ProRail Nebraska

Dedicated to supporting and advocating for railroad service
in the State of Nebraska.

ProRail Nebraska Meetings

Photo by Tom Jurgens of the Sept. 2014 Omaha-Lincoln Husker Football Special at Melia Siding.

Amtrak recently announced a new policy for private passenger cars and special trips. This change will likely eliminate special trains in Nebraska like Husker Football Specials between Omaha and Lincoln. ProRail Nebraska opposes this new policy and encourages our members and allies to contact their Representatives and Senators expressing their opposition.

Sorry, but this information was sent to us in error. These meetings occurred LAST YEAR (2017). Sorry for any inconvenience!

Union Pacific has responded to the Surface Transportation Board's March 16 blanket letter requesting information on Class I railroad 2018 service outlook.

In a March 28 letter to STB Chairman Ann Begeman and Vice Chairman Deb Miller, UP Chairman, President and CEO Lance Fritz stated that the railroad "is currently experiencing some service challenges across our network. Railcar inventory levels began to rise last summer, which contributed to increased cycle times. Customers responded to sluggish service, in turn, by adding more cars to the network. We are working aggressively to break this cycle, including flooding the network with additional resources and taking a series of other steps designed to improve system fluidity and velocity."

In addition to deploying more resources, UP is "developing and implementing operating strategies to improve rail service," said Fritz. "We are particularly focused on reducing railcar inventory on our network. Elevated railcar inventory creates additional congestion at yards, terminals and sidings, which reduces velocity and increases human and locomotive resource consumption. We are placing increased focus on executing existing service plans and modifying them as necessary to reduce inventory and improve fluidity. We are also intensifying communications and evaluating opportunities to bypass congested interchange locations with our Class I interchange partners to improve interchange fluidity. At the local level, we are increasing local train frequency to ensure we are spotting and pulling cars in a timely manner. We are also adding jobs to support yard and terminal fluidity.

"At the network level, we are focused on train-plan discipline. Running trains as scheduled helps ensure locomotive and crew balance, which allows us to more-efficiently use available resources. We are engaging and communicating proactively with our customers to ensure they know we take their concerns very seriously and are committed to improving service. Our number one priority is to stabilize service and reverse the downward trend.

"We cannot predict how soon our ongoing efforts will take hold and may face unexpected challenges in the coming months. However, we are fully committed to deploying the resources necessary to restore network fluidity and velocity, and to safely and efficiently serve our customers."

On January 23rd ProRail President Matt Roque testified before the Nebraska Legislature's Transportation and Telecommunications Committee in support of LB 769. This bill would retain Nebraska's membership in the Midwest Interstate Passenger Rail Compact (MIPRC).

You may recall that during the 2015 Session Sen. Kintner introduced LB 317 that would have withdrawn Nebraska from the MIPRC. ProRail opposed LB 317, but a compromise was reached where Nebraska would remain a member only until July 1, 2018.

At the beginning of the 2018 Session Sen. Quick from Grand Island introduced LB 769 that would eliminate the July 1, 2018 deadline and keep Nebraska in the Compact indefinitely. LB 769 is co-sponsored by Senators Walz, Harr, and Kolowski.

The Compact created the Midwest Interstate Passenger Rail Commission which brings together leaders from nine Midwest states (Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, and Wisconsin) to promote, coordinate and support improvements to passenger rail and connecting bus services. Nebraska's withdrawal from MIPRC would put our state outside this planning process. Senators Quick and Walz represent Nebraska on the Commission. The Governor hasn't appointed the other two NE representatives to the MIPRC.

In addition to retaining our state's membership in the MIPRC, LB 769 would also allow non-government parties to help pay the annual MIPRC dues which are $15,000 annually.

New York's Metropolitan Transit Authority plans to spend more than $1.4 billion to purchase 535 new subway cars to replace the oldest cars operating on its lettered lines.

The initial order with Kawasaki Rail Car Inc. was approved by the agency Board's Transit Committee Jan. 22, and the Japan-based company could eventually design and build a total of 1,600 cars for more than $3.6 billion over the coming decade. They will be built at Kawasaki's facilities in Yonkers, N.Y., and Lincoln, Neb.

The first new R211 test cars are scheduled to be delivered by mid-2020, part of an order that includes 440 standard closed-end cars and 20 open-gangway test cars with through vestibules for NYC Transit, and 75 new cars for the Staten Island Railway. The design for the new cars features wider doors, closed-circuit surveillance cameras, new lighting and color schemes, and improved digital displays.

