A Vision Realized

Another thing I like about being a civil engineer: over 20 years ago I was the assistant project manager for a study on how to make the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) light rail system accessible to all users. 

Just today, while leaving Arlington station on the light rail Green Line, I noticed a man in a wheelchair, unassisted, take the elevator to the lobby, go through the turnstiles, and take another elevator to the street. The vision is realized and now what was impossible is just a matter-of-fact everyday event.

Getting on and off the light rail
vehicles required stairs

Back then around 1990, none of the MBTA light rail system was accessible.  There were no elevators in stations.  Passengers had to climb stairs or use an escalator where one was available.  And getting  on and off the cars also required stairs.   Thus, the system was not accessible to people with mobility limitations, especially those using wheelchairs.

Streetcars of 1950s vintage still run
on the MBTA Mattapan-Ashmont
Line

The MBTA light rail system is one of the few in the United States that has its routes in the streetcar system that grew up in the late 1800s.  In Boston, that included the first subway in the US, which was used by nearly 40 streetcar routes and is still in service as the Green Line.  One other distant streetcar line remains, the "Mattapan-Ashmont High Speed Line," which got its name in the 1920s when a rail line was converted to streetcar use and "high speed" was defined as 30 mph.

All the streetcars used low, street or track level platforms, which required passengers to climb 3 or 4 steps up into the car.  This practice continued into the 1990s.

The MBTA Light Rail Accessibility Feasibility Study recommended a series of improvements including:

• adding elevators to subway stations for street-to-platform access
• acquiring a fleet of "low floor" cars that would reduce the distance between platform and the car floor
• raising the station platforms to an "intermediate" height to be level (or near level as implemented) with the car floor

The Type 8 low floor cars feature a plate
ramp that allows a person in a wheelchair
 to have level access from platform to car.

As implemented, the MBTA acquired approximately 94 "Type 8" low floor cars, which featured two doors to the low floor section, which is a few inches above platform height.  For wheelchair users, a ramp slides out of the car and one can wheel right into the train.  See photo at right.

The platforms at most subway stations and selected at grade stops were raised.  Elevators were added to most underground and elevated stations.

While not entirely accessible yet, for many trips, using the MBTA light rail system is just a matter-of-fact experience.

Dedication of Three New Stations on the MBTA Fairmont Commuter Line

As reported by the MBTA (Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority on July 17, 2013, Governor Deval Patrick, Boston Mayor Thomas Menino, MassDOT Secretary and CEO Richard Davey and MBTA General Manager Dr. Beverly Scott officially opened the Four Corners Commuter Rail Station, celebrating a series of recent  recent improvements made along the entire Fairmount Commuter Rail Line.  These improvements included track, signal and bridge updgrades, as well as two other new stations, at Talbot Avenue and Newmarket.

These new stations represent a continuing trend in the restoration of passenger rail service in New England within the last 2 years.  The other improvements include two new stations in Rhode Island on the MBTA Providence Line (Warwick/TF Green Aiprort and Wickford Jct.), two stations in Maine on the extension of the Downeaster intercity service (Freeport and Brunswick), and two stations as part of the Cape Flyer service to Cape Cod.

The Fairmont line is unique in the MBTA system, in that it is entirely within the City of Boston.  As such, it acts as a hybrid mode, using commuter rail equipment but serving an intracity transit market.  The line bisects the Dorchester and Mattapan neighborhoods, nearly halfway between the Orange and Red Lines.

Originally part of the New York and New England Railroad's mainline, it bypassed Back Bay Station, through which most of the south side commuter services ran.  When the line was merged into the New Haven Railroad, which ran all the service radiating south of Boston, it was delegated primarily as the freight route, whereas the passenger route ran up what is now the Providence Line, passing through Back Bay on its way to South Station.  Passenger service was provided until 1944.

Passenger service was restored on Nov. 3, 1979 when commuter trains and Amtrak intercity services were shifted over the the Fairmont line for the duration of the Southwest Corridor project.  Three stations were served by a shuttle service.  This service was kept after the other passenger services were restored to the mainline.

