EXEMPLARY STATE RAIL PROGRAMMING AND PLANNING: CASE STUDIES OF CALIFORNIA, FLORIDA, NORTH CAROLINA, AND WASHINGTON STATE

Part one of this two part report, State Rail Policies, Plans, and Programs, examined the extent of state involvement in rail matters in 38 states. The purpose of this second report is to provide an in depth look at four diverse, yet exemplary, state rail programs: California, Florida, North Carolina, and Washington State. The report contains considerable documentation in terms of state statutes, funding histories, program descriptions, feasibility studies, Amtrak 403(b) contracts, and the like. The report addresses a series of questions related to "how, what, and how much". The report's aim is not to endorse a specific state rail program, but rather to present a range of appropriate options to Texas policymakers that have been applied elsewhere and judged to be successful in meeting a variety of state rail needs.