www.railroad.net Latest US News 17th November 2011

Amtrak Service Resumes At Station in Minot
Posted: 16 Nov 2011 09:46 AM PST

As reported by the Minot Daily News,  Amtrak will be resuming passenger service at Minot Station in North Dakota.  It will be the first time in over 4 months that the train will pick up passengers at this train station.
At the end of June, the Souris River flooded and caused serious damage to the train station.  The entire town of Minot was effected as 10,000 people were forced to evacuate.  This flood was indeed a rare occurrence as the rive reached levels it had never scene before.
Mother Nature has continued to deal many blows over the past few years.  In addition to this flood, 2011 saw a historic flood from the Mississippi River as well.  Many experts have tried to explain why floods have seemed to pick up as time has gone on – but for local residents – the pieces still needed to be picked up long after the flood.
So, while, it has taken a very long time for this town and local train station to get back up on it’s feet – today is of course welcome news for anyone living in or traveling through Minot, North Dakota.


Charlotte Looks to Fund Passenger Rail with Tax Revenue
Posted: 15 Nov 2011 11:06 PM PST

In terms of passenger rail projects in this country, there is no shortage of ambition, but there usually is a shortage of funding.  The Charlotte Observer has reported that North Carolina is very familiar with the frustrations associated with lack of federal funding.  The city has had plans in place for a commuter line to Lake Norman using Norfolk-Southern freight tracks, but a lack of funding for the line has put the project on hold.  The project is estimated to cost $213 million with the total cost reaching $300 million when operating costs are included.
The Charlotte City Council, with the help of the N.C. Department of Transportation and a private consultant, has been discussing a variety of ways to overcome funding woes. Initially, the council favored a “Transit-Oriented Development” program, which was categorized by using tax revenue from residential and commercial development to help the project.  The new plan, known as “Value Capture” or “Freight-Oriented Development,” is based on the idea that improvements to Norfolk-Southern’s freight line will lead to increased use of the line by the freight rail giant.  The council hopes that with increased use, there will also be an increase in development of warehouses and distribution centers, which would create a great deal of tax revenue as well.  Officials are very excited about Freight-Oriented Development and feel that it will allow the Charlotte-Lake Norman commuter line to “capture the benefit of the economic development that the rail line would spawn.”
It is uncertain what the future holds for the proposed Charlotte-Lake Norman passenger rail line, but Charlotte should be given credit for taking alternate paths to find rail funding.  Money for rail projects from the government is dwindling, so cities across the country will have to build passenger rails on their own, whether it be with tax revenues or by other means.  Freight-Oriented Development may not work in all areas of the country, but it seems like an ideal strategy for N.C., where there is potential for tax revenues from freight shipping growth.


No Funding for High-Speed/Intercity rail in 2012
Posted: 15 Nov 2011 09:50 PM PST

The Congressional debate over rail funding has been raging for the  past few months, and conservatives/rail opponents have pushed for the complete elimination of funding for passenger rail infrastructure projects and Amtrak in the 2012 spending bill.  However, through compromise, a 2012 spending bill has been proposed that leaves some rail funding, albeit less than hoped.
Delaware Online has reported that, although President Obama requested $4 billion in funding for high-speed and normal-speed passenger rail, the proposed funding bill falls quite short of this mark.  The bill will completely eliminate funding for intercity and high-speed rail.  A bit of a silver lining can be found in the fact that $1.4 billion will be allotted for the operation of Amtrak, which will allow heavily used service’s like Amtrak’s Downeaster line will be able to continue operation.
Congress will take up the funding bill this week and the Senate is expected to vote on the bill on Friday.
Its appalling that the proposed 2012 spending bill does not include any money for high-speed or intercity rail.  This past year has witnessed some of the greatest growth in ridership numbers ever and projections show further increases for years to come. Cities all across the country are looking into the creating intercity rail to improve transportation for their residents, but without funding progress cannot be made.   Although compromise is necessary for a successful government, it seems that this proposed spending bill is extremely short-sided and does not have the nation’s transportation future in mind.  High-speed rail and passenger rail funding will be used to create intercity connections that will benefit the country for decades, which is a fact that Congress should stop ignoring.


Smoking Is No Longer Allowed on the LIRR Platforms
Posted: 15 Nov 2011 04:47 PM PST

Those taking advantage of the LIRR as a quick and easy way to get into The Big Apple will no longer be allowed to smoke on the platforms.
Years ago – New York City banned smoking in bars.  And while many people complained, this move was widely applauded.  When you are indoors, smoking can effect those around it, and people who worked at Bars were subjected to smoke each day.
However, the platforms are somewhat of a different animal.  They are outdoors – so many people will argue that this initiative isn’t fair.  Many studies which have discussed second hand smoke have focused on effects that happen indoors.  Outdoors many smokers will say does not effect others as much.
This is surely to be a heated debate.  Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.   Do you agree with the ban?  Would you like to see a similar ban imposed on your outdoor train station platform?

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