With the opening of the three new stations, service now consists of 40 to 45 minute headways at peak hours and hour headways in between.

Proposals to provide more frequent services (perhaps every 30 minutes) have been explored, as has the use of diesel multiple unit trains, which would be shorter and have faster acceleration.  

Cape Flyer Ridership Substantial

Crossing the Cape Cod Canal Rail Bridge

Propelled by good weather and the legendary long traffic jams at the only two roadway bridges into Cape Cod, the state-funded Cape Flyer ridership is somewhat exceeding expe-tations, as re-ported in a Boston Globe article.   In my initial post about this train, the Cape Cod Flyer represents the return of direct Boston to Hyannis service after 54 years.

As reported by the Globe:

Sunday’s 25-mile line of vehicles creeping across the Sagamore Bridge may go down as one the worst-ever Cape Cod traffic nightmares, but it also served as a free advertisement for a less stressful mode of transportation: the CapeFlyer weekend train service between Boston and Hyannis, which still has plenty of room for passengers.

Cape Flyer in Barnstable.  Photo by
Doug Scott

To anyone who has returned from the Cape on a Sunday night, this is not news, it's just what it takes to go to the Cape.  The savvy travelers will drive back early on Monday morning.  The more savvy travelers are shifting to the train.

As reported in the Globe, the cool, cloudy weather in June resulted in poor ridership.  But July brought the heat and, with the Cape beaches on their mind, the riders came.  Continued strong ridership may keep the service running into the fall, after the currently scheduled last trips on Labor Day weekend.

Accomodations:  While made up of commuter rail equipment, the train includes some features not found on all trains, including:

• Onboard concessions* , not quite an Amtrak cafe car, but beer and wine are served after the last "commuter stop" at Middleborough
• Free bike storage
• Free wi-fi
• Connections in Hyannis to ferries to Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket
• Bus connections at Buzzards Bay to Falmouth (by CCRTA)
• Bus connections at Hyannis to Orleans  (by CCRTA)

*Concession provided by Iowa Pacific, the holding company for the other Cape Cod railroads, namely Massachusetts Coastal Railroad (freight) and Cape Cod Central Railroad (passenger excursions and dinner trains)

We'll see how ridership holds up through July and August.  But, as a alternative to a 25-mile backup, the train is a no-brainer.

Returning to Cape Cod (By Rail)

This summer will bring the return of regularly scheduled train service between Boston and Cape Cod.   Branded as the CapeFlyer, it provides a new modal option for a trip measured in "miles of backup before the bridge." 

There are only two motor vehicle bridges across the Cape Cod Canal, and both experience major backups on summer weekends.  The only ways to avoid the bridges are the ferry to Provincetown or flying into Hyannis.  And the under-utilized rail bridge. (See photo on right.)

NYNY&H RR "The Cranbury" was
painted in ths special color for the
Hyannis-bound trains from Boston

There was a time when rail service was once the way to travel to the Cape.  Before the dominance of the auto, vacationers from New York, Connecticut and Boston traveled by the New York, New Haven, and Hartford Railroad (NYNH&H RR) to reach destinations such as Hyannis (with ferries to Nantucket) and Woods Hole (with ferries to Martha's Vineyards).  An age of auto-free intermodal travel!

 Service and ridership dwindled over time with the Boston service ending by 1959 while service from New York continued until 1964.   A fire on the rail bridge over  the Neponset River in 1960 made restoration of service from Boston daunting.

In 1965, the New Haven sold this rail line to the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA), which will be operating the new service to the Cape some 48-year later.  First, the MBTA built the Red Line along this right-of-way (with a new rapid transit bridge over the Neponset River), first to Quincy (service beginning in 1971) and then to Braintree (opening in 1980). 

Cape Cod & Hyannis train at Buzzards

Bay Station with the iconic rail bridge
over Cape Cod Canal in the background.

The Braintree extension opened the door for a "two-seat" restoration of seasonal service from Boston to the Cape in 1982.  Passengers could change trains in Braintree and ride the Cape Cod & Hyannis  (CC&H)   Railroad to both Falmouth and Hyannis.  Then in 1987, Amtrak restored summer weekend service from New York, with an additional train transferring to the CC&H at Attleboro, Massachusetts. 

