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Huge controversy surrounds Sacramento railyards/Downtown arena plans
Commentary by Chuck Robuck, RailPAC member, and former head of the CC Riders group. Edited by Russ Jackson Subject: Latest Design Concept for Downtown Arena & Intermodal Transportation Facility NOTE: The comments, map, and links below are provided by Mr. Robuck. I attended a Public Workshop at (Sacramento) City Hall on Thursday, April 12th, at…
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Amtrak changes the Sunset Limited schedule: Positives, Negatives, and they agreed to WHAT?
Analysis and Commentary by Russ Jackson, RailPAC From out of the blue, so to speak, on March 13 came an Amtrak News Release from New Orleans, not Washington DC, saying a new schedule for the Sunset Limited would take effect on May 7, 2012. This new schedule will have major impacts all along its route,…
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Traveling by Amtrak from Sacramento to Tucson before and after the May 7 Schedule Change
Commentary by Ralph James, RailPAC My wife left on the morning of March 15 for a flight out of Sacramento to Tucson AZ for several days to visit our daughter. The Sunset Limited schedule was something we had discussed in passing during the planning since she prefers rail travel to flying as long as it…
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Take Trains Via The Coast. It can pay for itself.
Commentary by Robert F. Mac Donald, RailPAC Member, Oakland The media have been playing up the rise in the price gasoline to the summer time high of about $ 5.00 per gallon. For the past several months, the media, and the rail advocate editors, have stressed the potential death of the California High Speed Rail…
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An engine died in Kansas. So what else is new?
Comments by Russ Jackson, RailPAC Southwest Chief train #3 that departed Chicago on February 20, 2012, arrived in Fullerton 8 hours 10 minutes late, and because of the end-of-run padding it arrived at Los Angeles Union Station 6 hours 58 minutes late. The reason? A locomotive engine died in Kansas, and when all was done…
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Comparing The Benefits Of The First $7 Billion Investment In California High Speed Rail—Bakersfield North vs. Bakersfield South
Commentary by Ralph James, RailPAC Member, Blue Canyon CA This commentary is a follow-up to this writer’s original commentary entitled “Is California High Speed Rail on Track for Successful Implementation?”, published in spring 2010 illustrating the futility of spending early HSR dollars in the Central Valley as compared to other sections of the ultimate HSR…
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San Joaquin Valley Rail Committee takes stand on Closing the HSR Gap
January 26 Meeting Report by Mike Barnbaum, RailPAC Associate Director Part 1 of 2 reports from that day. Headlines: SJVRC Passes Resolution Supporting Closure of the Southern Gap Caltrans’ Bill Bronte drops a bombshell SJVRC is urged to revive the idea of a JPA for the Corridor Rail was all over the Northern California Map…
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RailPAC tells LOSSAN: Position on Governance
Comments to the LOSSAN Board, January 25, 2012 by Paul J. Dyson, RailPAC President. Back in the 80s an ad hoc coalition of elected representatives and advocates including RailPAC were successful in bringing about an increase in frequency of the San Diegan trains as they were called then, and their extension to Santa Barbara. What…
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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…
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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…