PowerPoint Presentation NARP Vision Plan

1
A National Vision for Passenger Rail Service
Ross B. Capon, Executive Director National
Association of Railroad Passengers February 1,
2008 South Central High Performance Rail
Corridor Conference Dallas, TX
2
Our mission A Modern, customer-focused,
national passenger train network that provides a
travel choice Americans want
3
Shift the Conversation

• Focus on growth
• Expansion, not contraction/cuts
• Grid and gateway
• Serves many places
• Its a network, not isolated corridors

4
NARPs VisionServing Our Population

• 361 Metropolitan Statistical Areas
• Amtrak serves 174
• NARP adds 106 total 280
• 76 of all MSAs
• 99 or 95 of 96 over-500,000 MSAs
• 70 or 185 of 265 under-500,000 MSA

5
NARPs VisionServing Our Population

• Eight Largest MSAs without intercity passenger
  trains
• Las Vegas, NV
• Columbus, OH
• Nashville, TN
• Louisville, KY
• Tulsa, OK
• Allentown-Bethlehem, PA
• Baton Rouge, LA
• McAllen-Edinberg, TX

6
(No Transcript)
7
(No Transcript)
8
(No Transcript)
9
(No Transcript)
10
(No Transcript)
11
NC DOTs VisionMore Routes than NARP!
12
A Realistic Goal

• Existing railroads or rights-of-way
• Upgrade to minimum FRA Class 4
• Cost-effective alternative to new highways and
  airports
• Needed strong federal partner

13
Construction Cost Estimates

• 5 billionupgrade to Class 4
• 7 billioninstall CTC on dark railroad
• 7.5 billionadd 3,000 track-miles of sidings/new
  main tracks
• Average 487.5 million a year over 40 yrs
• Total 19.5 billion

14
National Commission Endorses Rail

• National Surface Transportation Policy and
  Revenue Study Commission issued its report
  January 15.
• Immediate gas tax increase (most media see only
  this!) transition to VMT tax.
• New process for determining which projects get
  priority, based on need not politics (Bridge to
  Nowhere)

15
National Commission Endorses Rail

• Includes Passenger Rail Working Group cost
  estimates maps they were based
• A rigorous quantitative analysis needed before
  making specific passenger rail investments
  tobenefits and costsand compare them
  withbus/aviation/road.
• Recommends replacing 108 existing federal
  programs with just 10only Intercity Passenger
  Rail is mode-specific

16
Commissions 10 Programs

• Rebuilding America state of good repair
• Global Competitiveness gateways and goods
  movement
• Metropolitan Mobility congestion relief in
  major urban areas
• Connecting America connections to smaller
  cities and towns
• Intercity Passenger Rail regional networks in
  high growth corridors
• Highway Safety incentives to save lives
• Environmental Stewardship human and natural
• Energy Security develop alternative
  transportation fuels
• Federal Lands public access on federal property
• Research Development a coherent national
  research program

17
Metros Capture Huge Market Share
Sources U.S. Census, Texas Transportation
Institute, U.S. Conference of Mayors, EPA
18
U.S. Population Change, 2000 2050
Source Woods Poole 2002 University of
Pennsylvania School of Design
19
Source America 2050
20
(No Transcript)
21
Projected Highway and Transit Account Balances
Through 2012
Source U.S. Department of the Treasury
projections
22
Annual National Funding Gap
Current Spending(2006)
Cost to Maintain(2055)
Cost to Improve(2055)
Source Section 1909 Commission
23
Commission Cost Estimates
24
Is the Public Ready for Change?
Source The New York Times / CBS News Poll, April
2007
25
(No Transcript)
26
Age 75, 65

• 75 -- from 16.6 million in 2000 to 46.0 million
  in 2050
• 65 -- 60 million in 2025

27
Amtraks Carbon Impact
Source Carbonfund.org
28
Passenger and Freight Benefit

• when passenger-driven investments mean
• Grade crossing improvements
• Signal improvements
• New sidings or main tracks
• New crossovers
• Facilities often available for freight use a
  majority of hours during the week

29
Downtown Washington, DC capacity improvements
(dedicated freight track on far right)
30
Quantico Creek Bridge, August 2006
31
Quantico Creek Bridge, October 2007 (New bridge
in service April, 2007 old bridge continues in
service new bridge has room for third track)
32
New, Passenger-only Bridge over South Fork of New
River, Fort Lauderdale (Freight uses old
drawbridge)
33
Tower 55?
34

• National Association of Railroad Passengers
• 900 Second St., NE, Suite 308
• Washington DC 20002-3557
• www.narprail.org
• rcapon_at_narprail.org
• 202-408-8362, fax -8287