RailPAC: Rail Passenger Association of CA & NV

LOSSAN Highlights from the September Board Meeting Agenda

By Noel T. Braymer Much of the time reading agendas can be rather boring. Much of the material is either technical or legalistic. But like digging for gold if you dig in the right places you can hit paydirt in the LOSSAN Board Meeting Agenda. The latest meeting was held on September 15th. The minutes…

September 19, 2014
RailPAC eNewsletter for September 15, 2014

To get more riders, Metrolink should lower fares Los Angeles Times-Sep 11, 2014 Letters to the Editor The comments by officials about ridership growth on the weekends due to the $10 pass make my case that ridership is price sensitive. One way to greatly increase ridership on the weekends would be to add frequencies to existing services and…

September 19, 2014
Let Us Start Now for Rail Service to Nevada

Commentary by Robert MacDonald, RailPAC member, Oakland On September 11, 2014, the media announced that the Nevada State Legislature had passed the approval of TESLA’s constructing its “gigafactory” at Union Pacific’s station of PATRICK, which is about 13 miles east of the station of Reno. TESLA has announced that their new plant will employ 6,500…

September 18, 2014
Will California’s First High Speed Train go to Las Vegas?

By Noel T. Braymer It is looking more and more that California’s first High Speed Train will go to Las Vegas. Senator Harry Reid of Nevada, a major supporter of California- Las Vegas High Speed Rail service, says he has been talking with Governor Brown about the future of California-Las Vegas High Speed Rail. Senator…

September 11, 2014
RailPAC eNewsletter for September 8, 2014

Metrolink’s annual ridership continues to drop Los Angeles Times-Sep 7, 2014 Once hailed as the fastest-growing commuter line in the nation, the railroad has seen its annual ridership drop by almost 595,000 passengers since 2008, with resulting losses in revenue. That and other factors have left the agency squeezed between trimming service or boosting fares, either of…

September 11, 2014
Bipartisan Passenger Rail Legislation introduced in U.S. House

PRESS RELEASE Committee Leaders Introduce Bipartisan Passenger Rail Legislation READ THE BILL at http://transportation.house.gov/uploadedfiles/hr5449.pdf For Immediate Release: September 11, 2014 Contact: Jim Billimoria, Justin Harclerode Washington, DC – Transportation and Infrastructure Committee leaders today introduced bipartisan legislation that improves the infrastructure, reduces costs, leverages private sector resources, creates greater accountability and transparency, and accelerates project…

September 11, 2014
Followup Comments re HR5449 regarding Amtrak

NOTE: Below is a commentary on the newly introduced Passenger Rail bill, written by Andrew C. Selden on September 11. The bill was introduced in the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee on the same date. READ THE BILL at http://transportation.house.gov/uploadedfiles/hr5449.pdf To: Jim Billimoria and Justin Harclerode, U. S. House T & I Committee Gentlemen: HR5449 (Amtrak)…

September 11, 2014
Metrolink Connections that exist or should exist Now!

By Noel T. Braymer The counties that control Metrolink need to demand that it make good connections. Right now each line on Metrolink is run as a private fiefdom for each county. As a result the emphasis is on what that county wants or will pay for, not what will produce the best ridership or…

September 5, 2014
RailPAC eNewsletter for September 2, 2014

Las Vegas rail service plans have seen starts, stops Las Vegas Review-Journal-Aug 31, 2014 Although the loan request’s rejection is now more than a year old, there are indications XpressWest may be gearing for another run. In a recent appearance in Las Vegas, Reid said the loan request may resurface in “a matter of months.”“(California Gov.) Jerry Brown…

September 5, 2014
On Board Electrification and Near Zero Emissions for Regional Rail

Dave Cook and Ian Stewart Rail electrification has been implemented in many urban and regional rail applications in the US and the benefits are numerous. Electrified rail is quiet, quick, clean and generally more reliable and less expensive to operate than similar services with Diesel fueled locomotives. There are significant environmental benefits as well, with the elimination of…

September 5, 2014