The Northeast Corridor Master Plan Amtrak s Next Generation High-Speed Rail and Northeastern Maryland Chesapeake Science & Security Corridor Regional Rail Committee Meeting October 20, 2010 Drew Galloway Assistant Vice President, Policy and Development East Amtrak CSSC Regional Rail Committee Meeting - October 20, 2010 Page 1
History: Past is Prologue 1950s / 1960s Construction of Interstate Highway System 1970s Financial collapse of eastern rail systems Conveyance of NEC assets to Amtrak, MA, CT and NY Emergence of new operators Amtrak, Commuters and Freights 1980s / 1990s Operators use latent capacity; train miles double CSSC Regional Rail Committee Meeting - October 20, 2010 Page 2
NEC Today - Regional Overview 870 route miles (2,340 track miles; 71% electrified) 50 million people (Northeast megaregion) 12 states, DC 8 commuter operators Class 1 and regional freight Amtrak high speed, regional, long-distance 8 airports 12 ports Ownership Amtrak (main line, Springfield, Harrisburg, portion of Albany line) Route Miles 548 Massachusetts (main line) 37 Connecticut (main line) 47 MTA (main line, 10; Hudson [Albany] line, 63) CSX (Albany line, 68; Washington-Richmond, 108) 73 176 CSSC Regional Rail Committee Meeting - October 20, 2010 Page 3
Capacity Constraints CSSC Regional Rail Committee Meeting - October 20, 2010 Page 4
Northeast Maryland/Northern Delaware in Context CSSC Regional Rail Committee Meeting - October 20, 2010 Page 5
US HSIPR (ARRA) Grants Awarded January 2010 DE MD DC ST Project Name Project at a Glance Funding Source/Track Funding Requested DE Delaware Intercity Rail Connection Completion of planning activities to determine the feasibility of a new intercity passenger rail service between destinations on the Delmarva Peninsula and the Northeast Corridor. ARRA-HSR (T3) $450,000.00 MD BWI Station Improvements Completion of preliminary engineering and project-level NEPA (environmental) work for the addition of an island platform and construction of a new station building at BWI Airport on the Amtrak-owned Northeast Corridor. MD B&P Tunnel Completion of preliminary engineering and project-level NEPA (environmental) work for the replacement of the 135-year-old Baltimore and Potomac tunnels on the Amtrak-owned Northeast Corridor in Baltimore, MD. ARRA-HSR (T1b) $9,400,000.00 ARRA-HSR (T1b) $60,000,000.00 DC Union Station Access Improvements Final design and construction for the replacement of ten life-expired escalators at the Union Station parking garage in Washington, DC. ARRA-HSR (T4) $4,270,500.00 HSIPR Grants Request Pending October 2010 DE NEC Third Track Project Project includes installation of 1.5 miles of a 3rd track between Ragan & Yard Interlockings on the NEC, 1 mile south of Wilmington, & 2 additional crossovers at Ragan to allow trains to shift between tracks. FY10 (Planning) $13,300,000 CSSC Regional Rail Committee Meeting - October 20, 2010 Page 6
In the Pipeline - 2010 (Round 2) Grants High-Speed Intercity Passenger Rail (HSIPR) Program PENDING APPLICATIONS May 2010: Planning Grant NEC/Multi-State Planning August 2010: $2.5 Billion Programs and Projects nationwide, including Delaware NEC 3 rd Track NEXT CYCLE (FY 2011) $1.0 Billion HSIPR Funds (Proposed by Administration) CSSC Regional Rail Committee Meeting - October 20, 2010 Page 7
A Vision for High-Speed Rail in the Northeast Corridor Amtrak s Next-Generation High-Speed Rail Feasibility Study was released September 27, 2010 CSSC Regional Rail Committee Meeting - October 20, 2010 Page 8
Routes and Service Plan Next-Gen HSR Services Super-Express Express Shoreline Express Keystone Express CSSC Regional Rail Committee Meeting - October 20, 2010 Page 9
Next-Gen Potential Alignments New York Washington, DC Challenges Utilize existing NEC corridor where possible Providing service to builtup downtown areas in key cities Analyzed Alignment Substantially parallels NEC New stations in Baltimore and Philadelphia more centrally located Analyzed Alignment used for costing and analysis purposes, subject to further analysis in next phase CSSC Regional Rail Committee Meeting - October 20, 2010 Page 10
Next-Generation NEC High Speed Rail Premise To meet long-term economic and mobility needs, NE region needs significantly more rail capacity than Master Plan identified World-Class high-speed network alternative 220 mph operations Major travel-time reductions Connectivity with existing NEC services / development Next-Generation NEC HSR study undertaken to: Explore concept (ask the question) Consider initial feasibility Create additional option beyond Master Plan Prepare for up-coming PEIS CSSC Regional Rail Committee Meeting - October 20, 2010 Page 11
Ridership Growth Large Ridership Growth Over Master Plan (2020-2040) Master Plan: 16 million to 23 million (+46%) Next-Gen HSR Plan: 16 million to 34 million (+111% ) Next-Gen Compared to Master Plan CSSC Regional Rail Committee Meeting - October 20, 2010 Page 12
Travel Time Reductions World-Class High-Speed Network Substantially Dedicated 2 - track alignment 220 - mph (BOS-NYP 148 mph avg., NYP-WAS 137 mph avg.) 40% - 60% travel-time reductions in key markets Boston Washington DC: from 6:30 to 3:20 NYC - DC 1:36 NYC - BOS 1:24 Existing Master Plan (2030) 2:42 2:15 3:35 3:08 Next-Gen HSR Plan CSSC Regional Rail Committee Meeting - October 20, 2010 Page 13
Next-Gen HSR and Highway Capacities NEC HSR System Capacity More than 80 million annual passengers Up to 8,000 passengers/hr. in each direction 2040 service plan uses less than 25% of system capacity Highway Equivalent 8,000 travelers/hr. = 5,300 cars Requires 3 highway lanes in each direction Difference Speed Direct downtown-to-downtown connection Less energy and emissions CSSC Regional Rail Committee Meeting - October 20, 2010 Page 14
Moving Forward The PEIS Coordination with Stakeholders NEC Commission Commuter and freight railroads Local and regional planning agencies, general public More Detailed Analysis Detail alignment options, station concepts, and connectivity improvements with other modes and rail services Refine ridership estimates, capital, operating costs and project phasing Define Alternatives Master Plan Master Plan Plus Next Generation HSR CSSC Regional Rail Committee Meeting - October 20, 2010 Page 15
Conclusion Q&A Sustainable, Competitive, Green Thank you CSSC Regional Rail Committee Meeting - October 20, 2010 Page 16