95-7509. National High-Speed Ground Transportation; Policy Outreach Meetings

[Federal Register Volume 60, Number 58 (Monday, March 27, 1995)]
[Notices]
[Pages 15814-15816]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 95-7509]



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FEDERAL RAILROAD ADMINISTRATION


National High-Speed Ground Transportation; Policy Outreach 
Meetings

Agency: Federal Railroad Administration, Office of Railroad 
Development.
Action: Notice of Public Meetings.

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Summary: The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) will hold regional 
public outreach meetings around the United States to invite public 
input for developing the National High Speed Ground Transportation 
(HSGT) Policy, as mandated by the Intermodal Surface Transportation 
Efficiency Act. The public is invited to attend and/or submit written 
comments.

Dates: Written comments are invited at any time until May 30, 1995. 
Comments should be submitted by mail to the address below and will be 
accepted in person at each meeting. Comments received by April 7, 1995 
will be considered in setting the agenda for the outreach meetings.
    The sessions will take place as follows:

    Dates: April 20, 1995.
    Place: Knickerbocker Hotel, Grand Ballroom, 163 E. Walton Place, 
Chicago, Illinois 60611, [phone].
    Time: 5 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
    Local Contact: Merrill Travis, IDOT, [phone].

    Date: May 2, 1995.
    Place: Shaker Ridge Club, 802 Albany Shaker Road, Loudonville, 
New York 12211, [phone].
    Time: 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.
    Local Contact: Don Baker, New York DOT, [phone].

    Date: May 4, 1995.
    Place: Virginia DOT, Main Auditorium, 1221 East Broad Street, 
Richmond, Virginia 23219.
    Time: 5 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
    Local Contact: Leo Bevon, Virginia DOT, [phone].

    Date: May 15, 1995
    Place: BPA Federal Office Building, Auditorium, 911 N.E. 11th 
Avenue (at Holladay St.) (Auditorium entrance on 9th St. side), 
Portland, Oregon 97232, [phone].
    Time: 5:30 p.m. to 8 p.m.
    Local Contact: Donald Forbes, Oregon DOT, [phone].

    Date: May 17, 1995.
    Place: Grand Hall, 1215 J Street, Sacramento, California 95814.
    Time: 5 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
    Local Contact: Steve Zimrick, California DOT, [phone].

    Date: May 25, 1995
    Place: Marriott Hotel, 7499 Augusta National Drive, Orlando, 
Florida 32822, [phone].
    Time: 5 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
    Local Contact: Charlie Smith, Florida DOT, [phone].
    Registration: Attendees are asked to arrive 30 minutes prior to 
the beginning of the meeting for registration.

    In addition to the above sessions, there will be a special session 
in Boston, Massachusetts, during the annual convention of the High 
Speed Rail/Maglev Association. This is scheduled for Monday, May 8 from 
5:00 to 6:30 PM at the Westin Hotel, Copley Place, Boston, MA. The 
public is also invited to this special session.

    The addresses of the various sessions are above.

