Rail Planning Efforts and Lessons Learned Nicole Katsikides Acting Director, Office of Freight & Multimodalism Maryland Department of Transportation Presentation to AASHTO SCORT Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Maryland Transportation Plan Goals Quality of Service Safety and Security System Preservation and Performance Environmental Stewardship Connectivity for Daily Life
Rail Planning Collect projects from all rail users Collect and refine policy areas, objectives, actions Prioritize Projects after evaluation based on guidance Maryland is home to significant rail projects B&P Tunnel Part of National Gateway Delmarva rail efforts with DE and VA Crescent Corridor in Western Maryland Other NEC projects
Statewide Freight Plan First comprehensive multimodal freight plan Included both passenger and freight rail policies and projects due to shared infrastructure Tied project prioritization to Maryland Transportation Plan goals Captured significant stakeholder input, broad range of policies and projects.
Outreach Most exciting aspect in terms of gaining support Captured broad range of freight and passenger rail needs Used MPO’s creatively, MPO’s now help support projects
Stakeholder Support Groups Established Freight Stakeholder Advisory Committee Internal Advisory Committee (and MPOs) Rail team, rail advisory group
Integration with State Plans Considered Maryland Transportation Plan goals Attached weighting to those goals Selected measures for each goal Ran each project through methodology Developed high, medium and low priorities Rail projects scored relatively high, but need for corridor planning or intermodal planning exists
Positive Actions Keeping a regional perspective Engaging stakeholders Strong inventory Commodity Flow information for freight Implementation organization, strategic plan
Challenges Implementing new policies Creative financing and new funding sources Standardization of benefit calculations where appropriate, concrete guidance on planning and HSIPR Project limits/NEPA guidance and preparation Work with regional partners, Amtrak and FRA to understand which projects are linked (i.e. NEPA) Why plan?
For More Information: Nicole Katsikides Office of Freight and Multimodalism