may-june 2007 issue #54...

“A Voice for Colorado’s Rail Passengers”

Issue #54May-June 2007

“This is really not a real estateproject, it’s a transit project first,and a civic asset, a civic amenityproject a close second,” TomGougeon, Principal of ContinuumEast-West Partners. Referring todevelopment plans for DenverUnion Station. Rocky MountainNews, September 8, 2006.

The redevelopment of DenverUnion Station (DUS) mayh a v e s t a r t e d o u temphasizing transit firstand “civic amenities”second, but what hasevolved, in the opinion ofColoRail, is a projectdriven by real estatedevelopment interestswhich seriously neglectsthe interests of the transitpatron.

Specifically, ColoRailobjects to the placementof the light rail station onthe Consolidated MainLine (CML) two blocks orfive hundred feet from thecommuter rail platforms.Citizen's who voted forthe FasTracks initiative in2004 were promised allm a j o r m o d e s o ftransportation wouldconnect at DUS and thiswas also a central featureof the DUS Master Planas well.

The developers are now

ColoRail proposes simpler, less costly solution:

Passengers neglected in planning

Current length of Denver Union Station platforms is highlighted by this televisionphotojournalist’s shot of Governor Bill Ritter’s 10-car inaugural train arriving in bright sunshine.Today’s long platforms would permit commuter trains to double up on each track for future peakperiods or when emergencies occur. Buried platforms in the developer’s plans would be shorter.

recommending that RTD's regionalbus station which was to be placedunderground paral lel to thecommuter rail tracks be turned 90degrees and buried beneath 17th St.so a moving walkway through thebus station can be constructed toconnect the proposed light railstation with commuter rail platforms.There is no question this is acreative idea, however the transfer

time is still lengthy.

Another part of the redevelopmentplan that ColoRail opposes isplacement of commuter rail belowgrade so that 18th Street canbecome a through street and not beblocked by railroad tracks andstation platforms.

ColoRail believes that the expense,

(Continued on page 6)

“Its slow strangulation. Youdon’t notice it but it willeventually strangle you.”These were the comments ofDenver Manager of PublicWorks, Bill Vidal to agathering of political andbusiness leaders on January26. No, he wasn’t talkingabout the paralysis of Denverarea streets caused bycompacted snow and ice, hewas referring to the diminishingability of state and localgovernments to pay for roadmaintenance and constructionto keep up with Colorado’sgrowing population.

The meeting was sponsored byTransportation Solutions, a non-profitorganization which promotes roadand transit improvements on SouthUniversity and South ColoradoBoulevards as well as at the CherryCreek Shopping Center area.

Mr. Vidal estimated that the DenverMetro area will require about $15billion in funding for roads by 2030 totake care of an additional estimated1.3 million residents. Even with therecent addition of T-REX, populationincrease, vehicle ownership andtravel has significantly outpaced newroad construction. In the pastdecade, Metro Denver has grownsome 30-40% while total lane mileshas increased 5%. He estimated thatthere will be a 35% increase inpersonal trips by 2030 and addedthat 60% of all current trips byautomobile come in and out ofDenver each day supporting thenotion that travel congestion isfundamentally a regional problem.

Regional models which measuretraffic movement demonstrate aleveling off of roadway congestionaround 2015 due mainly to theanticipated completion of FasTracks,however, by 2030, highwaycongestion will once again reachsevere levels with a predictedincrease in personal trips of 35%.Even though FasTracks design hasjust barely begun, Mr. Vidalrecommended that an additional“Next Tracks Plan” be initiated soon.“We need to find a way of handlingthe distribution of people than justbuilding for the car,” he concluded.

Tucker Hart Adams, a well knownColorado economist who hadprepared an economic analysis ofthe impact of FasTracks prior tothe vote on the initiate in 2004,reviewed the economic realities oftransportation funding thatgovernment decision makers findthemselves in today. Dr. Adams,who makes extensive use of transitherself, said that as recently as 2002,US citizens spent a total of 4 billionhours sitting in traffic. Denver hasbecome the third worst congestedcity in the US and is tied with Bostonand Miami for that dubious honor.Hours of delay in Denver have tripledsince 1982.

