RailPAC: Rail Passenger Association of CA & NV

Amtrak to the West: Forget the future

Commentary by Russ Jackson, and a few photos The future of Amtrak’s western long-distance trains became clearer after Amtrak CEO Joseph Boardman issued his “Aggressive Agenda for 2012” on January 11, 2012. The future is bleak. Isn’t there an old adage that it’s not what you say it’s what you don’t say? Or is it…

January 13, 2012
President’s commentary: Amtrak CEO Gives Up On AMTRAK

By Paul J. Dyson, RailPAC President, January 13, 2012 Joe Boardman condemns the long distance trains to a lingering death. Sunset Limited in “immediate danger”. Someone needs to tell Mr. Boardman that he is CEO of the NATIONAL Railroad Passenger Corporation. It seems that since he took the CEO position a couple of years ago…

January 13, 2012
eNewsletter for January 9, 2012

Mr. Boardman (Amtrak President) is on record saying that there are no plans to eliminate Long Distance Trains in the face of reductions of Federal subsidies for Amtrak. Also on the record are claims by Mr. Boardman that the Long Distance Trains are the cause of much of Amtrak’s deficits. There are also reports that…

January 13, 2012
RailPAC writes Brown, Feinstein, and Boxer: Peer Review Committee Is Right On High Speed Rail

NOTE: Identical letters were also faxed to Senators Feinstein and Boxer 11th January, 2012 Governor Jerry Brown State Capitol Suite 1173 Sacramento CA 95814 PEER REVIEW COMMITTEE IS RIGHT ON HIGH SPEED RAIL Dear Governor Brown: Our organization has consistently advocated the creation of a network of modern passenger trains for the State of California…

January 12, 2012
eNewsletter for January 3, 2012

The State of California owns the locomotives and cars used on the San Joaquins, has paid with local governments for improvements or replacements of the stations on the route and paid for Amtrak’s maintenance base in Oakland which services the San Joaquins. And Amtrak thinks the San Joaquins are their trains? January 3, 2012 The…

January 6, 2012
Why Amtrak loses money and why eliminating trains doesn’t save money

By Noel T. Braymer (W. Graham Claytor, Amtrak President 1982-1993) was credited with helping to revive the ailing passenger railroad by many experts, and even some critics of its operations. By the time he retired, fares and other revenues covered 80 percent of Amtrak’s expenses, up from 42 percent in 1980. Mr. Claytor predicted that…

January 6, 2012
eNewsletter for December 26, 2011

Speed is attractive on any travel mode. Higher speeds can lead to greater productivity. But ridership is also determined by other factors such as price, comfort, safety, convenience and the number of markets served. Speed can be very expensive which can make the price of the service uncompetitive. By-passing towns to improve running times will…

December 30, 2011
eNewsletter for December 12, 2011

This is from testimony by retired Republican Congressman and current Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood given on December 6th before the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure. It didn’t get much media coverage… The effort to derail the California HSR Project is part of a larger partisan effort to derail the presidency of President Obama by…

December 29, 2011
eNewsletter for December 5, 2011

Total public spending on transport and water infrastructure has fallen steadily since the 1960s and now stands at 2.4% of GDP. Europe, by contrast, invests 5% of GDP in its infrastructure, while China is racing into the future at 9%. America’s spending as a share of GDP has not come close to European levels for…

December 29, 2011
eNewsletter for December 19, 2011

Duh, they are just now noticing that building a 220 miles per hour railroad is expensive? While speeds of up to 220 miles per hour is a reasonable long term goal, first we need to look at getting service up to 125 miles per hour in California in the near future. Full funding won’t be…

December 22, 2011