From Michigan Radio:

Today could be a significant day for the future of high speed rail in Michigan.

Consultants have until today to submit their proposals to study how to solve a crucial problem for high speed rail between Detroit and Chicago.

The problem: a railroad bottleneck between northwest Indiana and Chicago.

A high volume of passenger and freight traffic already overwhelms the existing rail lines and threatens to put the brakes on high speed trains.

“It’s like with a highway project where you have to add a lane,” said Tim Hoeffner, the administrator of the Michigan Department of Transportation’s High Speed Rail office. “This is looking at what do we need to do to improve the infrastructure to get more trains through that Porter, Indiana to Chicago line.”

Hoeffner expects it will take up to two years for a consultant to come up with a plan to weave a dedicated high speed line through the rail choke point.

He said until that’s done don’t expect Amtrak to add any additional trains between Detroit and Chicago even with upgrades to the tracks in Michigan that would let trains move faster.

Source: http://michiganradio.org/post/removing-barrier-high-speed-rail-detroit-chicago#.TuZJqdxN4vc.email

From The Illinios State-Journal-Register

Illinois is about to go shopping for a high-speed train set — 12 locomotives and 30 bi-level passenger cars at a potential cost of up to $233.8 million.

Throw in another $268.2 million to be shared with Iowa, Michigan and Missouri, and the total exceeds $500 million.

The figures represent the state’s share of more than $782 million in federal grants to Illinois, California, Missouri, Michigan, Iowa and Washington state for the purchase of high-speed rail equipment to go with track upgrades already begun.

Illinois and California are kicking in some of their own money to match federal dollars.

“It will be new locomotives and new cars,” said Mike Garcia, bureau chief for high-speed rail at the Illinois Department of Transportation.

The U.S. Department of Transportation is overseeing the multi-state procurement, including recent approval of design specifications for the engines and passenger cars. It’s not yet known exactly what the new equipment will look like, as that is part of the design process. But expectations are it would be similar to equipment already used on Northeast rail corridors, according to federal officials.

Nationwide, plans are to add 33 locomotives and 120 bi-level passenger cars.

Federal rules also require that the equipment be made in America, either by domestic manufacturers or foreign companies with U.S. plants.

Initially, said Garcia, Amtrak will use existing equipment in Illinois at speeds of up to 110 mph. The goal is to have new equipment ready for the start of full service in 2014. Test runs on the north end of the Chicago-St. Louis corridor are scheduled for 2012.

Aging equipment

According to figures from Amtrak, most of the passenger cars used on the three Illinois corridors — Chicago-St. Louis, Chicago-Carbondale and Chicago-Quincy — are 20 years old and travel an average of 150,000 to 200,000 miles annually.

Engines average about 140,000 to 150,000 miles yearly.

In response to steadily increasing passenger numbers, the carrier has renovated older cars to be returned to service, said spokesman Marc Magliari.

“To the casual observer, there’s no difference (in the cars),” said Magliari, “but that cupboard is pretty bare.”

Amtrak ridership nationwide was a record 30.2 million in the federal fiscal year ended Sept. 30. The St. Louis-Chicago route, which includes Springfield, was down 4 percent to a little more than 549,000 as a result of disruptions caused by high-speed rail construction.

Magliari said the carrier has yet to see the prototypes of the high-speed engines and cars for Illinois.

Equipment not the issue?

Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood again defended the high-speed rail program before the U.S. House Infrastructure and Transportation Committee last week.

Some members of the Republican-controlled committee questioned whether an estimated $10.1 billion in track upgrades and equipment procurements nationwide would truly result in high-speed passenger service.

There also were questions about a recent announcement by the rail authority in California that the cost of high-speed rail there has doubled to $98.5 billion.

LaHood compared the early days of high-speed rail to construction of the interstate system, adding that the administration would not be dissuaded by “the naysayers and the critics.”  He said high-speed rail also is creating jobs and that the United States was in danger of falling behind other countries in delivery of modern transportation systems.

