August
1997Released: 11 August 1997
Ed Immel, from the Oregon Department of Transportation, will be our speaker at the August Open House. Mr. Immel, who was instrumental in the development of Portland's MAX light rail, will present a brief history of that system and compare Oregon's situation at MAX's inception to Arizona's today.
From a MAX brochure: "People now board MAX an average of 27,000 times each day. More than $1.2 billion in development has occured along the MAX tracks. And, every day, MAX is helping to protect our quality of life by contributing to less traffic, cleaner air and a healthier economy."
The Open House is open to anyone with an interest in Arizona transportation, and will be held at the Scottsdale Ramada Valley Ho Conference Center from 1pm to 3pm. Contact: Judy Eisenhower, 480/947-5710.
American taxpayers earn $62 billion per year from their $15 billion investment in public transportation, a 4-to-1 return on the money, according to a study released July 8th.
"This is the first study to disprove the long-standing myth that public transport is a highly subsidized form of social welfare for the needy, while roads and highways pay for themselves," said Hank Dittmar, Executive Director of the Surface Transportation Policy Project. "We need to balance the benefits of transit that this study clearly defines against enormous subsidies for roads and highways, estimated to be as much as $300 billion annually when you take into account external health, safety, and environmental costs."
The study also found that cities, suburbs and towns would need over 27,000 new miles of freeway without transit - enough to fill a nine lane highway with bumper-to-bumper traffic from New York to Los Angeles.
In metro Phoenix alone, 96 lane-miles of freeway (the equivalent of a 32 mile of three-lane freeway full of cars) would be required if existing transit were removed. Without the current Valley Metro buses, traffic would increase by 2.3%.
The report, entitled "Dollars and Sense: The Economic Case for Public Transportation in America," finds that investment in public transportation primarily benefits drivers because it reduces traffic congestion. Nationwide, public transportation cuts down congestion costs - estimated at $50 billion - by up to $19 billion per year.
According to the report, transit saves $33.7 billion annually due to improved movement of people and goods. Public transportation travel, including Amtrak, saves costly wear and tear on roads and decreases the need for new roads. Without transit, for example, the Capitol Beltway would have to be 29 lanes wide.
"Dollars and Sense" was released by the Campaign for Efficient Passenger Transportation, a coalition of transportation, business, environmental, labor and community groups dedicated to progressive transportation policy. Donald Camph, President, Aldaron, Inc. prepared the report for the Campaign. Camph is an internationally recognized transportation policy and finance expert.
The report can be viewed online: http://www.istea.org
Excerpts from: Report, 70th Arizona Town Hall: Forging an Appropriate Transportation System for Arizona: "The current transportation system hides the true costs of automobiles and must be adjusted to account for true long-term costs. Government and the private sector also should promote alternative forms of transportation. In the long run, automobile congestion may be more of a problem than its environmental impact…"
RAIL IN ARIZONA.
"Most participants at Town Hall felt that rail has great potential to make a comeback in Arizona for passenger service… Intercity rail could provide a comfortable alternative and reduce congestion on interstate highways. Urban rail could provide a comfortable alternative means of convenient transportation and could reduce congestion on urban interstate highways. Town Hall participants focused their discussions on a link between Tucson and Phoenix, but also discussed possible extensions of service North to Flagstaff and south to Nogales… Rail also can potentially play a greater role in transporting tourists…
"Optimal utilization of existing track and reutilization of abandoned lines should be a priority. Incentives should be provided for preserving existing tracks and owners of existing track should be encouraged to allow their routes to be used for future projects.
"Railroads must fit into an overall transportation system to be effective… Funding of passenger rail systems in Arizona will require the participation of all levels of government and the private sector… A minority of participants felt that public participation in passenger rail cannot be justified on a cost-benefit basis and therefore should be left to the private sector.
"Town Hall felt that railroads need some form of advocacy in Arizona. In recent history, we have emphasized the use of roads and highways but not railroads. People have lacked proper information, education and understanding concerning benefits and costs of rail systems. Many participants supported the formation of a Governor's Blue Ribbon panel to study high speed regional rail service between Phoenix, Tucson and Nogales, possibly including an international partnership with Mexico."
The Keep Phoenix Moving campaign (602/358-3113) recently announced its web site (http://www.g-s.com/bus/index.html) which includes an outline of what is contained in Proposition #1 - The Citizens Traffic Congestion Relief Plan; you can also subscribe to their e-mail newsletter.
