RailPAC: Rail Passenger Association of CA & NV

May Day means Amtrak Day #1

Commentary By Bruce Richardson, URPA Once again, for the 43rd time, here we are on May Day, the anniversary of the official day of Amtrak operations beginning on May 1, 1971. It was the day most of the still-operating passenger trains in the country disappeared, and the freight railroads breathed a sigh of relief because…

May 1, 2014
eNewsletter for April 21, 2014

State Senate President Steinberg’s proposal might look like a setback for High Speed Rail since this proposes less direct funding from Cap and Trade than what the Governor was proposing. But the Cap and Trade funding for High Speed Rail is “securitized” as propsed, that means the High Speed Rail Authority could leverage the Cap and…

April 25, 2014
Will Most Trains in the Future run on Electricity?

By Noel T. Braymer Technically most trains already run on electricity. Diesel-electric locomotives use a diesel engine to generate electricity to power the electric motors in the locomotive’s trucks. The question is will trains continue to be powered by fossil fuels? The cost of energy is a big issue for train operators. In North America…

April 25, 2014
Capitol Corridor Monthly Report (March, 2014)

David B. Kutrosky, Managing Director Capitol Corridor Joint Powers Authority Service Performance Overview In March 2014, both ridership and revenue for the Capitol Corridor were below last year’s March- results by 1.7% and 3.5% respectively. A total of 118,518 passengers rode Capitol Corridor trains in March 2014. The ridership decrease was primarily due to the…

April 23, 2014
Is the Dumbarton Rail Bridge a Lost Opportunity?

By Noel T. Braymer On April 9th the Metropolitan Transportation Commission had a committee meeting to reallocate money from stalled projects to others ready to go. Among the stalled projects in the Bay Area is the effort to repair the Dumbarton Rail Bridge between Redwood City and Fremont and establish rush hour commuter rail service…

April 19, 2014
eNewsletter for April 14, 2014

Oregon, Washington Consider Alternative To Amtrak For Cascades …OPB News-Apr 10, 2014 Oregon and Washington might turn to a private company to operate its Cascades rail service. The two states are testing the waters to see if anyone other than Amtrak is interested in operating the route that includes Seattle, Portland and Eugene. Most commuter rail services today…

April 18, 2014
How to get more Tourists on Trains in California

By Noel T. Braymer Tourists come to visit California from all over the world. Many of them would love to take the train here; just like they do back home, if they knew how. Most tourists would prefer to travel without getting stuck or lost in California traffic. But little is done to help visitors…

April 11, 2014
Enewsletter for April 7, 2014

Parking Sanity: Right Price Good for Congestion, Transit, & Revenue Atlantic Cities Apr 2, 2014 Costanza’s universal theory of parking states that drivers should never pay for a spot because, if they apply themselves, they’ll get it for free. Most U.S. cities do everything they can to abide the theory. They undervalue the price of street…

April 11, 2014
A trip on the Eagle-Sunset to Tucson, a joyful experience of surprises

Report and Photos by Russ Jackson, RailPAC Associate Director Tower 55 Ft. Worth TX. No BNSF trains waiting to cross, no UP traffic moving across it? No problem? Astounding. But, what happens when a westbound UP freight has a disabled car and blocks access to the Ft. Worth Intermodal Center for the southbound Texas Eagle,…

April 10, 2014
Caltrain Board Honors Art Lloyd for 26 Years of Service

On April 3, RailPAC’s Vice President Art Lloyd was commended for his 26 years of service on the Caltrain Peninsula Corridor Joint Powers Board.He will remain involved with “Emeritus” status as a consultant and for his vast railroad historical knowledge. We at RailPAC can only echo the sentiments expressed therein and add our congratulations and…

April 7, 2014