are pleased to welcome today's witness to oversight hearing on union station its complex its entire complex and the actions taken since that last hearing to cherry out the congressional vision and mandate that union station become one of the nation's most important state of the art intermodal centers for all modes transportation maximizing the available space including the plan multi use addition a result of the congressional competition that awarded the air rights over the rail tracks behind union station designed by daniel burnham for whom the new development brought in places to be named union station first open and nineteen zero seven as a train facility the nation's capital with a grand design commissioned by congress that produced its landmark building however as rail use declined in the nineteen fifties the station rapidly deteriorated and a series of failed ideas wasted that all funds cost overruns major utility needs and mismanagement and litigation resulted in nineteen eighty one congress passed the union station redevelopment act which authorized the secretary of transportation to create the union station redevelopment corporation or us r c a nonprofit corporation which later spear hardly fit for trains reopen as a fully and historically it was stored beautiful so was the syllabi and shopping mall that's was a twentieth century union station reborn but congress wanted much more and mandated a union station become a model all purpose transportation center to continue to maximize the value of the historic station station in two thousand and two the congress through the general services administration bid and later sold the fifteen acres of air rights above the adjacent union station rail yard as a result of that sale a new development adjacent to union station burnham station is expected to bring an additional two million square feet of development including hotel office space and expanded transportation capabilities and the like by statute the owner c opposed to union station as a union station  reported reiterated remained with the federal government however we were on able to find evidence of congressional oversight of union station since its redevelopment this subcommittee resolved to fill this unfortunate hiatus and much needed oversight including hearing testimony and complaints from the public at our first hearing exactly a year ago july twenty second two thousand and eight this hearing is a continuation of what will be a regular oversight hearings sometimes more than annually even after the hearing last year the full committee and subcommittee has had to press union station management even to provide basic enter city bus transportation instead enter city bus service continue to bang at the door of union station even a bus company seeking a sub please our new spaces was turned away for an justifiable reasons on march twenty eighth with the leaders of the committee and sub committee including the ranking member of the full committee who is here today mr mica and i wrote a letter asking for co location an intercity bus terminal at union station to further unable to passengers to seamlessly move from one mode of transportation to another considering the public private investment and union station and its intermodal center mandate it seemed indefensible that the addition of a mere bus transportation had not occurred long ago however the subcommittee and committee leadership had to write yet again to union station management on may seventh two thousand and seven urging expeditious handling of the relocation of a greyhound to union station no world class intermodal facility would operate without an a city bus services included in its path of transportation services we want to learn today whether aggressive aggressive and expeditious action has been taken to bring their city services and station we are determined to speed the slow walk of union and tourist friendly transportation services union station is already the busiest stop on the model subway line with over thirty thousand daily riders and visitors however the facility covers twelve acres with twenty two hundred parking spaces and a hundred twenty five stores and the new intermodal sr center will require parking facilities for buses new grayle concourses and additional homeland security improvements the district of columbia is currently completing a state of the art bike facility and is assisting in improving the traffic circle and tat taxi access b r is planning to extend its service to new york city while at the same time mark is extending to fredericksburg and other but genuine occasions abstract will operate many of these new route but major renovation of the facility will be required in order to do so and will be necessary to bring union station into the congressional twenty first century vision we look forward to a status report on union station from the full array of responsible parties and thank you each of them for today's testimony i'd like oversight and attention to a very important issue now this isn't a hearing about to union station and it being a train  depot just in another community this is about our problem probably one of our most significant transportation intermodal centers in the united states and certainly one of the most important and key components to transportation across the entire northeast corridor that serves a huge portion of america's population if people don't know what they surface transportation lakes that include commercial carriers charter carriers tour carriers circulators so throughout the communities it's not just for this community but for the whole region and the nation i am very pleased again the focus of the hearing is going to be the vision for a twenty first century because we have to look ahead  have to make certain mr norton said that this is a world class facility and that it in fact serves and is intermodal to all of the transportation modes and some for the future  i i cannot think of a better time for this committee to act both in looking at the long term plan looking at some of the things that we have developed on a bipartisan basis as priorities there is absolutely no reason in the world why people who take our major long distance and short distance surface transportation commercial carriers whether it be great hound or some other commercial care should be treated as second class citizens dumped in some other part of the community and then have to make their way to our major in our model so i think getting surface transportation and again accommodating all the other needs in that intermodal said center will be a great step forward so i join in offering anything from our side of the aisle to move a successful completion of some of our previous efforts in the vision you're looking to establish if for the future and let me say finally we cannot act to a better time on behalf of taxpayers and the people of the united states we may need to indeed to to to fulfill the proper vision for union station we may need to look at acquiring back some of that air space that we've sold or some of that space to make certain that we have adequate space and we can accommodate all modes at that intermodal center so i'm willing to to work again with everyone to try to make certain that we have that the blueprint and the physic physical capability of accommodating all of those modes the other thing is we will never get better deals either from people we might have to get some space back or if we have to acquire a new space  i had here today no buyer for watergate it auction property is distressed not just in our nation's capital but across the land so if we can acquire back space or we can acquire new and additional space but planning for the future i think it'll be it'll be a great plus for everyone including the taxpayers so finally we know m again and then port and key component and we've got to make it a success that will be one of the most vibrant parts of this community in the future and we're going to make certain that it is working with mr wharton and other she does an incredible job re presenting the district its interest in these type projects and finally she said we're going to do it right world class and i'm committed to wherever it takes we'll join her in that effort so ranking members joined us because he has been a very important part of the bipartisan push for a world class intermodal union station from the amen and i remember union station of old as a kid i remember and have of course use union station that we know today and i'm looking forward to working with you our committee on building the union station the twenty first century that really does and vision every mode of transportation becomes really an example for this country about how we can develop these hubs of transportation that serve multiple different needs of community whether those are our commercial needs recreational needs and basic  multiple modes of transportation and i just look forward to continuing to work with you on that and you know union station when you travel to union station and you visit the other stations particularly along the eastern corridor union station actually really does stand out as an example of what we can do around transportation and many of the other stations in this corridor are have gone through their own revisioning and revamping as a result of the fine work that was done here and i think that that madam chairwoman well actually continue into the future so what we do here is really important not just to serve this city and the millions who come to visit here each year but also to serve as a model for what will happen in these transportation hubs around the country thank you very much thank you ms edwards ms edwards and i will be  looking to the entire regional delegation particularly as the aryan mark expands not going to happen if union station remains as it is with all respect of course to the ranking member of our full its operations union station has