Passenger Trains > Latest Rounds of CRISI Grants

With the latest $2.4 billion in CRISI grants announced, several local media sources are picking up bits and pieces that tie into their local markets, combining it with conjecture and wishful thinking of some rail advocates, and coming out with stories that make it seem like increases/new passenger service to their market is imminent.  It's already spawned a couple threads on TO about it.   Don't get me wrong, these grants are great news and badly needed, but let's dig a little deeper and delve into the $2.4 Billion and see what is in it that impacts PASSENGER rail and if that impact with show any immediate results.

ARIZONA
$30.2 milling to Amtrak with 20% more from BNSF. for improvement on the Seligman Sub for property acquisition to build a controlled siding and crossovers to improve access to the Kingman stations.   Results in no new trains, no new service, just improved service to the one train that calls on Kingman.

$4.99 million to Flagstaff to build a second platform on south side of track and make required ADA improvements to stations.   Results in no new trains, no new service, just improvement to station


CALIFORNIA
$100 million to Orange County Transpiration Authority to "Improve Resiliency of the Surf Line"   OCTA providing another $62.8 million, State providing another $125 million.  Will improve, and may allow additional frequencies on, the Surf Line

$24.7 million to Transbay Joint Powers Authority for engineering and design work for the Downtown Rail Extension allowing Caltrain and CA HSR into downtown transit center in San Francisco.   Lot more money require here before anything happened, but at least its moving forward

$20 million to Capitol Corridor Joint Powers Authority for security fencing.  No direct impact to service or frequency  

$18.7 million to CADOT for second platforms at Modesto and Denair and 3 grade crossing upgrades - Caltrain matching with another $7.5 million.  Will improve existing service at Modesto and Denair

COLORADO
$66.4 million to CODOT for BNSF Front Range improvements and PTC installation - CODOT kicking in another $20.   No real immediate impact on passenger rail, but helps build foundation for it.

ILLINOIS
$157.1 million to City of Springfield or rail line relocation/realignment of UP and NS track and a new Amtrak Station.  Will improve service to trains at Springfield,  does not directly provide anything for expanded service

$1.8 milling to Midwest Interstate Passenger Rail Commission to continue studies in IL, IN, IA, KS, MI, MN ,MO, NE, ND, SD, OH, and WI.   No immediate impact - just studies

MASSACHUSETTS
$36.8 million to MADOT for final design work for Springfield Track Reconfiguration Project to prepare Springfield Union Station for an anticipated increase in passenger operations.   Engineering work, so a lot more money will be required for construction, thus no immediate impact.

MICHIGAN
$8.4 million to Amtrak for Michigan Line Improvements with goal of trip-time savings of 11 minutes.

NEW YORK
$215 million to CSXT/Amtrak as part of the Livingston Ave Rail Bridge Replacement in Albany.  New York State already has $600 million.   New drawbridge will help eliminate delays suffered by the 12 Amtrak trains and 2-6 freight trains that use it 

NORTH CAROLINA
$105.6 million to North Carolina Railroad for improvements on the Amtrak/NCDOT Piedmont corridor.  Track improvements to 69 miles of track,  additional trackage and upgrades at seven depots, and grade separation project in Raleigh.  Will allow improved service for the 10 daily trains and allow for addition frequency. 

PENNSYLVANIA
$8.96 million to PA Northeast Regional Railroad Authority for track rehab on D_L's line between Slateford and Gouldsboro.  Helps preserve and maintain line that could be used for Scranton Service. 

$7.8 million to Amtrak for NEC Security fencing.  

TENNESSEE
$1.6 million to City of Watertown to build new railyard fo Nashville & Eastern, adding 2000 feet of track AND a turntable,  Provides additonal capacity and short-term storage for Nashville's commuter rail operation.

VIRGINIA
$5.8 million to Virginia Passenger Rail Authoruty for upgrade to Staples Mill Station, including upgrade to conform to ADA requirement.  Agency providing $2.9 million match.   

$1.5 million to Town of Bedford to develop a new Amtrak stop/station.  

