CDOT Fare Hearings

 Our state government certainly moves in mysterious ways.

The Connecticut legislature seems unable to even discuss the crucial replenishing of the Special Transportation Fund to keep mass transit rolling… but they found hours to debate the merits of declaring pizza the “official state food”.  Really?

Kudos to the nine lawmakers who voted “no”, not because they don’t like pizza but because they saw this issue as a waste of time.

Also in the “waste of time” category were the recent series of virtual public hearings (May 18, 19, 20 & 25) by the Connecticut Department of Transportation.  The topic… service reductions on Metro-North and CT Transit that have already been implemented.

Twelve mind-numbing hours of Zoom hearings were planned, accompanied by hundreds of pages of legally mandated reports and analysis.  I can’t even imagine the hours of work that went into their preparation, and for what?

There are no fare increases planned and no further cuts in service beyond what was ordered months ago.  So why are they having public hearings on a moot issue?  In fact, if Metro-North gets its dreams fulfilled and ridership returns, schedules will have to be adjusted again, potentially triggering more hearings.

If the decisions have been made, why ask the public their opinion after the fact?  Does anybody really think that anything that gets said at these hearings will evoke a change of plans by CDOT or Metro-North? 

There has been one silver lining to the pandemic:  it’s got state government using virtual platforms like Zoom to better engage with the public. It used to be that you’d waste a day driving to the Capitol in Hartford, sitting through hours of others’ testimony and finally get your three minutes to speak.  Now you can attend the political theater of meaningless hearings without leaving the comfort of your own home.

To their credit some legislative committees held 24 hour-long hearings on such important issues as mandatory student vaccinations and forced re-zoning, allowing hundreds of voices to be heard.  But again, let’s not be naïve enough to assume that anyone’s testimony changed votes.

Sure, attending, watching or (if you were lucky enough) testifying on these matters may have been cathartic, but they didn’t change a darn thing.  Lawmakers were only going through the motions, just like CDOT will do in this case.

But here’s an idea: attend these virtual hearings and register to speak.  Not about these already-decided matters about fares and schedules, but about anything you’d like to say related to commuting.

Use your three minutes to ask why Metro-North is still running its trains slower than it did a decade ago.  Query the Commissioner of DOT about what happened to Governor Lamont’s illusory plan known as “30-30-30”.  Ask why Metro-North conductors aren’t enforcing Federal rules on mask wearing to keep passengers safe.  Or how long the railroad can keep operating with 20% ridership and who’s going to pay the bills.

There are so many questions that could be asked.  Don’t expect answers.  These are public hearings, not a dialogue with decision makers.  Officials will be in listen-only mode, probably chanting some secret mantra to fend off the verbal barbs and anger of those testifying.

These hearings won’t change anything, but they may make for fun viewing and a chance to vent your frustration.

Posted with permission of Hearst CT Media

Do You Feel Safe Riding Metro-North?

Is it safe to get back on the train to New York?  Casey (not her real name) thought so when, a couple of weekends back, she wanted to see some millennial friends in Manhattan for brunch.  But boarding the Saturday morning train she immediately started to worry and texted me.

The train was jammed, she said.  Very few empty seats.  No way to “socially distance” and many people were not wearing face masks.

Looking around, she saw large groups of NY Yankees and NY Rangers fans.  Sure enough, both teams had home games that afternoon. The fans were tailgating their way to the fun, already drinking (heavily and openly) by 11 am. 

Metro-North claims it’s doing everything it can to attract riders back, but this was just the opposite.  The railroad knew there were two major sport events that day, so why not schedule extra trains, giving people room to spread out? 

The conductors didn’t call out the non-mask wearers, didn’t ask them to cover their faces and didn’t offer them free masks.  They allowed them to break the law without so much as a warning.

Forget the latest guidance from the CDC:  masks are still required on all trains and planes by order of the TSA.

Sure, vaccination levels in Connecticut are rising.  To date 50% of the state has received full dosing.  But something told Casey these tipsy fans weren’t wearing masks because they’d had their shots, but because they just didn’t care.

