IMPROVING NEW YORK'S RAIL SYSTEM

Detailed Plan Would Improve Speed, Reliability and Frequency -- Albany to NYC in 2 hours within 6 Months, Next Stop: Buffalo to NYC under 3 Hours

Thursday, January 5, 2006

Senate Majority Leader Joseph L. Bruno today released a detailed plan to improve New York�s rail system by dramatically reducing travel time, improving reliability and increasing the frequency of trains across the state. The report, officially presented today to the Senate Task Force on High Speed Rail after six months of research by the Task Force Working Group, proposes short, intermediate and long term changes that would help New York remain economically competitive, stimulate new employment and firmly reestablish New York�s place as a national transportation innovator and rail technology leader.

"The Task Force Working Group, comprised of the best transportation experts in the industry, has provided a comprehensive, market-based blueprint for upgrading our rail system, which has fallen behind the rest of the world in terms of speed, reliability and frequency," said Senator Bruno. "New York has always been a leader in transportation innovation, and we now have an opportunity, and an obligation, to improve our outdated rail system through this visionary plan and increase our economic competitiveness and our ability to utilize mass transit more efficiently and effectively."

"The Senate will use this report as a blueprint this session to provide the resources and support necessary to begin making world-class rail service in New York State a reality," concluded Senator Bruno.

"The development of this exciting and visionary action plan has been a very challenging but rewarding assignment for the entire working group," said John Egan, Executive Director of the Task Force Staff. "Each member brought energy, professionalism and commitment to the task of producing recommendations that are difficult to implement in many areas but are critically important to the future of New York State. We are all immensely proud of our collective accomplishment, ahead of schedule and under budget."

For the past thirty years, rail service in the Empire Corridor (New York City to Buffalo) has stagnated and deteriorated, while other countries and states have eclipsed New York and developed successful, reliable rail systems. Amtrak�s uncertain future necessitates State action to improve the system.

Within the Corridor, unity of track ownership and operation from the Capital District to New York City is paramount for the immediate future. That section is currently owned and maintained by four separate entities with different standards and regulations, leading to delays, confusion and unreliability.

In order to improve the current Corridor reliability rating of 60 percent (four out of every ten trains is late), the report proposes creating one accountable state entity, perhaps a revamped existing state authority or new one, to oversee improvements to reliability and frequency of rail service. The entity would oversee short and intermediate plans which would cost approximately $1.8 billion, or $180 million per year over ten years, and would yield increases in ridership of over 100 percent on the Albany to New York City portion of the Corridor.

The report proposes funding be provided by an 80 percent Federal and 20 percent State split to address deferred maintenance and repair, and a 50 percent Federal and 50 percent State split for continuing capacity and reliability improvements needed to increase service level. Under this funding strategy, the total cost to the state will be $800 million, or 44 percent of the total Action Plan cost of $1.8 million in the short term.

Long range planning (ten to twenty years) would ultimately lead to a dedicated statewide high speed rail fixed guideway route utilizing either steel wheel or magnetic levitation technology, and would connect New York City to Buffalo in two to three hours and cost between $6.2 and $8.2 billion dollars. The report estimates a cumulative cost of all phases for institution of high speed rail service across New York State at $8 to $10 billion.

The report proposes continual improvements to service reliability, trip time and frequencies in accordance with the best market analysis and, as quickly as the infrastructure and availability of equipment will permit. The plan has six phases, each with its own service pattern and operating plan:

A) Initial Express Service (in 2006- $22 million)

-Within six months, establish the "Empire Corridor Express" demonstration project that would take passengers from Albany to New York City and back at day�s end in about 2 hours;

-Begin track and infrastructure improvements that will be fully implemented in future phases;

-Work with CSXT to relieve key bottlenecks west of the Capital Region;

-Begin negotiations with CSXT and Canadian Pacific Railway to establish a public-private partnership for passenger and freight service from Schenectady to Buffalo and Schenectady to Saratoga Springs.

