SWRC Coalition Core Project Team Meeting
July 26, 2006
Minutes
Present: Smyth, Veidt, Milroy, and Bohannan
Absent: Tevlin, Pearsall, Garey, Herr-Cardillo, and Schwartz
Calendar:
# September 13, 2006 – Coalition (Full Team) Meeting
# TBD Core Project Team Meeting
# February 2007 – AzTA Legislative Conference
# March 2007 – FOT Annual Conference
# Fall 2007 – SWRC/ARPA/AzTA Passenger Rail Symposium
The following items were discussed during the meeting. Action items are included below.
1) Smyth reported on his meeting with Jim Dickey and Marc Pearsall of ADOT. Dickey is very supportive of passenger rail in Arizona. He feels that commuter rail in Maricopa County will happen and the passenger rail Phoenix to Tucson can happen by 2012. ADOT is waiting until after the November elections to see what direction comes from the Governor’s office relative to passenger rail.
2) Smyth reported (based on meeting with Jim Dickey) that planning for 2007 SWRC/ARPA/AzTA Passenger Rail Symposium should start in December or January.
3) Pearsall provided the following write up on the ADOT Rail Inventory and Assessment Study, 2006 – 2007 – The Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT), Public Transportation Division (PTD) and Transportation Planning Division (TPD), has sought the services of RL Banks & Associates and Lima & Associates in the development a State of Arizona Railroad Inventory and Assessment. This 10 month task will compile and document a baseline assessment of all of the state’s current railroad infrastructure, including it’s condition, it’s usage, and any short-range plans to improve it, as well of photo-documentation of each rail line. In addition, a GIS database will be established to better document the geographic mapping of all railroad corridors within the state of Arizona. This is being done cooperation with each private railroad and several state and regional partners.
Currently, the consultant has completed Task 1-3, by gathering GIS data from each railroad, including maps, charts, timetables and grade crossing data. Further, eight shortline railroads will be inspected between now and September in order to establish a database for Task 6’s “Infrastructure Investments and Needs” and Task 8 and 9’s “Preservation Opportunities and Strategies”.
4) Pearsall provided the following write up on the MAG Commuter Rail Study, 2006 – 2007 – The Maricopa Association of Governments (MAG) is seeking Statements of Qualifications from qualified firms or individuals to provide professional services in the development of a Commuter Rail Strategic Plan. Specific expertise is sought in the areas of strategic planning, consensus building, public participation, commuter rail systems planning, and regional transit planning. This RFQ was released on Friday July 14th, and will be awarded to the winning bidder sometime in October.
This is a multiyear/multiphase project that will be managed by MAG. The successful respondent in this Request for Qualifications (RFQ) process may, at MAG’s discretion, also be retained to complete additional phases of this project. Future phases of the project will be the subject of separate contracts to be authorized at a future date by MAG. This first phase of the project will be completed in a maximum of twelve (12) months from the date of the notice to proceed at a cost not to exceed $300,000. This first phase will wrap up in Fall 2007, with Phase 2 most likely commencing and eventually wrapping up in Fall 2008.
Smyth reported that MAG has identified a Stakeholders Committee, which the SWRC Coalition (Smyth) and Arizona Rail Passenger Association (Bill Lindley) are members. We attended a meeting to review and provide input to the RFQ. MAG was very receptive to our input and include many of our comments in the final RFQ. This committee will meet through out the project.
5) Smyth reported that the Arizona Transit Association is developing a strategic plan and has asked the SWRC Coalition to participate in the implementation of the plan. Smyth and Veidt have volunteered to represent the SWRC Coalition. Action Item: Smyth to contact Larry Smith, AzTA and provide his and Veidt’s name.
6) The SWRC Coalition has been invited to speak at the Phoenix Chamber of Commerce Transportation Committee meeting set for August 8th. Bill Lindley and Jay Smyth will represent the coalition, give a presentation on passenger rail along the corridor, and answer questions.
7) Smyth reported that the Maricopa Association of Governments (MAG) has joined SWRC Coalition. After the meeting Woody Thomas, past Mayor of Litchfield Park agreed to join the coalition.
Pearsall provided the following write up on the New Mexico Rail Runner Commuter – The system opened on Friday July 14, 2006 with over 850 passengers riding the New Mexico Rail Runner Express on its first three roundtrips this morning, according to the New Mexico Department of Transportation. By noon, when the midday roundtrip to Bernalillo became standing-room-only, Rail Runner managers decided to add one or two more 140-seat coaches for the afternoon and evening trains. Also this fall service extends south to Belen with a total of nine stops between there and Bernalillo. Passenger fares are free for the first three months of service. Governor Bill Richardson announced that service to Santa Fe will commence in 2008, and he hopes that eventually rail service from El Paso to Albuquerque, Denver and Cheyenne would be a reality in the coming years.
9) Pearsall provide the following write-up on the States for Passenger Rail Coalition – This group consists of 28 State Departments of Transportation. They educate congress and the USDOT on the need for increased funding for intercity and commuter rail transit. Arizona is now a member. Nothing to report this month.
10) Smyth reported that he and Milroy attended a “Transportation Acceleration Summit” on June 14, 2005 chaired by Marty Shultz, Pinnacle West Capital Corp. and Dave Berry, Swift Transportation. This was not a transportation meeting but a highways only meeting. During the Q&A period about 1/3 of the questions/comments where about commuter rail. Action Item: Smyth to contact Shultz to discuss presenting transportation issue as a balance of all modes (cars, buses, trains).
Jay R. Smyth, PhD, PRP
Coordinator, SWRC Coalition