Alamo Area MPO Policy Board Alamo Area MPO Policy Board J. Tullos J. Tullos Wells ells Vice C Vice Chair, Board of Directors air, Board of Directors Joseph Black Joseph Black Rail Dir Rail Direct ctor or May 19, 2014
Lone Star Rail District -- Lone Star Rail District -- Who Are We? • An An independent public entity created by the Legislature in independent public entity created by the Legislature in 1997 to provide commuter rail service between Georgetown 1997 to provide commuter rail service between Georgetown and San Antonio and San Antonio • Required approvals obtained – Required approvals obtained – first meeting in 2003 irst meeting in 2003 • Membership consists of 18 jurisdictions: Membership consists of 18 jurisdictions: Cities Counties Transit Providers Transportation Commission Metropolitan Planning Organizations • 20-person Board of Directors 20-person Board of Directors Elected officials Private sector representatives Transit/ Transportation representatives 1
What are the Challenges in the Region? What are the Challenges in the Region? • Public Safety Public Safety Issues Issues with trains of up to 2 miles in length running through the urban cores of cities up and down the Austin-San Antonio corridor • Reduced Mobility Reduced Mobility as population growth and trade growth (two positive indicators for the region) result in increased congestion • NAFTA Traffic NAFTA Traffic is growing every year; many businesses in the corridor self-identify as NAFTA-related • Economic Development Economic Development is needed, supporting job creation and mitigating the effects of a negative world economy • Lack of Transportation Choices Lack of Transportation Choices in the corridor leaves people no alternatives to highway travel • Decreasing Reliability Decreasing Reliability as congestion increases, and both productive time for commuters and freight deliveries is negatively affected • Air Quality Air Quality is negatively affected by sole reliance on highway mode 2
Problems In the I-35 Corridor Problems In the I-35 Corridor I-35 between San Antonio and Georgetown is one of the deadliest and most congested stretches of highway in the country. ACCIDENTS ACCIDENTS • Between San Antonio and Georgetown ~100 fatalities per year ~9,000 accidents annually CONGESTION AND TRADE CONGESTION AND TRADE • 80% of Mexico’s trade with the U.S. and Canada runs through the I-35 corridor • Truck traffic on I-35 is projected to continue to grow in the next 20 years, from 3,000 to ~15,000 trucks per day • Dozens of freight trains per day pass through highly populated urban communities with ~140 at-grade crossings 3
A A Part of the Solution is Part of the Solution is Rail Rail • Trains are three times cleaner three times cleaner than trucks on a ton-mile basis • Trains are four times more fuel efficient four times more fuel efficient than trucks One ton of freight can be hauled 484 miles on one gallon of fuel • One train can remove 300 remove 300 trucks trucks from the highways • Passenger rail could remove 3 to 3 to 5 million 5 million car trips car trips per year per year from the highways in the I-35 corridor Source s Source s: Union Pacific and Lone Star Rail District 4
First Step: Freight Rail First Step: Freight Rail Bypass Bypass • 80+ miles of 80+ miles of new grade- new grade- separated freight rail line separated freight rail line from Seguin to Taylor. • 40+ miles of 40+ miles of improved improved freight rail line freight rail line from San Antonio to Seguin. • 79 mph 79 mph maximum freight train speed, current average is in the 20 mph range. • Dozens of train Dozens of trains per day per day (up to 55 in San Antonio) taken out of urban cores in Central and South Central Texas 5 5
In Partnership with Union Pacific In Partnership with Union Pacific “Union Pacif “Union Pacific Railr c Railroad has been w ad has been working rking cooperativ cooperatively with the Dist ely with the District on its A ict on its Austin-San stin-San Ant Antonio Corridor pr onio Corridor project f oject for se r several y ral year ars…W s…We belie believe that both Union Pacif e that both Union Pacific and the District ha c and the District have made substanti made substantial pr l progr ogress…and anticipat ss…and anticipate that an that an eventual agreement will resul entual agreement will result in the ability of the in the ability of the District to pr District t provide passenger ser ide passenger service and relocation ice and relocation of thr of through freight in the A ugh freight in the Austin-San Ant stin-San Antonio onio Corridor…” Corridor…” Jerr Jerry Wilmo y Wilmoth, General Manager h, General Manager – Netw etwork Infrastructure, Union rk Infrastructure, Union Pacific Railr cific Railroad, Ma ad, May 1 y 16, , 20 2012 12 le lett tter t er to T T ravis Cou is County Judge Samuel ty Judge Samuel Biscoe Biscoe 6
