Dear President Elect Obama, Are We Screwed?

The Obama Transition Team for Transportation has been named and is now in business.
Perhaps I was just too afraid that something would go wrong, really wrong. But now with all of the names named, we don't have a worry - business as usual.


Seth Harris
Director of Labor & Employment
Law Programs at New York Law School.
United Cerebral Palsy Association
National Advisory Commission on Workplace Flexibility.
Clinton Administration, Counselor to the Secretary of Labor cting Assistant Secretary of Labor for Policy,
Before
law clerk to Judge William Canby of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
Judge Gene Carter of the U.S. District Court for the District of Maine.
He was Editor-in-Chief of the Review of Law & Social Change at the New York University School of Law


Mortimer Downey
self-employed transportation consultant
Deputy Secretary of Transportation under President Clinton,
Assistant Secretary of Transportation, Carter Administration.
Executive Director and Chief Financial Officer of the NYMTA
various planning positions at the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.



Jane Garvey
Head of the U.S. Public/Private Partnerships at JPMorgan.
Garvey was the 14th Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration, nominated by President Clinton.
Deputy Administrator of the Federal Highway Administration.


Michael Huerta
Group President of ACS Transportation Solutions,
Huerta served as the Executive Director of the Port of San Francisco Commissioner of the City of New York Dept of Ports, Int'l Trade & Commerce.


John Cullather
Worked for House of Representatives for over 31 years, specializing in Coast Guard and maritime transportation policy

Carol Carmody
consultant in international aviation and aviation safety.
appointed by President Clinton to National Transportation Safety Board.

WHERE'S AMTRAK? WHERE ARE THE RAILROADERS? STREETCARS? COMMUTER RAIL? LIGHT RAIL TRANSIT? MONORAILS?

Was this just a dream too good to be true for this railroad starved land, or have we just elected another in a line of 36 leaderless years. What am I missing here?

Commuter Rail
Amtrak
National Transportation Policy
Jacksonville Port

VALDOSTA TRANSIT Coming Soon!

WILL THIS MEAN A NEW AGENCY TO WORK WITH FOR JOINT PROJECTS ? YOU BET IT WILL, ONE MORE VOICE NEVER HURTS.

Above: Amtrak train in North Florida, doing a modern "Royal Palm" imitation. Below: Vintage Royal Palm Ad showing Valdosta and Jacksonville, Macon, Atlanta, Chattanooga and Cincinnati.

Valdosta, Ga., Gets Ready to Ride With Transit System

Kari L. Sands
The Valdosta Daily Times

GEORGIA - After much planning and several meetings, the city of Valdosta's transit system plan is well under way to develop a more efficient public transportation system to address the needs of Georgia's 10th largest city.

Though a great amount of planning has been done, the city of Valdosta still has several steps to take during the development of the city's transit system, including types and size of buses, location of pick-up points, and funding.

However, the city hopes to see buses rolling in as early as 18 months as federal funds have already been applied for, according to Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) Coordinator, Corey Hull.

"The next step is to hire a consultant to perform the actual implementation study or report. The MPO is in the process to do this. The study or report will be detailed to show routes, the number of buses, personnel, maintenance and other pertinent information," said Hull.

Over 18 months ago a feasibility study was conducted, and it was clear from the consultant point of view that a transit system would be beneficial to the urbanized area, according to City Engineer Von Shipman. The MPO is taking the lead on the city of Valdosta's transit system project since it will involve the use of federal funds to cover a portion of the cost.

"The current effort to implement a public transit service in Valdosta has been in active for about five years. In 2006, the Valdosta-Lowndes Metropolitan Planning Organization conducted a study to determine the feasibility of implementing transit services in the Valdosta Urbanized Area," said Hull. "This study found that the introduction of transit service would have a fairly high probability of success based on ridership potential and public desire for transit services for access to work, shopping and medical trips. During the hiring of a consultant to aid in the development of the transit plan, we will be seeking public participation on final route and stop locations, marketing strategies and operations plans."
Valdosta Mayor John Fretti is also optimistic about the timeline for the transit system's implementation.

"The federal government has allocated funds for the last couple of years to assist in the capital asset purchases of buses, a terminal and maintenance facility. Through the MPO, we are in final negotiations with a company to implement this system and have a functioning fixed base bus system in around 24 months," said Fretti.

