Intercity Passenger Rail

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Intercity Passenger Rail

• Three successful systems
• Californias Capitol Corridor
• The Cascades
• Virginia Railway Express

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Harris poll Priorities for passenger
transportation

• 47 Safety
• 44 Energy efficiency
• 29 Cost
• 27 Environment
• 26 Reliability

On-line poll of 1,961 adults released 2.08.06
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Trains are a great way to see America
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Inter-city rail offers many amenities
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Trains take cars and trucks off our highways

• Trains took 16 million vehicles off Virginia
  highways in 2001
• 3.6 million passengers
• 189 million tons of freight

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Trains take cars and trucks off our highways

• Virginia Railway Express takes one lane of
  traffic off I-66 and I-95 during peak hours every
  day

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Trains take cars and trucks off our highways

• A single freight train takes 280-500 trucks off
  the roads.

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Some facts about Intercity Rail

• Connects communities across the continent
• Provides a choice
• An alternative to driving
• An alternative to flying
• Not the same as commuter rail or light rail
• Intermodal links to transit

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Intercity Rails role in transportation

• Provides a travel choice
• Connects
• students to campuses
• leisure travelers to destinations
• rural Americans to urban centers
• business travelers to commercial centers
• seniors to mobility
• Vital to National Security (WWI, II)

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Harris poll Americans want more rail options

• Want a bigger share of passenger transport
• 44 Commuter trains
• 35 Long-distance trains
• 23 Local bus
• 23 Airlines
• 11 Local car
• 11 Long-distance car

• Want a bigger share of freight transport
• 63 Freight RR
• 35 Air Freight
• 24 Trucks

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Intercity Passenger Rail

• Where convenient, reliable new service is
  started, ridership explodes

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San Jose to Sacramento16 stations in 8 Northern
California Counties
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Unique California StationsFresno Station
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• 1,165,300 riders in 2004
• In six years
• Ridership gains of 152
• Revenue increase 110
• Number of daily trains increased 200 (from 8 to
  24)
• Locally controlled and managed
• Amtrak provides operations
• State funded

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Kids Ride Free
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School Field Trips Use the Train
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Eugene, OR to Vancouver, BC
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Cascades Route Map
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Facts about The Cascades

• Over 603,000 riders in 2004.
• Met its 12-year ridership goal in 3 years
• Ridership grows 2-4 every year
• State funded by Oregon Washington
• Trains designed for high speed (limited to 79 mph
  for safety)
• Tilting technology keeps riders comfortable
• Seats are turned for return trip

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1999 Tour of Seattle-Portland Transit

• Local decision-makers ride
• The Cascades

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Cascades Talgo trainsets
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Other states making significant public
investments in intercity passenger rail

• Virginia Senate START Commission
• Virginia should review its role in creating
  passenger rail alternatives in light of the
  private sectors decision not to provide such
  service.

• North Carolina
• New Mexico
• Florida
• Illinois
• Wisconsin
• New York

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TDX Route Map
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Virginia Railway Express
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VRE Service Network
80 mile system NS track to Broad Run CSX track to
Fredrxburg 2004 19 engines 68 coaches Locally
owned and managed AMTRAK operation
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VRE Performance

• Ridership has doubled since 1993
• Carries 3.3 million riders annually
• Takes one lane of traffic off I-95 and I-66
  daily during peak hours
• National reputation for customer service, on-time
  performance efficiency

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