NC DOT reallocating $117 million for Piedmont Corridor projects

[afigg]

NC DOT is reallocating $117 million of the stimulus grant funding for the Piedmont corridor. Charlotte Observer: Passenger rail funds will speed Raleigh’s Union Station and add more daily trains to Charlotte.

The short story is that one of the major projects, a rail-rail grade separation in north Charlotte, has been canceled due to cost increases and the determination that it could not be completed by the 2017 deadline for spending the stimulus funds. It is a set back for the corridor, but the rail-rail separation is reportedly more of an issue for the new Charlotte station plans and maintaining reliable OTP than it is for increasing service.

NC DOT is also dealing with cost estimate increases for some of the track projects from the original estimates, so the funds with the blessing of the FRA will be used to complete other projects on the corridor. The reallocation will go to:

- $61 million will go to complete planned track upgrades on the corridor,

- $15 million to complete the new Raleigh station project,

- Add a 4th daily Piedmont in 2017,

- Complete the rail maintenance yard in Charlotte which will provide more storage space and allow a longer Carolinian consist.

So there are setbacks in the plans for the Piedmont corridor, which is a concern given the change of government that took place in the 2012 election. However, it appears that the state is committed to improving service with the $545 million (windfall) in stimulus funds they received. By 2017, there should be 5 daily trains on the corridor with improved trip times, many grade crossings closed or separated, and a new station in Raleigh. 5 daily trains should allow for flexibility in day trip options between the city pairs on the corridor and result in major ridership growth.

2016 to 2017 remains the time frame for finally seeing many of the improvements and service expansions from the distribution of $8 billion in stimulus funds and $2.1 billion in FY2010 funds. Good thing that Congress inserted a September 30, 2017 deadline on spending the stimulus funds. If the date had been 2019, some of the projects would probably get dragged out to 2019.

 

[xyzzy]

The reallocated funding will cover equipment for the 4th and 5th daily frequencies, but it is not operating money. Somebody still has to find annual operating money in the NCDOT budget before the 4th and 5th daily frequencies are added.

The consequence of NCDOT's decision is that either the new station in Charlotte will have to be re-sited to the north of the NS/CSX crossing in question, or the price tag of the new station just went up by $150 million. No pain no gain.

 

[me_little_me]

Too bad they won't use any of that money for the long-promised Asheville train.

 

[Nathanael]

The short story is that one of the major projects, a rail-rail grade separation in north Charlotte, has been canceled due to cost increases and the determination that it could not be completed by the 2017 deadline for spending the stimulus funds.

Poor Charlotte. This pretty much ruins the Piedmont plans for Charlotte.

- $61 million will go to complete planned track upgrades on the corridor,

- $15 million to complete the new Raleigh station project,

These are fine and useful...

- Add a 4th daily Piedmont in 2017,

Charlotte's existing station can't support the traffic.

- Complete the rail maintenance yard in Charlotte which will provide more storage space and allow a longer Carolinian consist.

This will not be used because it's south of the CSX crossing, and CSX won't agree to another crossing of its tracks.... which was why they were working on the grade separation project which just got defunded.
Yuck. I feel sorry for Charlotte.

 

[Anderson]

Could someone remind me...what's the timeline on a third daily Piedmont? Or is the Carolinian being counted as a third one for this purpose?

As to the operating budget: That's far enough in the future that it might well qualify as "someone else's problem" in terms of working out the details there.

 

[Guest]

The reallocated funding will cover equipment for the 4th and 5th daily frequencies,

FWIW, NCDOT is currently using rolling museum pieces. I wouldn't be surprised if the reallocated funding ended up covering new equipment for the *current* frequencies by the time everything shakes out.

 

[Anderson]

Good point. I think NCDOT has the last Pullman single-level coaches in use anywhere.

Edit: Just wondering, but what's the capacity "issue" with the CLT station?

 

[TVRM610]

Those rolling museum pieces are doing just fine as far I can tell! What's wrong with them?

Now some brand new bi-levels would be nice... But coaches are coaches!

