I95 Corridor Coalition

1
I-95 Corridor Coalition

• MAROps, NEROps, SEROps
• Lessons for Multi-State Rail Corridors
• AASHTO
• Standing Committee on Rail
• August 30, 2005

2
Todays Agenda

• I-95 Corridor Coalition Overview
• Project Spotlights
• Mid-Atlantic Rail Operations (MAROps) Study
• Northeast Rail Operations (NEROps) Study
• Southeast Rail Operations (SEROps) Study

3
I-95 Corridor CoalitionOverview

• The Coalition is
• A partnership of transportation agencies, law
  enforcement agencies, toll authorities, and
  related organizations
• A forum for identifying and addressing regional
  transportation issues
• A successful model for interagency cooperation
  and coordination since the early 1990s

4
I-95 Corridor Coalition Overview

• 16 states 2 provinces
• 3.6 trillion Gross Regional Product (equivalent
  to 3rd largest economy in the world)
• 37 percent of U.S. population 33 percent of
  jobs only 10 percent of total U.S. landmass
• 565 million long-distance passenger trips
• 5.3 billion tons of freight shipments

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I-95 Corridor Coalition Mission, Vision, and
Goals

• Vision
• The transportation network in the corridor will
  be safe, efficient, seamless, intermodal and will
  support economic growth in an environmentally
  responsive manner.
• Mission
• We work together to improve multimodal
  transportation services in the region through
  information sharing and coordinated management
  and operations.
• Goals
• Improve Mobility..Time
• Improve Safety.... Lives
• Improve Economic Vitality and Competitiveness..
  

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I-95 Corridor Coalition Organizational Structure
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I-95 Corridor Coalition Key Regional Issues and
Focus Areas

• Congestion
• Long-distance travel
• Mobility in rural areas
• Freight movement
• Emergency response and security

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I-95 Corridor Coalition Key Guiding Principles

• Achieve greater efficiency and mobility through
  coordinated deployments and information sharing
• Leverage resources by investing in projects and
  activities of its members and other organizations
  
• Serve as a neutral forum and honest broker

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I-95 Corridor Coalition Evolving Geography
Then
and Now
10
I-95 Corridor Coalition Evolving Focus

• Then
• Study and testing of coordinated ITS deployments
  along highway systems
• Now
• Improving mobility of people and goods across all
  modes
• Multimodal focus encourages a systems-level view
  of transportation

11
Todays Agenda

• I-95 Corridor Coalition Overview
• Project Spotlights
• Mid-Atlantic Rail Operations (MAROps) Study
• Northeast Rail Operations (NEROps) Study
• Southeast Rail Operations (SEROps) Study

12
Mid-Atlantic Rail Operations (MAROps) Study

• Driven by five states three railroads and the
  Coalition
• Examined the transportation system in the
  Mid-Atlantic Region to identify major network
  chokepoints, focusing on North-South movements

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MAROps Vision

• Improve rail capacity and operations at the
  system level
• North-south corridors through all five states
• Shared benefits for passengers and freight
• Focus on eliminating key chokepoints
• Obsolete bridges tunnels
• Mainline capacity, connections, height/weight
  restrictions
• Congested passenger stations, freight terminals,
  grade crossings
• Impediments to information sharing

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MAROps Program

• 6.2 billion in improvements jointly developed by
  study participants
• 2.4 billion near-term lt 5 years
• Immediate construction and project planning
• 1.9 billion medium-term program 5 to 10 years
  
• Major projects
• 1.9 billion long-term program 10 to 20 years
• System growth expansion

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MAROps Short-Term Program- North End
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MAROps Short-Term Program- South End
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MAROps Benefits

• Allows for higher speeds, increased capacity, and
  enhanced safety/emergency response for Amtrak,
  particularly on the Northeast Corridor
• Supports the continued growth and vitality of the
  regions commuter rail systems
• Allows the freight railroads to more effectively
  compete in the marketplace
• Provides better connections between the regions
  seaports and the national doublestack rail
  freight network
• Generates public benefits in the form of reduced
  highway congestion, enhanced emergency access,
  and additional jobs

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MAROps II Study

• Detail the benefits of the MAROps program to show
  benefits accruing to individual states,
  rail/highway corridors, industry sectors, and
  perhaps major metropolitan areas
• Develop and demonstrate transferable methods of
  assessing the public benefits of public-private
  partnerships in financing rail improvements
• Sustain interest in the rail improvement program
  and encourage other states and railroads in the
  Coalition region to examine and address regional
  rail needs

19
Todays Agenda

• I-95 Corridor Coalition Overview
• Project Spotlights
• Mid-Atlantic Rail Operations (MAROps) Study
• Northeast Rail Operations (NEROps) Study
• Southeast Rail Operations (SEROps) Study

20
Northeast Rail Operations (NEROps) Study

• Sponsored by New York and Maine DOTs funded by
  the Coalition
• Objective is to lay the groundwork for the
  development of a regional rail improvement
  program in the Northeast (NY, CT, RI, MA, VT, NH,
  ME) by
• Describing trends, issues, and policies that
  affect rail transportation in the region and
• Providing a neutral forum through which regional
  rail stakeholders can work together to identify
  and address regional issues

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NEROps Approach

• Modeled on the MAROps Study, but modified to
  reflect key regional characteristics
• Geographic range
• Regional and shortline operations
• Intercity and commuter operations
• Cross-border operations
• Number of stakeholders

