Annual Report - 2002

Connecticut Metro-North / Shore Line East

Rail Commuter Council

www.trainweb.org/ct

Senator William Ciotto

Rep. Jacqueline Cocco

Co-Chairpersons

Joint Committee on Transportation

Connecticut General Assembly

210 Capital Avenue

Hartford, CT

Dear Senator Ciotto and Rep. Cocco:

For the past 17 years the Connecticut Metro-North/Shore Line East Rail Commuter Council has represented the interests of rail riders in Connecticut. We are the eyes, the ears and the voice of Connecticut rail commuters. Our mission is to ensure that the quality of rail services to Connecticut commuters is as good as it can be.

In the course of our activities we have also become extremely familiar with the issues, problems and challenges confronting commuter rail in Connecticut. We have a better understanding than most of what is right and what is wrong with the functioning of both the Metro-North operated New Haven Line and the Amtrak operated Shore Line East. In this report to the legislature we have outlined for you what some of our concerns are about the future direction of commuter rail and what the legislature should do to correct those problems.

The Transportation Strategy Board has made its initial recommendations for our state’s future transit needs. The Council is pleased to note that those recommendations mirror our own, as stated in last year’s Annual Report. Those top priorities remain unchanged:

1) Order sufficient new passenger rail cars to meet existing and anticipated ridership growth.

2) Expand rail maintenance facilities, shop space and personnel to service that equipment.

3) Improve station and rail car cleanliness and amenities to attract and keep riders.

4) Expand affordable parking at stations.

5) Encourage increased bus, shuttle and jitney service connecting stations with homes and jobs.

However, the Council believes that the TSB’s suggestions for improving rail service are too little and too slow. Rail ridership continues to grow, and the problem of standees on trains has worsened. A major cause of the lack of sufficient seats on trains is the fact that, on any given day, up to 14% of the passenger car fleet is out of service, awaiting repairs. This is due to grossly inadequate shop facilities for the New Haven Division for maintenance of the cars already in operation, let alone any new additions to the fleet. Expanded maintenance facilities would reduce this shop backlog, return more cars to service and reduce the problem of standees. This must be done even before new cars are ordered because there is insufficient capacity to maintain any additions to the fleet.

In 2002, only ten new coaches and four new diesel locomotives were delivered for service on Metro-North in Connecticut. This is only a “drop in the empty bucket” compared with current needs. More coaches and electric locomotives must be ordered NOW! According to CDOT projections, as many as 500 new cars will be needed the year 2030.

We can delay no longer. This issue has been studied long enough with unanimous agreement. Even if new cars were ordered today it would take at least three years for their delivery. Meanwhile ridership increases and the standee problem worsens.

If we are to rely on passenger rail to reduce highway congestion and air pollution we must offer adequate trains and schedules to encourage commuters to leave their cars. The infrastructure is in place. All we need do is add capacity in the form of new rail cars, at a cost of pennies compared to adding a new lane to I-95. As the TSB and TIA’s have also recognized, passenger rail is the most affordable, environmentally friendly and cost effective solution to our highway congestion nightmare… if we have the will to act.

Respectfully submitted,

Rodney Chabot Jim Cameron Jim Mohs

Chairman Vice Chairman Secretary

ANNUAL REPORT TO THE LEGISLATURE OF

The Ct Metro-North / Shore Line East Rail Commuter Council:

Who we are and how we represent Rail Commuters

The Commuter Council was created by an act of the General Assembly in 1985. Our mission is to be the eyes and ears of the commuters, to represent the commuters in meetings with the staffs of CDOT and Metro-North and to report to the Connecticut General Assembly on matters of rail service in Connecticut. Our specific statute reference can be found at Section 13b-212b.