Background

    These meetings will comprise a key part of the Department of 
Transportation's overall efforts to develop policy in support of the 
implementation of high-speed ground transportation as an element of an 
intermodal transportation system. The Department is currently working 
to lay the groundwork for the implementation of HSGT through state and 
local planning and investment and through a federal partnership for 
technology development.
    The development of a HSGT policy is particularly relevant at this 
time because of the Secretary's proposal to consolidate current 
transportation funding programs and increase significantly the 
flexibility available to State and local governments to finance 
different types of projects with a unified allocation of funds. In 
addition, the Secretary has proposed developing State Infrastructure 
Banks, capitalized in part with Federal seed money, to leverage further 
investment from private capital and other sources. He has also proposed 
that some discretionary funding would be available for investments of 
regional or national significance. How HSGT investment would be treated 
in this context is a topic of special importance for HSGT policy.
    The HSGT policy development will also consider ongoing changes at 
Amtrak. Since the future of HSGT, particularly options to operate at up 
to 150 m.p.h. on existing rights-of-way (Accelerail), is linked to the 
future of conventional Amtrak service in corridor markets, the recently 
announced restructuring of Amtrak presents new challenges as well as 
new opportunities, for state participation. In particular, that 
restructuring is designed to reduce Amtrak's cost structure by 
delivering service more efficiently and to improve customer service, 
and hence increase revenues, by reorganizing the corporation and 
empowering employees and managers. These changes should position Amtrak 
as a competitive organization to deliver HSGT services sponsored by 
State governments.
    The HSGT policy development will consider ongoing technology 
development and corridor planning by states and their partners. These 
activities are currently authorized by the Swift Rail Development Act 
of 1994. The Swift Act, which was signed into law by the President in 
November 1994, authorizes matching grants up to a total of $184 million 
over three years, to assist HSGT technology development, including 
projects such as positive train control, non-electric high-speed 
locomotive development, and corridor planning, including engineering 
plans, commercial feasibility and environmental impact studies, and the 
acquisition of right-of-way for upgrading to HSGT. In FY 1995, $25 
million [[Page 15815]] dollars was appropriated for the Next Generation 
High Speed Rail Program which included five million for corridor 
planning. For FY 1996, the Administration requested $68 million for the 
Next Generation High Speed Rail Program and the High Speed Ground 
Transportation Research and Development.
    Finally, the HSGT policy development will consider the results of a 
study of the potential performance and commercial feasibility of HSGT. 
The report, to be transmitted to Congress in 1995, will identify types 
of HSGT systems that would be most beneficial in various markets. It 
will also identify the challenges that will need to be addressed in 
order to implement HSGT in the U.S.
    Both the High Speed Ground Transportation Commercial Feasibility 
Study Report to Congress (Report) and the National HSGT Policy are 
required by Section 1036 of the Intermodal Surface Transportation 
Efficiency Act (ISTEA) [49 U.S.C. 309(d) and (e)].
    The Report will examine several illustrative corridors to obtain an 
understanding of the potential for HSGT around the nation. It will 
consider several types of HSGT technology systems, including 
Accelerail; new high speed rail (new, electric, dedicated high-speed 
only rail lines, 200 miles per hour); and Maglev (magnetic levitation 
vehicles on new lines, 300 mph). The Report is not a replacement for 
the more detailed analyses of individual corridors by state and local 
governments. It will, rather, be an assessment of HSGT potential in the 
U.S. as a whole, to guide national policy makers in HSGT-related 
decisions.
    Section 1036 calls for the Policy to include ``provisions to 
promote the design, construction, and operation of high-speed ground 
transportation systems in the United States.''
    The public will be invited to participate fully in discussions at 
these regional outreach meetings. The public is also invited to submit 
written comments on any subject relevant to the Policy before, after, 
or during the meetings, but public input on certain questions is of 
special interest to FRA. The principal questions are listed below, and 
FRA encourages the public to comment on these questions on the basis of 
each region's specific experience with transportation and HSGT issues.
    Among the topics to be considered in the Policy, and at the 
regional outreach meetings, are:
(1) The Role of HSGT in the National Transportation System
    Commenters on this topic are invited to consider:
    (a) Can HSGT fill transportation needs in a cost effective manner 
not met by your region's current transportation system?
    (b) What HSGT technologies are being considered, for what kinds of 
markets [short-term and long-term] in your region?
    (c) How extensive a system makes good economic or financial sense 
in your region?
    (d) How would your regional HSGT system be connected to the rest of 
the transportation system?
    (2) Planning for HSGT
    Commenters on this topic are invited to consider:
    (a) Is your region using existing conventional rail service to 
prepare a market for HSGT? How?
    (b) Does the presence of conventional rail service, including 
commuter rail, offer benefits to the regional HSGT system?
    (c) To what extent and how are corridors suitable for future HSGT 
being preserved in your region?
    (d) To what extent is there planning for joint public use 
transportation corridors in the region (e.g., highway and HSGT)? What 
are the obstacles and potential solutions?
    (e) How will intermodal connections, such as transit lines to 
existing stations and right-of-way acquisitions near airports be 
planned for your HSGT system?
    (f) What factors are key to the planning and implementation of 
interstate HSGT projects?
    (g) What should be the roles of the Federal, state, and local 
governments, Metropolitan Planning Organizations, and the private 
sector in HSGT planning, construction, and operation in this region?
(3) Funding HSGT
    Commenters on this topic are invited to consider:
    (a) What non-Federal funds (local, State, private) are being used 
and considered for implementation in your region?
    (b) What other sources of non-Federal funds (current or future) 
would you recommend to support HSGT for your region? (i.e., fuel tax, 
user fees, state/local government grants or loans, impact fees, private 
efforts and debt.)
    (c) Federal law currently allows the issuance of tax-free bonds to 
finance HSGT projects for 150 miles per hour operation and above. If 
this were to include HSGT projects below 150 m.p.h., would this type of 
financing be utilized for HSGT in this region?
    (d) What are the obstacles or impediments to the funding of HSGT 
projects under the current ISTEA legislation?
    (e) How extensively would the Secretary's proposed unified 
allocation of funds for transportation investment be used for HSGT in 
your state or region?
    (f) How could the Secretary's proposed program provide additional 
leverage for private capital to participate in funding HSGT projects?
    (g) How could the new program structure be used most effectively to 
foster the kind of HSGT investment envisioned in your region?
(4) Implementing HSGT
    Commenters on this topic are invited to consider:
    (a) How should the issue of liability for host railroads be dealt 
with? Should insurance be purchased for HSGT operations? Should total 
liability or punitive damages be capped by statute? Should this be 
accomplished at the Federal or State level?
    (b) Does the mechanism now embodied in Section 403(b) of the Rail 
Passenger Service Act (State-assisted service) provide an appropriate 
way to upgrade current corridor services to higher speeds?
    (c) What should be the role of Amtrak in HSGT? Should State HSGT 
sponsors have the option of choosing another provider of the service 
and, if so, should the other provider have the same rights vis-a-vis 
the owning railroad that Amtrak now has?
    (d) Are special arrangements needed with the private railroads to 
insure the future availability of excess rights-of-way and capacity for 
HSGT in this region?
    (e) What sorts of labor issues are raised by HSGT projects, and do 
Federal laws related to rail labor need to be changed for HSGT service?
    (f) What types of new technologies are important to the development 
of HSGT in this region?
    (g) What should be the nature of Federal HSGT technology 
development and demonstration activities? What should be the State role 
in this region?
    (h) What other actions should be taken to promote a U.S. HSGT 
industry? The possibilities include defense conversion projects, Buy 
American requirements, and tax policies.
    (i) How should policies to promote a U.S. HSGT industry be gauged 
against the efficiency of using currently available foreign 
technologies? [[Page 15816]] 
    (j) What specific constitutional or other legal provisions in your 
state currently adversely affect implementation of HSGT? What changes 
would you suggest to overcome these barriers?
    FRA invites respondents who plan to attend outreach sessions to 
send preliminary comments in advance of the session, identifying which 
session they plan to attend. Additional comments from participants 
following the sessions will also be welcome.
    For further information contact: John F. Cikota, [phone]

    Issued in Washington, D.C. on March 21, 1995
Jolene M. Molitoris,
Administrator, Federal Railroad Administration.
[FR Doc. 95-7509 Filed 3-24-95; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-06-P