For your amusement, I have placed the official press release on the signing of the PPP contracts for London Underground next to two newspaper accounts of the same event. -- JS Commuter-Rail Trip Gets Mixed Reviews from Raleigh, N.C.-Area Officials News & Observer 05/04/2002 OTTAWA, Canada--A five-mile ride on a commuter train in Canada's capital Friday was enough to fire the enthusiasm of Triangle rail supporters, but not enough to win over skeptics. About 100 Triangle business people and government officials, in town for a three-day conference sponsored by the Greater Raleigh Chamber of Commerce, boarded Ottawa's O-Train to get a taste of the system planned for the Triangle. The shiny, red, diesel-powered trains, with tinted windows and pointed noses at both ends, are similar to the trains the Triangle Transit Authority plans to run between Durham and Raleigh. Last fall, Ottawa became the first city in North America to put the trains in service. Some in the Triangle delegation posed for photos in front of the train when it came into Ottawa's Greensboro station, about five miles south of downtown. Later, as the O-Train crossed the Rideau River and cut through the campus of Carleton University in Ottawa, they described the roominess of the cars and the quiet ride. But the 20-minute trip didn't convince Raleigh City Council member John Odom that the Triangle is ready for commuter trains. "I think it's going to be a while before we need it," Odom said. "I'd like to see us invest more in buses first." That's what Ottawa did. Buses are the backbone of OC Transpo, the transit system that serves Ottawa and the city of Gatineau, across the Ottawa River in Quebec. OC Transpo puts about 720 buses on the road each day. They creep in the city traffic, but after leaving downtown they zip along bus-only lanes or enter one of two transitways -- roadways for buses with stations similar to a train line. By U.S. standards, the system is tremendously successful. In the city of Ottawa, with about 800,000 residents, about 16 percent of all trips are made on mass transit, compared with less than 3 percent in the Triangle, said Gordon Diamond, executive director of OC Transpo. Sixty percent of downtown workers take transit to work, Diamond said, and as many as 30 percent of shoppers at large suburban shopping centers arrive by bus. Despite the success with buses, Ottawa wants to continue to add rail. Diamond said trains can carry far more people for less money in the long run. "When you get to a certain critical mass, and you want to start moving larger numbers of people, you start to look at rail," he said. Ottawa has started slowly, with a $15 million pilot program to give politicians and the public a chance to see whether rail will work. To keep costs low, the initial five-mile section was put on a seldom-used freight track. The five stations are simple platforms with benches and shelters. By contrast, TTA plans to build two sets of 35-mile tracks and 16 enclosed stations, with coffee stands and kiosks, for the system it plans to open in late 2007. The Ottawa trains, capable of reaching 80 mph under ideal conditions, shimmy on the freight tracks at no more than 40 mph. "Our train will have new tracks and move much faster," said Raleigh Mayor Charles Meeker. "But it's very nice," he said of the Ottawa system. Mike Golder, president of Barrington Homes in Cary, said the TTA's trains will have to save people time to attract riders. The Ottawa train didn't demonstrate that it would, Golder said. "I was wondering what the hubbub was about," he said. Bombardier, the Canadian-based company that built the three-car trains used by OC Transpo, has agreed to take them back within two years if the OC Transpo decides not to continue with rail. That's not likely to happen, said Dennis Jacobs, director of planning and infrastructure for the city of Ottawa."It is being well-received, and we're looking at how to extend it to the airport and downtown," Jacobs said. The O-Train provides a shortcut between two parts of the busway system, and most of the initial riders are people who already rode the bus, Diamond said. About 5,000 people ride the train each day, though that number recently dropped when Carleton University let out for the summer. Kris Banfield said the O-Train has shaved 15 to 20 minutes off his commute from home to Algonquin College, where he is studying computer science. Banfield, 28, also likes that his laptop doesn't get as jostled as it does on the bus."It's a lot more comfortable. I get to do some reading," he said, sitting on the platform at Greensboro station. "For some reason, my motion sickness doesn't affect me that much on the train." Others are indifferent about the train, given its limitations. Lyn Donaldson said that because the train doesn't go downtown, where she works for the Canadian defense department, she continues to take the bus. "Presently, the train's not very convenient," said Donaldson, 55. "But I would definitely ride it if it were going where I needed to go." Despite the high ridership, OC Transpo's system of buses and trains doesn't pay for itself. Fares from riders account for about 60 percent of OC Transpo's annual budget; the rest comes from local real estate taxes. Wake County Commissioner Betty Mangum doesn't think Triangle taxpayers would be willing to support a transit system. "It needs to pay for itself," Mangum said. "I've heard loud and clear from the citizenry, they want their taxes lower." Agency OK to cross river puts trolley on fast track The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette 05/04/2002 Construction on central Arkansas' River Rail streetcar project will begin by summer now that the trolley line has gained clearance to rumble across the Main Street bridge. The Central Arkansas Transit Authority Board of Directors approved an eight-page agreement Friday morning with the state Highway and Transportation Department that outlines uses and rights for modifying the bridge for the electric streetcars. The board voted 8-0 in a special meeting to approve the contract, signaling the $18.35 million project's movement toward completion in 2004. Local officials promote the project as the forerunner to a regional light-rail system. "We are on track here pun intended," board Chairman Bob Major said after the vote. "Definitely, this is a monumental decision made here today to get the project started." No construction could begin without the bridge agreement, delayed nearly a year as negotiations dragged on. Modifying the bridge is critical because the Arkansas River crossing will link a 2.2-mile route through downtown Little Rock and North Little Rock. With the bridge agreement in hand, the board also voted 8-0 to prepare invitations for contractors to bid on the project's first construction phase, a $900,000 trolley maintenance barn in North Little Rock. Construction at Seventh and Main streets is expected to begin in July. "There is no holdup for the trolley barn," said Keith Jones, the authority's executive director. A U.S. Coast Guard permit and final approval of the agreement by the Federal Transit Administration are still needed, but no delays are foreseen, Jones added. State Highway Department administrators were "very cooperative," Jones told his board, in changing earlier, more stringent wording concerning requirements over the use of the bridge and necessary modifications. The authority needs to add tracks on the east side of the bridge, remove a concrete barrier and reduce lane width for the two northbound traffic lanes from 12 feet to 11 feet. The bridge work is projected to take 12 of the 18 months needed for the project. Construction to modify the bridge should begin in August if bids are accepted in June, project manager Paul Pool said. Separate bid packages for the track and the overhead power supply will come this fall, he added. Changes in the agreement with the Highway Department streamline the approval process of work done, remove a requirement that the authority add a handicapped access ramp to the sidewalk opposite the new tracks and secure the rights to the bridge for the life of the trolley cars, estimated at 40-50 years, instead of an earlier 25-year restriction. The agreement isn't without problems, though, authority attorney Hal Kemp told the board. Kemp warned the board at its last meeting April 16 that draft language threatened the viability of the entire project. Kemp called the agreement a "conceptual meeting of the minds" between Jones and Highway Department Director Dan Flowers. But he said wording about the authority's accepting liability for personal injury or property damage could imply the authority would waive tort immunity. As a government entity, the authority is immune from civil lawsuits. "I don't think you can or should waive statutory immunity," Kemp said. The board included a statement in its meeting minutes that it doesn't intend to waive any immunity by accepting the bridge agreement. State highway officials did not attend the meeting. The lengthy negotiations over the bridge had been stalled since last summer. "We kind of wore each other down," Jones told his board. The electric streetcars will run alongside automobile traffic on the bridge. The bridge is to remain open during construction. Later that day, Jones laid out the project's plans and its progress as the guest speaker at a North Little Rock Chamber of Commerce luncheon. "We're excited about (the project)," said Randy Herlocker, chairman of the chamber's board of directors, after the luncheon. "It's going to put together all the things we see happening in the Argenta area of downtown North Little Rock and in the River Market area of Little Rock." Dallas Light-Rail System Moves into Suburbs with New Station The Dallas Morning News 05/05/2002 The commutes of hundreds of North Texas residents beginning Monday will mix with raccoons, Virginia possums and swamp rabbits along with the usual four-wheeled Beetles, Impalas and Rams. Dallas Area Rapid Transit's LBJ/Skillman station opens Monday, marking the first time light-rail trains will reach beyond Dallas' major highway loop toward a suburban ridership. About a third of the new 3.5-mile rail segment runs on the west side of Dallas' White Rock Lake Park, home to a plethora of furry and feathered creatures. "It's a beautiful ride through there," said Gary Thomas, DART's president and executive director, who until taking over the agency last year shepherded rail construction through the wetlands and creeks of White Rock. Trains making practice runs last week moved quickly through the more than one-mile stretch of parkland but made little noise as skaters and cyclists followed the White Rock Trail under the train tracks. Rabbits, hawks, barred owls and Virginia possums all call White Rock home. The area also has towering examples of at least three types of elm trees and several species of oaks. Construction over the last four years disrupted some areas of the park, and the agency spent $300,000 to restore ponds and vegetation adjacent to the tracks. "It was fairly costly, but it was a good investment," said Tim McKay, DART's senior vice president for project management. "Fortunately, there was enough area outside of our work zone for the wildlife to retreat to. Once it gets quiet again, they'll take over where we were." The effort makes a difference to some commuters, with the choice of driving to the White Rock station for a shorter trip or the LBJ/Skillman station to enjoy a touch of scenery. "If I worked downtown, I'd probably save a few minutes," said Sahar Abussaad, out for her first train ride with her sister, Dalal. "But for us, we'd prefer the scenery." Part of the scenery includes a ride along the second-longest section of elevated track in the DART system. The bridge through White Rock Lake Park is 4,695 feet long, a scant 53 feet shorter than the bridge over the Trinity River into Oak Cliff. The bridge segment makes up the largest part of the brief glimpse of White Rock's scenery, which rail passengers should see for a minute or two while traveling at a top speed of 60 mph. Nature themes also abound at the new LBJ/Skillman station, which has native plants, spring wildflowers and a picnic area similar to those found in Texas roadside rest stops. The station also features artwork with quotes from President Lyndon B. Johnson and his wife, Lady Bird Johnson. The former first lady ushered in an era of roadside beautification still seen along Texas highways. "How I wish it were possible to see your imaginative re-creation of a covered roadside rest stop," Mrs. Johnson wrote in a letter to DART. "What makes my heart really sing is learning you are landscaping the area with native plants and wildflowers! "Lyndon would have joined me in feeling very proud that you are honoring us for our efforts toward the environment and conservation with the Highway Beautification Act." With the $85.1 million extension, light-rail trains will operate within a mile of Garland. Trains should reach downtown Garland in November, and a track to Richardson is scheduled to open July 1. Most important, DART officials said, the new station has broken the LBJ Freeway barrier. "We'll get a whole new set of customers with this station," said Doug Allen, DART's executive vice president for program development. "LBJ Freeway has been both an actual barrier and a psychological barrier. And there's not a real good way to get from that part of town to downtown." Bridging the barrier also involved building a new train trestle over LBJ Freeway the only DART rail line that will go over traffic on Dallas' busiest highway. That portion of the project required DART, the city and the state to shut down portions of LBJ Freeway during weekends. Trains will travel over LBJ Freeway and reach the north edge of downtown in 18 minutes; trains will stop at the West End light-rail station in about 24 minutes. The trip means that the LBJ/Skillman station may be full of commuters' cars while not alleviating much of the parking lot crowding at other stations including White Rock, Mr. Allen