B) Added Express Service (by 2009- $516 million)

-Cut travel time between Albany and New York City to under 2 hours;

-Achieve substantial capacity improvements and service frequency;

-Establish single public ownership of the entire rail from Poughkeepsie to Amsterdam;

-Complete infrastructure improvements that make higher speeds of 110 mph or more possible;

-Improve reliability to 80 percent or better;

-Purchase new control cars enabling push-pull operation to eliminate looping trains and allow faster turns in Penn Station;

-Continue bottleneck elimination program;

-Construct second line from Albany Rensselaer to Schenectady (currently the only single track portion in the Corridor);

-Begin Livingston Avenue bridge rehabilitation;

-Continue other track and infrastructure improvements.

C) New Rolling Stock (by 2013- $407 million)

-Acquire 12 new train sets with dual mode locomotives, push-pull capability;

-Acquire high speed (125 mph) coaches with tilt capability;

-Improve on-time service to 85 percent;

-Achieve substantial increase in service associated with the procurement of new, more reliable rail equipment;

-Continue capacity and reliability improvements;

-Achieve significant corridor-wide on-time performace improvements;

-Continue other track and infrastructure improvements.

D) New Operations Plan (by 2013-2015- $412 million)

-Acquire 2 additional train sets;

-Establish 3 nonstop express trains from Albany to New York City roundtrip daily;

-Establish 18 total daily Albany to New York City trains;

-Improve service;

-Complete infrastructure improvements and capacity, and bring all tracks to a "state of good repair."

E) Enhanced Operating Plan (by 2015- $444 million)

-Final phase of improvements associated with the short-term action plan;

-Improve on-time service to 90-95 percent;

-Acquire 6 new train sets, bringing total number of tilting train sets in service to 20;

-Establish 23 Albany to New York City roundtrips, 5 non stop;

-Improve parking, station access, ticketing and information systems to accommodate expanded service;

-Ridership expected to grow to nearly 3 million per year in the South Corridor and nearly one million in the West Corridor.

F) New High Speed Rail/Maglev (by 2025- $6.2-$8.2 billion)

-High speed rail from New York City to Buffalo;

-Dedicated fixed guideway along New York State Thruway;

-Achieve top speeds of 200-300 mph;

-Ridership estimated at 10 million annual passenger trips;

-Additional intracity trips in upstate western corridor (Albany to Buffalo/Niagara Falls);

-Possible Empire Corridor extensions and links.

The bipartisan Task Force is chaired by Senator Bruno. The Task Force is comprised of members with extensive transportation experience, including Senate Minority Leader David A. Paterson (D, Manhattan), Senators Dean Skelos (R, Rockville Centre), Thomas Libous (R-C, Binghamton), Caesar Trunzo (R, Brentwood), Owen Johnson (R-C, Babylon), Frank Padavan (R-C, Bellerose), Michael Nozzolio (R-C, Fayette), Charles Fuschillo (R-C, Merrick), John Flanagan (R-C, East Northport), George Maziarz (R-C, North Tonawanda), Joseph Robach (R-C-I-WF), James L. Seward (R-C-I, Oneonta), William Larkin (R-C, Cornwall on Hudson), Nicholas Spano (R-C, Westchester) and Senator John D. Sabini (D, Queens).

The Task Force members will be reviewing the report and using it as a basis for improving New York State�s intercity rail network during the current legislative session.

The report was prepared by John Egan (Executive Director), Carla Chiaro (Administrative Director), Louise Alessi (Executive Assistant) and Jim Cartin (Consultant to the Task Force).

The Consultant Team included: Parsons Brinckerhoff, Inc., CRA International, Inc., Creighton Manning Engineering, LLP, Integrated Strategic Resources, Inc., Whiteman, Osterman & Hanna, LLP, William (Al) Wallace, RPI, Donald Nelson, Consultant, Henry Peyrebrune, Consultant, Jack Reilly, Consultant.

Participating stakeholders involved in the discussions and research leading to this report include: Albany Post Railroad Corporation, Amtrak, Canadian Pacific Railway (CP), CDTA, CDTC, CSXT, GBNRTC, GTC, Hudson River Estuary Program, Metro North, Ministere des Transport du Quebec (MTQ), NYSDOT, SMTC.

 

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