Sadly, she said practically all of theEuropean countries are following theUS example of increase auto useeven though those countries havetransit system networks that are farsuperior to ours.

Dr. Adams laid the blame forincreased car use squarely on thefact that the US tends to highlysubsidize the automobile. “Weenormously subsidize driving,” shesaid adding that gas prices wouldhave to range from $6.00 to as highas $15.00 a gallon if motorists paidfor the true cost of driving. Thoughthere are gas taxes on fuel, most ofthe costs are hidden, such as thecontribution of local property taxes toroads, the space roads and parkingtakes up that could be put to a bettertax generating use, the damage to airand water quality and the militarycosts of keeping supply lines open.

Dr. Adams reviewed her FasTracksstudy which concluded that a goodsystem of rail transit:

1.) Decreases congestion

2.) Increases travel options

3.) Allows high-density development

4.) Provides fast and reliable travelduring inclement weather

5.) Makes a city a more desirableplace to live

6.) Maintains quality of life whileallowing for growth

7.) Reduces the tendency for cities tosprawl

8.) Creates growth of more clustereddevelopment

9.) Reduces needs for city servicesand improves tax base

1 0 . ) I m p r o v e s r u n d o w nneighborhoods


The American Public Transpor-tation Association has releaseda study showing that if the aver-age family with two vehicleseliminated one of their cars andcommuted to work by bus in-stead, the family would save upto $6,200 a year.

This savings takes into accountthe need to pay busfare. APTA President Bill Millarpointed out that the savings arehigher than the $5,700 averagehousehold cost of food for oneyear.

From NARP Hotline, January12, 2007.

We’re not payingto keep up with

road maintenanceand population

Transit Saves Money

Slow strangulation seen

There have to beeconomic incentives

11.) Improves air and water quality

12.) Encourages more walking andbiking (healthful exercise)

13.) Provides greater travel safety

14.) Provides for greater mobility forseniors, low-income workers, andstudents

15.) Reduces needs for parking andallows land to be used for moreproductive purposes

16.) Reduces oil dependency

17.) Creates construction jobs

When it comes to developing a moretrans i t f r iendly envi ronment ,volunteerism isn’t going to do it.There have to be economicincentives to accomplish this goal Dr.Adams claimed. Her formula: Raisegas taxes significantly, charge a“congestion tax” to discourage travelto the center city, and build anattractive and comprehensive rapid

transit system which can provide tripspeeds that are competitive with

automobile drive times.

ColoRail Board Members:(with telephone numbers)and <e-mail addresses>

Jon Esty, President(303-756-6910) Denver.

<[email protected]>

Bob Wilson, Vice-President, Arvada.<[email protected]>

David Terada, Secretary, Denver.<[email protected]>

John Valerio, Treasurer, Denver.<[email protected]>

John Ayer, Board Member forNortheastern Colorado, Frederick.<[email protected]>

Keith Dameron, Board Member, Denver.<[email protected]>

Avery Grimes, Board Member,Denver.

Jay Jones, NARP Board Member,Denver.<[email protected]>

Daryl Kinton, Webmaster, Littleton.<[email protected]>

Mark Reever, Board Member for WesternSlope, Cedaredge.<[email protected]>

Mike Rowe, Board Member, Boulder.<[email protected]>

Dave Ruble, Jr., Board Member,Denver.

Ira Schreiber, Board Member, Aurora.<[email protected]>

Sheila Sloan, Board Member forSoutheastern Colorado, Pueblo.<[email protected]>

————————————–--Robert Rynerson, Newsletter Editor,Denver. (720-570-0647)<[email protected]>

as subsidies flow to autos

Joint Spring meeting set withColorado Rail Association

This Spring, ColoRail will meet jointlywith the Colorado Rail Associationon Saturday, June 9th at 9:00 a.m.a t t h e A r a p a h o e C o u n t yFairgrounds. “Transit OrientedDevelopment” will be the theme ofthe event, with presentations andexhibits to show what is being doneand to show what can be done.

