Rail News Home Rail Industry Trends December 2016 Rail News: Rail Industry Trends — Compiled By
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., Associate EditorUncertainty. That's long been the overarching theme for the transit-rail crowd. Subject to the whims of voters and the politicians they elect, transit agencies often face an unpredictable future as they plan service improvements and expansions with limited funds.But after
several sweeping transit initiatives gained approval on local ballots last month, the future's looking a bit brighter for the public transportation industry. In Los Angeles County, for instance, residents passed a sales tax measure that's expected to generate $120 billion for transportation improvements in the region, including three passenger-rail projects.What's more, Congress last year passed the five-year Fixing America's Surface Transportation (FAST) Act, the first long-term surface transportation funding measure in 10 years.As
American Public Transportation Association Acting President and Chief Executive Officer Dick White puts it: "If anything, the long-term certainty provided by the FAST Act coupled with President-elect Trump's focus on infrastructure investment presents a unique opportunity for transit agencies and communities looking to improve and expand public transportation options."Still, that's not to say 2017 will be without challenges; maintaining ridership while gas prices drop, for example, remains an area of concern.Below, White and six transit agency leaders share their thoughts on the year ahead. The other respondents are Henry Li, general manager and CEO of the
Sacramento Regional Transit District; Keith Parker, general manager and CEO of the
Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transportation Authority; Peter Rogoff, CEO of
Sound Transit; Scott Smith, CEO of
Valley Metro; Gary Thomas, president and executive director of
Dallas Area Rapid Transit; and Phillip Washington, CEO of the
Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority.
What are some challenges the public transit industry will face in 2017?White: We are looking forward to developing a good working relationship with the new [presidential] administration, key appointees and key congressional leadership. The most urgent challenge is for APTA and its members to make the case for increased investment in public transportation during the discussion of an infrastructure package to stimulate growth and create jobs during the first 100 days and beyond of the new administration and Congress. We will emphasize that investing in public transportation more than pays for itself because it yields great economic benefits; every dollar communities invest in public transportation, approximately four dollars is generated in economic returns. This investment will be crucial as America continues to deal with the challenge our crumbling infrastructure. In the public transportation industry, we are facing an $86-billion-dollar backlog in state of good repair needs.Dick White
Another important challenge will be the implementation of positive train control (PTC). According to an analyses we just completed, the commuter-rail industry has made significant progress on PTC and we are on schedule to meet Congressional deadlines. The industry has acquired more than two-thirds of the spectrum and half of the radio towers have been erected. In addition, 40 percent of the back office control systems are ready for operation, and we are making great progress on implementing PTC on the more than 3,150 route miles of track. Some are actually in service or in full PTC demonstration awaiting Federal Railroad Administration approvals. This progress on this complex safety technology demonstrates our ongoing commitment to safety – which is our number one priority.
Finally, our continuing challenge this year as in others is to stay laser focused on providing safe, reliable service to the Americans who board public transportation 35 million times each weekday – more than 10.7 billion trips per year. This is particularly important for commuters as our recent study shows that a person can reduce his or her chance of being in an accident by more than 90 percent simply by taking public transit as opposed to commuting by car. Investing in transit-oriented communities, which spurs compact development, results in cutting a community's crash risk in half, even for those who do not use public transit.