(The following story by Glen Creno appeared on The Arizona Republic website on August 27.)
TUCSON, Ariz. — Passenger rail is showing signs of life around the country and here in Arizona.
High gas prices, the increasing costs of flying, airline consolidation and road congestion have travelers taking a second look at intercity rail: high-speed passenger service that moves people between distant cities.
Amtrak is racking up record ridership across the nation and in Arizona. States and cities across the country are studying new rail projects. And Arizona and 21 other states have filed proposals to get a cut of $30 million in federal money for such projects.
Rail service has long been considered a transportation alternative in Arizona. Studies have been under way on both intercity rail and commuter rail. Intercity rail would connect Phoenix and Tucson, and commuter rail would connect outlying cities to metro Phoenix.
But there has been little momentum on either project.
That may be changing. The Arizona Department of Transportation applied for $1 million in federal money for its Phoenix-to-Tucson rail project. Some local rail advocates think the launch of light rail in December will change the way people look at such travel.
“People are sensitive to the price of transportation,” said Mark Walbrun, a Chicago-based rail expert and a principal for TransSytems, a transportation-consulting firm headquartered in Kansas City, Mo. “Gasoline is a major component of that. . . . This isn’t about trying to take away the car. It’s just adding to the transportation options.”
Experts say it will take a dedicated political commitment to get rail rolling again. The systems are expensive to launch and maintain. They typically are not profitable, meaning that operating costs are subsidized.
“Railways are a great thing, but they are expensive toys to play with,” said Tim James director of research and consulting at the Seidman Research Institute at Arizona State University.
Rail money will be even scarcer in Arizona after a court ruling knocked a statewide transportation initiative off the November ballot this week. The initiative proposed raising $42.6 billion over 30 years for transportation projects statewide.
The plan anticipated spending $5.45 billion for commuter rail in the Phoenix and Tucson areas and for an intercity rail link between Phoenix and Tucson that possibly could extend as far south as Nogales and as far north as Coconino County.
Rail service sidetracked
Intercity rail in Arizona has been long sidetracked as a piece of nostalgia rather than an effective way to move travelers among distant cities.
Amtrak’s Sunset Limited stopped service to Phoenix in 1996. For area residents, the nearest place to pick up the Los Angeles-to-Orlando train is 35 miles south of central Phoenix in Maricopa.
Amtrak runs two other trains through Arizona. The Southwest Chief connects Los Angeles and Chicago and hits such Arizona cities as Flagstaff and Kingman. The Texas Eagle also runs between Los Angeles and Chicago, connecting to the Sunset line in Texas, and then heading west.
The number of people getting on and off the trains in Arizona surpassed 80,000 in 2007, after holding fairly steady in the 72,000-to-75,000 range since 2002. This year, the number is on track to hit 86,000, according to Amtrak data.
Nationally, the trend is the same. Amtrak had 2.75 million passengers in July, 14 percent higher than the same month last year and a monthly record for the train agency.
Ridership was up 11.2 percent this year to date at the end of July. Amtrak spokeswoman Vernae Graham said bad traffic, frustrations with air travel, rising gas prices and the push toward green transportation are pumping up train ridership.
“That’s in Arizona, that’s all over the nation,” she said.
Amtrak is looking for more ways to sell people on trains. Two key initiatives: modernizing its trains and concentrating on developing “fast, frequent and reliable” service of less than 350 miles on lines running between big cities.
U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., earlier this month called for a major investment in Amtrak. He is proposing that a quarter-cent be peeled from the per-gallon national gas tax to create a fund to help Amtrak modernize trains. He also proposes allowing Amtrak to issue up to $2.8 billion in bonds annually to pay for new trains.
Cities consider projects
Cities and states are pushing for more Amtrak service and considering their own rail projects.
Tennessee and Georgia are considering a bullet train connecting Nashville and Atlanta through Chattanooga. It is estimated to cost $5.4 billion.
This month, Colorado began a study to figure out if high-speed rail could be built along Interstates 25 and 70. The study group includes more than 45 cities, counties and other groups in the state.
Californians in November will vote on a $10 billion bond issue that would provide the down payment for a $42 billion bullet train connecting San Francisco and Los Angeles. It would be paid for with a combination of federal money and public-private partnerships.
Gov. Janet Napolitano supports a passenger-rail system connecting Phoenix and Tucson, with possible extensions, one of them to Flagstaff. One of her constant themes: Adding new methods of transportation helps reduce the “time tax” of people stuck in traffic.
“You have to be cognizant of what happens if we do nothing,” said Jeanine L’Ecuyer, the governor’s spokeswoman. “It’s the time tax. It’s the air quality. It’s managing growth.”
William Lindley, a computer consultant who also is a director of the Arizona Rail Passenger Association, thinks the state is at a unique crossroads. He said a lot of the state’s rail future rides on the reception light rail gets.
“When light rail opens, it will be a watershed,” he said. “We are at the beginning of . . . seeing more rail and other things that are better for us socially and economically and ecologically. It all saves us money, and we all feel better.”
Ward Malcom of Chandler recently took the Southwest Chief from California to Chicago, then picked up a commuter train to Ohio.
“The trains were packed,” he said. “Even the commuter train was standing-room only.”
Malcolm, who teaches at a Northern Arizona University extension in the Valley, says high gas prices are helping trains win the comparison with driving long distances. Arizona train travel would increase, he said, with better schedules and a stop in Phoenix.
Walbrun said European airports are installing more train service to make themselves transportation hubs that can deliver passengers quickly to nearby destinations. That’s in addition to long-distance, high-speed lines that connect major cities.
“It’s worked in enough places,” he said of the rail service. “And we see how people respond in the U.S. when they are given quality alternatives.”