At-the-door registration, beginning at8:30 a.m., will be $20.00, with anearly registration fee of $15.00. Formore information, check theColorado Rail Association’s website

at:

h t tp : / /www.rangerxpress .com /meets.htm

In addit ion to enjoying thepresentations, there will be coffeeand muffins provided by ColoRail inthe morning. Pizza, salad andcookies will be provided for lunch.The program will end at about 3:30p.m.

The Arapahoe fairgrounds arelocated at 25690 E. Quincy Avenuein Aurora (near E-470 & Quincy, nextto the Horse Racing track).

Notable Quotes:New administration needs to link state issues with transportation

“There is little link between the RitterAdministration’s clean energyagenda and transportation and landuse. C-DOT st i l l focusesoverwhelmingly on highways, nottransportation.” Will Toor, BoulderCounty Commissioner, Transit andTrains for Colorado’s New EnergyEconomy (a Sierra Club sponsoredevent in Golden) January 27, 2007.

"Vestas (the Denmark wind turbinecompany) cited the town's accessto rail services and a skilledworkforce as reasons for choosing

Windsor."

[Windsor is not on a main line, but isfortunate to be on branch line servicethat has retained other freight traffic.Just think of how many towns wereautomatically out of the running forthis sort of development, because allthat is left of their railway is a bikepath or an overgrown roadbed. -editor]

The plant will employ 420 workers,mostly hired locally. Denver Post,March 21, 2007.

Jonathan Hutchison, Director ofGovernment Affairs, Oakland of-fice, provided ColoRail memberswith a comprehensive look at Am-trak current and future activities atthe groups winter meeting at theEnglewood City Center on January27. Attendees were treated to anextensive review of Amtrak’s prob-lems but also its realistic hopesand prospects for the future.

Mr. Hutchison’s very comprehensiveana l ys i sc a p t i -vated anapprecia-tive audi-ence whocontinuedto askhim ques-tions wellafter theconc lud-ing timeof themeeting.M r .Hutchisont h e nj o i n e dabout 15membersfor anextensiveconversa-tion during lunch at a nearby restau-rant.

Although Amtrak’s overall ridershipdipped by 1% in Fiscal Year 2006,revenue was up 6% due to new ag-gressive revenue managementstrategies employed by the company.Over 24 million people rode Amtraktrains last year. Mr. Hutchisonpointed out that if Amtrak was an air-line, it would be the nation’s eighthbusiest. Amtrak has a cost recoveryratio of 79% from ticket sales whichcompares very favorably with otherpublic transportation agencies acrossthe country. (RTD, for example, de-rives about 20% of its income from

fares.)

New business has developed primar-ily on state corridors with California,Illinois, Pennsylvania, and Washing-ton State adding new services totheir existing rail corridors in 2006.Maine’s Downeaster service will beconverting a new bus frequency initi-ated in 2006 to a fifth train for theBoston – Portland route in 2007 oncethe railroad owner, Guilford Trans-portation, completes work on a new

passing track.

On the negative side, Amtrak hascontinued to be faced with massivedelays on its long distance trains.While the Sunset and Coast Starlighthave made modest improvements intheir time keeping, the CaliforniaZephyr has gotten worse. Amtrakestimates it looses $12 per minute ofdelay for a long distance train. Therailroad lost a total of $40 million in2006 due to late arriving trains.

Mr. Hutchison said that most passen-ger rail commentators focus theircriticism on the “money losing” longdistance trains, however, only about

$300 million of the $2.9 billion that ittakes to run Amtrak each year is allo-cated to those 15 overnight trains.The bulk of the money goes to theNortheast Corridor which has veryhigh capital costs and low operatingcosts. Because most of the opera-tion of the long distance trains is onprivate railroads, their capital costsare low and operating costs are high.

Long distance trains are increasinglybecoming hampered by aging infra-

s t r u c t u r eand freightrail conges-tion. Theschedule ofthe Califor-nia Zephyrhas beenlengthenedin responseto the diffi-culty the Un-ion Pacifichas in get-ting the trainover its rail-road be-tween Den-ver andEm er yv i l l eon time.Even thoughthe scheduleis length-

ened, delays continue to occur.

