Intercity Passenger Rail: Legislative Policy Recommendations

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Intercity Passenger RailLegislative Policy
Recommendations
Astrid Glynn Chair ASC Intercity Passenger Rail
Legislative Team AASHTO Standing Committee on
Rail Transportation Commissioner New York State
Department of Transportation
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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 (gt 110 MPH)
• Regional corridors (79-110 MPH)
• Long distance service (gt 500 miles)

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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