Maine on board with high-speed rail; upgrade work on the popular Downeaster begins

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Yesterday, in a blog about traveling on high-speed rail lines in Turkey and Italy, I talked about good American jobs and improved service as we begin the challenge of developing a US high-speed rail industry.

It didn't take long for the state of Maine to rise to that challenge. Later in the day, we finalized a grant agreement allowing work to begin on the rehabilitation and expansion of the popular Downeaster Boston-to-Portland Amtrak intercity passenger service.

That work is the first phase of bringing high-speed rail to northern New England.

These funds are part of the initial $8 billion set aside in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to jump-start an American high-speed and intercity passenger rail system. And, while some of those funds have been designated for brand new high-speed rail corridors, a key part of our high-speed rail plan requires upgrading existing rail routes, particularly popular lines like the Downeaster, which has served nearly 3 million passengers.

Commenting on the grant, Maine Senator Olympia Snowe reminded everyone of the line's popularity:

“This grant validates the unceasing diligence of the people who promote, manage and operate the Downeaster, a truly invaluable transportation and economic asset. Since its inception, the Downeaster has generated more than $40 million in fares and last year it had a customer service satisfaction rate of 93%, and this extension will not only help boost the economy of Coastal Maine, but all of Maine.”

Sen. Snowe is right about the Downeaster, and she's right about the economic stimulus this grant provides.

This project is a great example of what the Recovery Act is all about. We’re giving travelers better options while putting people in Maine back to work and improving New England’s rail infrastructure. That's a win for everyone.

The 110-mile Boston-Portland route has been designated for years as a high-speed corridor. But rail improvements are needed to allow the train to travel faster.

The work will rehabilitate approximately 26.4 miles of existing rail lines, improve 36 highway-rail grade crossings, upgrade numerous wayside signals, install signals on the Brunswick Branch, and result in many other right of way improvements. Those improvements will add up to potentially higher speeds.

Then there's the Downeaster's 30-mile expansion from Portland northward to Brunswick with a stop in Freeport.

Senator Susan Collins said, “Extending Amtrak service north to Freeport and Brunswick has long been a goal of the Northern New England Passenger Rail Authority, and the start of this important infrastructure project is welcome news.”

Maine Governor John Baldacci was even more enthusiastic. “This is an incredible project," he said, adding that, "The expansion of passenger rail service north of Portland has been a priority for my administration.”

I wrote yesterday that, as we move forward on high-speed rail in the US, we want to get it right. That means taking what already works--like the Downeaster--and making it faster, with more capacity and improved connectivity.

And that is exactly what we are doing in Maine.

Now, we can't do these upgrades without the cooperation of stakeholders, and that includes the freight railroads who own the rights of way and the track we need to improve. Federal Railroad Administrator Joe Szabo and I have had constructive discussions with the Association of American Railroads and many railroad CEOs, and we are fully committed to working with states and freight railroads to help them reach agreements that promote the public interest while satisfying private sector interests.

About the enhancements we need for high-speed passenger service, a recent National Journal blog observed that, "Upgrading track and signal systems, eliminating grade crossings, refurbishing existing stations, and deploying positive train control technology---will not only benefit the private railroad companies, but also enhance the overall capacity of the nation's freight carrying infrastructure."

So we are confident that more accords will be reached, permitting us to finalize more grant agreements with more states. And the pace of American high-speed intercity passenger rail will continue accelerating.

The state of Maine is getting it done today. And I look forward to seeing that success repeated across the country as the Obama Administration gets a US high-speed rail system on track.

http://fastlane.dot.gov/2010/07/state-of-maine-on-board-with-highspeed-rail-upgrade-work-on-the-popular-downeaster-begins.html

[IndigoSkies 168]

High speed rail in America? Won't happen for another 50-60 years.

[I AM NOT THAT GUY 5,715]

California is building it's own Super Train.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ki0QLh-TcVc

California to get $2.25 billion in federal high-speed rail funding.

