In 2009, start to make Valley's rail connections real
Imagine speeding over the land at 200 miles per hour, reading this newspaper while having a drink and chatting with your family or business associates in absolute comfort and safety.
That is quickly becoming the reality for the rest of the world.
Over the next decade, the Chinese government is planning to spend roughly $500 billion to construct an extensive high-speed rail network. They are hardly alone. Vietnam, Korea, Taiwan, Japan, Russia, Germany, France, Spain and others -- the list of countries investing in high speed rail is too long to print here.
Meanwhile, the United States spent just $1.3 billion on Amtrak in 2008, or about 2 percent of the federal transportation budget.
Amtrak has been on life support for decades, receiving just enough money each year to keep it from shutting down completely. Yet, despite aging equipment and slow service, more than 28 million people rode Amtrak last year, a record.
In the 1950s, America had the fastest and most luxurious trains in the world. That was then. Today European and Asian rail networks are extensive and growing with trains that can exceed speeds of 200 mph. In a competitive world economy, we are falling far behind.
In fact, we are the only large developed country in the world that does not use the tripod of transportation: air, roads, and rail. As author James Howard Kustler says, "The United States has a passenger rail system that Bulgaria would be ashamed of." This must change -- and it is.
This past November, despite a massive recession and state budge woes, California voters approved $10 billion in state bonds to construct a high speed rail system. The bonds will help to provide the local match for partnerships with other investors, such as Uncle Sam.
Other states are watching with interest. In the Midwest, 10 states have joined forces to plan an expansive rail network with a hub in Chicago. Texas has looked at high speed rail to link Houston, Dallas, Austin, and San Antonio. Virginia, Ohio, Colorado, and numerous other states are developing state rail plans to expand passenger rail service.
If Pennsylvania does not act quickly, we will be left behind when the federal government gets serious about funding passenger rail. Other states will have solid plans and environmental clearances ready, so they will get the infrastructure dollars.
And, the United States is falling behind the rest of the world in terms of transportation. China, for example, is investing hundreds of billions of dollars in high speed rail to link its cities.
When people visit the United States from other countries, they are often shocked by our lack of viable public transportation. They act as if a basic element of modern infrastructure is missing, as if we had opted not to build something as essential to them as hospitals or fire departments.
Pennsylvania is ideal for passenger railroads. We have areas of high population density, and many of our cities and towns are already linked by rail infrastructure. We have great downtowns that are perfect for rail stations. We also have experience with high-quality passenger rail. The Keystone trains between Harrisburg and Philadelphia zip along at 110 miles per hour.
Yet, there is a common belief in other parts of the country that the "northeast" rail network is complete just because we already have the Northeast Corridor connecting Boston to Washington D.C. We already have trains in New York and Philadelphia, so what else do we need?
The Lehigh Valley has more than 800,000 residents, yet we have no rail service. Meanwhile, cities like Norfolk, Va., and Phoenix, Ariz. are building light rail. This week, a new commuter train opened in Santa Fe, N.M., a city with only 72,000 residents ( Allentown has over 100,000). Clearly, our rail network is nowhere near as extensive as it needs to be.
A state rail plan is needed to bring rail service to all of Pennsylvania's population centers. Trains must be frequent, reliable, and fast. Such a network will help our local economies remain competitive, create jobs, reduce our dependence on foreign oil and will provide an option for residents to travel quickly and safely.
Paul J. Marin of Allentown is the chair of the Transportation Committee of the Lehigh Valley
Published in the Morning Call on December 29, 2008
Wonderling in the Driver's Seat
Senate committee chairman talks tolls, light rail, taxes.
As federal stimulus money for transportation projects begins to flow into Pennsylvania, state Sen. Robert C. Wonderling, R-Montgomery, will be close to the action.
First elected in 2002, Wonderling, a former official in the state Department of Transportation during the Ridge administration, was named chairman of the Senate Transportation Committee earlier this year.
He took a few minutes to chat last week in Harrisburg with The Morning Call about some of the transit challenges facing the state in the coming months.
Q: You've served at PennDOT under Gov. Ridge and now chair the Senate Transportation Committee. Where does this interest come from?