WASHINGTON 
$6.5 million to WSDOT for corridor improvements between Everett and Vancouver including electric switch heaters.  Improves existing route - no new or additonal service

WISCONSIN
$72.8 million for the Muskego Yard Bypass, creating a 2 track bypass around Milwaukee Station.  Goal it to help make possible increase frequency for Hiawatha and other Amtrak Service

And the one that has the MOST potential to for immediate help on Amtrak by freeing up axle count cars - $58.8 million to Amtrak to install onboard shunt enhancement devises on 443 locomotives and 192 cab cars to prevent trains from loosing shunt and eliminate axle count requirement.  

So that's roughly $1 billion of the $2.4 billion that directly effects Amtrak/Commuter rail.  A lot of it just keeps what we've got and improves it a little.  The shunt project for Amtrak should free up cars that in theory can be refurbished in short order and returned to revenue service to expand existing consists.   The NC project coupled to the $1 billion plus they got last year for work on the S Line north of Raleigh might result in 6th round trip in next few years.  The WI project may make room for another Hiawatha or two in next few years.  Some of the other big dollar projects in CA, CO, IL, MA, NY, etc are years from completion.   We as a nation have allowed out infrastructure to deteriorate this badly.  Dreams of lots of new service are just that - Dreams.   We've got tens of billions in needed projects just to preserve what we've got and make a few modest additions.  We seem to forget that when we see billions of dollars numbers thrown around and 60 seconds sound bite new pieces. 


 



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 10/30/24 12:20 by scraphauler.

Thanks, did the states not mentioned already get grants or possibility will be included in another round of grants?

Very informative.  And  yes   even  a  few  (3 or  4)  new  routes  out of  Northeast would  be  bery  welcome!1 State of
Ohio  has  yet  to  even  begin a  study  with the  $500 thousand  they  got  for  Corrifor  Studies.  Maybe  waiting on
election  results in  state  and  Nationally.   We  will ASK THEM  after  next  tuesday.

Roll out that pork!

TJY

Going to be interesting to see the improvements at Flagstaff and Kingman which everyone should be able to see on the rail cams.  The DL track upgrade is going to make chasing the Alco's a little harder.  Found it interesting that is says Slateford to Gouldsboro and not Slateford to Scranton.  I also believe that the track from East Stroudsburg to Slateford is hardly ever used anymore and Scranton passenger service is probably at least a decade away if it happens at all.

stevelv Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
The DL track
> upgrade is going to make chasing the Alco's a
> little harder.  Found it interesting that is says
> Slateford to Gouldsboro and not Slateford to
> Scranton.  I also believe that the track from
> East Stroudsburg to Slateford is hardly ever used
> anymore and Scranton passenger service is probably
> at least a decade away if it happens at all.

That’s one of the case in point. PAHone.com, website for a couple Scranton area TV stations reported “Funding released for Amtrak train to New York”. That’s not what’s going on. This track rehab has very little to do with Amtrak, and everything to do with DL. But the casual observer, head liner reader is going to think Amtrak will start anytime and will complain about waste, incompetence, and pork barrel spending when the trains fail to materialize in next year or two.

Posted from iPhone

re: "20 million to Capitol Corridor Joint Powers Authority for security fencing.  No direct impact to service or frequency". There will be a direct service and community benefit with this item. The primary purpose of the security fencing is to reduce the number of human vs. train collisions. That will improve the reliability of service and save human lives.

I didn't hear that the FRA had approved that new shunting equipment for Amtrak trains.  Is that money set aside just in case the FRA approves the equipment, or am I just behind?

scraphauler Wrote in part:
-------------------------------------------------------
> And the one that has the MOST potential to for
> immediate help on Amtrak by freeing up axle count
> cars - $58.8 million to Amtrak to install onboard
> shunt enhancement devises on 443 locomotives and
> 192 cab cars to prevent trains from loosing shunt
> and eliminate axle count requirement.  
>
It is known for sure that the shunt enhancement devices actaully do the job. I would think they would have installed such on a small number of locomotives for real-world testing before declaring victory????
WP17

Thank You SCRAPHAULER for all the state detail. Two points:

"PENNSYLVANIA........line that could be used for Scranton service."
"Could be?" I thought it "will be." 

Also, any CRI$I money for Florida? Probably nothing. FL is another
anti-rail, car and highway kingdom like Ohio. Thanks again, SCRAPHAULER.

