Steve
Vogel, President |
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Founded
1979 |
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SPLOST IS LOST, BUT WAIT 'TIL NEXT YEAR The 2008 session of the Georgia General Assembly adjourned early this month without providing funding for commuter rail, but this year for the first time, there were clear signs of progress. By an overwhelming 143-12 vote, the Georgia House of Representatives passed a resolution supporting the proposed Athens-Atlanta-Macon commuter rail line. And by a two-thirds majority, House members also voted for a measure that could have funded it: a proposed constitutional amendment allowing Special Purpose Local Option Sales Taxes, better known as T-SPLOSTs. If the Senate had gone along with the House, the T-SPLOST amendment would have gone before voters in the November election, but in the final minutes of the 2008 session, the T-SPLOST was lost. It failed to win the required two-thirds majority in the Georgia Senate, but it only failed by three votes. In short, we missed the mark, but came very, very close. And here's a heads-up for members of the legislature: we're not giving up. THE GREENING OF TRANSIT
PEOPLE ARE TALKING People are getting the message. State. Sen. Doug Stoner (D-Smyrna), chairman of the recently formed Senate Intermodal Rail and Transit Subcommittee, discussed passenger rail in a meeting with Georgia Rail Passenger Authority Chairman Carl Rhodenizer and representatives from Amtrak and the CSX Railroad. Also present was a representative from North Carolina, which funds Amtrak service between Raleigh and Charlotte. The economic challenge posed by Charlotte is becoming a bigger and bigger concern for Atlanta civic leaders. Metro Atlanta's Transit Planning Board recently organized a fact-finding trip there, to learn about Charlotte's successful new Lynx light rail line and future transit plans, which include commuter rail. Atlanta Journal-Constitution columnist Maria Saporta declared, "It was bad enough when several of the top banks in Atlanta were gobbled up by banks in Charlotte. Now Charlotte is beating Atlanta when it comes to transit and land-use." UNCLEAR ON THE CONCEPT There also was talk at a joint meeting of Georgia's House and Senate transportation committees, where members discussed both commuter rail and a proposal for a magnetic levitation train from Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson Airport to the Lowell Field airport in Chattanooga, TN. Sadly, there were indications the two projects are being pitted against each other. House Transportation Chairman Vance Smith remarked that commuter rail is a "hard sale" when compared to magnetic levitation; but in fact, the two modes serve two very different roles. Commuter rail is designed to make multiple stops between suburbs and the central city, giving daily commuters an alternative to driving to work on overcrowded streets and highways. Magnetic levitation trains can't be used for commuter rail. They're designed for very-high-speed limited-stop service along longer routes, and here in Georgia, they're being pitched as a convenience for airline passengers who want to fly out of Chattanooga instead of Atlanta. Magnetic levitation is much, much more expensive than commuter rail, and it's still very experimental. Just this past month, Germany abandoned its plan to build a "maglev" line in Munich, citing "an explosion of costs" and the only commercially operating line in the world, in Shanghai, is never expected to recoup its construction cost. While high-tech maglev trains could indeed speed airline passengers to Chattanooga at some distant point in the future, everyday Atlanta-area commuters need help right now: they're paying big bucks to creep along on increasingly congested streets. Gasoline prices have soared well above the three-dollar-a-gallon mark, and the US Census Bureau reports that between July, 2006 and July, 2007, Atlanta was the second-fastest-growing metropolitan area in the country, right behind Dallas-Fort Worth. Dallas-Ft. Worth already has both commuter rail service and light rail service. POTOMAC POKER It's still a little too early to speculate on US intercity passenger rail funding for fiscal 2008. But in Washington this past month, the Senate passed a budget resolution that anticipates spending $1.8 billion on Amtrak, and providing $250 million to match state investments in intercity rail. The Bush Administration wants to cut Amtrak funding to about half of what the Senate has proposed. Testifying before Congress, Federal Railroad Administrator Joseph Boardman acknowledged that the Administration wants to "reduce, and eventually eliminate, federally funded operating subsidies for Amtrak." That would be a virtual death warrant for multi-state long-distance trains like the trains that serve Georgia, but this is the Bush Administration's last year in office, and future White House policies will depend on the views of the next President. Republican candidate John McCain recently took a ride on a high-speed Acela corridor train between New York and Philadelphia, but he's made it clear he's no fan of some other trains in the Amtrak system. During a February campaign stop in Texas, McCain declared, "I don't mind subsidies for startups, but when you've got an Amtrak route that goes from Miami to California and you're subsidizing it for $200 a passenger, I'm not going to do it anymore." That was an obvious if inaccurate reference to the Sunset, which used to operate between Orlando and Los Angeles, but has been running only between New Orleans and Los Angeles since Hurricane Katrina. Southeastern passenger rail advocates are fighting to restore Sunset service between Orlando and New Orleans, a route that served many passengers from southern Georgia. A McCain Presidency could make that battle much more difficult. THE INTERNATIONAL After just over a year of operation, Taiwan's new high-speed rail line has carried more than 20 million passengers... Finland and Estonia are talking about building a rail tunnel under the Baltic Sea... Canada's capital city, Ottawa, is considering a possible light-rail line. NATIONAL LIMITED US transit ridership hit a 50-year high in 