As we spiral towards the Epic Depression of the 21st Century, politicos and pundits rattle on about funding for infrastructure. President Obama and politicians talk about repairing roads, bridges, and levees. What about railroads?
When Eisenhower's visionary Interstate Highway system was built, and gas was cheap and bountiful, everyone thought America's transportation limitations were overcome. But, have you traveled over any busy Interstate these days? I hit I-93 in New Hampshire recently during the commuter rush to Boston. It was a 50-mile long parking lot.
Clogged RoadsThe scene is repeated daily across America. What should be an hour's drive along some Interstate routes can take many hours. Drivers pay a big price for clogged roads, too. The US Department of Transportation reports that Interstate traffic congestion costs highway users more than $65 billion a year in lost time and fuel.
Air travel isn't all that much better. Interminable delays are rampant these days. Air travel is subject to the vagaries of weather, not to mention TSA inspection-line congestion and clogged airport access roads. Closed runways create ripple effects that affect connections in remote cities. What a waste of valuable time and money.
Are there viable alternatives? Here in southern Maine, which is a bedroom community for Boston, we have a new commuter train called the Downeaster. Since its inception a few years ago, its Amtrak roadbed has been improved for high-speed operation, and modern stations and parking lots have been built along the right-of-way. The Downeaster's route now traverses 116-miles, connecting Boston with Portland, Maine.
The Fastest Growing BranchIn 2006, Downeaster service was Amtrak's fastest growing branch. Ridership was up 23% from 2205. In 2007 ridership increased again, by nearly 8%. In 2008 a fifth round-trip train service was added; it pulled in 28% more riders. I should mention that that was fully 12% more than what Amtrak's own experts had predicted.
Revenue for 2008 was more than $6 million, which was a third more than the previous year. It turns out, however, that operating the Downeaster costs about $14 million per year. The $6 million in fares has to be subsidized by the Feds as well as the state. Maine dishes up about $1.5 million every year, so there's a substantial shortfall, to the tune of about $6.5 million.
What's weird (and wrong) is that Massachusetts and New Hampshire don't contribute a dime to Downeaster service, even though the train serves passengers at stations in both states. What's wrong with this picture? It ought to be easy to figure out how to distribute the load, especially as ridership goes up.
In the meantime, Amtrak is considering extending the Downeaster service to points further up the coast beyond Portland.
The Center for Neighborhood Technology believes the addition would generate billions of dollars in construction investments. The Center's study indicates the state of Maine would see $55 million a year in tax revenues from the project, too. Sounds good, eh?
Knowledgeable folks agree. William Millar, for example, as president of the
American Public Transportation Association says, the public transportation industry is "ready to help America get back on its feet and put people to work." Millar points to 800 projects that are in the ready-to-go stage. "These projects can be started within 90 days of Federal funding," he says.
Studies conclude more than four billion gallons of gasoline could be saved every year by implementing these projects. The carbon savings alone would be equivalent to the emissions from every household in Washington, DC, New York City, Atlanta, Denver, and Los Angeles combined. What are we waiting for?
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amm at en-genius dot net, or post your comments on our blog.
