From the Lansing State Journal

Plans to redevelop the East Lansing Amtrak station are chugging along as the city continues to seek project funding.

The U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee last week approved $2.5 million in federal funds to construct a new multi-modal transit center at the site of the train station at 1240 S. Harrison Road.

The 35-year-old station also serves as a bus stop for Greyhound Lines Inc. and Indian Trails Inc. The Capital Area Transportation Authority has a nearby stop on Harrison Road.

The $2.5 million appropriation for East Lansing was the largest of 10 transportation and housing projects in Michigan that received committee approval. Others included $2 million for a commuter rail between Detroit and Ann Arbor.

Read more:
http://www.lansingstatejournal.com/article/20100728/NEWS03/7280342/East-Lansing-train-station-in-line-for-federal-renovation-money

From Trains magazine

WASHINGTON – Amtrak President Joseph Boardman fielded reporters questions today about the 130-car, $298.1 million order the company announced Friday for 25 sleeping cars, 25 baggage-dormitory cars, 55 baggage cars and 25 diners. The winning bidder for the single level equipment, which will replace Heritage cars whose original manufacture dates to 1948, is CAF USA, a North American subsidiary of the Spanish company Construcciones y Auxiliar de Ferrocarriles.

Boardman noted that in addition to having the low bid, CAF’s decision to manufacture both the cars and stainless steel shells at its transit plant in Elmira, N.Y., played a key role in winning the contract over Alstom, USA, which was the only other qualified bidder (an Alstom factory, where Amtrak’s 1995-built 50 Viewliner sleepers were assembled, is located in nearby Hornell, N.Y.) CAF is currently completing orders for 192 5000-series heavy rail transit cars for Washington Metro’s subway system, and has built or is building light rail vehicles for systems in Pittsburgh, Sacramento and Houston.

Although the new single-level cars will be built to specifications based on the existing Viewliner sleepers and Amtrak-designed prototype diner 8400 under renovation at the company’s Beech Grove, Ind., back shop near Indianapolis, Boardman said the new cars would not look exactly the same. “The specification gives the builder the flexibility for enhancements and upgrades, but we did not require the cars to have the same shape,” he said. Reportedly, one of the differences will be that individual toilet facilities in each roomette will be replaced by separate bathrooms “down the hall,” as is currently the case on bi-level Superliner cars.

He defended the purchase of the baggage dorms as freeing up revenue space in sleeping cars now currently occupied by on-board service employees, noting that such cars were inherited from host railroads but had been retired as they became more expensive to repair. Chris Jagodzinski, general manager of operations, estimated that the cars would free up from 6 to 10 Viewliner rooms on every train that are now used to house the crew. In fact, the cars will also replace full baggage cars on many overnight trains so will not necessarily add to a consist’s length. Addition of the new baggage cars means that Amtrak will have the flexibility of adding checked baggage capability to 110-mph trains because the current aging fleet of baggage cars and heritage diners is limited to 90-mph.

In response to a question from Trains magazine columnist Fred Frailey, Boardman said that Congress has given Amtrak a “positive response” to the company’s fleet plan proposal, which includes the immediate purchase of 70 electric locomotives to replace 30 year-old AEM-7 electrics, but he admitted that an exact appropriation amount has not been determined. “We have specifically asked for funding (of the cars and locomotives) and increasing ridership and revenues support our request, but we think a combination of appropriations and loans is the likely means of financing,” Boardman said. The first year of the single-level car contract is being paid for with $29.8 million from Amtrak’s current revenues. He noted that the company’s share of the Rail/Air market has risen to 65 per cent between New York and Washington, and 52 per cent between New York and Boston.

Left unsaid was whether the new cars will be called Viewliners or given some other fleet name. According to some insiders, that decision is yet to be made. – Bob Johnston

From the Traverse City Record-Eagle

Some like the idea of a better train system

Emery Gyr loves to take trains from place to place, and saw much of the country by doing so.

Gyr, of Traverse City, attended Thursday’s rail forum at the Grand Traverse County Civic Center, part of the regional planning Grand Vision project.

More than 100 area residents packed into the meeting to talk about what they want to see happen with freight and passenger rail service.

The crowd broke into groups and gathered around state maps to lay out their ideas for Michigan’s railways.

“It’s energy efficient in comparison to car travel. It’s very easy and makes sense for people on business or students because they can get work done rather than driving,” Gyr said.

Susan Cooper, of Traverse City, spoke during the forum about the importance of linking Traverse City to the Detroit Metro Airport, where many domestic and international flights depart and arrive. She also said her group believes the state should investigate building monorails down the middle of existing interstates and divided highways.

“We already own the right-of-ways,” Cooper said.

