Wednesday, July 23, 2008 
Contact: Kim Riddle, Tel.: (202) 366-5128

MEDIA ADVISORY

BTS Releases First-Quarter 2008 Air Fare Data;
Average First-Quarter Domestic Air Fares Rose 4.4 Percent from 2007;
Top 100 Airports: Highest Fare in Cincinnati, Lowest Fare at Atlantic City

 Average domestic air fares in the first quarter of 2008 were up 4.4 percent from the first quarter of 2007 in the largest year-to-year increase since second quarter 2006 but average fares remained 4.6 percent below the January-to-March high set in 2001, the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS), a part of the Research and Innovative Technology Administration (RITA), reported today.  

 A press release containing information about first-quarter average fares and the Air Travel Price Index, a quarterly measure of changes in airfares is available at www.dot.gov/affairs/briefing.htm.  Additional information about air fares in the first quarter, including average fares for the top 100 airports, and about ATPI, including indexes for foreign-origin itineraries and the top 85 air travel markets based on originating passengers, can be found on the BTS website, http://www.bts.gov/xml/atpi/src/index.xml. 

Multiple airport areas for which a single average fare calculation is available are: Boston, Chicago, Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco and Washington, DC.  

Airports covered by average fare calculations are:

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FHWA 14-08 
Tuesday, July 22, 2008 
Contact: Ian Grossman
Tel.: (202) 366-0660

Transportation Public-Private Partnerships Soar to Record Levels

The number of public-private partnerships in the U.S. transportation sector has soared to record levels in recent years and continues to climb, according to a new Department study, announced today by U.S. Transportation Secretary Mary E. Peters.

“This nationwide trend on the part of state and local governments is further proof that innovative approaches to financing and managing transportation are increasingly attractive compared to traditional tax and spend methods,” Secretary Peters said. “States and local governments across the country are recognizing public-private partnerships are an effective means to deliver transportation projects.”

The new report found that more transportation public-private partnerships were completed over the last three years than in any other compatible time period in history.  According to the report, more than 20 major highway and transit projects are currently being conducted in partnership with the private sector at various stages of development in the United States.

The report also found that the use of public-private partnerships is increasing at record pace due to their proven track record of relieving congestion and encouraging infrastructure development, Secretary Peters said.  They do this by substituting or adding private capital for fuel tax revenue and helping leaders tap into the more than $400 billion of private capital available globally today for investment in infrastructure.  Another find shows that states and localities can reduce project costs, accelerate project delivery, and transfer risks to the private sector while also protecting public sector interests through well-balanced concession agreements, she said. 
  
“Together, we can make more of these projects happen throughout Virginia and across America,” Deputy Secretary Thomas J. Barrett said today in announcing the study at a groundbreaking for new High Occupancy Toll lanes on the Capital Beltway in Virginia.

A full copy of the report, “Innovation Wave: An Update on the Burgeoning Private Sector Role in U.S. Highway and Transit Infrastructure,” can be found at http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/ppp/dotpppreport071808.doc

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DOT 100-08
Monday, July 21, 2008
Contact: Steve Kulm orRob Kulat
(202) 493-6024

Deputy Secretary of Transportation Barrett Announces $1 Million Grant to Help Reduce the Leading Causes of Rail-Related Deaths

Deputy Secretary of Transportation Vice Admiral Thomas J. Barrett today announced a $1.015 million grant to continue federal support of public education efforts to reduce collisions between trains and motor vehicles at highway-rail grade crossings and discourage illegal trespassing along railroad rights of way.

“Most rail-related deaths are preventable, and the far-reaching educational outreach efforts of Operation Lifesaver helps save lives every day,” said Barrett, noting that in 2007 there were 338 grade crossing and 473 trespasser deaths which accounted for a combined 95 percent of all rail-related fatalities.

Barrett explained that the grant is being provided by the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) and will support the public outreach and training programs of Operation Lifesaver, Inc. (OLI), a national not-for-profit rail safety organization. An additional $338,332 will be generated in matching funds or services, he added.

The federal funds will be used for OLI’s States Assistance Program, which provides up to 50 grants to state organizations that manage railroad safety awareness programs. In addition, the FRA grant will support training programs for OLI’s more than 2,100 volunteer trainers and presenters, specialized communications programs, publications and other related materials.

Barrett further stated that the annual FRA grant funding will be used for new OLI initiatives, including production of a training video for commercial truck and bus drivers, development of more outreach resources for the Hispanic/Latino community, creation of new public service announcements, and a special initiative targeting college age and 25- to 30 year-olds. And, in response to the consistently high and relatively unchanged number of trespass deaths in recent years, OLI will renew its emphasis on addressing trespass issues.

The grant announced today supports the goals of the U.S. Secretary of Transportation’s 2004 Action Plan for Highway-Rail Grade Crossing Safety and Trespass Prevention that provides a roadmap for guiding federal, state, local, railroad industry and other efforts to combat these problems.