Mr. Hutchison mentioned one signifi-cant cause of delay to the CaliforniaZephyr is a section of mostly straighttrack west of Salt Lake City whichrequires 4 hours of operation at 20mph. Once UP completes its tie re-placement efforts in the area, speedsmay return to 79 mph.

He pointed out that UP freights mustalso adhere to the 20 mph limit whichhas caused many of their own crewsto reach the end of their designatedhours of service (“go dead”) before


But Long Distancetrains hampered by

congestion Realistic hopes for

Heartland Flyer - corridor train “makes do” on account of equipment shortage.

the future of AmtrakRestoration of

Pioneer to be studied

arriving at the next crew changepoint. Though this is costly for theUP, the company has higher prioritiesfor capital expenditures. As timegoes on, track repair will continueand speeds should get better how-ever, delays like this add to theZephyr’s capital costs because Am-trak has to add another train set tothe five that are already reserved forthe train because of the increasinglyslow transit time. Delays also causel a b o rcosts torise aswell asdemora l-ize thecrew andi r r i t a t ep a s s e n -gers.

On theo t h e rhand, Mr.Hutchisoncalled theSouthwestC h i e fw h i c hs e r v e sS o u t h -e a s t e r nColoradoand theRaton, NM gateway “a solid per-former” and a train which has the“respect” of the host railroad, theBNSF Railway. He pointed out thatthe Chief runs over a double trackline in New Mexico and Arizona thathosts 90 freights a day yet the rail-road and its dispatchers find a way tokeep it on time. He said the routecould use some rehabilitated Super-liner equipment which he felt wouldimprove its relatively low level of rid-ership.

At the moment, the US House hasapproved a continuing resolution forthe federal budget which holds Am-trak at $1.2 billion for the current fis-

cal year. The Senate version is $1.4billion. These amounts are adequateto maintain present service but do notallow for purchase of badly needednew equipment and new corridor de-velopment.

Mr. Hutchison reported that the Pas-senger Rail Investment and Improve-ment Act (S-294) which was intro-duced in the Senate earlier in Janu-ary was probably Amtrak’s best hopefor funding to come along in many

years. The multi-year funding billwould about $19 billion over thecourse of six years. Much of thismoney would be used to improve theNortheast Corridor, pay for new carsand locomotives, and provide moneyto states for passenger rail corridordevelopment on an 80% federal/20%local matching basis.

There is an expectation that train op-erating costs must go down 40% overthe life of the bill. Some of themoney will be set aside to pay Am-trak’s outstanding debt. Contained inthe bill are funds to support a state-based rail planning process and for astudy to exam the restoration of the

Pioneer which ran between Denver,Boise, and Seattle/Portland.

Mr. Hutchison said he had spent theprevious afternoon meeting with rep-resentatives from RTD and Contin-uum East-West Partners, the devel-opers of Denver Union Station, todiscuss Amtrak’s utilization of theredesigned facility. Topics includedhaving adequate facilities to servicethe train (e.g. fuel, water, etc), plat-form and track length, and ventilation.

Mr. Hutchi-son viewedthe rela-tively limitedtrack spaceas an op-e r a t i o n a lc h a l l e n g efor Amtrak.He pre-dicted thatin all likeli-hood, Am-trak will ex-pand itsservices toD e n v e re v e nthough thatdoes notseem pos-sible today.

“Who knew15 years ago that light rail and com-muter rail would once again becomeso popular in today,” he asked.“Denver was once served by six dailyAmtrak trains and it could well hap-pen again.”

He sympathized with the dilemmafaced by those having to make thedifficult business decisions about re-design of the station yet wanted tomake sure that there would be suffi-cient capacity for intercity rail servicethat is sure to come. He plans tocontinue reviewing developmentswith Union Station planners on behalfof Amtrak on a monthly basis.

(Continued from page 4)

Coast Starlight - arrives hours late in Eugene after struggling over congested rails.