Reports said that under the terms of the contract to be voted on by the full board Jan. 24, the MTA has an option to have Kawasaki build about 1,100 more cars for $2.2 billion by the end of 2027.
The new cars will replace R42 cars dating to 1969-70, and some R32 cars, which are more than 50 years old. The new deal comes after MTA in 2012 placed a $599-million order with Bombardier of Canada for new R179 cars. The test cars arrived two years behind schedule and experienced a number of failures soon after delivery. The contract with Kawasaki includes penalties for late delivery, and the builder has agreed to beef up its warranties on certain parts and systems.

Click here to view more details in Progressive Railroading article Jan. 25, 2018.

An environmental study exploring the viability of a high-speed passenger-rail service between Minnesota and Wisconsin has been halted after two Minnesota state lawmakers objected to its funding.

Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) Passenger Rail Director Dan Krom yesterday confirmed in an email a news report that the state has stopped its high-speed rail study, which was examining an environmental process that would be used to move the project forward.

The proposed rail corridor would have featured high-speed passenger-rail service from Minnesota's Twin Cities to Milwaukee and then on to Chicago.

Last month, Minnesota Republican State Rep. Paul Torkelson and Republican State Sen. Scott Newman objected to MnDOT's accepting of federal grant money to complete the study largely because of Wisconsin state officials' opposition to high-speed rail, the Minneapolis Star Tribune reported earlier this week. "Minnesota should not be squandering precious tax dollars - whether local, state or federal - on a wasteful project actively opposed by other states whose support is necessary to proceed," the legislators wrote in a letter to the Minnesota Department of Management and Budget, the newspaper reported. Torkelson and Newman chair the transportation committees in the Minnesota House and Senate, respectively.

About $1 million in state and federal funding has been invested to date toward the study over the past several years, said Krom. Wisconsin pulled out of the study years ago, due to Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker's objection to high-speed rail projects. But Minnesota continued to study the prospect of a high-speed passenger-rail corridor. The Tier 1 environmental impact statement (EIS) for the proposed rail line was funded under a federal High Speed Intercity Passenger Rail program stimulus grant issued during President Obama's administration. The grant called for $600,000 from the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) with a $600,000 match - $300,000 from each state.

After Wisconsin pulled out of the study, Minnesota committed the full $600,000 state share to match the FRA's portion. About $181,000 in federal grant funds remain, which Krom said he assumed would remain in the grant program until it is closed in the future.

In 2010, while campaigning for his first term as governor, Walker said if elected he would send back $810 million in federal stimulus funds the state received for a proposed high-speed rail connection between Milwaukee and Madison, Wisconsin. After Walker won the election, the U.S. Department of Transportation took back the federal stimulus money and distributed it to other states.

The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) has authorized the Kansas City Area Transportation Authority (KCATA) to move its Main Street streetcar extension into the project development phase.

The agency now will develop refined capital and operating costs, estimate ridership, assess environmental impacts and create a detailed funding plan, KCATA officials said in a press release. The work will include an HDR Inc.-led study now underway.

The FTA's authorization is a key step toward securing federal funding for the extension, agency officials said.

"KC Streetcar's downtown starter line has proven its worth and this Main Street extension will further strengthen our investment while connecting our most dense neighborhoods and business centers in a new and exciting way," said Tom Gerend, executive director of the Kansas City Streetcar Authority.

The project's primary area extends from downtown Kansas City and Union Station toward the University of Missouri-Kansas City.

Presentation By Roger Figard, Executive Director

Lincoln Railroad Transportation Safety District

December 9, 2017 ProRail Meeting in Lincoln

Click here to view PowerPoint slides

Click here to view map of conceptual plan to abandon Amtrak Route in Lincoln, NE

Click here to view map showing proposed Hobson Yard Bypass

The ProRail Board met in Lincoln Saturday, October 28. After discussing the proposal by Lincoln's Railroad Transportation Safety District to abandon a segment of the Amtrak Line that extends from a point just west of the Amtrak Station 7.3 miles southwest to Cobb, the Board voted unanimously to oppose the abandonment. See the news article below for details. The Board opposes closure of the line to through traffic for several reasons:

We hope to have a spokesperson from the Railroad Transportation Safety District at our December 9 meeting.

StarTran has received a $1.45 million federal grant to purchase two electric buses to replace heavy-duty diesel buses. StarTran's project was one of 51 projects in 39 states selected for $55 million in grants from the Federal Transit Administration's low- or no-emission vehicle program.

The grant, which also funds electric-charging stations for the buses, will be matched by $500,000 in local funds. The electric buses, which cost about $300,000 more than a compressed-natural gas bus, will be able to travel 200 miles before recharging.

