Hotline #894

U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx appointed his chief of staff, Sarah Feinberg, as Acting Administrator of the Federal Railroad Administration. Feinberg will replace Joseph Szabo, who left the FRA to join the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning as a senior adviser.

Before she joined the U.S. DOT in the summer of 2013, Feinberg worked in the White House and as an executive in the tech industry.

Following a grass roots advocacy campaign kicked off by state rail groups and members of NARP, several proposals to continue funding of the Hoosier State have advanced out of Indiana’s governor’s office and state legislature.

State Rep. Randy Truitt filed legislation (HB 1217) to allow the annual appropriation of $3 million for the Hoosier State. That funding would allow the Indiana Department of Transportation to contract with Amtrak to continue the Indianapolis – Chicago service.

Governor Mike Pence’s (R) administration has included a similar provision in its budget recommendations, while calling for an authorization that would allow INDOT to acquire new, modern train equipment. The move is a welcome reversal from a Pence Administration that had previously seemed ambivalent about the value of the service.

Joining NARP members and the Indiana Rail Passenger Alliance, West Virginia’s Friends of the Cardinal formally called on “all parties involved with the continuation of The Hoosier State to work carefully, completely, and above all quickly, to resolve any differences left outstanding so that there will be no disruption of service on The Hoosier State on February 1.” As we reported in this week’s NARP Blog:

If Indiana and its communities can’t get a deal done before a four-month extension of Amtrak’s Hoosier State operating contract expires on Jan. 31, INDOT says it might look to do another, short-term, extension. But Indiana says that its talks with Iowa Pacific, which is angling to snatch control of the route away from Amtrak, “have advanced to the point where the discussions with Amtrak are now on a critical path.”

Riders in communities served by the railroad – Lafayette, West Lafayette, plus Tippecanoe County and four other towns along the route – last year faced loss of access to rail service. But INDOT and local officials came up with a short-term rescue, agreeing to share in the approximate $3 million annual operating cost.

The news is being applauded by local leaders.

“Our hope is to spur INDOT to treat passenger rail with the same consideration they give our highways and bridges,” said West Lafayette Mayor John Dennis.

A January 12 electrical incident in Washington, D.C.’s Metro Rail system caused scores of passengers to be exposed to voluminous amounts of smoke, leading to several hospitalizations and one fatality from smoke inhalation.

An electrical arcing incident triggered the production of smoke in a tunnel just south of L’Enfant Plaza, bringing a southbound train to a halt. It took roughly 30 minutes for first responders to arrive on the scene, exposing trapped passengers to extremely smoky conditions.

Congressional overseers from the region have responded by calling for a hearing to examine the cause of the incident and the response by safety employees and first responders.

“Metro passengers deserve to know as soon as possible about Metro’s safety protocols for this type of incident, and those answers should be provided right away,” said Senator Mark Warner (D-VA) in a letter to the head of the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority.

The state of Connecticut’s Bond Commission approved $57.5 million in bonds on January 13 to fund the design and construction of new train stations on the Hartford Line, as well as fund upgrades to existing facilities.

The funding will support construction of two new commuter rail stations in Bridgeport and Orange on Metro-North’s New Haven-Hartford-Springfield Line, as well as upgrades to the existing Merritt Seven Station on the Danbury Branch.

“Creating a commuter rail line along the Interstate 91 corridor is part of our transformative transportation vision for Connecticut,” said Governor Dannel Malloy. “This bond authorization will give this important project needed momentum.”

Connecticut’s elected officials are also looking to advance recommendations for improving service on the Danbury Line that have been sitting on a shelf for years. The recommendations include electrification, which—along with other upgrades—would allow for increased frequencies and shorter trip times.

"I will be working to get this issue back on track," State Rep. David Arconti Jr. (D-Danbury) told the News-Times. "Now is the time to strike, so to speak, and to resurrect the recommendations for the Danbury Branch Line. The governor has made it very clear that transportation and transportation infrastructure will be a top priority for his administration in his second term."

New Jersey Transit unveiled preliminary designs for a $55 million restoration of Elizabeth Station in midtown. The project is funded by a federal-state partnership, and will help accommodate the additional Amtrak and NJ Transit service that is part of the region’s long-term plan to accommodate growth.