said. Trains will consist of at least two and often three cars at a time, and will leave every 10 minutes during peak commute times and every 15 minutes during off-peak hours. Between 1,500 and 2,000 passengers a day will use the LBJ/Skillman station. "It's a pretty quick trip, and it's scenic, and it's quiet," Mr. McKay said. Fraud Probe At MTA; Investigators Target Costly Payments To Workers The Daily News of Los Angeles 05/05/2002 Job-related injuries and illness cost the MTA $6,500 annually per employee -- the highest average in the nation -- prompting the District Attorney's Office to beef up investigation of workers' compensation fraud at the agency, officials say. Tom Higgins, head deputy in the district attorney's Workers' Compensation Fraud Bureau, said his office has assigned two prosecutors to oversee fraud investigations at the MTA, where workers' compensation costs are 15 times higher than in Washington, D.C., 11 times more than Atlanta, seven times higher than New York City -- and twice the average of other transit agencies in California. "The statistics suggest there is some pretty significant fraud going on," Higgins said. "We are going to engage in aggressive prosecution of provable cases, combined with a very vigorous outreach program of deputy district attorneys talking to employees." If the program is successful in reducing fraud, the model is expected to be used in other government bodies, including the city, Los Angeles County and the Los Angeles Unified School District. Metropolitan Transportation Authority Chairman John Fasana said the organization expects to spend $60 million this fiscal year, almost double the $35 million it spent five years ago. "The cost is huge," Fasana said. "We have a tremendous need for improved transportation here, and the costs are unacceptable. "Fraud is a big part of the costs, and we have to discourage a system that makes it easy for normally law-abiding citizens to cheat the system." MTA workers' compensation costs have increased an average of 14 percent in each of the past 10 years, while the number of employees has remained relatively stable, Principal Deputy County Counsel Rosanne Wong said. In 2001-02, the MTA estimates it will spend $60 million on workers' compensation costs for its 9,000 employees, or $6,500 per employee. "New York's workers' compensation laws are much more conservative than California," Wong said. "You can actually win (fraud) cases there. It's hard to compare another state to California because California is the most liberal state as far as workers' compensation laws go." In response to the ballooning costs, the MTA dropped its contract last fall with a private company that reviewed claims and is now having its own security personnel coordinate with investigative firms in the hopes of uncovering fraud. The MTA's workers have filed more than 12,000 injury claims since 1998, but only 16 cases were referred to the District Attorney's Office for criminal prosecution as of January. Two were rejected, five were prosecuted and the rest are pending. But since January, Higgins said 16 more cases have been referred to him. Higgins hopes a program to educate MTA employees about what constitutes fraud and how prosecuting those who commit fraud will help bring down the costs. "I think this area of workers' compensation fraud may be susceptible to prevention efforts because the overwhelming majority of people who are referred to my office don't have previous criminal records," Higgins said. "If people are aware the district attorney is looking at fraud, we can educate them about some of the more common problems that can get them into trouble and lead to prosecution." For example, Higgins said some employees might be injured in a football game over the weekend and then claim the injury occurred at work. Or employees may stay out on workers' compensation leave longer than the injury warrants. "In an environment where the crime of workers' compensation fraud is viewed as a situation where everybody else is doing it, for that kind of person, prevention efforts work," Higgins said. United Transportation Union spokesman Goldy Norton said the union has met with Higgins and is well aware of his plans. "We certainly don't condone workers' compensation fraud and if they find someone who has filed a false claim, they are supposed to do their job," Norton said. "That also applies to the management if they are involved in any hanky-panky. It's not just for workers." David Guthman, director of the district attorney's Bureau of Fraud and Corruption, which oversees Higgins' bureau, said he directed Higgins to go forward with the plan, but he had questions whether it was an appropriate program for the District Attorney's Office to be involved in. "One question I asked him to research is if there is any indication that MTA's increased costs are because of fraud, or because of other economic factors, medical costs, state legislative changes, and in part because there has been very little reported to us in terms of suspected fraud by employees of the MTA," Guthman said. "I think crime prevention activities are great, but there is a point where you say: Is it the responsibility of the district attorney to engage in crime prevention, or would the MTA or employee groups be responsible?" Although officials suspect fraud has helped drive up the MTA's costs, Higgins said the tremendous increase in medical costs, deregulation of the workers' compensation system in the mid-1990s and state legislation that makes it easier to obtain benefits have been behind the greatest increase in costs. As part of its effort to bring costs down, the MTA signed a five-year contract with DuPont Safety Resources, based in Newark, Del., to focus on creating a safer work environment. DuPont hopes to reduce worker injuries by 50 percent in the next five years. "By reducing the amount of injuries and accidents, you are going to reduce that $6,500 cost per employee," said Roseanne Danner, vice president of DuPont Safety Resources. "What we're trying to do is to help the MTA make a culture change." The program focuses on training employees on safer work practices and putting in a management system that focuses on reducing and preventing injuries. The program was successful in reducing New York Transit's accidents by 50 percent in five years. MTA Chief Financial Officer Dick Brumbaugh said the agency is optimistic Higgins' approach will bring costs down and the MTA has already seen the number of accidents and injuries stabilize since DuPont began its work. "What we hope to do is correct the root causes and keep people at work and safe from injury," Brumbaugh said. Fasana said state lawmakers need to get a handle on the costs statewide because it's a bad system. "The costs are unacceptably high, but I do think we are taking aggressive actions to manage the system we have," Fasana said. "We want to catch fraud that is out there and minimize injuries. But somebody at the state level needs to take a look at the system because it's broken." Going down the Tube Toronto Star 05/05/2002 THE CHIME warns that the train is about to leave the platform and, as the doors draw to a close, a final surge of bodies is hurled into the crowded carriage. Suddenly, the clearly irritated conductor's voice booms on the speaker: "Do not throw yourselves against the closing doors like half-crazed suicidal lemmings!" Everyone inside the carriage laughs, but there is still some grumbling. No one wants to wait 10 minutes for the next train. It's rush hour, the station is crowded with tired commuters desperate to get out of the city and, once again, the Tube is running late. The world-famous London Underground moves 3 million passengers a day, making it an essential public service in one of the world's largest and most congested cities. But despite being a symbol of London and once a worldwide model for mass transit, the Tube -- indeed, Britain's entire public transportation system -- is at a crisis point. And commuters are fed up. "Taking the London Tube is like a survival course," says Steven Hope-Wynn, 39, outside the Canary Wharf station in southeast London. "I don't know why we've put up with it for so long. There is an atmosphere of accepted negligence." The London Underground is among the dirtiest and least reliable transit systems in Europe. And everyone, from government policy wonks to commuters, blames years of underinvestment. Since the 1970s, a steady stream of governments, Labour as well as Conservatives, withdrew funding, says David Beynon of the Rail Passengers Council, which represents the interests of commuters. "It is safe to say, because we have been living with such a bad system for so long, people have resigned themselves to the fact that nothing can be done." If Toronto is looking for new ways to cope with traffic congestion and expand its public-transport system to tightly link the suburbs, it may wish to look at the British experience. Part of the problem here is that national and municipal governments have "a clash of mandates" on how to improve the system, says Tony Grayling, a transportation expert at London's Institute for Public Policy Research. It's a battle between those who want to keep the system in public hands and those who want private-sector involvement. The London Underground is publicly owned. But for the past four years, the Labour government has been fighting with the mayor of London to introduce a $36.6 billion public-private partnership (PPP) to improve the antiquated infrastructure. The scheme involves giving 30-year contracts to three consortiums of private companies that would upgrade, renew and maintain the stations and rail lines at the 275 stations. However, the physical assets would remain in public hands as London Underground Ltd. The London Underground itself supports the plan and is busily promoting it as "Publicly Run -- Privately Built." But there is a great deal of opposition from several fronts, including the unions and, most notably, London's popular and outspoken mayor, Ken Livingstone, who has threatened to sue if the city is forced to undertake the scheme. "The plan is not good value for money," Grayling says. "The mayor also knows that it is basically a low-risk initiative for the private companies. The contracts call for taxpayers to pay any over-costs. No one knows precisely how much that is, but over a 30-year period it could run into hundreds of millions of pounds." Part of the reason no one can truly assess the contract's implications is that not all of it has been made publicly available, he adds. "PPPs have traditionally been as such because private companies want to maintain the commercial confidentiality." The London Underground disagrees, saying the PPP has been subjected to intense scrutiny throughout its development and represents the "biggest improvement and investment program the Tube has ever seen." Grayling says another reason Tony Blair's "New Labour" government wants to push through the private-sector deal is that the public sector has not done a better job. For example, the last major improvement on the Jubilee line, which links the north of London to the southeast, was built by the public sector and cost $6.9 billion more than it should have. But the Rail Passengers Council says the public is skeptical of the PPP largely because of the disastrous track record of Britain's privatized rail network, Railtrack. Three fatal crashes occurred on Railtrack's watch, including the 1999 Paddington disaster that killed 31 people. The crash that pushed public opinion over the edge was the Hatfield crash in 2000, when a high-speed train skidded off the tracks and killed four people. It was caused by a broken rail. "The Hatfield crash brought Railtrack down because it was exposed that the company did not know anything about the state of its own rails," Grayling says. "Ultimately, it was a disaster because, as a shareholder company, it was beholden to them and not passengers. It was poorly managed." There was also a noticeable decline in punctual service and bizarre disruptions. The "tomatoes-on-the-line" fiasco last year caused delays for days when two-foot-high tomato plants mysteriously began sprouting on the rail lines. Exterminators had to be dispatched to kill them so the rails would not destabilize. The cause? Passengers flushing toilets on the trains, depositing tomato seeds with their fecal matter. Last fall, with Railtrack's debt at $7.5 billion and climbing, the government finally took the network "under administration," effectively renationalizing it. It is now being run as a hybrid private company and profits are to be plowed back into the network. That arrangement did not endear Labour to the financial district, of course, so the government gave $686 million to shareholders left in the cold when the value of the company went through the floor. "Hell hath no fury like a banker scorned," Grayling says. "It was a peace offering, basically, because there are a number of public-private schemes in the country and the government does not want to lose their confidence." While the fighting continues, commuters soldier on. As Ally Cam, 26, who regularly takes the train and Tube to work, says with a shrug: "The governments, they've got their priorities but this doesn't seem like one of them. They say it'll get better but I don't believe it. It's been going on too long." Hamida Ghafour is a Canadian reporter based in London. Nation: Transportation; Magnetic-levitation Train Insight on the News 05/06/2002 Is costly maglev just a boondoggle? Enthusiasts claim maglev trains travelling at 250 mph might cure congestion woes, but analysts say this hugely expensive technology is not cost-effective. The Crestwood Improvement Association's April 2 meeting would have passed without much attention under other circumstances. Crestwood is a suburban enclave of 297 middle-class homes in the congested corridor connecting Baltimore and Washington. During the first half-hour of the meeting residents discussed a yard sale and a car break-in. But the 50 people on hand -- an enormous