Massachusetts Rail Plan
September 16, 2010
State Freight and Rail Plans
• State Rail Plan
• The plan describes state policy for freight and
passenger rail transportation, including commuter rail
• Provides priorities and strategies to enhance rail
service in Massachusetts that benefits the public
• Will serve as the basis for Federal and State rail
investment in Massachusetts
• Requires public process – Stakeholder consultation,
Public Hearing
• State Freight Plan
– Multi-modal – highway, rail, maritime, air
– Existing conditions, trends, potential actions
– Issues and opportunities in different modes
Agenda

Existing Freight Rail Network And Forecasts

Freight Rail Infrastructure

Passenger Network, Constraints and Forecasts

Rail Investment Scenarios and Recommendations

Questions and Discussion
Existing Freight Rail Network And Forecasts
Massachusetts Freight Rail Network
Major Economic & Freight Trends

Value of manufactured goods
is increasing – shift to highvalue, low-weight products.

Freight volumes are projected
to increase 70% by 2030.

Freight loads and facilities are
getting larger.

Large-scale distribution
activities are increasingly
expanding beyond the Boston
metropolitan area.

The majority of freight will
continue to be shipped by
truck.
10
U.S. Highway Congestion Increasing
High volume freight
truck routes to increase
230% from 2002 to
2035
US needs $225 billion in
transportation for state
of good repair –
spending less than 40%
of that
U.S. Rail Corridors and Congestion
Rail volumes
expected to
increase 88%
from 2002 to
2035 – 1.7 billion
tons to 3.2 billion
tons
AAR estimates $148
Billion capacity
investments needed to
meet future demand
Massachusetts Freight Volumes
Projected to Increase


Freight Volumes projected to increase by 70% by 2030
Each mode to grow with trucks increasing mode share
4
Majority of Freight Shipped by Truck
2007 Modal Shares of Tonnage, Massachusetts and US
90%
195.9
80%
70%
60%
e
r 50%
a
h 40%
S
30%
20%
10%
13.9
11.2
0.3
0%
Truck
Rail
MA Share
Air
US Share
Source: Global Insight TRANSEARCH 2008 Release, FAF 2007 Provisional Release.
Tonnages for Massachusetts are presented above the bars, in Millions. Excludes
“through” traffic. Percentages do not sum to one due to omission of other
unclassified modal movements
Water
Majority of Freight Shipped by Truck
2007 Modal Shares of Value, Massachusetts and US
90%
$306,886
80%
70%
60%
e
r 50%
a
h 40%
S
30%
20%
10%
$21,416
$4,308
0%
Truck
$118
Rail
MA Share
Air
US Share
Source: FAF2 2007 Provisional Commodity Origin-Destination Data Release.
Values for Massachusetts are presented above the bars, in Millions. Excludes
“through” traffic. Percentages do not sum to 100 due to omission of other
unclassified modal movements
Water
Modal Variations in Shipping
Truck – 239 million tons
Internal
32%
Through
18%
Inbound
37%
Outbound
13%
Rail – 18 million tons
Through
38%
Inbound
48%
Outbound
14%
Source: Global Insight TRANSEARCH 2008 Release
Expansion of Large-Scale Distribution Activity is
Shifting Beyond Boston Metro Area
Freight Rail Infrastructure
Multi-Modal Freight Infrastructure is
Aging
Freight Rail Infrastructure Constraints
Defined

286k: 286,000 lbs rail
car capacity becoming
industry standard vs
current 263,000 lbs

Double-Stack: Vertical
rail line clearance for
two intermodal
containers with a
clearance of 20’8”
Major Freight Issues & Constraints

Multi-modal freight transportation infrastructure is aging and
struggling to compete.
 Congestion
 Clearances
 Weight Restrictions

Freight transportation activity often conflicts with other land
uses.

Most freight transportation issues and potential solutions are
inherently linked to passenger transportation.
11
Current Freight Rail Projects
Source: MassDOT Planning
Passenger Network, Constraints and Forecasts
Massachusetts Passenger Rail Network
Passenger Rail Operations in Massachusetts
Service
Route
miles in Weekday #
MA
of trains Average Daily ridership
Ownership
MBTA North Side
service
161.5
202
51,350
MBTA, Pan Am Railway
MBTA South Side
Service
212.2
298
92,620
MBTA, Mass DOT, Private, CSXT
Amtrak NEC
36
42
32,236
MBTA
Amtrak Inland
route and Vermont
service
200
16
2,182
MBTA, Mass DOT, CSXT, Amtrak,
NECR
Amtrak
Downeaster
33
10
1,348
MBTA, Pan Am Railway
MA Passenger Rail Annual Ridership:
1997 – 2008 for MBTA and Amtrak
35,000
30,000
Attleboroto
Providence, Weekday
service
Old
Colony
3,000
AttleborotoProvidence,
Weekendservice
Greenbush
2,500
Worcester
25,000
2,000
A 20,000
T
B
M15,000
Fare
increase
Fare
increase
k
a
1,500 rt
m
A
1,000
10,000
Acela
Newburyport
5,000
-
500
Downeaster
1
9
9
7
1
9
9
8
1
9
9
9
2
0
0
0
MBTA North Side
2
0
0
1
2
0
0
2
2
0
0
3
2
0
0
4
MBTA South Side
2
0
0
5
2
0
0
6
2
0
0
7
Amtrak
2
0
0
8
0
New England High Speed and Intercity
Passenger Rail Vision
•Downeaster
improvements
•Knowledge Corridor /
Conn River Line
•Capitol Corridor to
Nashua, Manchester
and Concord, NH
•Northeast Corridor
•Inland Route BostonSpringfield
Northeast Corridor