You know you've reached the Cape

when you cross the Cape Cod Canal

Railroad Bridge, which dates from

1935 and is the second longest

vertical lift rail bridge in the US.
I took this photo from the bike path
along the canal - see my other
blog post.

For a brief period, service was restored from both New York and Boston.  But nothing lasts forever.  The CC&H lost its state subsidy and ended service after 1986.  Amtrak stopped its service to the Cape after 1996 (by which time, the service was a shuttle from Providence).  Since then, passenger service on the Cape has been limited to a summer tourist train from Hyannis to Buzzards Bay.

Commuter rail servie was restored
in 1997 from Boston to
Middleborough, 2/3 of the way to the Cape.

A year after through service to Hyannis ended, commuter rail service was restored 2/3 of the way to the Cape, with the opening of the Middleborough Line from Boston, including a new rail bridge over the Neponset.  For the first time in 37 years, through rail service from South Station Boston to Hyannis was at least possible.  

It took another 16 years to get from the possible to the actual.   This summer, a few of the Middleborough trains on Fridays evenings and over the weekend will be extended to Hyannis.  The two-hour schedule is not indicative of a true "flyer," but it beats a 10-mile backup approaching the bridge.

Cape Flyer crossing the Cape Cod Canal

.

Maine and Rhode Island Extend Passenger Services in 2012

Last year, 2012, saw two incremental extensions of passenger service here in New England.   None of these were earth-shattering or worthy of national attention.  But, it is a sign of moving forward, after decades of retreating. 



Two ceremonial trains marked the service extensions.  On the left, Nov. 1st  saw the inauguration of Downeaster service to Freeport and Brunswick, ME after a 50-year absence.  On the right, April 23rd the inaugural MBTA train waits at Wickford Junction while the ceremonies proceed inside the station garage..

Spring saw the April 23rd opening of Wickford Junc-tion south of Providence in Rhode Island, along Amtrak's Northeast Cor-ridor. Along with a station at Warwick (serving TF Green Airport), this day marked the completion of Phase 1 of the state-sponsored South County Rail extension project, returning service after a 40-year absence.   The table above and to the right chronicles the timeline for this retreat of service and for its restoration.  Note that through it all, Amtrak provided intercity service over this line, but only the the major stations, and not the local commuter stops that lost service.

Meanwhile, way up north, a fifty-year passenger service drought ended this fall with the return of service to Brunswick and Freeport, Maine. Ten years after the return of passenger service to Portland, Maine, Amtrak’s Downeaster’s inaugural run pulled into these communities, accompanied by bands, crowds, and speeches.  In this case, the retreat involved all passenger service, and, for a few years, it meant no passenger service on this route beyond the near surburbs of Boston. 

The How’s and Why’s of the Service Retreats and Extension

Part 1: Why the Service Retreats: A Tale of Two Bridges

Here you can see two bridges, side-by-side crossing the Thames River in New London, Connecticut. They represent two approaches to funding and owning transportation infra-structure.  The smaller, lower bridge on the left is older and was private-ly built by the New Haven Railroad, without tax-payer funding. That represented the era of privately-funded transportation infrastructure.

Now, contrast that with the two larger and higher (read: more costly) bridges on the right, built entirely at taxpayer expense. They are part of Interstate 95 which was part of a massive highway construction undertaking in the US, beginning in the 1950s. Call it the public option for transportation infrastructure. While the interstates are partly responsible for the strength of the US economy, they also the privately-owned railroads at a financial disadvantage. Essentially, the federal government created competing public infrastructure that starved the private infrastructure of revenue.

The result was that many US railroads fell into bankruptcy in the 1960s and 1970s. They could not compete with traffic on the interstates.

The first to go in the decline was passenger service. With the advent of buses, privately owned cars, and finally the popular use of air transportation (also using government funded infrastructure), rail passenger service lost its advantages of speed and convenience.  Simply put became no longer profitable to carry passengers.  This resulted in a downturn spiral of cutting services, which reduced ridership, which reduced revenue and lead to more service cuts.  This lead to the creation of government-funded Amtrak in 1971 to run the intercity services, while local commuter services were transferred to local agencies.

