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Partnering with the Freight Railroads – Passenger Service

SCORT – 2009 National Meeting

September 21, 2009

Partnering with the Freight Railroads – Passenger Service

SCORT – 2009 National Meeting

September 21, 2009

CSX operates over 21,000 route miles within 23 Eastern states, the District of Columbia and two Canadian Provinces .CSX operates over 21,000 route miles within 23 Eastern states, the District of Columbia and two Canadian Provinces .

1,200+ trains/day (200+ passenger)

7.4 million carloads per year

3,800+ locomotives

101,000+ freight cars

Serves 70 ocean, lake and river ports

30,000 employees

. ..Gulfport

Pascagoula

Mobile

.Port Manatee

.

..

.

.Brunswick

Savannah

Charleston

Wilmington

Newport News

Our belief is that rail provides sustainable transportation solutions.Our belief is that rail provides sustainable transportation solutions.

Rail is the safest and most secure mode of surface transportation

One intermodal train can carry the load of 280 trucks

A locomotive can haul a ton of freight 436 miles on one gallon of fuel

Rail capital investment relies principally on private funds

Safe and Secure

Green

Efficient

Sustainable

Clearly, there is a pressing need to pursue alternative transportation modes.Clearly, there is a pressing need to pursue alternative transportation modes.

Today 2020

CSX Territory

Source: USDOT FHWA Freight Analysis Framework

Can railroads handle more freight while also carrying more passenger traffic?Can railroads handle more freight while also carrying more passenger traffic?

ESSENTIAL DECISIONS

Choosing the right location

Careful planning

Sufficient strategic investment

Freight service and conventional passenger operations up to 79 MPH may commingle provided four principles are addressedFreight service and conventional passenger operations up to 79 MPH may commingle provided four principles are addressed

SAFETY– Safety cannot be compromised

CAPACITY– Capacity must ensure safe and reliable operations and ensure access and

room for current and future freight customers

COMPENSATION– Compensation must offset all expenses of the additional passenger service

LIABILITY– Indemnified against any new liability that, but for the new passenger service,

would not exist

Emerging/Higher Speed Passenger Rail operating at speeds between 80 and 90 MPH must be examined on a case by case basisEmerging/Higher Speed Passenger Rail operating at speeds between 80 and 90 MPH must be examined on a case by case basis

Must meet the safety, capacity, compensation and liability requirements of conventional passenger rail operations

Factors governing the commingling of freight and passenger rail above 79 MPH: 

– Operating characteristics, volumes and frequencies of both the freight and existing conventional passenger traffic

– Right-of-way availability

– Highway-rail grade crossings and other physical obstacles

– Number of towns and cities traversed

– Topography of the corridor

– Publicly funded track and signal improvements 

– Public funding of ongoing maintenance and operations

– Possibility of temporal separation

Regional/Express High Speed Passenger Rail operating above 90 MPH must do so on dedicated tracks separated from freight operationsRegional/Express High Speed Passenger Rail operating above 90 MPH must do so on dedicated tracks separated from freight operations

Sealed from highways and pedestrians– HSR requires grade separated roadways– Pedestrian overpasses, tunnels and barriers must prevent access to tracks

Dispatched and maintained by the passenger entity– Separate operation insures no compromises for heavier, slower freight – CSX operating rules/signal & engineering standards do not contemplate HSR– CSX core business is moving high tonnage trains at conventional speeds

If the right-of-way is shared, the freight operator must be able to access both its present and future customers to meet its common carrier obligation.– Freight carriers must not be isolated on one side of the right-of-way

SAFETY: There can be no compromiseSAFETY: There can be no compromise

Any operation – passenger or freight – on CSX tracks or property must be safe.

No new risks to the public, passengers or CSX employees

Consistent with CSX safety objectives and programs

Dedicated HSR passenger corridors need adequate distance from existing freight rail tracks to allow employee work without removing the adjacent tracks from service. 