turnout in Crestwood -- soon dispensed with business as usual and turned their attention to a question that has gripped their sleepy community: how to stop plans for a $4 billion, 250 mph, magnetic-levitation (maglev) train scheduled to start barreling through Crestwood by 2010. Welcome to the high-stakes world of federal transportation policy. In 1998, President Bill Clinton signed the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century (TEA-21), a $218 billion blueprint for America's transit systems, highways and bridges. It included $60 million from the Highway Trust Fund for the Magnetic Levitation Transportation Technology Deployment Program, and the possibility of $950 million more for construction in 2003. Seven states dipped into the money to develop their own maglev plans. Just days before leaving office last January, Clinton secretary of transportation Rodney Slater narrowed the competition down to two potential maglev projects. One would connect Baltimore and Washington in 17 minutes, with one stop at Baltimore-Washington International (BWI) Airport. The other would connect downtown Pittsburgh and outlying suburbs to that city's growing airport. The projects would cost approximately $4 billion and $3 billion, respectively, with state and private sources providing the balance not covered by the $950 million federal grant. Congress would have to approve the funds once the Department of Transportation (DOT) picks a winner next year. Elected officials are lobbying hard for their hometown proposals. Both senators from Maryland, the mayors of Baltimore and Washington, assorted Maryland congressmen and both candidates for governor have expressed strong support. Sen. Arlen Specter (R-Pa.) thinks maglev is so impressive he has suggested funding both projects, and other members of the Pennsylvania delegation are falling in line. But not everyone thinks this pricey system is worth it. That 40-mile Baltimore-Washington link, for instance, would cost $100 million per mile. Certainly the technology is fascinating: Powerful electromagnets lift an aerodynamic vehicle to propel it forward on raised guideways at up to 310 mph. There is no metal-to-metal contact between wheels and rails, so the maglev vehicles operate quietly and promise low maintenance costs. Proponents claim that maglev can compete with airplanes for short and midrange routes, connecting cities downtown to downtown. Suhair Alkhatib, who heads the Maryland Mass Transit Administration's (MTA's) maglev project, claims studies show that upon opening in 2010 the system would carry approximately 35,000 passengers every day, saving as many as 30,000 car trips along the congested Baltimore-Washington corridor. At $26 for a one-way trip between Washington and Baltimore, Alkhatib says, the system would generate enough revenue to cover costs and interest on the privately invested funds. Advocates of the Pittsburgh project also claim that more than 30,000 people would ride their system every day, and that revenue from the fare box would support it. Wendell Cox, a frequent critic of transit projects, disagrees. An independent transportation consultant who serves on the Amtrak Reform Council, Cox calls these rider projections "laughable." He says maglev proponents are interested primarily in securing federal support. "These are used-car salesmen with graduate degrees," he tells Insight. "You are talking about people who will say anything to get money." Other transportation consultants with whom Insight spoke about these projections used terms like "ludicrous" and "ridiculous." J. Christopher Brady, president of Transrapid International-USA Inc., disputes those allegations. His company is a subsidiary of a German consortium that produces the maglev technology both proposed projects would employ. Brady assures that the estimates "are probably in the conservative-reasonable range." He argues that professional analysts who create these projections do not cook the numbers to please their employers, but exercise "internal discipline" because their reputations and future "bankability" are on the line. Alkhatib says the numbers are undergoing peer review and that federal rail officials will be the judge of their accuracy. So who would ride maglev? If commuters are the target, projections for 35,000 daily riders in Maryland seem optimistic. The Maryland Rail Commuter system (MARC) operates 43 stations and 187 miles of track in the Baltimore-Washington area. A ticket between the two cities costs $5.75 one way or $10.25 round-trip -- substantially less than the $26 one-way fare proposed for maglev. According to Frank Fulton, a spokesman for MTA, the whole MARC system currently carries slightly more than 22,000 passengers every day as compared with the 35,000 maglev projection. On the other hand, frequent stops make for slow going on MARC. The trip from Baltimore to Washington takes 57 minutes. Amtrak's Acela Express is faster. Spokeswoman Karen Dunne says customers can make the $38 trip from Baltimore to Washington on the Acela Express in 34 minutes. The service was available for 10 months of fiscal year 2001, during which time just 3,166 customers rode the route. Acela regional service takes 44 minutes, but costs only $25. In all of fiscal 2001, Dunne says, just 107,897 customers rode it between Baltimore and Washington. Phyllis Wilkins, executive director of Maglev Maryland (an outgrowth of the Baltimore Development Corp.), says the maglev-ridership projections rely on the region's rapid growth. She predicts the system will create its own demand, drawing business people, shoppers and tourists who would not otherwise travel between the two cities. MTA estimates that only about 20 percent of the projected daily ridership would be commuters. In other venues, officials selling the system are not so quick to discount commuter interest in maglev. The first line of a glossy MTA brochure offers this alluring pitch: "Imagine replacing your rush-hour commute with a 17-minute ride in a vehicle traveling 240 miles per hour -- without losing a drop of your morning coffee." Advocates of the Pittsburgh project say the system is perfect for commuters. According to a Website maintained by Maglev Inc., a consortium of Pennsylvania business, labor and academic interests funded primarily by federal grant money, "the Pennsylvania Project will really be a commuter-type operation that will become an intercity operation as the system is extended." Vukan Vuchic, a planning consultant and professor of transportation engineering at the University of Pennsylvania, argues that in their rush to study how many people might ride maglev, planners have ignored a more important question. An advocate of high-speed rail, Vuchic concedes that maglev technology works, but argues that TEA-21 does not consider cheaper alternatives. In a report Vuchic compiled for the Citizen Planning and Housing Association of Baltimore in January 2001, he argues that traditional high-speed rail systems soon will be able to cruise at speeds approaching 200 mph, cutting into maglev's speed advantage. He also says that short systems such as the ones being proposed make little sense because the maglev train barely will have a chance to get up to speed covering such distances. Vuchic tells Insight that a maglev train from Boston to Charlotte, N.C., would require all new stations, guide rails and tunnels, including pathways around, over or underneath obstacles such as Manhattan. He suggests it makes more sense to upgrade existing tracks or build a separate but more traditional high-speed rail system. According to Vuchic, such systems could operate at high speed in the open, then use existing tracks, tunnels and stations as they approach cities. "You would sacrifice a few minutes," Vuchic says, "but it would save you many billions (of dollars) and many years" in development and construction. Kevin Coates, who handles communications for Transrapid International-USA, stresses that upgrading existing lines to carry faster trains is not an easy process. He also notes that Amtrak's effort to implement upgraded service has seen mixed results. Ross Capon, executive director of the National Association of Railroad Passengers (NARP), tells Insight that his organization has not taken a formal position on maglev, but adds of Vuchic: "If we had to take a position, we certainly hold his in high regard." NARP does advocate stronger support for Amtrak. Capon poses an interesting question: "If maglev is so great, how come this hasn't happened in Germany, where it has gone a lot further?" Despite billions spent on research and development and a history of support for ambitious rail projects, Germany has not yet tested maglev in a commercial setting. In 1994 officials unveiled their plans to connect Hamburg and Berlin with a maglev system, but those plans were shelved in early 2000, in part because of rising costs. Brady says that the lengthy route "was seen as perhaps an overly ambitious first test for maglev implementation." He argues that a change in government and unexpected costs associated with Germany's reunification also factored into making implementation difficult. He adds that two smaller projects -- a commuter service around Dusseldorf and an airport connector in Munich -- now are on the drawing board. Brady also reports that China plans to open a short Transrapid maglev system linking Shanghai and its airport by early 2003. BBC News and the International Railway Journal report that the German government is helping to finance the Chinese project, although the details are unclear. A representative from the Embassy of China in Washington tells Insight that the German government has granted 100 million deutsche marks to the project Federal financing for the U.S. maglev system still is far from certain, but support remains strong on Capitol Hill. Maryland General Assembly Delegates Don Murphy and Jim Rzepkowski, both Republicans who oppose maglev, visited Washington in March to talk to national leaders. The delegates say staffers were shocked to hear that anyone was opposed at the local level. Murphy says he expects that support will grow as the time to appropriate the $950 million approaches. Both Murphy and Rzepkowski note that the Maryland maglev proposal counts on $500 million from state coffers. Ironically, Murphy and Rzepkowski say the strongest support for their side has come from Rep. Don Young (R-Alaska), a maglev enthusiast and chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. Young is distressed that both finalists for the maglev money are East Coast projects. He has voiced strong support for a project linking Las Vegas with southern California, one of the proposals rejected last January. The chairman did not provide a statement which Insight requested for this article, but media sources indicate that he still is lobbying for the Las Vegas project. On Jan. 22 the as Vegas Review-Journal and the Associated Press reported that Young said at a Nevada transportation summit, "I can stop the Baltimore-Washington project." On the other hand, Murphy and Rzepkowski might be in for a lesson in Beltway politics. Congressional aides who asked not to be identified indicate that Young's move actually might be a ploy to secure funding for two projects -- one in the East and one in the West. The Maryland lawmakers also must deal with Lt. Gov. Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, who traveled to Washington in the last days of the Clinton administration to lobby Slater to select the Maryland project as a finalist before leaving office. Townsend now widely is considered the front-runner in Maryland's gubernatorial race. The Bush administration's position still is unclear. President George W. Bush's security-minded budget proposal for the DOT would slash billions from the highway trust -- the primary source for maglev money. Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta has indicated support for high-tech projects such as maglev in the past, and both he and Deputy Secretary Michael Jackson once were high-ranking executives at Lockheed Martin Corp. In October 2000, that company announced a partnership agreement with Transrapid "to pursue maglev opportunities, including a project to build a federally supported, high-speed maglev line in a heavily traveled U.S. corridor." Warren Flatau, a spokesman for the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), tells Insight that both Mineta and Jackson have recused themselves from maglev decisions. The decision on whether to choose the Baltimore or the Pittsburgh project will rest with the FRA administrator. That position currently belongs to Allan Rutter, who was deputy executive director of the Texas High-Speed Rail Authority before joining then-governor Bush's administration at Austin in 1995. Flatau says officials still are formulating an administration position on maglev. For now it is unclear when, where or whether maglev will proceed. Activists from Crestwood and state officials such as Murphy and Rzepkowski have vowed to resist it despite the system's impressive political and corporate support. On March 13, more than 100 protesters picketed an MTA-sponsored community meeting about maglev at a middle school near BWI. Some observers suggest that antimaglev forces would be better off minimizing the project's impact instead of opposing it. They advise that residents should consider accepting maglev in exchange for a host of goodies such as parks and road projects. Rzepkowski rejects those notions, citing the intrusions and congestion from BWI, Interstate 95, the Baltimore beltway, a light-rail system and other transportation projects that already burden his part of the state. "I think my community has given enough blood to the MTA," he says. MTA FY03 Draft Budget Cuts Costs but Delivers More Service; Bus Operations Decentralize PR Newswire 05/06/2002 MTA will spend $126 million less in the next fiscal year than the current year's budget yet deliver more bus and rail service with no fare increase and be more responsive to local communities. That's the upshot of the