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2006 Rail Transit Funding in USA


monsoon

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The FTA has awarded Full Funding Agreements for only 4 cities very meager Bush 2006 budget for transit funding. The winning cities are:

ANTICIPATED FFGAs

  • Arizona Phoenix - Central Phoenix/East Valley LRT Corridor $90M

  • North Carolina Charlotte - South Corridor LRT $55M

  • New York New York - Long Island Rail Road East Side Access $390M

  • Pennsylvania Pittsburgh - North Shore LRT Connector $55M

There were dozens of other cities which were seeking Fhags for their transit systems that have lost out this year.

The budget also includes payments on existing FFGAs

EXISTING FULL FUNDING GRANT AGREEMENTS (FFGAs) $Millions

  • California Los Angeles - Metro Gold Line East Side Extension 80

  • California San Diego - Mission Valley East LRT Extension 7.7

  • California San Diego - Oceanside-Escondido Rail Corridor 12.21

  • California San Francisco - BART Extension to San Francisco Airport 81.86

  • Colorado Denver - Southeast Corridor LRT 80

  • Illinois Chicago - Douglas Branch Reconstruction 45.15

  • Illinois Chicago - North Central Corridor Commuter Rail 20.61

  • Illinois Chicago - Ravenswood Line Extension 40

  • Illinois Chicago - South West Corridor Commuter Rail 7.28

  • Illinois Chicago - Union-Pacific West Line Extension 14.29

  • Maryland Baltimore - Central LRT Double-Track 12.42

  • New Jersey Northern New Jersey - Hudson-Bergen MOS-2 100

  • Ohio Cleveland - Euclid Corridor Transportation Project 24.77

  • Oregon Portland - Interstate MAX LRT Extension 18.11

  • Puerto Rico San Juan - Tren Urbano 10.20

  • Washington Seattle - Central Link Initial Segment 80

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I noticed they're also cutting Amtrak funds big time. I know of two transit systems that should be getting underway in Florida this year. Fort Lauderdale plans to build a streetcar loop system in downtown and Jacksonville plans to purcahse right-of-way for a 29 mile BRT (future light rail) system this year. As far as I know, neither has asked the Federal government for money, they're paying for it on their on.

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  • 3 weeks later...

Well, cutting Amtrak frees up matching money for states to fund alternative service.

This means that the new trains could run much faster and more reliably on passenger-only track.

As passenger track would not have to bear the load of a freight train, it would be cheaper to build, something on the order of $550k per mile. That would allow for a 130mph rail link from Minneapolis to Chicago, for example, for about $400 Million. As Bush's budget would free up some $1.2 Billion currently spent on Amtrak annually, it's not as bad as it might seem...

All but in the Northeast Corridor and on the West Coast, Amtrak no longer needs to exist in its current form. When the trains are on time only 28% of the time and travel once a day, they are effectively useless.

Compare that to the Northeast corridor with dedicated passenger rail access, electrified power for trains, and on-time performance of 96%.

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I supported the removal of Saddam Hussein and all that it would entail, but it ticks me off when I see US soldiers getting killed by snipers while they are going around another country and spending a lot of American money building markets, schools, roads, etc. In ten years a couple thousand brave American soldiers will still be dead and the Iraqi government will still hate us and blame us for all their problems.

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Well, cutting Amtrak frees up matching money for states to fund alternative service.

This means that the new trains could run much faster and more reliably on passenger-only track.

As passenger track would not have to bear the load of a freight train, it would be cheaper to build, something on the order of $550k per mile.  That would allow for a 130mph rail link from Minneapolis to Chicago, for example, for about $400 Million.  As Bush's budget would free up some $1.2 Billion currently spent on Amtrak annually, it's not as bad as it might seem...

All but in the Northeast Corridor and on the West Coast, Amtrak no longer needs to exist in its current form.  When the trains are on time only 28% of the time and travel once a day, they are effectively useless.

Compare that to the Northeast corridor with dedicated passenger rail access, electrified power for trains, and on-time performance of 96%.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Erm the problem with that is the states will never come together to offer a uniform rail service. Bush wants to bankrupt Amtrak, allow the NEC to fend for itself (which it may very well be able to) and expect the states to pick up an even larger amount of the bill. Given the complete ignorance of peak oil to the governors of many states, i doubt quite a few will allocate adequate funding...hell here in Georgia Gov Perdue is sweating throwing a few million in operational costs to a fairly well designed commuter and intercity rail system while showering road projects with more than 10 billion over a few years. Passenger rail service, at least right now in America, needs strong federal backing.

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