HARRISBURG, Pa. — After nine years of studies, the effort to revive regional commuter-rail service now depends largely on whether there’s local money to run the trains, the Patriot-News reports.
Yesterday, Capitol Area Transit announced that a federal agency has approved $985,860 to start the engineering and environmental work on the segment of Corridor One between Lancaster and east of Mechanicsburg.
That work, which CAT hopes to begin in January, is expected to take 18 months.
“This is a project that promises to benefit scores of communities and thousands of residents,” said Gerald K. Morrison, board chair of CAT’s Modern Transit Partnership. “With FTA’s [Federal Transit Administration] approval, we’re now just one step from running trains.”
But that may be a big step.
The cost of the initial service has been estimated at $75.8 million. And before the project can proceed to final design and construction, the local funding source to help build and run the system must be in place.
The annual cost of running the system, including expanded bus service in Harrisburg and Lancaster, has been estimated at $33.1 million.
A potential source of local funding has been the creation of a regional asset district, or a RAD, in which the sales tax would be increased in Cumberland, Dauphin, York and Lancaster counties by 1 percent over the current 6 percent.
As envisioned, CAT would get a quarter of the projected $84 million in additional revenue from the asset district to run the train system. The rest would go to fund other regional assets.
Critics assailed the concept during a rally at the Capitol on Tuesday, calling it bad public policy that would hurt business and stunt the local economy. The program is championed by Mayor Stephen R. Reed and the Harrisburg Regional Chamber, among others.
Despite the opposition, CAT officials said they believe the support for the train endeavor is strong.
James H. Hoffer, CAT’s executive director, said surveys done during a “transitional analysis” requested by the FTA showed that three of four respondents want local train service.
“The public support all along has been phenomenal,” Hoffer said. “They think the region needs it, and they’ll help pay for it.”
Morrison said the project will move forward, with or without an asset district.
CAT Board Chairman Dick Miller said another option could be creation of a statewide tax to fund commuter rail efforts.
Such a concept is being looked at by the Pennsy Rails Coalition, which includes CAT, the Pittsburgh Port Authority and the Southeastern Pennsylvania Regional Transportation Authority.
If the commuter rail project stays on course, local trains could be running between Lancaster and Harrisburg by the end of 2005. Service to the West Shore would begin by July 2007.
Miller reiterated that the region would not be able to build itself out of its growing highway congestion. And he noted the cost of expanding Interstate 83 over the 11 miles between the New Cumberland exit and Interstate 81 has been estimated at $800 million.
The rail system, Miller said, would provide an alternative to get cars off the highways, and a means of ensuring the region’s economic vitality for the future.
Studies to this point have made a strong case for the need to initiate regional rail now, before the region’s congestion gets too out of hand.
With state and local matching money, the grant CAT just received totals $1,232,325. While that allows preliminary engineering to begin, it won’t cover the total cost.
Hoffer said CAT is in the process of seeking another $5.4 million in federal money to cover the balance of the work.