Ron O’Blenis, PE Senior Rail Project Manager (617) Session 3 Multi-Modal Transportation Projects Moderator: Peter Clary New England Rail & Boston to Montreal Rail Corridor ACEC/NHDOT 2016 Technical Exchange Conference

Omaha- “It’s a very efficient way of moving goods.” said Buffett. “I just believe this country will prosper; that you’ll have more people moving more goods 20 to 30 years from now … Matthew Rose, BNSF’s chief executive, said the railway company believed its future would be a “three logged stool” of carbon pricing, high fuel costs and traffic congestion, all of which are likely to encourage a search for alternatives to road transport. Buffett in $44B Deal for Burlington Northern Sante Fe World’s Second Richest Man Sees Bright Future for Rail Source: theguardian.com

 Interstate Highway Improvements – Truck Mode Share Increase  Deregulation of transportation modes of  Transformation to respective modes can be complementary  “Private Railroads” have public benefits  State “Highway Departments” become “Departments of Transportation” – total system view Major Changes Affecting Modal Transportation

U.S. Highway Congestion Increasing  High Volume Freight Truck Routes to Increase 230% from 2002 to 2035 Source: Federal Highway Administration, Office of Freight Management and Operations, Freight Analysis Framework, Version 2.2, 2007

U.S. Rail Corridors and Congestion  Rail Volumes Expected to Increase 88% from 2002 to 2035 – 1.7 billion tons to 3.2 billion tons Source: Federal Highway Administration, Office of Freight Management and Operations, Freight Analysis Framework, Version 2.2, 2007

Importance and Needs of Freight  Trade as % US GDP increased from 10% to 30% in last 40 years  Freight tons to grow 70% by 2030  National Transportation Policy & Revenue Commission o “US needs …$225 billion per year...upgrade to good state of repair. Currently spending less than 40% of that.” o Recommended Freight Transportation Program to enhance global competitiveness  American Association of Railroads (AAR) estimates $148 Billion capacity investments for future demand

Trends of Rail Freight

Benefits of Rail Freight Shipping  Shipper savings – rail approximately 50% lower than truck  Rail fuel efficiency – 1.9 to 5.5 times higher than truck per ton-mile  Emissions reductions – rail fewer greenhouse gases per ton moved  Congestion relief – allows for faster travel and /or more vehicles  Pavement maintenance costs – 0.2 cents/car-mi vs 59 cents/truck-mi “Comparative Evaluation of Rail and Truck Fuel Efficiency on Competitive Corridors” Federal Railroad Administration, November 19, 2009

 CSX & NS Class 1 Operators  Significant regional and short lines  Limited Hudson River Crossings  Shore lines are passenger-focused  Major intermodal terminals: o Mechanicville, NY; Ayer, MA; Worcester, MA; and Auburn, ME  Why discussion of Freight? o Most NE Passenger Rail is Shared Use with Freight NE Freight Rail Network

 Downeaster improvements  Knowledge Corridor/Conn River Line  Capitol Corridor to Nashua, Manchester and Concord, NH  South Coast Rail  Inland Route Boston to Springfield  Extension to Montreal NE High Speed and Intercity Passenger Rail Vision

NORTH STATION The Northern New England Intercity Rail Initiative ( NNEIRI) Corridor includes two overlapping routes: Boston-to-Montreal Route  Boston, MA to Montreal, QC  Montreal to New Haven, CT with connections to NYC Inland Route  Boston to New Haven with connecting services to NYC What is NNEIRI?

NORTH STATION The NNEIRI study area includes 470 route miles on 3 segments. Partnership between MassDOT, VTrans, and FRA with support and coordination from agencies and stakeholders What is NNEIRI? SPG-NH: 62 miles SPG-MTL: 309 miles BOS-SPG: 99 miles

NORTH STATION The purpose of the Northern New England Intercity Rail Initiative (NNEIRI) Study is to explore the feasibility of improving intercity rail services along the 470-mile Corridor that connects destinations in:  Massachusetts  Vermont  Connecticut  New Hampshire  New York  Quebec What is NNEIRI?

NNEIRI is a MassDOT, VTrans, ConnDOT & FRA partnership to create a coordinated plan for the Corridor to efficiently plan for the implementation of services. What is NNEIRI?

NORTH STATION Understanding Related Projects  South Station Expansion  Springfield Union Station Restoration and Expansion  Vermonter Knowledge Corridor Program platforms at Springfield Union Station  Vermonter Service Extension to Montreal  U.S. Customs and Immigration Checkpoint at Montreal Central Station  CT Rail-Hartford Line Service Regional Projects

NORTH STATION What is NNEIRI? What is Recommended? Ridership Largest Stations:  New York Penn Station – 347,000  Boston South Station – 120,000  Montreal Central Station – 101,000  Springfield – 97,000  New Haven – 95,000

NORTH STATION What is NNEIRI? What is Recommended? Additional Services  New Haven-to-Montreal Service 1 Daily Roundtrip. Travel time is 8 hours, 40 minutes  Boston-to-Montreal Service 1 Daily Roundtrip. Travel time is 8 hours, 10 minutes  Boston-to-New Haven Service 8 Daily Roundtrips. Travel time is 3 hours, 40 minutes

NORTH STATION What is NNEIRI? Ongoing Coordination – NEC Future  NEC Future Assumptions o Current FRA Study o Potential Inland Route Coordination

September 16, 2015 Public Access Final Reports April

Summary Thoughts  Warren Buffett’s vision seems very good o Rail will be a significant part of future transportation system  The public benefits are foundation of transportation investments  Benefits from both freight and passenger rail projects  Substantial progress made on integral approach to transportation planning  System Intermodal view best for transportation investment evaluation