March 18, 2010

Friends,

Today’s Weekly Update has a couple of great articles for our friends interested in commuter rail…

Also, photos and presentations from our 8^th Annual Conference are now posted on our website at www.friendsoftransit.org.  As you know, we had a great event and a great turnout, and there is some great information posted.

In the News:
Coalition hears projections for Valley commuter-rail service, The Arizona Republic, March 12, 2010
Surprise, Ariz team talks commuter rail, F-35 mission with D.C. lawmakers, The Arizona Republic, March 16, 2010

Don’t forget to visit Friends of Transit on the web at www.friendsoftransit.org! 

 

Coalition hears projections for Valley commuter-rail service
by Cecilia Chan 
Mar. 12, 2010 09:01 AM
The Arizona Republic

A consultant this week said implementing commuter rail service between Wittmann in the Northwest Valley and Queen Creek in the Southeast Valley would yield the most riders.

Rick Pilgrim, senior vice president of URS Corp., presented his recommendation Monday to the Grand Avenue Coalition at the Rio Vista Recreation Center in Peoria. The coalition of 17 agencies, including Surprise, Maricopa Association of Governments and BNSF Railway, wants to put passenger trains on freight lines and link to other modes of transportation, such as light rail and buses.

"You have to come to the table with a commitment to run the service and do it for a period of time," said Pilgrim, adding the project would require "state and local funds coupled with federal funds."

The Wittmann-Queen Creek corridor, which combines two routes, is forecast to bring 10,000 passengers a day by 2030, Pilgram said. The projected cost was $16.7 million per mile for passenger service on the Grand Avenue corridor, from Wittmann to central Phoenix, and $14.9 million a mile for the Southeast corridor. In comparison, light rail's cost is $65 million per mile, Pilgrim said.

Peoria Deputy City Manager Susan Daluddung said sales-tax revenue and private/public partnerships are the two models generally used in other areas that have successful commuter-rail service.

"We are positioned at this point in time for Arizona to become a rail state and we need to take the next two years to look for funding opportunities," Daluddung said.

Possible funding sources were offered, including a local gas tax, vehicle registration fee and Maricopa County's half-cent sales tax.

The consultant studied five stand-alone corridors for the region, including for Tempe, Chandler and Yuma, and ranked them for cost-effectiveness of construction.

The Southeast corridor, which would run from central Phoenix into Queen Creek, showed the highest ridership of the five routes at 6,450 a day in 2030.

Although linking the Yuma corridor to the Southeast rail route was considered more cost-effective, the consultant recommended pairing the Southeast corridor with freight rail along Grand Avenue to get the most passengers.

Surprise City Councilwoman Sharon Wolcott said she favored a route that was not a stand-alone but would connect the region. She asked about connections from Phoenix toLas Vegas or Phoenix to Los Angeles.

"One way or the other we need to look at the bigger future," she said.

Peoria Vice Mayor Ron Aames estimated a two-year time frame to pin down revenue sources, which are key. He said the coalition also will look into forming a private-public partnership to bring commuter rail to the Valley.

The Western High-Speed Rail Alliance, which includes the Maricopa Association of Governments, is looking at the viability of a high-speed rail network throughout the Rocky Mountain region. Eventually, it would connect to the Pacific Coast and other regions of the United States.

The Alliance's members are organizations from four Western states: Arizona, Utah, Nevada and Colorado.

Plan for commuter rail takes shape

A consultant this week presented steps the Grand Avenue Coalition could take to implement commuter rail in the Northwest Valley. The consultant's five-year plan for 2010-15 included a number of recommendations.

LEGISLATION
Get legislation passed that would relieve rail operators from liability and provide indemnification from passenger trains on freight lines.

COORDINATE WITH RAILROADS
Develop partnerships to investigate potential agreements. Do advance work on design and operating costs.

FEDERAL FUNDS
Begin process for obtaining federal money.

GOVERNANCE PLAN
Develop and implement a structure to govern commuter-rail service.

LONG-TERM STEPS FOR 2015 AND BEYOND
Obtain committed funding from federal and local sources.
Design, construct and operate initial commuter-rail system.

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Surprise, Ariz., team talks commuter rail, F-35 mission with D.C. lawmakers
LILY LEUNG
The Arizona Republic
Tuesday, March 16, 2010 at 01:59 PM

Commuter rail and the F-35 mission are among the buzz phrases flitting through Washington D.C., courtesy of a team of two Surprise council members and an intergovernmental-affairs city official.

Council members Richard Alton and Sharon Wolcott, with Intergovernmental Relations Director Michael Celaya, arrived before the rush of the annual National League of Cities convention to meet with members of the Arizona congressional delegation and push those agenda items, among others.

Notable figures have included Sen. John McCain and Sen. John Kyl, both Republicans.

The prospect of commuter rail coming to Surprise, along Grand Avenue, has been discussed for years. That prospect became more real when Surprise bought land for a future park-and-ride lot near Grand Avenue and Bell Road, a potential commuter-rail stop.

Needless to say, the topic of the F-35 mission potentially coming to Luke Air Force Base has been one of interest and controversy for the northwest Valley over the past year.

Alton, Wolcott and Celaya also worked on securing appropriations to start improvements on Litchfield Road and to fund technology upgrades for the police department.

The trio is now in the midst of convention hob-nobbing and are slated to return to Surprise late Wednesday night.

Stay tuned to "Inside Surprise" for a fresher update on their D.C. trip.

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