draft Fiscal Year 03 budget prepared by MTA CEO Roger Snoble. The proposed spending plan is for the fiscal year that starts July 1, 2002. The public can view the draft budget on MTA's Internet web site at www.mta.net or request a copy by calling Charlene Aguayo in MTA Records Management at (213) 922-2342. The MTA Board of Directors will hold a public hearing on the budget at 9:30 a.m. Thursday, May 16, in the third floor Board room at MTA Headquarters next to Union Station in downtown Los Angeles. The Board also will hold a budget workshop at 1:30 p.m. May 13 and will consider adopting the FY03 budget at its regular Thursday, May 23, Board meeting that starts at 9:30 a.m. All meetings will be held in the MTA Board room. The $2.6 billion budget is balanced. It is $126 million less than this year's budget. Snoble said the reduction was achieved by reducing administrative overhead, driving down Metro Bus and Rail operating costs, and reducing worker's compensation expenses with an aggressive safety management plan. "By controlling costs, we will be able to deliver a record amount of bus and rail service next year as well as fund new street and highway and other regional programs," Snoble noted. "We also will decentralize Metro Bus operations into five service sectors in an effort to provide better customer service and be more responsive to local communities," Snoble added. Decentralize Bus Operations For decades, MTA has run a bus operation serving all Los Angeles County from its downtown Los Angeles headquarters. That operation will be split into five geographical operating units by Jan. 1, 2003. Each sector will have its own budget and be headed by a general manager with support staff based in the communities they serve. They will have intimate knowledge of the local operations, the service area and their customers so they can better tailor service to meet demand. This structure also will give the public easier access to MTA managers and more input in guiding MTA planning decisions. Snoble expects the sectors to save money in the future as MTA continues to make its operations more efficient. Sectors are planned for the San Fernando and San Gabriel valleys, which will be underway July 1. The other three service sectors in the South Bay, Central/Westside areas, and the Gateway Cities in Southeast Los Angeles County will be in place by the end of the year. More than $1 billion for Buses Bus operations will remain the highest priority in FY03. The MTA will spend 46.8 percent of its budget ($1.216 billion) on MTA bus operations and capital and municipal bus operator subsidies as well as paratransit service for the disabled who cannot use the regular fixed route transit system. Included in next year's budget are plans for the service sectors and expanding Metro Rapid bus service on Vermont and South Broadway, the first of 23 new Metro Rapid lines that will be phased in over the next several years. These red and white painted buses make fewer stops than local buses and are equipped with special transmitters that extend green lights by 10 seconds or turn red traffic signals green sooner. That has resulted in about 25 percent faster travel times on the two lines where Metro Rapid operates today -- Ventura Boulevard in the San Fernando Valley and Wilshire and Whittier boulevards from Santa Monica to Montebello -- compared to regular Metro Bus service. As a result, ridership has spiked on these lines, and people new to public transit also are using the faster service. By operating more efficiently, Metro Rapid also adds to the capacity of the Metro Bus system. Construction of a 14-mile busway connecting Warner Center in the West San Fernando Valley and the North Hollywood Metro Rail station will commence next spring and should be completed two years later. The budget also includes money for bus projects in the Mid-City/Westside corridor. A new regional pass good for travel on all Metro buses and trains and 11 municipal bus lines also will debut in FY03. The EZpass is a forerunner of an electronic universal fare system (UFS), which should be in place within three years. Funds to procure the UFS system are included in MTA's FY03 budget. MTA will operate a record amount of Metro Bus and contract bus service in the next fiscal year. The budget calls for 7,542,000 revenue service hours, up 56,411 hours from the current year. However, the cost of Metro Bus operations is projected to drop to $98 an hour from $98.44 an hour today despite higher labor costs including rising premiums for health care. MTA is eliminating administrative positions as one way to drive down operating costs. The agency also will seek to shave $8.3 million from this year's estimated workers compensation costs in FY03 with an aggressive Safety's 1st campaign to reduce accidents in the work place. Paratransit Gets Increased Subsidies MTA's FY03 draft budget also will fund an array of other transportation programs including subsidies for curb-to-curb paratransit service for the disabled who cannot access regular fixed route public transportation. The spending plan proposes $67.2 million next year, an increase of $8.6 million from this year Funding for Street and Highway Programs The second largest slice of the budget pie -- $497 million or 19.1 percent -- is for highway and other regional transportation programs such as freeway carpool lane construction, freeway sound walls, street widening, better traffic signal coordination, grade separations at railroad crossings, bikeways, ride-sharing incentives, shuttles, and other local transportation programs. It also includes funding for the Metro Freeway Service Patrol to help stranded motorists. Metro Rail Service Expands The next biggest portion of the draft MTA budget -- $422 million or 16.2 percent -- is for Metro Rail operating costs and construction. This includes funds to start construction next spring for the Eastside extension of the Metro Gold Line from Union Station in downtown Los Angeles to Atlantic and Beverly. That leg should be completed in 2008 and will connect at Union Station with the Metro Gold Line extension to Pasadena scheduled to open in mid-2003. MTA's FY03 budget includes $16 million to test the new Pasadena line next spring and hire and train operators and mechanics to run it. The FY03 draft budget calls for 573,000 Metro Rail revenue service hours, up 29,000 hours from the current year. Metro Rail will cost $267.81 an hour to operate, down from $269.76 this year. As Metro Rail expands, the cost per passenger mile has become cheaper than transporting bus passengers: 35 cents for rail versus 43 cents for bus. In addition, in FY03 MTA will contribute $38 million, or 1.4 percent of the budget, to the Metrolink commuter rail operation. Debt Service Reduced MTA's debt service next year will be $315 million, 12.1 percent of the total budget, down from $339 million this year. Rounding out the FY03 draft budget are expenditures for other governmental programs such as transportation planning, MTA's Customer Information service, and maintenance of regional busways. These expenditures total $111 million or 4.3 percent of the total budget. MTA funding comes from the farebox, local, state and federal governments and other sources such as lease rentals, investment income, and advertising revenue from bus ads. New Research On Nation's Transit Workforce Reveals Trends And Shows Best Practices for Hiring, Retention of Workers; TCRP Report Provides Solutions for Addressing Workforce Changes in Past 20 Years PR Newswire 05/06/2002 A new study that examines workforce issues facing the transit industry in the new millennium was released today by the Transit Cooperative Research Program (TCRP), providing transit general managers and human resources personnel with the latest information about this critical issue. The study provides insight into the rate of workforce change in the past 20 years and describes the techniques used to attract and retain transit workers so the industry can meet increasingly high consumer expectations. "Often transit agencies find themselves unable to fill positions due to lack of interest," said the study, released during the American Public Transportation Association's Bus & Paratransit Conference in Minneapolis. "In addition, retention of employees, especially in the recent period of near full-employment nationwide, has become a growing concern," according to the report, titled Managing Transit's Workforce in the New Millennium. The study found that the most difficult positions to recruit and retain are bus operators and mechanics, followed by information technology professionals, engineers and customer relations representatives. The research for Managing Transit's Workforce in the New Millennium was conducted by McGlothin Davis Inc., of Denver, under the direction of Mary J. Davis, Ph.D, president and CEO. Working with McGlothin Davis as subcontractor on TCRP Report No. F-09 was Corporate Strategies Inc., Scottsdale, Ariz. The project had three main objectives: to assess the transit industry's workforce needs and prospects for the 21st Century; develop strategies to attract, develop and retain a qualified workforce; and develop a tool and guidelines to enable employers to assess their workforces and to continually monitor their workforce needs. "This study not only reports on the problem and current status of the difficult-to-recruit and retain positions, but it includes strategies and real-life examples of how to correct the problem," said Dr. Davis. "The study also focuses on identifying ways to enhance or establish partnerships between management and organized labor, one of the solutions to attracting, training and maintaining a qualified workforce." The report includes 13 best practices case studies that reveal commonalities and differences in how transit agencies across the U.S. respond to challenges in maintaining a qualified workforce, especially in the difficult-to-recruit and retain positions. Agencies profiled in the case study section were: City of Annapolis (Md.) Department of Transportation; Berkshire Regional Transportation Authority in Massachusetts; Duluth (Minn.) Transit Authority; Sunline Transit Agency, Thousand Palms, Calif.; Pierce Transit, Tacoma, Wash.; RTC/Citifare, Washoe County, Nev.; Professional Transit Management/Sun Tran, Tucson, Ariz.; Maryland Transit Administration, Baltimore, Md.; ATC Phoenix, Phoenix, Ariz.; Regional Transportation District, Denver; Santa Clara (Calif.) Valley Transportation Authority; Utah Transit Authority, Salt Lake City; and Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority. Managing Transit's Workforce in the New Millennium is available free of charge through TCRP. The report can be ordered online at TCRP Online or by calling Lynn Vargas at 202-496-4818. Tri-met Rolls Out Diesel-Electric Bus The Oregonian 05/06/2002 Summary: The new hybrid vehicle, which is 90 percent cleaner than old buses, will begin life on the No. 17 line The future of public transportation will take to the streets of Portland this month when Tri-Met puts its new diesel-electric hybrid bus into service on the No. 17 line. If things work out as hoped, it will be first of a fleet of the clean-burning, fuel-efficient, low-floor buses that will be phased in as older buses are replaced. Hybrid power is nothing new. It has been the mainstay power of choice for railroads for more than half a century. In the past two years it has gained public acceptance via cars such as the Toyota Prius and Honda Insight. Consider the new Tri-Met cruiser a bulked-up Prius with attitude. It weighs more than a dozen of them. It costs more than 18 of the four-door Toyotas. It is expected to last 15 years and cover nearly 1 million miles before it is retired. Passenger car hybrids use both the electric motors and gasoline engine for power, switching between them or using both when needed. The hybrid bus uses a 5.9-liter diesel-powered, turbocharged six-cylinder engine (the same Cummins diesel found on the Dodge Ram pickup) to turn a generator that feeds power into a bank of roof-mounted batteries. The batteries provide the electric power to move the bus. The diesel engine is not mechanically linked to the axles. A typical diesel-only bus would need an engine of about 8.3 liters, so some of the fuel savings is in the size and weight of the engine alone. While the bus isn't appreciably quieter than a conventional diesel-powered bus, it is cleaner by up to 90 percent. A typical bus runs under heavy loads that create the familiar dark exhaust, says Josh Freeman, an engineer with Allison Electric who is assigned to Tri-Met for the next year to watch over this bus and another expected to arrive soon. Freeman said that because the diesel in the hybrid bus runs in a very small range of engine revolutions, it is cleaner and more efficient. The bus is also equipped with an exhaust system that traps the particulate matter that is so offensive to drivers following a bus that is accelerating or going uphill. The electric motor that powers the bus also helps slow it down when it is time to stop, at which time the motor turns into a generator and recharges the batteries. In traffic, under normal circumstances, the brake pedal is used to hold the bus at a stop, but not for much more. Ted Downs, Tri-Met training supervisor, said that it takes drivers only 15 or 20 minutes to get used to the rate of deceleration when they lift a foot off the accelerator. The braking aspect of the electric motor is expected to drastically reduce brake work on the new buses. Acceleration is smooth and seamless. There is no transmission to shift, so there is no lurching of passengers during gear changes. Seats on the new bus are contoured, with individual, lumbar-supporting backs. While Allison provides the engine/motor package, the bus is completed and sold by New Flyer of America, which has built most of Tri-Met's current fleet. The bus was purchased via credits Tri-Met had with New Flyer, accrued as the result of delivery problems with other buses. Freeman said the buses are still in the prototype stage, with two