COLORAIL PASSENGERNewsletter of the Colorado Rail Passenger Association*

May - June, 2006 I s s u e #51

Meeting to Feature Transit and Renewable Energy

With the prospect that gasoline prices will continue to soar, more and more peopleare looking at alternative sources of energy to power our transportation systems.Examining the use of alternative energy sources to fuel public transportation will bethe topic addressed at ColoRail's Spring Meeting, Saturday May 13, at the UniversityHills Public Library, Bellaire St. and Amherst Ave. in Southeast Denver. The meetingwill take place from 10:00AM to 12:00Noon (doors open at 9:30AM).

Our featured speaker will be Robert E. Wilson who will present: Powering Transit withRenewable Energy. Bob is a registered professional engineer who has worked forover 26 years on power systems engineering. He is currently employed by theWestern Area Power Administration of the US Department of Energy. He has earnedseveral undergraduate and graduate degrees in engineering and mathematicsculminating with a Ph.D. at the University of Idaho in 1992.

Rail supporters already know the numerous benefits of rail transit: choice in how wetravel, reduced automobile congestion on our highways, a pleasant and comfortablejourney, etc. Transit can also utilize energy from renewable sources such as solar,wind, and bio-diesel which can minimize its impact on the environment and reducedependence on non-renewable resources. Bob will review progress that has beenmade in this area and look at future options for using a broad portfolio of energyresources for rail transit in Metro Denver and the Rocky Mountain region.

National, state, and local passenger rail topics will also be briefly reviewed at themeeting prior to Bob's presentation and annual elections to the ColoRail Board willbe held. (Please see page 6.)

The University Hills Library is located just two blocks east of Colorado Blvd. onAmherst Ave. Parking is available at the library, on the street next to the library or at theKing Soopers lot across the street. The library is served by RTD Route 40 buses(Colorado & Amherst) and Colorado Boulevard "B-Line" buses which begin andcomplete their trips at the library.

ColoRail members as well as any interested members of the public are cordiallyinvited to attend. Refreshments will be served.

* We are sure you have noticed that this newsletter has a different appearance. We plan to returnto our usual format for the next issue.

passenger rail.

The group was welcomed to the meetingby Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper, a

commuter rail technology for the U836,Metro North, and East 1-70 Corridors.Included in the evaluations are diesellocomotive hauled trains, hybrid

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Forum Focuses on Streetcar

"I didn't know this was going to be all aboutstreetcars," one local politician whispered toanother, "but this is pretty good stuff." Bothwere among a standing room audience for apresentation of how streetcars can helpprovide local access and circulation tocommunities served by commuter and lightrailtransit lines. The Road Ahead,Envisioning Local Connections wassponsored by Transportation Solutions, asouth Denver based group which supportstransit alternatives. It took place at the JWMarriot Hotel at Cherry Creek on January26.

The forum featured a presentation onStreetcars and the Livable City by CharlesHales, Vice President of Transit Planning,HDR, Inc. As Commissioner of Planningand Transportation for the City of Portland(OR), Mr. Hales led the effort thatconstructed Portland's new streetcar line.

Streetcars are being considered by cities totry to bring new life to downtown areas invarious parts of the country that seem to be"sleeping through development," accordingto Mr. Hales. The Portland streetcar wasdesigned to be a city connector as well asdevelopment tool. The streetcar connectshospitals, libraries, cultural facilities, andeducational facilities such as Portland StateUniversity.

The streetcar has also shaped commercialand residential development with the PearlDistrict being the most glowing example.Five years ago, the Pearl District was adecaying area of old warehouses and railyards in close proximity to downtownPortland. Mr. Hales said that here and in therest of Portland the presence of the streetcarwhich cost $60 million to build hasencouraged about $1.5 billion in associatedreal estate development most of which hasoccurred within one block of the streetcar line.

"Rail changes the place," Mr. Hales said incontrast to bus-oriented mall travel. "Withthe exception of Denver's 16th St. Mall,most transit-oriented malls are not all that

appealing and are not doing well. Youngpeople are beginning to come back to thecities and they are looking for attractiveplaces which have amenities like thestreetcar available to them. It's no longerOzzie & Harriet time with a house in thesuburbs; young adults are watching Friendsand Sex in the City and that is the lifestylethey want." He mentioned a number ofcities which are looking at streetcars aspotential generators of economicdevelopment such as Atlanta which isconsidering a streetcar to help revitalizePeachtree Street.

