I also spent a couple of hours helping with the fundraising mailing of the Vermont Bike/Ped coalition, who's board I am on.
Monday I spent all day identifying and researching potential major donors. I'd like to develop a list of potential major donors, establish a regular visiting schedule with them and a more personalized strategy to cultivate and ask each for funds. However I only got up to "C" on one list I was checking and realized this will be a much bigger project than I'd hoped and I'll have to put it on the slow track.
I've been nominated for the steering committee of the New England Regional Rail Coalition. The objective of this group is for the New England states to work together on routes crossing state lines so that we are in a better position for high-speed rail and other federal funds. Initially skeptical, I am now impressed with the impressive array of scores environmental, business and transportation organizations that Tom Irwin of Conservation Law Foundation has recruited. I see two possible gains for VRAN: sharing grants and creating a vehicle for joint studies of our Montreal-Boston high speed line.
New England Central Railroad is making an attempt to snag $5 million of the previously appropriated $30 million designated for the Western Corridor, which runs from Albany-Bennington-Rutland-Burlington-Essex Junction. They are offering to provide a 20% match (which means 1 million - nothing to take lightly - and not an offer that will last forever). This work would upgrade the Burlington Branch (now at 10mph) all the way through St. Albans to the Canadian boarder to 59mph standards, plus take it up to 286,000 lb capacity. This is a project that definitely needs to be done. NECR is prepared to do the work this summer. If we get the stimulus funds, we can use them for the reminder of the Western corridor, but we won't know until November.
Work is happening on returning trains to Montreal, thanks to Lieutenant Governor Brian Dube. This opens up the possibility of a stop close to Burlington airport for Montreal-Burlington Airport traffic. A large share of the airport's traffic (perhaps 30%) comes from Canada.
A Brattleboro Reformer reporter found me today in advance of next Wednesday's Knowledge Corridor meeting in Bellows Falls. Expect a story tomorrow. The project would re-route the Vermonter off NECR between East Northfield and Springfield, saving 45-60 minutes. Since the number 1 complaint I hear about the Vermonter is the time it takes, I am excited about this. Also exciting is the possibility of using savings to fund a second frequency south of White River Junction. Saving an hour of running time means an hour less labor and operating expenses and, combined with the second frequency, we would see a 50% rise in passenger numbers which would translate into even higher revenue gains as the train gets more pricing power in the market. That combination could be enough to fund the second frequency without an increase in subsidy. Pretty neat! The downside is the East Northfield-Amherst-Palmer segment of NECR would no longer get the benefit of the Amtrak contract. I suspect the second frequency in Vermont would make up for that, but some are skeptical that the second frequency would actually happen.
Trains Magazine will also be doing a story on the Ethan Allen and Vermont Rail Action Network, appearing I think in the August issue (which I think arrives at the beginning of July?)
After the track geometry car went through recently, slow orders were identified and the Vermonter became slower, however tonight's northbound is only 15 minutes down.
I spent Wednesday night in Northampton at a public meeting about the Knowledge corridor and met advocates from the Pioneer Valley. Thursday I rode up to Burlington with Carl Fowler for the joint passenger and infrastructure committees of the rail council. Next Wednesday night at 7pm in Bellows Falls there will be another public meeting about the knowledge corridor (it will be about an hour of presentation, then public comments). Last week I was at the Summit on the future of Vermont in Burlington, which was a great networking opportunity. I managed some fundraising calls on the same trip.
Sunday night is the Brattleboro Dawn Dance, an all-night contra dance. I'm on the board and volunteer coordinator. I'll be a little more tired next week than usual!
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