All members of the Council are volunteers. All must be regular riders on either the New Haven Line or Shore Line East. We all serve without compensation. When the legislation was originally passed the objective was for the Council to meet quarterly. However, ever since its inception the Council has voted to meet on a monthly basis with the exception of July and August. In this regard we have received a great deal of cooperation from CDOT, Metro-North and Amtrak, all of whom send representatives to all of our meetings. These organizations have also been very cooperative in providing the Council information and responses to our questions. The authorized number of members of the Council is fifteen members. The Council would like to direct the attention of the General Assembly to the fact that there are several vacancies on the Council and that several members have expired appointments. The Council urges the appointing authorities to reappoint those Council members who have served and to appoint new members to fill out the Council’s full allotted membership.

In previous years the Council used to receive a small stipend from the General Assembly to fund some of our operations. This gave us the ability to send out a news letter, to do some research on our own and print a formal annual report to the legislature. This funding was removed around 1995 and has never been replaced. The Council would like to urge the General Assembly to reconsider and to provide the Council with sufficient funds to continue its outreach efforts on behalf of our fellow commuters and cover out of pocket expenses, now paid for by our members.

In the absence of this funding source the Council has sought to use the Internet to communicate with the commuting public. We have developed and put into service our own Web page and e-mail service to serve our fellow commuters. Our web page can be found at www.trainweb.org/ct Commuters and other interested parties can also contact the Council via our e-mail address, trains@camcomm.com . Although the Council is concerned about the larger, more global issues of rail service in Connecticut much of its efforts are focused on the day to day problems and challenges confronting the commuting public… issues of customer service, information, passenger safety, and all of the other activities which can change a pleasant commute into a nightmare journey. Council members act as the “eyes and ears and voices” of the train riding public. We are frequently able to notice situations on the trains and at stations that need attention, but are not readily apparent to the management of the railroad. We then bring these issues to the appropriate people on the railroad for action either at our monthly meetings or immediately if necessary.

Many of the issues we bring up are not very exciting, such as burned out lights on station platforms, wheelchair lifts being moved where they can’t be used, and bad (or sometimes non-existent) signage at stations. But they are, never the less, important to commuters.

We are pleased to note CDOT’s quick response to a punch-list of items we gave them pursuant to the on-going reconstruction of the Stamford Transportation Center. At our suggestion, new TV monitors and signage were installed and platform steps were replaced.

We have also pushed for better passenger amenities such as adding or improving the canopies at stations to keep commuters out of the rain. We have called for better information and have been pressing CDOT to install kiosks at the stations with passenger-friendly information. We have urged upgrades in the platform public address sound systems and for visual track monitors in the new Stamford station. These have been promised by CDOT by the end of March 2003.

During the past two years the Commuter Council has continued a major campaign in support of “quiet cars” on Metro-North trains. Although Metro-North initially opposed this recommendation, they did institute a rider courtesy campaign. This campaign has done much to address this “noise pollution” problem.

Passengers from Shore Line East trains seeking connecting service on Metro-North in New Haven where having trouble finding out which track they should go to. After the Council raised this issue, SLE conductors now announce the connecting train platform before the SLE train arrives in New Haven, and CDOT has repaired the long broken “Solari” board train signs in the New Haven station tunnel.

During the past year, in addition to our monthly meetings, the Council also held a “Meet the Commuter Day” event as it has done in past years. In March 2002 the Council traveled from New Haven to Grand Central on a morning rush-hour train together with a dozen representatives of CDOT, Metro-North, Amtrak, Shore Line East and the Coastal Corridor TIA. This gave commuters the opportunity to ask questions and vent their frustrations directly to Council members and operators of the railroad. The event was considered a success by all who attended.

The Council continues to work with CDOT in evaluating the existing “bar cars” and has recently reviewed proposed re-designs of these cars to allow for increased seating while still preserving this unique Connecticut commuting amenity. The bar cars are now being included in the M-2 rehabilitation program, which will extend their service life, make them look more modern and be more comfortable for passengers.

There’s more to commuting than just riding the trains. Inadequate restroom facilities at Grand Central Terminal have been a problem since the opening of the Lower Level Food Court. The Council again brought this situation to the attention of Metro-North management and was pleased to hear that additional restroom facilities are now under construction. This is another example of the good working relationship the Council has with Metro-North and CDOT.