“Working with our partners at Amtrak, which owns the Northeast Corridor, this station will be primed to promote economic development in a city that continues to work hard at improving the quality of life for its residents,” said NJ Transit Board Chairman Jamie Fox.

NJ Transit revealed that upgrades to the station will include:

• A two-story station building with a street-level ticket office, waiting room and vendor space;
• New elevated platforms that will be extended to accommodate longer, 12-car trains; the platforms will provide covered waiting areas that can be heated and air conditioned for passenger comfort;
• Improved platform access through upgrades and additions to elevators and stairways;
• A new and improved space for commercial vendors, along with upgraded passenger information systems.

Construction is scheduled to be completed in 2018.

BNSF announced January 15 that it plans to invest $2.95 billion to maintain and expand its freight rail network across the U.S.

While the primary beneficiary of this investment will be freight shippers—and BNSF shareholders—it will also help Amtrak trains that have been caught in growing freight rail congestion.

This congestion is due in large part to the dramatic increase in oil-by-rail and domestic drilling, especially around the Bakken formation in Montana and North Dakota. As a result, the Empire Builder—which runs over tracks owned by BNSF—has been one of the most severely affected. Thus, it’s promising that BNSF has identified one of its key projects as converting “the entire Devils Lake subdivision, located between Minot, ND, and Grand Forks, ND, to centralized train control, which will improve capacity for freight operation while improving on-time performance of passenger trains.”

Compared with other host railroads, BNSF has historically had a constructive relationship with Amtrak, so it’s good to see the interactions between the two companies improving. Contrast BNSF’s investment plan with the statements of Canadian National CEO Claude Mongeau, who told Crain’s Chicago Businessthat the company has invested enough, and Metra commuters, Amtrak passengers, and local motorists who are being harmed by long, freight-induced delays should turn to public funding to increase mobility.

News in Brief

—The California High-Speed Rail Authority approved a $1.36 billion design-build contract on January 13 with a three-company consortium to build the second phase of the state’s statewide high-speed rail system.

The consortium includes Flatiron West Inc., Dragados USA Inc., and Shimmick Construction Company Inc. Together they will design and construct 60 miles of track between Fresno and Bakersfield.

—Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx announced this week that the U.S. Department of Transportation will release a 30-year plan for infrastructure investment within the next few weeks.

“We are unintentionally driving ourselves into a ditch,” he told reporters. “And it's a predictable ditch. It's a ditch that can be avoided. And frankly it's a ditch that we need not go into because frankly the future is so much brighter when we are intentionally targeting a course.”

—China announced earlier this month that it will be accelerating over 300 infrastructure projects worth US $1.1 trillion to maintain economic growth. Investments in the country’s booming rail sector are expected to exceed $177 billion in this year alone.

Travelers Advisory

—Amtrak is offering a special 20% on winter train travel in Illinois, Michigan and Missouri. Discounts are available on the Lincoln Service, Illinois Zephyr/Carl Sandburg, Illini/Saluki, Wolverine Service, Blue Water, Pere Marquette, and the Missouri River Runners. Find out more at Amtrak.com.

—Amtrak is offering a special promotion where Amtrak Guest Rewards members can earn a free roundtrip on Northeast Corridor services. AGR members can earn one free Acela Express roundtrip for every three qualifying Acela roundtrips (or six one-ways), and one free round trip for every three qualifying Northeast Regional roundtrips (or six one-ways) taken between now and February 28. Check out Amtrak.com for more details.

--Beginning January 26, Sunset Limited Trains No. 2 and No. 422 (with Texas Eagle through cars) will depart Los Angeles two hours earlier than usual at 8:00 PM to accommodate Union Pacific Railroad track rehabilitation work. The trains will operate two hours earlier at all stops through El Paso, when a two hour layover will allow the train to return to its regular schedule. The temporary schedule will be in place through March 22.

From the NARP Blog

--'Friends' Offer Hoosier State A Little Help: Only weeks away from expiration of a contract extension to keep the train running, Indiana passengers who stand to lose their service on the embattled Hoosier State line between Chicago and Indianapolis are getting a little boost from their neighbors in West Virginia. [Read More]

—You're Invited: A Live Online High-Speed Rail Forum: Tune In This Friday! Coming to you live from the Southwestern Rail Conference, Millennial Leaders voice their support for high-speed and improved U.S. transportation infrastructure. Read More to get the details! [Read More]