The Long Modernization of Italian Railways and Lessons for the US
At this past week's online webinar, Marco Chitti, fellow at NYU Marron Institute and Transit Costs Project, talked about the "Long Modernization” of Italian railways – delivering major railway improvements over a century through planning and steady, programmatic funding and consistent step-by-step implementation..
"There is a ton of literature about high-speed rail around the globe – how it was planned in Japan, China, France and every country,” Chitti said. “But there is not much on how conventional rail has grown to where it is nowadays. How do we have a modern railway in many European countries and why don't we have it in Canada, but also in large parts of the United States?”
Chitti discussed how in the early 20th century, Italy's railways were outdated, even at that time. The nationalization of the rail network in 1905 kicked off a host of steady improvements that would enable faster trains, more trains, and a better overall travel experience. This includes electrification, double- and quad-tracking, better signaling, straightening track geometry, grade separation, station platform extensions, new rolling stock, and intermodality.
"Nationalization was a key element for Italy and many other countries,”Chitti said. “Having something where a single actor is in control of the infrastructure, of the planning, of the relationship with the government, of procurement, of every aspect. Railways are a very complex system so this level of coordination is very necessary and that's a reason why every country with large, good railway networks has state railways.”
He also spoke to the importance of standardization, steady funding streams, and the building up "collective intelligence” in order to get projects done in a cost-effective and timely manner.
Chitti’s case study of Italy’s rail modernization is very different from the way we do things in California. We do have a State Rail Plan proposing to expand and upgrade the rail system, including 1500 miles of rail electrification.
However, California’s funding for intercity and regional rail is channeled through discretionary, competitive grant programs like the Transit and Intercity Rail Program (TIRCP). Investment in regional and intercity rail must compete against proposals for bus electrification, hydrogen refueling facilities, mobility hubs and light rail projects. Given the breadth of eligible projects and the lack of guarantee that rail will be funded, project sponsors must patch together many disparate sources of funding. This has the perverse effect of extending program delivery timelines and increasing construction costs. It also means that programs with finalized planning and design like Valley Rail’s ACE expansion languish or are downsized.
By contrast Italy fully funds the design of projects through its national level infrastructure manager RFI. Projects that meet regional and national planning goals are added to 5 year investment frameworks called Program Contracts. This provides certainty to regional and intercity and local transit projects alike that there will be funding available once design and environmental review are complete. That certainty allows lead agencies to deliver projects enabling better service more quickly and cost effectively. The standardized investment framework also allows construction firms to compete more effectively and invest in construction techniques and equipment thus creating a virtuous circle for increased investment in rail.
California can and should reform the way we fund rail and transit modernization programs, providing funding certainty for multi-year programs composed of fully-designed projects in order to achieve large-scale results as Italy has done,
If you missed the webinar or want to share, you can find the video on our Youtube channel.
Much thanks to Californians for Electric Rail for co-hosting this webinar. Their most recent advocacy includes ensuring that the multi-billion dollar tunnel that will reroute the Surfliner accommodates future electrification and the highest speed routes. Sign up for their email list to get involved in statewide rail electrification advocacy.