Obama Proposes $19 Billion Funding for Passenger Rail

[Devil's Advocate]

Didn't see this posted yet so I figured I'd put it out there for discussion.

Courtesy of our friends at NARP...

On Tuesday, the Obama Administration released details on a $302 billion transportation package that includes $19 billion over four years for passenger trains. The proposal also includes $72 billion for transit over four yearsa 70% increase over current levelsthat will fund commuter rail systems, streetcars, and light rail lines across the U.S. The Presidents transportation plan is paid for through corporate tax reforma principle that is being supported by leading Republicans.

The President has offered a fantastic framework, moving passenger rail funding from year-to-year appropriation battles to a dedicated, guaranteed source of funding; this will allow Amtrak and states to do multi-year planning. While the numbers are lower than last years budget request, the priorities are right on, striking the right balance between maintaining and upgrading existing infrastructure, strengthening the national network, and allowing states to develop high speed rail. The amount of money identified for long distance trains even improved to $850 million per yeara $50 million increase!

NARP is asking Congress to enact these good ideas. Were also asking them to provide even more funding, because that is what is needed to bring U.S. passenger rail into the 21st Century. "I agree with you, I want to do it, now make me do it. Its a line attributed to Franklin Delano Roosevelt, and its a recognition that in democracies change happens from the bottom up. We know President Obama understands the value of trains. Now its up to Americas passengers to make sure Congress turns these values into law. Tell your Member of Congress to make this proposal a reality!

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A Breakdown of the White House Budget Proposal for Passenger Rail Fiscal Year 2015

Current Passenger Rail Service $2.45 billion

This program will make grants to ensure passenger rail assets are maintained to provide safe reliable life-cycle service, as well as to continue operating long-distance train services. A significant portion will be dedicated to "Fix-it-First" activities, such as clearing the backlog of state of good repair needs on the Nation's rail system.

This program consists of five areas:

Northeast Corridor $550 million to bring Northeast Corridor infrastructure and equipment into a state of good repair, thus enabling future growth and service improvement.

State Corridors $225 million to replace obsolete equipment on State-supported corridors and to facilitate efficient transition to financial control for these corridors to States. This program area is temporary, and will be phased out by FY 2018 as these transitional activities are completed.

Long-Distance Routes $850 million to continue operations of the Nation's important long-distance routes.

National Assets, Legacy Debt, and Amtrak Positive Train Control $475 million to improve efficiency of the Nation's "backbone" rail facilities, make payments on Amtrak's legacy debt, and implement Positive Train Control (PTC) on Amtrak routes.

Stations American's with Disabilities Act (ADA) Compliance $350 million to bring stations into compliance with requirements of the ADA. This program area is temporary, and will be phased out by FY 2018 as these transitional activities are completed.

Rail Service Improvement Program $2.325 billion

This program will make grants to develop high performance rail networks throughout the U.S.; to fund Positive Train Control for commuter railroads; and to support network planning and workforce development.

This program consists of four areas:

Passenger Corridors $1.3 billion to develop high-performance rail networks through construction of new corridors, substantial improvements to existing corridors, and mitigation of passenger train congestion at critical "chokepoints."

Commuter Railroads Positive Train Control (PTC) Compliance $825 million to implement PTC systems on commuter railroads. This program area is temporary, and will be phased out by FY 2018 as these transitional activities are completed.

Local Rail Facilities and Safety $125 million to help mitigate the impact of rail in local communities through rail line relocation, grade crossing enhancements, and investments in short line railroad infrastructure.

Planning and Workforce $75 million to develop comprehensive plans that will guide future investments in the Nation's rail system and to develop the workforce and technology necessary for advancing America's rail industry.

If this is already posted please moderate as necessary.

 

[Ryan]

It kind of got buried in this thread: http://discuss.amtraktrains.com/index.php?/topic/58824-obama-at-saint-paul-union-depot/

Probably worthy of discussion in a more visible thread, though.