been actively engage in discussions focused on making not i greatly appreciate your strong support for that initiative when i appeared before you a year ago i said that after years of off and on again efforts forces were converging that made me optimistic the plans could be finalized for greyhound to move to union station in the fairly near future my optimism proved premature because of concerns of various parties brown went through a series of four options as outlined in my testimony for its relocation to union station finally when various parties suggested that our relocation be delayed until a further expansion of the bus back for the long range burning placed development we dug in our position was that although we strongly supported the long range union station plans greyhounds moved to union station needed to be and could be completed in a much shorter time frame on the existing bus  our surveys indicated that even at peak periods bus buses occupied less than one third of the bus back parking spaces since the may seventh two thousand and nine congressional letter urging the greyhound be moved to union station expeditious have been a series of discussions among the major relevant parties out of those discussions i believe a consensus has emerged on a plan to create an inner city bus terminal on the existing bus that hear the key parts of the plan as i see it first i believe that all parties are in agreement that the location of the inner city bus terminal on the rear of the bus back toward each street is the preferred option this is option one in my prepared testimony second there needs to be a feasibility stud determine any weight restrictions for the terminal and issues with regard to utility access greyhound and us r c have agreed to split the cost of that feasibility study which is about to start we hope that it think it can be completed in about thirty days third the completion of the metro tunnel to age street with moving walkways and vertical access to the bus stack is essential to the location of the bus terminal at the rear of the deck this also has major benefit to residents and office workers in noma in that it provides climate controlled convenient access to union station fourth funding of the tunnel and vertical access is a critical issue the dot has indicated that it intends to make available existing federal planning funds for the design and engineering work on the tunnel and vertical access other sources of funding will need to be identified for the construction fifty existing easements it will be impacted by the tunnel and vertical access must be identified in a draft six us r c and greyhound must negotiate agreement for lease for the space for the terminal and buses both parties have indicated a willingness to start negotiating in the near future seven other uses of the bus stack must be addressed as indicated an interest in moving all of the curbside operators to the boss stacks so that it can be a complete inner city bus terminal like the boss themselves station greyhound does not object to that approach but it must be done in a comprehensive manner that provides equity in both access and cautionary ate the bus terminal must be constructed greyhound is committed to pay for the construction of the terminal if it is a greyhound facility and has already expended considerable resources on design and location nine finally this need need to be identified near to greyhound as suggested to all parties that are realistic goal for completion and occupancy of the bus terminal is three years from now ten must sell its normal location in order to free that property up for future development around fully intends to do so although not until its future a union station is secure in closing we've got a lot of work to do to make an inner city bus terminal union station a reality based on recent developments i have a renewed sense of optimism that it can be done charwoman norton you're strong support for this project has been essential to getting us to this point and will be critical to its successful completion thank you very much for that support i'd be happy to any questions that you ma already around the country in the twenty first century even as we were applauding finally getting to the twentieth century and we were we were delighted with the new facility and of course even that is  intermodal that congress has on paper but obviously set up the corporation to deliver had the board ever  do or you've gone to the board and said we're going to make this happen we've got to do what any master developer would do we would put on paper what the plan is to achieve this grand intermodal vision that congress keeps talking about so that they know what sources are necessary what timeframe when vision as possible et do means that you're trying to keep up with current very very rapidly changing conditions and i appreciate the masterplan notion how ever you will know that  put in place a grand vision but the point is to know where you're going and the ten year bachelor plan is extremely important because the union station is experiencing great changes just by the pressures being brought on new the new pressures on amtrak the new pressure on inner city rail the demand for for biking the cultural transition that is is finally in our society as we finally understand the limits of automobile travel all all eyes focused really on various kinds of rail this congress having completed for burnham place what the kind of plan i'm talking about is a true not master plan but master development plan it's it's the kind of plan that would that for example we did here in congress when we passed the southeast federal center act and we needed to know here for the first time almost fifty acres of federal land along m street where we're going to open up and create what amounted to a new section of washington d c well we didn't say well we need a developer here and a developer there we said what is the grand vision well after the grand vision we quickly began to fill land the spots and and places i'm asking whether or not anyone on the board or you have in mind given what we all read you know about the plans which take  us a long way now forward from where we are structurally forward whether or not you believe that it is time to have a twenty first century plan for union station and whether you believe that that you have the capacity to produce such a such a plan if i answer your question correctly yes we if this vision that congress talks about all the time has to come about i guess what you need the congress is going have to come up with some funds to you know amtrak would have i mean greyhound wants to move then we'd have to make a decision  if they were going to have exclusive control and what that would be worth to them there are decisions that would have to be made and i tell you one thing it's hard enough to get money if there there's a grand plan but it's impossible if congress doesn't see something that looks worthwhile and so you've got members of congress talking about the grand plan as if you could go ahead and do it tomorrow when there is not a plan if the president orders for example where to say here's the ultimate stimulus package we're going to do exactly what f d r did if you go to constitution avenue and independence avenue today every corner stone has some nine hundred thirty s on it because he uses them real funds to build the whole or all network we're not in a position to even ask for those funds because we don't have a kind of plan that we go to mr leach yes i think such a plan is in order i it is i think it is very important so that we know where we are going even know how long it would take to get there what its component parts are what the new what the needs are what the four bosses let me let let me ask you this mr ball has amtrak ever said to you that for any reason the management of amtrak opposes buses in union station  amtrak travelers is way of playing and that matter perfectly legitimate ever been presented to congress for whatever help congress might provide and i'm not here suggesting but it has to provide but is it has anyone ever had a request amtrak president when he steps forward but but again i'm trying to look at whether or not anybody wants this happen to have with enough to make it happen and to make us make it happen and to make the other actors make it happen because i can tell you  we can't even get a bill out of committee or subcommittee if we don't make it happen looked at the backend of the boss stack as a separate bus facility area so that we can get around the congestion issue have you reached agreement on that we have i think the testimony indicated that planning aspect of this and i think that it really is i mean it's important to take a vision and sort of and with all of the stakeholders at the table and then come up with an idea and i mean there's going to be a lot of push and pull i think along the way and one of my questions is how to how do you then envision both what happens at or ought to happen at union station with what's going on in the suburbs with v r e and mark and are those considered then partners at the table because if there is and there is a lot of activity going on at our market stations and we did get in fact stimulus money other resources to expand some of our mart capacities in maryland that is going to have a huge impact actually on on union station but i'm trying to envision what the planning table looks like for the purposes of creating this twenty first reaches and then when you get out to areas like you know buoy if they're getting on the mark train they're coming in maybe they're coming in as commuters to then get on metro i mean they're using they're using union station as sort of that  question and concern that if you're not looking at sort of the entire footprint and saying well what do we need to do for one for one model purposes on metro and bus what do we need to do for v r e and mark and amtrak and to