It would be far more convenient for locals who take trains, should passenger service be restored to Traverse City, said Jim Sluyter, of Traverse City.

“We travel by rail some and the only way to catch the train is to drive to Kalamazoo, Battle Creek or Grand Rapids,” he said.

Sluyter also wants to see passenger rail service expanded in Michigan because it would help reduce the population’s carbon footprint, he said.

Karen Pontius, of Traverse City, owns a spice business, Suttons Bay Trading Company. She said her interest in local rail lines is not only for passenger convenience, but also for business. Much of her inventory arrives by truck, a method with variable costs.

“I think it would be nice to have this opportunity with gas prices going up,” Pontius said.

But expanding Michigan’s railway infrastructure won’t be easy and conceivably could cost billions, said Kirk Steudle, Michigan Department of Transportation director.

“But that shouldn’t deter us from saying, ‘This is what we want,'” he said.

Michigan is developing a new state rail plan and will host similar forums across the state in coming months, Steudle said.

Visit http://www.thegrandvision.org for more information.

Article source:
http://record-eagle.com/local/x241877117/Citizens-officials-discuss-rail-service

From the Detroit Free Press

Detroit Mayor Dave Bing strongly hinted Thursday that the federal government is on board with a proposed $400-million light-rail project on Woodward from downtown to 8 Mile, which aims to stimulate a transit system that has long eluded the city.

“We’ll have the secretary of transportation coming in,” Bing said Thursday morning while taking questions from members of the Detroit Regional Chamber’s young professional group Fusion. “We’ll have a lot of dignitaries coming in. A lot of the political capital that was put into this project will be here. It is going to happen.”

U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood’s office said it had nothing to confirm about a Detroit visit or the status of the plans. Mayoral spokesman Dan Lijana declined to elaborate but acknowledged the implication from Bing’s comments that the feds may be moving to support the project.

M-1 Rail, a private group working to bring rail to Woodward, has arranged private funding for Woodward rail between Jefferson and the New Center area from business leaders including Roger Penske, Mike and Marian Ilitch, Dan Gilbert and Peter Karmanos, and organizations including the Kresge Foundation and the Downtown Development Authority.

Detroit would be responsible for the portion from the New Center north. The city’s share would be funded mainly through federal dollars.

Officials including M-1 Rail CEO Matt Cullen have said the feds want guarantees that both his group and the City of Detroit could cooperate on the first leg of light rail that ultimately could spur a $10-billion system of light rail, commuter trains and high-speed buses spanning metro Detroit.

Source:
http://www.freep.com/article/20100723/NEWS01/7230383/1320/Bing-hints-U.S.-backing-light-rail-project

Amtrak has agreed to buy 130 new single-level rail cars to support national long-distance service as the first step in a long-term, comprehensive fleet renewal plan. The five-year, $298.1 million contract was awarded to CAF USA, which will manufacture the cars in Elmira, N.Y., where it will add 575 jobs to support the work. The first car is scheduled to roll off the assembly line in October 2012.

“This major equipment purchase demonstrates our strong belief in the future of intercity passenger rail in America and Amtrak’s leading role in meeting this critical national transportation need,” said President and CEO Joe Boardman.

Included in the purchase are 25 sleepers, 25 diners, 55 baggage cars and 25 baggage/dormitory cars. They will replace and supplement the existing fleet. The new equipment will also allow Amtrak to retire some of its oldest cars, which have been in service for over 60 years.

“Passengers will have a better experience traveling with us but these new cars will also make it easier for our crews to provide great service,” said Boardman.

The new equipment will have modern interiors with better layouts along with better lighting, more efficient HVAC systems and improved accessibility for passengers with disabilities. Passengers will also benefit from additional power outlets and bicycle racks in the baggage cars.

The first year of the five-year contract will be paid for with $29.8 million from Amtrak’s current revenues which are running above budget estimates due, in part, to ridership that is on a record-breaking pace. Amtrak will seek to fund subsequent years of the contract with other sources such as loans or direct Congressional appropriations.

This equipment purchase is just the first step in Amtrak’s multiyear Fleet Strategy Plan to replace its entire fleet of passenger rail cars and locomotives over the next 30 years and help support the growth of a domestic rail manufacturing industry. Amtrak is currently reviewing bids to replace many of the electric locomotives used along the Northeast Corridor and may make a contract award later this summer.

CAF USA, along with its parent company, Spain-based Construcciones y Auxiliar de Ferrocarriles, is an experienced rail car manufacturer for the global market. CAF USA currently produces rail equipment for several U.S. transit systems at its Elmira, N.Y., facility.
Source: Amtrak Employee Advisory