Hoosier State/Iowa Pacific Transition Thread

[Railroad Bill]

Pence only won the election for governor by 80,000 votes with the Libertarian candidate pulling 100,000 that might have put the Democrats in the governor's seat. Perhaps if Democrats in Indiana worked harder they could win the governor's seat in 2016 and get Indiana back on track for more and better rail service.

 

[Ryan]

The worrisome aspect is that Indiana may use this as an excuse to discontinue the line. If the FRA tries to pull this nonsense on North Carolina, Virginia, Maine, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Vermont, New York, Michigan, Illinois, Missouri, (deep breath), California, Oregon, or Washington, I don't think they're going to get very far.

But Indiana may use this as an excuse to not try.

The suspicious part of me thinks that this is exactly why the FRA is trying to use Indiana as a "test case", counting on them to not fight it. If I were one of the other states you listed, I'd be raising all sorts of hell with anyone that will listen.

 

[jis]

I am almost certain that Florida DOT wont be pleased either if it was told that it must become a railroad because it funds SunRail and TriRail either.

FRA does have a few legitimate functions, some of which unfortunately it does not appear to carry out too efficiently either. but this power grab is not one of them. It is time that its wings got a trimming. Unfortunately the Democrats are unlikely to do that in this partisan atmosphere. I shudder to think that it might ultimately be a Mica who will have to lead this charge. Sigh....

Let's face it.... Boardman is looking after his flock using every means available to him. While he may be going beyond what we might like, it is part of his job.

OTOH, things are starting to happen. Here is reaction from the S4PRC Chair Patricia Quinn, who also happens to be the boss of NNEPRA which runs the Downeaster:

News Release

For Immediate Release Patricia Quinn, Chair, S4PRC

March 6, 2015 [email protected]

(207) 780-1000

States for Passenger Rail Coalition Comments on Indiana's Decision to Stop Sponsoring the

Hoosier State

Portland, ME - March 6, 2015 - “It is a sad day when the federal agency which administers federal funding for Amtrak, and who has played such a critical role in providing grants to States to help develop and improve intercity passenger rail services, also is determined to require States and intercity passenger service sponsors who contract with Amtrak to become railroads” observed Patricia Quinn, Chair of the States for Passenger Rail Coalition, Inc. (S4PRC) and Executive Director of the Northern New England Passenger Rail Authority (NNEPRA).

Quinn's observation came on the heels of a decision, announced today by the Indiana Department of

Transportation, to no longer sponsor the Hoosier State intercity passenger rail service after April 1. The train operates between Indianapolis, Indiana with Chicago, Illinois.

The S4PRC strongly supports Indiana Transportation Commissioner Karl Browning who stated in the announcement “Passenger rail providers and the host railroads are already required to comply with FRA

rules. Requiring a redundant layer of bureaucracy would not create improvements in passenger rail service or safety, it would only increase taxpayer costs.”

“We admire the leadership of INDOT and the communities served by the Hoosier State for investing their

time and resources to provide intercity passenger rail service for their citizens, and we trust that in due course that this conflict between the federal and State governments can be worked out,” Ms. Quinn stated.

The States for Passenger Rail Coalition, Inc. (SPRC) is comprised of twenty-three state departments of

transportation and two regional authorities who are responsible for state corridor intercity passenger rail services. In 2014 nearly half (48%) of America's intercity rail passengers traveled aboard SPRC-sponsored trains.

It is becoming clear to others one by one that FRA needs some adult supervision. The question is will the administration step upto the plate and provide some leadership, or will it just prevaricate and let Congress handle the issue as part of appropriations?

 

[looshi]

It's too late for the House version of the PRIIA reauthorization, but I expect that we will see some movement regarding this with the Senate's version and the eventual law. There are too many influential Congresspeople that consider private passenger service a priority. These people have been watching the situation in Indiana closely.

 

[jis]

Looks like there needs to be some clear language added that gives instruction to FRA about what it must not do.

 

[jis]

Here is an article from a newspaper from a town on the route of the Hoosier State:

http://www.journalreview.com/news/article_3148d4f6-c46a-11e4-a2ee-e74dc085c3ca.html

 

[Riverviewer]

Here's a story from today's Lafayette Journal & Courier about the Hoosier State & Amtrak service to Lafayette.

http://www.jconline.com/story/news/2015/03/08/amtrak-hoosier-state-questions-answered-lafayette/24612395/

 

[neroden]

Thanks for that story. It has a link to the letter which INDOT sent to Secretary Foxx calling out the FRA.

http://www.in.gov/indot/files/Amtrak_SecretaryFoxxLetter_030615.pdf

Indiana is clearly angry at the FRA goofballs and has decided to make a serious fuss; this tactic (sending the DOT Secretary a letter, warning that this will be splashed across the Indiana media, and cc:ing it to all of Indiana's Congresspeople) is definitely an attempt to get Foxx or Congress to crack down on the rogue elements at the FRA.

