Intercity Passenger Rail: Legislative Policy Recommendations Astrid Glynn Chair ASC Intercity Passenger Rail Legislative Team AASHTO Standing Committee on Rail Transportation Commissioner New York State Department of Transportation

V.1 - National Rail Policy  Congress shall articulate a national rail policy  Congress should provide dedicated Federal funding for national network  Network shall be:  HSR corridors (> 110 MPH)  Regional corridors ( MPH)  Long distance service (> 500 miles)

V.2 - Dedicated Funding for Intercity Passenger Rail  Separate account from highways and transit  Funded from diversified portfolio of revenue sources  Same budgetary protections as HTF Firewalls Guaranteed funding Contract authority

V.3 - Capital Program for States  HR 2095 implements this program  Multi-year Federal/State program  80/20 Federal/State share  $1.9 billion over 5 years  Grants awarded to States (not Amtrak) for State selected capital projects Track Equipment Stations Signals

V.4 - NEC State of Good Repair  Addressed by HR 2095  Amtrak and states develop plan within 6 months  Includes track, station, signals, and equipment  SOGR reached by 2018

V.5 - Public/Private – Freight Railroad Partnerships  Federal government should:  Improve model for negotiating rail access  Help State DOTs determine level of capacity improvements  Define negotiating framework to reach agreements

V.6 - National Performance-Based Measures  Partially addressed in HR 2095  Should be linked to policy objectives  Separate from grant awards  States, with providers and FRA, shall develop measures for national system

V.7 - Section 130 Funding  Continue and expand funding for Section 130 Grade Crossing Program  Institute measure to expedite process  Increase amount of closure incentive payments from $7,500 to ½ cost of upgrading  Funding match from railroad could be cash or in- kind services

V.8 - High Speed Rail Corridor Development  Authorize HSR Grade Crossing Elimination Program within HSR Corridor Development Program in SAFETEA-LU (Section 9001)  Fund at $55 million ($5 million for each of 11 corridors)  Expand eligibility to include Sealed Corridor Initiative

V.9 - Investment Tax Credits for Freight Rail  Provide federal tax credits for freight rail improvements  Improvements must have clearly defined public benefits, such as intercity passenger rail