FOCUS:HIGH-SPEED TRAVEL
High-speed trains to NYC could be on the fast track
State appears ready to capitalize on stimulus funds for high-speed rail from Buffalo to Albany after years of studies and strong political support
Published: March 09, 2009, 12:30 am
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You can be excused for thinking high-speed rail is merely the region’s latest pipe dream.
Years-long delays and scrapped plans on projects from Bass Pro Shops and the Peace Bridge to Adelphia and the Statler Hotel have conditioned people to roll their eyes and lower expectations.
However, there are several reasons why high-speed rail across Western and upstate New York to Albany and New York City could become a reality.
Those factors include:
• The availability of money—some $8 billion in federal stimulus money provided expressly for high-speed rail, plus an additional $1 billion per year budgeted for each of the next five years.
• A lot of spadework that has been done over the past quarter century for the project to be shovel-ready, with stacks of completed studies that explore high-speed rail.
• Room for a third track along the Empire Corridor, which eliminates the need for land acquisition.
• New York politicians, from Washington to Albany, Democrat and Republican, who are unusually unified in support of high-speed rail.
The dramatic shift in transportation priorities follows record levels of Amtrak ridership reported around the country, spurred in part by higher gas prices.
“High-speed rail is more of a priority today than ever before and seems more achievable today than ever before,” said Assemblyman Sam Hoyt, who has promoted faster trains for nearly two decades.
“The good news is, you have a president who is a champion of it, and we’ve got a bunch of states, including New York, [that] are all cued up and ready to go.”
Hoyt predicts high-speed rail could be completed in three to five years if $3 billion to $5 billion in funding is made available.
Ray LaHood, the federal transportation secretary, has said the stimulus money will be parceled out to “five to six regions of the country” among the 11 that Congress designated across 28 states in the 1990s as high-speed rail corridors.
“I do think this is the transformational issue for this administration when it comes to transportation,” LaHood told National Public Radio. “I think President Obama would like to be known as the high-speed rail president, and I think he can be.”
With speeds of 110 mph, trains from Buffalo could result in a shortened 3z-hour trip to Albany and a 5b-hour trip to New York City, according to Karen Rae, deputy commissioner of policy and strategy for the state Department of Transportation.
Perhaps most important, Rae said, having a dedicated track would help ensure trains do a better job of running on time. Amtrak arrivals were late 32 percent of the time in 2006, a result of having to share congested tracks with freight carriers.
New York’s high-speed rail still won’t compare to the bullet trains, which go 150 mph or more, prevalent in some countries. That would require a straighter track and new right of way, a prohibitive cost for New York any time soon.
Still, Rae said what’s happening with rail since Obama took office is remarkable.
“I’ve been working on this for 15 years, and rail was always the ugly stepchild. It’s a very exciting time, and I hope everyone is focused on getting the most bang for the buck,” she said.
State shovel-ready
Studying fast trains is nothing new in New York. The first analysis, by the state Department of Transportation, came in 1970.
Since 1984, there have been 16 publicly funded rail passenger studies in the state. The most recent was by a State Senate task force in 2005.
That’s one reason Rep. Louise Slaughter, D-Fairport, insists New York is poised to capitalize on the stimulus funds. She founded the 11-member Upstate New York Caucus in January to push the rail project, and last week the members presented their case to LaHood.
“We are more shovel-ready than I think just about anybody, because we’ve been planning for it for 25 years,” said Slaughter, chairwoman of the powerful House Rules Committee. “It’s been studied and studied and studied. We don’t need to study anymore.
“We need to straighten out track, negotiate with [freight giant] CSX and get going.”
The good news is that some of the signal, grade and track modifications needed for high-speed rail are already being done, especially between Albany and New York City.
Downstate, Senate Majority Leader Malcolm Smith and Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver have made bringing high-speed rail to New York a top priority.
Gov. David A. Paterson, who is slated to unveil the state’s plan today, stressed his support at the Niagara Falls town meeting Wednesday.
“In Europe, high-speed rail is in every country. It should be in the United States of America, and we want to start it right here in New York State,” Paterson said.
Benefits seen
High-speed rail is touted by supporters as a boon for economic growth and job creation, as well as an obvious environmental benefit because it would get cars off the road.
“I think high-speed rail is one of the greatest economic development opportunities we have for immediate and long-term job growth,” Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N. Y., said.
“If you have accessibility to different markets, different customers, it allows businesses to grow. New businesses may come and locate to Western New York because they have an ability to move customers and move products quicker,” Gillibrand said.
She also sees faster trains benefiting tourist destinations such as Niagara Falls and the Finger Lakes.
Building high-speed rail would have an immediate effect on the economy, creating up to 12,000 construction jobs and increasing state economic output by almost $2 billion, according to state DOT estimates.
Increased job sharing involving Buffalo, Rochester and Syracuse could be one outcome, and the opening of branch offices another, said Kent Gardner, president and chief economist for the Center for Governmental Research in Rochester, a nonprofit public policy organization.
“It strikes me that the commerce between and among those three cities would dramatically increase,” Gardner said.
Even without that, there would be a silver lining, he suggested.
“I think there would be an economic impact even if all we did was get reliable service,” he said.
Then there is the quality-of-life benefit.
“Trains are an extraordinarily comfortable way to go— you’re not herded in like cattle, you can move around, get all your work done and use your cell phone,” Slaughter said.
The congresswoman said she’s convinced high-speed rail will be a huge plus for Western and upstate New York. She and several other politicians envision Toronto and Montreal eventually being tied into the high-speed rail network.
“The purpose of the whole thing is to rebuild that economy. Transportation has always been a major factor in that. [The Upstate New York Caucus] thinks of this as our new Erie Canal,” Slaughter said.
Uncharted territory
High-speed rail in the United States is still largely uncharted territory. The closest is Amtrak’s train service from Washington, D. C., to New York and north to Boston. But it averages just 84 mph, half the speed of France’s TGV trains, and only reaches a top speed of 150 mph on one 35-mile stretch of track.
Rail speeds of up to 110 mph envisioned for Buffalo, Albany and New York are allowed by the Federal Railroad Administration depending on a number of factors, which include signaling, curvature, track condition and presence of grade crossings.
Significantly faster and much more costly “bullet trains” require electrified track that is straighter and can avoid road crossings.
“Above 110, with numerous grade crossings, you really enter into safety concerns,” said Bruce Becker, president of the Empire State Passenger Association. “In many areas, there are farm crossings where farmers access fields with farm equipment.”
The Obama administration is in the process of developing criteria for choosing which projects to fund. Decisions are expected within a few months of receiving state applications.
For railroad advocate Becker, seeing high-speed trains becoming a reality is like a dream come true.
“It’s quite a turnaround. It’s almost unbelievable,” Becker said.
msommer@buffnews.com
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