Approve this Bond Bill

The Republican has this story on the upcoming Bond Bill:

"A $2.9 billion, three-year, state transportation bond bill headed to the House floor for action this week is an urgently needed step to address the commonwealth's deteriorating roads and bridges, lawmakers and regional planners say."

This bill should be approved. But it doesn't have funding for the NHHS line in it, you may note....why do we still think it should be approved? Because we want to be sure the WMASS delegation is prepared to argue for the NHHS line. Right now, they are not--there are too many other pressing needs, for example:

"The bond is a microcosm of the funding needed to ensure safety of roads and bridges across the state, he said. Citing the work of the state Transportation Finance Commission, Brennan said the state will need to spend $15 billion to $19 billion over the next 20 years just to bring existing roads and bridges up to a state of good repair. "That's the situation, and the situation is gloomy," Brennan said."

Fix what needs fixing for safety's sake, and add the project to help the environment, stimulate the economy, and ease transportation problems in the subsequent bond bill. Plus, the state of Connecticut only just recently signed a contract with Wilbur Smith, the firm that will do the environmental assessment....in other words, there's still time left.

Falling Behind

In the Boston Globe today, New England received a wake-up call.

The new report,

Falling Behind
New England Must Act Now to Reduce
Global Warming Pollution

Suggests that NE must:

Build a more sustainable transportation system for the region that would reduce
emissions by:
o Investing in the region’s rail infrastructure and developing a long-term
rail plan.
o Improving transit in suburbs and smaller cities.
o Encouraging downtown redevelopment in a sustainable, pedestrian
friendly way.
o Supporting transit-oriented, compact residential and commercial
development.
o Reallocating the costs of driving, such as pay-as-you-drive insurance and
elimination of parking subsidies.
o Considering global warming pollution in transportation planning and
development projects.

hmm....perhaps our legislators might want to listen?

Fuel Cell Locomotives

CT Rep. David McCluskey from New Haven (and Assistant Majority Whip) has an innovative idea regarding the NHHS line: fuel cell technology. in his blog, he writes (emphasis mine):

"The state wants to expand its commuter rail service. Ideally, we should have one seat rides that do not have the long delays caused by switching from diesel to electric service. Unfortunately, the Danbury, Waterbury & the New Haven to Springfield branch lines are not electrified like the main coastal one from the New York state line to the Rhode Island state line. The cost of doing so would be high and would take a long time. However, if we use fuel cell locomotives on the branch lines, including the Springfield to New Haven one, we do not have to electrify the line OR change locomotives to get to New York City."

How would it work? "Fuel cells generate electrical power quietly and efficiently, without pollution. Unlike power sources that use fossil fuels, the by-products from an operating fuel cell are heat and water."

Status report on NHHS in MA

Status report:

The Governor filed the transportation bond bill late (supposed to be in June-July). Half of it is money the state is fronting so that the Federal government will reimburse us from federal transportation revenue. It's a traditional style $4 billion transportation bond bill pending for this fiscal year (which is half over), now before the Senate. It contains a dollar amount for the Fitchburg expansion--a worthy project.

There is no money for the NHHS line in this bond bill. While not great, this is OK, since CT has not been as fast as expected in getting a contract for Wilbur-Smith. They have that contract now. The environmental assessment and design study (involving public participation processes) will take 18 months to 2 years.

CT-MA Conversations about NHHS are ongoing (Sec. Cohen spoke about it as a key project at Bradley Conference, high-ranking CONN DOT official speaks about it there too). Oh, and there’s that $40 million federal money for the Springfield Union Station intermodal transportation facility. HDR is working on the design.

Next meeting 4/3

The Pioneer Valley Advocates for Commuter Rail will meet at 7:30pm on Thursday April 3 at the Starbucks on Columbus Ave. in Springfield.

Interested residents of the Pioneer Valley can learn how they can participate in promoting the New Haven-Hartford-Springfield Commuter Rail line.

The PVACR is advocating that the next version of the Transportation Bond Bill include a line for $30 million to cover the cost of the line. According to a conservative estimate from the Pioneer Valley Planning Commission, this public investment would stimulate an additional $152 million in new economic activity for the Greater Springfield region. Other examples of similar projects, like the ‘Downeaster” line from Maine to Boston, have demonstrated successful intermodal cooperation.

Those interested in the meeting may feel free to contact the PVACR at pvacr@yahoo.com.

Join the network: Meeting March 13

The next meeting of the Pioneer Valley Advocates for Commuter Rail will be on March 13, at 7:30pm, at 688 Bliss Road, Longmeadow, MA. For more details, email us at pvacr@yahoo.com.

In the process of letting others know about this meeting, we came across another petition. Ours is here and another one is here. Yet a third is here. That third petition is sponsored by the Massachusetts Commuter Rail Initiative, a fellow organization started from Greenfield. It's clear that in the age of rising pump prices, we cannot afford to stall plans for improved rail any further. We need to act now, and when more of the public speaks up for what we want, things will change.

Who knows? Perhaps one of the following potential new state legislators might speak up for the region???

Brian Ashe

William Scibelli

Kateri Walsh