February 29, 2012
The Regional Board Room, 723 Woodlake Drive, Chesapeake, Virginia

1. CALL TO ORDER The meeting was called to order by the Chair at approximately 1:39 p.m.

2. PUBLIC COMMENT PERIOD

Mr. Dwight Farmer noted that four HRTPO Board members will be serving on the Task Force, providing voice to Passenger Rail on the HRTPO Board.
No public comments received

3. APPROVAL OF AGENDA

At the request of the Chair, Old/New Business amended with two items. One item referred to the appointment of the Task Force Chair. The other item referred to the meeting frequency and next meeting. The amended Agenda was approved.

4. Department of Rail and Public Transportation: Major Passenger Rail Initiatives

The Director of DRPT provided an overview of Major Passenger Rail Initiatives, which included:

• Statewide Passenger Rail Vision
• Richmond to Hampton Roads Passenger Rail Project ($500 million over 20 years)
o Tier I EIS under review since December 2010
o Anticipated Final EIS in March 2012 and Record of Decision shortly thereafter
• Amtrak Virginia Extension to Norfolk ($114 Million over 3 years)
o Anticipated service to start December 2012
o Whistle Stop Tour in mid December 2012 (ticket sales July 2012)
• Passenger Rail Funding mandates and initiatives
This item was for informational purposes only. The Passenger Rail Task Force took no action on this agenda item.

5. Hampton Roads Passenger Rail Study – Data Collection: Phase 2A

TEMS provided an overview of the Data Collection Study to be conducted. The study will look to collect data for the following databases:

• Market
o Stated Preference Survey (online and in-person)
o Coordination with Transit agencies and Military on ongoing survey efforts
• Engineering
• Technology
• Environmental

This item was for informational purposes only. The Passenger Rail Task Force took no action on this agenda item.

6. Passenger Rail Station Development Update

The cities of Newport News and Norfolk provided an overview of ongoing multimodal passenger rail station development efforts ongoing to support anticipated increases in ridership and new passenger rail service.

In Newport News, the two proposed stations will replace an existing Amtrak station with facility limitations and challenges. Additionally, the proposed stations will provide greater multimodal connections on the Peninsula. The presentation highlighted design and functional aspects of the new stations.

In Norfolk, the proposed Harbor Park multimodal station will support upcoming passenger rail service in December 2012 with connections to multimodal transportation options. The station development faces delays due to architectural concerns.
This item was for informational purposes only. The Passenger Rail Task Force took no action on this agenda item.

7. Passenger Rail Task Force Implementation Plan

Mr. Dwight Farmer provided an overview of draft efforts to guide the purpose of the Passenger Rail Task Force. The efforts presented were:
• Reviewing and becoming familiar with the federal rail planning process
• Monitoring federal and state legislation and Executive actions pertaining to passenger rail
• Monitoring passenger rail funding opportunities
• Assisting the HRTPO Board to position Hampton Roads to advance and implement the Hampton Roads Passenger Rail plan

Mr. Kevan Danker made the recommendation to add an effort that ‘seeks opportunities to connect and coordinate with alternative modes of transportation’. Mr. Farmer invited the public to provide comments and suggestions on the guiding efforts.

8. For Your Information

This item was for informational purposes only. The Passenger Rail Task Force took no action on this item.

9. Old/New Business

Mr. Dwight Farmer expanded upon the addition of the four HRTPO Board members to the Task Force. Mayor Paul Fraim has volunteered to serve as Chair of the Task Force.
The Task Force agreed to meet bi-monthly/quarterly, with the next meeting in the May/June timeframe.

Mr. Farmer opened the floor for additional public comment. Ms. Julie Timm of WTS noted her organization’s support to provide educational outreach. Mr. Will Christopher of Future of Hampton Roads inquired about metrics and methods to leverage public comments on the Richmond to Hampton Roads Tier I Final EIS. Ms. Thelma Drake noted to keep informed of project updates on DRPT’s website. Mr. Dwight Farmer noted to keep informed on the Passenger Rail Task Force on the HRTPO website.

ADJOURNMENT at 3:20 p.m.

By Benito O. Pérez,
HRTPO Transportation Engineer

Starting in the fall of 2013 or sooner, it will be all aboard for Amtrak’s new passenger rail service to Norfolk, Virginia. Dubbed Next Stop Norfolk, the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation is partnering with Amtrak, Norfolk Southern, and CSX Incorporated to realize passenger rail service from Norfolk to the Northeast Regional Corridor.