 

[Nathanael]

Good point. I think NCDOT has the last Pullman single-level coaches in use anywhere.

Edit: Just wondering, but what's the capacity "issue" with the CLT station?

Mostly parking. And it's not in a readily walkable location.

 

[Anderson]

*sighs*
Well, that puts Charlotte in the same club as just about every other significant non-commuter station in VA and NC...

I can count RVR, WBG, and NPN that I know of from experience; I strongly suspect that LYH is in a similar boat. FBG gets loaded up with commuters quite impressively from what I can tell (VRE has noted issues at a lot of stations), ASD has almost no parking on-site but you can probably access a lot not too far away. On the other end, of course, CVS is fine because of the large gravel lot on-site and NFK is fine at the moment by virtue of having just started service.

 

[xyzzy]

When NCDOT speaks of 5 frequencies between Raleigh and Charlotte, they mean the Carolinian and four Piedmonts.

The new Raleigh station will have no more on-site parking than the present station, but the city and NCDOT are trying to arrange a parking deck to be built nearby. The new Cary station has over 100 parking spaces, and that's one reason why the Cary station is so popular.

 

[Notelvis]

I have mixed feelings about this move but I am pleased that the Raleigh Union Station project is taking priority here.

The existing Raleigh station is currently the least adequate in North Carolina and the plans for converting a nearby empty warehouse are surprisingly nice....... lot's of bang for the buck and something that more riders will notice than a flyover in Charlotte. Given a 'new' union station in Raleigh and the recently expanded station in Cary, the Triangle area will be poised to handle more ridership.

Charlotte? Yeah....... improvements there are way overdue....... it's as if only the bare minimum of upkeep has been done there since plans for a new downtown station hit the pipes.......you could lose a compact car inside some of the potholes in the CLT parking lot. Without the grade separation for the Charlotte NS/CSX diamond that project (new Charlotte station) is dead or at least on hold. In this case Raleigh wins and Charlotte continues to wait.

Finally - those thrice (at least) renovated KCS coaches still offer a nice ride on the Piedmonts...... as well as the biggest windows on any Amtrak train. Keep 'em rolling is what I say!

 

[cirdan]

When NCDOT speaks of 5 frequencies between Raleigh and Charlotte, they mean the Carolinian and four Piedmonts.

The new Raleigh station will have no more on-site parking than the present station, but the city and NCDOT are trying to arrange a parking deck to be built nearby. The new Cary station has over 100 parking spaces, and that's one reason why the Cary station is so popular.

What's local transit like in Raleigh?

 

[afigg]

Those rolling museum pieces are doing just fine as far I can tell! What's wrong with them?

Now some brand new bi-levels would be nice... But coaches are coaches!

Raliegh will be getting a 800' long high level platform. NC won't be getting bi-level corridor cars such as those ordered for the Midwest and CA. As for the old cars, the reallocation includes $4.8 million to refurbish passenger coaches, 5 cab control cars, and one locomotives. NC is obviously sticking to their plan to use refurbed equipment for the Piedmont trains. If there is a large order of new single level coach cars for the eastern corridors with federal funding to pay for large piece of it, then perhaps NC DOT will participate and get new single level cars.

Found the NC DOT press release on the reallocation which includes a link to a copy of the approval letter from the FRA which provides specifics on where the redirected funds are going. (The link embedded in the text works better than the attachment link at the bottom of the page). $27.2 million will go to the maintenance yard project to build a full service facility.

 

[afigg]

- Complete the rail maintenance yard in Charlotte which will provide more storage space and allow a longer Carolinian consist.

This will not be used because it's south of the CSX crossing, and CSX won't agree to another crossing of its tracks.... which was why they were working on the grade separation project which just got defunded.
Yuck. I feel sorry for Charlotte.

