I would like to wish John McQuigg a speedy recovery.

Andy Healy

As of yesterday our dear friend John Mcquigg had to go back to the hospital due to a serious infection from an earlier procedure. Jackson is with him now looking after him and I would like all of us to keep him in our prayers for a quick recovery.

Hang in there John!!

Posted by Andy Healy

http://dc.streetsblog.org/2009/07/29/senior-house-members-urge-removal-of-amtraks-new-in-house-watchdog/

For those of you interested in reading Florida DOT's "pre-application" for Federal funds from the $8 billion set aside in the stimulus act, the document can be found at the following link:

http://www.dot.state.fl.us/planning/economicstimulus/rail/HSR-Pre-Application.pdf

As indicated in news stories about FDOT's request, the pre-application includes projects which are far ranging, from the Tampa-Orlando high speed link to SunRail.

Please note that this link will also be permanently posted to the Flyers and Maps section of the FCRP website.

--Jackson McQuigg

http://www.tallahassee.com/article/20090725/BREAKINGNEWS/90724020/Rail+service+could+return+for+Tallahassee+residents+under+Amtrak+proposal

July 25, 2009

Rail service could return for Tallahassee residents under Amtrak proposal

By Dave Hodges
Democrat Business Editor

The train made perfect sense for Tallahassee retiree Shadow Hibbard’s regular trips to Arizona.

“I go to Arizona and work on a Nature Conservancy nature preserve. I don’t drive at night, and I don’t use the interstates. I use the back roads. It takes me five days to get there,” she said.

When Amtrak’s Sunset Limited made that run from Tallahassee, she’d board the train Tuesday night and be in Benson, Ariz., in 48 hours.

No Amtrak trains have served Tallahassee since August 2005, when Hurricane Katrina caused catastrophic damage to the railroad corridor between New Orleans and Mobile, Ala.

Rail travel for Tallahassee residents could return under any of three options that Amtrak has proposed in a report the national passenger rail service was required to produce under the 2008 Passenger Rail Investment and Improvement Act.

Though the tracks were repaired and CSX resumed freight service, Amtrak passenger service has remained suspended “because of the costs and challenges associated with restoring service,” Amtrak’s report says.

Amtrak officials initially evaluated 12 alternatives for restoring service between New Orleans and Orlando. Those were narrowed to three preferred options, based on projected ridership, revenue, operating expense and operating lost.

The first is restoring the Sunset Limited as it was before, with trains traveling three times weekly between Orlando and Los Angeles.

Option 2 is extending the daily City of New Orleans service, a train that travels between Chicago and New Orleans. That service would continue into Florida and terminate in Orlando.

Option 3 is implementing daily stand-alone overnight service between New Orleans and Orlando.

Each option assumes that the 19 stations between New Orleans and Orlando would be served by the trains.

Option 1, the return of the Sunset Limited, would require the least expense in capital costs and mobilization, at $32.7 million.

Amtrak projects $6 million a year in passenger revenues, but also the least in annual ridership at 53,300 passengers. The Sunset Limited service would have an anticipated $10.8 million in direct costs, resulting in an annual operating loss of $4.8 million, the lowest deficit of the three.

Fred Wise, manager of the Florida Department of Transportation’s Rail Office, said the Sunset Limited struggled for another reason. “They were constantly plagued by poor on-time performance.” Another shortcoming was the limits on service — only three trains a week. That limited passengers’ travel options.

Nonetheless, Wise said FDOT is encouraged by the report. “We view this as a very favorable development and we are pleased our Congressional delegation led the effort to have this studied,” he added.

Amtrak spokesman Marc Magliari acknowledged that the train schedule will contribute to consumer acceptance. “I think it goes to the frequency of service,” he said. “It has been our experience that daily service is easier for the passengers to use than less-than-daily service.”

Establishing daily service under Amtrak’s Option 2 would necessitate capital and mobilization costs of $57.6 to $96.6 million to bring the City of New Orleans train into Florida. The annual passenger revenue of $9.2 million is the highest of the three alternatives, as is the annual ridership projection of 96,100.

