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BULLETIN       June 2004

Q.  What do the following have in common?

• Air quality
• Efficient land use (vs. sprawl)
• Personal health and safety
• Pulic health and safety
• Historic preservation
• Garbage/recycling issues
• Traffic congestion
• Renewable energy production
• Increased employment/poverty reduction
• Disposable income
• National security
• Smart growth
• Deficit reduction (federal, state, local, personal)
• Use (and availability) of leisure time
• Business and worker productivity
• Global warming
• Stress

A.  Passenger rail generates a positive impact on this whole grab-bag of issues and a few we have probably overlooked.

Local and regional passenger rail is making a comeback in the US. Government, community and business leaders from all over the political map have begun to realize what we note above: rail solves a lot of problems.

Even New Mexico is beginning to see the light. Commuter (regional) and light rail are no longer presented exclusively in terms of science fiction or nostalgia. The governor, the mayor or Albuquerque, and others have spoken out in favor of passenger rail. The legislature has made some progress toward the existence of regional transit authorities, and the Mid Region Council of Governments (MRCOG) is trying to put together an RTA.

Things are looking hopeful and we at Rails are feeling encouraged. There are, however, several points we wish to emphasize:

1. We must have real RTA’s; that is, entities that span more than one county or metro area.
2. We need to get past local rivalries, turf wars and inter-jurisdiction resentments. Without true regionalism, public transportation will likely become a logistic nightmare and a public laughing stock.
3. An RTA must have full power to raise capital and operating funds – funds from stable and permanent sources. An RTA must also be able to keep and use what it earns, such as from fares; no shifting of proceeds over to some other fund or account. In other words, alarming as this may sound to some, an RTA should possess the powers of, and be subject to the oversightof, a government – a transportation “government” representative of everybody within its area of operation.
4. Bus and express bus services are important, but not enough! Along the principal corridors of New Mexico, communter rail must be considered an “anchor” mode, much like a major air route. Other modes, especially light rail, should feed these or go where they can’t. We suggest a close study of the transit systems of the Calgary, Dallas/Fort Worth, Denver, St. Louis and Salt Lake City regions.
5. These services must be regular, frequent and comfortable. There should be no skimping with regard to number of vehicles, quality of vehicles or stationary facilities. Any extra startup money invested in modern trains, buses, station shelters and parking facilities will not be lost forever – it will come back as greater fare box revenue, public enthusiasm and mitigation of our many auto-related problems.
6. Fares must be affordable to everyone. No transportation system “makes” money. Intermodal transportation is a public service with public benefits and should be thought of as such. Having said that, remember that public rail systems actually do pretty well at the fare box compared to buses and other modes.

We’d like to present three more facts:

1. Public transportation, anchored by rail, is the future.
2. Cost and taxation are meaningless concepts except in the context of investment and return (“What do I get for my money”?).
3. Driving in New Mexico’s populous areas is not really all that bad – yet.

Which means that our job in transportation reform is to win the public over to safer, more convenient, economically wiser alternatives to what we endure now, not to try to force or guilt-trip them into choosing among ordeals.

Contact us for more information.

BULLETIN January 2004

We at Rails are delighted to see passenger rail finally making it into public discussion in New Mexico, and believe we have done our part in making this happen. However, we need to clear up some confusion regarding various types of passenger trains.

Rail Trolleys

or trolley cars are just that – individual railcars about the size of a bus. They stop at almost every street corner and operate within a downtown and to nearby attractions. Trolley cars can be old, replica, restored or brand new.

Light Rail Vehicles

are somewhat heavier trolleys that can be coupled together in “trainsets”. These operate within a city or between a city and its outlying areas. Stops are further apart and speeds are greater than with trolley cars.

Commuter/Heavy Rail

consists of “real” trains – comfortable, often bi-level cars either sol-powered or pulled by a locomotive. These cars are equipped with large upholstered seats, restrooms, trays or tables, even snack bars and computer plug-ins. Commuter/heavy rail trains run between major populations centers with stops along the way and usually use existing rights-of-way (tracks).

Superliner Service

is the next step up. These are the cross-country and long-haul trains such as those that Amtrak runs. They include sleeping cars, dining cars and lounge-observation cars.

High-speed Rail

usually refers to the fast (100-125 mph) trains widely in service in Europe and along our coasts. These require high-class track and special control and signalling systems.

Bullet Trains

are even faster – up to 150-200 mph – and require dedicated track, not shared with any other trains.

Magnetic Levitation (maglev) Trains

are not exactly trains as we understand them. They are sleek train-like vehicles suspended in a magnetic field within a special guideway system. Maglevs are smooth, safe, faster than many aircraft and very costly – not much less than a modern highway.

All these systems, except maglev, operate on regular gauge railroad track. Track weight and strength vary depending on the kind of service it is supporting. Generally speaking, we recommend heavy enough track to support several kinds of conveyances. For example, it might be worthwhile to be able to operate both light rail and rail trolley cars in the same service area.

Motive power is best furnished by plain old diesel, modern diesel motor units (DMUs), and/or overhead electric lines. Modern overhead rail power lines are quite unobtrusive and are easily energized either by regular or renewably generated (wind, solar, . . .) electricity.

