METRO NORTH NEW HAVEN RAIL COMMUTER COUNCIL
(Established in 1985 under Connecticut Public Act 85-239, now Sections 13b-212b and
13b -212c of the Connecticut General Statutes)
MINUTES OF SEPTEMBER 16, 2009
SWRPA
STAMFORD, CT
Present were: Jim Cameron, Chairman; Terri Cronin and Jeff Steele, Co-Vice Chairman; Rodney Chabot, Former Chairman; John Hartwell, Bob Jelley (on the phone), Jeff Maron, Connor Murphy, Sue Prosi, Luke Schnirring, and Drew Todd, members of the Council; Gene Colonese, Joe Marie, and Jim Redeker, ConnDOT; John Longobardi, MNRR; Capt. Jim McKenna, MTA Police; Florinda Teixeira, Metro Pool; Chris Schoenfeld, StationStop.com; Harold Cobin, yourCT.com; John Austin Sr., and Kristan Tulp, members of the public.
The meeting began at 7:00 pm.
1. Jim Cameron welcomed the new members and asked everyone to go around the table and introduce himself or herself.
2. The Council approved the June and August minutes with the following amendments proposed by the council.
a) June minutes: Jeff Maron suggested that SWRPA Parking Study paragraph 4 should be amended to show the full range of prices from smallest to largest, therefore include Stamford at $840 USD annually
b) August minutes: New M-8s paragraph 1 should be changed to state that, ‘’Production cars will begin to arrive 4-6 months after test period starts’
PROPOSED FARE INCREASE (2)
Mr. Marie started the discussion by saying that we all want to avoid a fare increase. However, the legislature has passed a budget, which went into effect 6 days ago, this budget contains a subsidy reduction that would be equivalent to a 10% fare increase effective October 1st, 2009, Mr. Marie sated that ConnDOT is sending a letter to the legislature for clarification on the intent. Mr. Marie stated that the state is in a difficult financial position, the reality is that there is a deficit, as we move forward we have hard choices to make, either a service cut or a fare increase. Mr. Marie also noted that the MTA’s fare increase causes a disparity between New York and Connecticut fares, with some Connecticut residents paying less that some New York residents even though they travel a shorter distance. Mr. Cameron pointed out that NY’s increase came about due to a cash crisis, which stemmed from a bonding issue not a change in operating costs, and the increase was on a lower base cost. Mr Marie will attend next month’s CRCC meeting and hopes to have greater clarity at that time.
Mr. Marie said that the 1.25% increase mandated by law to go into effect January 2010 was unlikely to take effect at that time as is would be very difficult to implement all required notices before then. Mr. Cameron asked if they would package the 1.25% and 10% increases for a date later in 2010, and asked if the law mandates the notification periods. Mr. Marie confirmed that the law mandates the notifications and stated this was the reason that ConnDOT had tried to schedule hearings, but we held back for a number of reasons. It takes approximately 4-6 months to cover all the notification requirements.
Mr. Cameron noted that if we are required to wait 4-6 months before implementing the increase then arguably any fare increase could be more than 10%. Mr. Marie said that it may be possible to move money around the department of transportation and carve out savings in other areas.
Mr. Chabot noted that for many years fares in New York were lower than Connecticut, that Connecticut riders pay the most per mile currently and this would still be the case after the fare increase in New York. Mr. Marie stated that the fares are distance based and the further you move out from New York the higher the fare should be. If a New York resident could travel north to a Connecticut station and pay less for a ticket into GCT, then New York may argue that Connecticut must make up any difference in lost revenue, he further said that during the last round of arbitration between MetroNorth and the MTA the arbitrator was silent on this issue. The 1.25% increase wouldn’t resolve the cross border issue.
Mr. Cameron made 2 requests; 1. He asked that when the public hearings are scheduled they be done at convenient times and in good locations for commuters. Mr. Redeker noted that in the past the issue was really one of communication, the locations where good but commuters weren’t informed that ConnDOT & MetroNorth would stay until everyone had an opportunity to speak. 2. If service cuts are part of the equation that they be equitable on both sides of the border, last time the proposed cuts more severely affected Connecticut. Ms. Prosi asked that if the hearings are extended, to accommodate a greater number of people, that they repeat the briefings for the benefit of the late comers.
