(The following story by Brian Tumulty appeared on the Democrat and Chronicle website on March 4, 2009.)
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood heard a pitch Tuesday from upstate New York lawmakers for a scaled-back high-speed passenger rail line between Buffalo and Albany.
The $3 billion to $4 billion proposal would involve building a third track for use by 110-to-150 mile per hour diesel trains. The track would be built on the right of way used by CSX Corp. for its freight rail line. Not included in the price is the cost of purchasing the right of way for the third track or buying the trains that would run on that track from Rochester to Albany in under two hours.
The proposal would cost one-fifth as much as the $20 billion needed for 200 mph bullet trains. That project would require constructing special electric power lines and purchasing new sections of right of way for a route that would be straighter than the CSX line and could be disruptive to communities it would pass through.
LaHood, who met with lawmakers in the office of Democratic Rep. Louise Slaughter, told reporters that criteria haven’t been established yet for applying for a piece of the $8 billion in the economic stimulus package for high-speed rail projects.
“No earmarks, no boondoggles, no backroom deals,” LaHood said. “We are going to do this by the book and it will be very transparent.'”
He described the Buffalo-to-Albany proposal as bipartisan and a possible economic engine for a part of the state that is hurting economically.
“There’s no backroom at all,” said Rep. Eric Massa, D-Corning. “In fact, the competitive bid process will start as soon as the consensus on funding and more importantly, engineering viability, takes off.”
Initial money released from the stimulus is expected to be used for projects ready to begin now, including upgrades to existing rail lines such as new switching and signaling equipment.
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President Barack Obama’s proposed fiscal 2010 budget calls for spending an additional $1 billion annually on long-term high-speed rail projects such as New York’s proposal for eventually linking high-speed passenger rail between Buffalo and New York City.
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Slaughter said the new passenger rail track would avoid the 56 to 70 freight trains that pass along the existing tracks each day, causing delays.
“It’s pretty dreadful the way we lag behind Europe” in train service, she said. “I think this is a golden opportunity for us.”
For most of the nation — including Amtrak trains running between Buffalo and Albany — the top speed for passenger rail is 79 mph. A passenger on Amtrak’s Maple Leaf, which leaves Penn Station in Manhattan daily at 7:15 a.m., can expect to spend six hours 43 minutes on the 370-mile trip to Rochester. The train reaches 110 mph on a section of track between Poughkeepsie and Albany.
Acela passenger trains traveling between New York City and Washington achieve 135 mph on certain sections of track around Princeton, N.J., and parts of Delaware and Maryland.
President Barack Obama’s proposed fiscal 2010 budget calls for spending an additional $1 billion annually on long-term high-speed rail projects such as New York’s proposal for eventually linking high-speed passenger rail between Buffalo and New York City.
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Slaughter said the new passenger rail track would avoid the 56 to 70 freight trains that pass along the existing tracks each day, causing delays.
“It’s pretty dreadful the way we lag behind Europe” in train service, she said. “I think this is a golden opportunity for us.”
For most of the nation — including Amtrak trains running between Buffalo and Albany — the top speed for passenger rail is 79 mph. A passenger on Amtrak’s Maple Leaf, which leaves Penn Station in Manhattan daily at 7:15 a.m., can expect to spend six hours 43 minutes on the 370-mile trip to Rochester. The train reaches 110 mph on a section of track between Poughkeepsie and Albany.
Acela passenger trains traveling between New York City and Washington achieve 135 mph on certain sections of track around Princeton, N.J., and parts of Delaware and Maryland.