The Tale of Two Trains

As the clock ticks down on the legislature’s efforts to avert service cuts and fare hikes on our trains and buses, people are confused and angry.

That was certainly the tone at last Monday’s ‘listening session” in New Canaan held by US Senator Chris Murphy, who’d come to talk about transportation.  Most of those who turned out cared little for his vision of national infrastructure.  They were more worried about losing their mid-day and weekend branch line service on Metro-North under proposed CDOT budget cuts starting July 1^st.

“We’re really fed up,” said one.  “This kind of crisis has now been socialized,” said another, predicting we’d be back dealing with such ideas again in another few years. “Was this a political ploy or a real crisis?” asked a skeptic.

Senator Murphy clearly understood he was walking into a hornet’s nest.  But the audience seemed surprised when he admitted he didn’t understand the extent of the proposed service cuts.  Really?

“We need to refill the Special Transportation Fund,” said Murphy.  “But I’ll stay out of the details of how to do it.  I’m not plugged in at the state level.”

While state Senator Toni Boucher (R-Wilton) tried to reassure attendees that the looming crisis has been averted… that there will be no service cuts or fare hikes July 1^st… the details are fuzzy.

Both the Democrats’ and Republicans’ proposed budgets seem to find money to staunch the hemorrhaging of the STF. But my sources tell me it’s the same old shell game.  Take a little money from the rainy-day fund, divert the new car sales tax, maybe a booze bottle deposit tax and yes, a four to seven cent increase in the gasoline tax.  Even Boucher said a gas tax hike “would be fair”. 

But no tolls?  No, in an election year that can has been kicked down the road once again. 

By the time you read this column, the proposed solutions may be different.  But they all seem like band-aids, not systemic changes in funding.  Crisis postponed, not averted.

Meanwhile, Senator Murphy was talking big picture:  infrastructure investment on a national, bi-partisan level measuring billions of dollars.  He reminded attendees that while the US spends 2% of GDP on infrastructure, Europe spends 6% and China 12%.

He said that Amtrak’s high-speed Acela turns a profit of $300 million a year which is used to subsidize slower, traditional Northeast Corridor trains.  Acela could be privatized.

He praised the European model where the government owns and maintains the tracks while private companies pay to offer competitive service with their trains.  Imagine having a choice of carriers to whisk you by rail to Washington.

What about Elon Musk’s Hyperloop?  We can’t wait that long, said Murphy.  “It’s far from being proven as a technology.”

Murphy admitted that US roads and rails are too expensive and take far too long to build under current regulations.  “The Republicans are going to have to accept new taxes and the Democrats some changes in labor and environmental rules,” he said.

It was the tale of two railroads.

Murphy was dreaming of 200+ mph high speed rail and most people in the room were just trying to save their one-track, “dink train” from New Canaan to NYC. 

Posted with permission of Hearst CT Media