For this reason the Council is concerned about reports of a planned merger between Metro-North and the Long Island Railroad. We support the Governor’s call to the MTA that the State of Connecticut have not only a seat at the planning table but a vote on the MTA board. CDOT’s long-suffering contract disputes with Metro-North must be resolved and this impending management change provides the perfect opportunity to revisit these issues.

Finally, there is one additional issue that the Council would again like to direct to the General Assembly’s attention. The Council is very concerned about the emerging MTA plan to send Long Island Railroad trains and passengers into Grand Central Terminal. The Terminal is already very crowded and adding 60,000 more people a day would make that situation even worse. Also, this would take away capacity in Grand Central that Metro-North railroad and Connecticut DOT will need for future expansion of service. Our sister organization, the New York Metro-North Rail Commuter Council shares these concerns.

This is just a brief summary of what the Council has done in the past year. More details are available in the minutes of our meetings, which are attached.

ANNUAL REPORT TO THE LEGISLATURE OF

Ct Metro-North/Shore Line East Rail Commuter Council:

commuter Rail Service in Connecticut: Where is it Going?

The Connecticut Metro-North Shore Line East Rail Commuter Council is pleased to be able to advise the General Assembly that train ridership is still growing in Connecticut. Commuter trains have shown their ability to serve Connecticut residents and businesses, and significantly reduce traffic on southern Connecticut’s congested highways.

Despite the problems since the events of September 11th, total ridership on the New Haven Line and Shore Line East reached near all-time highs for 2002. The New Haven Line carried 33,104,880 passengers (up 0.5%), and Shore Line East had 345.206 riders. On-time performance for Shore Line East was 94.3% Metro North’s was 96.8%. These are impressive figures.

Passenger satisfaction surveys done jointly by the Commuter Council and Metro-North continue to show riders are pleased with the service and punctuality. However the restrooms continue to receive failing grades. Shore Line East riders also give their service high marks.

Commuter rail is the most viable and cost-effective means for the state to meet its objective of reducing peak hour road congestion in the Southwest Corridor. Commuter rail growth continued significantly taking pressure off the highways.

All this good news shows what rail can do. However, this has the Commuter Council concerned about the future. If this growth continues, we see a serious decline in the quality of our rail service unless steps are taken soon. Some of our concerns include:

The trains are full on the New Haven Line during rush hours. There are standees every morning on westbound trains leaving Stamford. There are also standees using INTRA-State service from Bridgeport to Stamford and Greenwich. These trains are regularly short of cars needed to carry the passengers riding them. This lack of seats will limit CDOT’s ability to continue to increase both intra and inter-state ridership. If this continues, it could produce a backlash from commuters who are unwilling to pay high fares to stand on a crowded train.

The only new equipment CDOT has been able to buy in recent years are 4 new Genesis locomotives and 10 new Bombardier passenger coaches which are now in service This will help a little, but is a Band-Aid approach to a much larger problem. By their own estimates, CDOT and Metro-North say they will need 400 – 500 new rail cars by the year 2030 at a cost of $1.5 to $2 billion. In the meantime, the Council is pleased that CDOT has extended two Shore Line East rush-hour trains from New Haven to Stamford. They have been well received and are helping to relieve congestion, both on I-95 and other crowded trains.

Fortunately, Shore Line East has adequate seats at present. However, the Pearl Harbor Memorial Bridge (Q Bridge) project on I-95 will cause massive road delays. Increased service on SLE will provide commuters with the best alternative. This could require additional rail cars which are not currently available, especially if the SLE service is further integrated into the New Haven Line service. In addition, half of the existing SLE coaches are very old and, according to CDOT, have only five years left of serviceable life. These coaches will have to be replaced. Finally, the old diesel locomotives used for Shore Line East service need to be replaced by modern electric locomotives now that the SLE route has been electrified by Amtrak.