This was the backdrop for the loss of passenger rail service to Maine and the retreat of commuter rail services in Rhode Island.

Part 2: Restorations – Tales of Visions, Plans, and Persistence

Each of our examples can be attributed to visionaries and government officials who responded to their vision.  Government spending caused the retreat in passenger rail serivce, and government spending helped restore passenger rail services.

The efforts of the grassroots
TrainRiders/ Northeast lead to the
start-up of the Downeaster in 2002.

In Maine, the vision dates back to 1989, when Wayne Davis and a group of citizens got together to talk about a return of passenger rail to Maine. The effort led to the creation of the grassroots organization of TrainRiders/Northeast. The group, which included interested people from as far away as Bangor in Maine and several coastal New Hampshire towns, explored the feasibility of Amtrak’s extending the Northeast Corridor passenger trains from Boston through New Hampshire to Portland, Maine, as a first step toward expanding service to other areas of northern New England.

Working with elected officials, their efforts lead to  the Maine State Legislature creating the Northern New England Rail Passenger Authority (NNEPRA) in 1995 to develop and provide passenger rail service between Maine and Boston and points within Maine. With much persistence and political support, federal and state funding was obtained to rebuild the track in New Hampshire and Maine to passenger rail standards after years of seeing only freight service.   Service to Portland, ME was restored in 2002.

Continued efforts lead to the planning, funding, and construction of the service extention to Freeport and Brunswick.  November 1, 2012 marked the inaugeration of this service.  The train was greated by crowds, high school bands, and speaches in both communities.

In Rhode Island, the restoration of service can be traced to two similar visions.  On the public side, the Rhode Island Department of Transportation (RIDOT) in 2001 put out its operational feasibility study about extending commuter rail service from its termination at Providence to Westerly on the Connecticut state line.  At the time, Amtrak was planning the initiation of its Acela high speed rail service.  The study considered how expanded commuter rail service could share track time with Amtrak's Acela and Regional services, as well as freight service operated by the Providence & Worcester Railroad.

All the while, a local businessman and developer, Bob Cieo, was planning a multi-use development he called Wickford Junction.  Part of Bob's vision was restoring rail service to Wickford Junction.   As a young man, Bob traveled to Boston by rail many times for work and while attending Wentworth Institute.  His property included a parcel abutting the tracks, just the right size for a station with a parking garage.

Fast forward to December 2009, with RIDOT official and Bob joining dozens dozens of contractors assembled for the opportunity to qualify for RIDOT's first  time using the design/built (D/B) procurement method.  The D/B method can save significant time in delivering a project.  Rather than wait for a complete design before the contractor is selected, the contractor hires the designers (engineers and architects) who design the project with interim milestones that enable construction to begin before all design details are finalized.

Next step:  April 23, 2012.  Commuter Rail service by MBTA began with the first scheduled service train leaving in the wee hours of the morning.  Later, a ceremonial train carried dignitariesand others from Providence to the celebration of the station opening at Wickford Junction.  This was a proud moment for me, as Design Manager for the D/B Team.  (For a video of opening day, click on video and scroll down to link for "Wickford Junction Station."

Conclusion

Two extensions, each of two new stations, opened in 2012 here in New England.  Each is the different story, but they share the same elements of passenger rail service retreating in the face of highway expansion, and restoration of service come to fruition by the efforts and vision of both private citizens and state agencies.  This year, 2013, will see at least one more passenger rail extension, with the restoration of scheduled service from Boston to Cape Cod.  Other extensions are in design, construction or planning, including Fitchburg to Wachuestts, Worcester to Springfield, Springfield to Greenfield and beyond in Vermont, and possibly Pittsfield to New York City.

How to Safely Control Trains on the Green Line

Following the recent MBTA Green Line crash at Government Center, and with another similar crash in recent history on the Riverside Line, a number of people have asked “Can it have been prevented?” In other words, could a more modern type of signals and train control have made it impossible for one train to crash into another?