really turn this into a hub for for other kinds of other modes of transportation where where is the place and who organizes see my constituents especially as bus travel became more and more necessary uneconomical to see them waiting out in front of public buildings in order to get buses if this companies are there all those who wish to get slots at union station at this time what's the status of those inquiries or any correctly now when when is that competition going on among bus companies may want to access to the station or how does how does one get slots at union station i don't know what is the status of but service coming to union station right now with mr leach on anyone and the other bus service for not interested in leaving their current location let me just say a word about that because we in the district of columbia who are trying to clean about a are are not trying to put silicate people who pick people on the side and let em off on the side and i understand why that they don't have to pay for one thing to do in fact have a facility and yet they are in competition with people who do have a facility now they offer lower lower lower fares and that's one of the reasons why we won there but a man city of this size can hardly tolerate increasing numbers of bus companies that are leaving people off at any curb they happen to find vacant and then the city gets all kinds of complaints about traffic which is already among the most congested in the country so i have this i think you are right but they have preferences not the preference of either this committee the congress or the district of columbia and  washington it absolutely goes against everything we're trying to do with trying to get people to get on buses but that inner city buses the kind of buses we're trying to get them on are given to them going back and forth t to the suburbs so we don't want to set up something that i with the overall transportation goals of the region and of the country and that's something we're going to have to work on i don't know the extent to which what you are doing with mr leach or all those would in fact drink up so this curbside need do you have any idea how many bus companies are out there that and people often that i would what this is become fairly common and of course they cost less because they don't have any overhead and i know you don't consider that the best competition we of course love the fact that people can get the cheapest transportation but we are very very firmly committed to climate change to congestion so i'd like to know how what we see here compares with other large cities well if i made several questions i'd like to comment on one there's fifteen bus operators that operate in to washington d c that are private sector inner city bus operators all of it all different services are you saying fifteen different operators and depending on who owns them as mr paul says depends on how you classify them but for example greyhound runs an inner city bus service different consumer groups the greyhound business traditionally has friends and family going to see other friends and family in other cities around the difference in cost between going you know lots of great style and going t your subsidiary the walk up stairs are identical or very close within three or four dollars but on the curbside depending on market demand you shift the price so you may get a seat for a dollar you may get a seat for ten dollars depending on on the demand on that particular schedule on that particular day it's a yield to manage service which is easy to do on a city pair specific basis but when you're dealing with a national network where you're going from from washington to los angeles denver something like that the consumer has a different consumer with a different needs and they're accessing a national network and so you have two different consumer needs you have this city pairs now do we have that how these two different  are being met throughout the united states in the u s northeast they are but in the u s northeast and so in washington philly in the large metropolitan centers where you have heavy congestion we have a different lifestyle requirement where there is more of a predominance of use of public transportation in the rural parts of the country a curbside operation like old boss wouldn't have the same reason for being is as it does  here there's more of a requirement to travel larger distances with more members of family and for longer periods of time its convention center you know you can tell what where what is what is the location of your drop off and pick up i can only ask you if that is a favorite location for all the location is one where where we felt the consumer meet was there and i know that's why we were there but that's one of the most awkward  point i was trying to make is that those those network passengers or the greyhound traditional passengers need a facility to transfer right there as they're traveling through washington d c as much as they are traveling to and from washington d and so there's there's a requirement for facility the curbside operator doesn't necessarily need to transfer facilities people are originating or ending their trips at this location i think it's important also to know that there are other cit point we're going to have to make in the city and in the congress about what the trade offs there because we want low cost service we understand the difference between having to make a connection and going on your traveling rather than automobile this does that to some extent far less so than here on the facility so i mean that's something that needs some policy consideration is all i'm saying and we need to work with the city to see what their concerns are agreed the dod has expressed a can desire to put all inner city bus operators into union station for the record they have they have asked us to consider we certainly do that in other cities and so d value of a location on site at union station to a commercial bus operator  you know ticket center ticket counter at the airport there's a value attached to that what the value of being able to operate out of union station i think it's a strong intrinsic value   one had to you know compete for those spot at union station you know that could that be a kind of healthy competition to be able to operate out of union station  and so and you know just for the you know for union station and its own operations and maintenance why me why the whole restrict that to one operator over another operator or why not put it out for bid i'm just asking a question i don't really know much about this but why not put it out for comp and if it actually has commercial value that could be a benefit for union know at the curbside operating there would be some least competition for access to union station if it were serving as a hub so it wouldn't we wouldn't just be having a conversation about greyhound thinking though do you envision that i mean when i hear the description from mr leach about the possibility of you know greyhound kind of basically developing y we threw that option out as a motivator for union station and the folks in the station because we're a private sector organization we can and if and if cash is an issue  construction then you know that's what we do we own bus terminals all over the united states we operate one hundred thirty seven intermodal facilities and we're experts at doing this and there's more than one way to skin the cat and and if if us r c wants to own the facility then we're more than willing to rent space it's that's one business model that works very well we have other ones where it's built by the community by the state by the federal government where we have a head lease and we subleased other carriers there's clear rules and regulations to make sure that all bus inner city bus operations are treated fairly and in the country we're the largest carrier so we have to provide leadership in that role but we do that everywhere else in the country and i don't know why we couldn't do it here but i guess i guess going forward i'm i'm interested to know what the you know relative costs are or benefit is to to the public to union station so that you know there is some sense that there is actually you know a fair deal that's really struck for the public and i think the the answer to that question intermodal connectivity of the modes of transportation in the in the northeastern part of the united states again that that washington to new york boston court or greyhound itself moves upwards of ten million people and we have no access other than to carry luggage suitcases and such through the snow in the winter from our current facility which we own and operate to union station and from a national transportation strategy perspective it's lunacy people should be able to get from public transportation to private sector transportation just as easily as they do from public the public and there's a whole asset sitting there that would facilitate and so we're not asking for because you are getting so hoarse it seems to me the salient question here and i am granholm property it wants to lead property don't guess what it would sell that property now as i expressed earlier we don't have a preference for whoever it is but the first issue is if greyhound wanted to be there and somebody else or all the folks well first let me go back to mr leach offer useful division about two tiers working with the district of columbia we might decide that we wanted to and union station  that is a possible policy decision given huge huge it's impossible to overemphasize concerns about hearing today to see what are the outstanding decisions so you could have a two tier system nevertheless you get back to competition we don't do things otherwise now a decision could be made and i'm the last one to suggest what decision it would be but that at least let me pose a hypothetical if the federal government is they saying the need to