OneRail Coalition urges Appropriations Committee to support rail

Written by jrood

(OneRail Coalition sent he following letter to the Senate Appropriations Committee to support more funding for railroads and rail transit.) As the Subcommittee prepares to mark up Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies Appropriations for Fiscal Year 2011, the OneRail Coalition urges a balanced approach including equivalent growth in public investment for rail infrastructure as well as highways and transit.

As we previously indicated
to the Subcommittee, the OneRail Coalition emphasizes that freight and
passenger rail infrastructure improvements offer significant environmental,
energy efficiency and mobility benefits and will create good jobs for American
workers.

Accordingly, we urge the
Subcommittee to consider the following investments for FY 2011 compared with
the recent House measure:

• Commit at Least $2.5 billion for High-Speed and
Intercity Passenger Rail (HSIPR) Programs. While the House-proposed FY 2011
funding level of $1.4 billion for HSIPR investment represents a $400-million
increase over the President’s request, this amount is also a significant
decrease from the FY 2010 appropriation of $2.5 billion. The federal commitment
of more than $10 billion to HSIPR development, including $8 billion in ARRA
funding, will spark substantial procurement of new rail equipment and
infrastructure.

As Christina Romer, chairwoman of the White House
Council of Economic Advisors told the Joint Economic Committee, "The Recovery
Act appears to be stimulating private investment and job creation at a time
when the economy needs it most."

But for new U.S. HSIPR manufacturing industry to
flourish, the private sector must see sustained and continuous public sector
investment. Accordingly, we urge the Committee to fund HSIPR programs at not
less than the FY 2010 enacted level of $2.5 billion.

Fund Amtrak
at $2.6 Billion Including Fleet Renewal and New Equipment Investment. The
House-proposed Amtrak FY 2011 funding level of $1.77 billion, although an
increase from FY 2010 enacted levels, will not permit Amtrak to implement key
elements of its critical fleet renewal and reinvestment strategy. A total
federal funding commitment of $2.6 billion for FY 2011 will enable Amtrak to
accelerate replacing its fleet, the average age of which has reached an
all-time high, and help support revitalization of the U.S. passenger railcar
manufacturing and production industry.

• Maintain the TIGER Program at the FY 2010
Senate-Approved Level of $1.1 Billion. DOT’s award of more than one-third of
the TIGER I grant funds to freight mobility projects underscores the potential
of rail and intermodal initiatives to add capacity, increase safety, reduce
environmental and emissions impacts, and save energy. Interest in TIGER II
continues to be substantial, and we ask that this important multi-modal
initiative be funded at least at the FY 2010 enacted level of $600 million and
ideally at the FY 2010 Senate-approved level of $1.1 billion.

• Fund the Rail Safety Technology Program At $75
million for FY 2011. OneRail appreciates the House-proposed funding of $75
million for rail safety technology to help support the substantial costs of the
federal mandate to install PTC, estimated by the federal government at more
than $10 billion. FY 2011 appropriations of $100 million for this program are
authorized, based on the Rail Safety Improvement Act authorized level of $50
million for FY 2011 and the unappropriated FY 2009 authorization of $50
million. We support the House’s demonstrated commitment to this program and
request that not less than $75 million be provided for rail safety technology
grants.

• Appropriate $40 million For the Rail Line Relocation
and Improvement Program. The Rail Line Relocation and Improvement program received
$34.5 million in FY 2010, and should be appropriated $40 million in FY 2011 to
permit continued enhancement to the nation’s rail network benefiting
communities and increasing network utility.

Finally, OneRail asks that
the Committee make passenger and freight rail infrastructure projects eligible
expenditures to the degree that general fund revenues are used to maintain
current federal surface transportation programs. Eligibility for freight and
passenger rail infrastructure for general funds allocated through the American
Recovery and Reinvestment Act, where a public interest benefit is demonstrated,
provides sound precedent.

We urge the Subcommittee to
take a balanced approach to FY 2011 transportation investments. The House mark
includes increases of more than seven percent for highways and more than five
percent for public transportation compared with FY 2010 enacted levels. Rail
investments, which can help our nation achieve core national goals such as less
dependence on an oil-based economy, fewer carbon emissions, improved safety and
congestion relief should be increased as well.

 

Anne P. Canby, President

Surface Transportation
Policy Partnership on behalf of the OneRail Coalition

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