In-depth look into the Commuter rail plans
Posted by Blake Doelle on June 28, 2008 at 5:28 pm • Print This Page • Share
Note: This is the second of a three part series on commuter rail on the 1-35 corridor. Read the first here.
An old proverb tells us that the devil is in the details. So it goes with bringing commuter rail to the Austin/San Antonio I-35 corridor. While there isn’t a particular devil to lay blame on, the infrastructure issues surrounding this are causing concern to many that are involved in trying bring passenger rail to the corridor.
Union Pacific (UP) owns the rail lines that commuter rail will need to use, and there is a lot of work that remains to be done so all parties can be satisfied. Currently over 25 trains a day make use of the tracks on the I-35 corridor.
“For the moment we don’t have a plan on rerouting rail traffic,” said Raquel Espinoza, Director of Corporate Relations & Media for Texas and the surrounding states. Espinoza also categorized their collaboration so far with the Austin/San Antonio Commuter Rail District (ASA) as not being formal negotiations.
A major issue is that currently UP does not have any other available routes to reroute traffic to. State Highway 130, a toll road which is currently under construction that, when completed, will run from Georgetown to Seguin, could provide an alternative. Yet, as all of this is still being negotiated and planned, no real promises can be made.
SH 130 is being built in segments. According to their website (www.sh130.com) the road is, “…a 49-mile tollway extending from Interstate 35 north of Georgetown southward to U.S. 183 southeast of Austin, passing though Williamson and Travis Counties. The project is expected to be completed in Spring 2008. SH 130 will be a four-lane roadway with toll facilities and major interchanges at I-35, U.S. 79, SH 45 North, U.S. 290 and SH 71. The design of SH 130 will also include limited and discontinuous frontage roads.”
In the published minutes of ASA’s meeting on June 6th, 2003 during the legislative update they put forth their vision for SH130 as, “…a bill proposed by Senator Wentworth and Senator Barrientos that passed. Because of this bill, TxDOT is authorized to use funds for Project 130 to make it rail compatible. The language also states that it is the legislators’ intent and hope to make SH 130 compatible and they hope that TxDOT will comply.
Legislative intent aside these seems to be a disconnect between ASA’s goals and UP’s needs. Both parties agree that it is possible freight rail traffic can be diverted, but doing so is going to cost a great deal. UP will possibly have to assume the costs of building new tracks and altering their infrastructure to accommodate commuter rail depending on what the Texas Department of Transportation can offer.
“We’re pleased with the line we have now,” said Joe Adams, Vice President of Public Affairs for UP’s southern region. Adams pointed to the current lines running along the I-35 corridor having the right kind of uphill grade, right of way and curvature for their needs. Rail lines, according to Adams, need one to two percent uphill grade to be safe. Highways, on the other hand can have up to six or seven percent.
When asked about previous statements by ASA officials regarding the flexible timetables of freight rail traffic Espinoza said, “I definitely disagree. We have schedules that are mapped out to serve our customers…our customers would disagree. We have companies that are counting on us.”
Because of skyrocketing gas prices many companies now prefer to use rail as a more cost effective method of delivery as opposed to using 18-wheelers.
“Lots of companies have turned to rail,” said Espinoza. “It’s the most environmentally friendly way to transport freight.” Espinoza also pointed out the environmental benefits of getting more 18-wheeler trucks off the highway and that if 10 percent of the freight moved by highway were diverted to rail, the nation could save as much as 1 billion gallons of fuel annually.
However, despite these differences, UP has expressed a willingness to work with the district. “We do anticipate meeting with ASA soon.” Espinoza said. “We are fine with sitting down with them as long as we can get a plan that works for everybody.”
By SEAN WARDWELL
Correspondent
Commuter rail has been coming for a while now, but what exactly is it?