22
NEROps Broader Geographic Scope

• Movements into and out of NEROps region extend
  well beyond I-95 corridor
• Important to engage stakeholders within the
  entire region

23
NEROps Regional Shortline Operations More
Significant

• 43 regional and shortline railroads in the region
• Many areas within the region do not have direct
  Class I access

24
NEROps Intercity and Commuter Operations More
Significant

• Over 750,000 riders per day on regions key
  commuter lines (Metro-North, Long Island RR, and
  MBTA)
• Amtrak serves an additional 20,000 riders per day
  in the region

25
NEROps Cross-Border Movements More Significant

• 263,000 cross-border freight rail cars in 2003
• 71,000 annual cross-border passenger movements

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NEROps More Regional Stakeholders

• Ports
• Handled over 200 million tons/4 million TEUs
• Ports of NY/NJ Boston Quonset-Davisville
  Portland particularly affected by rail access and
  clearance issues
• Transportation Planning Agencies
• 7 state DOTs
• 41 MPOs
• Quebec Ministry of Transport
• Economic Development Agencies

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NEROpsAnticipated Outcomes

• Regional profile designed to describe the rail
  environment in the Northeast and its relationship
  to other regions
• Transportation profile
• Socioeconomic Industry profile
• Public Policy profile
• Initial identification of key regional
  chokepoints
• Physical
• Operational
• Institutional
• Continued dialogue among the regional
  stakeholders

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NEROps Initial Chokepoints- Physical

• Historic tunnel with low clearance
• Affects operations of three railroads
• Impacts flows of between Montreal, New York, and
  Southern New England

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NEROps Initial Chokepoints- Physical

• Massachusetts markets would be best served by a
  single intermodal facility, but is not

30
NEROps Initial Chokepoints- Operational

• Lack of doublestack clearance causes Boston-bound
  doublestack traffic to head first to DeWitt Yard,
  then to Boston

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NEROps Initial Chokepoints- Operational

• Southbound train cars run through the VACIS
  machine at Rouses Point, slowing operations
• Lack of sidings in area complicates operations
  when further inspection required

32
NEROps Initial Chokepoints- Institutional

• Neighborhood and environmental issues
• Little tolerance by track-side communities for
  enhanced rail operations or rail capacity
  improvements
• In much of NEROps region, cities and towns hold
  sway over local land use decisions
• Homeland security issues
• Increasing insurance rates make it difficult for
  smaller railroads to handle hazardous materials

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NEROps Next Steps

• Working with Steering Committee and Stakeholders
  to develop consensus on definition, location,
  type, impacts of regional chokepoints
• Steering Committee and Stakeholders meeting
  scheduled for September 13, 2005 in Manchester,
  NH
• Study completion expected in January 2006

34
Todays Agenda

• I-95 Corridor Coalition Overview
• Project Spotlights
• Mid-Atlantic Rail Operations (MAROps) Study
• Northeast Rail Operations (NEROps) Study
• Southeast Rail Operations (SEROps) Study

35
Southeast Rail Operations (SEROps) Study

• Objective is to complete the rail picture in the
  Coalition region by identifying and describing
  key rail issues, activities, and initiatives in
  the Southeastern states (NC, SC, GA, FL)
• Help identify choke points and institutional
  issues in the Southeast and how they impact
  states and the I-95 Corridor

36
SEROps Approach

• Modeled on the NEROps approach, but modified to
  reflect key regional characteristics
• Population growth
• Changing shipper logistics patterns
• Development of new passenger rail corridors and
  commuter services

37
SEROpsPopulation Growth

• Southeast region growing rapidly
• By 2030, 3 SEROps states (FL, NC, GA) will be
  included within the top 10 most populated states

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SEROpsChanging Shipper Logistics Patterns

• Capacity and congestion issues at many
  load-center ports are causing some large shippers
  to make better use of Southeastern ports
• North Carolina Ports 20 growth (total tonnage)
  37 growth in container traffic 2003-2004
• Savannah 25 growth (total tonnage) 21 growth
  in containers
• Brunswick (GA) 25 growth in auto/machinery
  traffic
• Charleston 4 growth in containers
• Florida Ports 2.6 million TEUs in 2002/2003
  projected to be 3.6 million by 2007/2008

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SEROpsNew Passenger Rail Corridors Commuter
Services

• Population growth in the region is driving
  interest to develop new passenger rail corridors
  and commuter services
• Southeast High Speed Rail Corridor through SE
  states
• Commuter rail between Atlanta, Macon, and
  Charlotte
• Rail connections from Atlanta to Chattanooga

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SEROps Potential Issues and Chokepoints

• Grade-Crossings
• More than 25,000 within the SEROps region
• Passenger and freight access to fast-growing
  areas
• Fast growing areas (in terms of population and
  industry) require efficient passenger and freight
  rail access
• Port-rail connectivity
• Port growth driving interest in enhancing use of
  on or near-dock rail services

41
SEROps Next Steps

• Scope of work under development
• Outreach underway to develop a steering committee
  of state DOT reps from North Carolina, South
  Carolina, Georgia, Florida and Virginia

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I-95 Corridor Coalition

• MAROps, NEROps, SEROps
• Lessons for Multi-State Rail Corridors
• AASHTO
• Standing Committee on Rail
• August 30, 2005