[OKC] FW: [PassRailTX, OK, KS] This Summer on the Corridor 2011-08-24 ::: News Update & Freight Railroads Furious at US & Amtrak

[Shauna Struby]

From: sfrr at aol.com [mailto:sfrr at aol.com] 
Sent: Wednesday, August 24, 2011 2:13 PM
To: EvanStair at PassengerRailOK.org
Subject: [PassRailTX,OK,KS] This Summer on the Corridor 2011-08-24 ::: News
Update & Freight Railroads Furious at US & Amtrak

 

This Summer on the Corridor
August 24, 2011

A Passenger Rail Oklahoma, Texas, and Kansas Newsletter

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All,

We have been quiet, but busy this summer following the successful 2011
Oklahoma legislative campaign.  Our biggest achievement was of course the
signing of The Eastern Flyer Passenger Rail Development Task Force Act by
Governor Fallin on April 21, 2011 as authored by Representative Morrissette
from Oklahoma City and Senator Crain from Tulsa.  Everyone here deserves a
big thank-you for your efforts.  Consider this leading-edge legislation as
it is one of the first, if not the first, Public-Private Partnership Task
Forces convening nationally to review intercity passenger rail expansion.
The bi-partisan nature of the legislation gives one hope that both parties
can work together to make Mid-America a better place to live.

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News Update. This is an update regarding the summer's events with a 2012
preview.  In this report we look at :::

1. EFTF (Tulsa - OKC Route). The Eastern Flyer Task Force will convene this
month or next; City of Tulsa takes Pro-Active Action to link Tulsa to the
national passenger rail system.

2. KDOT Claims Inadequate Funding (TOK-Corridor). Study it into oblivion...
seems to be the Kansas message.  KDOT continues making excuses for slow
progress and delays on TOK-Corridor studies.

3. Kansas Action-Alert. Kansas residents can play a role in reviving the
dormant TOK-Corridor public advocacy campaign. 

4. Congratulations to OKC Mayor Cornett. Mayor Cornett has been named to the
Amtrak Mayoral Advisory Council.

5. Freight Railroads Furious at US & Amtrak. Timely story on "freight
railroad" views of Amtrak and passenger rail legislation through PRIIA.

6. Amtrak's Southwest Chief Reroute.  The perpetual rumors regarding a
Southwest Chief reroute, or even discontinuance, heated up as Raton Pass
burned last month.

7. Upstarts. Amtrak no longer the only game in town...

8. Special Report In The Next Issues:  Regional Passenger Rail Development
Opportunities. We look at the broad, Missouri, Kansas, Colorado, Arkansas,
Oklahoma, New Mexico, and Texas region in this multi-part series.

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1. EFTF (Tulsa - OKC Route). The Eastern Flyer Passenger Rail Development
Task Force is gearing up for activity.  Passenger Rail Oklahoma (PRO)
completed its limited-tour of potential Eastern Flyer stops with a
presentation to the Sapulpa Chamber of Commerce last month.  Appointment
announcements from House Speaker Kris Steele have been delivered; however, a
full list has not been released.  The Tulsa City Council has announced
consensus on an Advisory Committee for the EFTF as introduced by Councilman
Rick Westcott.  The consensus document is available from our Facebook Page,
<http://www.facebook.com/#%21/groups/118891428132786/> Oklahoma Texas Kansas
Passenger Rail.  Mr. Tom Verdel from Sand Springs is working on
understanding the Passenger Rail Investment and Improvement Act (PRIIA) of
2008.  Thanks to Tom for this valuable research.  We will be depending upon
him as an expert.  We will also be relying upon other active members, Bob &
Maria Rounsavell for additional research. 

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2. KDOT Claims Inadequate Funding (TOK-Corridor).  Kansas Secretary of
Transportation, Deb Miller, continues claiming the state lacks sufficient
funds to continue the Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas (TOK-Corridor) study process.
Once the Kansas City - Wichita - Oklahoma City - Fort Worth Service
Development Plan (SDP) is complete this fall, results be delivered to
Governor Brownback, a noted passenger rail critic, and the Kansas
legislature to determine if further project action is necessary.  Miller has
also stated that federal planning funding is not available for these NEPA
studies.

Two remaining federal High Speed Intercity Passenger Rail (HSIPR)
requirements, Corridor and Project NEPA studies, could be waived by the
Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) for the TOK-Corridor.  Whether KDOT
will take the initiative to seek categorical NEPA exclusions is unlikely.
This is due to Governor Brownback's stated position, and the fact that KDOT
is a statutory agency under the Kansas executive branch.  If waived, the
TOK-Corridor would immediately be eligible for federal HSIPR funding during
the next round of FRA awards. The project began in earnest during 2008 with
public advocacy efforts beginning in 2006.