Posted by Blake Doelle on June 20, 2008 at 1:30 pm • Print This Page • Share
Note: This is the beginning of a three part series on commuter rail on the 1-35 corridor. The Austin-San Antonio Commuter Rail District was authorized by the legislature in 2002 and had its first meeting in February of 2003, consisting of representatives from Austin, San Antonio, and the cities and counties along the I-35 corridor. Since then it has been making progress at bringing municipal rail to the corridor. Funding for the project has been defined as a 50-50 split between the Texas Department of Transportation and the local municipal areas that will be using it.
“We’re looking at 1/3 (of the funds) to come from the Austin metropolitan area (which includes the city, county and transportation district), 1/3 from San Antonio, and 1/3 from the smaller communities and counties,” said Allison Schulze, Senior Planner/Administrator for the ASA district.
The entire project is expected to cost $613 million dollars. According to Vernon’s Texas Civil Statutes the district is defined as, “…a political subdivision of the state exercising public and essential governmental functions and has all the powers necessary or convenient to carry out the purposes of this article.” It is subject to sunset review, or legislative review to determine its need, every 12 years. Currently San Marcos and Hays county are represented by Precinct 3 County Commissioner Will Conley and Place 6 City Council member John Thomaides.
Commuter rail differs from light rail in several important areas. Light rail depends on new tracks, new engines, and a whole new infrastructure. Usually light rail trains are electric, with lower speeds and capacity, and are meant for mass public transportation within urban areas. Municipal rail, on the other hand, uses existing tracks and equipment, such as diesel locomotives, to move commuters over longer distances and carry more passengers.
However, as the system uses existing tracks, which are currently owned by Union Pacific, the issue of dispatch rights has come to the forefront. Dispatch rights control who determines when the trains can run. Commuter rail needs to follow a set schedule while freight traffic tends to be more flexible. In a previous interview, William Bingham, the General Counsel for the Austin-San Antonio Intermunicipal Rail District said, “If I’ve got a meeting in San Antonio at noon I need to leave Austin at a certain time to get there. On the other hand, if I’ve got a boxcar load of freight, whether it leaves at 9, 10, or 11 is not real critical. It just needs to go that day.”
The ASA district proposes a route from Georgetown to Central San Antonio, with stops in Austin, Buda/Kyle, San Marcos, New Braunfels, and the San Antonio area. Over the next few weeks this series will explore both the proposed infrastructure of commuter rail along the corridor and plans for how it will be implemented along with reports on negotiations between Union Pacific and the district over when the trains will run and how freight traffic might be routed away from the San Marcos area.
More information can be found at the ASA website at www.asarail.org.
By SEAN WARDWELL
Correspondent
Commuter Rail outlook optimistic
Posted by Chris Doelle on June 6, 2008 at 1:13 pm • Print This Page • Share
The Austin-San Antonio Intermunicipal Commuter Rail District (ASA) board met Friday morning at the San Marcos Activity Center. The ASA was originally created by the City of Austin, Travis County, the City of San Antonio, and Bexar county and was authorized by the 77th Texas State Legislature. Since that time Hays County and the City of San Marcos have joined along with a large number of other corridor entities.
Who controls “when,” was the major topic of discussion at the latest meeting. “…[W]hen you’re moving passengers you need to have the train on time,” said district general counsel William Bingham. “If I’ve got a meeting in San Antonio at noon I need to leave Austin at a certain time to get there.”
Bingham continued, “On the other hand, if I’ve got a boxcar load of freight, whether it leaves at 9, 10, or 11 is not real critical. It just needs to go that day. The passenger train needs (…) to be on time.”
Dispatch rights, or who decides when the trains will run, is essential to setting up commuter rail along the Austin-San Antonio Corridor. Currently Union Pacific, who owns the railroad lines, has these rights.
Negotiations are ongoing with Union Pacific over these rights, but a mood of optimism and enthusiasm was shared by all.
“How often do you get a room full of elected officials and local business leaders who come together on a common regional effort?” said San Marcos place six councilman, John Thomaides. “It crosses four to five counties, affects millions of people, and I think we really see the future here.”
