August 2008 A Presentation To R.L. Banks & Associates, Inc. SCORT 2008 State Success Stories Intercity Passenger Rail Ken Withers, P.E.

To determine success factors, where States have improved intercity passenger rail service. Purpose 1

Approach Survey States which have lesson to teach. Interview State and Amtrak officials. Attempt to understand reasons behind success. 2

14 states fund Amtrak. Some States act to improve passenger rail without Amtrak. Ridership growth varies widely. Some States support commuter rail connecting cities; could be termed “intercity”. Funding sources are many. Some Initial Findings 3

Ridership and On Time Performance Length (miles) Riders September 2007 Riders September 2006 OTP Percent 2007 OTP Percent 2006 CA Capitol 90116,000 96, CA San Joaquin318 66,000 58, CA Pacific Surfliner ,000203, IL/WI Hiawatha 86 48,000 47, WA/OR Cascades ,000 53, PA Keystone10483,000 69, ME Downeaster11636,000 29,

Selected State Examples California  Capitol Corridor (Sacramento-Oakland)  Pacific Surfliner (San Diego-Los Angeles-San Luis Obispo)  San Joaquin (Stockton-Bakersfield) Direct State capital investment, $1.7 billion. Annual State operating subsidy, $80 million. Ten-fold growth over 30 years. 7

Selected State Examples Illinois  Hiawatha (Chicago-Milwaukee)  Lincoln (Chicago-St. Louis)  Illini and Saluki (Chicago-Carbondale)  Zephyr and Carl Sandburg (Chicago-Quincy) State funding was $12 million per year in , rose to $24 million in 2006 and $28 million in State supported addition of eight trains in 2006, doubling the number. Ridership grew significantly, e.g., a 122 percent increase on Chicago-St. Louis. 8

Selected State Examples Washington State  Cascades (Vancouver BC-Seattle-Portland-Eugene) In 1994, Legislature instructed WSDOT to improve service. Ridership was less than 100,000. State has invested $280 million since ,489 riders in

Selected State Examples Pennsylvania  Keystone Corridor (Harrisburg-Philadelphia) Ridership up 483 percent over past 15 years. 120-minute trip time reduced to 95 minutes following $140 million investment. Maximum speed now 110 mph (2006). OTP now 92 percent. 11

Selected State Examples Wisconsin  Hiawatha (Milwaukee-Chicago) Recent-year funding: $6.4 million Wisconsin, $2 million Illinois. 7 trains per day in each direction. OTP: 90s. Annual riders: 618,

Selected State Examples Maine  Downeaster (Boston-Portland) After 6 years of operation, service now attracts 345,000 annual riders. Federal CMAQ dollars fund operation through

Selected State Funding Sources StateState Funding Source CaliforniaPublic transportation account Intercity capital rail program State highway account Rail-eligible bond programs North CarolinaHighway fund Highway trust fund North Carolina Railroad Company lease revenue OregonAllocation of federal CMAQ funding Federal earmarks PennsylvaniaAnnual FTA grant State/Amtrak agreement Annual public transportation appropriations VirginiaDirect state subsidies to Virginia Railway Express Rail enhancement fund Transportation trust fund formula grants Local general funds One-time appropriations WashingtonMultimodal account Several state rail accounts 20

Comparison Limitations No two corridors are alike. Differences in demographics, distances, freight traffic, track & signal, OTP incentives, funding, operating protocols, and in the host railroads themselves. 21

Conclusions What drives improvement in passenger rail service? Funding and perseverance. Funding directed at effective improvements. Binding agreements. Reliability (OTP) accompanies the most successful operations. No “one size fits all” success model. Improvement actions tailored to local situation. Where freight railroad owns the corridor, State must negotiate binding agreement to insure success. Funding sources limited only by the imagination. Funding net should be cast far and wide. 22

Ken Withers, P.E. Vice President R.L. Banks & Associates, Inc Wilson Blvd., Suite 750 Arlington, Virginia Phone (703) Fax (703)