provide infrastructure for bus facilities and it decides that it cannot pony up the money it could make a policy decision that a user might do so after can after the appropriate negotiations to allow that to happen or you could use some of what mr leach was suggesting that this happens all over the country you know that the city to be at the cape can the federal government could be asked to kick in and both of them want this to occur that could be public private  of the provider were to do it that wouldn't do it by itself there's all kinds of infrastructure and the provider would want to talk with the federal government who is even as i can know what to do if there is not somebody in charge of putting forward a plan that says to the committee into the congress here are your options we need policy on what to do this i see though i see exactly what i saw on m street last value it was property that the federal government owned along m street the saudis federal center  some of the most valuable property on the east coast sitting there fallow but congress has not been oblivious to the loss of value at union station or rights so we've gone in friday capture the value above the tracks and the value right there before us is a new start and we don't have a plan or a request for how to get value out of that space that was the ball is the issue before the man in charge and last time i heard that with you that's why more than a ten year plan or two year plan is necessary to get anything done in washington and certainly out of the out of the congress that had to be settled if we're going to pay for it because i can tell you this much we're not going to pay for everything and we've got to find creative ways to pay for the things today and if there had been such a plan it would have been up to ms edwards and and high and the regional delegation to get some stimulus money to start that happen and that's how you move things in washington and i am concerned as to how we get there and what kind of guidance is going to be necessary without suggesting which is the preferred way because to be frank with you no one has put before us the options that allow us to waive them to cost them out and to see what the value is for the district of columbia as well as for the united states government we need to have that i take it that you've already decided in the switch there would be that at added value if you moved so if you would be in the running it back through without question have you ever had serious discussions about  about what it would take for you to become a provider taking on some of what otherwise  facility about greyhound owning the facility about greyhound providing management of the boss section of the facility sub leasing or or at least facilitating the management of the sub leasing of the facility we do this all the time all over the country and we have that expertise so we have offered that expertise i've offered it all the resources that greyhound can bring to the back end of the bus stack we are now looking at a feasibility study have paid for by greyhound have paid for by us to look at what it's going to take to put that facility there and there are several needs infrastructure they were on their own trying to figure out whether or not somebody should take pictures then when we got more deeply we learned that there had not been rigorous training of guards what flaming if any for what congress must do if all of this is to happen we are indeed a chamar has written and we have booked at the transportation plan some be a very different transportation bill and safety lou or the one that went before and even it isn't going to come out right away but if i was sitting where you're sitting with the ball i want to try my best to get in that  four year point and you can get in there by norton writing something and they off the top of my head because she got a paper back anything that she asked the congress to do and the full chairman of this committee has encyclopedic knowledge of everything that happened including knows more about union station then i will ever know i'll never get anywhere by demonstrat much for this testimony i think all the next witnesses your hand as normally i would be we meeting which is now thirty students i in my office event in my office their high school graduates attending college in the fall and majoring district department of transportation please to have you with thank you and good afternoon chairwoman norton and members of the subcommittee i'm gave kline director of the district columbia department transportation more c i thank you for the opportunity to join this discussion on the congressional vision for twenty first century union station new intermodal uses a new union station a livable community my remarks today will largely focus on the results of the draft final union station intermod l transportation center feasibility study and its recommendations for planned improvements i did bring a hard copy for you if you'd like that today before going further i'd like to express the deep distress gratitude and appreciation for the leadership role that the subcommittee and particularly chairwoman norton has taken to support the development improvement of union station he has been active in seeking improvement to union station for many years can station was renovated in one nine hundred eighty s the district of columbia contributed forty million dollars towards the construction of the union station garage in the late one nine hundred ninety s the doubt also provided amtrak with three million dollars for lead paint abatement and renovation of train platform canopies more recently did not participated with the union station redevelopment corporation us r c and several other local and federal agencies and analyzing columbus circle and columbus plaza in front of gene station in two thousand a plan was developed to minimize conflicts between vehicles pedestrians and cyclists the plan entailed reconfiguring columbus circle and columbus plaza in recent years amtrak has sought to add a system of ours to this plan incorporating their latest guidance into the scope of work so this solicitation for construction bids can go out this september a new bike station which was envisioned as part of the columbus circle the ration has been able to proceed on its own and d expect the bicycle station to open near the end of september the union station grudge occupies only half of the air rights above the tracks emilia east of the station as you know the actress company's acquired these air rights from the general services administration ackwards proposed creating additional transportation related facilities in association with their development of these air rights and these proposed transportation facilities gave rise to the intermodal transportation center funds appropriated by congress as an initial step to that is use some of these funds to undertake a feasibility study for these facilities over the past year has been analyzing the feasibility of new transportation facilities as part of this new proposed development in and around union station our analysis examines these new facilities impacts our new stations existing facilities and services and its ability to accommodate future passenger rail public transit and tourism growth the study represents the most comprehensive analysis to date of the myriad transportation alternatives at union station the overarching purchase was to investigate the feasibility of the development design and construction of new intermodal transportation facilities as part of the proposed burn in place commercial and residential development the study area of the project and compass is an approximately twenty square block site bounded by m street to the north third street to the east massachusetts avenue to the south and north capitol street to the west and includes residential commercial and federal stakeholders such as the capitol complex and the neighborhoods of capitol hill and quarter and near northeast after studying the existing demand for the multiple modes of transport at union station we identified several key needs paramount to the goal of making union station a world class multi modal center number one improve moto connections number two increase rail and bus capacity and number three and hance to destry and circulation and way finding si we develop the following framework calls to guide the development of the improvements proposed in the union station i t c feasibility study and evaluate each recommendation on its ability to meet the aforementioned identified needs the framework goals are number one maintain an enhanced union station as a multimodal transportation hub to promote union station is a fluid pedestrian environment that supports comprehensive connectivity three ensure enhanced safety and security in and around the station and for respect the architecture cultural and regional significance of the historic station for the purposes of this testimony i'd like to focus on three of the studies recommended improvements that are particular interest to this body and also maximize and leverage investments recently made by union station stakeholders including congress and track us r c as well as the number one construction of an intercity bus station on the union station parking deck to completion of the wal mart of pedestrian tunnel to first street and vertical connections to h street three expansion of the train concourse areas including improved way finding sign currently do that is working with greyhound us r c and accurate to identify the optimal location for intercity bus facility that will provide the necessary access and capacity for intercity bus operations on the existing union station parking deck and essential element in creating an intercity bus terminal on the use station parking deck is determining the structural integrity of the existing parking deck to support passenger facilities that are associated with this intercity