Eddie Basha in the Chandler/Sun Lakes Independent, June 18th, 1997:
"Phoenix is in the midst of a dramatic revitalization; utilizing our existing rail system and, ultimately, a state-of-the-art light rail system could be both a catalyst and a centerpiece.
"Existing rail lines connecting central Phoenix with the East Valley are now owned by the Union Pacific, which is eager to operate commuter rail service...
"A light rail system - similar to San Diego's Trolley, Portland's MAX and Dallas' DART - can be built on new rights-of-way for a cost per mile less than that of an average freeway, and could provide direct service to Sky Harbor Airport, as well as exciting new developments like Tempe's Rio Salado and Scottsdale's Waterfront…
"We must commit to a regional rail system now."
[Source: June 10, 1997 Amtrak Press Release]
CHICAGO -- Amtrak's Texas Eagle has returned to its former level of service, running three days a week between Chicago and San Antonio. A full-service dining car, a sightseer lounge, two sleeping cars, three coaches, a crew car, mail and express cars and locomotives will be the assigned equipment for the Texas Eagle this summer.
A smaller train without full service operated between May 11 and June 10. Amtrak and Texas Department of Transportation (Texas DOT) officials completed a $5.6 million loan to keep the train operating through Sept. 30, 1997, the conclusion of Amtrak's fiscal year. A bill authorizing the state-funded loan was signed by Texas Gov. George W. Bush on May 16."
"Since Congress created Amtrak 25 years ago, the population of Texas has doubled. There are more of us, and we are traveling in record numbers. It's clear that Texas needs more, not fewer, transportation options like the Texas Eagle," said Thomas Griebel of the Texas DOT.
To match a June 1 schedule change for a connection with the Sunset Limited, the Texas Eagle's departure days from Chicago are changed to Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. Westbound Texas Eagle passengers arrive in Texas on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays and can connect with the westbound Sunset Limited to El Paso, Texas; Tucson, Ariz., Los Angeles and other points. Eastbound days of operation for the Texas Eagle and the Sunset Limited are unchanged.
The change in days of operation for the Sunset Limited results in the savings of a full set of train equipment, a 25 percent improvement in equipment productivity.
A recent survey of Amtrak customers ranked the First Class section of the Texas Eagle among the top First Class sections in the Amtrak system. "We are proud of all the work by Texas Eagle supporters, our customers and our employees in working to preserve the train and maintain the service quality in a difficult time," said Joy Smith, Texas Eagle Product Line Director. "We are looking forward to an outstanding summer and demonstrating why so many people have worked so hard to continue Texas Eagle service."
On June 21st, ARPA's Board of Directors voted to endorse the ½cent fuel tax for Amtrak, contingent upon Amtrak reforms as proposed by Sen. Hutchison (R-TX). Here is the full text of a June 25, 1997 statement by Senator William Roth (R-DE), the half-cent bill's architect:
"Mr. President, let me explain why it is critical that we provide a funding source for passenger rail. Let me explain why it is fair given the fact all major modes of transportation have a dedicated source of capital funding. And, finally, let me explain why this funding source is essential to our future. This morning I read a startling statistic: since 1970 auto and truck traffic in America has more than doubled. The impact of this increase on our highways and in our cities -- is overwhelming: congestion, pollution, and inefficiency. In fact, if current trends continue, delays due to congestion will increase by more than 400 percent on our highways and by more than 1,000 percent on urban roads over the next twenty years. Already, highway congestion costs more than $100 billion annually, and this figure does not include the economic and societal costs of increased pollution and wasted energy resources. And things don't look much better from the air. Commercial airlines in the U.S. currently transport over 450illion passengers each year, and a recent transportation safety board study revealed that 21 of the 26 major airports experience serious delays due to congestion. Trends show that the problem is going to get worse. A 1990 DOT study estimated the financial cost of air congestion at $5 billion each year, and it expects this number to reach $8 billion by 2000.
"A critical tool in our effort to address these pressing transportation problems is America's passenger rail system. Passenger rail can successfully address highway gridlock and ease airport congestion. Listen to the impact it has already. Passenger rail ridership between New York and Washington is equal to 7,500 fully booked 757's or 10,000 DC-9's. Between New York and Washington, Amtrak has over 40 percent of the air-rail market.
"Improved rail service will also have the same positive impact on road congestion. Some 5.9 billion passenger miles were taken on Amtrak in 1994. These are trips that were not taken on crowded highways and airways. And improved rail service in the Northeast is projected to eliminate over 300,000 auto trips each year from highways as well as reduce auto congestion around the airports.
