Update of the Midwest Regional Rail Initiative Tim Hoeffner Michigan Department of Transportation Director, Office of Rail Lansing, MI
Key Presentation Take-Aways Status of Midwest Regional Rail Initiative Corridors Equipment Procurement Next Steps
Midwest Regional Rail System
Purpose of Midwest Regional Rail Initiative (MWRRI) Priority to establish HSR from the Chicago Hub to corridors consisting of: Chicago-St. Louis Chicago-Milwaukee-Twin Cities Chicago-Detroit With connections East by the way of Indiana with the Ohio network and service to Toledo and 3C corridor and the remainder of the corridors within the MWRRI and future corridors
MWRRI Midwest Regional Rail Initiative is a collaborative effort for continued development of HSR in the Midwest Participating states include: Illinois Indiana Iowa Michigan Minnesota Missouri Ohio Wisconsin
Key Partners of the MWRRI City of Chicago Amtrak Federal Railroad Administration Association of American Railroads BNSF Norfolk Southern CSX Union Pacific Canadian Pacific Railway Canadian National Several Short-line Railroads
Chicago-Detroit/Pontiac Corridor Michigan s Accelerated Rail Program Kalamazoo-Dearborn Acquisition and Corridor Enhancement $346.5 million federal and $37.5 million state funding MDOT purchased the Kalamazoo-Dearborn segment of the corridor from Norfolk Southern Railway 135 miles of mainline track Construction to increase speeds up to 110 MPH has begun West Detroit Connection Track Project $7.9 million federal, $7.9 million state funding Final design of the West Detroit interlocking is complete Provides for a direct connection between CN and Conrail mainlines Will provide more efficient and direct passenger rail services
Chicago-Detroit/Pontiac Corridor Michigan s Accelerated Rail Program Dearborn Station Project MDOT granted $28.2 million in federal funding to the City of Dearborn to build a new station adjacent to the Henry Ford Museum Construction has begun and is expected to be complete in September 2014 Troy Station Project MDOT granted $6.6 million in federal funding to the City of Troy to build a new station Construction is expected to be complete by the end of 2013 Jackson Station Project MDOT granted $1.0 million in federal funding to Amtrak to complete stabilization work in preparation for a future restoration of the historic station
Chicago-Detroit/Pontiac Corridor Michigan s Accelerated Rail Program Ann Arbor Station Project MDOT granted $2.8 million in federal funding to the City of Ann Arbor to complete environmental work and preliminary engineering for a new station Environmental work will begin in the fall of 2013 Grand Rapids Station Project MDOT granted $3.8 million in FRA s Rail Line Relocation and Improvement Project Grant funding to Interurban Transportation Design and replace a track spur and construct a new train station facility in Grand Rapids East Lansing Station Project Capital Area Transportation Authority is constructing a new intermodal facility on the site of the current East Lansing Amtrak Station Project Groundbreaking is planned for fall 2013
Chicago-Detroit/Pontiac Corridor Michigan s Accelerated Rail Program Corridor Investment Plan Tier 1 EIS Program Funding Total program cost - $4 million $3.2 million federal grant (selected august 2011) $800,000 match provided by partnering state agencies Tier 1 EIS Program Overview Vision: safe and reliable passenger rail service that offers frequent, daily round trips at speeds up to 110 MPH Evaluate passenger rail improvements for the Chicago- Detroit/Pontiac corridor Three program components: Evaluation of route and service alternatives Tier 1 EIS Service Development Plan
Chicago-Detroit/Pontiac Corridor Michigan s Accelerated Rail Program
Chicago-Detroit/Pontiac Corridor Michigan s Accelerated Rail Program Chicago Union Station to Porter, IN (South of the Lake) Optimize current investments (CREATE) Heavily used Numerous alternatives Porter, IN to Detroit/Pontiac, MI Optimize current investments on the existing Amtrak Wolverine line
Chicago-Detroit/Pontiac Corridor Michigan s Accelerated Rail Program Tier 1 EIS Alternatives Analysis Process
Chicago-Detroit/Pontiac Corridor Michigan s Accelerated Rail Program Tier 1 EIS Schedule
Chicago-Detroit/Pontiac Corridor Ann Arbor-Detroit Regional Rail Project Providing commuter rail service between Ann Arbor and Detroit, a segment of the Chicago-Detroit/Pontiac corridor Intermediate station stops at Ypsilanti, Detroit Metropolitan Airport, and Dearborn new stations at Ypsilanti and Airport Capacity analysis was completed for the corridor to identify infrastructure improvements needed to initiate the commuter rail service An Environmental Assessment will be required to clear the project for construction Great Lakes Central Railroad has completed the refurbishment of passenger cars that will be used for the commuter rail service
Indiana Gateway Project Porter to Chicago is the busiest freight route on the Norfolk Southern System 14 Amtrak trains already use the line Proposal includes track construction and flexibility improvements to improve reliability and Creates jobs and economic development by preserving rail capacity to support industry Improves passenger connectivity to Michigan, Ohio and Illinois
Indiana Gateway Project Construction on the project is slated to begin in 2014 $71M for 8 separate construction projects including track reconfiguration and track and signal upgrades Will help support the development of higherperforming intercity passenger rail service in the Midwest
Chicago-St. Louis Corridor Program Objectives The overall purpose of this project is to enhance the passenger transportation network within the Chicago to St. Louis corridor, resulting in a more balanced use of the modal components, reduced travel time, increased service reliability, and enhanced safety.