You hear it all the time - Amtrak is"money-losing socialism," since thegovernment subsidizes the nationalpassenger railroad. However, theairline industry is often viewed asgroup of noble capitalists. In fact,some Amtrak opponents have sug-gested it would be cheaper to buyAmtrak passengers an airline ticketthan to keep passenger trains run-ning.

However, a recent article in theWashington Post provides food forthought. According to the article, theAir Transport Association reports thatsince 1947, the first year for whichthe ATA has profit-and-loss figures,the U.S. airline industry has lost a

cumulative $14 billion. That's includ-ing up to $3 billion the ATA estimatesthat airlines lost last year. It turns outthat airlines are an unforgiving busi-ness that has been a net moneyloser for 60 years.

"Grocery stores give you better re-turns," Michael Boyd, an Evergreen-based airline consultant told the

Post. "Airlines are a crummy busi-ness, and will always be a crummybusiness. When people ask aboutstarting an airline," Boyd said, "first,we say no. Then, if they still want todo it, we say, 'Only if you're usingyour ex-wife's money.'" TrainsMagazine Hot Line, February 27,2007

Flying with other people’s moneyStory that is not

covered by in-flightmagazines

From the editor:

The item above, or the DenverPost story of May 8th in whichMike Boyd of Evergreenforecasted that “dozens ofsmall communities… may facea decline or loss of airlineflights in the next five years…”or the Rocky Mountain Newsfeature of May 12th headlined“Aspen still digging out” (afterthe airport snow delays) all dealwith the consequences ofsubsidies of air service.

Here’s the test: does thepolitician say that transportationfor the small city needs to beimproved, or is it the usualcase, that air service has to begiven a subsidy? Or, if it’s fineto specify air service, why notalso specify rail or bus service?

Might not our air transportsystem be more reliable andcost-effective if alternativeground transport was used forsome smaller markets? Airservice has been directlysubsidized since the 1920’s.Amtrak was formed in 1971.

potential operating problems, andsafety issues which would be raisedby putting the commuter rail tracksunderground are simply not worththe advantage to motorists who maywish to drive on an extended 18thStreet.

Besides this, the developers want tolimit the number of tracks to sixwhich potentially constricts theoperation of four commuter railcorridors, Amtrak, and the Ski Traininto the station. Additional Amtrakand Front Range passenger trainsas well as more commuter trainsmade necessary by the continuinggrowth of Denver and Colorado overthe next several decades wouldmake the underground stationobsolete since it cannot beexpanded.

ColoRail proposes a much simplerand less costly design that includesmaintaining light rail at grade on itscurrent alignment into the stationarea, retaining the existing tracksand platforms for commuter rail, SkiTrain, and Amtrak at grade with theaddition of four more tracks for atotal of nine, and adding an RTDregional bus station and an intercitybus station (Greyhound, TMN&O,etc.) above the commuter rail tracksbetween 18th and 20th Streets justshort of the ramp to the HOV lane toI-25. The proposal is similar toAlternative A-2 of the original DUSMaster Plan.

This proposal would retain theexisting tail tracks which extend toCherry Creek as well as the"subway" which now serves as awalkway between the light railstation and the historic station.

In the event more money isavailable, ColoRail recommendslight rail be brought into the stationfrom the CML below grade on 17thStreet to stub end at the basementwall of the historic station. Light railpassengers could then accesscommuter trains directly above thelight rail underground platform. Thisproposal is identical to Alternative C-5 of the original DUS Master Plan.

ColoRail has made its concernsknown to members of the fouragencies who are charged with thesupervision of the redevelopment ofthe station: RTD, C-DOT, City &County of Denver, and the DenverRegional Council of Governments.Unfortunately, no detectable changehas been made in the direction ofthe current planning.

Negotiations are underway by thedevelopers with each of thetransportation providers now usingthe station: Amtrak, the Ski Train,RTD, and intercity bus lines. Withthe exception of RTD Express andRegional bus services, each ofthese modes is being asked to cutback the scale of future service.