Tullos Wells, Vice-Chair of the district, echoed these sentiments, referencing a time when efforts to bring commuter rail to the 1-35 corridor began, “A number of people said ‘hey guys, this train idea will never work because it’s so much cheaper and easier to drive up and down I-35’,” said Wells. “Well, I can make a compelling argument on the easier side, but there’s no question about the cheaper side,” he added.
Rebranding the district was another major topic considered.
“It’s a mouthful,” said Allison Schulze, Senior Planner/Administrator, referring to the current name for the organization dedicated to bringing commuter rail to the Austin-San Antonio corridor. The district board approved a request for proposals in order to make the district more identifiable and create a unique identity. During the meeting several members of the board pointed out that other cities and municipal areas have names for their commuter or light rail service have distinctive names and their current one was too unwieldy. Wells jokingly remarked that even some of the current board members had trouble pronouncing the full name of the district.
“I’m very excited about the branding,” said Schulze, who also expressed excitement about the level of cooperation and discussion amongst the board members.
Commuter rail, which differs from light rail as it uses existing rail tracks and equipment, has been in the planning stages for around five years. Projected ridership is estimated by the district to be around 3 ½ million passengers a year, with a possible 15,000 of that coming from students attending Texas State University.
Ross Milloy, the interim executive director of the district spoke about some of the legislative hurdles that still need to be overcome, “I would say we are making steady, cautious progress.” Milloy, further asked people, “…to contact their state legislator and ask them to work on financing new transportation alternatives for the Austin-San Antonio Corridor.”
The next meeting of the district will be on September 15th at 10 AM in the San Marcos Activity Center.
By SEAN WARDWELL
Correspondent
Listing of Members and Jurisdictions Represented.
- Sid Covington - Chair
Austin Business Community - Tullos Wells - Vice Chair
General Public - Commissioner Tommy Adkisson
Bexar County - Gloria Arriaga
AACOG Alamo Regional Transit (ART) - Mayor Hal Baldwin
City of Schertz - Commissioner Jeff Barton
Capital Area MPO (CAMPO) - Commissioner Lisa Birkman
Williamson County - Mary Briseno
VIA Metropolitan Transit - Mariano Camarillo
General Public - Council Member John Clamp
City of San Antonio - Commissioner Will Conley
Hays County - Mayor John Cowman
Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority - Commissioner Gerald Daugherty
Travis County - Council Member Patty Eason
City of Georgetown - Commissioner Debbie Ingalsbe
Capital Area Rural Transportation System (CARTS) - Council Member Jennifer Kim
City of Austin - Carroll Schubert
San Antonio Business Community - Council Member John Thomaides
City of San Marcos - Senator Jeff Wentworth
San Antonio-Bexar County MPO (SA-BCMPO) - Council Member Pat Wiggins
City of New Braunfels
###
Artist rendering of the the Austin-San Antonio Intermunicipal Commuter Rail courtesy of ASA and A3 Design
Two Austin and two New Braunfels artists get their work displayed
Posted by Blake Doelle on May 31, 2008 at 11:35 pm • Print This Page • Share
Texas State University’s Department of Art and Design is opening two new exhibits this week. Galleries one and two will be showcasing local talent from Austin all the way to New Braunfels. Gallery one will be opening an exhibit titled “What Goes Around” which features the work of two Austin artists, Judy Paul and Satch Grimley. Both artists are painters and printmakers and their works are a combination of the two mediums.
Mary Mikel Stump, director of the Mitte Art Gallery on campus, said the works are “abstract motifs from nature such as animals and leaves.”
The exhibit in gallery two is titled “A Harvest of Local Talent” and presents the work of photographers Pauline Stevens and John Moler from New Braunfels.
“This is an annual exhibition we do to highlight artists working and living within twenty miles of Texas State University” Stump said.
The photographs of John Moler are described by Stump as “agricultural and rural landscapes of the area East of I-35, mostly in Seguin. They are almost abstract because there is nothing but the earth a straight horizon.”