Mr. Cameron commented that although the legislature had not asked for a fare increase they were creating a situation that would lead to at least a 10% increase, Mr. Hartwell noted that the actual increase may be higher due to the gap between the effective date noted in the budget and the actual implementation date. Mr. Marie said that the legislature’s intent was unclear and in their letter explaining the revenue gap and asking for the legislatures guidance about how to fund the gap. He expected that there would be a period of negotiation between the Executive and Legislative branches of state government. Mr. Hartwell asked to whom we should reach out to, which committees, in the run-up to this decision, to express our objection to this fare increase. Mr. Marie said that no one he has been working with in government wants a fare increase. Mr. Cameron stated that he thought the best way was to reach out to your local representation. Mr. Maron asked if it was possible to put an increase in place for a limited time not perpetuity.
Mr. Marie said that Metro-North has greatly increased efficiency and any further savings were likely to have an impact on service. Mr. Chabot commented that the gas tax has been reduced by 14% over the last few years and asked if there was any chance to increase it again. Mr. Marie said that it was ConnDOT’s job to asses the needs of the state and any gap between what is required to maintain service and improve them. Mr. Marie said the list of needs is great, the list of wants is greater, and the list of resources is very small in comparison. The council asked if there was help coming on a Federal level. Mr. Marie said that while we wait on that discussion we have to keep planning for the State’s needs.
Mr. Austin, Jr. raised 2 issues; 1. if they had considered a fare increase on the base fares, as within Connecticut the fares are lower than the buses. 2. He asked if they would consider a fare collection audit. Mr. Marie stated that he had heard this concern but that they didn’t share it as they have one of the lowest fare evasion rates of any commuter railroad, at around $2 Mil USD or 2-3%, Mr. Steele asked where Mr. Marie was getting the fare evasion number. Mr. Marie said the source is the 2003 TCRP (Transit Cooperative Research Program) study of 20 transit properties. Mr. Cameron said that anecdotally all of the Council members have seen and reported these incidents of uncollected tickets; he said a commuter watching a rider get on and not pay was equivalent to watching someone shoplifting. Mr. Maron commented that the higher the fares go the more some will try to dodge the fare. Mr. Longobardi said there are around 400 auditor tests conducted and they would be happy to present these findings at the next meeting.
CDOT RAIL STATION PARKING TASK FORCE (3)
Mr. Redeker advised that they were collecting and distributing residential origin / station destination findings but, due to staffing cuts, it was taking longer than expected. Mr. Colonese has taken on this project and Mr. Redeker will shortly send out a notice to get a new meeting date on the calendar to share that information.
Mr. Redeker shared the news that a new free shuttle service was introduced today in New Haven, the service is between the station, the 2 parking lots, and the green. Bus number 89 operates every 20 minutes from 6am-10pm. Mr Colonese’s group, intermodal, is paying for the service and ConnDOT will see how well it works at opening up downtown and reducing congestion.
Mr. Cameron advised that Darien board of selectmen had had their eyes opened to permit hoarding and will increase the number of permits they issue at lower cost, approximately half, to encourage infrequent users to use the lots further away from the station. Mr. Cameron also raised the possibility of subletting permits, which would be legal in Darien though the rules vary by town, Ms. Prosi noted that Greenwich had people arrested for permit trading. Ms. Prosi added that Stratford was able to purge hundreds of people from their permit waiting list just by better management; they have a staff member monitor every plate in the lot every day. Mr. Steele inquired if a secondary market for tickets has been considered at a state level. Mr. Redeker said the Parking task force is the right resource to discuss and implement these ideas, they spent whole 1st meeting on permit issues alone.
Ms. Teixeira from MetroPool informed the council of a program they are running to encourage people to share a ride to the train station. If you share 2 rides to the station you receive a $25 USD check, and encourage members go to the website for more information, www.nuride.com, supplies are limited. Mr. Maron, asked how the program is funded. Ms. Prosi advised that this is funded with SEMAC money, for congestion mitigation.
Mr. Hartwell asked if the Parking task force would release their report by end of the year. Mr. Redeker said that was the goal although clarified that this is not just a study but also an action taskforce.