more headed to Seattle and others assigned to Eastern and Midwestern cities. He said New Flyer hopes to offer the buses as production models late next year. Once the units are in production, costs are expected to be 10 percent to 20 percent higher than the $350,000 to $400,000 conventional diesel buses cost. Tri-Met said reduced fuel and maintenance costs should offset the extra price. Analysts Sound Warning About MTA's Looming Budget Troubles The Bond Buyer 05/06/2002 New York's Metropolitan Transportation Authority faces a $663.3 million budget gap in 2003 and could be forced to raise fares to close it, analysts warned last week. The comments came in a pair of teleconference calls held by Moody's Investors Service and Fitch Ratings to address the MTA's upcoming sale of $2.87 billion in transportation bonds, which is scheduled to hit the market on Wednesday. Moody's said that the state agency would have to resort to cost-cutting measures, as well as revenue-enhancing measures, to offset the expected gap. One of those measures could include a rate hike, he said, but added that such a move would be politically difficult. "They have not yet put a lot of options on the table for closing the gap," said Moody's analyst Kathleen Holt. "Obviously, a fare increase is an option. They're not talking about that in public yet, but you don't have to be a rocket scientist to figure out that that's a possibility." According to Holt, the projected gap is caused by an expectation of slower growth in ridership, the region's slowing economy, and lower levels of subsidies. The MTA is a state agency that operates New York City subways and buses, as well as suburban commuter rail lines. Fitch analysts also said they are expecting the agency to raise fares in the near future. The MTA faced a $350 million gap in its $7.5 billion 2002 operating budget, which was approved in December. To avoid a fare hike in a year in which he is seeking reelection, Gov. George E. Pataki came through with enough direct state aid to close the deficit. The MTA, whose fiscal year begins Jan. 1, has not raised fares since 1995, when it increased the cost of a token to $1.50 from $1.25. Fitch analyst Scott Trommer said that while the looming deficit is significant, it can be closed. "This gap, it sounds like a large number, but it's comparable to gaps the agency has budgeted and closed in the past," Trommer said. He added that the MTA has "a number of options to adjust its fares." Those options include raising the cost of tokens, or taking other steps, such as restructuring the discounts the MTA offers customers who use its MetroCard. The MTA did not return a telephone call seeking comment on Friday. Pataki's office declined comment. The authority's $2.87 billion sale on Wednesday, which is being underwritten by a Bear, Stearns & Co.-led syndicate, is the largest single sale ever by the MTA and the third-largest sale in market history. The deal is the first offering of roughly $4.75 billion in refundings under the newly created transportation credit. Another $820 million in variable-rate transportation bonds will be refunded on May 28. The transportation refundings are only one part of the agency's larger refinancing, which totals $14 billion and is expected to be the largest refinancing in the history of the municipal market. In addition to the transportation credit, three other MTA credits will be used in the refunding. The agency created the new transportation credit earlier this year, when it consolidated its transit and commuter facilities bonds. Analysts last week said that the new structure provides more bondholder security than the previous systems, and that it gives the MTA more flexibility. The consolidation of credits was part of a sweeping effort by the MTA to reform its debt profile. In addition to consolidating the transit and commuter credits to form the transportation credit, the agency consolidated 11 other credits into three credits. The transportation bonds are rated A2 by Moody's, and A by Standard & Poor's and Fitch. The ratings are slightly higher than the ratings on the transit and commuter credits, which were rated Baa1 by Moody's, BBB-plus by Standard & Poor's, and A-minus by Fitch. MTA officials now believe they can achieve roughly $4.5 billion in savings from the massive refunding. Those savings are expected to help close a $4.6 billion hole in the agency's 2000-2004 capital plan, which totals roughly $18.2 billion. Much of that hole was created by the defeat of the $3.8 billion Transportation Bond Act by voters in a statewide referendum in the fall of 2000. Analysts warned that the agency would face continued challenges to finance its capital program past 2004, and will likely be forced to seek additional funding sources above what it currently enjoys. Our Traffic Problems Are Worth Railing About Pittsburgh Post-Gazette 05/06/2002 The federal government is getting ready to spend another $390 million here to allow people to travel a little farther on light rail. That's good. The bad news is that a little farther means less than a mile. The subway is going to cross under the Allegheny River and re-emerge above ground, where riders will find themselves on the celebrated North Shore, one of the few parts of the city where nobody lives. Then the train will turn west, as if in fear of the office buildings, hospital, neighborhoods and bus interchanges that are just a little ways north. Instead of going to established job centers, the extended line will serve stadiums. It will likely spur development of the North Shore, which would be great, but it could do that and reach many more thousands if it only continued north another half-mile. Ask the Port Authority why that's not happening and the answer is money, or rather the lack of it. There's never enough. There's a proposed extension north, but no money for anything other than the dotted line on the map. So unless you're a sports fan living in the South Hills, there's not much in this plan to get excited about. This is something you might think about the next time you find yourself in gridlock Downtown, or idling on the parkway. Why doesn't light rail extend in all directions and give people more options? We have the technology to take thousands of cars and buses out of the traffic equation, to open up parking spaces and clear the air a little, not just here but in metropolitan areas across the country. But that's not a priority in Washington. When will it be? There is bipartisan disinterest in this. The old model, paving our way out of the mess, has never worked and never will, but it remains about the only plan on the table. The cost of adding another 24 miles to the Mon-Fayette Expressway, a toll road, is up to $2 billion and counting? Carry on. Saudi oil sheiks dropping hints that if the United States doesn't temper its support for Israel, they'll stop selling us hundreds of millions of barrels of oil? They're bluffing. Thousands of cars and buses clog the roads because one bridge is out and there is only one way home? Suck it up. We can't live like this forever, but we go on as if we can. Even as we talk loudly of ending our dependence on foreign oil, mass transit is no more a priority today than it was a year ago. There's almost no sense railing about the paltry rail, though. That's not only because you sound like a crank, the kind of guy who'd ask them to turn the music down at Woodstock. It's because as metropolitan Pittsburgh spreads out, light rail's potential diminishes. Mass transit needs mass. Back in 1970, some 3,095 people lived per square mile in the urbanized area of Greater Pittsburgh. By 1990, that number was down to 2,158. No more recent figures are available, but one look at the parkways will tell you it's much lower. I'd bet a tank of gas that the number is half what it was 30 years ago. We live differently now. Light rail is successful in a walkable community like Mt. Lebanon, and would be an instant hit if it ever reached Oakland, but it wouldn't work nearly so well in Cranberry or Peters. But there's no sense arguing about where it should or shouldn't go. Much like the traffic on the Boulevard of the Allies around 5 o'clock, it's not going anywhere anyway. MTR in talks for two light rails Hong Kong Imail 05/06/2002 CONGESTION in the Tsim Sha Tsui tourist and business district could be eased if the Mass Transit Railway Corporation (MTRC) wins government approval to build an elevated light rail network. The scheme is one of two light rail projects, believed to be worth about HK$5 billion, proposed by the MTRC. The second would link Chai Wan and Siu Sai Wan on Hong Kong Island. MTRC spokesman Lam Chan confirmed that proposals for both systems had been submitted to the government by the rail company. "Light rail would enable the development of rail lines into less densely populated areas,'' he said. The Tsim Sha Tsui scheme would help serve the West Kowloon reclamation, possibly linking to the Airport Express and Tung Chung lines. An extension to Hung Hom could also be considered. The new routes would improve access within the districts and feed passengers to the main mass transit line stations. "We are examining suitable routes for an above-ground link,'' Lam said. If approved, the light rail networks would be faster and considerably cheaper to build than existing mass transit links. They would also be more environmentally friendly than buses or mini- buses. The elevated systems would cause less disruption than ground-based trams or underground lines. Plans have been lodged with the government at a time when there are growing calls to pedestrianise part of Tsim Sha Tsui in an effort to end mounting congestion in the area. No details of the types of system have been released, but they could be similar to either the light rail network in Tuen Mun and Yuen Long or the automated people mover at the Chek Lap Kok passenger terminal. The Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation is building a 4.4-kilometre, mainly elevated, extension to the light rail system in Tin Shui Wai at a cost of HK$2.3 billion. This puts the cost of developing the extension at about HK$522 million per kilometre, about 40 per cent of the cost of a conventional mass transit line. A network based on the Chek Lap Kok people mover would be even cheaper. The MTRC has no direct experience of building and operating a light rail system similar to the Tuen Mun-Yuen Long network, but it does have a contract to repair and maintain the Chek Lap Kok people mover. (NOTE: another example where I suspect the general public has greater insight then policy makers) Biased against rail The Herald-Sun (Durham, N.C.) 05/07/2002 The Herald-Sun's April 28 article on the Triangle Transit Authority's regional rail system ("Regional rail plans moving forward") seems considerably biased. You extensively quoted John Hood of the John Locke Foundation. Otherwise you only quoted TTA representatives. There are plenty of us in North Carolina who support mass transit. A well-planned transit system can serve thousands of people throughout the Triangle. Regional rail is not a complete solution. It is a vital component to a comprehensive regional plan. There are situations where building new roads or widening existing roads makes sense. However, anyone who has lived in areas like Los Angeles or Silicon Valley knows that blindly building more roads is not a solution. New roads quickly become as congested as all the other roads. By reducing road traffic, mass transit also makes our roads safer (there were more than 1,500 fatality road accidents in North Carolina in 2000). Mass transit can contribute to cleaner air and an improved quality of life when we get away from our solo car trips and use commute time to catch up on the news, work productively, enjoy the scenery, or, God forbid, have conversations with our fellow commuters. Other elements are necessary, such as virtual offices, ride-sharing and mixed zoning. Perhaps Hood hasn't factored all of this into his ridiculous "Beemers for all" solution. In the future, I encourage The Herald-Sun to provide more balanced coverage of this critical issue. -- SCOTT BRAVARD, Clayton All aboard: Sheppard subway gets ready to roll Toronto Star 05/07/2002 Welcome to the world's biggest electric train set. With 6.4 kilometres of tunnel, five stations and a $933 million price tag, the Sheppard subway line is the largest public transit project to be built in Toronto in the past two decades. In preparation for its expected opening this fall -- somewhat later than scheduled -- TTC engineers have been running empty trains through the gleaming new line for more than a month now. They want to ensure all its tracks, signals, bells and whistles are functioning before passengers climb aboard. "Yeah, I played with trains when I was a kid," says engineering consultant John Leonardo, who is in charge of testing Sheppard's signalling system. "But I never dreamed I'd be doing something like this. It's really exciting." Leonardo and his team of TTC and contracted specialists are running trains throughout most nights, making sure the line's 135 signals, voice communications system, 12.8 kilometres of track and more than 150 kilometres of wiring are all snag free. "There are probably more than 10,000 individual things that have to be inspected and tested before the first revenue train comes through here," says chief project manager Andy Bertolo. "And we don't just need to make sure they work, we need to make sure they work after some wear and tear of use so we have to do things again and again." In some test cases, trains have been taken up to their maximum speed of about 90 km/h and run through red signals to ensue that trip arms activated by the stop beacons are working properly. "We want to make sure that the trains can stop long before they would smash into any train that was up ahead," Leonardo says. "And they did, everything worked fine." With construction on two of the line's stations, Bayview and Leslie already completed and the other three -- Sheppard, Bessarion and Don Mills -- due to be finished