Construction of a two track streetcar linecosts about $25 million a mile or $15 milliona mile for single track which is lessexpensive than light rail. However thepublic should not consider streetcars to be acheap substitute for light rail or "light rail lite,"he said. "Streetcars stop frequently,perhaps every 1/4 mile depending onwhere the people are, and you canprobably bike faster" he added. Peopleride streetcars not because they are fast butbecause they are convenient.

Mr. Hales mentioned that one very attractiveaspect of the streetcar is its relativelyspeedy construction which is an importantfactor to businesses who may want theservice but dread the time building it willtake. The Portland line was built in threeblock sections taking no longer than threeweeks each to complete. The Portland carshave a capacity of 100, mostly standees,and cost of $2.7 million per unit. Streetcarslast about 40 years compared to 12 yearsfor the life of a bus which may cost$600,000 - $700,000.

A panel discussion featuring Mr. Hales alongwith RTD Manager for Planning andDevelopment Liz Rao, Boulder CountyCommissioner Will Toor, and DenverCouncilwoman Jeanne Robb looked atpossible applications of streetcartechnology to the Metro Denver area.

Graham Hill, founder of the Boulder Breeze,a streetcar whose proposed route wouldconnect Boulder's Pearl St. Mall with the

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new Crossroads Shopping Center and thetransit village serving the FasTrackscommuter rail line to Denver and Longmont,briefly introduced his idea.

Councilwoman Robb said she had riddenthe Portland streetcar and was promoting thestreetcar idea for East Colfax, one of RTD'sbusiest routes. She also mentioned that astreetcar could serve as a connectionbetween downtown and the Cherry CreekShopping Center.

One viable route not mentioned during thediscussion was the Platte Valley TrolleyExtension totaling 2.5 miles from UnionStation to the West Corridor Light Railstation at Federal Blvd. and Decatur Street.This proposal which has already beenstudied would utilize existing track currentlyplied by the Platte Valley Trolley betweenthe R El store and Mile High Stadium.Streetcars would be of a heritage varietysimilar to the Ybor City Harbor Trolleyoperated by Hillsborough Area RegionalTransit in Tampa, FL.

The forum began with a presentation byLyle Miller from the Colorado HistoricalMuseum who gave an extensive history ofelectric streetcar and interurbantransportationin the Denver Metro area from theconstruction of the first section of the DenverElectric and Cable Railway Company on15th Street in 1886 to the discontinuation ofDenver Tramway Corporation's streetcarson June 4, 1950.

ColoRail Hosts Regional NARPMeeting

Nearly 100 People filled the Sage Room atthe historic Oxford Hotel in downtownDenver on March 25 for the joint meeting ofColoRail and the National Association ofRailroad Passengers Region 10. Railadvocates from Iowa, Nebraska, Wyoming,and Colorado heard presentations on local,state, and national developments inpassenger rail.

The group was welcomed to the meetingby Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper, a

charter member of ColoRail, who recalledthe efforts in 1989 to save Union Stationand how that effort melded into the creationof ColoRail. He brought his 3 1/2 year oldson Teddy, whom the mayor described asbeing an even bigger train fan than himself.Mayor Hickenlooper described efforts heand others have been involved in to bringmore rail transit and transit orienteddevelopment to Denver through the DenverMetro Mayors' Caucus and other regionalcooperative efforts. He enthusiasticallylooked forward to the successful completionof FasTracks and the benefits that will accrueto residents in the Denver Metro area.Bob Briggs, President of Front RangeCommuter Rail, mentioned the growing localsupport for rail service along the FrontRange which he hopes will be completedby the time the FasTracks system opens.He is now building coalitions for the railsystem with congressional delegations fromWY, NM, and CO and is seeking highspeed corridor designation from the FederalRailroad Administration in Washington.FasTracks project planners HenryStopplecamp and Dave Shelley gave anupdate on progress on various aspects ofRTD's $4.7 billion project. Final design hasalready begun on the West Corridor andother corridor studies are underway or willbegin in 2006-7 with short extensions to theSoutheast and Southwest Corridors to beplanned at a later date.