“We used to be the leader. If we don’t catch up pretty quick, we’re going to be in second place,” LaHood was quoted as saying by The Associated Press.

Transportation industry analyst Ken Orski, who is editor and publisher of Innovation NewsBriefs, also was among those to testify at last week’s congressional hearings.

Orski said there is an argument to be made for improving rail-passenger service, but that speeds of up to 110 mph would not qualify as “high speed” in most of the world.

“According to generally accepted definitions, high speed is an average of 150 mph,” said Orski.

Even after delivery of new engines and cars, he added, speeds on the Chicago-St. Louis route would average only 60 to 70 mph.

“The equipment they have now will go up to 110 miles per hour. There still will be frequent stops because passenger traffic is sharing the tracks with freight traffic (Union Pacific),” said Orski. “What you need for trains at up to 200 mph is a dedicated track and dedicated right-of-way, which Illinois doesn’t have.”

***

Rail equipment money

Here is a state-by-state breakdown of federal money awarded for the purchase of high-speed rail equipment. The federal funding is through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

* Midwest area: $268.2 million (shared among Illinois, Iowa, Missouri and Michigan); seven locomotives and 48 cars.

* Illinois: $233.859 million (includes $11.7 million in state funds); 12 locomotives and 30 passenger cars,

* State of Washington: $70.197 million; eight locomotives.

* California: $85 million ($17 million state); four locomotives, 15 cars.

Source: Federal Railroad Administration

Read more: http://www.sj-r.com/top-stories/x240493973/Equipment-upgrades-next-for-high-speed-rail-project

From the Detroit Free Press:

After nearly a dozen years of yes votes, the Troy City Council faces one final vote and a deadline Dec. 19 that outsiders say is crucial for metro Detroit — whether to accept federal money and build a rail transit center.

The glorified train station would be on Troy’s border with Birmingham and would load Amtrak passengers from cars, buses, taxis and bikes. Transit boosters say it’s a forward-thinking link to the high-speed rail initiative passed this year in Washington, which received matching funds in Lansing.

Opponents call it another boondoggle in metro Detroit’s string of mass-transit failures that include two anemic bus systems and an underutilized Detroit People Mover. Leading the critics, and pledging to torpedo an $8.5-million federal allocation that some say is important to the region beyond Troy, is the city’s new mayor, Janice Daniels.

“It’s a terrible waste of money, and I don’t care if it’s coming from Washington, D.C. — that’s still taxpayers’ money,” Daniels said last month. “How do you justify taking $8.5 million from a government that is trillions of dollars in debt?”

Transit foes have visited the Troy train stop — currently a bare-bones bus shelter that actually is on the Birmingham side of the tracks — and found “there’s only two people going through there, on average, for the whole train,” said Jim Grix, a retired sales executive with German auto supplier Bosch.

“We’re going to have this big edifice and an expensive bridge crossing the tracks, elevators on both sides, and only two people there. If this passes, there’s going to be recalls of (council members) who vote for it,” said Grix, who lives in Troy.

The official Amtrak ridership from the site was 18,695 in 2009, 22,286 in 2010 and 24,121 through September for fiscal year 2011, Amtrak spokesman Marc Magliari said.

The numbers are for all arrivals and departures on the route’s three round-trip trains — morning, midday and night — every 24 hours, Magliari said.The number of passenger trains per day will increase “as the development of this corridor through Michigan proceeds” in the next few years, he said.

Troy shouldn’t look at the transit center “in a vacuum,” Troy Mayor Pro Tem Maureen McGinnis said. Communities across Michigan, as well as the state Legislature, joined the federal government’s high-speed rail initiative to link Troy and Detroit with Chicago and points between, she said.

In addition, Troy’s business stakeholders and residents repeatedly supported the transit center in committee meetings and public forums, she said.

“The actions of City Council need to follow that mandate,” McGinnis said.