MAINLINE ISSUES (4)
A: UPDATE ON M8 DELIVERY / TESTING
Mr. Cameron started the discussion by says he had reviewed his notes and about 18 months ago when the M8’s were discussed we were told the 1st test cars would start arriving in August, last month Mr. Parker said they would arrive in November with another 4-6 months of testing. Mr Cameron asked Commr Marie if this latest timeline was still accurate and we would see production cars in May, 2010. Mr. Marie started by saying he has spent his entire career in public transportation, and the recent track record of rail manufacturers has been deplorable, they’ve had a very difficult time meeting deadlines, so Mr. Marie is not surprised by the delay. Mr. Marie said he reviewed all the public statements and the timeline given was fall 2009 for delivery of the 1st cars, his team has been intimately involved with MetroNorth in design, production, and the delivery schedule. Mr. Marie explained that 300 railcars is a big order by industry standard. The output of 10 cars a month has only been achieved once in history and it took 5 years to get there. Kawasaki has had challenges to deal with; 1. The delivery of structural steel, 2. Trouble with suppliers, 60% of the materials required come from sub suppliers, 3. Testing problems, namely the compression test failure. However, they have overcome many hurdles and are in static testing in Japan which is going well right now, we should see pilot cars in the fall, which will be brought to yard for testing at night. They are 60-70 cars into the build, though we will see a lag between pilot cars and production cars because of quality testing, if everything goes really well we should we production cars in May 2010 and the end date unchanged with all cars in service in late 2012.
Mr. Cameron thanked Mr. Marie for the best, most thorough, explanation he had ever heard of the M8 project. Mr. Marie, pointed out that they are still doing modifications on M7’s and the department’s focus is on making sure Kawasaki gets it right before they send the cars here. In relative terms, Kawasaki has been doing well.
Mr. Chabot commented that he hoped they would keep up with the CSR program in the interim, Mr. Marie said CSR will continue and they are committed to a high level of mean distance between failures, next in the program will be the M4’s.
Mr. Hartwell understood that there are fewer seats on new cars, and asked what the net/net seat capacity increase will be 18-20% in seats. Mr. Marie said the exact fleet management plan can be presented at the next meeting. Mr. Hartwell also wanted to comment on the 3x3 vs. 3x2 design of the car noted that he personally would be very sorry to see it go.
Mr, Todd asked if there savings for us if Kawasaki are late, Mr. Marie stated that if they don’t deliver on the agreed upon dates we will hold their feet to the contractual fire. Mr. Cameron asked if there is there a risk of Kawasaki going out of business, as when Bombardier lost the contract they said that Kawasaki must be loosing a lot of money on this deal, are they loosing so much money that they could be in financial difficulty. Mr. Marie said that he felt there was no danger of this.
Ms. Cronin asked for an update on the bike rack decision. Mr. Redeker said that there is an RFP going out, and the bike hooks are not permanent. Mr. Marie said that Kawasaki is making provisional structural adjustments to accommodate the final design. Mr. Cameron asked what the bike target is; Mr. Marie said 2 per bikes per car is what the state is going for.
C: STAMFORD GARAGE REDEVELOPMENT
Mr. Marie opened by saying that the station and garage need to be in harmony with the city, and address the deteriorating condition in the existing garage. Mr. Redeker said although there was only 1 response to RFEI, he still feels like there is significant interest amongst the developers though perhaps many didn’t want to share their ideas or make the investment required to participate in the RFEI. Mr. Redeker advised that they have connected with Stantec, the City’s consultant, and they will present to the council at a future date.
Mr. Freeman from Harbor Point approached Mr. Cameron in June or July about presenting at a council meeting and, although the Council has no say in the adoption of any particular plan, Mr. Cameron said he was welcome to attend as the council would be very interested to see what ideas Harbor Point has.
Harbor Point Development own 80 acres south of train station, and as part of the zoning approval process were asked to contribute $100,000 for a traffic study, now the Stantec study. Harbor Point’s plan would include a free ride bus from the residential properties, approximately 4,000 units, to downtown Stamford and the train station, road improvements and walking paths. Their Manger site could be utilized for temporary parking or could possibly be part of a permanent parking solution for the train station. Harbor Point is really focused on the 50-100 year plan for the area, the plan would really marry the office space to the station, using the grade of the platform as the 1st level of the office building, and going below grade with parking, approximately 1,000 spaces for the train station. The pedestrians would be kept above street level and away from the traffic.
Mr. Cameron asked who would pay for pedestrian bridge and platform extensions, Mr. Marie said this is something that would be worked out as part of the proposal though right now he couldn’t say exactly where the money could come from.