To realize this project, DRPT and its partners have been hard at work at planning, designing, and constructing improvements along the Petersburg to Norfolk rail corridor. Those efforts include:

 
• Construction underway of the Harbor Park passenger rail platform
• Construction underway of the Norfolk train turning and servicing facility
• Discussions and design work of the Norfolk multimodal station facility improvements to connect the following services:

o Tide Light Rail (noted in red on map)
o HRT Ferry
o HRT Bus Service (noted in blue on map)
o Amtrak connector bus service
o Amtrak Passenger Rail service (noted in orange on map)

• Survey and design underway for Portlock Rail Yard improvements (circled in red) 
 

• Design work on Petersburg Collier Connection (circled in red) completed by CSX and under review by DRPT
• Grading work on Norfolk Southern’s component of Collier Connection is complete; track work near completion – adjustments to be made upon CSX connection work
• Facility coordination meetings being held between DRPT, CSX, and Norfolk Southern
• Coordination between Norfolk Southern, DRPT, and Petersburg on minimizing impacts to the Johnson Road highway construction project (circled in blue)
• Design work complete for Norfolk Southern running track between Poe and Walnut Hill (marked by white box); Construction to start in early 2012

• Bi-weekly update meetings between partners to efficiently advance and deliver the project
• Field surveys continue on the design of the US 460 corridor signal and crossover improvements
• Amtrak technical service agreement has been executed; work underway on service design

For additional information and project updates on Next Stop Norfolk, consult DRPT’s project website at: http://www.drpt.virginia.gov/activities/norfolk.aspx

Sources: Maps- Google Maps; Amtrak Train -Flickr @ Rob Shenk

Keith Nichols, Senior Transportation Engineer

The number of passengers using intercity passenger rail service in Hampton Roads has increased in recent years.  Over 175,000 passengers used Amtrak service at the stations in Newport News and Williamsburg in 2011.  This is an increase of 7% from the passenger levels seen in 2010 and a 35% increase from the levels seen in the middle of the 2000s.  Statewide, over 1.3 million passengers used Amtrak service in 2011, an increase of 16% over 2010 levels.

These passenger levels in Hampton Roads are expected to increase further with the addition of new passenger rail service between Norfolk and Richmond.  This service is expected to begin in 2013, and construction has already started on the platform to the east of Harbor Park.

By Rob Case, Principal Transportation Engineer

In its first eight weeks with paying riders, the Tide has served approximately 5,000 trips per weekday.  Given that an analysis prepared for HRT prior to construction forecasted weekday ridership of 2,920 for the opening year and 7,130 for the year 2030, the early ridership is higher than expected.

By Stephanie Shealey
Transportation Engineer

For 18 consecutive months, AMTRAK ridership has seen growth over the previous year, according to a recent news release. Total ridership on all trains in April 2011 was close to 2.7 million passengers, increasing 9.9% over April 2010. Locally, the Washington to Newport News corridor saw 25% growth, increasing from 43,129 passengers in April 2010 to 53,900 passengers in April 2011. Looking at the AMTRAK fiscal year, which runs from October-September, national AMTRAK ridership is on track to set a new annual record.  This is likely due to high gasoline prices and improvement in the economy, particularly reflected in growth in business travel on the northeast high-speed train network.

Kendall Miller, Public Involvement and Community Outreach Administrator

A recently released Capitol Research brief from the Council of State Governments (CSG) focuses on the successes and failures of development around passenger rail projects. The brief examines land-use issues states should focus on as they prepare to use federal funding from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to improve intercity passenger rail lines and begin constructing some high-speed routes.
 
"Although local governments, transit agencies, metropolitan planning organizations, and special-purpose districts must all work collaboratively on transit development issues, state governments play an important role in ensuring the development that takes place around transit stations both serves the overall vision for the community and state and taps all the potential benefits of state and federal investment in the transit system," according to the brief.
 
One example discussed in the report involves the San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit System. With a San Francisco-to-Los Angeles high-speed-rail line in the works, planners and researchers are seeking to prevent some key mistakes made when that transit system was developed during the 1960s, CSG notes. Those mistakes, according to the brief, included the lack of an effective land-use plan and the consequent limits placed on the system's overall connectivity and the accessibility of several of its stations.
 
States can avoid such mistakes and facilitate efficient transit-oriented development in several ways, according to CSG. These include encouraging regional coordination as well as public/private partnerships; establishing collaborative relationships among various stakeholders at the state level; creating goals to promote tax savings and environmental well-being; developing financial incentives or grants for planning, property acquisition, and construction; eliminating regulatory obstacles for land use; and supplying technical assistance to local governments.
 
"State governments in the years ahead are likely to be on the forefront of shaping policies that will ensure the right kind of development takes place around rail stations -- development that makes the best use of public- and private-sector dollars, creates sustainable rail-serviced communities, and ensures the short- and long-term success of the high-speed-rail network," according to the brief. "Most importantly, they will ensure the full benefits of transit and transit-oriented development are achieved for transportation, the environment, the economy, and the health of communities."
 
The nine-page brief, "Transit-Oriented Development," is available at bit.ly/CSG-Study.

Kendall Miller, Public Involvement and Community Outreach Administrator

Two new rail agreements valued at $1.1 billion (Chicago and North Carolina) were approved by the Federal Railroad Administration this week. They are expected to significantly improve and expand passenger rail in Illinois and North Carolina while bolstering local economies.
 