Right now there are signals in the subway and out on the Riverside Line. But, unlike other lines, there is no “enforcement” of the signals. On the other subway lines and on major rail lines (like Amtrak’s Northeaster Corridor), a train that passes a red light will automatically have its breaks come on.

There is no such system for the Green Line. But would a signal system with “enforcement” work on the Green Line?

The short answer is that such a train control systems could be used, but I don’t think it would work on the Green Line. Such a system would keep the trains further apart. With trains running 90 seconds apart, they would back up and the Green Line wouldn’t handle the approximately 240,000 people a day that use it.

Train Control Systems - A Brief Overview
What most people know about tranit signals are the red-yellow-green lights in the subway. The indications are similar to traffic signals for motor vehicles.

In addition to the signals themselves, train control often has a component of “enforcement.” The simplest feature is the trip stop – a little arm next to the track that is up when the signal is red. The arm sets off the train brake, preventing it from going through the red signal.

In more complex systems, the signal system can interact with the train controls. Sometimes called “civil enforcement” a train control system will not only stop the train before it goes through a red signal, but also will slow it down if it’s going over the speed limit. [Can you imagine that in automobiles? You’re on the MassPike going the limit of 65. You want pass a car, and speed up to 70, but the “enforcement” comes on and slows you back to 65!]

This “civil enforcement” is used on most of the Red and Orange Lines and on high-speed lines, like Amtrak’s Northeast Corridor.

The Green Line has on “civil enforcement” and that is part of the question: should it be used on the Green Line.

Train Control on the Green Line Today
In general, the MBTA Green Line employs 3 types of train control:

1. Automatic Wayside Block Signals: These are the red-yellow-green signals along the side of the tracks.

2. Line of Sight: This is used for street reservations (like the median of Commonwealth Avenue, Beacon Street, or Huntington Avenue) and for street running (e.g., Huntington Avenue and South Huntington Avenue outbound of Brigham Circle.

3. Traffic Signals: Where there are traffic signals at intersections where the Green Line runs in a street reservation or in the street, these traffic signals also govern the operation of the trains.

Automatic Wayside Block Signals
The red-yellow-green automatic wayside block signals are used on the Lechmere Viaduct, Central Subway and on the Highland Branch (Riverside Line, D Branch). This system employs a three-aspect (red, yellow and green), two-block system. Wayside signals will display red if the track circuit immediately beyond the signal is occupied. Signals will display yellow if the next signal in the direction of operation displays red and the intervening track circuit is unoccupied. Signals will display green if the next signal in the direction of operation displays yellow or green and the intervening track circuit is unoccupied (i.e. a minimum of two signal blocks ahead are clear).

Line of Sight and Traffic Signals
When the Green Line runs in the street (like South Huntington Ave.) or in a street reservation (like Commonwealth Avenue), there is no signal system. Rather, operations are be governed by what is called “operator line of sight.” This is no different from anyone driving a car.

Just like driving, there are a series of rules that the operator must follow. And, like driving a car, safety is highly dependent on the operator’s judgments and actions. The operator must obey the traffic signals and also maintain a safe separation from the train in front of them.

What Works and Doesn't Work for the Green Line?

The Green Line is the most heavily used light rail system in the nation. With over 240,000 daily riders, it's four branches converge in the Central Subway, where trains run an average of 90 seconds apart at rush hour. Any regular rider of the Green Line knows how close the trains operate. Often as one train leaves a station, the next one is entering.

Also, the trains tend to bunch up, something know as "platooning." When my firm was working on the light rail accessibility study, we modeled the Central Subway. Even when we started the model with every train running right on time, the model showed that give it an hour or so and the trains will bunched up!

This bunching means that trains may be running at about 45-second headways while bunched, and a few minutes between the bunches. In other words, there is a statistical distribution and the 90-second headway is only the statistical average.

Why is this important? Because, a signal system with train control would not support headways as little as 45 seconds in the Central Subway. Such as system looks at the breaking distance, the distance it takes a train to stop. The system ensures that the train will stop before it can possibly hit the train in front of it. This would keep the Green Line trains further apart. It would reduce the number of trains that can pass through the subway in an hour.