Chicago-St. Louis Corridor Program Budget Current Program Budget: $1.45 Billion* Track & Structures $726.3 million Real Estate $ 16.3 million Stations $ 40.0 million Rolling Stock / Equipment $211.0 million Signaling & Communications $183.9 million Miscellaneous $ 61.6 million (Grade Crossing Approaches, Overhead Bridges, Fencing, etc.) Professional Services $211.4 million (Program Management, Environmental / Design, Construction Oversight) * The dollar amounts reflect the money awarded and are not indicative of the total cost of the project
Chicago-St. Louis Corridor Program Schedule
Chicago-St. Louis Corridor Program Tasks Overall Project Tasks Design and construction of main track, including concrete ties, welded rail, etc. Realignment of curves New second tracks and sidings Grade crossing warning devices Construction of non-complex grade crossings Train control signaling (PTC) Turnouts, culverts, bridges, fencing, etc.
Chicago-St. Louis Corridor Program Tasks Since 2010, activities have included: Installation of 237 track miles of new rail Installation of 619,813 new concrete ties Spreading of 1,252,129 tons of stone ballast Initial renewal of 235 crossing surfaces and approaches
Chicago-St. Louis Corridor 110 MPH Service 110 MPH Service October 19 th, 2012 high speed demonstration run Public Operation of higher-speed service between Dwight and Pontiac began November 22, 2012 Three northbound (300, 302, and 204) and three southbound (301, 305, 307) trains
Chicago-St. Louis Corridor Current Projects
Chicago-Milwaukee Corridor Project Overview Accommodate increasing demand in the corridor Improve the existing rail service by increasing schedule options Improve existing rail service by decreasing travel times Improve transportation synergies with other travel modes, including the rail-air link at Milwaukee Airport, intercity buses at Milwaukee Station and Chicago Union Station, and other Amtrak Midwest corridor and long-distance trains
Chicago-Milwaukee Corridor Project Activities Environmental Assessment and Service Development Plan to be completed in late 2014 Increase number of round trips on Amtrak s Hiawatha service to 10 per day from its current level of 7 per day
Milwaukee-Twin Cities Corridor Project Overview The Milwaukee to Twin Cities corridor is a segment of the 435-mile high-speed passenger rail corridor between Minneapolis/St. Paul and Chicago Alternatives Analysis was completed and identified one route as a reasonable and feasible passenger rail alternative in the corridor
Milwaukee-Twin Cities Corridor Project Activities A Tier 1 EIS and Service Development Planning activities started in October 2011 and are expected to be completed by June 2015 Ridership estimates and cost estimates for capital investments and annual maintenance will be developed Preliminary Engineering and Tier 2 EIS will commence after Tier 1 work is complete
Milwaukee-Twin Cities Corridor Project Activities RTC Modeling between the St. Paul Union Depot and the Milwaukee Intermodal Station was added to the Scope of Work in 2012 RTC Modeling will be completed in December 2013 If sufficient funding can be secured, final design; construction; and vehicle procurement will take place upon completion of the Tier 2 EIS operations could commence in late 2019
Twin Cities-Duluth Corridor Project Overview Northern Lights Express is a proposed high speed passenger rail project that would provide rail service between Minneapolis/St. Paul and Duluth In August, the FRA issued a Finding of No Significant Impact on the Tier 1 Environmental Assessment Next step is to proceed with preliminary engineering and tier 2 environmental review
Chicago-Quad Cities-Iowa City Corridor Illinois DOT leading Phase 1 (Chicago to Quad Cities) Iowa DOT leading Phase 2 (Quad Cities to Iowa City) Chicago-Quad Cities was awarded $177 million in federal funding and $45 million in state funding
Chicago-Quad Cities Corridor Project Activities Preliminary Engineering 30% plans NEPA Chicago-Wyanet Wyanet Connection Wyanet to Moline (Quad Cities) Final Design/Construction
Chicago-Quad Cities Corridor Project Location and Service Intermediate Stations La Grange, IL; Naperville, IL; Plano, IL; Mendota, IL; Princeton, IL; and Geneseo, IL New Stations Moline and Geneseo Service Two round-trips per day 79 MPH maximum speed
Chicago-Quad Cities Corridor Project Schedule Fall 2011 NEPA/Preliminary Engineering Begins Fall 2012 Rail Car Contract Awarded to Nippon Sharyo Summer 2013 Illinois issues RFP for Next Generation Locomotives Fall 2013 Phase 1 NEPA/Preliminary Engineering Complete, Initiate Final Design Summer 2014 Construction Begins Fall 2015 Complete Construction Winter 2015 Resume Passenger Rail Service
Quad Cities-Iowa City Corridor Project Overview Preliminary Engineering and Tier 2 Environmental activities (NEPA) occurring over next 3-6 months Iowa has no state match to fully spend the federal funding award Will produce better cost estimates by December 2013 to share with legislature during 2014 so decisions can be made on future activities beyond PE/NEPA
Equipment Procurement Rail Car Procurement Joint effort between California, Illinois, Michigan, and Missouri Led by Caltrans Competitive bid for 130 cars Awarded in November 2012 to Nippon Sharyo, USA Facilities located in Rochelle, IL Will utilize Buy American Program
Equipment Procurement Locomotive Procurement Joint effort between Illinois, California, Michigan, Missouri, and Washington IDOT will lead this effort For at least 32 next-generation diesel locomotives RFP issued August 2013, Bids due October 2013 FRA has allocated $808 million to build this equipment (for both locomotives and rail cars)
Next Steps