At the Dec. 19 meeting, Troy Chamber of Commerce President Michele Hodges said, she plans to have a bevy of top business executives speak in favor of the transit center — leaders of Tier I auto suppliers Magna International and Meritor, as well as officials from Beaumont Hospital Kelly Services and other major employers.

“They clearly see this as regional issue. It’s not just about Troy,” Hodges said.

Source: http://www.freep.com/article/20111211/NEWS03/112110538/Troy-s-rail-transit-vote-roars-toward-deadline

From the Detroit Free Press:

Metro Detroit’s public transportation troubles — long marked by inadequate, overlapping service provided by city and suburban bus systems — have never been so severe.

On Monday, the Suburban Mobility Authority for Regional Transportation (SMART) will eliminate 15 bus routes, stop taking riders into the city except during peak weekday hours, and lay off 123 workers as the suburban bus system struggles with a budget projected to take in 12% less revenue next year from its regional property tax millage than this fiscal year.

That follows a summer of upheaval at the Detroit Department of Transportation, with as much as half of the city’s bus fleet idled at times. Mayor Dave Bing’s office blamed unionized mechanics for a work slowdown on repairs, though the unions said furloughs and cuts in staffing and overtime pay led to the huge backlog.

When it comes to public transportation, metro Detroit lags behind most other large metropolitan areas. And advocates say it’s now or never if the region is to build a public system that offers reliable service that more people would want to ride and provides a foundation for economic development.

State and regional leaders are exploring what will have to happen in order for those goals to be realized, despite funding issues with SMART and questions about Detroit’s stability as the state reviews its finances.

“Under the present circumstances, you can only maintain the current system for so long because of the shrinking property values,” SMART general manager John Hertel said last week.

Part of the federal prescription for metro Detroit is a carrot-and-stick approach, with President Barack Obama’s top transportation officials offering at least $300 million for a light-rail line on Woodward Avenue from downtown to 8 Mile Road. The aim: Reward reform with money to help modernize a system that would stabilize itself with more riders and a more reliable source of funding.

But the money to help catch metro Detroit up with other big cities will only come with serious reform.

Transit experts, advocates and government officials said several actions must occur soon to put in place at least the beginnings of new regional oversight and coordination of buses and ultimately light rail:

• The Legislature and Gov. Rick Snyder must approve legislation for a regional transportation authority, with control shared by Detroit and suburban counties.

Two state senators, Tom Casperson, R-Escanaba, and Bert Johnson, D-Highland Park, plan to introduce legislation early next year to do just that, with input from the Snyder administration.

Snyder, in a speech in October, indicated his support for the issue, saying he wants a new, rapid-transit bus line to run on Woodward from downtown Detroit to Birmingham; along Gratiot from downtown to Mt. Clemens; and along Michigan Avenue from downtown into western Wayne County, Metro Airport and Ann Arbor.

Another line would run between Mt. Clemens and Birmingham, primarily along M-59.

The idea: Jump-start transit reform with a jolt of reliable, high-speed buses that provides a road map for change at DDOT and SMART.

• Decide on more stable funding for transit, and ask voters to approve it.

Property taxes have proven untenable for SMART, and Detroit says it can no longer afford to subsidize transit from its general fund. The solution may be a regional sales tax, said Megan Owens, executive director of the Detroit advocacy group Transportation Riders United.

The idea of a higher sales tax may seem dead on arrival in the current economy, but Owens said voters have shown strong support for transit taxes, knowing bus systems are critical for seniors, people with disabilities, low-wage workers and others unable to drive.

“Even in these hard economic times, transit millages are passing,” Owens said. “People are willing to tax themselves if they know where the money is going and what the value is.”

• Toss out old divisions that have crippled progress on regional transportation for 40 years.

Suburban leaders say they don’t want to subsidize Detroit bus service. Detroit has resisted regional management for fear of losing control of its bus service and federal funding.

There are significant issues to be worked out. Detroit, for one, is saddled with tens of millions of pension and retiree obligations from DDOT, expenses suburban leaders say they will not take on.

