RailPAC: Rail Passenger Association of CA & NV

Pinching Penny’s while Blowing Bucks

By Noel T. Braymer I went to the Metrolink Board meeting in Los Angeles on June 14th largely because I had the day off. I expected the Board to approve the 5% Fare increase on the agenda. Still, going to this meeting was an educational experience. I caught Metrolink 607 at 6:36 AM with a…

June 15, 2013
eNewsletter for June 10, 2013

This contract may not be the bargain the bid for it would lead you to believe. But this doesn’t mean High Speed Rail service will be unsafe. …Rail structures are built to much higher standards than most construction. While buildings and freeways collapsed both during the Loma Prieta earthquake in 1989 and the Northridge Earthquake…

June 15, 2013
What is the True Value of Passenger Trains?

Story and Photos by Noel T. Braymer In London, England they are spending 15 billion pounds which is 23 billion dollars to connect 2 existing commuter rail lines in central London with 13 miles of tunneling. This out of 24 miles total for tunneling which also includes a tunnel for a branch to Heathrow Airport…

June 7, 2013
eNewsletter for June 3, 2013

Here is a quote from the motion LA Metro Chair Supervisor Antonovich made on this issue of expanding Metrolink service. Since Los Angeles County has 40 percent of the votes on the Metrolink board and Supervisor Antonovich is also on the Metrolink (SCRRA) Board, it sounds like he means business. NB “Furthermore, in contrast to…

June 7, 2013
RailPAC Photos of the Month, May, 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]. THIS MONTH: Reno, Van Nuys, Sacramento, Metrolink, Santa Paula. 1. The refurbished very busy Van Nuys Amtrak-Metrolink station. Station agent Monique Curry…

June 4, 2013
Sacramento to Tucson, on Amtrak and in the Dining Car

Trip Report and Comments by Mike Barnbaum, RailPAC Associate Director Six months ago, I reserved with 11,000 Guest Rewards points, a round trip from Sacramento to Tucson. I have already traveled one-way, and will be returning on Sunday 26 May from Tucson, arriving into Sacramento on Monday 27 May. This was a sad trip in…

June 4, 2013
The (Almost) Perfect Trip from Auburn to Bakersfield

Trip Report and Comments by Ralph James, RailPAC member Photos by the author. From time to time I have need to travel from our home east of Auburn and Colfax to points in the southern San Joaquin Valley. With no early departures out of Colfax, the best that can be done is to catch the…

June 4, 2013
Are Public Roads Only For Cars and Trucks?

By Noel T. Braymer My earliest memory of Streetcars was when I was about 6 years old and my father took me to my first baseball game. It was to see the now LA Dodgers playing at the Los Angeles Coliseum around 1958. What I remember most about that night were the Streetcars. They scared…

June 1, 2013
eNewsletter for May 28, 2013

Metrolink: Raise Ridership Not Fares for More Revenue There is no mystery how to increase rail passenger revenue. Train revenue increases with longer routes serving as many markets as possible by selling more of the highest priced and longest distance tickets. The next best thing are good connections with other trains and connecting buses to…

May 31, 2013
Comet Cars not seen in a glowing light by newly formed San Joaquin Joint Powers Board

Report by Bill Kerby, RailPAC Treasurer The author of the May 24th meeting of a newly formed joint powers board wishes to submit a revised version of that meeting. The presentation made by Dan Leavitt was mischaracterized in the report. Agency names were not fully provided and this oversight is corrected in the following revision.…

May 26, 2013