Casey filed an online complaint with the MTA Police, hoping they would meet the incoming train at 125^th Street and enforce the law.  No response.  A complaint on the Metro-North website generated a boilerplate response but no follow-thru.  And a Tweet, detailing her discomfort brought a tepid reply apologizing for “any unpleasantness” during her journey.

Unpleasant, for sure, but also potentially lethal.  The mask rules are there for public safety.  That’s a Federal rule with fines  of $250 to $1500. Those not wearing masks should have been kicked off the train.

Since the pandemic began, weekday ridership on Metro-North has been crawling back to about 25% of pre-COVID numbers, but on weekends almost half of the old ridership is back onboard.  The trains are getting crowded and more service is needed now.

While weekday commuters tell me mask compliance is almost 100%, it’s the weekend warriors, partying and carousing, that are not following the rules.  And the railroad seems to not care.  They run PSAs but don’t enforce the law. Are they that desperate for customers?

Last fall the railroad unveiled a new virus-zapping UV light air filter system to much acclaim, but it’s only operational on a handful of train cars. Why?

Their TrainTime app added functionality to advise passengers waiting for trains which cars were the least crowded.  It’s working on the LIRR and NY sections of Metro-North, but not in Connecticut. Why?

Every night the railroad sprays disinfectant in the interior of all railcars even though research shows that there’s only a one in 10,000 chance of getting the virus by contacting an infected surface.  It’s airborne transmission that presents the real danger.  And that’s why masks will be with us for a while longer in enclosed public spaces.

NYC Mayor de Blasio wants to re-open NYC on July 1^st.  But riders are not coming back to Metro-North… some because they don’t have to (as they prefer to work from home), but many others because the railroad is still making them feel unsafe.

 

Posted with permission of Hearst CT Media.

It's Time to Invest in Rail Freight

How would you like a plan to remove thousands of trucks from Connecticut highways, clean up the air and create new jobs?

Who wouldn’t?  It’s a win-win-win plan that you’d expect Governor Lamont to embrace, especially in this time of TCI (the Transportation Climate Initiative).

The solution?  Invest in our state’s freight railroads.

Yes, there are still freight trains in Connecticut, just not very many. But there could be more.

In its earlier days as a profitable, private railroad the New Haven ran hundreds of freight trains each day.  But today the railroad is too crowded with (relatively faster) passenger trains and the bridges and catenary lines are too low for modern double-stack container trains.

But in other parts of Connecticut, freight still travels by rail on more than 500 miles of track, most of it owned by the state Department of Transportation and leased to eight different private operators.

In western Connecticut we have the Housatonic, Pam Am Southern, Connecticut Southern, the Naugatuck and Providence and Worcester Railroads, to name but a few.

These short line railroads already carry 3.8 million tons of freight annually in our state, keeping 350,000 truck loads off our roads and reducing greenhouse emissions by 75%.  Diesel trains can carry up to 500 ton-miles per gallon.  Trucks manage about 130.

These freight railroads carry everything from chlorine-based disinfectants for water treatment, food for our tables, huge electrical transformers and bulk commodities.  Their customers include such Connecticut businesses as Becton Dickinson, Kimberly Clark, Home Depot.

There are even plans to turn an abandoned factory site in Naugatuck into an inland port, receiving freight trains of goods to be offloaded onto trucks for local delivery.

Consider the mighty 19-mile-long Naugatuck RR.  Founded in 1845, the line once ran from Winsted to Bridgeport, offering both passenger trains and freight service.  These days the line is much shorter, but they still hand-off long loads of boxcars filled with construction debris bound for landfills in Ohio.

While marginally profitable, these freight railroads need help to continue, let alone expand, their service to the state’s businesses if they are to meet federal expectations of a 30% increase in rail freight traffic by 2040.

As their ‘landlord’, the State needs to invest in their infrastructure by rebuilding bridges to carry heavier loads, lay new track, replace worn ties and improve grade crossings.

Eight years ago the state bonded $10 million to fund such repairs and the railroads chipped in their own money, too.  They had to, with $80 million of needed work, most of which has gone unfinished.

Early in 2020 the legislature approved an additional $10 million in investments, but the Bond Commission has yet to approve the funding and issue the bonds.

When the Bond Commission met mid-April they found $467 million in total funding for dozens of projects but the $10 million for freight rail wasn’t even on the agenda.

