High Speed to Insolvency

Stupidity, inaccuracy, ignorance and fear-mongering on a grandiose scale. This is how wacky the opponents are getting, using a once-respected publication to convey it....

High Speed to Insolvency
Why liberals love trains.

Forever seeking Archimedean levers for prying the world in directions they prefer, progressives say they embrace high-speed rail for many reasons—to improve the climate, increase competitiveness, enhance national security, reduce congestion, and rationalize land use. The length of the list of reasons, and the flimsiness of each, points to this conclusion: the real reason for progressives' passion for trains is their goal of diminishing Americans' individualism in order to make them more amenable to collectivism.

more at: 
http://www.newsweek.com/2011/02/27/high-speed-to-insolvency.html#

 

__________________

 

Ken Prendergast
Executive Director
All Aboard Ohio
12029 Clifton Blvd., Suite 505
Cleveland, OH 44107
(216) 288-4883
kenprendergast@allaboardohio.org
www.allaboardohio.org

Time right for commuter rail in Kentucky?

Wouldn't it be "funny" if Cincinnati got better passenger rail service to the south into Kentucky first?

March 01, 2011

Time right for commuter rail in Kentucky?
Frankfort city official thinks time is right for regional commuter train system
by Dan Dickson   

Lexington, KY - A group of business commuters board the double-decker, diesel-powered train in downtown Lexington for the relaxing 50-mile-per-hour trip to downtown Frankfort and the State Capitol. At the station, they had the option of taking trains that make a total of 11 stops, ranging from Winchester at the eastern end of the system to Louisville at the western end, with stops in between at Lexington, Midway, Frankfort and Shelbyville.

Sound farfetched? Not to Ralph Tharp, executive director of the Kentucky Capital Development Corporation, part of the city of Frankfort's economic development and industrial recruitment effort.

READ MORE AT:
http://www.southsidermagazine.com/Articles-c-2011-03-01-97132.113117-Time-right-for-commuter-rail-in-Kentucky.html

 

________________________

 

Ken Prendergast
Executive Director
All Aboard Ohio
12029 Clifton Blvd., Suite 505
Cleveland, OH 44107
(216) 288-4883
kenprendergast@allaboardohio.org
www.allaboardohio.org 

Federal report: transportation free-market is side-tracked

http://allaboardohio.org/2011/03/02/federal-report-transportation-free-market-is-side-tracked/

Federal report: transportation free-market is side-tracked
Private-sector tax credits for rails will create jobs, cut costs, restore efficiency 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE — March 2, 2011

Contact:
Ken Prendergast
All Aboard Ohio Executive Director
(216) 288-4883
kenprendergast@allaboardohio.org

CLEVELAND – The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO), a nonpartisan research body, released an insightful report showing that greater use of fuel-efficient rail and water transportation modes is discouraged by government policies that favor less-fuel efficient trucking.

The report, "Surface Freight Transportation: A Comparison of the Costs of Road, Rail, and Waterways Freight Shipments That Are Not Passed on to Consumers" is timely because the U.S. Congress and the Ohio General Assembly are now debating their respective multi-year transportation budgets. The GAO report says: 

"If government policy gives one mode a cost advantage over another, by, for example, not recouping all the costs of that mode's use of infrastructure, then shipping prices and customers' use of freight modes can be distorted, reducing the overall efficiency of the nation's economy."

One fact was most troubling: "GAO estimates that freight trucking costs that were not passed on to consumers were at least 6 times greater than rail costs."

The 67-page report, including a highlights page, is available at:
http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-11-134

GAO suggested "policy changes that align prices with marginal costs on a shipment-by-shipment basis would provide the greatest economic benefit" or "charging user fees based on average costs, subsidizing more efficient alternatives, or broadly applying safety or emissions regulations – can change the overall distribution of freight across modes."

All Aboard Ohio testified Feb. 19 at a U.S. House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee field hearing in Columbus that the upcoming renewal of the federal surface transportation law should include tax credits for railroad capital investments (including federally mandated Positive Train Control installations on railroad-owned properties) and for right-of-way operating costs that their trucking competitors do not pay on government-owned highways:
•   Dispatching and traffic management;
•   Liability insurance;
•   Policing and security;
•   Public-benefit costs (eg: corridor preservation, hosting passenger rail).

Tax credits will accelerate transportation project delivery, reduce government bureaucracy and increase private-sector investment in transportation projects. All Aboard Ohio's testimony and a summary is available at:
http://tinyurl.com/4tr83gt

"All Aboard Ohio is concerned about public policies that affect freight rail because a healthy freight rail system that is able to compete for high-value, time-sensitive cargo is more compatible with fast passenger rail services," said All Aboard Ohio President Bill Hutchison. "Indeed, before all levels of government got involved in building, owning and subsidizing highways, time-sensitive freight and passenger services coexisted on the same tracks – sometimes on the same trains – to a far greater extent than today.

"It's long overdue to reintroduce the free market to our nation's transportation system for the benefit of consumers who are hurting from rising costs of food, fuel and finished goods. The federal surface transportation law renewal is a great time to do this," Hutchison concluded.

END

 

____________________________

 

Ken Prendergast
Executive Director
All Aboard Ohio
12029 Clifton Blvd., Suite 505
Cleveland, OH 44107
(216) 288-4883
kenprendergast@allaboardohio.org
www.allaboardohio.org 

Seed Planting THIS Saturday!