Well, they are providing additional funds for the maintenance yard, so they must have confidence they can access it. Since it will be equipment moves from the existing station to the yard across the rail-rail crossing w/o passengers on a schedule, the crew doing the moves can wait until they are cleared.
As for the rail-rail separation project, that is the type of project that could qualify for a TIGER grant if the TIGER program is funded in future years. It is a single specific project with benefits for both freight and future passenger rail. The TIGER grant won't not pay for the entire cost, but NC DOT could apply for partial funding from a TIGER grant combined with state, city, NS, CSX contributions. Having the former mayor of Charlotte as the US Secretary of Transportation doesn't hurt their chances.

 

[City of Miami]

CVS is fine because of the large gravel lot on-site and NFK is fine at the moment by virtue of having just started service.

There is no gravel parking lot near CVS station that I know of. There are 2 paved & numbered pay lots near the station (one near the BBRR track and one near the NS tracks). They are aggressively monitored and towing is regular.There is currently a large sign on W. Main St above the whole complex which says that this parcel of 3+ acres is for sale or lease by a local developer. This includes the station and both parking lots. Said developer is currently constructing a large (300+) UVA student apartment building immediately adjacent - just a stone's throw north of the crossing of the 2 RR lines. There is another paved lot across W Main St. from this construction site. The days of all these lots are numbered as the 'development' of W Main continues apace.

 

[xyzzy]

Raleigh has a municipal bus system. Most would say that for a city of 425,000 inside the city limits with another 475,000 in the county outside the city limits, the system is inadequate -- especially in the parts of the city built after 1980. Raleigh has a history of proposed light rail projects that haven't happened yet. Whether any of them ever will, is anyone's guess. Even if they do, light rail would serve only a few vectors from downtown. But one hears very little about expansion of the bus system. There is no sex appeal in that, apparently.

 

[Notelvis]

In addition to Raleigh's Capitol Area Transit (CAT) buses, there is a separate bus system called the TTA...... Trangle Transit Authority. TTA buses serve downtown Raleigh, the Cary Amtrak Station, RDU Airport, the Research Triangle Park, and downtown Durham.

Schedule frequency though is inadequate for the current population......... minimally acceptable M-F, very sparse on weekends and hollidays.

I believe - but am not certain - that most of the drive for Raleigh area lightrail has come from the folks at TTA.

 

[bgiaquin]

The reallocated funding will cover equipment for the 4th and 5th daily frequencies,

FWIW, NCDOT is currently using rolling museum pieces. I wouldn't be surprised if the reallocated funding ended up covering new equipment for the *current* frequencies by the time everything shakes out.

You realize they have been through a frame-up complete rebuild. If they were "rolling museum pieces", NC would not use them, and they would probably be in a museum

 

[AlanB]

But one hears very little about expansion of the bus system. There is no sex appeal in that, apparently.

It's also more expensive, long term, than a light rail system.

 

[John Bobinyec]

But one hears very little about expansion of the bus system. There is no sex appeal in that, apparently.

It's also more expensive, long term, than a light rail system.

That's something I've never heard before. Why is it more expensive long term?

jb

 

[jis]

Mainly because buses need to be replaced much more frequently than LRT cars, by a factor of two or more, and because the incremental operating cost of an LRT service is lower than that for buses on a per seat/capacity basis.

 

[John Bobinyec]

Mainly because buses need to be replaced much more frequently than LRT cars, by a factor of two or more, and because the incremental operating cost of an LRT service is lower than that for buses on a per seat/capacity basis.

Seems like if that were more widely known, light rail systems would be springing up like weeds.

jb

 

[jis]

One caveat though is that it has to be well managed, which is not exactly the characterization I would apply to many such systems in the US

But e.g. the one in SLC is an example of a well managed one.

 

[PRR 60]

Mainly because buses need to be replaced much more frequently than LRT cars, by a factor of two or more, and because the incremental operating cost of an LRT service is lower than that for buses on a per seat/capacity basis.

From a transportation engineering perspective, the appropriate mode for transit is dependent on a lot of parameters, not the least of which is the forecast ridership. Light rail is not always the correct choice for a given need, just as conventional bus, bus rapid transit, and heavy rail are not always the best choices. Stating that one mode is least expensive without considering all the factors that go into the cost equations for a route or system is simplistic and wrong.