OF THE
HOUSE TRANSPORTATION AND INFRASTRUCTURE COMMITTEE
April 25, 2001
SUBMITTED BY
American Public Transportation Association
1666 K Street, N.W.
Washington, DC 20006
(202) 496-4800
APTA is a nonprofit international association of over 1,370 public and private member organizations including transit systems and commuter rail operators; planning, design, construction and finance firms; product and service providers; academic institutions; transit associations and state departments of transportation. APTA members serve the public interest by providing safe, efficient and economical transit services and products. Over ninety percent of persons using public transportation in the United States and Canada are served by APTA members.
INTRODUCTION
The American Public Transportation Association (APTA) appreciates the
opportunity to testify before the House Railroads Subcommittee on the subject of railroad
infrastructure policy. Under the able leadership of Chairman Jack Quinn and Ranking Member
Bob Clement, the reconstituted Subcommittee will provide railroads a forum to assist the
Congress in crafting federal policies to enhance a critical piece of America’s
overall transportation infrastructure. In so doing it will help address America’s
mobility needs – passenger and freight.
About APTA
APTA’s 1,370 public and private member organizations serve the
public and public interest by providing safe, efficient, and economical public
transportation service, and by working to ensure that those services and products support
national energy, environmental, community, and economic goals. APTA member organizations
include transit systems and commuter railroads; design, construction and finance firms;
product and service providers; academic institutions; and state associations and
departments of transportation. More than ninety percent of the people who use public
transportation in the U.S. are served by APTA member systems.
COMMUTER RAIL: A GROWING PART OF THE RAILROAD FAMILY
The past twenty years has been a period of significant change for the
American railroad industry. While the Staggers Act of 1980 is rightfully credited with
helping the once threatened railroad industry become profitable again, it has also led to
significant consolidation and downsizing of America’s railroad network. Meanwhile,
commuter railroads have blossomed in this period, and are a major success story in the
railroad industry.
Let's start with ridership. Mr. Chairman, the latest numbers are in,
and they prove that more and more people are choosing public transportation. Last year was
a banner year for transit, with a greater number of transit trips taken (9.4 billion) than
in any year since 1959. Thanks to Congress’ investment in the federal transit program
through legislation such as the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century
(TEA 21), thanks to improved customer service by public transportation providers, and
thanks to a healthy economy, ridership on the nation’s public transportation systems
has grown 21 percent over the past five years. This is four times faster than the U.S.
population (4.8 percent), double the growth rate of highway usage (11 percent), and faster
than the growth rate in domestic air travel (19 percent).
Last year, passengers took 411 million trips on our commuter railroads,
and ridership was up 5.2 percent in the year 2000 – a year in which new operations
were inaugurated in Seattle, Washington and Burlington, Vermont, and a major extension of
the Dallas-Fort Worth Trinity Railway Express. Following are examples of commuter rail
ridership increases for the year 2000: Philadelphia’s SEPTA regional commuter rail
ridership was up 8.5%; Southern Florida’s Tri-Rail: 10%; San Jose’s Altamont
Commuter Express: 66%; the Virginia Railway Express: nearly 20%; Trinity Railway Express:
39%; New York’s Metro North Commuter Railroad: nearly 5 %; the Metrolink system in
Los Angeles: 11%; and the Bay Area Caltrain: 14%. Clearly, when people are given a choice,
many will choose to ride quality rail transportation.
Significant growth is projected for the future. Currently there are
almost 3,825 route miles of commuter rail service in operation in the U.S. An additional
134 miles are under construction and 300 miles are in design; with over 2,300 miles in
planning and 1,100 additional miles under consideration for commuter rail projects. New
commuter rail systems are in various stages of development in Nashville, Anchorage,
Minneapolis, Salt Lake City, Kansas City, Houston, Charlotte, and Portland. Major
expansions of current operations are underway in Chicago, Dallas – Ft. Worth,
Seattle, and Miami and others are planned by almost every other system.
PARTNERSHIPS ARE KEY TO SUCCESS
How will commuter railroads be able to achieve the expected rate of
growth? Certainly, it will require a partnership among communities, freight railroads,
and, I believe, federal and state governments as well. APTA is interested in supporting a
broader agenda to foster the growth of railroads.
Historically, America’s rail corridors have been used for both
freight and passenger purposes. At one time, both passenger and freight services were
operated by the private sector under laws governing public utilities. As passenger
operations were abandoned by private railroads, services were often taken over and/or
supported financially by public entities.
Currently, a number of publicly owned rail passenger agencies (among
them NJ Transit, Long Island Railroad, Metro North, Trinity Railway Express, and the Utah
Transit Authority) own the rights-of-way used for rail passenger service, and have
negotiated agreements with freight carriers allowing the use of their track for freight
movements. In many more instances, however, public transit agencies use rights-of-way
owned by private railroads for the operation of their passenger services.
Therein lies the challenge – and the opportunity. We must come up
with a better process for using freight corridors for passenger operations. Without access
to these corridors, the cost of many new passenger rail projects will become prohibitive.
