (Harrisburg to Philadelphia) A description of each station with existing development plans are provided below and are summarized in Appendix A. Additionally, station maps showing both existing and proposed parking facilities can be found in Appendix B. While the existing conditions vary from station to station, there are a number of operations and facility needs to be addressed throughout the Project. For example, the following operational expenditures are anticipated at most, if not all stations: • Routine maintenance, including but not limited to snow removal, landscaping, repainting and striping, platform and ingress/egress repairs, trash removal, and overall general site maintenance; and • Lighting, security and security technology. Page 4 of 18 AMTRAK Station Improvements Request for Information Keystone Corridor – Harrisburg to Ardmore, PA Additionally, most stations are in need of capital improvements that: • Provide parking for current weekday commuter ridership and for future growth; • Provide intermodal connectivity (rail, bus, cyclist, pedestrian, automobile); and • Upgrade facilities to meet Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) guidelines/requirements. The purpose of the Project is to deliver these services and infrastructure improvements for each of these stations and their surrounding areas with the goal of enhancing the transit service and strengthening the communities served by the Keystone Corridor. Beyond these commitments, a number of stations have potential for commercial development. PennDOT, through its P3 Office is considering the option of procuring and delivering commercial and other transit-oriented developments improvements in the Project area under the authority of the Pennsylvania Public-Private Partnership Law, Act 88 of 2012 (Pa C.S. 9101 et. seq. (the “P3 Law”)), which could include design-build-finance-operate-maintain (DBFOM) with an availability payment structure as the project delivery mechanism. However, PennDOT is also open to ideas on other commercial structures that would help deliver these infrastructure improvements and/or operate the facilities in an efficient way. To address varying needs at each station, PennDOT is also considering “bundling” contiguous stations into one or multiple procurement packages. PennDOT is interested in comments relating to the commercial attractiveness of a single or multiple procurements as well as technical and financial feasibility of separate procurements taking into consideration that: • Reconstruction within AMTRAK right-of-way will be performed by AMTRAK forces; and • Operations