Commuter rail line not viable, agency says

The Capital Red Rose Corridor could be derailed before it ever gets a track to run on.

In an August letter to Dauphin County Commissioner Jeff Haste, Federal Transit Administration regional manager Letitia Thompson described the regional rail system as not viable at this time.

Thompson could not be reached for comment.

That assessment raises questions about whether the commuter rail line -- formerly known as Corridor One -- will move forward anytime in the near future. The largest stumbling block continues to be operational money.

"Let's just say things didn't move along too well," said James Hoffer, Harrisburg-based Capital Area Transit's executive director.

CAT submitted final environmental plans Sept. 30 to the transit administration, he said. The transit administration asked for clarifications on engineering plans. CAT still is waiting to hear from the transit administration about its plans and whether it would receive grant money to start final engineering, Hoffer said.

However, the application is incomplete without plans for operational money, he said. Capital Red Rose does not have committed money for operations, he said.

"I'm not being critical of the (transit administration) at all, because you can't move forward without operational funding," Hoffer said.

The transit administration would not comment on Thompson's letter, spokesman Paul Griffo said.

Capital Red Rose's problems could be compounded if Gov. Ed Rendell can't deliver support of the project. Rendell in April pledged support and said he might ask the legislature to add operating money into a 2011-12 transportation budget.

Capital Red Rose could be operational by then, Modern Transit Partnership President John Ward said after Rendell backed the project. The partnership is CAT's advocacy and fundraising arm.

"The whole thing hinges on state operating assistance," Ward said Nov. 2. "The day we can get that, the rest will move forward. And certainly this wasn't the year to get state assistance."

Capital Red Rose has $18.7 million to build 37 miles of rail between Harrisburg and Lancaster. After receiving the money in 2007, officials said the rail line could be running by 2009. It has been delayed. The rail needs more than $10 million annually for operations. The legislature has voted against funding it in the past.

The biggest reason the project remains stalled is that local governments have not stepped forward to sign on for dedicated taxes or other funding streams for the rail's operations, said Rick Rovegno, a Cumberland County commissioner. The county provides funding to CAT and has representatives on its board.

The state could fund a maximum of $518,000 for the project, he said. That's what's available to CAT under PennDOT formulas for transit money. Local governments and transit authorities would have to pick up the remaining cost unless the legislature adds funding to a future bill, he said.

"Right now what we're trying to do is beat a square peg into a round hole," Rovegno said.