bus service c has begun this analysis and the findings will influence decisions regarding the type of intercity facility that can be constructed in addition care must be taken to ensure operational compatibility between intercity bus services and the transit services sightseeing services and charter bus parking that must also share the space another challenge is to determine how greyhound and other carriers can share an intercity bus terminal while paying their fair share for the terminals construction operation and maintenance do that visions of future intercity bus facility providing a new front door to union station from enlivened a street with vertical pedestrian access for metro rail occurring  extension of the amount of pedestrian tunnel from the northern metrorail mezzanine to first street northeast beneath h street overpass given the existing pedestrian conflicts the northern metro rail access and egress points a new entrance at first street northeast w provide residents employees and visitors sonoma with direct unencumbered access to union station we are currently working with juan mata to develop conceptual designs for the completion of this pedestrian tunnel and reconfiguration of the existing first street entrance to facilitate improve circulation between can commuter rail metro rail intercity rail passengers the cost estimates for these pedestrian improvements are approximately nine million dollars to the projected growth in visitors teens station the existing waiting areas and bathrooms the station must be expanded expansion of the east west concourse the north expansion the mezzanine level expansion of the north concourse will provide more waiting areas and facilitate improved passenger circulation between regional and commuter rail passengers the cost estimates for the phase improvements to these concourse and missing areas are approximately twenty million dollars these improvements are but a small break out of the details recommendations for improvements seen in station provide in the intermodal transportation feasibility study two that will work cooperate of union station stakeholders to review each of the recommendations and design concepts developed under the i p c c abilities to ensure a sound implementation plan that improves the union station i also want to note the deed has already submitted pre application is to the federal railroad administration for economic stimulus grants to assist with the waiting area hansen's and the reconfiguration of the existing metro rail connection in conclusion do that is proud to be one of the partners that  the station one of the premier intermodal transportation centers in this country we are grateful for your leadership and assistance in providing funding that makes continued improvements possible with your help we will allow even more people to find safe can be in an affordable ways to come to the nation's capital and access its many attractions thank you for inviting me to testify and i'm happy to answer any questions thank you thank you mr klein thank you for your help with bad with that study is superintendent responsible for all real operations at the washington union station thank you for the foundation to testify amtrak has its funky board meeting today so because of this conflict our board chair mr tom carver and our c e o mr joe boardman are unable to attend they asked me to express their regrets and to thank you in their behalf for your longstanding record of support for the station union station is amtrak's second busiest station and it sits at a point of convergence of three rail routes that connect washington with destinations to the north the west and the south above the station tracks is a bus back to provide travelers with connections to both inner city and local bus services these connections are very important to mr borden's vision of an interconnected rail system with complementary transportation services mr borgen has a lot of experience in the transit world and he appreciates the need for a close model integration i'm sorry close modal integration in the best way to provide travelers with a satisfactory range of transportation options this belief is anchored in the knowledge that the network must provide the citizens of the district with transportation choices that will satisfy their needs we expect train wire to ship trend will increase and we can expect to see corresponding growth in demand on our facilities given the extraordinary demands that the various users are making on this historic structure and track believes the appropriate course of action is to form a joint consultative process involving all key stakeholders this process needs to recognize union station is unique in a replaceable role as d in our model terminal and to aggress address growth needs for rail and existing bus services once we have an idea of the engineering feasibility a joint effort should undertake the necessary environmental studies to determine the impact in cost city and federal city council all of whom are present today and believe the board is an appropriate forum for these discussions and are interested in moving forward with a plan that is adaptive than reflective of the region's nation al goals for little communities and closing i suggest we formalize the steps that we need to take by identifying the funding that we need to develop plans assessing the impact of those plans determining costs and finding the funding to pay for feasible projects i am confident that we can work together with all stakeholders on this and i believe this call collaborative effort will yield a vision for the twenty first century union station that vision will help us to make the intermodal improvements that we need to truly realize a new and real vitalized union station thank you and the members of the subcommittee i thank you for the opportunity speak before you today on behalf of the union station invesco l l c u s i regarding the progress behind union station invesco l l c the operational management of union station and its leasing and development plans over the past year since our last meeting a year ago union station leasing and development activity union station is not only as tork landmark but an architectural gem us size goals are to continu functionality of the station as a premier intermodal transportation hub while continually adhering to the architectural historic vendor tenants a quality and tenant landlord communications standards for the property included within this presentation is an exhibit a what i will be discussing today i will now summarize for you what you will see in the following pages the leasing and development activity since our acquisition within the state with the station concourses as follows which is which as you see in this sheet here which is nine nine ten and activities to propose redevelopment within the station concourse train concourse peninsula is presently in the architectural m e p design phase the redevelopment incorporates new two story visual presence for the train concourse retailer visibility a new hallway will be created from the train concourse to the station concourse on the far east side of the building so as to alleviate traffic pinch points the leasing strategy for the peninsula development will remain consistent with present retail focus on the intermodal traveller retail food and dining needs policing and development activities since last year's hearing within the metro concourse or otherwise known as a food hall has included nine new tenants we also have redevelop the metro marketplace with the introduction of a card kiosk marketplace consisting of eight merchants which caters to the vast array of tourists on this level within the train concourse we are presently working along with amtrak and developing in the hance waiting gate area for the transit consumers the train concourse redevelopment is within its first phase of design operational feasibility between us i am track and u redevelopment involves the expansion and reconfiguration of the entire amtrak waiting gate area to create a friendlier relaxing and more security conscious area throughout the entire amtrak gates zone as we spoke last year we continually work on the development for the main hall in creating a new center cafe structure along with communicating vertical stair elements bringing property gas up and down to the present theater area within the metro concourse replacement of current structure will enhance traffic flow and sightlines throughout the main hall east and west falls visibility the entire project will be fully integrated to better represent a twenty first century intermodal transportation hub status of this development approximately nine months have been spent working with the involvement of the  also proposing to remarks tonight the west hall of the property with the introduction of a new category of fast casual dining establishments with the best in the category quality of merchandising pleasant new interior patio space within the west wall to rated for visitors to enjoy the historic architecture and unique ambiance our goal is to develop a unique gathering space promoting longer stays with customers of union station tenants proposed patios will be flex in nature to allow exhibits and property events to still remain all which would be developed utilizing the airwaves located over the train tracks at union station finally us eyes in agreement with the national park service district of columbia in the us r c for the enhancements to be made to columbus plaza jason to the station as part of the overall improvement project city metro buses will have a convenient location front and center for passenger boarding and drop off possessive possessive possessory interest tax bill looming over union station and all of the previously stated development plans of the unintended than unbudget impact of the district of columbia's possessory interest tax legislation otherwise milk p i t which is the greatest