My letter to Colorado Senators about funding rail

$2.24 billion for rail was approved by Congress as part of the FAST Act. This represents a meaningful increase from the $1.39 billion enacted for Amtrak for FY 2016, but falls far short of the $7 to $9 billion a year recommended by the National Surface Transportation Policy & Revenue Study Commission, appointed by President George W. Bush.

We need this money to bring the Southwest Chief to Pueblo. This money may also go to improving rail in Missouri and California, making the train an even more attractive transportation option.

Republican governors are also working to bring rail back to the southeastern coast.

So this money NEEDS to be in the budget.

The National Association of Rail Passengers is requesting Congress fund the FAST Act programs at the following level:

--Amtrak – General Operating: $649.9
--Amtrak – General Capital : $920.4 (funding new tracks to Pueblo)
--Consolidated Rail Infrastructure & Safety Improvements: $300.0
--Federal State Partnership for State of Good Repair: $250.0
--Restoration & Enhancement Grants: $100.0
--Amtrak OIG: $20.5
--Total: $2,240.8

On average every dollar invested in rail and improvements yields a three-dollar return to the economy of the surrounding community. In Colorado, this would be an investment in our small towns, towns that are often overshadowed by investments in Denver.

Thank you for your time and attention. I look forward to your response.

(This letter is partly based on a template from the National Association of Rail Passengers. You can go here to submit a letter through their site: http://cqrcengage.com/narp/app/onestep-write-a-letter?3&engagementId=177153)

What is Happening with Federal Transportation Legislation

The Midwest High Speed Rail Association is one of the best places to get information about H.R. 7, the US House bill was originally intended to gut federal funding for buses and trains, as well as the US Senate Transportation bill, MAP-21, a much better alternative.

Here is a summary of their most recent update with a few comments on what this means for Colorado:

The current surface transportation bill, SAFETEA-LU, expires on March 31. That means that if Congress does not pass something by the end of the month, the gas tax will expire, and the federal government will cease to send money to the states for transportation purposes. That not only means no money for highways,  it could also mean that federal funding for FasTracks and other public transportation projects could abruptly dry up, causing serious problems for local agencies that are already struggling to keep buses on the road.

We are this close to disaster because the House introduced a few terrible bills that attacked funding for buses and trains. For example, a bill was introduced that would make it almost impossible to use any part of the gas tax for public transportation. This would cause some places to lose all their bus service. Advocates of all kinds created such an outcry that many Republicans stood up to their party's leadership over this issue. I think that many people who serve areas with very little bus or train service thought that there was no support for public transportation, when in fact people who live places with one rail line and crappy bus service are desperate not to lose what they have.

Bus and train service may be cut in the City of New York or in Chicago if federal funds are cut, but it will still run more frequently and longer hours than most places in the country. The same in not true for the exurbs of Minneapolis, and many small towns throughout our nation.

So what are the options. Madeline Grennan of Midwest HSR says, "There are rumors that the House will produce a viable bill before the March 31st deadline, while other say the House will have to take up the Senate bill or extend SAFETEA-LU for the 9th time."

Here is what she says about transportation legislation in the Senate: "Meanwhile, the Senate is closer to passing MAP-21, a bipartisan two-year transportation reauthorization that preserves dedicated funding for transit, presents a consolidation of restructured programs and formulas, and reforms and simplifies grants offered by the Department of Transportation so that criteria are based more strongly on merit. Several positive amendments have also been adopted into the bill in the last few weeks. This week the Senate will debate the remaining proposed amendments and hopefully take a final vote on the bill."

Transportation for America has a list of the amendments in the Senate with their current status on their website.