On the other hand, such as system might work on the Riverside Line where speeds are higher and trains run about 5 min. apart at rush hour. Likewise it might be applicable to the new extension to Medford. But the MBTA is studying this, and we should await the study results to see if it would work.

Conclusion

In conclusion, I agree that safety may need to be improved in the wake of recent accidents. However, a train control system does not appear feasible for the subway, due to the tight headways that are needed to get all the trains through on time. It may be applicable for the Riverside Line and the new extension to Medford. But in any case, we should await the results of the ongoing MBTA study of how best to safely control trains on the Green Line.

Speed Isn’t What It Used To Be

When we think of “high speed” and “rapid” we may think of something really fast, maybe like a rocket.

But when our Federal government defines these terms, it isn’t all that it should be.

High Speed Rail (HSR)
Take “high speed” rail, for an example. Now, when I think of that term, I’m thinking the Bullet Train in Japan or the TGV in France. Speeds over 150 mph up to 200 mph, and maybe faster.

Is that what our Federal government is thinking? Not quite. While our President declares “Make no little plans,” the legislation is designed to lower expectations. “High speed rail” is 110 mph, a full 40 mph below the top speed of Amtrak’s Acela.

Bus Rapid Transit (BRT)
BRT is supposed to be a blending of buses and rapid transit. So, it should be as fast as rail rapid transit (like a subway), but cheaper to build with buses and simple pavement replacing more costly and complex rails, power and signals systems.

In theory, the buses would run on a separate busway or a highway HOV (high occupancy vehicle) lane, therefore traveling “rapidly” (say, 40 to 60 mph) between stations.

Let’s contrast theory and practice.

In Boston, the Silver Line is considered BRT. There’s the Washington Street Silver Line, where the bus has a bus lane and some advantages (pre-emption) at the frequent traffic lights. So, maybe between stops and red lights, the bus may get up to about 25 to 30 mph. But when you add in time waiting for lights, the speed averages maybe 15 or 20 mph. What’s so rapid about that? Many in Roxbury and the South End know we’re not talking travel times equivalent to the long-gone elevated Orange Line on Washington Street.

Then there’s the Silver Line from South Station to Logan Airport and City Point in South Boston. Part is in a subway tunnel, not unlike the four rail transit lines (Green, Red, Orange and Blue). Now the Red Line travels at up to 50 mph in the subway. Even the Green Line can hit 30 mph or more in the subway. So what about that BRT? The Silver Line tunnel opened with a posted speed limit of 10 mph. Even at 15 or 20 mph, is that what you’d call “rapid.”

Ashmont-Mattapan High Speed Line
Another local speed misnomer is the least know segment of Boston’s rail transit system – the trolley line between Ashmont and Mattapan. When it opened on August 29, 1929, it was truly “high speed.” A typical trolley line ran in city streets, which was fairly slow going. The “High Speed” line was built along a partially abandoned rail line, avoiding city streets, and reaching “high speeds” up to 30 mph.

Today, the line still runs, with streetcars approaching 70 years old, still reaching speeds approaching 30 mph. But to many, it’s still known as the High Speed Line.

Conclusion
Speed certainly isn't what it used to be!

Focus on Your Driving!

Stories recently in the news:

• MBTA drive crashes while texting
  
• Women dies when hit by driver painting her nails
  
• Passengers killed when commuter rail engineer crashes train while on cell phone
  
• Man gets in accident driving while eating cereal with milk
  

These are all recent tales of driving while distracted. The common sense lesson is simple! No matter what mode of transportation: Focus on your driving!

Obama on U.S. high speed rail: "Make no little plans"

As reported by Railway Age:

President Obama on Thursday, April 16, released an
unprecedented long-term strategic plan to advance
U.S. high speed rail development, beginning with
the $8 billion “down payment” provided through the
Administration’s recent American Recovery and
Reinvestment Act, augmented by $1 billion per year for five years in budget appropriations.