May 2010 Northeast
Corridor Master Plan
 Increase of 50% in
Acela trains between
Boston and New York
 $51 Billion Investment
 State of Good Repair
Northeast Corridor
Commission
Massachusetts Ownership
MBTA Commuter Rail

Equipment Replacement
New Locomotives
 New Bi-level Cars
Service Expansion
 South Coast Rail
 Worcester Service
Constraints
 State of Good Repair
 Funding
 PTC Mandate



Current Passenger Rail Projects
Source: MassDOT Planning
Rail Investment Scenarios and
Recommendations
Planned Improvements
12
Freight & Passenger Investment
Scenarios




Facilitating anticipated growth in goods movement
Balancing and diversifying the multi-modal freight
system
Reducing congestion and environmental impacts
Enhancing economic development opportunities
Types of Projects
Considered






Weight on Rail
Double-Stack
Intermodal/Transload and
Port Facilities
Truck Access to Ports and
Intermodal (“last mile”)
Passenger Capacity and
Market Expansion
Passenger Travel Time
Reduction
Types of Benefits
Measured



Economic Benefits
 Shipper Cost Savings;
Truck Congestion
Benefits; Freight Logistics
Benefits; Near and Long
Term Jobs
Transportation
 Auto Congestion Benefits;
Reduced Accidents;
Reduced Highway
Maintenance
Environmental
 Reduced Greenhouse
Gases; Reduced
Emissions
Northern Tier Investment Scenario

Objective: Improve the East-West rail connections from New
York through Ayer to Maine



286k upgrade on connections to Maine, Worcester and Springfield
Full double-stack capability on Patriot Corridor
Supporting investments to intermodal facilities in Ayer
Northern Tier Cost-Benefit Analysis
Summary

$348
$255


$93

Economic Benefits:
 Cost Savings: $319
million
 Near-Term 150 jobs
 Long-Term 100 jobs
Transportation :
 $27 million
Environmental
 Greenhouse Gas
Emissions CO2: 3,494
ton reduction
 Emissions reduction $2
million
Benefit-Cost Ratio: 3.7
Central and Western MA Freight
Scenario

Objective: Improve connections on north-south rail corridors and
improve truck access to intermodal and aviation facilities
 286k improvements on north-south rail corridors
 Second generation double-stack on north-south corridors
Central and Western MA Cost-Benefit
Analysis Summary
$212
$143
$69
•Economic Benefits:
–Cost Savings $158
million
–Near-Term 105 jobs
–Long-Term 75 jobs
•Transportation:
–$53 million
•Environmental:
–Greenhouse Gas
Emissions CO2: 2,187
ton reduction
–Emissions reduction
$817,000
•Benefit-Cost Ratio: 3.1
Southeastern MA Multi-Modal Scenario

Objective: Improve marine, rail, roadway, and freight distribution
system in Southeastern Massachusetts
–
–
–
–
Improved seaport facilities in New Bedford and Fall River
South Coast Rail 286k improvements to Fall River and New Bedford
Improved truck access to ports
Port dredging of New Bedford to allow larger ships and short-sea-shipping
Southeastern MA Cost-Benefit Analysis
Summary

$135
$131


$4

Economic Benefits:
 Cost Savings $110
million
 Near-Term 340 jobs
 Long-Term 50 jobs
Transportation:
 $25 million
Environmental:
 Greenhouse Gas
Emissions CO2: 1,298
ton reduction
 Emissions reduction
$780,000
Benefit-Cost Ratio: 1.0
Passenger Rail Investment Scenarios

Objective: Improve Amtrak inter-city and MBTA commuter rail
services, ridership, performance and related benefits
 Northeast Corridor, Downeaster and Knowledge Corridor
enhancements
 Increased service, new rail equipment, and parking capacity for MBTA
Amtrak Cost-Benefit Analysis Summary
$2,823


$1,319
$1,504


Ridership Benefits:
 Travel Time Savings:
$1,909 million
Highway Related
Benefits:
 $838 million
Environmental
Benefits:
 Emissions reduction
$75 million
Benefit-Cost Ratio: 2.1
MBTA Cost-Benefit Analysis Summary

$832
$696


$136

Ridership Benefits:
 Travel Time
Savings: $122
million
Highway Related
Benefits:
 $703 million
Environmental
Benefits:
 Emissions
reduction $7
million
Benefit-Cost Ratio:
1.2
Combined Passenger Cost-Benefit
Analysis Summary

$3,655

$2,015
$1,640


Ridership Benefits:
 Travel Time
Savings: $2,031
million
Highway Related
Benefits:
 $1,541 million
Environmental
Benefits:
 Emissions
reduction $82
million
Benefit-Cost Ratio:
1.8
Rail Projects with Strongest Return on
Investment (ROI)
Assessment of Modal Shift to Rail


Construction of all investment rail projects would increase
future mode share from 6.1% to 7.1% by 2035
 Represents a 14% increase in overall rail volumes
 Equalling 26,280 carloads & 175,620 intermodal loads
 Diverting 296,800 trucks off the road
Improvements to the CSX and Pan Am Southern lines may
further increase rail mode share
14
Rail Policy Issues

Land Use Development
 Identifying, preserving and
facilitating freight-intensive uses
in Massachusetts

Funding and Financing
 Freight must be considered in
prioritization of projects
 Public benefits justify partnering
with private companies
 Industrial Rail Access Program
(IRAP)

Regulatory Environment
 Truck routes, regional multimodal planning, etc.
15
Plan Timelines
State Rail Plan
September 9th – Draft Rail Plan Released
September 16th – Public Hearing on Draft Plan in Worcester
September 24th – Comments on Draft Plan Due
October – Draft Plan Submitted to the Federal Railroad Administration
16
Commonwealth of Massachusetts
Massachusetts Department of Transportation
Thank you
Questions and Discussion
www.massfreightandrailplan.com