Hello All,
The NECKO Community Garden is part of the University Area Garden Collective - a group of 4-7 (we keep losing count!) community gardens in the University Area. This is great because it allows us to share resources.

One of the gardens, the Summit Garden, located at the Summit on 16th United Methodist Church, is holding a seed planting party THIS Saturday, March 5th from 10:30am-about 2pm. The address is 82 E 16th Avenue, and we are meeting upstairs to plant seeds in a beautifully lit room that the Summit church is donating for our use! Later in the spring, the Summit Garden will be erecting a greenhouse on the front lawn of the church so we can transfer our seedlings outdoors to continue growing strong.

If you'd like to help and/or donate materials, please let me know. We can always use seeds, soil (seed starting soil), and containers for starting seeds.
I've saved up a bunch of cardboard egg cartons, yogurt containers, popsicle sticks, and other useful things.

If you use these types of items, start saving them - I'll even store them for you in our handy-dandy shed (thank you William and Missy!) as long as they are clean! If we don't use them this year, we'll need them for next year!

The seeds we are planting this Saturday will become starter plants for the University Area Garden Collective gardens and leftover plants will be sold at the first Urban Farmer's Market on May 7th (more details to come). If you have special seeds that you'd like to keep for yourself, for your own plot, then it is probably best to keep those out of the planting party this Saturday. If you still need a place to get those started, let me know and we'll figure out something. Anything contributed Saturday will be considered a donation to the Collective as a whole.

Please feel free to come and help plant seeds this Saturday. It is likely that will have another seed planting day, but this is a great way to get garden fever and meet the other members of the University Area gardening community!

There are more exciting things happening! Stay tuned for another email from me about them in the next day or so...

Thanks,
April

Support SARTA

I am forwarding this message as my personal expression of support of SARTA, one of the most well-run small-city transit agencies in Ohio. I urge you to support them, too. Thank you.

KJP

____________________

 

Dear Friend,

 

On May 3, 2011 SARTA will be asking Stark County residents to support a ¼% sales tax renewal to continue providing valuable services.  This will not be a new tax. These are tough economic times and this will be a difficult campaign. In order to be successful, we need to raise $120,000.  Your contribution of is needed to reach the projected 80,000 voters in Stark County that will be voting in this primary will be costly.

 

SARTA recognizes its duty to be fiscally responsible and has raised bus fares by 25%, cut more than 12% of its budget including reducing staff by 24 employees, reduced and combined routes, and eliminated all Sunday and holiday routes. These measures have helped to cover higher fuel costs and reductions in state and local funding support.  Despite these measures, this levy represents 74% of its funding and SARTA will shut down by September 2012 without passage of this renewal.   

 

Any help you can give will be greatly appreciated. 

 

Please send your check payable to "Community Support to Countywide Transportation" at 3006 15^th St., N.W., Canton, Ohio 44708.

 

Sincerely,

 

Kirt Conrad

Executive Director/CEO

Cities taking over passenger rail from states

TIFs, SIDs and other similar concepts can be pursued at any time for 3C Corridor, a Lake Erie Corridor, CYP Corridor and local commuter rail routes.....

 

 

Local financial support under discussion for passenger rail
by The Gazette Staff  ::  UPDATED: 1 March 2011 | 12:22 am 

With Gov. Terry Branstad balking at the cost, the Iowa City area could help pick up the bill to operate an Iowa City-to-Chicago passenger rail line.

The City Council last night gave its approval to send a letter to the state saying the city would pursue local funding for Amtrak service. The city did not commit itself to spending any money, though.

Local officials and those from the Quad Cities, Des Moines and Dubuque met last week to discuss the plan with officials from the Iowa Department of Transportation, Amtrak and Illinois. On Monday, Iowa City was told its contribution would need to be $300,000 to $400,000 a year.

Read more at: http://thegazette.com/2011/03/01/local-financial-support-under-discussion-for-passenger-rail/

 

________________________

 

Ken Prendergast
Executive Director
All Aboard Ohio
12029 Clifton Blvd., Suite 505
Cleveland, OH 44107
(216) 288-4883
kenprendergast@allaboardohio.org
www.allaboardohio.org 

ACTION ALERT!

I NEED YOUR HELP TODAY!

Congress returns to Washington, DC this week. Friday is the deadline for passing a continuing resolution (CR) to avoid a government shutdown. Since spending bills must originate in the House, the Senate will consider the CR passed by the House two weeks ago.

 

The House bill eliminates the high-speed rail program, slashes Amtrak funding, and eliminates funding to expand transit. It even eliminates all un-obligated high-speed rail funds from the stimulus and the 2010 budget.

 

Please CALL your Senators and let them know that you want faster and more frequent trains, not less.

 

SENATOR SHERROD BROWN
Toll Free from Ohio: 1-888-896-OHIO (6446)

 

SENATOR ROB PORTMAN
Toll-Free from Ohio: 1-800-205-OHIO (6446)

 

______________________________

 

Ken Prendergast
Executive Director
All Aboard Ohio
12029 Clifton Blvd., Suite 505
Cleveland, OH 44107
(216) 288-4883
kenprendergast@allaboardohio.org
www.allaboardohio.org