single threat to the future and union stations and going sustained viability prior to the adoption of the legislation by the d government and over the short period of time since the redevelopment corporation took charge of the rehabilitation of union station it estimates transformed from a dilapidated building condemned as unfit for human habitation to a major transportation hub retail center and tourist destination catering to the residents of the district of columbia tourist commuters from both d c and across america the success of united states the success of unite union station as in a moral transportation facilities based on a careful and strategic balance of one budgeting for the ever growing costs of maintaining securing and operating the century old national landmark preserving the crucial tenet mix at union station in the quest to improve union station as an interim model transportation facility the district has endangered all of the process instance the possessory interest act under the proposed assessment for year two thousand and eight to two thousand and nine is increased by two hundred seventy eight percent above two thousand and seven it is us size position that the p i t is being wrongfully assessed against it and  of a pilot program that would specify and permit a reasonable amount of annual ph d for union station to pay the d c council as introduce such legislation and is currently pending action and funding passage to ensure that the future success of us i would not be side  or endangered by such a local taxation absence of the significant local to actually if that has been vigorously championed by various d c council members including mr evans and mr wells is unlikely that us i will be able to pay the proposed p i t taxes together with all of the increase operating costs security cost tenant allowances and improvements that are required to maintain and improve union station is an interim model transportation facility of which is state of the are in the unfortunate event that the pilot legislation  not pass or is not fully funded and we may have to return to you in this committee to seek congressional relief from the local district p i t in order to ensure the completion and success of the project outlined in this testimony as well as the overall viability and purpose of this important federal building in the members of the subcommittee i thank you again for the opportunity to speak to you today on behalf of the union station vasco  competition conducted by the g s a in two thousand and two since the then we along with our financial partners leucadia national corporation it's been a cement tangible amount of time and resources plans and ideas for a new if you will of the intermodal transportation facilities at this crown jewel in the nations and torrie brand historic structures we appreciate the opportunity to participate in this here and we believe that in the past year there's been a genuine momentum in this project and that is primarily due to your support in focus the state of the adjoining intermodal transportation center is really not a very pretty one tourists passing from the store at main hall to the existing rail waiting areas must wonder if they fallen down the rabbit hole when they see what's down in the finishes of the has it's a frustrating disappointment for the citizens that use it daily for example during rush hour woes the commuters trying to navigate through the congested amtrak or mark concourse areas to reach metro or the amtrak passengers trying to move through the boarding queues to the platform the couple pictures over there that tell the story much better than i can words throwing the tourists trying to use the food court and you have oppressed ready mix of users all trying to move across purposes in the rail streetcar and other transportation uses that are on the boards and coming in the future it is clear that the time to act is now actress development of the air rights present a once in a lifetime opportunity to address the challenges construction  concrete and the connection to the north into the station provides what now is the ideal time to undertake the required modernization of the i t c while substantial federal dollars will be required this is a modest investment when you consider that over twenty five million people use this is a transportation center today and projected numbers are to get only greater in the future not to mention the importance of the station to regional and national security  of these efforts and a five to six year window we have coordinated to cure a concept of these projects with all the stakeholders and they are compatible with all the suggestions that you've heard here from my pet fellow pound members today also the newer station interest must be upgraded for better access to the station these improvements would also be beneficial to the public safety officer standing emergencies the second project is the construction of a new north south kind of course which would further less congestion by doubling the space available for pastor transfers among the various modes at the station this project would connect directly to the existing concourse in the lower tracks in order to incorporate the inner city bus service which we've spoken about station and help avoid the difficult experience during the evacuation efforts of nine eleven family hardy another black who features would improve security of potentially variable portions of the station is our estimate that this time the total budget for all these projects will be in one hundred fifty to two hundred million dollars range it could be as i said earlier complete over the next four to six years ma'am chairman you asked earlier a quick question you know undertaking large complicated projects such as because it's helpful to see some before and after pictures of what we're talking about the plans that we proposed of course are not final but they are conceptual and they do address i believe all the issues that you've heard today i think you'll see that there is a sharp by how it fits that plan complete with cost feasibility and all that goes along with that am i wrong are you working pursuant to a master are you doing the best you can knowing what you know about your part of union station the part you play in union station is anybody working pursuant to some overall plan master plan that might end up with what must act which is talking  work it out all together if i could if i could speak on behalf of us i guess i we have had our group with with actress group have had several meetings over the past year and a half and the plan that we have in place specifically the plan we have in place that addresses the needs of enriching the the train concourse is in fact consistent with what would be the second phase quality when burnt a place takes place so that is a marriage and it could only have been that way because of the meetings we had and that really is the same you know consistent with the meetings that we've had with meetings with us r c i believe there has been lisa and i can speak and i believe there has been some very very good broad communication about the desires of where what the needs are were and what the present problems of the property exist i think we all share that there are there are extreme pinch points of the property today there are security issues of the property today there are some lighting issues of the property today there are materials that are used on the property today that are not state of the art that are now twenty first century we share the weaknesses and we communicate amongst each other what each other's visions are and try to get create this one master plan my family we operate no one has to last a business is on the same block communicate with one another and you know they each make sure that you know each other knows what they are they are doing and i don't want to suggest that i don't hear that happening nor that there is a lack of communication but there are people at this table who have a revenue stream and who don't there are people who have value that people who have a revenue stream that people who have a and existing place and union buses and to union station as part of the intermodal concept yes we have my superintendent of station operations has been involved in every one of the meetings regarding the bus proposals taking him from the ticket office actually being in the station the concept going out the h street bridge and now the the bus stack so amtrak is has participated in all discussions except in so far as i find fun pick up fun here and there and as a federal government so i can tell you right now that that should be a major actor but except for members of this committee i'm not sure that they consider them you all want to go ahead recognizing that some people value some people revenue some people most accurate you can move on laugh the transportation issues with that  settled and unless the infrastructure issues are done and a master developer would begin to try to put together that value with the revenue with what people want to make more money and what people  was sitting on top of value this makes nothing for anybody and then they try to get together with the federal government who is the only entity in the world or at least in this country who can write a check without having money to buy hank and then proceed from there on in i'm just trying to indicate how in this subcommittee we see projects move forward far less ambitious but ambitious than this where we're putting together transportation and development in the same package marvelous opportunity to bad we didn't take speak to what role we're playing at and also my point of view coming into this process somewhat late in the game i've been on the job for about six months so i'll give you my perspective it seems that it seems that there are some  financially constrained long range plans that obviously are not funded and so what we've been trying