Fortunately, the designation of Valdosta as a metropolitan city has made the MPO eligible for federal funds for both implementation and operations, although it is certain that ridership fees and local subsidies will be needed, according to City Manager Larry Hanson.

"To secure federal funding for implementation of the system, a implementation plan must now be developed which will include the routes, times of operation, the number and frequency of the pick-up points, and the participation of interested parties," Hanson said. "The MPO has conducted and completed interviews with professional firms and is presently negotiating with the firm selected as the most qualified."
Shipman also said that it should be understood that funds generated by those who use the system will not make up the shortfall received from the federal government.

"This will require local governments to come up with the balance of the funds needed. A final decision on this matter can only be made after the implementation report is completed and funds are budgeted," said Shipman.

Transit ridership is up around the country by 28 percent, according to Fretti. "With fuel prices so high, there may not be a better time to provide transit for our citizens to use for work and recreational commuting. Our time has come."

"We believe the transit system will help the entire area by reducing traffic and pollution, improving access to jobs and services, and supporting the needs of a growing city, county, University and Technical college. It is a major part of an overall transportation plan to reduce the emphasis on vehicles and single trips and encourage the cooperation of all governments and all involved parties to improve our overall quality of life," said Hanson.

The MPO has worked with the city of Valdosta, Lowndes County and other transportation planning partners to work to implement public transit services in and around the Valdosta Urbanized Area. The information received from the public and contained in the recently adopted Transportation Master Plan will be used as public transit service is implemented in Valdosta. The official timetable for the transit plan is still in the planning stages, but buses could start rolling as early as 18 months or the process could take as long as two years.

Blogger Comment: INCREDIBLE OPPORTUNITY to extend a hand over the State Line into Georgia and pick up a friend, to push for Regional Rail, Commuter Rail and the return of the famous Royal Palm-Royal Poinciana-Ponce De Leon Trains between Jacksonville and Atlanta, via Valdosta. Any good transit agency in a states 10Th largest City is bound to get some attention, toss in Florida and Jacksonville and we could push this idea over the top. Macon? Atlanta? All Aboard!

To see more of The Valdosta Daily Times, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.valdostadailytimes.com/

BECOMING PRO-ACTIVE, AMTRAKS MISSING MARKET PART ONE

INCREDIBLE MISSING AMTRAK MARKET

By Robert Mann

From Coast to Coast, Amtrak provides fast comfortable trains. After 30+ years of bare bones financial support from the US Government, Amtrak has finally secured a veto proof majority to give the system funds to get things up and running, repair the broken pieces and even look at limited expansion. Included in the expansion are plans to assist States and local transportation authorities to secure matching grants, and funding for new trains. Some rules provide for small starts while others allow entire groups of states to band together in massive corridor-like efforts.

To the railroad historian, one of the more mysterious facts of Amtrak, was it's replacement of the once rich Midwest-Florida market with just one train, "The Southwind". Even up until the time of Amtrak in 1971, the railroads had maintained a fairly rich selection of trains in this area. "The City of Miami" was one such train with a record for being sold out. And yes, the "City" was a sister of the famous "City of New Orleans" as they shared about 50% of their route miles. Another little known route was the (Montgomery) "Champion". A tiny connecting train that clicked off the miles over the old Atlantic Coast Line, nee Seaboard Coast Line, between Jacksonville - Waycross - Valdosta - Dothan - Montgomery. In Montgomery it met the flagship of the Louisville and Nashville Railroad's "Pan American" as it raced south from Louisville - Nashville - Birmingham - Montgomery and headed off for Mobile - Biloxi and New Orleans. Never to be confused with the flagship "East and West Coast Champion" trains of the New York - Tampa and Miami market fame, this tiny little train kept the rails polished. It was a nightmare era, a railroading holocaust, a time when through sleeping car first class trains, became coach only. When names that carried meaning, special dining and lounge cars, special services and extra fares, became nameless, numbered and inept endurance tests. The former through patron from Detroit to Miami, might find him or herself wandering across the Midwest on the Penn Central to get to a station in Louisville for a sprint to Atlanta on the Hummingbird. The 23 hour layover in the wrong part of town brought to you by the crash and burn of the industry.

