Gateway, D.C., & Chicago Trump Infrastructure Priorities

[jis]

OK, let's start the discussion on this one. Back to the drawing board AGAIN on funding for the Hudson River Tunnel project.

On Friday, the Trump administration finally, firmly derailed a two-year-old plan to relieve Amtrak’s busiest, most profitable, and most vulnerable stretch of track, the corroded tunnel that connects New York City to New Jersey. In a letter sent late Friday, the Trump DOT used its strongest language yet to emphasize that it was not on board with an Obama-era agreement to split with the states the cost of a new rail tunnel under the Hudson River, the centerpiece of a slate of Amtrak repairs known as the Gateway Project.

Did you not know that this is being discussed at http://discuss.amtraktrains.com/index.php?/topic/69789-gateway-dc-chicago-trump-infrastructure-priorities/page-4, or did you just want to be a thread starter to add to your resume?

 

[Devil's Advocate]

Why does this forum have such a bizarre phobia about starting a new thread? The previous thread was started a year ago and doesn't really add anything to the current discussion. Let it go already.

 

[jis]

Why does this forum have such a bizarre phobia about starting a new thread? The previous thread was started a year ago and doesn't really add anything to the current discussion. Let it go already.

Ah! Just top wake you up from your New year slumber, clearly

 

[John Bredin]

Having the federal taxpayer cover the entire cost of funding the projects does not seem reasonable in my view.

Who's asking for that? There's definitely a state share in Gateway. If the relevant states (NY and NJ) borrow federal money towards their share, they have to pay it back, so it's not the same thing as the Feds paying outright for the whole thing.

IMHO, if this was a new bridge or tunnel for road traffic into Manhattan, and engineers/planners/operators/etc. were making the same repeated solemn warnings that the existing crossings are dilapidated and inadequate as they do for Gateway, the Trump administration would not be so resistant.

Is the Federal/state split for Interstate highway projects still 90/10?

 

[neroden]

Ironically, if Trump refuses to *lend* money to the states, the likeliest outcome is that Congress will force the federal government to *grant* money to the states. The project is essentially for the benefit of New Jersey, and there are 5 Republican House members from New Jersey who know how important it is, and *one of them is Frelinghuysen*, who is the *chair of the House Appropriations Committee*. I strongly disapprove of him, because many of his positions show him to be dishonest or stupid... but his entire district is directly personally dependent on the NJ-NY train route, and he knows it. And he openly speaks in favor of earmarks. Expect a direct appropriated earmark.

 

[Devil's Advocate]

...

 

[Green Maned Lion]

Rodney has never been a friend of Tranist to my recollection. And his seat is like 5 generations dynastic.

 

[jis]

Rodney has occasionally supported transit only under extreme duress or threat to his dynastic perch. He is indeed perceiving extreme threat to his dynastic perch. Hence the gymnastics to put together the package for the tunnel gutting two other very good programs that supported transit funding across the nation, and his latest vote against the tax bill.

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[Green Maned Lion]

I hadnt been paying attention to what he was doing, just my memory of the time I met him, and his actions for the several years I was deeply involved with this circus.

 

[AGM.12]

Although it may not be much in the overall scheme of budgets, but I recall reading somewhere that the treasury general fund gets a net intake of around 2 billion in revenue from oil royalties and leases on federal lands and offshore fields. Since the Trump administration wishes to expand oil drilling in ANWAR and other places, this presumably would mean more revenue from this source. Why not dedicate this to Amtrak/National Gateway and other NEC projects?

 

[Ryan]

Why do that when you can instead line your pockets with it and give it away to your rich friends?

 

[Carolina Special]

Because the source of “dedicated funding” from ANWAR will probably go away when the other party takes power and reverses the Trump actions. Which will happen, sooner or later. A stable source of funding is required for the Gateway.

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[jis]

Frelinghuesen incidentally, just shot off a scathing letter to the DOT stating that it is the House Appropriations that will determine funding for Gateway, and it is not upto the administration to make or break agreements about money that they do not control anyway - or something to that effect. This should get interesting.

