program update baltimore mpo november 25, 2014. 2 internal draft agenda program overview ...
TRANSCRIPT
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AGENDA
Program Overview
Alternatives Development
Stakeholder and Public Outreach
Key Milestones
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Initiated in 2012 by Federal Railroad Administration
Focus on improving passenger rail service between Washington, D.C. and Boston
Long term vision with incremental approach
Tier 1 Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) and Service Development Plan
NEC FUTURE: A Rail Investment Program
Program Overview
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Aging infrastructure
Lack of capacity to accommodate transportation needs of projected 2040 population growth – particularly access to downtown business centers of major NEC cities
Compromised performance/reliability
Need for greater connectivity between NEC markets to meet changing demographics and regional growth patterns
What Drives Need For NEC Improvements?
Program Overview
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Defined vision by key stakeholders of the role of rail in the coming decades
› Rail plays a very important role today.
› Rail can play the same or a different role in the future
Rail can grow to absorb organic growth in travel, maintaining existing mode share (assumes others modes can similarly absorb organic growth)
Rail can absorb more than organic growth, reducing need to expand road access to urban centers and expansion of regional airports
Platform for the NEC Commission, states, and railroads to advance planning and implementation of the vision
What Are the Outcomes?
Program Overview
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2012 2013 2014 2015
Tier 1 Final EIS(Tier 1 FEIS)
Purpose & NeedData
CollectionScoping
Service Development Plan
We are here
Program Overview
Develop Alternatives
Tier 1 Draft Environmental Impact Statement (Tier 1 DEIS)
2016
Record of Decision (ROD)
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Narrowing the Alternatives
Alternatives Development
INITIAL ALTERNATIVES98 Alternatives
PRELIMINARY ALTERNATIVES4 Program Levels; 15 Alternatives
TIER 1 EIS ALTERNATIVES
PREFERRED INVESTMENT PROGRAM
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Assumes NEC remains operational at today’s service levels
› No change in rail service or markets, but increased congestion and weaker performance
› Requires investment at levels higher than today Results in a smaller share of the future travel market Includes:
› Fiscally constrained modal plans› Rail improvements already funded or mandated› State of good repair investments sufficient to maintain
operations› Highway and transit improvements included in TIP/STIP› Planned airport/air system improvements
No-Action Alternative
Alternatives Development
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All Alternatives – › Achieve state of good repair
› Significantly expand the range of service offerings to meet market demands
› Incorporate operational ‘best practices’ consistent with integrated service and infrastructure planning
› Protect freight access and future expansion of service
Difference between alternatives – › Proportion of market captured by rail› Frequency and types of service› Markets served› Infrastructure required to support service levels
Tier 1 EIS Alternatives
Alternatives Development
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Alternative 1 – Maintain the role of rail relative to other modes (accommodates growth in travel and achieves a similar share of the travel market in 2040 as rail does today)
Alternative 2 – Grow the role of rail relative to other modes (increases the share of the existing travel market accommodated by rail)
Alternative 3 – Transform the role of rail by becoming the mode of choice for intercity and regional trips along the NEC
Defining the role of Rail
Alternatives Development: Tier 1 EIS Alternatives
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Expands service to meet regional rail demand and a moderate expansion of intercity service
Eliminates key chokepoints› Hudson River tracks 3 and
4› Old Saybrook-Kenyon
route Adds trackage between New
Carrolton and Wilmington to accommodate growth in MARC and Amtrak service;
Benefits freight rail service
Alternative 1 – Maintain Role of Rail
Alternatives Development: Tier 1 EIS Alternatives
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Significant increase in service on the existing NEC and to new markets to accommodate growth beyond “maintain”
Provides:› Hudson River tracks 3 and 4;
East River tracks 5 and 6› New Haven-Hartford-
Providence route to serve Hartford and improve intercity trip time
› Additional tracks in Central NJ and Southwest Connecticut
Alternative 2 – Grow the Role of Rail
Alternatives Development: Tier 1 EIS Alternatives
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Delivers capacity well beyond projected regional rail demand Provides new 2-track second spine between WAS-BOS
supporting HSR express trains at up to 220 mph Includes additional downtown Baltimore station North of New York route options to be tested in Tier 1 DEIS:
› New York-Hartford: Via Long Island and New Haven Via Danbury
› Hartford-Boston: Via Worcester Via Providence
Ridership, trip time, capital cost, and connectivity to be key criteria in selecting best route option
Alternative 3 – Transform the Role of Rail
Alternatives Development: Tier 1 EIS Alternatives
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Stakeholder coordination› States, railroad operators, and NEC
Commission› Metropolitan planning
organizations Agency coordination
› Federal Transit Administration› Environmental resource agencies
Public outreach› State-by-state meetings and
regional workshops › Rail station outreach› Presentations to interest groups› Website, newsletters, and email
alerts
Proactive Stakeholder Outreach
Stakeholder Engagement
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Economic Development Workshop – What We Heard in Baltimore
Speed is important› Baltimore is on the cusp of being the area where people
can travel easily to D.C. Increasing connections to the north invites businesses
to Baltimore Improved travel times and connectivity to Wilmington
could expand office regions to Baltimore-Wilmington-Philadelphia
New York is an important connection Baltimore would be more attractive to businesses if it
were better connected
Stakeholder Engagement
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September-December 2014› Service plan and infrastructure refinement› Data: ridership, travel time, capital and O&M costs› Economic development workshops› Public open houses› Environmental assessment of Tier 1 EIS Alternatives
Jan-April 2015› Implementation phasing plans› Continuing environmental assessment of Tier 1 EIS
Alternatives› Development of Tier 1 EIS
Technical Work Program
Next Steps