By RailPAC President Noel T. Braymer — This seems the right time of year to reflect on what new rail service we have to look forward to and to dream about new projects. I’m writing about my own personal choices, though I’m sure many share some of my dreams. We have many projects to look…
By RailPAC President Noel T. Braymer — There were lots of news stories along with misinformation over the action of the Amtrak Board this late September. (For the full story read the accompanying news report from the Bureau of National Affairs) The Amtrak Board created a new Amtrak subsidiary comprised of the entire North East…
Reproduced with permission from Daily Report for Executives, No. 198, pp A-8 – A-9 (Oct. 14, 2005). Copyright 2005 by The Bureau of National Affairs, Inc. (800-372-1033) Amtrak Board’s Decision to Create New NEC Subsidiary Not a Break-Up, Laney Says By Derrick Cain A decision by the Amtrak Board of Directors to create a subsidiary…
By RailPAC President Noel T. Braymer — The key to major reductions in our Oil use is transportation, since 65% of our Oil consumption is used for transportation. New York City on a per capita basis uses about half as much gasoline as the national average; the reason is rather obvious, as New Yorkers drive…
By RailPAC President Noel T. Braymer — One of my earliest memories as a child was going to Los Angeles from our home in Orange County to watch the Dodgers play baseball at the Los Angeles Coliseum. This was back in the late 1950’s. What I remember most about that night, my first in the…
The Board of Directors of RailPAC, the Rail Passenger Association of California, enthusiastically endorses the bipartisan SB 1516. (Full text on Thomas at the Library of Congress) Its official title, beyond Senate Bill 1516, is the Passenger Rail Investment and Improvement Act of 2005. Some call it PRIIA 2005, and others are simply calling it…
By RailPAC President Noel T. Braymer — The July 7th bombings of London transit has set off a wave of panic, which is just what the bombers wanted. There are calls to spend massive amounts of money to increase security on all forms of public transportation, comparing the situation to security at the airports. Yet…
Rail Passenger Association of California Board of Directors, Adopted June 4, 2005. Early arrivals at the RailPAC meeting on June 4 at JLS in Oakland listen to guest Gene Skoropowski, Managing Director of the Capitol Corridor and a NARP director. Left to right around the table: Bill Lindley, RailPAC director/website designer and Treasurer of the…
By RailPAC President Noel T. Braymer — In the wake of Amtrak’s increasing financial problems, there has been increasing pressure on Amtrak to cut costs. The Government Accountability Office (GAO), Congress’s investigative arm, thinks it has found an area ripe for cost savings in Amtrak’s Food Services. Food service has long been a target of…
by Noel T. Braymer, RailPAC President — For well over sixty years, Greyhound has had a near monopoly over intercity bus service in the United States. In the last twenty or so years Greyhound has been losing business and cutting back service. Greyhound has often been a critic of rail passenger service, claiming it was…