Jim RePass of the National Corridors Initiative offers some sharp words for the delay in the commuter rail line. What I had understood was that the delay was caused by the new parking lots and new stations--not the train tracks themselves. I will look into this further.

Hartford Courant "EPA Will Delay State Commuter Rail Line" By JAMES P. REPASS

July 20, 2008

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, under the Bush administration utterly supine to nearly every extractive, Superfund site-creating and/or polluting industry, has suddenly gotten religion.

They have decided to save us from the environmental dangers of ... commuter rail!

Gov. Jodi Rell and legislative leaders have forged a bipartisan plan to re-introduce commuter rail service on the existing train route between New Haven, Hartford and Springfield, extending up to Brattleboro if our friends in Vermont join in, as they say they will.

But the EPA is having none of this "rail" thing. It has ordered a full-blown environmental impact statement to determine whether it is safe to replace some track and run trains in exactly the same place trains have run for the past 150 years.

If left unchallenged, this action will delay for at least two years the start of work on a desperately needed commuter rail line. As The Courant recently reported, high gas prices are making it increasingly difficult for inner-city residents to get to their jobs. Middle-class commuters are feeling the crunch as well. The rail service will not only save money and reduce petroleum use and attendant pollution, but prod the creation of transit-oriented development that will help revive the economies of every town along the line.
...

Whence the newfound Bush administration "environmentalism?" As readers may note, a few weeks ago the Bureau of Land Management, which has with a vengeance promoted the opening of millions of acres of public lands to mining, timbering and drilling during the Bush years, finally has had second thoughts about the environmental impact of activities on said lands.

...

We call upon the congressional delegations of Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to draft legislation exempting any such commuter rail project, not just here but anywhere in America, from any environmental impact review whatsoever. When an existing right of way is to be put to the use for which it was designed as much as 100 or 150 years ago, there is no reason on earth the federal government needs to protect anything — unless they are meaning to protect the oil lobby, which elected them and continues to pay them, from the competition, and relief from traffic congestion, that good commuter rail invariably provides.

"Big," a commenter on the article suggests the following course of action:

"Instead of calling on Congress to completely exempt rail from environmental impact studies, as the article suggests, why not simply ask Congress to expedite, or fast-track, this study?"

"Frustrated Commuter" added the following:
"Have I missed the discussion of how the New Haven-Hartford rail effort is already years behind. The final report on the project was delivered to the CT-DOT in June 2005 (http://www.ct.gov/dotinfo/cwp /view.asp?a=2181&q=295670 &dotinfoNav=)
and wasn't some funding allocated shortly thereafter... Please help me understand why they are just now getting on with EIS submissions some 3 years later.(And not just railbeds, but for new stations, parking lots and more...)

Also, what ever happenned to the discussion of securing the railbeds from Amtrak ownership to help streamline the process.

I'm still hoping to see viable commuter rail from New Haven to Hartford before planned retirement in 10 years, but my optimism is being challenged. "

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Why Support Commuter Rail?

The New Haven-Hartford-Springfield Commuter Rail line will:
1. stimulate an additional $152 million in economic activity
2. result in more than 600 new jobs
3. increase Springfield real estate values by $35-70 million
4. increase Springfield income tax revenues by 1.75 million
5. cut down on carbon emissions
6. serve as a user-friendly and sustainable transportation system

Revitalization of Springfield Union Station, apart from commuter rail developments will generate:
1. Creation of 335-1500 jobs
2. An average increase of $195 in household incomes across the metropolitan area
3. $35-205 million increase in property values
4. $1.75-10 million increase in property tax revenues

What Happens if Massachusetts Says NO?
1. Trains will still come to Springfield: TO TURN AROUND, with their doors shut.
2. Commuters to Hartford and Springfield will continue to pollute the Pioneer Valley.
3. New cases of asthma will continue to increase.

Connecticut will pay for the bulk ($270 million) of this project. Massachusetts only will have to contribute $30 million to make this project happen (e.g. the approximate cost of the Coolidge Bridge repair in Northampton).