 

[Devil's Advocate]

Why waste time and money trying to force passenger rail on states that obviously don't want it? Say goodbye to anti-rail regions and focus on improving services in pro-rail states instead. The half supported half hated national passenger network is a huge albatross to carry around our necks. No need to perpetually fight a loosing battle until the bitter end. The longer we drag this battle out the more likely it will be to take everything down with it. Better to drop unsupported trains now and put those resourced to work where they're actually appreciated.

 

[neroden]

DA: This fight has alerted the governments of a bunch of states which do support passenger rail to anti-passenger-rail shenanigans by the FRA. That's worth fighting.

 

[inthegauge]

None of this would be happening had PRIIA not been jammed down the throat of a railroad that depends on a nationwide system of funding rather than carving it into no more than 46 pieces for each of the states to pretend they know what to do with it.

Thanks, PRIIA, for putting Amtrak on the auction block!

 

[Paulus]

None of this would be happening had PRIIA not been jammed down the throat of a railroad that depends on a nationwide system of funding rather than carving it into no more than 46 pieces for each of the states to pretend they know what to do with it.

Thanks, PRIIA, for putting Amtrak on the auction block!

Oh no, states are paying their full share for local service and have more say in the matter! What a horrible travesty this is! What horrors might they come up with next, frequent service?!

 

[jis]

None of this would be happening had PRIIA not been jammed down the throat of a railroad that depends on a nationwide system of funding rather than carving it into no more than 46 pieces for each of the states to pretend they know what to do with it.

Thanks, PRIIA, for putting Amtrak on the auction block!

Oh no, states are paying their full share for local service and have more say in the matter! What a horrible travesty this is! What horrors might they come up with next, frequent service?!

California already did. It is such a horrible thought that everything is not controlled out of one single galactic headquarters.!

 

[Anderson]

The problem is that while the requirements the FRA might try jamming stuff down the states' throats can be taken up by, say, California (which has a massive system and I could see some sort of "umbrella" policy sweeping in Metrolink, ACE, and Amtrak California)...in the case of Indiana (one less-than-daily route) and some other states, the requirement becomes onerous. In some cases (NC or VA), they'd fight, but in the case of IN (which was inclined to keep the train but which seems to have seriously wanted to work with someone other than Amtrak...considering that Amtrak blew them off on service improvements for many years who can blame them) the fight wasn't worth it for a less-than-daily train.

 

[Riverviewer]

Another perspective....from a columnist in the Lafayette Journal & Courier:

http://www.jconline.com/story/opinion/columnists/dave-bangert/2015/03/09/hoosier-state-insane-expectations/24668453/

 

[Palmetto]

And Ohio isn't far behind Indiana.

 

[Paulus]

The problem is that while the requirements the FRA might try jamming stuff down the states' throats can be taken up by, say, California (which has a massive system and I could see some sort of "umbrella" policy sweeping in Metrolink, ACE, and Amtrak California)...in the case of Indiana (one less-than-daily route) and some other states, the requirement becomes onerous. In some cases (NC or VA), they'd fight, but in the case of IN (which was inclined to keep the train but which seems to have seriously wanted to work with someone other than Amtrak...considering that Amtrak blew them off on service improvements for many years who can blame them) the fight wasn't worth it for a less-than-daily train.

Was referring to the "Oh no, PRIIA!" rather than this bit of insanity, which doesn't even have anything to do with PRIIA.

 

[mlhughes0522]

There is 3 things this could go 1st is shut down, 2nd indot or congress/ect can stop the shut down. 3rd amtrak start daily service from Washington-Chicago With connection to New York

I like the 3rd Thing to happen

 

[Ryan]

That isn't going to happen.

 

[jis]

You may prefeer the third but it is not happening. Even when it happens it will be Chicago - New York service, and it is at least a couple of years away, if not more.

 

[mlhughes0522]

What I meant was to cut the Cardinal from NYP-CHI and do the Cardinal daily from WAS-CHI with connection to/from NYP weekday m-f 181 NYP-WAS to 51; 50 to 188 WAS-NYP, weekend 131 NYP-WAS to 51; 50 to 182 WAS-NYP;

So daily 51 departs WAS 11a arrives CHI 10a; 50 departs CHI 5:40p arrives WAS 6:00p

Just like CAPITOL LIMITED is daily from WAS-CHI 29/30

 

[jis]

And that is what we said is not going to happen

 

[Ryan]

Cutting the Cardinal from NYP to WAS will do absolutely nothing to help it go daily. Until the BBRR and CSX are prepared to host a train daily (which won't be for several years), it ain't going to happen.

 

[PRR 60]

Right now the Buckingham Branch schedules it's freight operation around the days Amtrak is coming through. They basically run very little freight on Sunday, Wednesday and Friday - the Cardinal days on the line, then move their freight on the other days. This keeps the line clear for Amtrak despite the capacity and siding length issues. Go to daily operation, and they lose that work-around ability. Now, major capacity improvements will be needed, and even then, Amtrak will have to deal with long, slow freights.

 

[MrFSS]

Interesting that one can still order a ticket way past 4/1 on the HS.