Mr. Maron asked what the price point of parking spaces would be, Mr. Freeman said it would be a ConnDOT operated garage, so the price would be set by ConnDOT. Mr. Chabot asked what timeframe would be for the construction of the garage, Mr. Freeman said they don’t have a buyer for the office building but if ConnDOT said “go” they could build the garage in 9 months. Mr. Chabot asked who would pay for the construction and Mr. Freeman and Mr. Marie both said it would be a ConnDOT garage. Mr. Todd asked how much money is available for the garage, Mr. Marie said there is $35 Million USD set aside though there is a possibility that this number could go up.
Mr. Hartwell asked how old the current garage is, and if we are looking at a 50-100 year plan. Mr. Redeker advised the garage is approximately 25 years old and that some of that dialogue going on now as a part of the Stantec study is around the future state. Mr. Hartwell asked if ConnDOT has the manpower to pursue this, in response Mr. Marie said that the Branch lines, Shoreline, Springfield line, and Stamford are top priority for ConnDOT and the Governor, as everyone understands there is only negligible benefit to be gained from expansion of the roadways.
Mr. Maron asked for an update on the Stamford garage re-decking, Mr. Colonese advised that Desmond Associates was the successful bidder on the RFP and they are now putting together a package, the focus is to minimize outages and hopes to have repairs completed before the winter sets in. Spend is about $150,000 USD, for 8,000 sq ft initially
B: ARRP FUNDS FOR STATION REPAIRS
Federal AARP funds will be spent on station repairs. Mr. Marie, said they are focusing on the “low hanging fruit”… painting etc. The 2nd package will include more structural items like canopies, all to be finished by 2010. Mr. Cameron commented, as these are stimulus dollars for job creation he hoped that some of the work would be given to local vendors. Mr. Marie responded that as these jobs were small they are suited to small local vendors.
CUSTOMER SATISFACTION SURVEY
Metro-North has decided not to do a customer satisfaction survey this year, Mr. Cameron said ostensibly because they want to coordinate all of their studies so they are similar. Mr. Longobardi didn’t have any information on this decision, and was the only representative from MetroNorth in attendance. Mr. Cameron expressed his disappointment that this decision was made without consulting the CRCC. Mr. Maron asked if it would be possible for the CRCC to manage an online survey and tabulate the responses, Mr. Marie suggested that we gather more information about the decision before we make other plans.
OTHER MAINLINE ISSUES
Chris Schoenfeld, from StationStops.com, spoke about the iPhone application he developed that allows Metro-North riders to check their train departures and arrivals, the download costs between $2.99 USD and $5.99 USD. Mr. Schoenfeld was pursuing license negotiations with MTA but they refused to discuss the 2 requested amendments to the contract. MTA wanted $5,000 USD up front royalty or royalties on all past sales, and Mr. Schoenfeld wanted MTA to send him schedule updates. The MTA then issued a cease and desist order arguing that their train and bus schedule data was copyrighted, however Mr. Schoenfeld believes the law is clear on the matter and it is not possible to copyright facts and tables of data. First he was asked to take the application down, and then the website.
Mr. Schoenfeld was looking for ConnDOT’s help in resolving the matter. Mr. Cameron commented that it sounded like a great application; Mr. Marie said that he was philosophically open to architecture but said that he didn’t know enough about the situation to give an intelligent comment. Mr. Maron said that he would have loved MTA to develop this, but was happy that entrepreneur had stepped up. Mr. Maron proposed the council make a resolution to state; ‘we support as wide as possible distribution of schedule information’. Mr. Todd seconded the motion, and the motion was passed unanimously. Mr. Schnirring, commented that as an iPhone user very happy the application had been developed. Mr. Cameron asked if this included Shoreline east data. Ms. Cronin wondered if the MTA had plans to go after the chap that publishes the bar car data.