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3. Kansas Action-Alert.  Kansas residents can help.  Contact your state
legislators and Governor Brownback immediately.  Request that progress
continue.  If you know your zip code, you can locate your state legislators
using the form on the http://www.PassengerRailKS.org homepage.  Request that
KDOT pursue categorical NEPA exclusions.  Request also, if the FRA requires
these studies, that legislators introduce veto-proof legislation - funding
and requiring KDOT to perform the NEPA studies. The 2012 Kansas legislation
session will likely make or break the TOK-Corridor initiative.  This is a
Hot-Burner issue that requires immediate attention.  Kansas legislators must
begin this fall season drafting legislation, through a concurrent
House-Senate resolution.  A second bill would be required to fund the NEPA
study(ies) if required.

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4. Congratulations to OKC Mayor Cornett.  Oklahoma City Mayor Mick Cornett
was named to the Amtrak Mayoral Advisory Council this month. We hope this
will bode well for passenger rail in the region.  Some of you may remember
that Mayor Cornett was the Key-Note speaker at our 2005 State Capitol rally
that kept the Heartland Flyer in operation.  It is good to have him in our
court.

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5. Freight Railroads Furious at US & Amtrak.  I consider the story
referenced below a vital piece of information.  It shows how the separation
of passenger rail from common-carrier railroads, such as the BNSF Railway
and the Union Pacific, with Amtrak's 1971 creation has turned increasingly
ugly.




================
Freight Railroads Furious at US & Amtrak

By RYAN ABBOTT
Courthouse News Service
Tuesday, August 23, 2011

WASHINGTON (CN) - The Association of American Railroads sued the federal
government for giving Amtrak, a private corporation with a "historically
poor record of on-time performance and (a) chronic inability to generate
revenue sufficient to cover its operating costs," the "authority to
promulgate binding rules governing the conduct of its contractual partners,
the freight railroads."

Representing freight carriers, the Association of American Railroads
challenges the constitutionality of the Passenger Rail Investment and
Improvement Act (PRIIA), ... <read the entire story at
http://www.courthousenews.com/2011/08/23/39190.htm
<http://www.mail2web.com/cgi-bin/redir.asp?lid=0&newsite=http://www.courthou
senews.com/2011/08/23/39190.htm> >

PRO - Story Commentary:  The Passenger Rail Investment and Improvement Act
(PRIIA) was introduced by US Senators Lott (R-MS) and Lautenburg (D-NJ) in
the mid 2000's. It was attached to The Rail Safety Improvement Act of 2008
following the catastrophic Metro-Link commuter train accident in Los Angeles
to ensure veto-proof legislation.  

My belief is that PRIIA's intent was two-fold.  1) Obviously, to provide
better safety and a program for passenger rail expansion.  2) to provide
necessary capital funding to the nation's Class-I railroads for
infrastructure and capacity improvement.  The HSIPR program, as administered
by the FRA is the result.

The common-carrier railroads (who like to call themselves "freight
railroads") have not seen public investment through HSIPR in this way.  They
are posturing to remain as independent as possible.  However; as the BNSF
Railway representatives related at the October 2010 Oklahoma Rail Interim
Study, their company has a multi-billion capital need to increase capacity
once economic restoration occurs.  I believe the comments show the railroads
realize their public funding need.  This type of funding might only be
available through government grants.  However; they are not ready to show
their cards at this point.

It is prudent to understand that many Class-1 railroads were charter members
of Amtrak in 1971.  The passage of time has allowed the railroads to
conveniently forget their charter Amtrak membership.  Payments were made by
the Class-I railroads mainly in equipment to relieve their passenger
handling burden.  So, the railroads of today are legacy promoters of the
Amtrak concept.  It is our position that the railroads have a perpetual and
ethical public responsibility to US travelers, based upon their
common-carrier status.  Why? without the general public's investment in the
late 1800's and early 1900's, many of these railroads would not exist. While
privately owned, their right-of-ways should be considered a part of public
commons infrastructure, as with a public utility easement.

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6. Amtrak's Southwest Chief Reroute.  I took a trip on Amtrak's Southwest
Chief between Kansas City and Santa Fe earlier this month.  It is likely,
that without some public investment, this train will be rerouted through
Amarillo; ending forever stops in Hutchinson, Dodge City, and Garden City in
Kansas; Lamar, La Junta, and Trinidad in Colorado, and Raton, Las Vegas, and
Lamy in New Mexico.  The rail is getting rougher as freight activity, due to
Missouri River flooding detours, is taking its toll.  Then of course, there
is the segment between Trinidad, CO and Lamy, NM that no longer hosts
freight.  Access to Santa Fe and Albuquerque will be limited to
<http://nmrailrunner.com/> New Mexico Rail Runner Express operations between
Santa Fe - Albuquerque - Belen.  Belen would be a new connection point for
the Southwest Chief if Amtrak chooses to retain the route.  

