Program Update

Baltimore MPONovember 25, 2014

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AGENDA

Program Overview

Alternatives Development

Stakeholder and Public Outreach

Key Milestones

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Initiated in 2012 by Federal Railroad Administration

Focus on improving passenger rail service between Washington, D.C. and Boston

Long term vision with incremental approach

Tier 1 Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) and Service Development Plan

NEC FUTURE: A Rail Investment Program

Program Overview

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Aging infrastructure

Lack of capacity to accommodate transportation needs of projected 2040 population growth – particularly access to downtown business centers of major NEC cities

Compromised performance/reliability

Need for greater connectivity between NEC markets to meet changing demographics and regional growth patterns

What Drives Need For NEC Improvements?

Program Overview

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Defined vision by key stakeholders of the role of rail in the coming decades

› Rail plays a very important role today.

› Rail can play the same or a different role in the future

Rail can grow to absorb organic growth in travel, maintaining existing mode share (assumes others modes can similarly absorb organic growth)

Rail can absorb more than organic growth, reducing need to expand road access to urban centers and expansion of regional airports

Platform for the NEC Commission, states, and railroads to advance planning and implementation of the vision

What Are the Outcomes?

Program Overview

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2012 2013 2014 2015

Tier 1 Final EIS(Tier 1 FEIS)

Purpose & NeedData

CollectionScoping

Service Development Plan

We are here

Program Overview

Develop Alternatives

Tier 1 Draft Environmental Impact Statement (Tier 1 DEIS)

2016

Record of Decision (ROD)

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Alternatives Development

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Narrowing the Alternatives

Alternatives Development

INITIAL ALTERNATIVES98 Alternatives

PRELIMINARY ALTERNATIVES4 Program Levels; 15 Alternatives

TIER 1 EIS ALTERNATIVES

PREFERRED INVESTMENT PROGRAM

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Assumes NEC remains operational at today’s service levels

› No change in rail service or markets, but increased congestion and weaker performance

› Requires investment at levels higher than today Results in a smaller share of the future travel market Includes:

› Fiscally constrained modal plans› Rail improvements already funded or mandated› State of good repair investments sufficient to maintain

operations› Highway and transit improvements included in TIP/STIP› Planned airport/air system improvements

No-Action Alternative

Alternatives Development

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All Alternatives – › Achieve state of good repair

› Significantly expand the range of service offerings to meet market demands

› Incorporate operational ‘best practices’ consistent with integrated service and infrastructure planning

› Protect freight access and future expansion of service

Difference between alternatives – › Proportion of market captured by rail› Frequency and types of service› Markets served› Infrastructure required to support service levels

Tier 1 EIS Alternatives

Alternatives Development

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Alternative 1 – Maintain the role of rail relative to other modes (accommodates growth in travel and achieves a similar share of the travel market in 2040 as rail does today)

Alternative 2 – Grow the role of rail relative to other modes (increases the share of the existing travel market accommodated by rail)

Alternative 3 – Transform the role of rail by becoming the mode of choice for intercity and regional trips along the NEC

Defining the role of Rail

Alternatives Development: Tier 1 EIS Alternatives

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Expands service to meet regional rail demand and a moderate expansion of intercity service

Eliminates key chokepoints› Hudson River tracks 3 and

4› Old Saybrook-Kenyon

route Adds trackage between New

Carrolton and Wilmington to accommodate growth in MARC and Amtrak service;

Benefits freight rail service

Alternative 1 – Maintain Role of Rail

Alternatives Development: Tier 1 EIS Alternatives

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Significant increase in service on the existing NEC and to new markets to accommodate growth beyond “maintain”

Provides:› Hudson River tracks 3 and 4;

East River tracks 5 and 6› New Haven-Hartford-

Providence route to serve Hartford and improve intercity trip time

› Additional tracks in Central NJ and Southwest Connecticut

Alternative 2 – Grow the Role of Rail

Alternatives Development: Tier 1 EIS Alternatives

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Delivers capacity well beyond projected regional rail demand Provides new 2-track second spine between WAS-BOS

supporting HSR express trains at up to 220 mph Includes additional downtown Baltimore station North of New York route options to be tested in Tier 1 DEIS:

› New York-Hartford: Via Long Island and New Haven Via Danbury

› Hartford-Boston: Via Worcester Via Providence

Ridership, trip time, capital cost, and connectivity to be key criteria in selecting best route option

Alternative 3 – Transform the Role of Rail

Alternatives Development: Tier 1 EIS Alternatives

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Alternatives Development: Tier 1 EIS Alternatives

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Stakeholder Engagement Next Steps

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Stakeholder coordination› States, railroad operators, and NEC

Commission› Metropolitan planning

organizations Agency coordination

› Federal Transit Administration› Environmental resource agencies

Public outreach› State-by-state meetings and

regional workshops › Rail station outreach› Presentations to interest groups› Website, newsletters, and email

alerts

Proactive Stakeholder Outreach

Stakeholder Engagement

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Economic Development Workshop – What We Heard in Baltimore

Speed is important› Baltimore is on the cusp of being the area where people

can travel easily to D.C. Increasing connections to the north invites businesses

to Baltimore Improved travel times and connectivity to Wilmington

could expand office regions to Baltimore-Wilmington-Philadelphia

New York is an important connection Baltimore would be more attractive to businesses if it

were better connected

Stakeholder Engagement

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September-December 2014› Service plan and infrastructure refinement› Data: ridership, travel time, capital and O&M costs› Economic development workshops› Public open houses› Environmental assessment of Tier 1 EIS Alternatives

Jan-April 2015› Implementation phasing plans› Continuing environmental assessment of Tier 1 EIS

Alternatives› Development of Tier 1 EIS

Technical Work Program

Next Steps

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December 2014: Complete data generation Fall 2015: Release Tier 1 DEIS Summer 2016: Release Tier 1 FEIS Fall 2016: Complete the Service Development Plan

Key Milestones

Next Steps