RailPAC: Rail Passenger Association of CA & NV

eNewsletter for September 23, 2013

BART was the first of several subway systems over the last 40 tears to operate with automation. Except in yard limits at slow speeds with operators at the controls BART trains have been mostly run by computers for over 40 years. The primary job of the operators is to check the doors at the station…

September 27, 2013
Stuck in Pico Rivera on Metrolink

By Noel T. Braymer Everything was normal until we left the City of Commerce station on Metrolink #604 after leaving LAUS on time at 4:30 PM on Friday September 20, 2013. We barely cleared the station around 4:45 PM when we came to a halt. That’s not usual if the problem was signals or a…

September 22, 2013
Capitol and other CA Corridor Statistics (August, 2013)

From David B. Kutroksy, Managing Director Capitol Corridor Joint Powers Authority Capitol Corridor Service Performance After a bounce in ridership in July 2013, ridership dropped in August 2013 by 2.2% compared to August 2012. A total of 143,080 passengers rode Capitol Corridor trains in August. Initial evaluation of conductor counts indicated that ridership for August…

September 20, 2013
Life after “Death” for Rail in LA.

By Noel T. Braymer In 1998 the future of rail transit, particularly subway construction looked bleak in Los Angeles. Construction of the Red Line subway from downtown Los Angeles to North Hollywood was a mess. The Red Line construction had created a huge sink hole in east Hollywood. Many buildings were damaged because of ground…

September 19, 2013
eNewsletter for September 16, 2013

This sounds like a great deal for the North County Transit District allowing them to add 3 additional round trips trains to their commuter train service for a fraction of the cost of adding more commuter trains. But it is a terrible deal for intercity rail passengers. In the 1970’s passengers trains ran between Los…

September 19, 2013
What’s the Plan for LOSSAN?

By Noel T. Braymer LOSSAN’s goal should be to increase ridership by providing better rail passenger service with faster trains serving more destinations.This is done with coordination of the different services to feed both local and express trains. By doing so all the trains on LOSSAN will improve their efficiency and be more economical for…

September 13, 2013
eNewsletter for September 9, 2013

Highlights from the LOSSAN TAC meeting minutes for August 8, 2013. San Diego County plans to go to bid soon for a new siding at San Onofre to Pulgas, a third through track with a 3rd platform at Oceanside, and the Los Peñasquitos Bridges Replacement. San Diego County has committed over $400 million in LOSSAN…

September 13, 2013
LOSSAN to Arizona?

By Noel T. Braymer LOSSAN originally stood for LOS Angeles-SAN Diego for the route of the San Diegan Trains back in the 1980’s. Since then rail service on this corridor has expanded to Santa Barbara and later to San Luis Obispo. With the introduction of Metrolink and Coaster service sharing parts of the LOSSAN corridor…

September 6, 2013
eNewsletter for September 3, 2013

New crossing relieves train bottleneck Press-Enterprise- Aug 25. 2013 For long-suffering Colton residents, the project promises relief from the constant sound of horns blowing as trains made their way through the crossing… Passenger rail also should see some improvements. The Union Pacific line also is used by Amtrak, and BNSF has agreed to allow additional…

September 6, 2013
RailPAC PHOTOS of the Month (August, 2013)

Here are 5 photos by RailPAC photographers. Click on each photo to see it full size! Contributions to this page are welcome. Send your jpg rail photos to RailPAC Photo Editor, at [email protected]. 1. RailPAC President Paul Dyson presented a plaque of appreciation to Jacki Bacharach for all her support for passenger rail in her…

September 5, 2013