The first official FasTracks groundbreaking willtake place in October just to the north ofUnion Station where a light rail tunnel will beconstructed under 18th Street. This earlyproject was necessitated by the constructionof a hotel at the corner of Wewatta and 18thStreet by East-West Partners. The tunnelwill be part of the below grade loop to theConsolidated Mainline which will be usedby West, Southwest, and Gold Line light railtrains.

RTD is currently evaluating various kinds ofcommuter rail technology for the US36,Metro North, and East 1-70 Corridors.Included in the evaluations are diesellocomotive hauled trains, hybrid

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(electric/diesel) locomotive hauled trains,diesel multiple units (DM Us), and electricmultiple units (EMUs). RTD planners arealso examining five possible sites for acommuter rail maintenance facility. Allcandidates are currently being fully orpartially utilized as freight yards withinDenver just to the north and east of UnionStation. Location must be near UnionStation because the maintenance facility willserve as a standby and marshaling area fortrains since track space for commuter trains inthe station will be quite limited once allFasTracks corridors are completed.

The Union Station draft EIS is complete andis now available for public comment.Proposals for commercial development ofthe station and surrounding property are alsobeing considered by the managementteam.

Following lunch, NARP's Assistant DirectorDave Johnson summarized the nationalpassenger rail scene, specifically Amtrak.He said many rail advocates ask him ifAmtrak Board Chair David Laney is "for real"or just a front man for the anti-Amtrak policyof the Bush Administration. Mr. Johnsonthinks that Mr. Laney believes passengerrail is an important part of the nation'stransportation system and his support forlong distance trains was bolstered by his tripon a promotional tour of the new EmpireBuilder service across Montana last yearwhere the train was met by enthusiasticcrowds and state and local politicians. Mr.Laney has also asked for $600 million morefor Amtrak for the next Fiscal Year than theBush Administration has requested.

Mr. Johnson reported that Amtrak ridershipcontinues its steady rise across the countryand that a recent Harris poll cites strongsupport for passenger rail. The poll foundthe public chose commuter rail and longdistance passenger trains (44% and 35%)over long distance travel by car (10%) orbus (6%) when asked what mode theywould like to see have an increased share ofall passenger transportation. When askedabout freight shipping, responders said theypreferred transport by railroad (63%) overair freight (35%) and trucks (24%).

Mr. Johnson said Amtrak is beginning tophase in new menus with prepared food inorder to save on dinning car costs. Thoughsome preliminary reports have not beenencouraging, he asked that passengers giveit a try and contact NARP with theirfeedback, good or bad. He mentioned thatthere may be some adjustments made suchas the recent addition of egg dishes beingprepared freshly on board.

Amtrak continues to enjoy bipartisan politicalsupport in Congress but Mr. Johnsonencouraged rail supporters to continuewriting letters and calling their senators andrepresentatives. He said faxing letters onpersonal stationary was the most effectmeans of communication followed by phonecalls to the congressperson's staffer who isresponsible for transportation. "No oneever reads e-mails because there are somany and regular mail is slowed by postalinspection for Anthrax," he said.

The day concluded with a private light rail tripand tour of RTD's new Elati MaintenanceFacility and a round trip on the Platte ValleyTrolley.

Light Rail in the Twin Cities

Even Garrison Keillor the popular host ofPrairie Home Companion changed his tunewhen he saw the smashing success of theHiawatha Light Rail Line which beganservice in June, 2004 according to BarbaraThoman, Program Director for the TwinCities based Transit for LivableCommunities. Ms. Thoman addressed theNational Association of Railroad PassengersBoard of Directors at their fall meeting inMinneapolis on October 22. Ridership forthe first year of operation has been animpressive 80% over projections.