Pauline Stevens is showcasing “unexpected portraiture” of various objects. One of the sets of photographs she is featuring was taken at her family’s bee farm in Mexico.
There will be a closing reception for these exhibits Thursday June 26 from 6p.m. until 8p.m.
The Mitte Art Gallery on the Texas State Campus has new summer hours from 10a.m. to 10p.m. every day of the week.
By CHRIS COPPLE
Correspondent
Thunderhill Raceway delivers jam-packed racing action
Posted by Blake Doelle on May 27, 2008 at 9:33 am • Print This Page • Share
KYLE, TX (May 27, 2008) - Plenty of race cars, trucks and karts were on hand to entertain the fans this past weekend at Thunderhill Raceway (Kyle, TX). The green flag waved for 124 entries from all over the state of Texas, and time limits were imposed on each race to provide continuous racing action throughout the night.
The Lone Star Legends highlighted the agenda with its Legend, Bandolero and Thunder Roadster classes.
The Bandoleros were the first feature race on the agenda, and lots of youngsters took their scaled-down, sleek racecars out on the track. The race winner was ten-year-old T. J. Michael from Plano (TX).
Sixteen old-style race cars in the Legends class showed the fans lots of spins and action in their 15-lap feature event. Michael Dabney, Jr., from Kaufman (TX) came up through the field from the rear and managed to capture the checkered flag.
The Thunder Roadsters were next in line, and the two race leaders playing plenty of “bumper tag,” throughout the race. J. C. Umscheid from Alvarado (TX) grabbed the win.
Brian Kyempel claimed yet another victory in the NasKarts, while Jim Albert from Lockhart (TX) continued his domination in the Pro Trucks by adding another feature race to his winning streak.
The Dwarf Car Racing Series of Texas was next on the agenda, and a melee on the first lap brought out the caution for a complete restart. Keith Roach from Buda (TX) took the lead on Lap 8 and held on for the win.
The time limit was enforced for the 16 Thunder Stocks that started the feature race. Following a huge oil spill caused by a blown engine, Gary Chancellor from Bastrop (TX) was declared the winner when the clock expired.
Umscheid pulled double-duty on Saturday night and started on the outside pole for the ExpressJet 35 Pro Modified race. Although he battled hard for the lead, Umscheid had to head to the pits due to an oil leak and restart at the rear of the field. Justin Long was able to take advantage of Umscheid’s mechanical misfortune by grabbing the lead and a race victory.
The scheduled 40-lap ASA A-Line Super Stock was cut short due to six caution flags. Cary Stapp from San Marcos (TX), who was the 2007 A-Line Super Stock champion, took the lead on Lap 15 and survived the wrecks and spins to claim victory. Four different drivers have captured wins in the four races that have been held so far this year in this exciting class.
Topping off the night was the 25-lap Grand Stock feature race. Floyd Reed from Spicewood (TX) started the race in the 13th position and survived several wrecks to work his way to the front. Reed took the lead on Lap 9 and claimed victory when the time expired on this event.
The next race scheduled for Thunderhill Raceway will be held on Saturday, May 31, starting at 7:00 p.m. The racing action will be highlighted by the 4th Annual TSRS (Late Models) Operation Interdependence 75 presented by Chuck Nash - along with the Thunderhill Raceway ASA A-Line Super Stocks, Thunder Stocks, Grand Stocks and NasKarts. The Texas Pro Sedans and Allison Legacy Racing Series will also be on the racing agenda. The JRA Kids Club will also be hosting its second Bike Race of the year for the young Thunderhill Raceway fans.
Thunderhill Raceway is a 3/8-mile, asphalt D-shaped oval track that’s located at 24801 IH-35, just north of San Marcos (TX) near Yarrington Road (Exit #210).
For more information on Thunderhill Raceway, visit the THR website at www.thunderhillraceway.com.
By DEBBIE WILLIAMS
Public Relations Director - Thunderhill Raceway
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