to do is collaborate as much as possible with all the stakeholders we've been working on the study which i think is going to be very valuable and really does look at all the did you say that so you had a study with you i do i have the latest draft and it's right here and it's it's basically finished and this is for you what we have to do is go through the technical advisory committee review which is basically all the stakeholders signing off and then we have to go to a public review so by september it'll be official and will be out there so so we've been working hard on this and i realize i think we're a little behind on it but it is about finished and then you know we've been trying to identify low cost in term solutions because of the financial constraints that we see with some of these eighty million are one hundred million dollars project i had a great meeting recently with jane mcclelland from first group which is the parent company for greyhound she was over from from the u k and she seemed to be of the same mind that there were some some things that could happen over two three four year period including the vertical integration with h street on that bus stack  building a large structure but i said to her i said you know looking at at the state of the economy looking at the business model for the curbside buses versus greyhound and now you're entering the curbside business as well might we not want to look at a phased approach phase one two and three where we literally could kiosks in the parking lot and start moving the buses over and then phase two we look at the ver him which talking i'm saying in the parking deck itself you know we can get the vertical integration i think we can commit to that as a group i think we can commit to some sort of structure i don't know how large it needs to be and i think we'll have a study by the end of august that will say that will state what that debt can handle but i guess what i'm suggesting is that that can play a role in trying to facilitate more expedited approaches and solutions which brings me to the fourth piece which is that we've also been looking to identify funding for a variety of projects ranging from columbus circle plaza which you know where a hundred thousand dollars shortfall are going to find a way to you finding that the transportation funding we have what we have an earmark and then i believe national park service was committed to eight hundred thousand which they've since backed out of so we are considering trying to use some stimulus money or finding other local funds even if we have to because we want to keep to a september day to issues that that contract  this possible use of stimulus money and where where would that be yes actually my staff has been in close coordination with all the different stakeholders and so they've been a part of this including approximately thirty one million dollars of improvements in the form of stimulus grants so that's that's our role at this point but you know we're open to playing whatever role various infrastructure needs and yet you see when anybody moving to make it happen which really led us to believe there was active resistance to the congressional mandate for i've got to ask you what you see now that we understand where it's going to be what issues of any we are understand revenue is always an issue i see how people who want to do it could begin to put together a package for grab and if there was the will to do it but folks know a whole lot more about that than i do so i want to some kind in there whether or not as a business model you think that somebody has brought value himself what the money is gone be necessary in order to accomplish the infrastructure needs that you yourself want to see occur or do you see some other way for bus service to come to you and station before the next millennium well with amtrak the bus service is far is we're concerned could start tomorrow using the bus that can a limited style maybe a smaller service but that doesn't affect the amtrak and we support the you know actually you know that make try to make a deal to get in there some of these inner city bus people who've been trying to get in there you're saying you would have no objection amtrak would have no object and there would be value added wouldn't be because somebody would have to compete for paid to get in there and you have to measure that against the the vacancies that are there or for that matter the people who are there the services that are there we have numerous intermodal stations throughout the country so approach where amtrak gets concerned and we've started to take things into our own hands now working with aashiq banaya working with the dot speaking with that bridge and of course us or c is we're currently working to do analysis on our past year queuing area one that was designed oh i'm sorry board the trains were folks go to board the trains as you may remember before the station was revitalized that's where the trains actually stopped the steel gates of the you walk through into our killing area was actually trackage so when the station was redeveloped in the eighty's it's almost as train plus one at a table i was not at the table i can't speak to that i've been here thirty two years but i was not at that table that's why me and you don't have the vision expected when that construction was bad that's understandable but the fact that you yourself on the outside looking in from the beginning that had that unfortunate so we have worked closely and we're looking i believe in august you will have a preliminary design on how to integrate that structure and be able to increase the capacity for killing our passengers both amtrak v r e and mark  is seeing traffic now that it hasn't seen for one hundred years and that's without anything else you need to do something that is correct so that that stands alone as far as infrastructure adjustments increases and such for hire capacity with with trains but that is currently under discussion also but right now my my focus with amtrak is to do the work in the passenger boarding area that now gives us a more livable first of all that any of you know where their target buses you know like a bus is that way for people on a daily basis at union station yes there are those buses are currently on the deck i was over there yesterday and you know as you speed through the morning towards nine ten o'clock it starts to fill up awful if you want to i can't believe that isn't the least value you could get  from the use of the available space i mean correct me i mean if you come out on a day basis as opposed to negotiating to get a player and there are several players who get into a competition which is the best way to get the most value from what deck is there i think that's absolutely right and i think that we're working on regulations right now so the have a lot of choices here with curbside ok i want to ask you about the charters but curbside is it true that they all gather k street the way we heard from and is that the best place and is it better to have them in one place and how did you arrive at that well ok so there are a number of places throughout the city where they pick up and it depends on the company but we've tried to push them towards the old convention center a lot area a lot at stake and their eyes passengers as if we were real world class city and what is the reason why do they get crowded or something is there a reason why it's preferable perhaps to be on the outside i don't know if i need to ask that question ask you to do something i'm really i ask you to do that that you know we've accommodated them you had to we would like them off the street altogether as long as you have and i commend the city for to pre construction but what we want to do is we want to start moving those folks over to union station once we pass these regulations so that is the policy in the district of columbia that's like the herbicides to be a union station we don't ha to a difference van is very important as important as it was to keep it going we don't want to keep it going like the seven charters i mean the charter that we must have the tourists who come in and i'm not they using union i believe it was on the mayor williams a plan was drawn up for the life of us even rolls off my lips is a possibility well i would say all of them madam chairman but it would be preferable for many of them to be accomplished before we start construction especially on the north into the existing station where roger invasion in place what would be its relationship to the greater union station complex it will be it will be similar to what gallery year our conceptual plan of what the third place developer will look like we have about two and a half million square feet of space with retail office hotel parking it will integrate with the north into the station in the connections there are not optimal right now not good for the station that will be good for our project and it's where that intersection occurs where the majority of economies are to be get gain by doing the construction there in conjunction with our construction of our platform but some of the other areas that we're talking we're talking about and proving to mention here part of project number one which i described about relieving some of the passenger congestion getting on the trains that anthrax and v x number one goal can be done in part before we start construction in the independent  seven figures on planning for the public portion of this project as have these gentlemen as well so i think a lot of the bones are laying around i think we need to work with you as to how we can best put them together so that the comprehensible so that you knowing you're sitting at the table but maybe in the district of columbia and the district of columbia has you bring certain value to the table the district of columbia slangs other kinds that when together working with the district of columbia with only the