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RailPAC-NARP Meeting Report
William “Bill” Lindley of Scottsdale, Arizona attended the joint RailPAC/NARP meeting in Los Angeles and files this report and personal observations. Mr. Lindley is an Associate Director/website maintainer for RailPAC. Saturday, May 2, 2009 in Los Angles, Amtrak Interim President and CEO Joseph Boardman and longtime and well-respected Vice President Brian Rosenwald laid out the…
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CA Corridors March 2009 Stats
By Eugene K. Skoropowski, Managing Director, Capitol Corridor Joint Powers Authority March numbers were a disappointment in virtually every place in the country. I am not certain if the placement of Easter week in April this year is part of the cause, but we will have to wait for April numbers to make that determination.…
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CA Corridor stats for February 2009
Provided by Eugene K. Skoropowski, Managing Director, Capitol Corridor Joint Powers Authority The economic slowdown, plus one less day in February 2009 than in February 2008 (a leap year), appears to have impacted the most ‘business oriented’ corridors, the Capitol Corridor and the Pacific Surfliners. The more discretionary market on the San Joaquins, on the…
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INCREASED CALIFORNIA RAIL FUNDING FOR 2009
An interview with Caltrans’ BILL BRONTE Reported by Bill Kerby, RailPAC Treasurer with Russ Jackson, RailPAC.org editor There is good news to celebrate and some not so good news as to the future of funding for the Caltrans Rail program for the year 2009 as of the publication date of this newsletter. In late February…
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BURBANK AIRPORT AUTHORITY PROPOSES TRANSIT CENTER
Commentary by Paul Dyson, RailPAC President, and member, Burbank Transportation Commission. The facility would provide “moving walkway” link with the Amtrak/Metrolink station. The Burbank Glendale Pasadena Airport JPA has put forward an ambitious plan to improve public transit connections at the Burbank Bob Hope Airport. The airport already has the closest rail access of any…
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California Corridors January 2009 Stats
from Eugene K. Skoropowski, Managing Director, Capitol Corridor Joint Powers Authority It appears that the economic slowdown may be starting to impact all California’s services, with the Pacific Surfliners taking the biggest hit. Although the Capitol Corridor is still in growth mode for riders and revenue, and we are the only California service still ahead…
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Rail Safety Improvement Act will save lives
By Robert Manning, RailPAC Director Printed in The Desert Sun, Palm Springs, February 8, 2009 Sometimes it takes a major tragedy to provide something good. And that is exactly what happened this past September when the Metrolink train crashed into the Union Pacific freight train in Chatsworth, killing and injuring people. As a result of…
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RIC SILVER: A real rail advocate!
A tribute with PHOTOS to RailPAC’s outgoing, one-of-a-kind former Executive Director, by Russ Jackson We first met Richard L. Silver sometime around 1995. RailPAC was still a small, but noisy, organization of rail advocates who were speaking our minds on California and Amtrak national issues. Alan Wimmergren was president, founders Byron Nordberg and Dr. Adrian…
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AMTRAK CAPITAL INVESTMENT AND THE WESTERN TRAINS
RailPAC President Paul Dyson writes to NARP Chairman George Chilson: NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF RAILROAD PASSENGERS, 900 Second Street NE Suite 308, Washington, DC 20002, Via E-Mail, hard copy by US Mail Dear George: I am writing on behalf of RailPAC to express our deep concern at the future of Amtrak’s western routes. The trains west…
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RailPAC President responds to LA Times article
RAIL PASSENGER ASSOCIATION OF CALIFORNIA 1017 L Street PMB 217, Sacramento, CA 95814 www.railpac.org Danger in “Signal Gaps”? Your article today about signal gaps and the Chatsworth collision requires response. The facts about the locations of the signals in the Chatsworth vicinity are clear from your map yet your “experts” draw the wrong conclusions. For the…