California High Speed Rail Authority’s Draft 2020 Business Plan was issued February 12, 2020. The public comment period is open until June 1, 2020 RailPAC’s submitted public comment letter is below: California High-Speed Rail Authority 770 L Street, Suite 620Sacramento, CA 95814 May 21, 2020 Dear CHSRA Board Members: After review of the 2020 California…
May 14, 2020 Dear Mayor Breed, This letter comes from groups committed to the idea that that getting Caltrain connected to 10 other rail lines and over 40 bus lines in downtown San Francisco would be a major move toward seamless transit and therefore deserving of a high priority. The attached report…
RailPAC has been urging LA Metro and Metrolink to double truck the line between Burbank and Santa Clarita for more than two decades. We finally have a down payment from the State, with some matching funds from other sources. Why am I less than excited by this news? Two and a half decades have passed…
This past week the California State Transportation Agency announced the 2020 grants distributed as part of the Transit and Intercity Rail Capital Program (TIRCP). Created by SB 862 in 2014, the TIRCP utilizes revenues from the State of the California’s cap-and-trade program and vehicle registration fees to fund capital projects that reduce greenhouse gases (GHGs)…
In late March 2020, RailPAC was one of over 240 signers from across the country (including elected officials, cities and organizations) on a letter written by Transportation for America (T4America) and the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS). The letter urged Congress to provide $13 billion in emergency funding for public transportation and passenger rail service.…
By Steve Roberts – RailPAC President [Originally published in Steel Wheels, 1st Quarter 2020] Greetings! In early January, members of the RailPAC Board developed options and came to a consensus on RailPAC’s policy priorities for 2020. The two major ground rules were that the priorities had to be focused and actionable in 2020. A list…
The Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG) regional transportation plan is nearing completion. As described by SCAG’s Connect SoCal website: “Connect SoCal – The 2020-2045 Regional Transportation Plan/Sustainable Communities Strategy is a long-range visioning plan that balances future mobility and housing needs with economic, environmental and public health goals. Connect SoCal embodies a collective vision…
[This post was originally published as an article in the Mid October 2019 edition of the Fullerton Observer newspaper] On September 28th, 2019, over 50 rail transportation advocates from around the state gathered for the annual 2019 Steel Wheels Conference of the Rail Passenger Association of California and Nevada (RailPAC) at the Fullerton Old Spaghetti…
This year’s Steel Wheel Conference will be held on Saturday, September 12th at the California State Railroad Museum in Old Town, Sacramento. SAVE THE DATE!! Details to follow.