Good luck getting this through Congress.

 

[jis]

We could discuss the expected value. In probability and statistics,

expected value = the total value x probability of it materializing

I leave to each of you to come up with a credible number between 0.0 and 1.0 for the second factor in that equation. We know the first factor = $19 billion.

 

[afigg]

For those interested, the US DOT website has a FY2015 proposed budget overview. Link to the 60 page 5 MB PDF Budget Highlights document (ie sales pitch) which breaks down the proposed transportation funding. This proposed budget has a significant boost in local transit system funding as well.

We could discuss the expected value. In probability and statistics,

expected value = the total value x probability of it materializing

I leave to each of you to come up with a credible number between 0.0 and 1.0 for the second factor in that equation. We know the first factor = $19 billion.

That would be rather depressing to do. I think some of the boost in transit spending could get into the budget that is passed by Congress and I would not rule out a boost for NEC infrastructure funds, but much of the rest will be very difficult to get through the House.

 

[George Harris]

Northeast Corridor $550 million to bring Northeast Corridor infrastructure and equipment into a state of good repair, thus enabling future growth and service improvement.

There has been money thrown at this for almost 40 years. It's not there yet???
I see $4.775 billion. Where is the rest of it?

Notice the last item, $75 million for planning. Enough already. We have so many plans and reports that all that needs doing is to figure out which ones to pull out and build. No more planning until some things are built.

 

[Ryan]

0 * x = 0, right?

 

[FriskyFL]

DIV/0

 

[Andrew]

The real question is: What's in this for Amtrak NEC?

 

[afigg]

There has been money thrown at this for almost 40 years. It's not there yet???

I see $4.775 billion. Where is the rest of it?

Notice the last item, $75 million for planning. Enough already. We have so many plans and reports that all that needs doing is to figure out which ones to pull out and build. No more planning until some things are built.

The $19 billion is over 4 years for the proposed Transportation authorization bill with a 4 year term (as opposed to 6 which has been the normal term).
As for the NEC, it has only been adequately funded for brief periods for infrastructure renewal and modernization since the the 1970s. Between the aging infrastructure of 100+ year old bridges and tunnels and the growth in traffic, the NEC badly needs a steady capital funding stream to get to a state of good repair and expand capacity. The issue of how to modernize the NEC is the focus of the NEC Commission reports and the NEC Future PEIS study.

 

[afigg]

The real question is: What's in this for Amtrak NEC?

Andrew, read the first post. The Adminstration's proposal is $550 million for an NEC infrastructure account. Add $300 million a year or more from the various state funded projects, that would get the NEC funding above the circa $700 to $800 million a year level that Amtrak states is the minimum level to make real progress to get the NEC to a State Of Good Repair (SOGR) over the next 15+ years.

 

[Andrew]

I meant to ask: Do people really think that Amtrak will get this type of funding?

 

[SANSR]

Damn that 'higher math'.

 

[Green Maned Lion]

I meant to ask: Do people really think that Amtrak will get this type of funding?

Don't be silly. Those of us who know anything don't expect this to go anywhere. Actually I almost see Obama waving a red cloth in front of the bull in the china shop that is the tea party.

 

[Anderson]

I've had a version of this discussion with some friends, but a large part of the problem is that Obama is asking (very generically) for money, without even a conceptual plan of where the money is to go. There's nothing saying that we couldn't end up with almost all of the "uncommitted" money going into CAHSR, for example. Even with a lot of money for rail, it's easy to see it getting put into a small number of states.

There badly needs to be an effort to actually outline projects that will get something as part of the legislative process. This is one part logrolling and one part public outreach, but at least part of the problem has been that the funding gets passed, then a miracle occurs, and projects get funded.

Finally, as to "planning funds", a lot of that tends to be to get projects that have already had certain preliminary work done through more advanced stages. That said, it might be nice if the Feds could load a clause basically saying "If we give your LPO a positive ROD and then fund it and you refuse funding at a certain level, you have to refund the study costs to us".

