Northeast Corridor (NEC) Infrastructure and Operations Advisory Commission

1. Northeast Corridor (NEC) Infrastructure and Operations Advisory Commission Northeast Association of State Transportation Officials 2010 Annual Conference Plenary Session on Rail June 14, 2010 Wilmington, Delaware Anne Stubbs Coalition of Northeastern Governors

2. NEC Advisory Commission Created by Congress: Passenger Rail Investment and Improvement Act (P.L. 110- 432, Division B) October 16, 2008 NEC Mainline States and District: MA - District Members Voting: Represent Amtrak Represent USDOT including FRA Represent the 8 NEC States and District of Columbia, Designated by Governors and Mayor Non-voting: Represent Freight Rail Users of the NEC Established by USDOT Secretary Invitation/nomination request letters – March 2010

3. NEC Advisory Commission – Structure • No Single Membership Group is a Majority • Members Elect Chairman • Authorized To Appoint and Pay Staff • Authorized For “Such Sums As Necessary” – FY2009- FY2013 • FY2010 THUD Appropriations: USDOT May Retain Up To ½ Percent For the Commission Expenses • Consults With Other Entities As Appropriate

4. NEC Advisory Commission – Significance for the Nation and Region SCOPE: • All NEC Users: Intercity, Commuter, Freight • Corridor-wide: Spans Service and Political Boundaries • Current and Future: NEC Rail Capital, Operations, Financing Needs • Comprehensive: Rail and Related NEC Activities – Other Modes, Energy, Environment, Economic Development

5. NEC Advisory Commission – Significance for the Nation and Region PROCESS and PERFORMANCE: • Promote Mutual Cooperation and Planning for NEC Rail and Related Activities • Expanded, Improved Rail Services on the NEC Through: • Greater Safety and Reliability • Reduced Travel Times • Increased Frequencies • Enhanced Intermodal Connections Related to Airport/Highway Congestion, Reduced Transportation Energy Consumption, Improved Air Quality, and Economic Development

6. NEC Advisory Commission – Significance for the Nation and Region PRODUCTS • Statement of Goals for Future NEC Infrastructure and Operations – Vision • Recommendations to Achieve Goals • NEC Access Costs Formula

7. NEC Advisory Commission – Significance for the Nation and Region Extensive Range of Recommendations: • Capital Needs Beyond SOGR • Capital & Maintenance Funding • Operations • Future Capacity Needs • Non-rail Uses of NEC • Safety & Security • Marketing • Scheduling & Dispatching • Equipment Design • Potential Funding/Financing Mechanisms for Significant Corridor-wide Projects

8. NEC Advisory Commission – Significance for the Nation and Region NEC Access Costs Formula • Develop Standardized Formula to Determine & Allocate Costs, Revenues, Compensation • Applies to Commuter Rail Services that Use Amtrak Services & Facilities OR Provide Facilities and Services to Amtrak • Ensures No Cross-subsidization; Direct Benefit and Proportionate Share of Common Benefit • Applies to NEC Main Line and Amtrak-owned Branch Lines (PA, CT-MA, NY) • Develop Implementation Timetable (by October 2014) and Submit to STB

9. NEC Advisory Commission – Opportunities and Challenges Come Mixed Together • Vision, Goals and Planning for the NEC as an Integrated Transportation and Economic Corridor • Embody Principles of Enhanced Intermodality With Benefits to the Region’s Transportation Congestion (Rail, Air, Highway), Economic Development, Energy Use, and Environment. • Potential National Benchmark for Integration of Rail Transportation With Other Modes

10. NEC Advisory Commission – Opportunities and Challenges Come Mixed Together • Moves Beyond Traditional Planning, Operations, Project and Funding Perspectives and Models • Not Project, State or Service Area-specific • Not Rail Specific

11. NEC Advisory Commission – Opportunities and Challenges Come Mixed Together • Evolves from Prior Federal-Amtrak-State Processes and Analyses • Northeast High-Speed Rail Improvement Project • Joint Project Planning and Benefits Agreements • Amtrak Strategic Plan • Amtrak’s NEC Infrastructure Master Plan • Proposed Multi-State Process for Future Service Development and Environmental Analyses

12. NEC Advisory Commission – Opportunities and Challenges Come Mixed Together • Scope of Responsibilities Is Wide and Diverse • Broad Vision and Policy to the Planning and Details of Capital and Operations Design, Implementation and Funding

13. NEC Advisory Commission – Opportunities and Challenges Come Mixed Together • Complexity of Access Cost Formula Development and Implementation • Prior Commuter Cost Allocation Negotiations • Relationship to Amtrak’s standardized methodology for state-supported routes • Extensive Access to Expertise and Funding Resources • New Data and Modeling Requirements • Extensive Infrastructure and Operations Experience • New Institutional, Planning, Legal and Financial Analyses • Reports to Congress: Authorization Committees

14. NEC Advisory Commission – NEXT STEPS? Commission: • Is Convened • Organizes Itself (Procedures, Budget, Staffing) • Sets Direction and Initial Priorities • Determines Relationships to Stakeholders

15. Thank You! Anne D. Stubbs Executive Director CONEG Policy Research Center, Inc. (202) 624-8450 adsconeg@sso.org