Indeed, the 2,300 miles of commuter railroads in planning and the 1,100 miles under
consideration may not be built unless we find an easier way for the freight railroads and
passenger railroads to work together on rail access. While many access agreements have
successfully been negotiated, freight railroads can, and do, unilaterally deny access to
passenger rail agencies or hold out for financial conditions that are beyond any fair or
reasonable standard of the passenger authority to pay. In such situations, there is no
process for the public interest to be taken into consideration, and local officials have
no recourse or ability to appeal the unilateral decision of a freight railroad. We are
supportive of legislation directed at this problem, and I look forward to continuing
discussions with the Subcommittee and with freight railroads.
THERE IS A NEED TO GROW THE NATION’S RAILS
A Looming Crisis in Transportation System Capacity
America’s transportation system is showing signs of severe stress.
Demand for transportation services is increasing, and it is critical that we develop a
strategy for new investments in the nation’s physical infrastructure. In many places,
severe congestion in our roadways and railways, severe overcrowding of public
transportation vehicles, and gridlock in our airports are beginning to take on crisis
proportions. The capacity of the nation’s transportation system is an issue affecting
all modes. Adding to the capacity of our railroads, airports, roadways, port facilities
and public transportation infrastructure will be critical to our ability to sustain strong
economic growth in future years.
Testifying in this room on April 4, 2001, Transportation Secretary
Norman Mineta spoke of the congestion in the various components of America’s
transportation system, and made specific mention of the growing role of commuter
railroads. The hearing called attention to U.S. DOT’s Condition and Performance
Report, and its $17 billion capital funding needs figure for public transportation
(a formidable figure, but one that underestimates the scope of transit’s
future growth). Federal support for public transportation is provided largely through the
Mass Transit Account of the Highway Trust Fund. A key to the continued growth and success
of commuter railroads and other public transportation modes is the Highway Trust Fund and
keeping it true to the need for greater investment in highway and transit infrastructure.
Railroad Legislation and the 107th Congress
In today’s hearing, the Subcommittee has focused attention on the
policy issues that confront railroads as they seek to position themselves for an expanded
role in our transportation future. A number of specific programs already have been put
before the Subcommittee.
APTA is supportive of efforts such as the High Speed Rail Investment
Act of 2001 (S. 250) because rail infrastructure needs improvement. In supporting such
efforts, APTA affirms its longstanding policy that the Mass Transit Account of the Highway
Trust Fund be used exclusively for public transportation needs and not be expanded to
cover other uses, including intercity rail.
Mr. Chairman, you and Ranking Member Bob Clement and Subcommittee
member Spencer Bachus are the chief sponsors of H.R. 1020, which would provide funding for
shortline railroads to improve track and related structures to a level that can
accommodate the safe and efficient movement of the new, heavier 286,000-pound rail cars
being adopted as an industry standard by the large railroads. While this bill probably
will have limited direct benefit to APTA’s membership, I commend the Subcommittee for
its consideration of innovative ways to help railroads grow.
I also note that the $3.5 billion Railroad Rehabilitation and
Improvement Financing program (RRIF) is a potential source of important capital funding
for both freight and passenger rail projects. No loans have been released under this
program since it was reconstituted in TEA 21, and APTA urges that any remaining
administrative obstacles be cleared in order to put this innovative program to use.
I also want to highlight the importance of research and technology to
the future of railroads. For example, the continued development of positive train control
can facilitate the integration of commuter rail, freight rail, and high-speed intercity
rail on common trackage by lowering cost and improving performance. This can help maximize
the productivity of existing infrastructure.
Finally, at some point the Subcommittee will review the rail safety
programs administered by the Federal Railroad Administration and take up the
reauthorization of the Railroad Safety Act. APTA’s position calls for reauthorization
of the Rail Safety Act without additional statutory requirements. Additional statutory and
regulatory requirements for railroad safety could divert focus and limited resources away
from pro-active safety activities and infrastructure investments.
To enhance safety, we also urge additional funding for elimination of
grade crossings and installation of protective devices. Finally, nothing should be done to
weaken the important new partnerships among FRA, rail management and rail labor that have
developed over the past years. Through the FRA’s Rail Safety Advisory Committee and
our own Passenger Rail Equipment Safety Standards program, rail labor and management are
partnering with FRA to enhance rail safety – to make permanent our record of the
seven safest years in railroad history.
RAILROADS AND OUR TRANSPORTATION FUTURE
In the railroad family, as well as the transportation community at
large, all modes benefit as each mode is improved. Whenever this happens, the public is
the beneficiary. APTA will be supportive of an agenda that benefits all segments of the
transportation industry.
For commuter rail, we want to build on the success of TEA 21. There are
clear indications that the public wants rail passenger transportation, and will choose to
use public transportation when provided the availability of quality service. All around
the country, people are voting with their feet and flocking to rail.
We also want a process that can assure better cooperation in the use of
shared corridors. In the end, this will also be of benefit to freight railroads as well as
passenger agencies by bringing in additional resources and public support. On a more
practical level, the 200 new passenger rail projects authorized by Congress in TEA 21 will
not happen without a workable process.
APTA appreciates the opportunity to testify, and looks forward to
working with the Subcommittee to assure that our nation continues to be served with an
efficient and effective freight and passenger rail network.
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