Pioneer Valley Planning Commission Director Tim Brennan:

“Brining commuter rail service to Springfield is undeniably a major and positive change agent for the City and ultimately the interstate region of which it is a part. The New England examples cited at the summit such as Portland, Maine; Providence, Rhode Island; Stamford, Connecticut and more recently Worcester and Brockton, Massachusetts all provide compelling arguments why we need to invest in commuter rail as means to help achieve a sustainable and prosperous future both short and longer range. The bottom line for me is that if we choose to connect we're choosing to compete and be a player in the 21st century global economy. We've got an impressive set of transportation and other assets to leverage to advantage--we now need the vision, courage and will to translate our words into action."

Public Transportation FACTS (click here for the original page)

1. Public transportation consists of a variety of services including: buses, trolleys and light rail, commuter trains, streetcars, cable cars, van pool services, paratransit services for senior citizens and people with disabilities, ferries and water taxies, and monorails and tramways.

2. There are more than 6,400 providers of public and community transportation offering Americans the opportunity and the choice to travel by means other than a car.

3. Approximately 1,500 agencies provide bus service, 5,760 provide paratransit services and 200 provide rail services as well as other modes of public transportation.

4. Public transportation is a $43 billion industry that employs more than 359,000 people.

Public Transportation Increasing Ridership:

1. In 2006, Americans took 10.1 billion trips on public transportation - the highest ridership level in 49 years.
34 million times each weekday, people board public transportation.

2. From 1995 through 2006, public transportation ridership increased by 30 percent, a growth rate higher than the 12 percent increase in US population and higher than the 24 percent growth in use of the nation's highways over the same period.

3. Transit usage increased by 6.4 percent in the decade from 1990-2000.

Public Transportation Enhances Personal Opportunities:

1. Public transportation provides personal mobility and freedom for people form every walk of life.

2. Public transportation provides access to job opportunities for million of Americans as well as a transportation option to get to work, go to school, visit friends, or go to a doctor's office.

Public Transportation Saves Money

1. The average household spends 18 cents on transportation, and 94 percent of this goes to buying, maintaining and operating cars.

2. Public transportation provides an affordable, and for many, necessary alternative to driving.

3. Americans living in areas served by public transportation save $18 billion annually in congestion costs.

4. Each year public transportation households save over $1,399 worth of gas.

5. Transit availability can reduce the need for an additional car, a yearly expense of $6,251 in a household budget.

Public Transportation Reduces Gasoline Consumption:

1. Each year, public transportation use in the U.S. saves 1.4 billion gallons of gasoline. This represents almost 4 million gallons of gasoline per day.

2. Each year, public transportation use saves the equivalent of 34 supertankers of oil, or a supertanker leaving the Middle East every 11 days.

3. Each year, public transportation use save the equivalent of 140,769 service station tanker truck trips clogging our streets each year.

4. Public transportation use saves the equivalent of 300,000 fewer automobile fill-ups every day.

5. The typical public transit rider consumes on average one half of the oil consumed by an automobile rider.

Public Transportation Provides Economic Opportunity:

1. Every $1 invested in public transportation projects generates from $4 to $9 in local economic activity.

2. Every $1 billion in Federal funds invested in the nation's transportation infrastructure supports and creates 47,500 jobs.

3. It is estimated that every $10 million in capital investment in public transportation yields $30 million in increased business sales, and that every $10 million in operating investment in public transportation yields $32 million in increased business sales.

4. Every $10 million invested in public transportation saves more than $15 million in transportation costs, for both highway and transit users.

5. Real estate -- residential, commercial or business -- that is served by public transportation is valued more highly by the public than similar properties not as well served by transit.

6. Public transportation enhances local rural economic growth in many ways, increasing the local customer base for a range of services -- shopping malls, restaurants, medical facilities and other transportation services.

Public Transportation Eases Traffic Congestion:

1. According to the most recent Texas Transportation Institute (TTI) report on congestion in the top 85 cities in the US, congestion caused 3.7 billion hours of travel delay and 2.3 billion gallons of wasted fuel in 2003. The study found that the average annual delay per traveler climbed from 16 hours in 1982 to 47 hours in 2003.

2. Without public transportation, nationwide travel delays would have increased by 27 percent, costing residents in 85 urban areas an additional $18 billion in lost time.

