RailPAC: Rail Passenger Association of CA & NV

Trip Report to ride the Expo Line May 31, 2012

Report and Photos by Noel T. Braymer After waiting 32 years to ride the old Pacific Electric Line on Exposition Blvd, waiting one more month after it opened to finally ride it when I had some time seemed typical. I was able to get up early and even out the door by 7AM. I like…

June 1, 2012
eNewsletter for May 29, 2012

The California State Automobile Association estimates that 4.2 million Californians will travel more than 50 miles this holiday weekend….About 200,000 people will travel by rail, bus, watercraft or other modes, down 12 percent from last year. Where are the extra trains to carry more people on the Holidays? NB May 29, 2012 Part 1 May 29, 2012…

June 1, 2012
The First Sunset Limited Trip on New Schedule

Robert Manning TRIP REPORT: Talk about a change of pace, how about eating a late dinner at Traxx Restaurant which is located directly inside Los Angeles Union Station! The station is pretty empty at 8 p.m., but then it starts to fill up with passengers planning to depart on the new schedule change for the…

May 31, 2012
When Trains are Faster than Planes

Analysis by Noel T. Braymer During the 1964 Tokyo Olympics with the start up of the Shinkansen (or Bullet Trains) my Father pointed out that train travel can be faster than by plane.That sounded silly since jet planes flew at over 500 miles per hour and Bullet Trains had a top speed of 130. My…

May 27, 2012
eNewsletter for May 21, 2012

VoiceofOC – ?May 15, 2012? Several OCTA board members specifically noted there is no passenger train service of any kind through the Central Valley from Los Angeles to northern California because of a “gap” between Palmdale and Bakersfield, where there is a track for freight but … May 21, 2012 Part 1 May 21, 2012…

May 25, 2012
The Lesson for Today of Fred Harvey

Opinion By Noel T. Braymer I recently finished the book “Appetite for America” by Stephen Fried. This book is more than a history of Fred Harvey the man, his family or his company but uses all three as the context of a social history of the United States roughly between 1850 to 1950. Fred Harvey…

May 18, 2012
eNewsletter for May 14, 2012

Supervisor Michael D. Antonovich, a member of the Metrolink Board of Directors, issued the following statement on the announced resignation of Metrolink CEO John Fenton: “John Fenton’s resignation is a major loss for Metrolink’s riders, our taxpayers and the Board. He was the right leader to guide Metrolink through the most critical time in its history…

May 18, 2012
I Would Ride Trains More if they Went More Places

Opinion By Noel T. Braymer I would love to ride trains more often, but I literally can’t because I can’t get there by train. For example I can take Metrolink from Oceanside to San Bernardino once a day leaving Oceanside at 4:20 PM. I would have to leave San Bernardino at 4:48 AM the next…

May 13, 2012
eNewsletter for May 7, 2012

With tilting the Cascades were able to raise the average speed from 47 to 53 miles per hour. That is faster than any passenger trains in California and close to the fastest legal speeds by road. The plan for the Cascades is to reach speeds of110-125 miles per hour. Washington State DOT calculated that at…

May 12, 2012
The New Coast Daylight!

We support a new daily passenger train linking the Central Coast during the day. For more than twenty years, work on a new Coast Daylight train service has led to studies without results. The Coast Rail Coordinating Council, a voluntary coalition of regional transportation agencies is leading the service planning, and has prepared a realistic, immediately doable operating plan. …

May 12, 2012