Since most city buses run about 300 miles a day, the two buses will be used during peak hours and charged in between, according to Transit Manager Mike Davis.

Click here to read the rest of the article and view images.

According to an article in the September 10 Lincoln Journal Star, Lincoln's Railroad Transportation Safety District is concerned about grade crossing safety on BNSF's Hastings Subdivision between Lincoln's Amtrak Station and Cobb, a junction about 7.3 miles southwest of the City. This single-track line is used by the daily pair of Amtrak California Zephyr trains daily plus several BNSF freight trains.

The Safety District is concerned about accidents at seven grade crossings on this line within Lincoln. This concern was heightened when two 17-year olds were killed August 18 when they drove around the lowered crossing gates at the West South St. crossing and were struck by a westbound Amtrak train.

Although the Safety District has considered creating a quiet zone that would include the seven crossings on the Amtrak Line within Lincoln City Limits, it is also considering a second option: abandonment of part of the line and rerouting through trains on an alternate route.

Creating a quiet zone would cost about $5 million according to a recent study. This involves changes at each crossing including additional warning signals at and raised medians that prevent vehicles from driving around lowered crossing gates. This eliminates the need for engineers to blow train horns approaching the crossings -- thus the name quiet zone.

At Cobb there is a junction with BNSF's Freight Cutoff used by most freight trains to reach Hobson Yard. It's the green line in the map above. If part of the Amtrak Line is abandoned, the Safety District proposes to reroute the through trains off that line to BNSF's Ravenna Subdivision from Downtown west to Cushman, junction with the Freight Cutoff to Cobb. This proposal involves building a new signalized main track along the south side of Hobson Yard and upgrading the Freight Cutoff to Cobb to passenger train standards. Estimated cost: $25 to $35 million. Since BNSF sees no benefit to rerouting the traffic, the cost would have to be borne by the City, State, and Federal governments.

Abandoning the Amtrak Line as a through route is a bad idea. In addition to providing a more direct and faster route for the Amtrak and BNSF intermodal trains that use it, the route provides an alternate path when the route via Hobson Yard is blocked by a derailment, natural disaster, or maintenance. Our railroad network is already plagued by past abandonment decisions that eliminated route redundancy, something railroad managers often regret!

The Kansas City Streetcar Authority (KCSA) late last week approved advancing to the next phase of technical work for a streetcar extension to the Missouri River.

The next planning phase will focus on completing conceptual design for the project, KCSA officials said in a press release. Other efforts will include survey work and utility location, estimating costs, performing an environmental assessment and conducting public outreach.

To help pay for construction, the project team is pursuing federal funding through the Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) grant program. The downtown streetcar line received $20 million in TIGER funding in 2013.

The primary study area extends from downtown Kansas City to the Missouri River and Berkley Riverfront. The area is bounded on the west by the ASB Bridge and BNSF Railway Co. right of way and on the east by Senator Kit Bond Bridge.

KCSA late last year selected a team led by Burns and McDonnell to conduct the next planning phase for the riverfront extension. The work will occur while planning continues for a different extension to the University of Missouri-Kansas City.

Governor Pete Ricketts has designated the Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality (NDEQ) as the lead agency to administer the funds that are allocated to the state in the Trust (approximately $12.25 million). NDEQ will now begin seeking input from the public on the development of a plan to best use these funds to improve air quality and support local projects in Nebraska. A press release on the announcement is available at http://deq.ne.gov/Press.nsf/pages/PR092117.

A web page has been established on the NDEQ website to provide more information about the Trust and the agency's efforts to craft the initial Mitigation Plan. This page can be found at: http://deq.ne.gov/NDEQProg.nsf/OnWeb/AirVW. The page provides a link to download a Request for Public Comment on VW Mitigation Plan Development (PDF file), which provides background information on air quality in Nebraska, a summary of the eligible mitigation actions, and a list of specific questions about how Nebraska should structure its Mitigation Plan.

Public comments on development of Nebraska's Mitigation Plan are being solicited until Friday November 3, 2017. An on-line comment portal has been established at https://ecmp.nebraska.gov/DEQ-VW/. This portal allows members of the public to post comments and upload supporting documents. You are welcome to submit comments on this site. All submitted comments will be public; the portal provides public functions to search for and view submitted comments. However, you are not required to provide your name and contact information when posting comments.

