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IOWA PASSENGER RAIL ROUTE ANALYSIS COMPLETE

AMES, IOWA - During a news conference Monday, Aug. 31, the Iowa Department of Transportation released the findings of a report containing an analysis of three potential passenger rail service routes in Iowa. Although each route has very different implications for passenger transportation and mobility in the state of Iowa, the study concluded that the most effective route and segment structure for the Chicago to Omaha corridor was the Iowa Interstate (IAIS) route.

"The passenger rail route analysis will play an important part in the planning process for the future of Iowa's transportation system. It provides decision-makers with valuable information that wasn't available in the past." said DOT Director Darrel Rensink.

The report was prepared by Transportation Economics and Management Systems, Inc., Cambridge, Mass., for the Iowa DOT. The same organization prepared the recently released Midwest Rail Initiative System (MWRI) Study. The MWRI represents a cooperative effort between nine Midwest states, Amtrak and the Federal Railroad Administration to evaluate the potential for a regional rail system. The route analysis requested by the Iowa DOT builds from data and analyses generated for the MWRI study.

The purpose of this analysis was to evaluate the potential for rail service making an important contribution to maintaining regional mobility over the next 30 to 50 years in Iowa. The analysis and recommendations did not involve current Amtrak intercity service. That service on the Burlington Northern-Santa Fe route is presumed to continue its current route and schedule. The routes studied by the consultants included the following.

Route 1: Burlington Northern-Santa Fe (BNSF). This line is used by the current long-distance intercity Amtrak service. It runs from Chicago to Galesburg to Omaha with connections to Quincy, Ill. This 503-mile route connects towns such as Burlington, Mount Pleasant, Osceola, Creston and Ottumwa with Omaha and Chicago.

Route 2: Iowa Interstate (IAIS). This line is 479 miles long, and runs between Chicago, Quad Cities, Iowa City, Des Moines and Omaha.

Route 3: Union Pacific (UP). This line is 491 miles long and connects Chicago with Clinton, Cedar Rapids, Ames and Omaha.

Highlights of the study included the following.

* The IAIS route has the most rail ridership at 605,000 trips with 131 million passenger miles.

* The IAIS route generates the most revenue at $26 million.

* The IAIS route has the lowest operating cost per year at $40.41 million.

* The IAIS route has the second highest infrastructure cost for the entire route between Chicago and Omaha at a cost of $197 million.

* When evaluated independently from the entire Midwest system, none of the routes produces either a positive operating ratio or can pay for its infrastructure from the farebox. The operating ratio is highest for the IAIS route at 69 percent by the year 2010.

* The IAIS route has the best financial performance.

The consultant's analysis suggests that the development of the IAIS route is the most effective option with the highest net present value and the highest ridership because it serves the most densely populated regions in the state.

The consultants concluded their analysis by recommending that the IAIS route be developed to a 79- to 110-mph operation with modern diesel multiple unit (DMU) train technology, and with operation commencing in the year 2006.

More information on the Iowa study is available on the Office of Rail Transportation web site at http://www.iowarail.com.