Light rail and commuter trains are controllable at both ends (some appear to run backwards in one direction). This eliminates the need for space-consuming turn-around loops.

The above train definitions are only approximate, and varioius hybrids and combinations exist. Of the seven kinds of rail systems presented here, we consider the high speed rail, bullet train, and maglev options just wonderful – someday. For the near term, we urge that work begin immediately on the first four; implementation to proceed in the following manner:

 

1. Build the 10-15 miles of modern track and signalling needed for efficient commuter rail service into downtown Santa Fe, using existing remnant right-of-way wherever possible.
2. Begin commuter rail service between Belen and Bernalillo, early AM to late PM, 365 days per year, using a minimum of two trainsets, probably crossing each other at the Alvarado Station in Albuquerque.
3. Expand this service to Santa Fe (and Socorro) as infrastructure permits.
4. Get light rail (and express bus) underway in the Albuquerque area, as well as rail trolley service along the “String of Pearls” corridor as proposed in the Albuquerque Rapid Transit Project.
5. Have the state strongly pursue the restoration of Amtrak or similar superliner service between El Paso and Denver.
6. Get the public on board through a media compaign and possibly live enevts in which real trains are brought in for weekend demonstration runs with music, refreshments, briefings of proposed service and free rides to the public.
7. Organize special trains to popular events – balloon fiesta, concerts, etc.

REMEMBER:

• Anti-rail forces sometimes use bullet, high-speed, and maglev trains to illustrate how expensive passsenger rail is. The more modest rail services described above are, relatively speaking, cheap, quick to install and easy to organize with minimum noise and disruption along the route – even during construction.
• Buses – big, small, private and public – are essential to a good transportation system, but they are NOT ENOUGH. Passenger rail is closely compatible with all other modes, even cars and trucks.

WHAT YOU CAN DO:

Get involved. Let our politcal leaders, your family, friends, co-workers know that you support full choice transportation anchored by passenger rail. Call. Write. E-mail. There are some forward-looking state and local officials in New Mexico, but they need to know the public is backing their efforts.

Contact us for more information.

BULLETIN September 2003

 

 

Overlooked Benefits
There seems to be a new day finally dawning in New Mexico in the twin areas of transportation and energy. People are talking more seriously about solar and wind enerty, and rail has recently made it into public discussion.

At RAILS Inc., our big obesssions at the moment are avoiding the Bus Trap and clearing up the confusion over different kinds of trains – light, trolley, and commuter.

The Bus Trap is what we call the well-intentioned mind-set that asks, “If we can’t get people to ride the bus, how will we get them on the trains?” This attitude feels that you need to work your way through various bus modes, and perhaps Rail some day. We say that if you focus on passenger rail, make it a priority, the public will be much more receptive to better transportation and the other “modes” will organize themselves into a coherent multimodal system. Abundant proof of this is all around us – Denver, Dallas, Salt Lake City, etc.

People in general, and transportation reformers in particular, need to know that rail is essential to the intermodal picture; not some day in the future, but soon. There are many types of trains, several of which are very economical and can be installed within months.

Many are already aware of some of the advantages of rail anchored multimodal transportation – clean air, promotion of sensible land use and development, etc. There are many other lesser known advantages, such as:

• Fuel economy
• Longevity and low maintenance
• Popularity with the public
• Independence from most traffic problems
• No tire maintenance and disposal problems
• Much more efficient use of materials and land per passenger mile
• Close compatibility with renewble energy systems
• Compatibililty with all other modes of transportation
• Much less noise, intrusion and odor inflicted on its surroundings

 

Contact your friends, neighbors and political leaders and let them know you support rail transportation and renewable energy as the anchors of a safer, cleaner and more economically and ecologically viable New Mexico.

Contact us for more information.

BULLETIN:  December 2001

We at RAILS, Inc. want to talk about Bullet Trains.

We keep hearing references to Bullet (super fast) trains as an expensive and unacceptable alternative to highway and road expansion.

This is a red herring issue. Don’t let it throw you “off track” about transportation choices for New Mexico.

A Bullet Train, along with its right-of-way, is pretty hideously expensive –probably not much cheaper than a freeway expansion or a new road (note heavy sarcasm). But these are not the only transportation options we’re looking at in New Mexico. There are other passenger Rail systems, relatively cheap and easy to put together:

(1) A comfortable “starter” Commuter Rail line running several times daily between Belen and Bernalillo. COST: $34 million/year.

(2) The same system expanded to Socorro-Santa Fe. Cost: $9-10 million/year, plus $10-12 million one time for new tracks, signals, etc. between Santa Fe and the main line.

(3) Light Rail (Or Modern Streetcar) lines along existing boulevards. Cost: $20-25 million per mile.

Several things to remember: the above cost figures include the trains themselves (leased, with appropriate insurance), and assume no fare revenue–a pessimistic assumption since people do ride these systems if they are run with any degree of competence. Also, these systems interface very well with other modes of transportation and comply with ISTEA, TEA-2 1 and other federal laws.

Don’t get sucked into false choices like the phony freeway vs Bullet Train thing.

Want to know more?

 

 

Contact us for more information.