(Continued from page 1)

Constricted track area limits future for passenger service

A quick test for politicians

You can recognizethem by theirColoRail shirtRecognizing station volunteers

Name: ______________________________________________________________________

Address: ____________________________________________________________________

City: ______________________________ State: _____________ Postal Code: __________

Telephone, with area code: ______________________________________________________

E-mail address, fax number or other contact information: ____________________________

_________________________________________________

_________________________________________________

P.O. Box 480452Denver, CO 80248

$10 PER YEARpays for mailings,printing, publicity

They haven’t yet been called on tooffer someone the shirt off their back,and that’s a good thing. Theseexperienced ColoRail volunteers atDenver Union Station have a reasonto want to hang onto their shirts.

After serving five times -- helpinganswer questions about the trains,or ient ing vis i tors to Denverattractions, encouraging safety,explaining about Amtrak’s status,and making themselves generallyuseful -- volunteer Denver UnionStation hosts receive a free shirt withAmtrak and ColoRail logos. This isboth a form of recognition for theirrole, and also helps passengers andstaff at the station to recognize them.

ColoRail records show that thefollowing participants have receivedthe recognition shirts:

Mike Cronin

Keith Dameron

Jay Jones

Sara McDowell

Eric Miller

Tom Peyton

Robert Rynerson

Ira Schreiber

Bob Shedd

David Terada

Ron Vander Kooi

Don Zielesch

It should be noted that several ofthose listed above, as well as others,have participated in previousvolunteer activities at the station.However, no records were kept ofthose informal activities.

Members may also buy one of theseshirts for approximately $21(including tax). It also has theAmtrak and ColoRail logos, but notthe “Volunteer Host” inscription.

With the results of the JanuaryGeneral Meeting, new Boardmembers and members whose termscontinue are listed on Page 3.

Those whose terms have beencompleted are:

Keith Dameron, who worked onwhatever needed to be done,i n c l u d i n g A m t r a k sc h e d u l eadherence. Ron Vander Kooi, whoserved as Vice-President and workedparticularly on Amtrak issues. DonZielesch, who served as the mostorganized Secretary that ColoRailhas had to date.

Thanks for former Board members:

Ritter starts out on right track

P.O. Box 480452Denver, CO 80248

Following the routeof future Front Range

regional rail

Neither lateness nor subzero temperatures failed todampen the spirits of the thousand strong crowd whomet Governor Bill Ritter’s Inaugural Train at PuebloUnion Depot. A brass band welcomed Colorado’s newfirst family and a sumptuous feast of fried chicken,spaghetti, sausage, and meatballs was served asnumerous politicians headed by Governor Ritter spoke tothe enthusiastic crowd. The event was hosted by USRepresentative John Salazar.

The flag draped main hall of the beautifully restoredstation was packed with well-wishers who warmed up theplace with numerous cheers and standing ovations formembers of Colorado’s new first family, the LieutenantGovernor, the State Treasurer and a host of otherelected officials. The celebration was a fitting end to aday which began in Greeley, with stops for speeches andcelebrations along the way in Brighton, Denver, andColorado Springs.

Though the 10 car train of gleaming Union PacificArmour Yellow coaches, lounges, and dome cars leftGreeley precisely on time, the train progressively losttime as it proceeded south, winding up about two hourslate by the time it reached Pueblo.

The train made a painfully slow trip through UP yardsinto Denver Union Station then an even slower reversemove back on to the Consolidated Mainline to continueits trip-- amply demonstrating the need for a throughstation when Front Range passenger rail becomes areality. The train proceeded to run south on UP’snorthbound joint track it shares with the BNSF Railway toColorado Springs. It wasjust south of ColoradoSprings that the dispatcherhalted the train’s passagein favor of a number ofnorthbound coal trains. Noone on board seemed tomind but passengers keptgetting reports the crowd inPueblo was get t ingimpatient… and hungry.This impatience meltedimmediately as the specialtrain rolled into Pueblo.

Photo: Governor and Mrs. Ritterat Denver Union Station stop.

may-june 2007 issue #54...

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