It’s not clear how Detroit’s legacy costs will be resolved with the potential appointment of an emergency manager or some other state intervention.

Hertel said those concerns should not stop progress on regional transit management.

“There’s got to be the creation of a basic regional transportation authority with a basic system of high-speed transit that becomes the backbone of the future,” Hertel said. “If we keep concentrating on all the things that have held us back, we’ll never go forward.”

Bing’s office said it “will continue to improve management of the DDOT bus system as a long-term agreement is worked out to better connect our region.”

Source: http://www.freep.com/article/20111211/NEWS05/112110536

From the Detroit Free Press:

How big cities operate and pay for mass transit is as unique as each city, offering road maps for metro Detroit.

New York is the king of public transportation systems, running the nation’s largest subway fleet — 6,380 subway cars on 660 miles of track — and a bus system with nearly 6,000 vehicles, serving almost 8 million daily riders in a region of 18.9 million people.

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s 2012 operating budget is $12.7 billion. About 40% of its revenue comes from fares and 12% from bridge and tunnel tolls; the remainder largely comes from state subsidies from gas taxes and local funding including a payroll tax and property transfer taxes.

Detroit city government subsidizes its Department of Transportation buses at $53 million a year. And property owners in 70 suburbs pay 0.59 mills that provides 42% of the $114-million budget for SMART. DDOT covers the city of Detroit and a few areas just outside the city’s limits. SMART covers all of Macomb County and 50 communities in Wayne and Oakland counties.

Here’s how other big-city regions do it.

CHICAGO

Agency: The Regional Transportation Authority oversees public funding for the Chicago Transit Authority’s city and suburban bus and rail, Metra commuter rail and Pace suburban buses.

Population: 8 million in six counties.

Ridership: 2 million daily.

Funding: $2.25 billion annual operating budget. The major funding source is a sales tax of 0.50% to 1.25% in Chicago and its suburbs. The area’s transit providers by law must self-generate 50% of operating costs from fares, advertising and the like.

Governance: A 16-member appointed Regional Transportation Authority oversees public funding, budgets and service planning for the three agencies, which are operated independently.

ATLANTA

Agency: Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority oversees bus and rail in Atlanta and two counties. Agreements permit free transfers between MARTA and smaller suburban bus systems.

Population: 5.3 million.

Ridership: 135,000 daily.

Funding: 2012 operating budget of $414 million. Nearly 32% comes from fares, but the largest source is a 1% regional sales tax providing more than $200 million.

Governance: 12-member board includes appointed representatives of Atlanta and the two counties and the state Department of Transportation commissioner.

HOUSTON

Agency: Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County is the major provider of bus and rail.

Population: 3.5 million.

Ridership: 280,000 weekday average.

Funding: $430-million operating budget. Fares account for 15% of the budget. The major revenue source is a Houston-area sales tax of 1%.

Governance: A nine-member board of directors appointed by local officials from the city and its suburbs.

DENVER

Agency: Denver Regional Transportation District is the major provider of bus and rail.

Population: 2.8 million in eight counties.

Ridership: 322,000 average boardings each weekday.

Funding: 2011 budget was $377 million. The biggest funding source is a sales tax of six-tenths of a cent in Denver and its suburbs. Fares provide about 20% of funding.

Governance: Board of 15 members elected by area’s voters.

PHOENIX

Agency: Several providers offer bus or rail service in metro Phoenix’s Maricopa County, including the City of Phoenix, but they coordinate service and operate under the Valley Metro.

Population: 4.2 million.

Ridership: 250,000 weekday daily boardings.

Funding: $259 million combined. Fares cover about 23% of operations budget. Major funding sources are sales taxes in Phoenix, Tempe and other cities and countywide.

Governance: Each system operates independently, but service is coordinated through the Regional Public Transportation Authority, which has a 16-member board of appointed representatives from Phoenix-area communities.

Source: http://www.freep.com/article/20111211/NEWS05/112110540/Big-city-transit-funding-sources-diverse