Trial Engrossment of Amendment A05370 to House Resolution 0385 P.N. 1952, Regular Session 2017-2018

A05370

THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA

HOUSE RESOLUTION

No.

385

Session of

2017

INTRODUCED BY HEFFLEY, MATZIE, DRISCOLL, FREEMAN, METZGAR,

READSHAW, HENNESSEY, LONGIETTI, CORR, SOLOMON, ROEBUCK,

TALLMAN AND MILLARD, JUNE 9, 2017

REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON TRANSPORTATION, JUNE 9, 2017

A RESOLUTION

Directing the Legislative Budget and Finance Committee to

conduct a study of the feasibility of providing at least two

additional passenger rail trips daily between Pittsburgh and

Harrisburg and its impact on existing freight rail service.

WHEREAS, Western Pennsylvania has historically had a high

level of passenger rail service with 12 daily trains as recently

as the 1960s, and three daily passenger trains in 2004, serving

the Keystone corridor west of Harrisburg; and

WHEREAS, Passenger trains, both intercity and commuter, have

traveled this corridor continuously since February 1854 when the

Horseshoe Curve was completed; and

WHEREAS, In the late 1980s and early 1990s, the

Pennsylvanian, despite the five and one-half hour travel times,

covered all of its short-term operating costs, and one year

during that period achieved a 131% revenue-to-expense ratio; and

WHEREAS, In February 2005, The Keystone West Passenger Train

Study, prepared for Norfolk Southern and the Department of

Transportation, examined the Keystone corridor west of

Harrisburg and the impact that adding two passenger rail trains

a day to the then-existing two passenger rail trains a day would

have on freight service in the Keystone corridor west of

Harrisburg; and

WHEREAS, In Scenario No. 3, the study concluded that the

additional service would be compatible with freight service if

improvements identified in the study were made to the rail

infrastructure; and

WHEREAS, In August 2014, the Keystone West High Speed Rail

Study: Feasibility Report & Preliminary Service Development

Plan, prepared for the Department of Transportation and the

Federal Railroad Administration, evaluated the feasibility of

options to reduce rail travel times and increase trip frequency

on Amtrak's Keystone West portion of the Pennsylvanian service

and identified incremental improvements that would make the line

compatible for both freight and passenger rail service; and

WHEREAS, In April 2014, On Track to Accessibility, Increasing

Service of the Pennsylvanian: Benefits and Costs, prepared for

the Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership, examined the cost of adding

two trains a day to the Pennsylvanian's existing single train a

day and estimated an annual cost of between $10 million and

$12.9 million, including costs for capital investments in

rolling stock, to operate three trains daily on the corridor;

and

WHEREAS, The Transportation Committee of the House of

Representatives held a hearing on August 23, 2016, the topic of

which was Increasing Passenger Train Service in the Harrisburg-

Pittsburgh Corridor; and

WHEREAS, The following have sent letters supporting two

additional passenger rail trains a day and provided their

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reasons for doing so: Allegheny County Chief Executive, Rich

Fitzgerald; Cambria County Commissioners Thomas Chernisky, B.J.

Smith and Mark J. Wissinger; Mifflin County Commissioners Lisa

Nancollas, Stephen Dunkle and Kevin Kodish; Westmoreland County

Commissioners Charles Anderson, Tyler Courtney and Ted Kopas;

Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission Chair, Steve Craig;

Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto; Johnstown Mayor Frank Janakovic;

Director, Johnstown Community and Economic Development, Renee

Daly; President, Greater Johnstown/Cambria County Chamber of

Commerce, Robert Layo; Coordinator, Lift Johnstown, Brad

Clemenson; Executive Director, Greater Johnstown/Cambria County

Convention and Visitors Bureau, Lisa Rager; President, Blair

County Chamber of Commerce, Joseph Hurd; President,

VisitPittsburgh, Craig Davis; and Chairman, Modern Transit

Partnership, Marshall Stevens; and

WHEREAS, The existing one train a day between Harrisburg and

Pittsburgh has excellent ridership but does not meet the

transportation needs of residents in the western communities

along the line and many others who depend upon passenger rail

service to travel; and

WHEREAS, Given the existing rail line, adding service would

not require entirely new rail infrastructure; and

WHEREAS, Section 5 of the Capital Budget Debt Authorization

and Project Itemization Act of 2000-2001 (Act 27 of 2000),

itemization of transportation assistance projects, added three

line items to increase capacity for freight and passenger trains

by adding a third track, including, but not limited to,

engineering, track construction, realignment, grading, drainage,

communications and signal and all other associated costs, in

three district segments; and

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WHEREAS, The segments itemized include Pittsburgh to Altoona