In North Carolina, $461 million in federal funds will be made available to the state as a result of an agreement the North Carolina Department of Transportation reached with Norfolk Southern Railway Co., Amtrak, and the North Carolina Railroad Co. In Illinois, $685 billion will be made available for rail improvements to the St. Louis-Chicago corridor. Work is slated to get underway as early as April 5 following successful negotiations between the Illinois Department of Transportation and Union Pacific Railroad.
 
The agreements were announced Tuesday by top federal, state, and local officials in Illinois and North Carolina.
 
U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said in a statement regarding the North Carolina agreement that it "is the sixth agreement between the states and a host freight railroad for a major high-speed-rail corridor funded under the recovery act, and it ensures that these grants will improve passenger rail service in North Carolina, while preserving the world-class freight-rail system we have today."
Gov. Bev Perdue said the funding will help modernize the state's rail system while bringing 4,000 jobs to the state.
 
"Rail is a critical component in North Carolina's economic development infrastructure," Perdue said in a statement. "Improving speed and efficiency for both passenger and freight services demonstrates our commitment to the future."
 
Perdue noted the federal money will allow the state to proceed with 24 construction projects in 11 counties that include adding double tracks between Charlotte and Greensboro as well as building a dozen new bridges to eliminate at-grade highway crossings that will relieve traffic congestion and improve safety. Also included is funding to refurbish locomotives and rail cars, and add a fourth daily round trip between Charlotte and Raleigh.

"We’re grateful to Norfolk Southern for partnering with us in putting people back to work and better serving shippers in North Carolina," said North Carolina Transportation Secretary Gene Conti. "We’ll be providing an improved transportation alternative for travelers that also saves energy, reduces carbon emissions, and protects the environment."
 
Illinois Project to Increase Train Speeds Between Chicago & St. Louis
 
In Chicago, Federal Railroad Administrator Joseph Szabo joined Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn; Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin, D-Illinois; Reps. Jan Schakowsky and Dan Lipinski, both D-Illinois; and Union Pacific officials at the Amtrak Locomotive Facility to announce a $685 million agreement to begin construction on new track that will enable trains to travel up to 110 mph on the Chicago-St. Louis line by next year.
 
The agreement "kick starts the next phase of the project and ushers in more than $650 million of construction, and an estimated 6,200 jobs, starting this summer," Durbin said in a statement.
 
Illinois plans to contribute $42 million in additional capital funding for the passenger rail projects.
 
"Bringing high-speed rail to Illinois has been a top priority of my administration because of the thousands of jobs and long-term investment it will bring to our state," Quinn said in a statement. "This important partnership with the Union Pacific Railroad and the Obama administration will boost our efforts to make Illinois the high-speed rail hub of the Midwest."

Illinois Transportation Secretary Gary Hannig said his department is proud to be leaders on a project that will reduce congestion, benefit the environment, and spark economic development.

"We will see the returns on our efforts to develop the Chicago-to-St. Louis high-speed corridor for years to come," Hannig said.

Dale M. Stith
Transportation Planner

On March 17, 2011, the HRTPO Board unanimously approved a fiscally-constrained prioritized List of Projects and Studies to include in the region’s next 2034

Long-Range Transportation Plan (LRTP).  This action

represents an unprecedented 18 months of focused dialogue and regional cooperation to develop and approve an objective analysis of critically needed transportation improvements.    Furthermore, this is also the first time a formalized process for prioritizing transportation projects was used as input to rank regionally significant projects.

Projects and studies recommended for the LRTP must be fiscally-constrained per federal regulations.  The HRTPO must be able to demonstrate that reasonable funding exists to cover the costs associated with each recommended project in the LRTP.  In the face of scarce funding resources, HRTPO staff had the challenging task of evaluating over 150 candidate transportation projects that were submitted by transportation stakeholders and concerned citizens from across the region.  The price tag for these projects totals approximately $30 Billion.  Combining revenue sources from federal, state, the Governor’s Transportation Funding Proposal, local, and private investment, the region can expect slightly over $5 Billion in the next 20 years to invest in new transportation projects.  HRTPO staff utilized the Prioritization Tool to help rank projects based on their technical merits and regional benefits.  High-ranking projects were then selected based on funding sources available.

In spite of the limited funding resources, the HRTPO staff identified funding for approximately 50 projects and studies for the 2034 LRTP.  These projects range from widening roadways to relieve congestion including I-64 on the Peninsula, replacing and repairing critical bridges, improving interchanges and intersections, reinstating and enhancing passenger rail service, developing passenger rail stations, and adding new roadways for increased connectivity such as the I-564 Intermodal Connector as well as adding another tube to the Midtown Tunnel.  The approved list also includes several studies that will evaluate the benefits and impacts of major regional projects such as US Route 460, widening I-64 from Hampton Roads to Richmond, Patriots Crossing, widening the Hampton Roads Bridge Tunnel, Southeastern Parkway and Greenbelt, High-Speed and Intercity Passenger Rail, and the Virginia Beach Transit Extension.

For more information about the approved List of Projects and Studies for the 2034 LRTP, please visit the HRTPO website at www.hrtpo.org.