2007, with light rail and commuter rail scoring the biggest increases... The American Public Transportation Association reports that transit reduces US carbon emissions by 37 million metric tons every year... Another rail transit line has opened in California; the 22-mile Sprinter line uses self-propelled diesel railcars running between Escondido and Oceanside, where they connect with Coaster commuter trains to San Diego... The Twin Cities Metropolitan Council in Minneapolis-St. Paul has ordered 17 bi-level passenger coaches for the new Northstar commuter rail line, scheduled to begin running late next year... In Dallas-Ft. Worth, plans to extend Trinity Rail Express commuter train service to Grapevine, TX, have cleared an environmental review... Ohio has asked Amtrak to evaluate the possibility of state-funded train service between Cincinnati, Columbus and Cleveland.; Kansas has asked Amtrak to evaluate proposals for a state-funded train linking Kansas with Oklahoma... New York State will spend $13 million to expand track capacity at the Albany-Rensselaer Amtrak station... Wisconsin has become the tenth state to join the Midwest Interstate Passenger Rail Compact, which is planning high-speed rail corridors for the region... US Rep. John Mica of Florida, the ranking Republican on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, has introduced a resolution designed to promote high-speed rail, but it does not include any funding... The City of Seattle has purchased King Street Station, used by Amtrak and commuter trains.... Amtrak has reopened its San Bernardino, CA station to passengers, following a funding agreement with the city... Cincinnati Union Terminal, now mostly a museum center but still used by Amtrak's Cardinal, needs $120 million in renovations... In a bid to promote intermodal transportation, several Congressional leaders want to bring intercity buses into Washington, DC's Union Station... The owners of Madison Square Garden have dropped a plan to build a new arena on another site, jeopardizing proposals to build a replacement for Penn Station on the current arena's site... Passengers on New York's PATH trains got free rides to celebrate the 100th anniversary of line, which runs under the Hudson River... Abandoning an 18-year-old "honor system," Los Angeles transit officials have decided to install fare gates on the Red, Green, Blue and Gold rail transit lines... Senior citizens can now ride Chicago-area transit for free... After nearly going on strike in November, members of nine Amtrak unions have ratified new contracts.... Amtrak is replacing traction motors on its workhorse P42 locomotives after a series of on-the-road failures... Citing competition from Amtrak's recently upgraded Keystone route, a US Airways affiliate is discontinuing its Harrisburg, PA-New York flights... Amtrak has declared May 10 National Train Day, and will have events at several major stations... Passengers who use their Mastercards to buy Amtrak tickets between now and May 31st will be entered into a sweepstakes; prizes include an Amtrak vacation to a national park. DIXIE FLIER Florida officials met with Amtrak representatives to discuss the possibility of new, state-funded trains between Miami, Orlando, Tampa and Jacksonville... Citing the higher-than-expected cost of building five highway overpasses, officials now believe it will cost $650 million to construct a commuter rail system for the Orlando area... Also in Florida, Ft. Lauderdale is considering a $150 million light-rail line... In North Carolina, Charlotte's new Lynx light-rail line carried 90,000 passengers over four days during the ACC college basketball tournament.... North Carolina transportation officials have reached an agreement to build a new Amtrak station in Durham... A CSX freight train derailment near Richmond forced the cancellation of several Amtrak trains on March 27, including a train serving Georgia, the Savannah-New York Palmetto... A CSX trackwork program in Florida is forcing Amtrak to add two hours to the northbound Silver Star's schedule: from now through May 8, the Star will leave Miami at 9:50 AM, two hours earlier than normal. It will still arrive in Savannah at the usual time, 1:24 AM. THE GEORGIAN The Georgia General Assembly has passed legislation making it legal for riders with concealed weapons permits to carry guns on MARTA trains and buses.... The March 14 tornado in downtown Atlanta damaged MARTA's King Memorial rail station, and forced the temporary closure of the Peachtree Center station... A new study by the Georgia Public Interest Resource Group estimates that MARTA saves Metro Atlantans $220 million in gasoline costs every year... MARTA has launched an 18-month review of its operations to consider changes that would improve service... Dwight Ferrell, a transit executive in Austin, TX, will be MARTA's new deputy general manager and chief operating officer... A developer has unveiled plans for an office-and-retail complex at the site of the recently closed Hapeville Ford plant, adjacent to a proposed commuter rail stop... The Atlanta Journal-Constitution's "2008 Go Guide" included a section on Amtrak service from Atlanta. THE WORLD ACCORDING TO GARP Here's a big thanks to all the GARP members who turned out on St. Patrick's Day for the transit rally at the State Capitol... And thanks to Mac Bennett of Talbotton, GA for renewing his GARP membership at the $50 contributing level... Many GARP members prefer to get the Peach State XPress via email; if you'd like to make the switch, send us a request at info@garprail.org. NEXT MEETING: Saturday, April 12, 10 AM PLACE: Towne Square Condominiums Club Room, 225 East Ponce De Leon Avenue, Downtown Decatur, between Church St. and North Candler St., 1/2 block from the Decatur MARTA station. Building entrance is beside the Subway shop PARKING: Parking available on the streets and elsewhere. If you park in a metered place, feed the meter - the City says they are checked on Saturday. Parking in the Towne Square building parking deck IS NOT FREE - driveway is beside the Natural Body Spa COST: Kindly contribute $ 1 toward the cost of refreshments Copyright © 2008 Georgia Association of Railroad Passengers, Inc. |
