The North American passenger rail market

Railway Age, March, 2004 by Frank Malone

INTERCITY PASSENGER RAIL SYSTEMS

Ridership continues to grow throughout Amtrak's 46-state, 22,000-route mile system. After reaching an all-time record for FY 2003 of more than 24 million passengers, volume kept rising through December to reach a total of 24,594,853 for calendar 2003. Amtrak attributes the gains to such "back-to-basics" initiatives as lower fares, better pricing, and more service on certain routes, but credit also goes to an ambitious but basic capital investment program that has eased short ages of equipment just when more seats are needed.

A five-year strategic plan, announced in April 2003, aims to restore Amtrak's physical plant and train equipment in a state of good repair and make operations more dependable. FY 2004 capital spending, most of which extends through the calendar year, will total an estimated $559 million, with $274 million for infrastructure, $202 million for the fleet, and $83 million for other areas.

The Northeast Corridor is the primary beneficiary of infrastructure outlays that emphasize track betterment. Future fleet improvements include 338 overhauled, remanufactured or repaired passenger cars, 74 overhauled locomotives, 15 new switch engines, and 80 new autoracks for Auto Train service, along with start of procurement of DMUs.

Other capital improvements are under way for locally-funded operations such as California's 170-mile, 16-station Capitol Corridor between Oakland and San Jose, where frequency last rose to 24 week day trains from 18 in 2002. Launched in September 2002 was an $88 million capacity-raising project funded by the Capitol Corridor Joint Powers Authority.

Affecting 45-miles of mute, the project includes work on a $22.8 million Yolo Causeway second track that was to be completed in February along a highly constrained Sacramento Davis segment. Also under way are $43.6 million in track improvements for Oak land-Elmhurst, Newark-Albrae, and phase 1 Santa Clara San Jose, to be completed by December. That will allow 11 Oakland-San Jose daily roundtrips. Phase 2 work, costing 818.7 million, is being extended to 2009 because of the state budget crisis. All work is done by Union Pacific, owner of the track.

Other locally-funded improvements are under way for the Eugene, Ore.-Vancouver, B.C., Cascades service, which uses Talgo equipment. After more than $750 million in improvements between Seattle and Blaine, B.C., further work is foreseen with a Washington State funding commitment of $230 million over the next ten years and an Oregon commitment of $25 million over the next two years.

In Illinois, Positive Train Control field testing continues over 126 miles from Mazonia near the southwestern edge of the Chicago region to Springfield, the state capital, on the state-supported Chicago-St. Louis route. To be completed by late 2004, this should lead incrementally to 110 mph operation in 2005 after FRA approval. PTC already governs 90 mph operation over a 45-mile segment of the Chicago-Detroit route in southwestern Michigan.

Amtrak currently operates with $1.2 billion in FY 2004 federal funding, which resulted from Congressional support in the face of a $900 million proposal by the Administration. On Feb. 10, Amtrak announced that it would seek $1.8 billion in federal aid for FY 2005, including "state of good repair" projects, after the Administration had again proposed $900 million (details, p. 20).

VIA Rail's 8,700-mile Canadian intercity system includes the major corridor of Quebec-Montreal Toronto-Windsor, which has seen significant service improvement in recent months, including the introduction of new Renaissance equipment, namely 139 cars designed for 110 mph and for short-haul business travel and overnight sleeping car service. In addition, the Ocean service between Montreal and Halifax will see a second set of this equipment later in the year.

These improvements are part of a five-year, $C420 million program announced by the federal government in April 2000 to address urgent capital needs related to rolling stock, infrastructure, and health and safety. It also included 21 new locomotives, new and upgraded stations, and track and signal improvements to ease Corridor speed restrictions.

In limbo in February was a second five year program valued at C$692.5 million, Renaissance II, designed to address long term capital needs. Announced by the previous government in October, it was shelved by the new transport minister in November. The package is now subject to a cabinet-level expenditure review committee created in December to take a hard look at all programs and expenditures according to the "evolving priorities of government." The committee is slated to report on its "rigorous review" this fall. Renaissance II encompasses locomotive acquisitions, renewal of the Light, Rapid, and Comfortable (LRC) equipment that has been in service since 1981, strategic infrastructure improvements, and station refurbishment.

URBAN RAIL TRANSIT AND REGIONAL/ COMMUTER RAIL SYSTEMS

BOSTON

Two major projects with combined cost of over $800 million dominate the current Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) capital program for a 468-route-mile rail system that sees about 798,000 daily boardings. Improvements now are under way.