Welcome to the FastLane: The Official Blog of the U.S. Secretary of Transportation

On time, on budget: Vermonter work pays dividends Rail corridor positions New England for economic growth

Skirting the Vermont-New Hampshire border from Vernon in the south to St. Albans in the north, Amtrak's Vermonter offers passengers a splendidly scenic journey in winter, spring, summer, and fall.

Now, thanks to a $52.7 million Recovery Act grant, Amtrak has improved speed, reliability, and service on this storied route.

Today, with the sun doing its best to burn through the morning fog along the banks of the Connecticut River, it was my great pleasure to help Vermont Governor Peter Shumlin, U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders, U.S. Representative Peter Welch, Federal Railroad Administrator Joseph C. Szabo, and RailAmerica Chief Operating Officer Paul Lundberg celebrate completion of this project.

This morning's celebration was made even more festive by the fact that this is one of the first major corridor development projects funded through President Obama’s High-Speed and Intercity Passenger Rail program.

Even better? Workers completed the project on-time and on-budget, upgrading 190 miles of track and installing 130,000 new railroad ties in under two years.

Guest blogger Federal Railroad Administrator Joseph Szabo: As Amtrak improves and expands, more Americans choose to ride the rails

I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate Governor Robert McDonnell and the State of Virginia for the newly announced Amtrak service to Norfolk scheduled to begin this winter. For the first time, Virginians will be able to board Amtrak trains in Norfolk and reach Richmond, Washington, D.C. and the many other destinations along Amtrak’s Northeast Corridor.

And at the northern end of this vital corridor, the State of Maine expects the new Amtrak Downeaster extension from Portland to Brunswick to begin service later this fall.



This news comes at a time when Amtrak is more popular than ever. Since 2000, Amtrak’s ridership has increased 43 percent, with annual ridership records set eight out of the last nine years. Last year, America's passenger rail carrier reported 30 million passengers. And with one month to go in its fiscal year--and a very busy summer 2012 under its belt--Amtrak is squarely on track to set yet another record.

Between Washington and New York, 75 percent of those traveling by air or rail choose Amtrak, freeing up some of the busiest airspace in the nation for important long distance flights. In fact, if not for the region’s Amtrak service, our aviation network would face certain gridlock.

But Amtrak's astonishing ridership growth is not at just limited to the Northeast Corridor.

FRA and Progress Rail celebrate new American plant; facility will create hundreds of jobs building locomotives

At a time when many companies are shipping jobs overseas, at least one company--Progress Rail--is doing just the opposite.  Last Friday, in Muncie, Indiana, the company celebrated the opening of the first new American locomotive manufacturing plant in many years.  And we know that, if Congress passes the transportation provisions in the American Jobs Act, the new jobs in Muncie will be followed by hundreds of thousands across the country.

Progress Rail invested $50 million into what the Muncie Chamber of Commerce calls, "the biggest development here in 40 years."

New locomotive built at Progress Rail in Muncie for export to Mexico

The new facility, with 700,000 square feet and a 99-foot-high ceiling, employs more than 150 skilled American workers building complete locomotives from the ground up.  The company plans to nearly double the Muncie plant's workforce by 2012. 

And, by opening a manufacturing plant on American soil and employing American workers, Progress Rail is also eligible, under "Buy America" guidelines, to bid on building our first domestically-manufactured fleet of high-speed rail locomotives.  And those same "Buy America" provisions mean that parts and supplies will also come from American manufacturers.  This will mean even more jobs.

Two years ago, I said on this blog that, "We have already received commitments from over 30 companies in the rail business to create or expand U.S. rail manufacturing should they be awarded contracts." 

Well, Progress Rail was as good as their word, and the company didn't even wait for federal contracts.  As Federal Railroad Administrator Joe Szabo--who was on hand for the official opening last Friday--said, "Progress Rail is one of several companies to put their money where their mouth is.” 

Latest awards bring US closer to national high-speed passenger rail network

This is a big day for the Department of Transportation, for the Obama Administration, and for the American people.  We are bringing President Obama's vision of American high-speed rail one step closer to reality with $2.02 billion in targeted investments.

And I am thrilled.

Today we are advancing President Obama's historic high-speed rail blueprint through 22 carefully selected projects that will create jobs, boost manufacturing, and spur development while laying the foundation for our future economic competitiveness. We are providing two billion dollars to 15 states and Amtrak to help build out America's high-speed rail network, enabling people and goods to travel more quickly, safely and energy-efficiently than ever before.

 

When DOT announced the competition for these awards in March, we were inundated with 98 applications seeking more than $10 billion.  Americans heard the President's plan to connect 80 percent of the nation to high-speed rail in the next 25 years, and they responded with a loud and clear, "Yes!"

And it's no wonder.  High-speed rail offers significant economic and practical benefits for the states and regions that build these lines and the passengers who ride them.