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of 36
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Public Meetings
White River, VT & Springfield, MA
January 22 and 23, 2014
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Public MeetingsJanuary 22 & 23, 2014
Agenda
Welcome and Introductions Overview Presentation
Discussion
Discussion of Draft Purpose and Need
Questions Project Schedule and Next Steps
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Northern New England Intercity Rail
Initiative (NNEIRI) Partnership
Massachusetts Department of Transportation
Vermont Agency of Transportation
with support from
Federal Railroad Administration
and in collaboration with
Connecticut Department of Transportation
Ministre des Transports du Qubec
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Overview of NNEIRI Project
Overall Project Scope
Examine the potential for operation of more frequent andhigher speed interci ty passenger rai l service on theInland Route and the Boston-to-Montreal corridors.
Ridership potential
Necessary incremental infrastructure improvements Maximize the use of the exist ing rai l corr ido rs
Project Outcomes
NEPA Tier 1 EA/EIS Inland Route Corridor Service Development Plan Boston-to-Montreal Corridor Service Development
Plan
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Overview of NNEIRI Project
Major Work Tasks:
Identify existing passenger and freight operations
Identify institutional issues
Evaluate range of potential travel times
Development of ridership forecasts Alternatives for increased intercity rail
Operational options
Incremental Infrastructure improvements
Opportunities for implementation NEPA Tier 1 EA/EIS
Public involvement
Environmental considerations
Service Development Plan
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State Departments of Transportations in Maine, New Hampshire,
Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Connecticut
Vision for New England High Speed and
Intercity Passenger Rail
Downeaster Extension Portland to
Brunswick
NH Capitol Corridor Commuter railextension to Nashua, Manchester and
Concord
Vermont Western Corridor Improvements
MassDOT Knowledge Corridor to restore
Vermonter Route
ConnDOT New Haven Hartford Springfield Project
Service and capacity improvements on
corridor south of Providence, including
connection to TF Green Airport
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MassDOT The Way Forward: A 21st
Century Transportation Plan
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Inland Route Part of the MassDOT Strategic Plan
From the Section Titled:
Unlocking Econom ic Growth in the Commonweal th
The Next 10 Years
Inland Route . will support the expansion of passenger rail by directly
connecting Boston with Springfield, via what is commonly known as the Inland
Route. Funding will cover major rehabilitation along the route. will also support a
future high-speed rail connection to New York City via Springfield.
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Current US Intercity Rail Network &
Designated High Speed Rail Corridors
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Recent Intercity Rail Investment
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Draft Project Purpose Statement
The Purpose of the Northern New England Intercity
Rail Initiative is to provide additional regional traveloptions through improvements to the level and qualityof passenger rail service in the Corridor.
The Corridor rail services would provide improved passenger railtransportation, connecting major cities in New England with smaller
cities and rural areas and internationally to Montreal, to help meetfuture travel demands in the Study Area.
The Project would create a competitive rail transportationalternative to the available automobile, bus, and air service byimplementing more frequent and higher speed intercity passenger
rail service.
The study of the Corridor will focus on incremental infrastructureimprovement alternatives that will seek to maximize the use of theexisting rail lines along the Corridor.
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Summary of Draft Needs
Economic Opportunity
Job access
Expanded transit options for Education Centers
Tourism Responsive to Population and Demographics
Changes transportation preferences
Accommodates existing reliance on public transit
Meets future increase in travel demand
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Project Map
470 Route Miles
Boston to Springfield:
99 Miles
Boston to Montreal:
408 Miles
Boston to New Haven:162 Miles
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Intercity/Higher-Speed Rail Characteristics
Self-Guided intercity passenger ground
transportation
Time competitive door to door with air/auto
Range of 100 to 500 miles
Market-based, not speed-based
Source: 1997 USDOT Report
Feasibility High Speed Ground Transportation13
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Types of Intercity Rail Service
Core express servicesfrequent
trains at 125-250+mph in thenations densest and most
populous regions.
Regional services service(90-125mph) between mid-sized and
large cities.