 

[cirdan]

Well, I doubt they'll get all of this money. But I guess it's the Obama administartion's policy to keep coming up with such demands as

1) it's always better to be in a position of attack than defense.

2) surely even some part of this is better than nothing, and even if it gets plucked and slashed, some part may still finally get through

 

[andersone]

not being a student of history,, how much did JR (or George the 2nd, you pick) propose for Amtrak funding?

 

[Anderson]

not being a student of history,, how much did JR (or George the 2nd, you pick) propose for Amtrak funding?

I know he tried to get Amtrak zeroed out at least once, but I also want to say that he gave up on that after a while. I'm actually going to take a guess and say that part of the back-down was due both to the fact that he was getting nowhere (and getting blowback from certain quarters) and part of it was due to the Acela being an increasing success.

 

[Devil's Advocate]

not being a student of history,, how much did JR (or George the 2nd, you pick) propose for Amtrak funding?

If I recall correctly Ronald Reagan was the first president to propose a zero dollar budget for Amtrak. George W. Bush (43rd) repeatedly proposed reducing Amtrak's funding to zero dollars starting in 2005. Although we never had a President Romney he too had indicated that he would desire to defund Amtrak entirely. U.S. House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman John Mica (R-Fla.) and rail subcommittee Chair Bill Shuster (R-Pa.) are simply toeing the party line when they lobby to privatize the NEC and defund Amtrak into oblivion.

 

[Green Maned Lion]

George Warrington (a democrat) lasting well into the Bush administration had a lot do with the impressive efficacy with which he tore the company to pieces.

It is not with great sadness that I remind everyone he met with a fitting end, contracting pancreatic cancer and dying.

Note to moderators: I object to censuring my dislike of an individual who is a public figure and not a politician.

 

[afigg]

Finally, as to "planning funds", a lot of that tends to be to get projects that have already had certain preliminary work done through more advanced stages. That said, it might be nice if the Feds could load a clause basically saying "If we give your LPO a positive ROD and then fund it and you refuse funding at a certain level, you have to refund the study costs to us".

Many proposed passenger rail and transit projects stall on obtaining funds for the PE/NEPA stage after the feasibility study. There may be a lot of interest in the project, but the feasibility study only provides a guess estimate figure on what it might cost for a range of alternatives. Feasibility studies are cheap. The project then stalls because the next step is to spend several millions on the environmental studies and preliminary engineering and the state or local agencies don't want to commit the funds without a handle on what the final project cost could be. A federal program to help fund the planning studies and the PE/NEPA stages can get the projects over the hump to where they can get federal and local matching funds for construction and completion.

A number of the HSIPR grants went for PE/NEPA studies that will result in preliminary design and a Record of Decision for the project. The expectation is that those projects will then be able to line up the funding, although it may take a few years in some cases.

 

[me_little_me]

/sarcasm on

I meant to ask: Do people really think that Amtrak will get this type of funding?

Don't be silly. Those of us who know anything don't expect this to go anywhere. Actually I almost see Obama waving a red cloth in front of the bull in the china shop that is the tea party.

Or a sacrificial lamb for the rest of his budget. You ask for the moon. The Tea Party gorges itself on cuts and then you get some of what you want. Everybody's happy. Liberals and conservatives say "Look what we did for our constituents" and they all get re-elected and live happily ever after.

Northeast Corridor $550 million to bring Northeast Corridor infrastructure and equipment into a state of good repair, thus enabling future growth and service improvement.

There has been money thrown at this for almost 40 years. It's not there yet???
I see $4.775 billion. Where is the rest of it?

Notice the last item, $75 million for planning. Enough already. We have so many plans and reports that all that needs doing is to figure out which ones to pull out and build. No more planning until some things are built.

The planning is the biggest need. How else are you going to pay off your backers? Those kind of contracts go to your friends or to create new ones.

/sarcasm off