The inestimable Ken Dixon asked the Governor if his old “debt diet” was over and the Governor said no, that the new bonding was an “investment” in everything from housing to economic development, thanks to interest rates being so low (1.8%).

Ten million dollars in state bonding is chump change. At their next meeting the Bond Commission and the Governor should get on with the job of investing in Connecticut’s rail freight.

Posted with permission of Hearst CT Media

 

Biden's Infrastructure Plan

Hurrah!  It’s finally “infrastructure week” in Washington. 

In his first 100 days as President, Joe Biden has delivered a plan that his predecessor just kept teasing us with for four years:  a complete rehabilitation and expansion of the nation’s infrastructure.

Of course, Biden’s “American Jobs Act” goes way beyond just rebuilding roads, bridges and rails.  It also covers our water supply, electrical grid, internet, sea and airports, our housing stock and our very jobs.

It’s too much and way too expensive ($2+ trillion) for conservatives but hardly enough for progressives.  That sounds great to me. With plenty for everyone to hate there’s lots of negotiating room on all sides in the months ahead.

Biden is right to think big.  After decades of underinvestment in the ‘bones’ of our economy, it’s time to do more than catch up but to leapfrog ahead.  Remember it was Republican presidents who built the interstate highway system (Eisenhower) and the Panama Canal (Teddy Roosevelt) using public money.  Why did they have a long-range vision but today’s Republicans are so myopic?

Because this time it’s the corporations who’ll be asked to pay up by raising corporate taxes from 21% to 28%.  That’s still less than the 35% tax rate in effect before Trump’s 2017 tax cuts.  Remember them?… the corporate welfare program that was supposed to create jobs but ended up just making business fat-cats plumper thanks to corporate stock buybacks.

Why not ask business to pay its fair share?  How could 55 of the nation’s top businesses pay zero taxes last year despite billions in profits?

Who benefits from a better infrastructure more than business?  Better roads, safer bridges, dependable electricity, smooth running airports, clean water and a well trained workforce are the things that will make business thrive.

Right now, when it comes to infrastructure, we’re living in a third world country. 

If China can build the largest high speed rail system in the world in just 15 years, why do we make Amtrak to barely limp along on table scraps just to fund its operating costs?

If Germany can build a green energy network providing almost half of the nation’s electric needs, why does Texas go dark in a winter cold spell… or Connecticut when high winds take out our utilities’ fragile networks?

Anyone who drives on potholed I-95 or endures a teeth-chattering ride on Metro-North knows we can do better.  Do we need a bullet train to Ronkonkoma?  Maybe not.  But fixing our existing transportation network would be an easy start.

And that’s what the Biden team is counting on:  public pressure for a “Big Fix” to persuade Republican lawmakers to fund the “shovel ready” if not also the “shovel worthy”.

Shepherding this mammoth package of legislation through Congress won’t be easy.  Speaker Pelosi herself thinks it won’t emerge from the House until July and then the Senate negotiations begin.

Oh, there will be plenty of horse-trading and the final package will little resemble what’s been initially proposed, burdened down by special interest as lobbyists earn their keep in DC.

What do you think are the most important projects to prioritize?  Join the discussion on CTInsiders Facebook page or follow the #GettingThereCT hashtag on Twitter to add your thoughts and I’ll share them in my next column.

Posted with permission of Hearst CT Media.

A Conversation with the Commissioner

Joe Giulietti loves to talk, especially about trains.  As Commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Transportation when he calls me and say “Jim… let’s have a chat”, I’m all ears.  In a recent exclusive one-on-one, here’s what he said:

WILL RAIL COMMUTER COME BACK?

The Commissioner says yes, but maybe not until the fall.  “Am I optimistic?  I have to be. The disappointing fact right now is we (still) only have 10% of (pre-COVID) ridership.  The trains we have now can meet (that) demand.  If ridership increases we can add more. ”

ARE THE TRAINS SAFE?

“We have one of the safest (rail) systems out there.  The air is exchanged in the cars almost every five minutes. There’s a constant flow of fresh air.”  While Metro-North did experiment with virus-killing UV light treatments in the cars’ HVAC it turns out that an ionization process is more effective at scrubbing virus from the air.

