ICAN Summary and Briefing

Prepared For: Senator King

Prepared By: Allyson Ditizio, Peter Butler, Arin Lewis, Spencer Haley, Zac Kopinetz

Recommendation
It is the recommendation of this staff that you support ICAN. Reasoning for this decision,
and focal points regarding the Keystone Corridor project, are delineated and expanded upon in
the remainder of this report.

ICAN in Context: Background Information

The existing infrastructure of the United States is in need of an extensive overhaul. The
American Society of Civil Engineers is responsible for assessing the comprehensive state of our
major infrastructure systems. The cumulative grade of the national infrastructure, according to
the most recent report done in 2013, is a D+. Improving our currently declining infrastructure is
fundamental for supporting the continued economic growth of the nation. ICAN is an essential
component in delivering the necessary financial investment required to accomplish this. The
proposed infrastructure projects funded by ICAN will create short-term jobs, long term jobs, and
encourage long-term economic development. The major project included in ICAN for
Pennsylvania is the Keystone Corridor, the high-speed rail connection from Philadelphia to
Pittsburgh.

Project Overview
I. Keystone Corridor East
a. Amtrak high-speed rail corridor between Philadelphia and Harrisburg
b. Track length 105 miles
c. 1.36 million passengers in 2015
d. Current top speed of 110 mph
e. Travel time from Philadelphia to Harrisburg is 1.75 hours
II. Keystone Corridor West
a. Norfolk Southern rail corridor between Pittsburgh and Harrisburg
b. Traffic consists of passenger and freight trains

c.
d.
e.
f.
g.

Track length 250 miles

Current top speed of 80 mph
Average speed of 45 mph
Travel time from Pittsburgh to Harrisburg is 5.5 hours
The same trip is currently about 2 hours faster by car

Benefits
Railways are catalysts for growing regional economies, and crucial for the development
of local communities and their commercial interests. In addition to commerce, rail is a reliable
mode of transportation for people. The connection from Philadelphia to Pittsburgh will provide
an alternative option to travelers. Passenger services will not only benefit commuters, but also
promote tourism to different areas across the state. Travel time for both passengers and freight
can be reduced as high-speed rail technology advances. Rail service as a transportation method
consumes less fuel per mile traveled compared to automobiles or planes. This results in fewer
CO2 emissions, labeling rail as the "greener" choice. High-speed rail is also consistently a safe
mode of ground transportation in the United States. Nationally, high-speed rail has the potential
in 25 years to link together 80% of Americans.

I. Eastern Corridor
a. Top speed of 160 mph
b. 45% increase from current maximum speed
c. Improvements include four separate projects: track, signal, power, and catenary
upgrades
d. Addition of a third express track between Atglen and Paoli
II. Western Corridor
a. Complete renovation and upgrade of the existing aged infrastructure
b. High-speed monorail from Pittsburgh International Airport to Greensburg spans
54 miles, with an intermediate stop in Monroeville

Cost Structure of ICAN

The total cost of national high-speed rail projects is $500 billion, divided amongst 10
regional corridors. Federal stimulus will provide $8 billion to jump-start this project. Increased
gasoline tax could provide additional funding.

I. Cost for the Keystone Corridor is about $3.1 billion

a. Improvements to the Eastern Keystone Corridor will total $489.8 million.
b. The Western Keystone Corridor requires incremental improvements over time,
approximated to range between $10 to 25 million annually.

Parallel Projects to ICAN

a. Fixing Americas Surface Transportation (FAST)
i. Created a source of long term funding for transportation projects
ii. Successful, but expired in 2009
b. Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (TIFIA)
i. Private financing in the form of small loans for surface infrastructure
rebuilding
c. American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA)
i. Its purpose was to create much greater stimulus, had funding for surface
transportation route improvements

Figure : GDP in 2008 of National Investment in Rail Infrastructure

This image illustrates one of the first issues, or reasons for why to support ICAN. This graph clearly shows the
United States low involvement in infrastructure compared to the rest of the worlds most significant developed
countries.

Figure 2: Possible High Speed Rail Corridors (National Sclae)

This is a general outline in order to show corridor breakdown, as well as rough idea of how the rail way would
incorporate into the country.

Figure 3: High Speed Rails in Pennsylvania and Surrounding States (Local Scale)
This image shows a closer view of where the railway would be in placement for each corridor, outlining the
Northeast, and allowing to see Pennsylvania's Keystone corridor that includes Pittsburgh and Harrisburg locations.