in June, the line is almost done structurally, Bertolo says. "We have about another $8 million of work left to do out of out of a $933 million budget," he says. "And the majority of that will be completed by June, so structurally, everything should be done in the next month or so." Still, Bertolo says, the remaining tests, inspections and staffing arrangements will almost certainly prevent the September opening envisioned since the project broke ground in 1997. TTC chief general manager Rick Ducharme says the commission's new $70 million transit control centre, which was also due to open this year, has split some staff away from the Sheppard project and pushed back the opening of both projects. "With both Sheppard and the control centre going on at the same time, it was a balancing act and I didn't want either project jeopardized," Ducharme says. "There's no magic that Sheppard has to open in September. I want it to operate properly and not open it for political reasons. So if it's open by the end of the year, I'm quite happy." Ducharme says the fact the line is expected to lose money for the foreseeable future -- up to $6.3 million in its first year alone -- had nothing to do with the delay, which will actually help the system's beleaguered operating budget. "I'll swear on a stack of Bibles that (the projected operating losses) had nothing to do with the decision to delay opening," Ducharme says. "It was based on the staffing and manpower realities of the two projects and there was no need to rush either." What passengers will see when Sheppard does open -- probably in November or December now -- is a line of large, imaginatively decorated stations and bright tunnels, which provide smoother, quieter rides than riders have experienced on older segments of the subway system. While interior design budgets were pared to the bone after provincial funding cuts hit the project early on, the stations are far more appealing that those on the Yonge, University and Bloor-Danforth lines, where the sparse decor has been compared to an extended public washroom. True, station ceilings will be left uncovered in many places, as will the walls on the far side of the tracks. But station platforms and concourses are finished with an eclectic mix of tiled murals and geometric designs, which often have reference points to the intersections where they are situated. Much of the $119 million Sheppard-Yonge station, for example has been covered with a computer-generated mural of rural scenes along Highway 11 as it wends its way up to the Manitoba border north of Toronto. The $57 million Leslie station is decorated with tiles emblazoned with the words Leslie and Sheppard in the separate hands of more some 3,500 area residents. "In one of the tiles, Sheppard has been spelled incorrectly, but we haven't been able to find it yet," Bertolo says. Meanwhile, tiled murals at the $98 million Don Mills station represent the geological strata through which workers had to dig down during excavation and some of the fossilized creatures found in the earth around the site. While the Sheppard stations appear spacious in comparison to many of their TTC counterparts, the platforms are actually substantially shorter, able to accommodate only four-car trains as opposed to the six-car configurations found on the system's other lines. The platforms, however, can be easily lengthened with the removal of some cinder block walls, should the line ever reach its intended destination at the Scarborough Town Centre -- an extension that would increase expected passenger volumes substantially. The tunnels, meanwhile, have been fitted with brighter lighting than others on the system and the tracks ride on insulated rubber "pucks" below concrete ties, which will make for a smoother, quieter ride, Bertolo says. Whenever it officially opens, TTC driver and instructor Kevin Brown has already made some family history of his own on the Sheppard line. "I was the first person to drive a train across the Sheppard subway and in 1954 my father (Ed Brown) opened up the Yonge subway," says Brown, who took the first train across the new line in late March. "In fact my father opened up the University subway in '63 and the Bloor-Danforth in '66, so the Browns have opened up the subways in Toronto." Commentary The Evening Standard (London) 05/07/2002 KEN LIVINGSTONE has already been to Paris, Berlin and New York, seeing how things are done elsewhere. Londoners cannot know just how bad the Underground is until they use a well-run metro in another city. Moscow's underground is one of the most intriguing. Built by Stalin with both willing and forced labour, the cathedral-like stations are a glorious monument to a particular kind of public service ethos. The network is one of the public transport wonders of the world. To stress the reliability of the system -- and to assist in disciplining it -- each time a train heads off down a tunnel an electronic clock starts to count the seconds until the next one arrives at the platform. During the daytime, it is rare for the indicator to reach 60 seconds. This means 40 to 45 trains an hour at peak hours, compared with 20 to 25 on most Tube lines. Recently London Underground announced the Piccadilly line service is to be cut from 27 to 24 trains per hour. In Moscow there are no long gaps between services and no insufferable hold-ups in tunnels. Small wonder the Russian system carries more than three times as many passengers -- more than three billion a year -- as the "severely crowded" London Tube. The Moscow metro is fast, well-maintained, reliable, and strike-free. There is no litter and little graffiti. And this in a city of desperate economic problems, and appalling terrorist attacks, during the past decade. For the time being the Government remains in sole charge of our Tube. Despite marginal changes in performance, the overall level of service is way below that of the past. The Mayor will return shocked by the Moscow metro's quality. Luckily for the Government, few Londoners have ever used it. If they did, we might have a Russian-inspired revolution. Wave Of Fatal Incidents Stops Prague Metro PRESS CTK National News Wire 05/07/2002 Yesterday, shortly before 8:30 a.m., a woman jumped under the approaching Metro train at the Roztyly station on the C-line and put her head on the tracks, Prague police spokesman Kamila Styblikova says in today's Mlada fronta Dnes daily's Prague edition. The woman was dead immediately. It is already the third tragedy in Prague Metro within the last few days. Last Friday, a 37-year old man jumped under the approaching train at the Museum station, at the very centre of Prague. Only two days earlier, a 17-year old young man suffered fatal head injuries during a dangerous game. The police said that it was not a suicide in this case, the daily writes. Another man was killed by an incoming train at the Andel station on the B-line at the end of March, the daily writes. "These cases are more frequent at the turn of the winter and spring than in other periods of the year," Prague public transit company spokeswoman Zuzana Knoblochova says in the paper. A Dublin Metro Will Only Work If The Suburbs It Serves Are Replaced By Apartments Frank McDonald, Environment Editor, The Irish Times 05/07/2002 Cabra, Dundrum, Finglas, Kimmage and even parts of Tallaght will inevitably end up on the chopping board if the next government proceeds with the plan for a metro in Dublin. This is because such a high-volume public transport system would only work in a high-density urban environment. Low-density suburban housing with front and back gardens and, in most cases, an ageing population that is also falling steadily, could not provide the numbers to make a metro pay. So, for a kilometre on either side of the proposed lines, the housing will have to be replaced with clusters of apartments. This is not something which the politicians who say they support a metro are crowing about (or have even considered). Far from it. That would raise too many hackles in the areas most directly affected. However, the demolition of suburbs along the route of the metro is a prerequisite for the project. The metro would have a capacity of up to 50,000 passengers an hour, yet the highest level of travel demand on any corridor in the Dublin area is 15,000 an hour -- by bus, train, bicycle, motorbike and car. In other words, the metro would be able to carry nearly four times as many, if they all travelled by public transport. The outgoing Government is working on the assumption that the private sector would invest substantially in the EUR8 billion project, through a public-private partnership (PPP). If so, the only way it could be made to pay is by boosting demand -- and, therefore, potential profits -- along the entire length of the metro lines. The Dublin Transportation Office, whose Platform for Change strategy forms the basis of the metro plan, has been reticent in highlighting its knock-on consequences in terms of urban density. However sources say it is inevitable as land values rise in areas served by the metro that developers would move in to capitalise on it. "Look at what's happening already on Sandyford Industrial Estate," said one transport expert. "Just because Luas is coming, they are pulling down perfectly good buildings and developing the sites for six-storey office blocks. Why wouldn't the same sort of pattern be repeated in residential areas on the route of the metro? "That band of low-density suburbs like Cabra, Crumlin and Kimmage with ageing, declining populations will have to be redeveloped. They're not attractive areas for younger people and they have no architectural value." After the DART service began in 1984, property values rose all along the line from Howth to Bray and under-used sites were developed for apartments or offices. The difference now is that, under section 49 of the 2000 Planning Act, the public authorities would be able to recover a proportion of the increase in values. The DTO is working with the Dublin local authorities on integrated framework plans for the metro. Digital aerial photographs of the city, with the metro lines superimposed on them, are being examined to identify under-used areas with the highest development potential -- and these include low-density housing. The inner city has been divided into 10 or 12 zones. The 90-acre Grangegorman site is a prime candidate for redevelopment as it is located right behind Broadstone, one of the key points on the proposed metro. So is the area around Heuston Station, including a large part of the 60-acre Guinness site. A study by Iarnr d ireann and the DTO is examining alignments for the proposed tunnel between Heuston and Spencer Dock -- not just the geological and engineering issues, but the potential along the line for higher-density development. "It's releasing potential we never knew existed," said John Henry, the DTO's director. "What we're finding is that the overall transport network we have proposed in Platform for Change is bang on and in the right place," he declared. "And that wouldn't have been the case if we had taken an incremental approach by merely putting in bus corridors, upgrading existing rail lines and adding to them here and there." The DTO aims to create a dense public transport in the Dublin area -- a "walk and ride system", as Mr Henry calls it -- so that everyone would be within walking distance of the DART, Luas, a QBC (quality bus corridor) or a metro line. But with a price-tag of EUR8 billion over 15 years, was the strategy not driven by a perceived availability of unlimited funds when it was drawn up in 2000? "We weren't restrained in our thinking because of the cost of it," he conceded. "What we wanted to find out was what was the right answer to Dublin's transport problems." Asked whether the Department of Finance had bought into the metro plan, Mr Henry said its officials had raised issues about costings before it was adopted as Government policy in July, 2000. However, he cautioned that the Department was probably expecting more private-sector funding from a PPP than it would get. Noting that there was now cross-party support for the metro, he said nobody has challenged the concept. "We're saying we can solve the problem of Dublin traffic if you do what we say should be done. If you don't do it, the problem will get worse and worse and then the economic life of Dublin would be at risk." Fianna F il: Mentions DTO's Platform for Change strategy and Government approval in July 2000 for a metro system. It says "particular priority will be given to the development of an early link to Dublin Airport". Fine Gael: No mention of metro in manifesto or programme for government, but says a Dublin transport authority would be set up "to deliver key infrastructures", without specifying particular projects. Labour: Would "speed up improvement of rail-based services such as DART, suburban rail, Luas and the metro" but says it "will not lie idle while waiting for grand schemes with long-time horizons". PDs: First phase of "a citywide metro system... can be delivered during the term of office of the next government" but a PPP "is essential to transfer the huge financial cost involved... to the private sector". Green Party: Highest priorities are to upgrade the DART and suburban rail services as well as expanding the quality bus corridors and cycle lane network. Would also start construction of the metro with a line from Bray to Swords. Metrolink Crash Victim's Family Files Suit; Courts: Wrongful-death Claim Accuses Train Companies Of Negligence In Fatal Collision The Orange County Register 05/08/2002 The family of a Riverside man who died last month when a freight train slammed head-on into the Metrolink commuter train in which he was traveling filed a wrongful-death lawsuit Tuesday, accusing the train companies of failing to install technology that could have prevented the crash. Lawrence Sorensen, 48, was one of two passengers killed aboard the Metrolink when it was struck by a freight train near Orangethorpe Avenue and Richfield Road at 8:16 a.m. April 