I am not one that says the Southwest Chief move or discontinuance is
imminent.  However; the fires that occurred on Raton Pass last month again
signaled a warning.  What if a string of bridges had burned requiring a
multi-million dollar repair?  There are natural catastrophes that could
place an unacceptable price tag on infrastructure supporting only two Amtrak
passenger trains a day.  Such a catastrophe could place the Southwest Chief
in a position similar to the "temporarily suspended status" Sunset Limited.
The Sunset Limited east of New Orleans has been in this status since 2005
when Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast.  Freight activity resumed in
2006.  What gives Amtrak?

Discontinuance a Possibility? Amtrak is notorious for making strange
decisions.  Rather than reroute the Southwest Chief, Amtrak could easily
choose to just discontinue the entire train.  Remember, Amtrak is under
constant Congressional pressure to save money by cutting routes.  As I have
relayed to many, "Amtrak would be most efficient, and possibly content, if
it discontinued ALL of its trains and just operated its bureaucracy."  There
is a certain amount of levity in that statement...

..but, when you look at Amtrak's 40 year history, the company does not have
a good track record of aggressively combating discontinuances or supporting
expansions.  Amtrak's Sunset Limited, Lone Star, Pioneer, and Desert Wind
are notable examples.  Amtrak decided to just throw-in-the-towel rather than
get involved in supporting sincere advocacy efforts.  

Amtrak has not been beating down the door to complete its 2007 ODOT
requested Tulsa study either.  It is likely this study has been shelved just
like efforts to restore the Sunset Limited.  

Further, Amtrak requires supplemental funding for expansion studies.  The
expense is excessive.  Some range in the hundreds-of-thousands of dollars.
Hey, how do I get in on that racket?

Real questions about the future of the Southwest Chief emerge when you
understand Amtrak history.  Does Amtrak management really want to grow?
Does Amtrak management even desire to maintain the status quo?  

There are many great Amtrak employees in the field.  I interface with them
as a depot volunteer for the City of Norman.  These front line employees
deserve better as do the passengers who use Amtrak service and expect more
service in the years to come.

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7. Upstarts.  Amtrak's preservation/expansion apathy is providing some
upstart competitors such as Herzog Transit
<http://www.herzogcompanies.com/transit_services.php> , Iowa Pacific
Holdings <http://www.iowapacific.com/> , Keolis-America
<http://www.keolis.com/en/business-activities/keolis-by-country/united-state
s.html> , RailAmerica <http://www.railamerica.com/home.aspx> , Veolia
<http://www.veoliatransportation.com/index> , and RATP DEV
<http://www.ratpdev.com/> , some hope of making a dent in Amtrak's statutory
monopoly.  Take a look at this website for more information on these
carriers www.passengerrail.org <http://passengerrail.org/members/>   Thanks
to Bruce Richardson of the United Rail Passenger Alliance, Inc.
<http://www.unitedrail.org/>  for this information.

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8. Special Report In The Next Issues:  Regional Passenger Rail Development
Opportunities. The Southwest Chief trip gave me some time to reflect upon
what-is-and-what-should-be.    There are many joining our various
initiatives.  These initiatives seem to be mutually exclusive.  However; all
passenger rail routes in the nation interlink just as does the Interstate
Highway system. The US passenger rail system is essentially under "redesign"
today.  It is increasingly obvious that passenger rail is seen as the
vital-yet-neglected third leg of our passenger transportation interests.  

There will be winners and losers in this redesign.  Nowhere is this more
evident than the seeming abandonment of efforts in Kansas and the red-hot
initiative toward Tulsa.  Both routes are needed.  However;
Save-Your-Way-into-Prosperity politics are destroying the Kansas initiative.
So we will look at various corridors across the region.  

We will examine the entire region.  Routes such as Lincoln - Omaha - Kansas
City are as vital as Tulsa - Oklahoma City.  Linking the California Zephyr
to the Southwest Chief can essentially put Kansas City in reach of Denver.
Even Los Angeles - Denver would be possible with a short La Junta - Denver
connection.  El Paso - Albuquerque - Denver has been rumored as a possible
High Speed Rail route. Stand by folks...

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Evan Stair
Executive Director
Passenger Rail Oklahoma
Passenger Rail Kansas
Passenger Rail Texas
www.PassengerRailOK.org, www.PassengerRailKS.org, www.PassengerRailTX.org

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