The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) recently released a report titled, “America’s Freight Challenge,” that claims freight transportation is going to grow significantly and the nation’s surface transportation system is ill-prepared to handle it. They say this increased congestion of roads, rails, and ports amounts to a tariff on trade:
This congestion increases travel times, it disrupts tightly planned supply chains, and it raises the costs of doing business with America and in America.
The effect of rising congestion is like a tax—only it escalates every year without a vote of the people. This congestion tax can be repealed only if the United States adopts a new vision and new strategy for a global, 21st Century American transportation system.
The report goes on to document the limitations of America’s highways, rail network, and water ports and especially the connections between them (intermodal transportation), show trends in the growth of freight transportation, and make recommendations to take a multi-modal approach to improving the nation’s surface transportation system.
There are many interesting points in the report, but I want to pick out those dealing with freight and passenger rail because there seems to be some anti-rail sentiment around Peoria. I don’t think this sentiment is pervasive, but you do see it occasionally, such as when the Kellar Branch debate comes up or when LaHood says we don’t need passenger rail here in Peoria.
In particular, I found these recommendations interesting (emphasis mine):
Recommendation 1. Meeting America’s surface transportation needs for the future will require a strategy which goes well beyond just “more of the same.†It will require a multi-modal approach, which preserves what has been built to date, improves system performance, and adds substantial capacity in highways, transit, freight rail, intercity passenger rail, and better connections to ports, airports, and border crossings.
Recommendation 6. Establish a National Rail Transportation Policy. Intercity passenger and freight rail are critical components of the nation’s surface transportation system. Current rail capacity is not sufficient to meet passenger or freight needs. It is imperative that a national rail policy be developed which addresses institutional roles, passenger and freight capacity, and new non-Highway Trust Fund funding and financing options.
Better intercity rail means fewer cars on the streets, and more freight rail means fewer trucks on the streets — that all adds up to cost savings on road repairs. The report states, “The expanded rail capacity analyzed by AASHTO would remove 450 million tons of freight and 15 billion truck vehicle miles. That service would save shippers $162 billion and save highway users $238 billion over 20 years and avoid $10 billion in highway repair costs.”
This is why I think rail service needs to be beefed up in this country, not remain status quo. It’s cheaper, cleaner, and more efficient than highways. We’ll always need highways, but we can significantly reduce the size requirements and maintenance costs of them by utilizing rail as much as possible.
Another report I read, just today, states that the Highway Trust Fund is running out of money and will be bankrupt by 2009. This Trust Fund is funded by gasoline taxes and there isn’t anyway they can raise those taxes enough to pay for the repairs to the existing highways and to fund new highways with the price of gas what it is today and where it is headed. So what do we do when we no longer have money to fund the highways? Get out the roller skates? The country is coming full circle and that is back to multi-modal transit forums. There are those that believe that the railroad has had its’ heyday, but evidence shows that it is coming back and is very needed. It is cheaper and cleaner. Its going to take a great change in how the railroads are run but we need to look at it right now. 20 years from now when we are out of road capacity we are going to pay the price dearly. This is one of the reasons for the Tri-County Regional Planning Commissions’ 20 study being done right now.
That’s easy, SD — you turn the highways into Class I hiking trails!
When freight and passenger trains are trying to occupy the same track, and more and more trains are being run, someone loses. Amtrak’s on time performance is getting more brutal even as it is carrying more passengers these days. In order to create a European-style high speed passenger rail system and separate the passengers from the freight, and to unclog the freight rail terminals (especially Chicago) BILLIONS of dollars will be required. It’s easy to say “invest in rail” to take traffic off the highways, but the nation is growing and the highways will soon backfill with whatever the rail takes off of them. Highways are already underfunded as is. Congestion will be the price paid for underinvestment in ALL forms of transportation.
“There are those that believe that the railroad has had its’ heyday.”
Oh nonono. The railroads are booming; not necessarily passenger, but freight. Next time you see a train go by, look at what’s it’s hauling. More than likely you’ll see double stacked containers full of those icky made-in-China products that everyone likes to complain about.
When you’re driving down the interstate, or even in town, look for the semi’s hauling containers. Those were more than likely picked up at a rail yard in Chicago, which arrived via rail from one of the port cities.
What about delivering containers directly to Peoria instead of being unloaded in Chicago and trucked down? Is it too cost prohibitive? Do we not have the necessary infrastructure? A Central Illinois hub would seem, on the surface anyway, to be very logical.
2 new nearby intermodal hubs:
I-55 and Arsenal Road (BNSF intermodal) near Elwood.
west of I-39 in Rochelle (Global 3)
They like to build them close to Chicago to serve the market, but far enough away that they are out of the road congestion. Peoria probably doesn’t make sense for a big facility (yet).
They also like to put them where 2 lines converge (twice the routing and rail traffic capability).
BNSF also serves the UP line between Chicago and St. Louis. Global 3 serves BNSF and UP going west out of Chicago.
Galesburg would seem the most logical (2 BNSF lines crossing) but again it is too far from Chicago for regional intermodal.
Does G&D/O’Neil have any clout? I’m sure they make a lot of money hauling containers back and forth from Chicago.
On the other hand, Cat does have a lot of clout, and I’m sure they’d love to save on trucking costs by having a closer “intermodal hub”, as do we all.
Thanks, RP, for giving the proper term of which I couldn’t recall.
TP&W operates an intermodal facility for Canadian National at East Peoria, but that’s mostly for containers moving through the Port of Halifax, Nova Scotia. Rumors abound that once the expansion of the Prince Rupert, BC container is complete, CN will gain market Central Illinois – West Coast container traffic.
BNSF and TP&W ended their joint intermodal service between East Peoria and West Coast ports in early 2004 and “encouraged” customers to use the Logistics Park facility near Joliet instead (never mind the increased drayage costs and backtracking).
BNSF closed its Galesburg intermodal facility in 1997 and it’s not likely to come back without BNSF’s cooperation. Peoria area business leaders would be better off trying to get BNSF to work with TP&W again to haul containers to and from East Peoria. If service was price competitive with Chicago-area intermodal terminals, Caterpillar, Mitsubishi, Komatsu, L. R. Nelson and others exporters/importers would benefit. Unless CN snatches it up first…
If we have to spend billions on highways, wouldn’t it be more prudent to spend that money on true dedicated high-speed rail between the major cities, ala Europe and Japan? The no-crossing, elevated type.
I agree with MDD. Billions, schmillions. The ‘investment’ and construction will be a gradual thing. State and Fed govt wants to play hero by not raising gas tax, but do nothing to contain rising fuel costs.
brillant CJ and mdd. Take the money we are wasting on highways and build high-speed rail lines and turn the interstates into Class I trails. Maybe even the Rabid Trail Advocates will support that program. OK, maybe not, would it jeopardize their funding from the oil/trucking industry?
Funny thing today. I heard a radio commercial for Norfolk Southern RR in which they mention how railroads are the new wave of the future or something like that. I guess Peoria won’t make it to the future then if we rip out our valuable infrastructure.
Mdd,
At least Norfolk Southern does reach Peoria (East Peoria, actually).
I heard it on a Chicago station. I just thought it funny to hear a commercial about how rail is the in thing in transportation and here we are in Peoria trying to get rid of those icky train tracks.