Operating expenses of $20.9 million a year would result in a loss on the route of $11.7 million.

Option 3, the daily stand-alone train running between New Orleans and Orlando, would have capital and mobilization costs of $57.6 to $96.6 million and the lowest passenger revenue of the three at $5.6 million. The operating loss would be $18.4 million a year.

The capital and mobilization costs include $10.7 million to restore the 13 stations where service was suspended. Some require remodeling to bring them into compliance with the provisions of the Americans with Disabilities Act. Due to hurricane damage, the Sanford station would require $3.2 million for demolition and reconstruction, according to Amtrak.

Based on the anticipated lead time, re-establishing the Sunset Limited would take a minimum of 20 months from the date funding is made available. The other two options are about four years away from implementation because purchase of additional equipment would be required, Amtrak said.

Whatever the option, Mark Lewellyn, chair of the Economic Development Council’s Transportation & Logistics Roundtable, is optimistic about the outcome.

“I am sure it will be a good thing for the community,” he said, adding that he is looking forward to passenger service starting again.

Also reviewing the options is railroad and transportation company CSX, which operates freight service along the corridor. Spokesman Gary Sease said the company advised Amtrak officials that when the rail agency is ready to resume the service, CSX is ready to take those trains and work them into the schedule.

CSX, however, will examine the other two options for more frequent service to determine how that activity can be accommodated, Sease said.

“We have a good relationship with Amtrak and a very good relationship with FDOT,” said Sease, noting CSX’s home base in Jacksonville and extensive operations in Florida. “The state of Florida and its transportation needs are very important to us.”

It is now the job of federal and state policy makers to decide if the passenger service should be restored and if so, which option is preferred. Also needed is the additional funding for capital and operating expenses that the plan would require.

“Once these actions are taken, Amtrak will move quickly to initiate the steps required for service restoration,” the report concludes.

Commentary

Why New Orleans-Florida Sounds Like Tampa-Miami to Us!

In the recent past, the Florida Coalition of Rail Passengers has been a strong voice on the need to restore Amtrak service from New Orleans to Florida.

It has been a tough fight so far. And we have much more work to do-- all of us-- if we are to prevail.

However, FCRP has been fighting for better passenger train service throughout the state of Florida since its founding in 1983.

Consider the case of the original Silver Palm, which ran from Tampa to Miami in the mid-1980s.

Take a look at this entry concerning the Silver Palm on Wikipedia.

While generally accurate about the Coalition's efforts, the Wikipedia entry fails to disclose why FCRP's court case against the State of Florida was overturned on appeal.

Namely, FCRP did not have the financial resources to continue fighting the case. An expensive appeal bond-- which would have cost well more than what FCRP could afford in those days-- was required to continue the case. So we "lost" on appeal.

The Coalition was right in its cause then. Vindication came only a few years after the case was lost, when Amtrak reinstituted Tampa-Miami service-- under the Silver Palm name, no less!

A further irony is that Florida DOT is at present talking about investing sizable sums of the State of Florida's money in Tampa-Orlando-Miami high speed rail service.  

All of this recent history leads us to wonder: If a Tampa-Miami market for rail travel existed all along, why didn't Florida just keep the original Silver Palm running in the first place?

Which brings us to New Orleans-Florida.

Amtrak's recent report to Congress on the possibility of restoring New Orleans-Florida service is filled with all sorts of interesting data. Much of it is inaccurate.

Since the 1980s, FCRP has maintained that a market for a passenger train, if properly operated, from New Orleans-Florida exists. And it should be part of our national passenger train network.

Is anyone at Amtrak listening? Haven't we been through this before?

And as for Tampa to Miami service, nowadays the sky's the limit.

Well, we told you so, Florida. Way back in 1985.

--Jackson McQuigg

http://trains4america.wordpress.com/2009/07/23/sorting-out-amtraks-sunset-restoration-report-again/

Andy Healy

Bullet train risk

OUR OPINION: High-speed rail can be economic spark but only if done right

http://www.miamiherald.com/opinion/editorials/story/1146859.html

http://spectator.org/blog/2009/06/25/grassley-amtrak-systematically

Andy Healy