Fwd: State Passenger Rail Coalition

[HighlandWindsLLC Miller]

fyi .. would help to have more passenger rail. Peggy

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From: Michael Ackley <[hidden email]>
Date: Mon, Jan 26, 2009 at 1:27 PM
Subject: Fwd: State Passenger Rail Coalition
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Begin forwarded message:

From: "Roger and Sharon DiBrito" <[hidden email]>

Date: January 26, 2009 10:37:59 AM MST

To: "Ackley, Michael/Sharyl" <[hidden email]>

Subject: State Passenger Rail Coalition 

State Passenger Rail Coalition to Press for Greater Federal Share of Passenger Rail Funding

Posted on: Wednesday, 19 October 2005, 12:00 CDT

WASHINGTON, Oct. 19 /PRNewswire/ -- States for Passenger Rail Coalition Chair Frank J. Busalacchi today will urge that intercity passenger rail service be funded in the same manner as highways and aviation, with a goal of strengthening and expanding America's passenger rail system.

Busalacchi, who is Secretary of the Wisconsin Department of Transportation, will make his remarks today at the Railway Age Passenger Trains on Freight Railroads Conference here.

"The States for Passenger Rail Coalition has consistently sought an 80/20 federal/state partnership, which is modeled after the federal highway, aviation and airport programs," Secretary Busalacchi said. "The coalition supports legislation which provides capital funding to states for track and signal improvements, as well as for state of the art equipment and rolling stock."

Such a partnership is also a key to Amtrak's future, he added.

"Senate bill 1516 provides an excellent framework for a federal-state funding partnership," Secretary Busalacchi said. "It provides about $1.4 billion on an 80/20 basis over six years for states, subject to annual appropriations. It also provides $13 billion in bonding authority to states."

In wide-ranging remarks about the future of intercity passenger rail service, Secretary Busalacchi noted that 13 states now help fund Amtrak service.

Secretary Busalacchi also pointed out that the coalition has a vision for high-speed corridor service that is reasonable and affordable.

The coalition's goal for future passenger rail expansion centers on the development of incremental high-speed corridor service. Such service would:

* Consist of 100 to 400-mile corridors, to compete with "short hops" by airplane. * Have speeds of up to 110 miles per hour, enabling passengers to travel by rail faster than by car. * Offer hourly frequencies during peak periods.

As most passenger rail service in America utilizes freight railroad tracks, the coalition also supports the provision of adequate funding to freight railroads for track maintenance.

"Our view is that the key to freight railroad support will be to provide adequate capital funding for infrastructure to address freight railroad capacity needs. This will allow the operation of passenger service in a manner that will not interfere with freight operations," Mr. Busalacchi said.

The States for Passenger Rail Coalition is made up of 24 member states in all parts of the United States. It is launching an aggressive educational campaign to build support for better capital funding of passenger rail service throughout the country.

Coalition members cite the importance of rail in the post-September 11 environment, when the possibility of America's airlines being shutdown became a new reality. They also point out that rail is more fuel-efficient than other passenger modes, an increasingly important advantage as gasoline prices continue to climb.

States for Passenger Rail Coalition

CONTACT: Randy Wade of Wisconsin Department of Transportation,[phone]; or John Boffa of Boffa & Associates, [phone], forStates for Passenger Rail Coalition

Web site: http://www.s4prc.org/

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