(The following article by Cathy Woodruff was posted on the Albany Times Union website on October 31.)
ALBANY, N.Y. — New York officials are vying for a chance to conduct winter testing of a prototype commuter train now being tried out in Florida.
“We are actively working to have the cold weather test done in this region,” said John Egan, director of state Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno’s High Speed Rail Task Force.
The Florida Department of Transportation is testing a vehicle called a DMU — Diesel Multiple Unit — manufactured by the Colorado Railcar Co. under a Federal Railroad Administration demonstration project.
The FRA requires that a two-month portion of the two-year demonstration take place under winter conditions on tracks with “substantial grade and curvature,” said Steve Kulm, a spokesman for the federal agency.
Egan said the train could be a vehicle to introduce commuter service between Saratoga Springs and the Rensselaer Rail Station. It also could be used on a current Amtrak run between Albany and Montreal.
Florida DOT has begun its test between Miami International Airport and West Palm Beach with one of the motorized DMU cars, said Nazih Haddad, manager for passenger rail development at Florida DOT.
Florida is awaiting delivery of an additional power car and a middle car for the first train and a second full three-piece train set, Haddad said. While the state hopes to have two full trains operating by January, severe weather testing will have to wait until next winter, he said.
One selling point for the trains is that they can operate on regular “heavy rail” tracks used by freight and passenger trains, but they do not require full-sized locomotives. The power cars include seating.
Each power car can hold about 180 people, and a center car can old about 220, Haddad said.
The Florida testing is taking place on an existing commuter line, Haddad said.
Other locations being considered for winter testing include Wisconsin, Vermont and a rail line north of Boston, he said.
The Saratoga-to-Rensselaer run that the Senate High Speed Rail Task Force is mulling would be the region’s first venture in several decades into commuter rail north of Albany. Previous examinations of light rail service between Saratoga County and Schenectady or Albany have failed to gain momentum with regional transportation planners.
“We believe this is a market for commuter rail,” Egan said, but he cautioned: “Believe me, we are in a minority on this.”
Amtrak already provides passenger service to Montreal, but Egan said the situation isn’t ideal.
“It’s a big, long train,” he said. “It’s heavily subsidized by the state, now. Our feeling is that if there’s a better piece of equipment that can be used more economically than a long train, then we should try to find it.”