[IndigoSkies 168]

California is building it's own Super Train.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ki0QLh-TcVc

California to get $2.25 billion in federal high-speed rail funding.

Can they please please please change the color of the train. It looks so ugly like a long stream of #######

[I AM NOT THAT GUY 5,715]

Can they please please please change the color of the train. It looks so ugly like a long stream of #######

This one?

[slim 1,533]

What a waste of money.

I find it ironic this thing is called the "Down" easter. Projects like this are exactly what's going to take our economy "down" the tubes. And, putting on my tinfoil cap for a moment, I heard these high-speed rail projects were designed to make it easier to transport us to the FEMA camps once martial law has been implemented.

Is this the "change" you guys voted for?

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What a waste of money.

Tell us why.

[slim 1,533]

I see $40 million in fares... how much did it cost to make this thing and how much does it cost to operate?

Around here, we often see "$X fares" but they usually fail to celebrate the "$XX subsidies, operation costs, etc."

Dare I say that's also happened there? And with "rehabilitate approximately 26.4 miles of existing rail lines, improve 36 highway-rail grade crossings, upgrade numerous wayside signals, install signals on the Brunswick Branch, and result in many other right of way improvements" still to come, I'm guessing that $40 million isn't going to cover all that. I bet we have to look up to the $8 billion federal recovery plan to start seeing where that money's coming from.

Simply put, when the government gets involved with anything.... we all lose.

[Ban Hammer 14,364]

Tell us why.

amtrack is subsidized with tax dollars.

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amtrack is subsidized with tax dollars.

And do you believe the economic value-add of Amtrak can be counted by mere ticket revenues?

[I AM NOT THAT GUY 5,715]

And do you believe the economic value-add of Amtrak can be counted by mere ticket revenues?

This is America. If you can't make it on your own, you fail, you go away. Why would you build something too big to fail in this political climate?

[slim 1,533]

And do you believe the economic value-add of Amtrak can be counted by mere ticket revenues?

This is also what we get all the time. "But you're not taking into account the business that is generated by the availability of workers using this line to get to work each day. The shops and factories that are contributing to the economy because of the riders and the money those riders are able to save - and then put into the economy - because of this rail line. It's a win-win."

What "win-win" really means is not only does the economy get money from people (and businesses) but it gets paid twice by the people and then by the government. Last time I checked our taxes weren't supposed to stimulate the economy and pay for private business people to get rich.

This is America. If you can't make it on your own, you fail, you go away. Why would you build something too big to fail in this political climate?

Or you simply lobby someone in Congress to subsidize your business so you never fail. Let the American people pay you. Twice. It's a win-win!

How these people sleep at night is beyond me. I know they're sleeping in their big comfortable beds in their air conditioned houses, but can they really close their eyes without feeling ashamed?

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This is America. If you can't make it on your own, you fail, you go away. Why would you build something too big to fail in this political climate?

Fair point. I've seen how packed the Northeast Regional can get, in fact I used it to go back and forth to DC last weekend. I'm a big fan of the service but admittedly I've never used Amtrak outside of the NY-DC corridor. I don't really know how well the Downeast does, other than to know that Maine politicians seem to like it.

Last time I checked our taxes weren't supposed to stimulate the economy and pay for private business people to get rich.

And how long ago was that?

[slim 1,533]

I don't really know how well the Downeast does, other than to know that Maine politicians seem to like it.

That ought to tell you something right there.

And how long ago was that?

Oh, early 20th century, back when taxes were all the sudden "necessary" for the fed to operate.

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That ought to tell you something right there.

It does. Governors tend to have a good 'feel' for their state. You tend to not have ideological dogma to the same extent at that level. Unlike Senators and Congressmen/women in DC, Governors are more than mere debaters/dissenters. So when the Governor of Maine says he likes this, I tend to believe it's more likely than not a good thing for Maine.