23. At least 168 other passengers were injured. The suit, filed by Sorensen's parents, Lillian and Ken of Calimesa, is the second legal action brought as a result of the crash. Last week, Metrolink conductor Patrick Phillips filed suit against the train companies. Both suits accuse Metrolink and Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway of negligence in failing to implement a ''positive train control'' system that would automatically stop trains before a collision. The National Transportation Safety Board has long recommended such a system, but the railroad industry has resisted its implementation largely because of its cost, estimated at $2 billion to $3 billion. ''Indeed, the corporate defendants in this action knew of the serious and substantial likelihood that an accident like this could occur and consciously chose to put corporate profits before passenger safety and disregarded the clear risk,'' attorney Brian J. Panish wrote in the suit. Officials at Metrolink and Burlington Northern Santa Fe declined to comment about the suit. Darrel Wells, the engineer of the freight train, told police he could not see a caution signal because of the sun's glare. NTSB officials are investigating the exact cause of the crash. A final report could take up to a year. 2-to-1 loss shocks DART supporters; City would have been first to join authority since it was formed The Dallas Morning News 05/08/2002 Voters slammed the door on DART Saturday by more than a 2-to-1 ratio, denying Murphy the chance to become the first city to join the transit authority since its original formation more than 20 years ago. "I'm greatly disappointed; I felt very sure people were pretty much in favor of it," said Murphy Mayor Roy Bentle, who strongly supported Murphy joining Dallas Area Rapid Transit. "I'm shocked," he said. "I think it's the wrong thing for the citizens, but it was their decision and I respect that." "The citizens spoke loud and clear. The margin was so wide, there is absolutely no way I would ever bring it back." City Council member Michael Ashby, who said he had remained publicly neutral on the matter, said opposition to the DART referendum was effective and well organized. "Opponents pushed strongly to use the penny sales tax for city uses," Mr. Ashby said. "And people who were somewhat favorable wanted light rail quickly, not just bus service." Council member Kent Bogdan opposed DART. "Murphy is not ready for that," he said. "I'd rather see us spend the (additional 1-cent sales tax) money on things in the city." Had the measure passed, DART would have started one bus route from Murphy that would have connected it to a rail station at the Bush Turnpike and then to the West Plano Transit Center. The agency would also have provided immediate door-to-door service for people with disabilities to anywhere in the DART 13-city service area. Ridership would have determined expansions of the bus service, agency officials said. And rail service, if it had happened at all, would have been about 20 years away. "DART didn't offer much," said Lynlee Forehand, a Murphy resident. Dallas Area Rapid Transit chairman Robert Pope said what the service offered would have met the city's needs in the short run, but voters apparently didn't like it. "It was a decision they had to make," he said. "We were pleased that the City Council put it before the voters. That was a good sign." Brandywine Realty Trust Awarded Development Rights at 30th Street Station; New Generation Office Complex Designed by Architect Cesar Pelli PR Newswire 05/08/2002 Brandywine Realty Trust (NYSE: BDN) today announced an agreement with Amtrak to develop a parcel of land adjacent to 30th Street Station. Plans include a 28-story, state-of-the- art office center with more than 500,000-square feet of first-class office, conference and retail space. The multi-use building, with a unique prismatic design, is the creation of world-renowned architect Cesar Pelli and Philadelphia architects Bower Lewis Thrower, and will extend the city's skyline west. The building location creates an outstanding connection between Philadelphia's traditional central business district and University City, home to the University of Pennsylvania and Drexel University. "This is an incredible opportunity. It enables us to work with one of the finest architectural firms in the world, on its first Philadelphia project, to bring a visually-spectacular office building to one of the fastest growing areas of the City and establish a new center of business and commerce in a key location," said Gerard H. Sweeney, President and Chief Executive Officer of Brandywine Realty Trust. Architect Cesar Pelli, best known for his design of the Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, the World Financial Center in New York and Canary Wharf in London, said he considered the skyline and location, as well as the advancement of the City's center west, in designing this office building. The crystalline, faceted structure was designed with maximum reflectivity to capture the light of the sky and changing hues as the day turns to dusk. "This building will be the western anchor piece of the Philadelphia skyline," Pelli said. "It is a fresh, contemporary creation that will allow those who work and do business there to feel pride in being a part of the most beautiful building in the City." In addition to its beauty and creativity, the building was also designed with unique safety and security considerations. The office center will have fire-rated vestibules, wider stair towers, a reinforced foundation and additional security measures. The office center is planned to have 28 stories of premium office, conference and retail space and is Brandywine Realty Trust's first development effort in the City of Philadelphia after building a market-leading portfolio primarily in suburban Philadelphia and South Jersey. The company is marketing the building to both local companies and as a convenient location for companies who conduct business regularly between New York and Washington. Business travelers will find easy access to destinations up and down the Northeast Corridor via Amtrak or the network of interstate highways within close proximity of the complex. For local employees, the office's location offers a hassle-free commute for those who drive, take SEPTA's regional rail, bus, subway or LUCY shuttle. For shorter trips or meetings within the City, taxi cabs or rental cars are easily accessible at the train station. The office center will bring new business and new jobs to the City, as well as stimulate the local economy. Also attractive to businesses is the location of the building in a Keystone Opportunity Expansion Zone, which will allow Brandywine Realty Trust to offer tenants additional incentives to reduce their overall occupancy costs. Transit Official Asks Pittsburgh Mayor to Nix Plan to Close Oakland Bus Lane Pittsburgh Post -- Gazette 05/08/2002 The Port Authority's chief executive officer has told the mayor that a plan to close the buses-only lane on Fifth Avenue for the next three years during hospital construction is "unacceptable" and would "make Oakland less attractive." In a two-page letter to Mayor Tom Murphy, Paul Skoutelas also wrote he wanted to know who will pay the cash-strapped authority up to $1 million a year in lost government subsidies and higher operating expenses caused by the anticipated congestion and longer travel times. "Transit riders and taxpayers should not be burdened with the cost and inconvenience of this construction project," Skoutelas wrote. "Is there a plan for the Port Authority to be reimbursed by the city of Pittsburgh or Children's Hospital for these costs?" Port Authority officials last week said they were shocked to learn they may lose their buses-only, contra-flow lane on four-lane Fifth Avenue in Oakland. UPMC Health System said it needed to eliminate the lane to accommodate a $600 million expansion program, including a new $250 million Children's Hospital and other facilities along Fifth. The inbound curb lane -- that closest to the hospitals -- would be used as a construction staging area for materials, equipment and supplies. UPMC and its prime contractor, Oxford Development Corp., would make up for that lost lane by converting the bus lane on the opposite side to maintain three lanes for mixed, inbound traffic. "I am extremely concerned about this construction project and the impact it would have on riders and the Oakland community," Skoutelas wrote Murphy. "The proposed (construction) strategy is unacceptable." He said he fears increased congestion and parking shortages and an erosion of bus ridership in addition to the loss of revenue. "Mass transit can help solve those problems," Skoutelas said. "However, our service must be reliable and given priority over automobile traffic." If the buses traveling Fifth Avenue in the outbound direction were to be shifted to Forbes Avenue, Forbes would see about twice as many buses and riders as today. The special lane was set aside in 1980 for exclusive use by buses. It runs opposite the regular flow of traffic between Craft and South Bellefield avenues. The Port Authority created the bus lane in cooperation with the city as a time-saving measure for transit riders, to relieve Oakland traffic congestion and help out Forbes Avenue merchants who had complained for years about litter, crowded sidewalks and blocked doors at bus stops. The lane is used by 412 buses carrying 37,000 riders on an average weekday. Port Authority and city officials have scheduled a private meeting May 16 to discuss the issue. A number of options are being proposed. Skoutelas said the Port Authority's recommendations would include provisions for keeping the bus lane, not keeping the bus lane, restricting movements at intersections and changing the direction of travel on certain streets. He said city officials should first think about telling the contractor to look elsewhere for space to stage the hospital construction. The Port Authority said it took years to get residents to accept the bus lane. It spent $300,000 in 1989 to paint warnings, add signs and install special railings in an effort to improve bus-related pedestrian safety, because 16 accidents and one fatality occurred over the first nine years it was used. LIRR-subway Bid Ripped Two Beeps, Say Straphangers Would Suffer New York Daily News 05/08/2002 A proposal to route LIRR trains to lower Manhattan via the A and C lines is no way to run a railroad, the borough presidents of Brooklyn and Manhattan said yesterday. Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz and Manhattan Borough President Virginia Fields went to Transit Authority headquarters in downtown Brooklyn to wave red flags against the proposal, which they say was included for review in the Lower Manhattan Development Corp.'s preliminary blueprint for rebuilding after the attack on the World Trade Center. "Everyone is in favor of rebuilding lower Manhattan and making it stronger than ever," Markowitz said. "But the blueprint for renewal released by the Lower Manhattan Development Corp. last month proposes... a mass transit improvement that would, unfortunately, hurt Brooklyn, if adopted." According to Markowitz, the blueprint calls for a Long Island Rail Road shuttle connecting Jamaica, Queens, to lower Manhattan using LIRR tracks and Transit Authority subway tunnels. "The Long Island Rail Road trains, which now terminate at Atlantic Terminal, would continue into lower Manhattan via the Eighth Ave. subway tunnel now used exclusively by the A and C trains," Markowitz said. The plan would divert C trains to the F train tunnel, Markowitz said. "Since the C train would no longer stop in lower Manhattan, Brooklyn C train riders who are going to or coming from lower Manhattan would have to transfer at Jay St. for the A train," Markowitz said. "F train service would also be affected, and any hopes of adding a needed F express would be ended." The proposal also calls for a new LIRR station in lower Manhattan. Fields said the idea, which was included in the redevelopment blueprint without details, would displace roughly 110,000 mass transit riders who use the Eighth Ave. subway line daily, while serving no more than 15,000 Long Island commuters. Financial Center link The borough presidents said the proposal -- known as the Brookfield Plan because it originally was proposed by Brookfield Properties, which owns the World Financial Center -- has not been formally submitted. "We think now is the time to talk about it and to alert people to what is being discussed," Fields said. The borough presidents and Gene Russianoff of the Straphanger's Campaign said building the Second Ave. subway line was a much better idea. "If the downtown real estate interests talk the Lower Manhattan Development Corp. into this proposal," said Russianoff, "it would be a case of grand theft, subway." The Lower Manhattan Development Corp. did not return phone calls. However, Charles Seaton, spokesman for New York City Transit, suggested that such a plan might be moot. "We cannot comment without seeing a plan," Seaton said. "But as it stands now, LIRR cars would not physically fit into the Eighth Ave. subway tunnel." Los Angeles: Fund Pullback Deals Blow To The 'Expo Line'; Transit: Federal Agency Withdraws $156 Million That The MTA Had Counted On To Help Build Light-rail Link Between L.A. And Santa Monica Los Angeles Times 05/08/2002 The Metropolitan Transportation Authority has learned that federal officials have pulled $156 million intended for construction of a rail line that could one day link Los Angeles and Santa Monica, a move that could delay the project and force the creation of a much shorter railway. The agency envisions 20,000 riders a day boarding light-rail trains that would roll through dense neighborhoods down a route along Exposition Boulevard. The so-called "Expo Line" would run past the University of Southern California campus and stop near Culver City. A later segment would send trains all the way to Santa Monica. MTA officials say they've been