Second Step: LSTAR Second Step: LSTAR Passenger Rail Passenger Rail Service Service • 118 118 miles of passenger rail miles of passenger rail from San Antonio north to Williamson County • Primarily routed in existin Primarily routed in existing rail right-of-way g rail right-of-way upon relocation of Union Pacific’s through freight operations to urban bypass line • At least 16 At least 16 stations stations at full service, linking communities and destinations all along the corridor • 32 32 round trips round trips a a day day at full service, seven days a week, including midday and evening service • Express service of 75 Express service of 75 minutes or minutes or less less at full service between downtown San Antonio and downtown Austin • Local Freight Local Freight service will continue 7 7
8 8 An “Education Corridor” An “Education Corridor”
9 9 An “Education Corridor” An “Education Corridor”
10 10 An “Education Corridor” An “Education Corridor”
11 11 An “Education Corridor” An “Education Corridor”
How Do We Pay For It? How Do We Pay For It? • With a combination of state and federal funds, and public-private partnership opportunities • Local jurisdiction Operations & Maintenance (O&M) funding commitments (TIFs, etc.) are critical to securing capital investment • Current local funding agreements in place: Austin Austin and San Marcos San Marcos • Currently in discussions with San Antonio, Bexar San Antonio, Bexar County, VIA, and County, VIA, and Kyle Kyle • Agreements planned for completion in 2014: Travis County, Hays County, Bexar Travis County, Hays County, Bexar County, ACCD, County, ACCD, Alamo CCD, Alamo CCD, Kyle, New Braunfels, Schertz, San Kyle, New Braunfels, Schertz, San Antonio, … Antonio, … 12 12
What’s Happened So Far? What’s Happened So Far? • Raised: Raised: $7.7 million in federal funding, $8.7 million state appropriation, $20 million AAMPO, $20 million CAMPO funds • Completed Completed feasibility, ridership, preliminary revenue/ cost studies, and financial benefits/ economic impact studies • Developed Developed local funding concepts and completed agreements with Austin and San Marcos; other agreements to be complete in 2014-2015 • Sign Signed ed Union Pacific Memorandum of Understanding in late 2010; 2014 update in process 13
What’s Happening Now? What’s Happening Now? • Consultant under contract for NEPA Environmental studies; actual EIS EIS work starts this month • Continuing freight bypass studies freight bypass studies with Union Pacific • Continuing joint service planning joint service planning in the future passenger corridor with Union Pacific • Continuing local funding discussions local funding discussions and compl completing ting ag agreements reements for annual Operations & Maintenance (O&M) costs • TTI Air Quality study TTI Air Quality study of LSRD projects is underway 14 14
Project Sequence Project Sequence Local funding is the gateway gateway to capital funding from public and private sources. Capital Capital Funding Fu Local Local Commissioning Commissioning Operations Operations Construction Constructio Funding Fu Design Design Timing Tim ng New development influenced by rail opportunity • Initiates value capture from land speculation, zoning and other entitlements • 15
What Happens Next? What Happens Next? • Engineering Engineering and environmental studies environmental studies are scheduled at 3 years • After federal approval, move to final final design design and construction construction • Solicit interest from potential private private sector partners sector partners • Federal Federal and state funding state funding requests requests (e.g. HSIPR, RRIF, TIFIA, appropriations, reauthorization) • First train First train runs runs in 5-6 years; full first phase system complete in 8 years 16 16
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