The line travels 12 miles from downtownMinneapolis south to the airport andterminates at the Mall of America. As thefirst of a number of proposed rail andbusway projects, the Hiawatha Lineconnects many local activity centers includingan attractive and newly renovateddowntown area, a large government center,

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the Metrodome (home of the MinnesotaTwins and Vikings), two airport locations,Bloomington, and a busy bus/rail transitstation at the Mall of America. Trainsoperate at 7-8 minute intervals during rushhours and at 10-15 minute intervals at allother day and evening times. Cost of aticket is $1.50 for adults ($2.00 at rush hour).

Despite the success of light rail and agrowing demand for bus service, the TwinCities have no reliable source of income fortransit. Grants come from municipalities andthe state legislature and are subjected to achanging political climate. Probably thebiggest backer of the line was formerGovernor Jesse Ventura who made surethat rail was a part of transit planning for theregion. Metro Transit which operates theTwin Cities system has acquired number ofabandoned or low use rail corridors for futuretransit. Though there are several corridorswhich are candidates for rail and busways,Ms. Thoman predicted the next projectwill be an 11 mile line which will linkdowntown Minneapolis with the state capitolin St. Paul.

News from Here and ThereUP will be doing track work again thissummer in and near the Moffat Tunnelbetween June 28-July 31. The CaliforniaZephyr is tentatively scheduled to run viaWyoming Mondays through Thursdays andfollow its regular route through Colorado onFridays, Saturdays and Sundays...

Currently 37,000 - 40,000 people rideRTD's SW and Central Corridor eachweekday. Another estimated 30,000 to35,000 riders will take to the rails with theaddition of SE Corridor in November...

The NM Rail Runner will initiate serviceAlbuquerque - Bernalillo in June followed byAlbuquerque - Belen later this summer.Free rides will be available for the first threemonths. Trains are currently undergoing testruns as stations and parking areas are beingcompleted...

Metro Denver tops the nation in the numberof bicyclists who used buses and trains toextend their bike trips according to BicycleColorado. San Diego slightly exceededDenver with a total of 575,000 boardings for2005, however data from Denver did notinclude bikes on light rail nor bikes on buseson weekends...

Salt Lake City's TRA X light rail transitsystem continues its phenomenalperformance. It now has an average dailyridership of 55,700 which is more thandouble of what was projected for 2020...

Ridership on Amtrak in Colorado went upfrom 200,693 in FY 04 to 210,520 for FY05. Denver was up from 123,750 to127,867. All nine Colorado stations hadhigher boardings in 2005 except for Lamar.

Planners Acknowledge Mistakes

When the last group of civic visionariescame together in thel 980s to plan forDenver's future, they suggested providinghousing downtown, creating more retailalong the 16th Mall and building a newconvention center.But not all their ideas were prescient. Whena new group reconvened on January 17 todevise a new Denver Area Plan, onemember of the original committee cameclean about one idea that was just plainwrong."We knew we wanted killer amenities oneither end of the 16th Street Mall," said TomGougeon of Continuum Partners. The CivicCenter served that purpose on the easternend, but on the western end, "we wanted totear down Union Station once we got thetrains out of there."

Now planners realize Union Station is thekiller amenity they were looking for, and itsredevelopment plans are off and running."Of course, now we see it for the jewel itreally is," Gougeon said. Denver Post,January 22, 2006

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Annual B o a r d E l e c t i o n s

ColoR ail's Nomination and Elections Committee has selected a slate of candidates formembership approval at the May 13 meeting at the University Hills Library. The slateincludes the following members who will be elected for two year terms.Jon Esty - DenverIra Schreiber - AuroraJohn Valerie - DenverBob Wilson - Arvada

ColoRail members may nominate themselves or any other member with his or her consentat the May 13 meeting. The new Board members will join the following individuals whoseterms expire in 2007.John Ayer - Frederick (representing northeast Colorado)Keith Dameron - DenverJay Jones - DenverMark Reever - Cedaredge ( representing the Western Slope)Sheila Sloan - Pueblo West (representing southeast Colorado)Ron Vanderkooi - ArvadaDon Zielesch - Denver

Jay Jones, NARP Board MemberWeb Site: www.colorail.org maintained by Daryl Kinton

ColoRail PassengerP.O. Box 4 8 0 4 5 2Denver, CO 8 0 2 4 8

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