Upon reaching Atlanta, the Dixie Flyer to Jacksonville had just been discontinued, so one would wander over to catch the Central of Georgia Railroad, "Nancy Hanks" to Savannah. The Nancy was at least well kept, even though stripped of her mail contract, she was down to a couple of express cars and a single coach. Finally hooking up with the Silver Meteor, Star, Palmetto, Champion or Everglades for Jacksonville and points south, the railroads assured the return trip would be via National Airlines.

As Amtrak entered into this unstable sinking business, it is said that government teams combed through every route, every ridership number, track capacity, on-time performance, market potential and some such. When the smoke cleared, they chose the "Southwind" route and twisted Penn Centrals arm into running the Louisville - Chicago segment for their new railroad, after all, as the slogan said, "We're making trains worth traveling again..." Sadly they conveniently left off the part about Louisville to Chicago at a gut rocking 15 miles per hour.

No one it seems turned the pages back just a few years prior to Amtrak's rough founding hours. No one noticed their had been a brisk Florida market at one time, not so long ago. In fact in the early 1960's it was possible to book a Pullman room direct on through trains from Jacksonville to New Orleans, Montgomery, Birmingham, Memphis, Kansas City, St. Louis, Chicago, Detroit, Cincinnati, Atlanta, Cleveland etc. Other railroads, namely The Southern Railway (today's Norfolk Southern) and many other routes had just been cleansed of the passenger train menace just a few years shy of Amtrak. The boys in Washington never heard the words: St. Louis-San Francisco (Frisco), or Kansas City Southern, Central of Georgia, or Georgia Southern and Florida. In that oversight they missed entire families of trains and routes. One of the most promising was that of the old Southern Railway, in conjunction with connections north of Cincinnati, that operated an incredible pair of Midwest - Florida trains, apparently never to be considered again.

I'd like to reverse that trend, wake up the United Rail Alliance, and the National Association of Railroad Passengers, as well as Amtrak, FDOT, GDOT, JTA and the cities involved to push for the return of one or two of these three famous flagship trains. The Royal Palm, Royal Poinciana, and Ponce De Leon, gathered cars from throughout the northern Midwest. Chicago, Detroit, Columbus, Toledo, Buffalo, Dayton, Indianapolis and herded them into Cincinnati Union Terminal. Usually taking all or parts of 3 connector trains and forming one great streamliner at a time, the process was repeated 3 times daily Southbound and likewise, broken into 3 connecting trains, 3 times daily Northbound. South of Cincinnati, all the way through Lexington, Knoxville, Chattanooga, Atlanta, Macon, Valdosta, Jacksonville and all the way to Miami, one great train could cover the schedule. Jacksonville Terminal comes into play if you consider that the train could be broken up again here for both coasts of Florida. One train doing the work of 6, by breaking into, or consolidation from sections en-route. 3 trains doing the work of 18, reaching all across the Midwest, and considering bi-directional operation. That could grow to 3 northbound and 3 southbound trains daily each breaking up or consolidating, equals 6 trains doing the work of 54! Talk about bang for the buck, and this is a route no one has looked back at.

Ponce De Leon, Royal Poinciana or Royal Palm, pick the name you like the best and lets turn up the heat on the "NEW" Amtrak. It's way past time to return the glory to Jacksonville Terminal.

Amtrak took over nearly all rail passenger service in 1971
Illnois Central is part of Canadian National Today
Kansas City Southern remains independent and freight only
St Louis - San Francisco (Frisco lines) is part of Burlington Northern Santa Fe
Georgia Railroad is part of CSX today and freight only
Southern Railway merged with Norfolk and Western to form Norfolk Southern
Atlantic Coast Line is the original parent road of todays CSX
A tale of two cities, by Charles Dickens
Georgia Southern and Florida is part of Norfolk Southern and freight only
Louisville and Nashville was owned by Atlantic Coast Line and is part of CSX today
Pullman was a hotel company on rails broken up by the government in an anti-trust case
National Association of Railroad Passengers is a citizen lobby group which recently proposed a major reshaping of Amtrak route miles, yet completely missed the Southeast.
United Rail Alliance, is a pro passenger train group based in Jacksonville.