NCDOT continues to improve Charlotte-Raleigh service... faster running times (although still short of the 2 hr 30 min original objective), more grade separations for safety, more second track for Greensboro-Fetner, a fifth Piedmont frequency plus the Carolinian, new stations, and eventually all-new consists. Both political parties are supportive. 

Ohio got about $48 million for freight projects, primarily shortline. Florida only gets $11 million, $7.2 of which to Florida Central from track work. $3.2 to FDOT for crossings. Balance in couple hundred thousand each to Jacksonville, Broward County, and Palm Beach County for law enforcement training.

Posted from iPhone



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/30/24 19:21 by scraphauler.

OK, Florida has seen by far the largest private-sector investment in passenger rail service since at least the 1950s--not to mention two regional commuter rail operations--but it's rabidly "anti-rail." Got it.

Paul Wilson
Arlington, VA

scraphauler Wrote:
> That’s one of the case in point. PAHone.com,
> website for a couple Scranton area TV stations
> reported “Funding released for Amtrak train to
> New York”. That’s not what’s going on.
> This track rehab has very little to do with
> Amtrak, and everything to do with DL. 

Yes however the project does also include replacement of the Slateford Road bridge, which was removed and filled in 1990. This is the only physical obstruction on the line, and replacing this bridge only benefits future Amtrak service. There is no other use for it.

The improvements to existing track in Pennsylvania to FRA Class 4 would allow 80 mph for passenger trains. The funding provides for tie replacement, installation of CWR and crossing improvement for future Amtrak service.
 

Dcmcrider Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> OK, Florida has seen by far the largest
> private-sector investment in passenger rail
> service since at least the 1950s--not to mention
> two regional commuter rail operations--but it's
> rabidly "anti-rail." Got it.

The grant to Palm Beach county will supplement an existing sheriff's program to enforce existing laws about trespassing on railroad tracks, going around gates, etc.  With considerable rail activity on Tri-Rail, BrightLine, Florida East Coast, US Sugar, and  CSX, the county has had a lot of pedestrian and vehicle strikes.

I agree there's a lot going on in Florida.  SunRail just added 12 miles of new service, with the Deland extension. And it is planning a 20 mile southern expansion into Polk County.  The Miami-Dade planning council is actively looking at commuter operations over the FEC, and also to the south, toward Homestead.

Dcmcrider Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> OK, Florida has seen by far the largest
> private-sector investment in passenger rail
> service since at least the 1950s--not to mention
> two regional commuter rail operations--but it's
> rabidly "anti-rail." Got it.


Yep!

Jim, thanks for posting. I'm not sure if you have the inside track on the Nashville & Eastern funding for Watertown, but I think this might be more about a place to turn NCStL 576 (steam engine under restoration in Nashville for those unfamiliar) and additional freight car capacity than it is for the WeGo Star commuter trains. Just a theory, nothing firm I know.

Mike Derrick

Posted from Android

NPRocky Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I didn't hear that the FRA had approved that new
> shunting equipment for Amtrak trains.  Is that
> money set aside just in case the FRA approves the
> equipment, or am I just behind?

Amtrak put out a waiver request with the FRA back in the spring for the equipment to be installed. The unions complained for some reason but clearly the FRA rightly ignored their requests.

ShortlinesUSA Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Jim, thanks for posting. I'm not sure if you have
> the inside track on the Nashville & Eastern
> funding for Watertown, but I think this might be
> more about a place to turn NCStL 576 (steam engine
> under restoration in Nashville for those
> unfamiliar) and additional freight car capacity
> than it is for the WeGo Star commuter trains. Just
> a theory, nothing firm I know.
>
> Mike Derrick
>
> Posted from Android

Could very possibly be for that.  No mention of that in Mayor Pete's presser.  Here is the direct quote:  

• $1.6 million to the city of Watertown to build a new rail yard on the Nashville & Eastern, adding 2,000 feet of track and utilizing a turntable donated by the city. It will provide additional capacity for passing and short-term storage on the line used by Nashville’s commuter rail operation. The city and private sources will provide the 33% match.

Dcmcrider Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> OK, Florida has seen by far the largest
> private-sector investment in passenger rail
> service since at least the 1950s--not to mention
> two regional commuter rail operations--but it's
> rabidly "anti-rail." Got it.

CRISI Grants, Mr. Wilson, Yea, Federal money,  not "private-sector."
There is a difference. Too bad you fail to understand that. Pay attention!