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Corridor One funding in the works
By Press And Journal Staff : 10/10/2007
Last month the U.S. Senate approved the 2008 Transportation, Housing, and Urban Development [THUD] Appropriations Bill which would give Pennsylvania about $31.5 million for transportation projects.
The biggest chunk, $11.5 million, will go to Capital Area Transit [CAT] to help fund Corridor One, a project that will provide rail service between Lancaster and Harrisburg.
Sen. Arlen Specter said he was pleased that his fellow senators recognized the importance of the transportation projects in Pennsylvania. “These projects are necessary advancements to expand and improve our roadways and mass transit infrastructure and an important force for economic growth in our local communities,” Specter said in a press release.
Corridor One is a 37.4-mile regional rail system designed to provide improved mobility and accessibility for people and goods within the region, according to the 2007 Regional Rail Community Report, published by Modern Transit Partnership [MTP].
The goal of non-profit MTP is to provide transportation to Central Pennsylvania. MTP has been working with CAT to help improve public transportation.
MTP president John Ward said the $11.5 million, along with other federal and state funds and private donations, will provide all that is needed to complete the project.
To date, MTP has spent $9.5 million on Corridor One. The remaining $19.4 million will be spent once the Federal Transit Authority [FTA] gives MTP permission to start construction.
When Corridor One is complete its construction cost will be $29 million. According to Ward, that is cheap for a mass transit system.
Ward said that it would cost $30 million a mile to build four lanes of Interstate 283.
“If you think about it, Corridor One costs less than a $1 million a mile.” Ward said.
MTP hopes to use existing train stations along the Keystone Corridor at Harrisburg, Middletown Elizabethtown, Mount Joy and Lancaster. New stations are planned at Harrisburg International Airport and in the community of Independence in Lancaster County’s East Hempfield Township.
Using existing stations and rail lines is what will cut down on costs, Ward explained.
Getting Support
Since the Corridor One commuter line will operate on Amtrak-owned rails, it is important for MTP to have Amtrak’s support.
Manager of Media Relations for Amtrak Karina Romero explained that a number of representatives from Amtrak have been involved with the Corridor One project since the beginning and will continue their involvement.
Romero also said that Amtrak expects to lose some passengers because Corridor One will make additional stops that Amtrak does not make.
“Because this is still in the planning stages, specifics have yet to be worked out,” Romero said. “Overall, Amtrak supports passenger rail growth.”
MTP has been talking to several municipalities and government officials, and they are all on board, Ward said. Corridor One operation costs the first year are estimated at about $10 million, he said.
MTP officials hope Corridor One will be complete by October 2009, but they are waiting to hear if Pennsylvania will fund operation of the rail line from year to year. FTA will not approve Corridor One until the state has guaranteed funding for operational costs, said Ward.
Opposition to the project
Pennsylvania Secretary of Transportation Allen Biehler spoke out against the Corridor One project in an editorial printed in an area newspaper.
“I thought we had the governor’s and Biehler’s support until, [Biehler’s] editorial was published,” Ward said.
Biehler stated there would be a “$92.60 taxpayer subsidy for each and every passenger trip.” That figure translates to the state paying $51,800 per year on a single passenger, to cover the $10 million operating costs, according to Biehler.
PennDOT press secretary Richard Kirkpatrick reported that Philadelphia’s SEPTA service requires a $4 to $5 subsidy, Amtrak Keystone, a $10 to $12 subsidy, and Harrisburg CAT a $3.50 subsidy.
But Ward countered the criticisms with his own facts, saying Biehler lacks vision. “[Biehler’s] letter paints a picture of day one and assumes it doesn’t change,” explained Ward.
The FTA uses a computer model to predict the number of riders who will use a mass transit system each year, explained Ward. He described the numbers that the FTA uses as “ultra conservative.” Ward pointed out that in Minneapolis, the Hiawatha Light Rail line beat the FTA’s predictions by 68 percent at the end of the first year.
“He did not take into consideration the consumer development, decrease in the rate of congestion. He has to have better vision.”
Biehler also disagrees with the Corridor One project because Amtrak is already running hourly rail service during the morning, afternoon, and evening between Lancaster and Harrisburg.
Moving ahead, but need help
Despite opposition, the project is moving along.
Ward believes that the commuter schedule is what will make Corridor One successful.
“[Corridor One] trains will be running between Amtrak’s,” explained Ward. “Along with Amtrak’s trains there will be a train every half-hour [at each station].”
Ward explained that commuter rates would be offered as well.
“A one-way ticket from Lancaster to Harrisburg would cost $4,” Ward said. “There will also be passes that give discounts.”
According to Kirkpatrick, the state is not completely opposed to new commuter rail service. A new state transportation funding law, Act 44, was passed in July, with a section for new rail initiatives; but there are requirements, said Kirkpatrick. He said there must be a reasonable return on investment and a local dedicated funding commitment to pay local match for the project and ongoing costs.
“[Biehler] is concerned about the finances,” explained Kirkpatrick. “If the local entities see this as a need, they need to step up and help finance [the project].”
According to Ward, there is not a mass transit system in the world that does not need government support. “No mass transit system that I know of breaks even,” explained Ward.
Looking to the future
While the state makes a decision on whether or not to provide the operational funding needed to complete the Corridor One project, MTP is already looking into Corridor Two.
MTP is moving forward with feasibility study Corridor Two, Ward said.
Corridor Two would connect Lebanon, Hershey, and Harrisburg by commuter rail line. |