Mainline, with an authorization of $117,000,000; Altoona to

Harrisburg Mainline, with an authorization of $132,000,000; and

Ohio line to Pittsburgh Mainline, with an authorization of

$70,000,000; and

WHEREAS, The amounts itemized are available in full or part

to increase capacity on the Norfolk Southern mainline; and

WHEREAS, Residents of western Pennsylvania deserve the same

consideration and opportunity for increased frequency of service

on the existing line as residents of Pennsylvania in other parts

of this Commonwealth along the Keystone line; and

WHEREAS, Western Pennsylvanians and the communities along the

Pennsylvanian would like to obtain the economic development and

environmental benefits of passenger rail travel; and

WHEREAS, Increased frequency and dependable service, rather

than increased speed, are the main priorities of the residents

of these western communities; and

WHEREAS, Passengers now traveling west by Amtrak to

Pittsburgh generally must spend two nights in Pittsburgh before

returning to their originating city because there is no

eastbound afternoon train departure from Pittsburgh; and

WHEREAS, Pursuant to the Passenger Rail Investment and

Improvement Act of 2008, Amtrak in 2010 recommended extending

Pennsylvanian service west of Pittsburgh to Cleveland and

Chicago once it had sufficient rail cars and track improvements;

therefore be it and

WHEREAS, Across America, states and authorities supporting

urban and intercity passenger rail operations have increasingly

deployed competition to attract the best service at the lowest

cost with the goal of high performance passenger rail

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operations; and

WHEREAS, States and public authorities, including California,

Connecticut and New Mexico, have designed modern, transparent

expedited procurement practices and added service across

existing urban and state-supported intercity routes through a

competitive process; and

WHEREAS, The fully private Brightline Intercity Rail

Passenger Service was launched in Florida in January of 2018;

and

WHEREAS, It is desirable that the Commonwealth adopt an open

and expedited procurement process in order to maximize

competition and private service involvement; and

WHEREAS, It is generally conceded by transportation experts

that in travel markets where there is an increase in the

frequency of service, there is a geometrical increase in the

demand for that service; and

WHEREAS, Providing a safe and reliable transportation

infrastructure is a core function of government; therefore be it

RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives direct the

Legislative Budget and Finance Committee to conduct a study of

the feasibility of providing at least two additional passenger

rail trains a day to the existing single daily train between

Pittsburgh and Harrisburg; and be it further

RESOLVED, That the study determine the improvements to the

rail infrastructure between Pittsburgh and Harrisburg that are

necessary to make the additional passenger rail service

compatible with the existing freight service; and be it further

RESOLVED, That the study consist of:

(1) A review of the existing studies referenced in this

resolution and the transcript of the Transportation Committee

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hearing of August 23, 2016., as well as a review and summary

of competitive practices in other jurisdictions, including

California's high speed rail, Connecticut's new service over

the Hartford route and New Mexico's streamlined procurement

process.

(2) An estimate from the Department of Transportation

and, Amtrak and alternative passenger rail operators and

service providers of the cost and schedule for two additional

trains a day to provide such service.

(3) The minimum and optimum infrastructure improvements

and operational requirements needed to implement the service

proposed by Amtrak, the host railroad and alternative service

providers and the Department of Transportation along the

Keystone West corridor.

(4) Locomotive power and rolling stock needed and

availability of Federal grants for purchase of equipment and

operations. and locomotive power and rolling stock needed for

proposed alternative operations, including the ideal length

of operational contracts so as to permit financing through

public-private partnerships.

(5) An identification of the existing and proposed

Keystone West round trips that could feasibly be extended

west to Cleveland and Chicago pursuant to Federal

appropriations authorized under section 11104 of the Fixing

America's Surface Transportation Act (Public Law 114-94);

and be it further and the feasibility of introducing an

option for Altoona local service as a part of the expanded

passenger rail package.

(6) An evaluation of the options for maximizing public-

private partnerships and introducing competition into

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passenger rail service with a goal of creating a high

performance and high speed interconnected urban and intercity

network.

(7) In pursuit of the goal under paragraph (6), a

recommendation for a transparent, expedited approval process

for improving passenger rail service within the existing P3

law, 74 Pa.C.S. Ch. 91, and recommendations for statutory

revisions of Pennsylvania law that will permit service to be

replaced, expanded or added in a timely fashion. In pursuit

of this goal, a designated study group may be established to

solicit estimates and provisional shadow proposals from

Amtrak and qualified alternative operators, which may be

invited to make confidential oral presentations. A

provisional shadow proposal may recommend a plan to add

service or replace current service with an upgraded package.

Each shadow proposal should be made available in advance of

the presentation to the host freight railroad through a

nondisclosure agreement, and the host railroad should be

invited to comment by the study group and may inform the

study group as to the preferred proposal from the perspective

of the freight railroad. After consultation with the

Department of Transportation, host railroad, rail labor and

other key stakeholders, the study group may recommend a

preferred alternative;

and be it further

RESOLVED, That the committee issue to the Speaker of the

House of Representatives a report of its findings under

paragraphs (1), (2), (3) and (4) of the penultimate Resolved

Clause within nine six months from the date of the adoption of

this resolution and a report of its findings under paragraph (5)

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of the penultimate Resolved Clause within one year nine months

from the date of the adoption of this resolution.

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