Deputy Secretary Barrett announced the FRA grant at the OLI International Symposium in Covington, KY.

Click here for Deputy Secretary Barrett's remarks from event.

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DOT 98-08
Contact: Brian Turmail, Tel.: (202) 366-4570
Wednesday, July 16, 2008 

New Rule Reduces Risk of Fuel Tank Flammability on Passenger Jets

ASHBURN, Va.– Within two years, all new aircraft must include technology designed to significantly reduce the risk of center fuel tank fires as part of a final rule announced today by U.S. Transportation Secretary Mary E. Peters. In addition, passenger aircraft built after 1991 must be retrofitted with technology designed to keep center fuel tanks from catching fire, she said.

“We want to do everything possible to make sure safety examiners won’t have to investigate another plane shattered by an exploding tank,” said Secretary Peters. “We can’t change the past, but we can make the future safer for thousands of air travelers, and this rule does just that.”

The Secretary, who spoke on the day before the anniversary of the crash of TWA Flight 800, said the new rule was needed to help avoid a similar tragic incident. She said the rule requires aircraft to have technology to neutralize or eliminate flammable gasses from fuel tanks under the center wing of commercial passenger planes.

Secretary Peters noted that in the wake of the TWA crash researchers with the Federal Aviation Administration developed a breakthrough system that replaces oxygen in the fuel tank with inert gas, which effectively prevents the potential ignition of flammable vapors. She added that commercial aircraft manufacturer Boeing also has developed a similar system.

“Today’s rule will add another layer of safety reducing the chance that the vapors in the tank will ignite, even if there is a spark,” said FAA Acting Administrator Robert A. Sturgell.

Secretary Peters noted the cost of installing the new technology would range from $92,000 to $311,000 per aircraft, depending on its size. She said this cost could be as little as one-tenth of one percent of the cost of a new aircraft. The U.S. aircraft that will be retrofitted include approximately 2,730 aircraft belonging to the A320 family of 900 airplanes, 50 A330s, 965 Boeing 737s, 60 Boeing 747s, 475 Boeing 757s, 150 Boeing 767s and 130 Boeing 777s.

“I recognize that this is a challenging time for commercial aviation,” Secretary Peters said. “But there is no doubt that another crash like TWA 800 would pose a far greater challenge.”

The Secretary made the announcement while addressing accident investigators at the National Transportation Safety Board’s (NTSB) Training Facility in Virginia. Before addressing the examiners, the Secretary, Acting Administrator Sturgell and NTSB Chairman Mark Rosenker visited the remains of the TWA flight which are kept at the site as an educational tool for safety investigators.

The rule is published on the FAA and Federal Register’s web sites at: http://www.faa.gov/regulations_policies/rulemaking/recently_published/ or http://www.gpoaccess.gov/fr/index.html.

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Tuesday, July 15, 2008 
Contact:  Dave Smallen, Tel.: (202) 366-5568

MEDIA ADVISORY

BTS Releases May Passenger Airline Employment Data;
May 2008 Employment Up 0.8 Percent from May 2007

U.S. scheduled passenger airlines employed 0.8 percent more workers in May 2008 than in May 2007, the 16th consecutive increase in full-time equivalent employee (FTE) levels for the scheduled passenger carriers from the same month of the previous year but the smallest year-to-year increase since March 2007, the Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS), a part of the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Research and Innovative Technology Administration (RITA), reported today.

A news release and summary tables can be found at www.bts.gov.  More information on airline employment and data from previous years are posted on the BTS website at http://www.bts.gov/programs/airline_information/number_of_employees/

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FHWA 14-08
Contact: Nancy Singer,   Tel.: (202) 366-0660
Friday, July 11, 2008

U.S. Transportation Secretary Mary E. Peters Announces $1 Million Quick Release to Wisconsin for Urgent Repair of Roads and Bridges Damaged by Floods

The federal government is making $1 million available immediately in emergency relief funds for Wisconsin to help pay for urgent repairs to roads and bridges damaged by floods, U.S. Transportation Secretary Mary E. Peters announced today.

“We're making this down payment to help restore essential traffic routes so people can get back to their lives and businesses can begin to recover,” Secretary Peters said.

Secretary Peters said the $1 million quick release was intended to help Wisconsin begin restoring roads that were washed out from the floods, including County Trunk Highway that provides access to Sauk County’s Lake Delton, an important tourist destination and revenue generator for the region.

The Secretary added that the Department would continue to work with officials from Wisconsin and other Midwestern states as they assess the extent of road damage caused by the floods. She said more resources will likely be made available based on those evaluations.

The Federal Highway Administration's emergency relief program provides funds to states for the repair or reconstruction of federal-aid highways damaged by natural disasters or catastrophic events. The program typically works on a reimbursable basis.

In June, the Department provided a $1 million quick release to Iowa as well to repair damage from the Midwest floods.

“We’re committed to bringing back essential transportation links after a natural disaster strikes,” FHWA Acting Administrator Jim Ray said.
 

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