Mr. Steele gave an update on the bridge / MetroCenter project status, the 1st selectman has advised the town of Fairfield will forfeit parking revenue so the State can pave the lot, however the waiting area may not be built as there is a lien on developer’s property. Mr. Marie said that 9 months ago ConnDOT was informed that the developer, Blackrock, was having financial difficulties. At this time, ConnDOT is ahead of schedule and under budget for the roadway. Mr. Marie feels it is in the State’s interest to see this project successfully completed, the 1,500 spaces are very important. A dialogue is advancing with the TD BankNorth, the city, and ConnDOT, though it would an overstatement to say that ConnDOT is ‘taking control’. The parties don’t have a resolution yet but TD BankNorth has been receptive to ConnDOT’s ideas. In response to a question from Mr. Cameron, Mr. Marie stated that while capital markets have been very difficult of late he has not soured to the public / private partnership option
Mr. Maron raised the issue of communication when there are problems on the line, he gave the example of an incident where a woman jumped onto the tracks. The police shutdown the tracks and yet it was 35 minutes after the tracks were closed for the first notification to go out. Mr. Longobardi said that it can take 20 minutes before they can get a supervisor on the scene that can correctly asses the situation, and in this instance the scene was being managed by the New York police and information was limited. Ms. Cronin said this was not the case on the train to the Yankee game, the line was shut down for 3 hours, and no notifications were sent.
Mr. Cameron recommended that the council take this up again at next month’s meeting in Grand central
BRANCH LINE ISSUES
Mr. Murphy advised that the busing on the Danbury line had not been a problem.
Mr. Cameron asked when the CTC work on the Danbury line would start. Mr. Marie advise that they have started ordering materials, though the good news is that they are extending the CTC work for the whole line, originally only a 1/3 of the line was scheduled for work. Mr. Marie said they view CTC as just the first step in improvements to the line.
Mr. Cameron asked when the Shoreline would be extended to New London, Mr. Marie advised they have a meeting coming up, last meeting August 14, and they should have the service up a running before the end of the year.
Mr. Chabot said that MetroNorth deserved praise for the way they handled a recent bomb scare in New Canaan, the conductors noticed an unattended bag on the 11:27am train to NYC. The train was cleared and only departed New Canaan 12 minutes behind schedule and the passengers made their connection at Stamford. Overall, it was very impressive and congratulations should be given to the train master Jay Grumblat. Capt. McKenna added that they had a Viper unit in Stamford and got him to New Canaan as soon as the report came in.
Capt. McKenna offered to give a canine demonstration and have Dave Rodriguez, head of the TSA in Connecticut, give a Viper presentation at the next meeting in New Haven.
OPERATING REPORTS
Everything good for July & August, on time performance at 98% and Mr. Cameron commented that the consist compliance hasn’t been this high in a long time. Ridership was down 6% - 6.7%. Mr. Maron asked Mr. Longobardi to explain the poor correlation between consist compliance and cars out of service. Mr. Longobardi gave an example of 1 outage causing 12 consist changes out of New York.
Mr. Longobardi advised that there is work ongoing for the East side access and we would be loosing some tracks to accommodate the work.
2009 / 2010 COUNCIL MEETING SCHEDULE
The 2009 / 2010 council meeting schedule was agreed;
Date Location Time
Wed. October 21, 2009 Grand Central - NYC 6:00 pm
Wed. November 18, 2009 New Haven RR Station – CDOT 6:00 pm
Wed. December 16, 2009 SWRPA – Stamford 7:00 pm
Wed. January 20, 2010 SWRPA – Stamford 7:00 pm
Wed. February 24, 2010 New Haven RR Station – CDOT 6:00 pm
Wed. March 17, 2010 SWRPA – Stamford 7:00 pm
Wed. April 21, 2010 Grand Central - NYC 6:00 pm
Wed. May 19, 2010 Town (to be confirmed) 7:00 pm
Wed. June 16, 2010 SWRPA – Stamford 7:00 pm
Wed. August 11, 2010 SWRPA – Stamford 7:00 pm
ELECTION OF COUNCIL MEMEBRS
All of the Council members in attendance are entitled to vote, however the following are lame duck members whose appointments have expired: Mr. Cirella, Ms. Cronin, Mr. Maron, and Mr. Steele.
Mr. Cameron advised that the Chairman of the Transportation Committee, Tony Guerrera, has reappointed him to the CRCC. The meeting was handed over to Mr. Chabot for the election of Chairman. Mr. Todd nominated Mr. Cameron, Mr. Hartwell seconded the nomination. There were no other nominations, the council took a vote all in favor, none opposed, Mr. Cameron abstained.
Mr. Cameron reappointed same Vice Chairs, Ms. Cronin and Mr. Steele, on the condition they are reappointed to the CRCC. Mr. Cameron reappointed Mr. Jelley as secretary.
Mr. Cameron advised he would distribute the appointment chart to the members.
The meeting was adjourned.