A: It wasn't by design but more by coincidence. My first job out of college, I worked for a policy think tank … and it was transportation-related. It was literally planes, trains and automobiles … I've grown to understand that transportation is a core function of state government. A well-maintained and modern transportation system is the key to any development. It's a building block that cannot be ignored.
Q: What did your time in the executive branch teach you about how the state funds its transportation needs? How are you applying those lessons now?
A: One of our bipartisan objectives is to try to move PennDOT more quickly as it relates to delivering projects and completing transportation work. The old adage that time is money really does ring true … The fact [that] I understand some of the arcane aspects of the PennDOT bureaucracy was invaluable in terms of this assignment now. We can develop meaningful legislative initiatives and not just be window-dressing.
Q: Light rail, specifically a line linking Pennsylvania to New York City, has been suggested as one way to ease traffic congestion. Is such a plan realistic?
A: The Lehigh Valley, which has grown rapidly in population, should take the prospects for passenger rail very seriously because it is a strategic part of any economic development in the Valley. New residents are expecting that.
Q: Does the state have a responsibility to fund mass transit? If so, to what extent? If not, why not?
A: State government does have a responsibility. I voted for Act 44, which created a dedicated source for transit for the commonwealth. Under Act 44, depending on how you do the numbers, right now local government is only responsible for 15 percent of transit, which means state and federal government pick up the balance.
Q: Act 44, which authorized tolls for Interstate 80, will expire next year, leaving the state about $450 million a year short for its transportation needs. Your House equivalent, Rep. Joe Markosek, D-Allegheny, has suggested that it might be appropriate to try to toll all the state's interstate highways. Would you support this?
A: I agree. And I hope, through the reauthorization of the federal transportation law, that states will have greater flexibility to toll interstates if they see fit. We have about a year to figure out if there will be tolls on Interstate 80] and, if not, what the alternative will be. Over the long term, I believe gas taxes will be a declining source of revenue to fund [transportation]. As we move more to hybrid vehicles, and see federal government raise the fuel efficiency standards, you'll have people in vehicles that use less gas … that creates a declining source of revenue.
Q: Can you talk about your working relationship with Chairman Markosek? What kind of cooperation are you trying to foster?
A: The good news, for Pennsylvania, is that transportation has always been a bipartisan endeavor. There shouldn't be an ideological conflict on how to fix a bridge. I make a point to talk to [Markosek] every week or 10 days just to check in. On transportation issues, Democrats and Republicans have always gotten along, because you have to work together to keep the system going.
Q: You have a reputation for being someone who's willing to listen to good ideas no matter which side they come from. Is there too much emphasis on the partisan ground game in Harrisburg?
A: I think it's becoming increasingly hard to get a 360-degree view of all the facts surrounding a legislative initiative. So, often times what motivates members to vote a certain way is opinion, or group-think. Special interests have really become a cottage industry in Harrisburg. Everyone has their own perspective. A special interest, at the end of the day, will only agree to issues on the margins, so you get a lot of rigid positions. So you've only got limited information being presented to you. I find it increasingly difficult to sift through all the special interest info that comes to my doorstep and reach a conclusion that comes from a broader perspective. Since I was elected in 2002, there's been a turnover. I'm finding members willing to listen to a range of perspectives. Not as many seniors any more. There's a lot of sophomores and juniors willing to listen and take a new approach. I think members on both sides have tired of gotcha politics, the nasty mailers.
Q: It appears as if there won't be a tax increase this year thanks to an infusion of stimulus money. But, given the state's precarious financial health, is a general tax increase inevitable?
A: I think there are still plenty of opportunities to cut state government and reposition it for a more modern Pennsylvania.
Q: You've been mentioned as a possible candidate for lieutenant governor, how actively are you pursuing that right now?
A: If there is some opportunity to me to rise to statewide office and I can serve the citizens in that capacity, I would definitely do that. But since the first day of January I've been so immersed in transportation, I've really just focused on doing this job well. This assignment is time consuming and that has really been the case.
From the Morning Call April 20, 2009