MASK COMPLIANCE

Initially voluntary, then with a small fine for offenders, mask-wearing is now required by Federal rules.  “Compliance is between 95 and 97%.  Enforcement is done by the MTA Police, strategically placed to respond (to non-wearers).”

INCREASING TRAINS SPEED

Trains are still running slow under FRA rules following the Fairfield and Spuyten Duyvil derailments in 2013.  But now that Positive Train control is installed, CDOT is working with the FRA to get their speed restrictions lifted.

“People are asking for higher speeds.  We also have a Governor constantly reminding us he wants faster speeds,” says the Commissioner.  But, he added “you know I never bought into 30-30-30.  It’s just a vision and a goal.”

MODIFYING TIMETABLES

Commuters complain that trains make too many stops, further slowing up the ride.  So CDOT is studying ‘zoned service’.  A train might run from Grand Central to Stamford then skip-stop to Bridgeport.  The train behind it could make the intermediate stops.

“With ridership down we can step back and look at our schedules.  Modeling (by computer) has got a lot better. Of course every town wants express service from their station,” he said with a chuckle.  Best bet is the fastest service will be to and from the busiest stations, perhaps as early as the fall.

Commuting hours have also changed, so also look for added service earlier in the AM.

WHAT ABOUT FARES?

“I don’t know that we’ll have a monthly ticket anymore… based on the utilization. Maybe we’ll come up with a 30-trip ticket.”

There’s no plan to resume peak fares at rush hour but the railroad and CDOT have to find revenue to cover their huge operating deficits beyond Uncle Sam’s one-time bailout. “A lot of people don’t buy into the subsidization.  We’re trying to find a balance to keep trains running and meet the social justice (obligation of service).”

MORE M8 CARS

As the final new M8 cars get delivered, the railroad has more than enough cars for needed service.  CDOT may even have enough M8s to share a pair with MBTA in Boston for their testing, allowing for group orders of future cars. Testing of the M8s on Shore Line East is progressing (after six years) .

TRANSIT ORIENTED DEVELOPMENT

The legislature is debating looser, state-wide zoning regulations, especially near train stations.  But what happens to those developments ideas if ridership doesn’t come back?

“I do believe (ridership) is coming back. If it doesn’t we won’t just be talking about T.O.D. but the future of business itself.”

 

Posted with permission of Hearst CT Media

How To Save Metro-North

How are we going to get riders back on the trains and save Metro-North from ballooning deficits, potential service cuts or fare hikes?  That’s the question I crowd-sourced on social media last week and found dozens of great answers!

Most respondents said they won’t be commuting as much as before because they will continue working from home. It’s not that they are shunning the rails out of fear,  just that commuting won’t be necessary. “Most of us have figured out how to work without riding a train every day”, one rider opined.

A few cynics said mass transit is dead.  “Rip out the rails. Pave it over. Deploy autonomous minivans,” said one. 

But for the believers they still want reassurance that, even post-vaccinations, safety will continue:  “Better ventilation. More cleaning. Cars look like they’re being ‘wiped down’ using rags from a dumpster.  Clean the bathrooms!”

A few sang the praises of the new M8 railcars: “So much better.  Never a hot or cold car. No doors out of service. Cars ride smooth.”  But a former Shore Line East rider said the seats on their old hand-me-down railcars were causing him back aches so he’s now driving.

But the biggest areas for needed improvement for Metro-North seemed to be speed, frequency and lower cost.

The vast majority of respondents said the trains are “too slow”, that “it shouldn’t take 90 minutes to go 40 miles”  As one veteran rider put it, “My 50 min ride when I started commuting in 2004 is now an hour and 10 plus.”  Many noted it’s now faster and cheaper to drive than take the train.

The railroad is still operating under FRA speed restrictions since the 2013 Fairfield derailment.  But the other reason the run to NYC is so slow is the schedule.  “There’s way too many stops on the New Haven Line”… “go back to zoned service”… and “speed, speed, speed”, they observed.

This is actually an idea CDOT is pursuing… having more express trains skipping stations, so let’s see if they can make it happen.