With the shortage of seating capacity, the Council is concerned that the M-2 rehabilitation program will adversely impact the New Haven Line service. The 30-year old cars are long overdue for this work, but it will require taking rail cars out of service for a month or longer for their rehabilitation. When combined with breakdowns and periodic inspections which also take equipment out of service, the existing seat shortages will get worse. Even so, the Council strongly supports this rehab program which will improve overall service quality and reliability. This will eventually decrease the number of cars out of service, but not add capacity. Therefore, the Council urges the legislature to provide the funding needed for additional new car orders. This plus the rehabilitation program will improve the quality of ride, which will encourage more people to get out of their cars and onto our trains.

The Council is also concerned that the shortage of parking spaces at both Metro-North and Shore Line East stations will also slow the growth of rail ridership. Obviously, if commuters can’t park, they can’t ride. This is especially true for intra-state riders who will probably not take the train and will continue to add to the growing congestion on our region’s highways. CDOT has had success in Stamford where the existing garage is being doubled in size. But when the addition is completed the old part will be closed for a year for repairs. So the full 2000 spaces won’t be available until 2004. The Council is pleased that a new station will be built in Fairfield which will add 1500 new parking spaces when completed. Other construction of parking facilities in New Haven has been delayed by local politics. A new train station in West Haven has been approved by the South Central Regional Council of Governments, but there is no funding available. The Council urges the General Assembly to provide additional funding for rail station parking, and if necessary, to mediate any local disputes.

The Council is also greatly concerned about the lack of adequate maintenance facilities on the New Haven Line. The New Haven Line fleet of rail cars is extremely old. The plan to rehabilitate the M2 cars is an important step in the right direction. However, in the meantime, Metro-North is required to attempt to maintain, inspect and repair the 343 rail cars in just two facilities in Stamford and New Haven. The total amount of shop space is just 18 bays which must handle those 343 pieces of rolling stock. Normal railroad practice is to have service bays to accommodate 20% of the fleet at any given time to keep cars in good repair. This means that the New Haven line should have 68 bays just to service the existing fleet. Fifty more service bays need to be added now, even before additional cars are ordered to handle the growing number of passengers.

Currently proper inspection and maintenance of cars is challenging at best. In bad winter weather, the shop cannot keep up, even running 24 x 7. For example, in the winter of 2001 - 2002, approximately 25% of all peak hour Metro-North trains were short at least one car. Metro-North as the contract operator of the New Haven Line must have additional, modern, maintenance facilities. The Transportation Strategy Board has funded the acquisition of property near the New Haven rail yard where such a facility or facilities could be constructed. But CDOT has no funds to begin the engineering studies and designs once the property is acquired. Given that there is probably a five or six year time lag between the time design begins and construction ends, it is imperative that the General Assembly provide the additional funding necessary to begin the process of designing a new maintenance facility.

The Council has been told by CDOT that both the NY Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) and Connecticut DOT are considering fare increases and/or potential reductions in service in 2003. The Council has long supported the idea of small, annual fare increases. We believe such increases will permit the system to stay ahead of inflation and will reduce the burden on the taxpayers who subsidize the operating deficits on our railroads. However, the MTA has not had a NY fare increase in over 10 years and CDOT has not had one in five years. We are concerned; therefore, that any proposed increase may be far more than a small, annual increase. A significantly large increase could work against the goals of the General Assembly and the Administration to increase rail ridership and reduce the congestion on our state’s highways. This is particularly true of intra-state ridership, which is far more sensitive to price elasticity than the commuters going into New York City. However, the Council would also note that there is an existing disparity between what a Connecticut commuter pays and their New York counterpart. In fact, the Connecticut commuter already pays 18.3% more per mile than their New York brethren. Connecticut commuter rail riders’ fares are among the highest in the nation, both in cost-per-mile and in fare box return. While the Council would probably have no problem supporting a small fare increase in 2003, we urge the General Assembly to take whatever steps are necessary to ensure that a large fare increase, or especially any cuts in service, are not undertaken.

Attachments: Minutes of meetings - January 2001 – December 2001