developer and usually a city perhaps the federal government could have something to do with been called yet for that part of it that doesn't mean you don't have to add what i'm trying to understand is that with actors all of home need some parts of this would be  by others why the typical bringing together of the available parties some of whom have value some of them don't have as obvious a value why that has not taken place and whether that can take place even now well i think in general the answer to that question is the interest here are very disparate and cover different areas well play and that is what this committee wants to put before you i can tell you this was back ridge the congress will never see it that way the congress will see this as interest to depend one upon another and if they can't figure out that codependents the congress will not get into it it's as simple as that i can guarantee that and i really want to know what value everybody at the table is bringing to the table and with this congress locked in all kinds of  group over the last at least eighteen months is exemplary resulting in what in the plan which is pretty close to being what plan is that had been submitted no it has not  numerous times and we have one for the private portion the project which we just found was so we're getting ready to submit to the district polling as owning process so as i said i think we're further along than we've made it clear to you we don't have we don't have anything ready to present to you today but hearing what it is that you're looking for i think we can put our collective heads together in a pretty short order come back to you well i agree ask you to make things i see them making plans the and of and if i could comment further madam chairwoman it is it is truly that plan it is truly the plan that acrid showed us more than eighteen months ago and supplemental plans after that that really spurred our  idea and i'm sure it's brought amtrak's as well to go forward with this development in this plan in the train tax course as it relates to the queue in line with amtrak and expanding and addressing a lot of those things that were inaccurate plants so an act which does do their development our plan will be see our development will be seamless with errors we want to i'm not sure we've seen the plan and i'm sure we will but mr klein said something that was important this is this any project this monumental is necessarily in for a medical reason that a plan is important to see is that following that plan you know what's going on what and what order what should proceed and who is prepared to f what and that is the kind of planning we are accustomed to at least when we're dealing with this matter of this magnitude of of change  were very interested to know for example what should be the first step given what you know now and who wouldn't who would it involve step is again working with amtrak working with over fifty thousand square feet of the property and reinvigorate and revitalize and opening in areas opening ceilings redoing all of the m e p structure within that area create a truly world class experience for anybody would come in that mr lasting how would we find that we're we're looking for the government to us yeah that's what i mean and the government is looking for a plan where the actors at the table i i agree with you and i really do believe that when you call for a plan i mean the the depth of what i've seen with ak ridge and what we will have finished over the next let's say sixty day the incorporation of those two plans would be very well on our way to show what as as it relates to the core structure for the that will have to come in and understand how it relates to the trip to the bus concourse which all the plans have a financial component to it absolutely indeed i can barely wait but i thought there might be members of the council to get you to suggest that that some kind of pilot legislation what the district has done before to pay for to help pay for infrastructure projects would be necessary in order for you to move forward now what's the status of that mr leste the pilot program that i was referring to was a pilot program that we are trying to sue to have consideration is in lieu of the possessory interest tax for the property having nothing to do with  klein it's page two i think of your testimony you mentioned you support garage expansion tied to it and i didn't understand quite what removal of sedan parking from the de  and i guess there are rental cars on the deck at this point so we would say they are rental car you can rent a car and understand what that meant are you satisfied with the corporations community outreach we don't like to hear after the fact that community outreach on something as important as this expansion is to the city yeah i mean i think this is this is a joint effort you know i mean right now our next steps as as i've laid out some of them for you  are working on the stimulus grants getting the feasibility study out to the public getting the regs finished for the curbside buses so they can start to move the station if everybody agrees we can move the the other buses  our and we want to see movement and we want to see it this year we also would hope to start construction columbus circle by the end of the years well we very much want to meet with  businesses so i want to know whether your the autonomy has affected your plan how it has affected then surely it's affected are you able to get the requisite financing in this economy to continue at what pace for the make over that was underway all of the area that outside of what we're discussing with amtrak is going to be self funded thro well i was going to get into that i mean what the economy has done is fortunate for the fact that there are twenty five arguably some people say between twenty and thirty meter million people that come through the property every year for the for the most part the retail expansion across the united states as we all know is pretty much coming to a screeching halt as far as retail expansion we have been fortunate because of the dynamics of the asset because the dynamics of union station and the amount of people coming through just still attracts retailers to the asset what has become more problematic today that we didn't have when we came out of the property to two years ago was that it cost us more to bring the tenant to the property the fact that they do not have open the buys we have to spend more money give more allowance have more consideration and they ran role than then we would consider two years ago but we still have an active pace with with transactional activity at the property  if that's what you're asking and that's that's understandable but i have one more question could i add to that though that the current financial situation is not affecting our yet again please general financial situation is not affecting our interest or our timeframe on this project we have a number of approval process each we need to go through with the zoning commission with the commission of fine arts with the architect of the capital preservation we have a yourself something of a goal of five percent i'll do whatever it is spent for outside counsel on women and minorities have you reach that goal yet what is the i wanted broken down black hispanic whatever else we are building up in this country then women and that broken down to see what we have we're not suggesting through the breakdown that you must have any particular breakdown it's just like it's that we like to know what data we're looking at and what it means this oversight hearing where you see me  asking lots of questions really has more to do with education campaigns maybe who will have to be the chief advocate for union station in the larger mix on the transportation committe anything is to be done competing with very well planned some in operation intermodal systems and start facilities  now want to spread out into more we're we're in an extraordinary place position the only thing that we don't have or can't have on the ground we can get you to and probably ten minutes and that the national airport couldn't be more pleased with what you have done so far it does not begin to meet what congress and it's always a grand vision expects of because we always look at any one facility measured against what we see elsewhere and i is becoming a virtual catchword transportation bill that we are preparing very results oriented is going to reward people who are results oriented have  preceded x distance and then come and say see what we've done can you help us get the rest of the way i mean the chairman is on the record on the bill that's been produced so far so committed to that that that is why i'm trying to educate myself as to what we have got going because some of the endless intermodal systems we have seen do not have as many actors as we have and watching in fact most do not have as many actors as we have in washington and most of them start with was friday get they have buses and i used to have some major rail and then they have to figure out how to get the rest and so you know they create great big mall and we are very pleased that we have a very good mall but they're way beyond us and the air rights and looking for other ways to outdo one another and to modalism and so when i get to talking to the committee then i gotta say oh isn't that terrific eleanor somebody in this very large committee is on a pipe up what is being done in some other metropolis and you know i've been sound off about the nation's capital the sensible thing to universe the congressional mandate for intermodal listen up and then i got to fill in the blanks you've helped me to begin to fill in the blanks i ask you to get me a master plan for a twenty first century union station and then with the region and with other members of my committee i i'm prepared to go a little distance thank you very much for your testimony here has a job