The nation’s seven largest rail transit agencies need more than $50 billion to bring their systems to a state of good repair. 

Bringing America to a State of Good Repair

On August 10, 2005, Congress passed a $244.1 billion national surface transportation program known as SAFETEA-LU to fund America’s network of highways, roads, bridges, public transit, and ports.  In less than three months, SAFETEA-LU will expire and the timing couldn’t be worse: national unemployment figures top 9.4 percent, gas prices hover in the $3-a-gallon range, the Highway Trust Fund remains dangerously close to insolvency, congestion costs regions billions of dollars, and mass transit suffers from aging infrastructure and severe disinvestment. U.S. Rep. James Oberstar (D- Minn.), chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure committee, recently introduced his plan for the next surface transportation bill. There are several promising and innovative efforts proposed in the draft, however the bill misses several opportunities to build a comprehensive national vision that utilizes performance-based measures that achieve quantifiable goals.

While the 775-page bill will undergo several edits before becoming final, the six-year, $450 billion proposal provides almost $100 billion for mass transit.  It would increase federal spending for transit by 22 percent to help bring systems to a state of good repair, increase mobility and accessibility to communities, and provide new or expanded transit across the country. This increase in spending would be a much needed help to struggling agencies nationwide, where years of disinvestment and limited resources have deferred maintenance, repair, and opportunities for expansion, making them more costly.  Forced to create short-term solutions to solve pressing problems, more than 95 communities nationwide have recently been forced to cut service, conduct agency layoffs, and enact fare increases.  Increased funding for transit is long overdue.

Because transit needs exceed available dollars, funding must be allocated wisely to generate the greatest return on investment. HR2724, as introduced by U.S. Reps. Rush Holt (D-N.J), Jay Inslee (D-Wash.), and Russ Carnahan (D-Mo.), complements the transportation bill by establishing quantifiable national transportation objectives and performance targets – such as reducing vehicle miles traveled by 16 percent and tripling the use of walking, biking and public transportation – to evaluate the way limited resources are allocated. Funding programs based on merit will help the nation achieve the results we want and invest in projects we need.  Reforms are essential to changing the way we spend transportation dollars so that America can keep moving forward.

 

Photo courtesy of Carl Long

For Additional Information:

• Surface Transportation Authorization Act of 2009 – U.S. House of Representatives
• Rail Modernization Study – Report to Congress – Federal Transit Administration

NEWS

Local News

Metra adding security force to morning commuter lines – Chicago Sun-Times “Metra commuter rail officials announced Tuesday that security teams from the federal Transportation Security Administration will soon be patrolling commuter trains in the Chicago area.”

Finally, a Metra station for the Cell – Chicago Sun-Times “Metra finally broke ground on a new commuter station at 35th and Federal streets, three blocks east of U.S. Cellular Field.”

Chicago to St. Louis on 220-m.p.h. trains – Chicago Tribune “Travel between Chicago and St. Louis in less than two hours on passenger trains running at 220 m.p.h. is an achievable goal that should be aggressively pursued, according to an analysis paid for by advocates of high-speed rail.”

RTA budget woes foreshadow transit cuts – Crains “The Regional Transportation Authority lowered its revenue estimates Thursday, a move that could set the stage for service cuts among its three mass transit agencies.”

Pace could raise fares for disabled riders: chair – Chicago Sun-Times “RTA Chair Jim Reilly suggested that Pace could raise fares for paratransit riders to $3 across the region to deal with funding problems.”

CTA president says specifics on cuts unknown – Chicago Tribune “Newly threatened CTA service cuts could range from longer wait times between buses or trains for passengers, to scaled back hours of operation and even the scrapping of some bus routes until the economy improves, the transit agency's chief said Wednesday.”

Parking lease deal weakens city, study says – Chicago Tribune “Chicago relinquished its ability to plan and pay for much-needed traffic improvements when it signed over control of on-street parking to private operators, according to a study released Tuesday.”

City dwellers leave small carbon footprint – Chicago Sun-Times “A new study by the Center for Neighborhood Technology found that while cities produce more greenhouse gases per acre than suburban and rural areas, people who live in cities produce less.”

 

World News

States spend most stimulus money on highways – Reuters “U.S. states are spending the bulk of transportation money from the federal economic stimulus plan on highway repairs and building new roads, putting only about 6 percent of the money into areas such as public transit.”

U.S. must boost gas tax, transportation expert says – Baltimore Sun “John Horsley, executive director of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, warned that without new revenue, the U.S. transportation infrastructure faces a grim future.”

D.C. Metro crash highlights underfunding of public transit systems – Christian Science Monitor “About $50 billion in backlog repairs is needed for rail transit systems, but just $5.6 billion was spent in 2006, according to one report.”

Rep. John Mica on the transportation bill – PBS “We need to leverage the funds we have coming in through a host of creative financing mechanisms, including a dramatic increase in public-private partnerships.”

M.T.A. Sells Naming Rights to Subway Station – New York Times “If a $4 million deal is approved on Wednesday, the nexus of subway stops at Atlantic Avenue, Pacific Street and Flatbush Avenue in Downtown Brooklyn will add an additional name to its already lengthy title: Barclays.”

U.S. Stimulus Puts Bullet Trains on the Fast Track – Time “One of the key ideas fueling HSR is that the U.S. in the 21st century has grown beyond a country of cities and suburbs to what urban-studies expert Richard Florida calls ‘mega-regions.’”

Timing Next Bus's Arrival Won't Be Guesswork – Washington Post “Metro is relaunching a long-awaited real-time bus arrival system that is supposed to tell riders when the next Metrobus will arrive at their stop.”

‘Transit Cities’ Face Roadblocks – New York Times “Nothing has been able to escape the economic and financial collapse seen over the last year — transit-oriented development included.”

 

Resources

• The States and the Stimulus – Smart Growth America 

• Chicago to St. Louis 220 mph High Speed Rail Alternative Corridor Study Draft – Midwest High Speed Rail Association 

   

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Contact Information

For comments, suggestions or submissions, please contact Emily Tapia Lopez, Associate, at etapia@metroplanning.org or 312-863-6047.