You may also submit comments and questions to the Department via mail, phone, or e-mail as follows:

Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality
Air Quality Division, Attn. Randy Smith
P.O. Box 98922
Lincoln, NE 68509-8922
NDEQ.VWSettlement@nebraska.gov
(402) 471-2186

A Colorado commission is exploring plans for a commuter rail line connecting cities along the state's Front Range. The commission, which includes government representatives from Denver to Trinidad, has until Dec. 1 to submit a detailed plan including funding options to the Legislature.

The state Department of Transportation estimated a commuter rail line from Fort Collins to Pueblo would cost $5 billion to $15 billion. A closer objective is the proposed rerouting of Amtrak's Southwest Chief to include stops in Pueblo and Walsenburg.

The 13-member commission will meet for the second time this week, and plans to convene at least once a month, according to media reports.

The repurposed commission, signed into law by Gov. John Hickenlooper in May, was created in 2014 to plan for the rehabilitation of more than 100 miles of track on Amtrak's Chicago-to-Los Angeles line, which stops in Lamar, La Junta and Trinidad in the southeast corner of the state, and consider expanding the Chief's services.

The commissioners have been tasked with finding millions of dollars needed to rehabilitate about 50 miles of track and the Pueblo station. Pueblo voters in November 2016 approved a ballot question that would let the county spend excess revenues that otherwise would be returned to taxpayers under the Taxpayer's Bill of Rights, or TABOR, to fund projects including the re-route.

But paying for the project likely would voter-approved taxes, or the first increase in the state gas tax since the early 1990s.

The line is considered essential to keeping pace with other growing areas such as Salt Lake City. The Front Range is expected to grow from more than 4 million residents to more than 6 million by 2040.

Instead of acquiring more companies, why doesn't Warren Buffet consider investing some of Berkshire's $100 billion cash [Berkshire Cash Pile: $100 Billion in Friday, Aug. 11 Omaha World-Herald Money Section] in its existing companies? I'm sure capital investments can be found that would generate new products and revenues or lower expenses.

For example, Berkshire's railroad, BNSF, has studied electrifying some of its high-density freight routes. Electrification not only reduces the railroad's energy costs and dependence of diesel fuel, it's more energy efficient because electric locomotives use regenerative braking that converts kinetic energy from braking into electricity that is fed back into the overhead wire to help propel other trains on the line. Today's diesel-electric locomotives waste braking energy as heat.

Electrification also offers many environmental benefits including reduced air and noise pollution. There is another benefit to Berkshire - its MidAmerican Energy subsidiary has a surplus of generation capacity, and several of BNSF's busy routes operate through MidAmerican's service area. If electrified, rail freight traffic could be an excellent baseload power customer.

Most high-density freight railroads in other industrialized countries have been electrified. Unfortunately, North American freight lines are still not electrified.

Rail electrification is a long-term investment and worthy of study by Berkshire and its subsidiaries.

The people of Metro transit hope a newly minted name and logo will create a hip image for their planned new bus service.

They're calling it ORBT, short for Omaha Rapid Bus Transit. It's designed to imply speed and forward momentum, Metro Executive Director Curt Simon said. He and other Metro officials and Mayor Jean Stothert unveiled the branding Wednesday at Westroads Mall, which will be the western terminus of the Dodge Street bus rapid transit route.

Click here to read the full article and related coverage in the Omaha World-Herald.

The Metropolitan Council on Monday [8/14] reached agreements with BNSF Railway Co. and the Twin Cities & Western Railroad to permit light-rail operations along the same corridor as freight operations.

The pacts will enable the council to begin seeking federal funding for its planned $1.9 billion Southwest light-rail project, the Star Tribune reported earlier this week.

For about 8 miles of the 14.5-mile route, light-rail trains and freight trains will operate side by side. As part of the agreements, the Met Council will pay the railroads $58.6 million to pay for property acquisition and construction in the corridor, according to the Tribune.

The agreements were negotiated by the council's transportation committee. The pacts are slated to go before the full council today.

In fall, the Met Council plans to apply for $929 million in federal funding for the project. Last week, Met Council Chair Alene Tchourumoff said her agency will work toward starting construction on the Southwest project in 2018.

An extension of Metro Transit's Green Line, the Southwest route would run from downtown Minneapolis to St. Louis Park, Hopkins, Minnetonka and Eden Prairie, Minnesota.

ProRail requested UNL's Bureau of Business Research to add four passenger rail-related questions to its Nebraska Annual Social Indicator Survey (NASIS) which was conducted last Fall. Responses to the four questions were favorable indicating a strong support for rail passenger service by Nebraska residents. Click here to view the summary.

Results will be available for use in our legislative work in the 2017 Unicameral Session.

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