"This is critical to the Northeast, an area where we are running out of room and resources to build more roads. Improved rail service will also have a positive affect on rural areas. Twenty two million of Amtrak's 55 million passengers depend on Amtrak for travel between urban centers and rural locations which have no alternative modes of transportation.
"Unfortunately, Mr. President, the current path Washington is taking to address transportation is to focus money on highways and airports. Last year Washington spent $20 billion for highways, while capital investment for Amtrak was less than $450 million. In relative terms, between FY 1980 and FY 1994, transportation outlays for highways increased 73 percent, aviation increased 170 percent, and transportation outlays for rail went down by 62 percent. In terms of growth, between 1982 and 1992 highway spending grew by five percent, aviation by ten percent, while rail decreased by nine percent.
"This is the wrong direction, Mr. President. The time has come to invest in our rail system - to invest in a way that secures a dedicated source of capital funding for passenger rail. All other major modes of transportation have such a dedicated source - all major modes except inter-city passenger rail.
"What I have proposed in this bill is to provide passenger rail with a dedicated source of funding - a source of funding that will allow it to escape from imminent doom if such a funding source is not secured. The General Accounting Office, as well as Amtrak President Tom Downs, has testified before my committee that unless something is done, Amtrak will not survive past 1998. Amtrak's financial report backs up this claim.
"We need passenger rail service. Future transportation requirements depend on it - and what I propose here will rescue it from financial crisis. In this bill, I have proposed that the one-half-cent from the motor fuels excise tax, which is currently going to the general fund, be deposited into a new Rail Fund. This Rail Fund will provide over $2.3 billion in the next three and-a-half years - a necessary and stable source of funding that will give Amtrak the financial resources necessary to bring it's equipment, facilities and tracks into a state of good repair.
"This proposal is not only necessary, if we are to breathe new life into our national passenger rail system, but it is fair. Non Amtrak states will receive an allocation from the portion of the half cent transfer for qualified transportation expenses. This funding is revenue neutral and it is subject to the appropriation's process.
"The bottom line, Mr. President, is that we cannot lose our national passenger rail system. If something is not done to give Amtrak the capital funds it needs, Amtrak will not survive. The question before us now is whether or not we want passenger rail to survive. If we do, Amtrak needs the Rail Fund - it needs the Rail Fund to survive.
"I am not asking for anything that the other major modes of transportation in America don't already have. With this proposal we are looking forward to the future. We see that the transportation problems we're experiencing will only become more pressing. Passenger rail will be a critical tool to help us address those challenges. We need Amtrak and Amtrak needs a funding source it can depend on.
"Without a doubt I would like to see Amtrak become self-sufficient. That, in fact, is one of Amtrak's objectives. But the truth is, Mr. President, there is no major transportation system that supports itself without federal assistance. According to the Department of Transportation, in FY 1994 nearly $6 billion more was spent on highways than was collected in user fees.
"In FY 1995 nearly $8 billion more was spent on highways than was collected in taxes. Transit, which is exempt from the motor fuels tax, received $3 billion in revenues in motor fuels revenues last year. I repeat, no mode is self-financed.
"If we want a national passenger rail system, we must fund it properly. This provision will give Amtrak the capital funds it needs to survive. I urge my colleagues to oppose any effort to take these critical funds from our national passenger rail system."
The ARPA Board also voted to endorse this act, which Representative Blumenauer (D-OR) describes:
"Most of us understand that the overwhelming reliance on single-occupant vehicles is responsible for unsafe air, unsafe streets, and gridlock that is increasingly paralyzing our communities. Yet, sadly, our tax policy encourages commuting by car over any other means of transportation. It is not enough that in America we spend more advertising the automobile than supporting transit. We have a tax system that discriminates against people who would like to do the right thing and not use their private automobile.
"Employers can currently provide free parking up to $170 a month tax-free, but a transit pass or car pool benefits are allowed for only one-third of that value. The Commuter Choice Act would eliminate this imbalance, and encourage energy savings without penalizing drivers.
"It would increase the nontaxable transit pass benefit to the same $170 per month as the tax-free parking benefit.
"In addition, this bill will take away the disincentive for people who choose alternative transportation modes. Right now, if an employer decides that they are going to give $25 a month as an incentive for people to walk, run, or bike to work, that will make the other benefits that they provide potentially taxable, including tax-free parking.
"This bill would provide the opportunity for a stipend of $15 to $50 per month. This cash benefit would support employees who choose to walk, bike, run, rollerblade to work. We have had opportunities in the State of California, where this has been implemented by some employers."