 

[Carolina Special]

So Obama couldn’t make the deal in the first place? And Trump can’t cancel the deal that Obama couldn’t make? Interesting.

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[jis]

A gentleman's handshake deal is quite important when negotiating in good faith. However, that requires continuation of the good faith to bring it to fruition. At present there is not much of such. It is just random scattershot whatever is convenient for the moment to satisfy odd psychological needs.

.

 

[Bob Dylan]

Frelinghuesen incidentally, just shot off a scathing letter to the DOT stating that it is the House Appropriations that will determine funding for Gateway, and it is not upto the administration to make or break agreements about money that they do not control anyway - or something to that effect. This should get interesting.

This!!!!

 

[neroden]

It is just random scattershot whatever is convenient for the moment to satisfy odd psychological needs.

.

I seem to repeat this in many contexts: It is a mistake to assume that there is any sort of Trump administration policy or agenda. On anything.

There are random utterances from the Oval Office. There are occasional individual agendas from individuals in the administration, usually conflicting with each other.

The very title of this thread is wrong: there are no Trump infrastructure priorities. There are no Trump priorities at all, except perhaps stroking his own ego.

 

[Andrew]

Frelinghuesen incidentally, just shot off a scathing letter to the DOT stating that it is the House Appropriations that will determine funding for Gateway, and it is not upto the administration to make or break agreements about money that they do not control anyway - or something to that effect. This should get interesting.

Gateway Phase 1 is already in the New Starts Grant Pipeline. RRIF Loans for the Hudson Tunnel Project will have their applications submitted this year. A FFGA is scheduled for early next year.

 

[jis]

What happens if no money is appropriated for new starts? Half the things you post depend on shifting sand falling the right way I am afraid. [emoji6]

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[jis]

Frelinghuesen incidentally, just shot off a scathing letter to the DOT stating that it is the House Appropriations that will determine funding for Gateway, and it is not upto the administration to make or break agreements about money that they do not control anyway - or something to that effect. This should get interesting.

Gateway Phase 1 is already in the New Starts Grant Pipeline. RRIF Loans for the Hudson Tunnel Project will have their applications submitted this year. A FFGA is scheduled for early next year.

See, What did I tell you?

Frelinghuesen is history and so is all the grand Gateway funding plan and the New Start Grant program. Furthermore, the current FedDOT will not accept RRIF Loans as a means for covering the State portion of the funding of any project. No FFGA in the foreseeable future based on the original scheme.
Meanwhile, looks like private funding discussions are starting....

http://www.roi-nj.com/2018/03/08/industry/gateway-corp-talks-private-investors-financing-project-management/

Tony Coscia, partner at Windels, Marx, Lane & Mittendorf in New Brunswick and chairman of the board at Amtrak, said input from private capital groups is welcomed and wanted.

“The GDC is the entity that would be seeking private-sector entities to participate in the project — and some of that has already begun,” he told ROI-NJ. “There was an outreach to the private sector, both investors and project management participants, looking for ideas and getting concepts to be brought in.

“It was a process to sort of open up the doors, saying, ‘We’re interested in ideas that private-sector parties can bring to all of this, because we think there’s a real wealth of information out there that private-sector entities have come across.’”

Coscia said discussions are still at the preliminary stage.

 

[tim49424]

A second daily PM would be amazing. What might its timetable be?

Also, have there been any studies/proposals/rumblings about extending the PM, say to Muskegon, Fremont, or TC?

A second daily’s timetable would look very similar to the Thanksgiving extras (Wednesday before/Sunday after) I was told.

I don’t believe there have been any studies on a northward extension of the PM, however there have been on an eastern one to Detroit. There also have been studies regarding a separate train from Detroit to TC. I haven’t heard any updates in around a year. I had a chance last year to attend a public hearing regarding the PM at Holland High School but couldn’t attend due to illness.

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