– A train traveling at high speeds picks up debris, spraying anyone within the envelope of the vacuum

– Switching rail cars and track, bridge, signal, communication or any other type of work on adjacent track must be considered

– Sufficient separation between tracks decreases the chance that work on one will disrupt service on an adjacent track

CAPACITY: Passenger projects that diminish existing and future freight capacity are inconsistent with the true objectives of plannersCAPACITY: Passenger projects that diminish existing and future freight capacity are inconsistent with the true objectives of planners

A cost-effective, reliable freight rail system is vital to state economies

Absent additional capacity, new passenger trains diminish freight capacity:

– More trucks on the highway

– Congestion on vehicular arteries increases

– Pollution increases

Passenger agencies that consume the existing, “cheap” capacity for passenger trains must:

– Replace the capacity consumed, previously available for future freight demands

– Add capacity required to maintain fluidity as the freight volume returns

• Passenger operations must be transparent to freight operations

• Detailed modeling required

COMPENSATION: Freight railroads are not public utilities and must be compensated for right-of-way and capacity consumed by passengers.COMPENSATION: Freight railroads are not public utilities and must be compensated for right-of-way and capacity consumed by passengers.

Freight railroads are publicly held companies, operating on private property maintained by private investment

Infrastructure built solely for passenger trains is of little or no benefit to the host railroad.

Therefore, passenger authorities accessing freight tracks must:

– Pay for the feasibility studies and freight carrier resources to review the proposals

– Bear the full cost of any new facilities required to accommodate the passenger service

– Cover ongoing maintenance for the facilities not needed but for the passenger service

– Compensate host carrier for the use/acquisition of rights-of-way at fair market value

LIABILITY: Freight railroads cannot assume additional liability for passenger operations on freight tracks or freight rights-of-wayLIABILITY: Freight railroads cannot assume additional liability for passenger operations on freight tracks or freight rights-of-way

Despite CSX’s record as one of the nation’s safest railroads, accidents can and do happen

The establishment of passenger service which brings, new, more or faster trains creates a vastly increased level of risk which is not matched by any monetary benefit to the host railroad.

A recent GAO analysis regarding the handling of liability where freight trains and commuter trains operate on the same tracks found that:

– Absent an agreement on liability, passenger operations expose freight railroads to an especially dangerous and unfair risk.

Host freight railroads must be fully protected against any and all liability resulting from the added presence of high speed passenger service

Ten major corridors have been identified by the federal government for possible high-speed rail fundingTen major corridors have been identified by the federal government for possible high-speed rail funding

From FRA Website (http://www.fra.dot.gov/us/content/31)

The proven partnerships established around the I-95 Corridor in Virginia set the standard for the nationThe proven partnerships established around the I-95 Corridor in Virginia set the standard for the nation

Note: Green Line Width = Relative Number of Amtrak Passenger Routes

Bristol

CliftonForge

Manassas

Lynchburg

Charlottesville

Newport News

WilliamsburgPetersburg

RichmondStaples Mill Road

RichmondMain Street

Ashland

Fredericksburg

Quantico

Lorton & Woodbridge

Springfield

Alexandria

Washington, D.C.Union Station

Existing Amtrak Routes (2007)

Existing VRE Service Area (2007)

Amtrak Stations

Source: Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation

North Carolina and Virginia entered into an interstate compact to further insure the success of the Southeast High Speed Corridor North Carolina and Virginia entered into an interstate compact to further insure the success of the Southeast High Speed Corridor

North Carolina’s applications support the state’s passenger rail vision

– Acquire CSX’s S-Line running from Petersburg, VA to Raleigh, NC, much of which is abandoned, for 110 MPH service

– Develop the Southeast High Speed Rail Corridor between Richmond and Raleigh including 168 miles of track construction, plus grade separations, signal work, and passenger stations.

– Upgrade the existing Amtrak service on CSX’s A-Line between Richmond and Savannah

From the SEHSR website (http://www.sehsr.org/)

Southeast High Speed Rail CorridorWashington, DC – Charlotte, NC

Thanks for your attention and for your interest.Thanks for your attention and for your interest.

Please don’t hesitate to call on me with any questions.