Emerging services (up to 90mph)connecting communities to the
passenger rail network and
providing a foundation for future
corridor development.14
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FRA Types of Intercity Rail Service
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Public Participation
Stakeholder committee Trans. agencies, transportation providers, and RPA/Cs
Public outreach in MA and VT Four rounds of public meetings
Project website Newsletters/e-bulletins
Local media
Electronic communication
Coordination with other projects/studies New Haven Hartford Springfield,
Vermont State Rail Plan
NEC Futures
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Inclusive Public Participation(Civil Rights Act- Title VI compliant)
Identification of potentially affected communities, including
minority and low-income populations, will require targeted
outreach. Strategies employed by the study will include:
Mapping of corridor environmental justice (EJ) populations(minority, low income and Limited English Proficiency)
Distribution of study information to corridor libraries and socialservice agencies that serve EJ populations
Partnering with staff of regional planning agencies (MPOs andRPCs) knowledgeable about EJ populations regarding successfulengagement methods
Targeted outreach to station area EJ populations
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Track Ownership within the NNEIRI Corridor
Commonwealth of Massachusetts: 44 Miles
CSX: 55 Miles
PanAm Southern: 49 Miles
New England Central Railroad: 206 Miles
Canadian National Railroad: 53 Miles
AMTRAK: 62 Miles
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NNEIRI Corridor Owners
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Commonwealth of Massachusetts: 44 Miles
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NNEIRI Corridor Owners
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CSX: 55 Miles
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NNEIRI Corridor Owners
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Pan Am Southern: 49 Miles
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NNEIRI Corridor Owners
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NECR: 206 Miles
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NNEIRI Corridor Owners
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CN: 53 Miles
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NNEIRI Corridor Owners
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AMTRAK: 62 Miles
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Alternatives Development
The Study will develop a series of alternatives thatmeet the Purpose and Need.
Alternatives will include:
Variations of speed, frequency and fares
Accommodation for operation and growth of freight
Consistency with current and planned projects, and
Incorporation of public input
Once developed, they will be screened against a set of
evaluation criteria.
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Corridor Considerations
Existing use of rail corridor for freight and
passenger operations
Not considering significant route modifications
Environmental considerations such as: Noise and vibration
Historic resources
Natural resources
Customs and immigration
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Infrastructure Considerations
Capacity of existing rail corridor
Track improvements of existing rail alignments
Signal installation/upgrade
Additional requirements for speeds > 79 mph
Grade crossings 404 total
Must be grade separated > 110 mph
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Existing Grade Crossing Warning Devices
Warning Device Number
Gates 105
Flashing Lights 63
Cross Bucks and/or Stop Signs 52
Other 27
NONE 157
Total Grade Crossings 404
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Operating Assumptions
Low speed Existing conditions 60 mph
Mid speed Existing conditions 79-90 - mph max.
High speed No curve restrictions >90 &110 mph max.
Intercity Rail Service Options
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Operating Assumptions
Non-electrified
Train models
Current locomotives & standard coaches
Tilting train equipment
Intercity operation only
Train Performance Calculator (TPC)
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Operating Assumptions
Potential Station Locations
Quebec Montreal (Central Station)
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Massachusetts Vermont Connecticut
Boston (Back Bay
and South Station)
Brattleboro Windsor Locks
Suburban Boston Bellows Falls Windsor
Worcester White RiverJunction Hartford
Palmer Montpelier Meriden
Springfield Waterbury Wallingford
Holyoke Burlington
(Essex Junction)
New Haven
(Union Station)Northampton St. Albans
Greenfield
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Potential Station Attributes
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Existing Amtrak Travel Times(Fastest Available Trip)
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Boston, MA St. Albans, VT New Haven, CT
Boston, MA - 9:02* 1:57
Springfield, MA 2:15 5:42 1:20
White River
Junction, VT
6:31* 2:28 5:13
St. Albans, VT 9:02* - 7:35
Hartford, CT 3:37* 6:47 0:47
New Haven, CT 1:57 7:35 -
Montreal, QC 21:40* N/A 18:30*Source: Amtrak Trip Planner
*Requires Transfer
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Ridership Estimation Process
Intercity RailOperating Assumptions
PotentialStation Locations
Range of Intercity
Travel Times
Travel
Survey
Forecast
Model
Ridership
Estimates
Existing
Travel Data
Regional
Travel Models
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Project Schedule
Draft Purpose and Need 12/27/13
Service projections ridership 03/18/14
Preliminary alternatives 09/12/14 Finalize alternatives 10/31/14
Service Development Plans 09/03/15
Complete NEPA process 09/25/15
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Thank You
Questions and Discussion
Follow-up Meeting Comments to:
www.mass.gov/massdot/northernnewenglandrail
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mailto:[email protected]://www.mass.gov/massdot/northernnewenglandrailhttp://www.mass.gov/massdot/northernnewenglandrailmailto:[email protected]