operating for at least three years under the assumption that $156 million once tagged for a mid-city extension of the Red Line could be used on an alternative. They came up with the Expo Line after studying numerous options, including a monorail running down Wilshire Boulevard. Last June, MTA planners got the go-ahead from the MTA board to proceed with engineering the Expo Line. But the Federal Transit Administration, gatekeeper of the nation's transportation budget, surprised MTA officials by taking the $156 million off the table. The FTA has now made that money -- about 40% of the Expo Line's budget -- available to new mass transit construction projects in other regions. Officials at the federal agency claim they never made specific promises to fund the Expo Line. What's more, they finally released the money for other projects because the Expo Line's planning will not be done in time for construction to begin by the end of next year. That's when authorization for the nation's massive four-year transit package, approved by Congress, comes to a close. "The project is not what they specified originally... and the MTA is still working on preliminary engineering out there," said FTA spokesman Bruce Frame. "They aren't going to be done for at least a year, maybe more." The move forces MTA planners to pin their hopes on the FTA backing the project in future budget requests, particularly when Congress considers another nationwide reauthorization of transit construction in 2003. That means the Expo Line may suddenly find itself competing for congressional approval with scores of other light-rail lines and other big-ticket items across the country. The FTA this year listed the Expo line as a "recommended" project, and experts close to the federal agency say the chances are excellent that the $156 million, and possibly even more, will once again be tagged for the MTA. But some top MTA officials expressed doubt. "The funding is in danger and the project, I believe, is in danger," said Yvonne Brathwaite Burke, county supervisor and an MTA board member. "I am definitely, definitely worried." Though she has been a critic of the line's design, Burke said she will press for restoration of the money during a trip to the nation's capital this week. She said she was asked to do so by MTA Chief Executive Roger Snoble in a meeting last week. Snoble, meantime, seemed to downplay the funding issue. "I'm relatively sure we can get the money later," he said. "We'll see what happens in reauthorization.... We feel they owe us." Snoble said he would like a written promise that the FTA will back funding for the project in the future. Though generally optimistic in a recent interview on the matter, in an April letter to FTA Administrator Jennifer Dorn, he was less sanguine, writing: "Now is not the appropriate time for FTA to entertain the possibility of abrogating the long-standing commitment to Los Angeles by releasing these funds for other projects." Snoble said one solution would be to use state and local money to build shorter legs of the route than previously planned, possibly going only as far as USC. He worries that completion of the overall project could be delayed by several years. The proposed rail line has long been controversial. Burke is representative of a faction worried about safety if the line extends past USC onto busy streets and near schools. The proposed path of the second phase of the project, extending the line past Robertson Boulevard to Santa Monica, has been haggled over by residents in Los Angeles' Cheviot Hills neighborhood and in Culver City, many of whom want nothing to do with a commuter train zipping through their streets dozens of times daily. Over the years, the most consistent push for construction has come from a group of citizen proponents calling themselves Friends 4 Expo Transit, who have touted the benefits of the light-rail line. "We're sort of on pins and needles," said Darrell Clarke, head of the group. "To give up a position we have already won, when we were promised the money, it doesn't quite seem fair." Work Begins On Subway Station To Ease Lowu Jams South China Morning Post 05/08/2002 Work began yesterday in Shenzhen on a subway terminal at the Lowu border checkpoint in an effort to alleviate congestion between Hong Kong and the city. The station will have a floor area of more than 120,000 square feet and will be China's largest subway station when phase one of the system is completed in 2004, said Zhao Penglin, chief engineer of the Shenzhen Municipal Bureau of Urban Planning and Land Resources. The Shenzhen subway will connect Lowu Customs checkpoint, Lowu Commercial Building, the bus station and Shenzhen Railway Station. It will help divert traffic from the Customs checkpoint to other parts of the city, according to Mr Zhao, who is in charge of the planning, design and construction of the project. The terminal station will have three floors. On the ground floor there will be an "ecological park", according to the plan. Construction of the main structure started yesterday and the railway track will be laid in May next year. On average, Shenzhen receives 300,000 visitors from Hong Kong every day -- more than 100 million visits a year. Most of the traffic is concentrated in Lowu. In addition to easing congestion, the authorities hope the subway will also help stimulate the economy, said Zou Lan, senior researcher of Shenzhen Comprehensive Development Research Institute. Most travellers from Hong Kong spend their money in the Lowu area. The subway will make it easier for visitors to reach other shopping areas, such as Huaqiang North Road in Futian district, he said. Construction of phase one of the subway project began in 1998 and was hailed as one of the city's biggest infrastructure projects. In addition to Futian, it will also link city centres with the new industrial areas in the east of the city. The subway could also eventually make obsolete the second border line, which separates the Shenzhen Special Economic Zone from Guangdong province. The border line was set up in the mid-1980s to control the number of people between the special zone and Guangdong. Phase two of the subway system -- which straddles the second border line -- is due for completion in 2008. Exploding Myths About Public Transportation The San Diego Union-Tribune 05/09/2002 Leon Williams; chairman of the Metropolitan Transit Development Board. San Diego County residents who rage against traffic congestion and the prospect of gridlock should be just as wildly enthusiastic about the state of mass transit here. Mass transit provides county residents with 330,000 trips each weekday, without which thousands more cars would flood our freeways and major roadways. No wonder transit ridership is increasing not only locally -- up 40 percent since 1995 -- but across the nation, as more people choose to take their own personal responsibility for reducing gridlock. We at the Metropolitan Transit Development Board take our responsibility just as seriously. Our philosophy reflects a consumer emphasis: buses and trolleys and trains are consumer products. We can't win consumers over without providing convenience, comfort and affordability -- the three quality-of-life factors our community rates most highly. That's why our major "Transit First" strategic plan recognizes consumers as the core of success. Transit First takes people where they want to go. It connects communities and employment centers throughout the county and benefits every resident and visitor whether they use the system or not. San Diego suffered for 40 years without any transit infrastructure expenditure while our population exploded. Now we are paying the price for that inactivity -- but we are catching up. With completion of the Mission Valley East light rail line that will pass through the heart of San Diego State University and on to La Mesa, we will have sufficient capacity to focus our next efforts on improved service, further linking our major communities and activity centers with San Diego Trolley service. But, we are not just talking about trolley expansion in the future. Our board's plan has a vision where riders will see stylish, more comfortable vehicles, smaller vehicles for local service, higher speed buses on bus lanes and more efficient routings. Before long, riders on the MTDB and its sister agency, the North County Transit District, will be using hassle-free SmartCards to access all forms of transit with a single swipe at a card reader anywhere across our regional transit network. Why, then, do we still hear persistent urban myths about rapid transit: that serving only a small fraction of residents makes it impractical; that is it too costly; that automobile travel and infrastructure are far cheaper? Times have changed and, to paraphrase a legendary and very effective auto commercial, "This is not your father's transit system." It's smarter, friendlier and more effective and should dispel these myths handily. The 2 percent myth: The 2 percent myth says that only that amount of the population uses mass transit. But that figure ignores a far more powerful reality: well-placed transit makes a major difference in our daily commute. For instance, mass transit is used for nearly 20 percent of peak-hour trips in and out of downtown. And 15 percent of the crowd at high attendance Qualcomm events arrives there via bus and trolley. Imagine another 5,000 to 10,000 cars coming in and out of the stadium, and it's easy to appreciate this statistic. If there were no trolley in the South Bay, we would need another full freeway lane, both north and south, to make up the difference. Further, while our transit system has the capacity to move 5,000 persons per hour in each direction, the capacity of a freeway lane is about 2,200 cars per hour (or, about 2,600 people at 1.2 people per car). Mass transit is too expensive: On average it has cost us about $22 million a mile to construct our highly regarded trolley system to this point. Fortunately, for this latest extension San Diegans pay for only 3 percent of the cost of its construction through local sales taxes. The remaining 97 percent comes from federal and state transportation budgets. But transit delivers real value for the money spent. In this case, the trolley will serve SDSU's daytime population of 40,000 much better than automobiles do now. As with Qualcomm Stadium events, the trolley will take thousands of people to events at Cox Arena on campus. Off campus, East County residents will benefit from a direct route to Mission Valley and travel options to other destinations. Part of the high-cost mythology is that, somehow, freeways are free. But the current cost of construction for a mile of freeway averages $35 million. This cost does not account for the significant additional resources required to support the roadways: maintenance, security costs for the California Highway Patrol and air quality costs resulting from vehicle emissions. Consider also the land costs associated with the need for parking all those vehicles, estimated at five spaces per vehicle, based not only on workplace parking but also at shopping areas and other locations that citizens access on a daily basis. That's a lot of San Diego to pave over. The myth of low-cost car travel: Closely aligned with the transit cost myth, this one says that travel by car is far cheaper. But the cost of automobile travel, with all factors considered, is the equivalent of paying about $3.70 per gallon for gas. With higher gas prices, the Automobile Club of Southern California estimates the cost per mile of owning and driving a motor vehicle, including gasoline, maintenance and insurance, now hovers between 26 cents and 63 cents a mile (depending upon model year and annual miles driven). If you add to that the ever-expanding list of places where drivers must pay to park, the cost for auto travel -- particularly with single occupants -- is no bargain. The tab for automobile travel will continue to grow as the population does. On the other hand, the costs of mass transit construction and use will decline when amortized over a growing population that is more willing to use it. But the transportation challenge is not a battle between the automobile and the bus (or train or trolley). The vision for transportation in San Diego is for streets and freeways that are easier to travel because we have high quality public transit. Our aim is to make mass transit a first choice on many occasions, not replacing cars as the primary choice of the community but using transit as a comfortable and convenient alternative when it makes sense. Our plan lays out a very long road for public transportation that will require significant funding to complete. It also will take strong resolve from transportation professionals and elected leaders, and a real commitment by the community. Governor Davis Announces $77 Million Approved For Traffic Congestion Relief Projects Business Wire 05/09/2002 The Davis Administration today announced the approval of $77 million for seven transportation improvements specifically designed to relieve traffic congestion. "Nearly every project in Governor Gray Davis' $5.3 billion Traffic Congestion Relief Plan is approved and moving forward," said Caltrans Director Jeff Morales. "This will augment the $7 billion in projects under construction, and will further stimulate California's economy and create additional jobs throughout our state." The funds approved by the California Transportation Commission today will finance rail and highway improvements in Los Angeles, San Diego, and the San Francisco Bay Area and the San Joaquin Valley. Among the projects approved for funding are the Altamont Commuter Express (ACE) passenger train serving the Bay Area and the San Joaquin Valley, the Los Angeles Mid City/Exposition Corridor light rail system and Highway 132 in Modesto. With this action, 140 (or 99 percent) of the 141 projects in the Governor's historic $5.3 billion Traffic Congestion Relief Program (TCRP) have now received funding. The latest projects receiving funding include: