Passenger Trains > PA to fund Pennsylvanian without Transp. Bill

August 18, 2013
Altoona Mirror
PennDOT to fund rail for entire year
by Ryan Brown

> The (PA) State Department of Transportation is committed to funding
> a full year of east-west passenger rail service through the region,
> a spokeswoman said Friday, though service in the long term might
> still rely on new sources of state money.
>
> Spokeswoman Erin Waters-Trasatt said PennDOT is set to cover a
> year's subsidy - set in a March agreement at $3.8 million - for the
> Pennsylvanian...
>
> On Oct. 1, a 2008 federal law is set to take effect, turning the
> line's government subsidy over to the state (As previously discussed
> on this forum, the October 1 cutoff as a mandate of Federal law is a LIE).
> PennDOT will cover the subsidy for a year from that point, Waters-Trasatt said.
>
> In the absence of a transportation funding bill that could pump new
> money into the passenger rail, PennDOT will use funds from a $20
> million uncommitted pile, she said.
>
> "There's a possibility that we'll need to look at this next year,"
> Waters-Trasatt said.
>
> Ongoing talks with Amtrak have largely concerned details of the
> financial arrangement, she said. Turning some train operations over
> to third-party contractors - a possible plan mentioned in state
> media reports - hasn't been seriously considered to her knowledge,
> Waters-Trasatt said.
>
> "There have been a couple suggestions [of contractors] in the past,"
> she said.

Link:

PennDOT to fund rail for entire year



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 08/18/13 18:36 by GenePoon.

Sounds like Pennsylvania will be like what Missouri and Michigan used to be initially, an annual Perils of Pauline for a few years.

joemvcnj Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Sounds like Pennsylvania will be like what
> Missouri and Michigan used to be initially, an
> annual Perils of Pauline for a few years.


Maybe.

The proposal to put tolls on I-80 was initially seen as a funding mechanism for other road and rail projects. When that toll proposal went down in flames, the result was a lot of scrambling to get funding in place for (worthy) projects.

From what I understand, even the New York one will be a one year agreement for now. Although the funding in New York State appropriations is not in question, some of the money that Amtrak is demanding apparently is being questioned by New York.

States typically get appropriations for no more than one or two fiscal years, as part of the budget process. Longer-term arrangements are less usual.