Anything the nonprofit Regional Plan Association has to say about the future of Penn Station and Gateway is called into question because it has embezzled more than a million dollars in federal tax dollars from Amtrak to promote the railroad’s $50 billion boondoggle project, Gateway. The Regional Plan Association has long been regarded as a trustworthy, independent, and objective voice.
The Amtrak infusion, which we are revealing to the public for the first time, undercuts RPA’s contribution to framing important discussions about governance, transportation, land use, and the environment. As important matters regarding the future of the region are considered, the public and policy officials cannot trust the group’s research, studies, and remarks regarding the contentious battle over Penn and Gateway.
What should happen to Madison Square Garden and Penn Station? Does the new Hudson tunnel’s alignment make more sense by straddling the old line or by being inefficiently independent and parallel to the 1910 tunnel? Do costly and antiquated technologies like bench walls need to be used in the new tunnel? Why not use the tried-and-true repair-in-place technique of weekends and evenings to fix the 1910 tunnel right away? Every time RPA follows Amtrak’s expensive plans, we have called for more effective and efficient measures. Since RPA is using Amtrak’s funds, it is unable to be trustworthy, impartial, or independent.
Gateway is a fiasco because it significantly overbuilds a new passenger rail connection beneath the Hudson, as this editorial page has long noted. The largest and most costly part of the proposed demolition of a wide swatch of Midtown south of Penn Station, concentrated on Block 780, will result in the waste of tens of billions of taxpayer dollars.
Gov. Hochul is right to be adamantly against the Block 780 nonsense, which would cost over $20 billion and ruin a neighborhood, but RPA is staying with Amtrak after stealing its funds.
RPA’s paid partnership has been ongoing for years, during which time it has supported Amtrak’s maximalist stance on issues like Block 780 and during the discussion over Gateway in Washington and on both sides of the Hudson.
This is why RPA despises anything that doesn’t fit Amtrak’s overall plan, like as the much more sensible option of through-running trains in one direction and out the other in Penn rather than using a terminal with dead ends like 780 would. We now understand why.
We only learned about the financing arrangement from the most current IRS 990 tax return for nonprofits on the RPA website.
The information provided by RPA is as follows: Create a Coalition for Gateway Now Five years ago, RPA established the Build Gateway Now Coalition, which brought together more than 40 business, labor, and civic partners to support the Gateway Program, the country’s most important infrastructure initiative. Our coalition has advanced the project and raised awareness that the Gateway Program must be constructed through original research, advocacy efforts (testifying at board meetings of the Gateway Development Commission, lobbying in Washington, DC, holding press conferences, and other rallies), and communication efforts (social media, op/eds, digital public engagement tools, and regular contact with the media). Amtrak supports our efforts. A $350,000 grant was awarded to us for a period of 18 months beginning in January 2022. Recently, our funding was extended for an additional 18 months at a rate of $500,000.
Additionally, according to RPA’s 990, it is the oldest and most prestigious independent urban research and advocacy organization in America. It is no longer so independent.
A public relations executive for Amtrak also has this on their LinkedIn profile:
Organize the Build Gateway Now Coalition under a $1 million contract with the Regional Plan Association (RPA), which includes doing unique academic research that demonstrates the value and necessity of the Gateway Program.
Both RPA and Amtrak refused to give us the contract when we requested for it; Amtrak suggested that we file a Freedom of Information Act request instead.
Amtrak has acquired RPA’s reputation in exchange for this congressionally granted funding. According to RPA President and CEO Tom Wright, the organization has supported a new rail tunnel for decades and hasn’t altered its position in any way. That is true, but RPA changed its status from independent advocate to paid lobbyist when it accepted payment from Amtrak.
Wright was chosen by Amtrak to serve as the head of the Penn Station Working Advisory Group, thereby designating someone as their own paid lobbyist.
Amtrak stated simply: Amtrak works on a number of projects throughout the nation with a range of partners. As we maximize taxpayer expenditures, we will keep collaborating with partners who share our dedication to safety, effectiveness, and dependability.
Since the start of the Amtrak contract with RPA in 2022, the Bistate Gateway Development Commission has met 24 times.
At each of those sessions, RPA had someone speak during the public comment period to support and encourage the Gateway project, without ever mentioning that Amtrak was funding it. We asked RPA our questions on Monday, and RPA did not provide any public feedback during the GDC meeting on Wednesday. Why not, we wonder?