Commuters said that schedules need to offer “better connections” to buses and the ferry.  Some suggested “through-running service to NJ and Long Island” offering a one-seat ride to JFK and Newark airports.  Several wanted bike rentals at all stations.

More frequent service was a big issue.  “Rapid transit trains every 15 minutes.” And “more off-peak service”.  Surprisingly, nobody complained about rush-hour trains.

One person suggested “reserved seating”, others dreamt of “no standees”.  And there were many complaints about the fares and availability of station parking.

“Between station parking and monthly pass it’s $400 a month, almost the same as driving.”  “Lower fares” and “more flexibility on tickets.  A monthly is too much and a ten-trip too little.  Maybe a 30 trip?”

Others suggested group fares and lower fares off-peak to spread out the riders.  One even wished for “buy one get one weekend fares”.

Other desired amenities included “Wi-Fi” and, yes, “bar cars!”.

To save money on labor, several proposed pre-paid tickets with inspectors and fines.  “No other developed countries’ railroads have conductors manually check tickets.”  Others suggested cross-honoring tickets on still-empty Amtrak trains.

Thanks to everybody for chiming in with your ideas, all of which I’ll be sharing verbatim with MNRR and CDOT. Let’s hope they include past-riders’ ideas in their future plans.

Posted with permission of Hearst CT Media

Lamont's Transportation Budget Plan Doesn't Add Up

The Governor’s proposed biennial budget for transportation just doesn’t add up.

Thanks to reduced rail ridership he’s projecting cost savings in the CDOT budget of $82 million over the next two years but promises no further cuts in service beyond those already taken during the pandemic.  But how does that jibe with Metro-North parent MTA’s projected $8 billion operating deficit through 2024?

Even pre-pandemic when ridership was at record highs, Metro-North still lost money.  And taxpayers made up the difference.  Grumbling commuters packed in SRO rush-hour trains paying the highest commuter rail fares in the US still couldn’t cover operating costs, let alone capital expansion.

Now, with ridership down 80% those deficits are exploding.  And even if relief money comes from Uncle Sam, how long can near-empty trains be kept running?

As I’ve written before, I don’t think commuters will be coming back post-pandemic in anywhere near the old numbers.  So if ridership remains low and the MTA sticks to its promise of no layoffs or fare hikes, something’s got to give.

Metro-North President Catherine Rinaldi says I’m wrong.  She says post-COVID daily ridership will only drop 10 – 20 percent.  But it’s those monthly pass holders who gave the railroad almost half of its revenue pre-COVID and their loss can never be made up by off-peak and weekend day-trippers to New York City’s attractions as she hopes.

Stay tuned for mandatory public hearings on all this, what I’ve called “political theater”.   But whatever commuters may say, however they might complain, their testimony won’t make a darn bit of difference.  The CDOT budget won’t change.  The fiscal die has been cast and come up “snake eyes”.

None of this should surprise you when you consider how the Governor writes his budget.  In fact, the document is not of his creation but OPM’s… the Office of Policy and Management. 

OPM doesn’t ask the CDOT “how much do you need for roads and rails?”.  They tell the agency, “Here’s how much you’ll get.  And here’s where to make the cuts.”

But while the Lamont budget sees “savings” through reduced rail and bus operations, it has found money for any number of highway projects while at the same time saying we need to reduce air pollution.  More highways, more cars, more pollution.  So much for their vaunted Transportation Climate Initiative.

Folks, it just doesn’t add up.

There are no tolls in this proposed budget. But there is a “mileage tax” on heavy trucks passing through our state.  That’s fine with me as I’ve always supported user fees.  But the $90 million that tax is expected to generate will do little to save the Special Transportation Fund from a deficit this year and insolvency by 2024.

In fact, that $90 million will just be used to fund issuance of more bonds to be paid off by our grandchildren.  Never mind the $92 billion (yes, billion) in long term debt coming due in the next 20 years for underfunded teacher pensions and such.

Today, 40% of the CDOT budget goes to paying debt service on bonds issued decades back.  We can’t even pay for the decrepit transportation we have today, so our short-sighted lawmakers just kick the proverbial can down the road. 

The problem is… we’ve run out of road.

 Posted with permission of Hearst CT Media