3. In 2003, public transportation in America's most congested cities saved travelers 1.1 billion hours in travel time.

Public Transportation Offers Increased Mobility Options:

1. Largely because of limited transportation options, more than 50 percent of all non-drivers age 65 and older - or 3.6 million Americans - stay at home on any given day partially because they lack transportation options.

2. Compared with older drivers, older non-drivers in the US make 15 percent fewer trips to the doctor, 59 percent fewer shopping trips and visits to restaurants, and 65 percent fewer trips for social, family and religious activities.

3. By 2025, an estimated 20 percent of the population -- one in five persons -- will be over age 65. Providing mobility options is critical for older Americans and for those who care for them.

4. According to a national survey of individuals age 65 or older, conducted by Harris Interactive in November 2005, more than four in five seniors believe public transportation is a better alternative to driving alone, especially at night.
83 percent of older Americans agree that public transit provides easy access to the things that they need in everyday life.

5. At the 2005 White House Conference on Aging, ensuring that older Americans have transportation options to retain their mobility and independence received the third most votes of 73 issues considered, with 1,002 ballots out of a maximum of 1,200.

6. Public transportation systems provide a vital link to the more than 51 million Americans with disabilities.

Public Transportation Creates Community Benefits:

1. Public transportation foster transit orientated development that provides convenient access to public transportation and integration of transit in the community.

2. Public transportation encourages land-use programs that generate synergies and create a range of housing types, from single-family homes to apartments, to accommodate diverse incomes and family structures.

3. Public transportation revitalizes neighborhoods, increases social interaction and pedestrian activity, enhances safety, and helps create a sense of "place" that will help make a community unique and special.

4. Public transportation generates a financial return for communities and businesses as well as individual and collective savings that can be captured and invested in housing or amenities rather than transportation, parking and auto-orientated infrastructure.

5. When commuters ride public transportation or walk, contact with neighbors tends to increase, ultimately helping to bring a community together.

Public Transportation Impacts Urban and Rural Communities:

1. Public transportation encourages economic and social activities and helps create strong neighborhood centers that are economically stable, safe and productive.

2. Approximately 12 percent of public transportation users are en route to schools. Educators and concerned parents rely on expanded public transportation services.

3. Public transportation offers mobility for residents of rural America, particularly for those without cars. From 2002 through 2005, ridership for small urban and rural public transportation systems jumped nearly 20 percent.

4. Two-thirds of rural Americans -- 60 million people -- are almost wholly unserved by public transportation. They live in counties that have either no service or so little service that they can only be characterized as isolated.

Public Transportation Improves Air Quality:

1. Public transportation reduces pollution and helps promote cleaner air.

2. Public transportation produces 95 percent less carbon monoxide (CO), 90 percent less in volatile organic compounds (VOCs), and about half as much carbon dioxide (CO2) and nitrogen oxide (NOx), per passenger mile, as private vehicles.

3. Energy-related carbon dioxide emissions represent 82 percent of total US human-made greenhouse emissions.

4. By reducing smog-producing pollutants, greenhouse gases and by conserving ecologically sensitive lands and open spaces -- public transportation is helping to meet national air quality standards.

Public Transportation Fosters Healthy Lifestyles:

1. Public transportation fosters a more active lifestyle, encouraging more people to walk, bike and jog to transit stops.

2. An analysis of 2001 National Household Travel Survey data for transit users finds that walking to and from transit helps inactive persons attain a significant portion of the recommended minimum daily exercise they need.

3. Transportation is an integral part of health or social services programs. Operators of these programs rely on public transit to reach the intended target groups, and to assure access and opportunity for all Americans.

Public Transportation Provides Safety and Security:

1. In major evacuations of urban areas, only public transportation has the capacity to move millions of people quickly and to give critical support to first responders by delivering emergency equipment and transporting emergency response personnel. The 9/11 response illustrates public transit's vital role.

2. When Americans face natural or man-made disasters, America's public transportation systems provide comfort, safety, security and rescue.

Working on the Railroad

Monday, July 21, 2008

NCI op-ed

Jim RePass of the National Corridors Initiative offers some sharp words for the delay in the commuter rail line. What I had understood was that the delay was caused by the new parking lots and new stations--not the train tracks themselves. I will look into this further.

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