Local transit officials optimistic they can win federal funds, put project on fast track

By GORDON DICKSON - Star-Telegram Staff Writer -
Officials with the Fort Worth Transportation Authority are counting on Washington to pay nearly half the proposed $390 million needed to extend a commuter rail line from southwest Fort Worth to Northeast Tarrant County.

But securing federal money for such projects is so arduous, some transit agencies don't even bother applying for it.

Congress sets aside an average of about $1.7 billion a year for so-called new starts, an industry term for new rail or bus services - and 100 urban areas are competing for grants.

The Federal Transit Administration requires applicants to submit thousands of pages of documentation proving their project is justified. Many applicants are initially denied but are encouraged to make changes to their projects and resubmit the paperwork. By the time they are approved, projects are often years behind schedule.
"We're very appreciative of the funding but, boy, it takes a heck of an effort to get that money," said Stephen Salin, assistant vice president of capital planning for Dallas Area Rapid Transit. It took DART eight years to secure $700 million in federal funds for its light-rail line from Pleasant Grove to Farmers Branch, he said.

The T's project would connect southwest and downtown Fort Worth, Texas Christian University, the Stockyards, Grapevine and Dallas/Fort Worth Airport. Some say getting the train up and running by 2012, the informal target date, will take a near-miracle.

"My belief is we will not be denied," said Dick Ruddell, president of the Fort Worth Transportation Authority. "We have a good enough project because of the location and ridership projections. This is going to be viewed as very doable."

The ever-optimistic Ruddell says the T's proposal has several advantages that may speed up the funding.

nThe T wants about $175 million, far less than requests typically made by larger agencies such as DART. Local sources would provide an additional $215 million, including money already spent on two federal documents: an analysis of alternatives that was completed last year, and an ongoing environmental review.

The broad community support, as evidenced by Grapevine's successful 2006 sales tax referendum.

Trains would run on existing tracks owned by four railroad companies,
so few rights of way would need to be bought.

Denton gives up

Yet T officials need look no farther than one county to the north to
find an example of how similar projects have found federal funding
frustration.

In March, the Denton County Transportation Authority dropped its pursuit of federal funding for a commuter line from Denton to Carrollton. Denton County transit officials say they could eventually have proved that their proposed rail line, roughly parallel to Interstate 35E, was cost-effective. But it would probably have added years to the planning, and they didn't want to miss their self-imposed 2010 deadline to connect their trains with DART rail service in
Carrollton.

So the transit agency found other financial sources, including proceeds from the new Texas 121 toll road through Lewisville.

The project is still on schedule.

"We've been able to get down to the business of building a railroad rather than shuffle papers," said John Hedrick, president of the Denton County agency.

Transit officials in Raleigh, N.C., recently abandoned 11 years of planning for a Triangle Transit rail line connecting sprawling population and employment areas.

Why so complicated?

Many rail lines simply don't meet the Federal Transit Administration's definition of a cost-effective project.

The agency places a dollar value on the time commuters waste sitting in traffic jams in the proposal area. To come up with the value of adding rail or buses, the agency uses a complicated model that includes factors such as the cost of a project, the number of riders expected in a peak year (usually 2025 or 2030), and congestion data from buses and highways in the same area.

Even in cities the size of Dallas, proving a project's worthiness can be tough. DART's $700 million light-rail line, approved last year, didn't exactly pass with flying colors. It managed a slightly better than mediocre score, even though it is expected to have a whopping 40,300 riders a day by 2025.

The bureaucratic hurdles are necessary to ensure that rail projects are selected based upon scientific data rather than politics, federal officials say.

What if the T fails?

If the proposed Tarrant County rail line can't meet the federal agency's criteria, the T won't give up, Ruddell said. Instead, it will work closely with the agency to cut costs, find more ways to try to increase ridership and make any other changes. The worst case would be a delay of several years, he said.

Ruddell also said the rail line could be built in phases with local funds. Perhaps, he said, the first phase could serve central Fort Worth and Grapevine.

But he says he knows a cost-effective rail project when he sees it - and this one is it. Through most of the '90s, he was government affairs chairman for the American Public Transportation Association and helped draft legislation to grade rail projects.

"The federal government has clearly made it difficult to gain access to this money," Ruddell said.

"But we have incredible support from every part of the community. I've got local funding lined up. There's nothing to hold us back, except the process itself."

This week, the Star-Telegram is focusing on neighborhoods that might get a train station along the proposed commuter rail line from southwest Fort Worth to Northeast Tarrant County. Each day this week, part of the route will be featured on the Main Street page inside the newspaper's local section - starting Monday with a glance at the commuter rail plan near Sycamore School Road.

Train technology

The Fort Worth Transportation Authority wants to use a new breed of rail cars known as diesel multiple units. They are self-propelled, so they have no locomotive. They burn diesel fuel and offer riders the interior comfort of light-rail service.

When will it begin?

The rail line could open by 2012 if the ongoing environmental review goes smoothly and the federal government agrees to chip in $175 million in funding. An additional $215 million in local funds has been identified. Agreements must also be reached with up to four railroads whose tracks would be needed for passenger service.

The schedule

The roughly 40-mile line would serve 13 or 14 stations, depending on which of three routes is chosen. During morning and afternoon rush periods, about three trains per hour would operate on the line. The rest of the day, about one train per hour would operate. Some stations would be neighborhood-oriented, and others would be regional
park-and-ride lots. Each would have a platform, windscreens, canopies, walkways, wheelchair accessibility, ticketing, and bus and car drop-off areas.

Paying for the project

How the T proposes to pay for the $390 million Southwest-to-Northeast Rail Corridor:

$70 million, local sales tax - $30 million from the T, and $40 million from Grapevine.

$60 million Texas Mobility Fund, state appropriation.

$20 million, Tarrant County bonds, part of voter-approved transportation package..

$55 million, North Central Texas Council of Governments - Partnership II congestion mitigation and other funds.

$10 million, other local funding.

$175 million, Federal Transit Administration grant.

Source: Fort Worth Transportation Authority

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