"Make no little plans," the President said at a nationally televised news
conference as he presented a plan—centered on rail—for the future of
U.S. transportation. It would begin with upgrading existing rail lines—a
foundation, so to speak—and then progress to building dedicated high
speed corridors, as has been done elsewhere in the world. In great detail
and with an almost startling breadth of knowledge about the high speed
industry, he talked about the many benefits of high speed rail, among them
the convenience of center city to center city travel and relief from highway
and air travel congestion.

Analysis

So, what does this all mean?

On the positive side, this is the most pro-rail announcement of any recent administration. National passenger rail advocates line the American Public Transit Association (APTA) and the National Association of Railroad Passengers (NARP) were falling over themselves in praise of the announcement.

And when you compare this announcement to the lean years of Reagan, Bush and Bush, a rail advocate would think they died and went to high speed rail heaven. In the Reagan years, even Amtrak was zeroed out in the administration's budget and there was no thought of high speed rail, unless it was paid for by the states or private sector. Even the Clinton years were no panacea for funding new intercity rail.

Putting the euphoria aside, what does this mean for funding? Well, it's a total of $13 billion over about 6 fiscal years:

• $8 billion in stimulus funding
  
• $1 billion per year for 5 years

Sound like a lot?

Again, it's a monumental amount compared to the past; I'm afraid it's a drop in the bucket compared to building a system that looks like real high speed rail, such as the TGV in France.

First of all, the funding will be diluted among 10 politically-determined corridors:

Do the math, and it's a average of $1.3 billion per corridor. Somewhat impressive, but say the corridors are about 500 miles (most are longer), that's $2.6 million/mile which is a nice upgrade, but won't buy you a TGV system.

Second, look at what this is buying. Pres. Obama talks about upgrading first. And the press release also defines "high" speed rail at 110 mph, which sound high compared to 65 mph on the interstate, but not compared to TGV speeds over 200 mph.

Now, my background in intercity high speed rail includes working on the US Dept. of Transportation's "Commercial Feasibility Study" were we looked at what it would take to run rail operations with maximum speeds of 90, 110, 125, 150 and 200 mph on most of the same corridors listed above. My job involved looking at maps and track charts in great detail and "test driving" the corridors (using a spreadsheet-based simulation program) to see how fast you could go if you upgraded the tracks or if you built new tracks (for the 200 mph option). Then we estimated how much it would cost it would take to reach each of these top speeds.

In short, I know what you can get out of these corridors and how much it would cost to get there.

Here's a summary of my conclusions:

1. The selection of the 110 mph top speed actually proved to be the most cost-effective target in terms of capital cost compared to increased ridership and associated revenue. While 110 mph is modest compared to TGV (at 186 mph), it is a prudent first step.
   
2. Where the federal funds meet local funding (e.g., in California, they have voted $10 billion of state funds), it may kick start something more than the studies I've seen over the last 2 decades.
   
3. Portions of the Empire Corridor (near Albany, NY) and the Chicago-Detroit corridor have segments already at 110 mph, so this funding can incrementally piggy-back on existing improvements.
   
4. Though not listed as one of the 10 corridors, the Northeast Corridor (Boston-Washington) can compete for funds.
   
5. The funding still depends on local initiatives. This is working in California, but has been a start-stop process in Florida (depending on who the Governor is) and here in New England, the failure of New Hampshire to provide modest funding for the Boston-Montreal corridor has crippled the efforts. This intercity rail is really interstate commerce, and last time I looked, the Federal government was responsible for that!
   
6. Bottom line: other than California (where they may actually build a high speed line), don't count on much. Despite what the President's rhetoric, I say "Make no grand plans!"

Start of a New Transportation Blog

Having worked as a civil engineer in the transportation field for over 30 years, I've developed a perspective on current transportation issues, locally in the Boston and New England areas, nationally and internationally. Having tested the patience of collegues and friends as I go on about this and that, I thought I'd start my own blog. This way, those interested can read on, and those not, can pass it up.

Actually, I'm planning on 2 blogs:

1. Transportation Issues Today: news and comments on current events, etc.
2. New Initiatives in Transportation: this will contain practical proposals for improving transportation, focusing on the more "sustainable" modes: walking, bicycling, public transit, and other rail transporation.
   

If anyone out there is reading these posts, please leave your comments.