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Why we need to protect the Sunset route
Commentary by Paul Dyson, RailPAC President Those of you who are NARP members will have received a letter from Matt Melzer, former RailPAC director and now Communications Associate at NARP HQ. Matt points out the ongoing threat to the Sunset Limited and calls for action by NARP members to draw attention to the danger to…
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Southern Californian Rail Connections: the good and the bad.
By Noel T. Braymer The reality of most travel without a car is you have to transfer to get to where you want to go. Good rail passenger sevice depends on quick and easy connections. Perhaps the best feature of BART is it is designed to allow passengers to transfer easily within BART. Connections are…
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OTP on the Southwest Chief lately
How has Amtrak train 3/4, the Southwest Chief, (and others) been doing lately? Commentary by Russ Jackson When a long distance train has a very good on time performance it’s a time to celebrate, and while the Southwest Chief regularly has one of Amtrak’s best records it’s good to look once in a while. Southwest…
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Editorial: Now would be a good time to raise Gas Taxes
By Noel T. Braymer The recent collapse of the I-35W Freeway Bridge in Minneapolis highlights a problem that has been growing for years: the deferred maintenance of much of America’s infrastructure. There is an old saying in Economics: “There is no such thing as a free lunch“. The “free lunch” referred to was the practise…
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Santa Barbara City Council Adopts Pro-Rail Program 7–0
Document closely follows RailPAC policy. Commentary by Paul Dyson, RailPAC President At the regular Santa Barbara City Council meeting on Tuesday August 21 the Council unanimously adopted the staff’s report that outlined a policy of passenger rail improvements. The full text of the document can be seen on line at http://www.santabarbaraca.gov/CAP/MG61001/AS61005/AS61020/ AS61031/AI64016/DO64017/1.DOC While the City…
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Editorial: What really happened at Williams Junction?
By Noel T. Braymer I think everyone was shocked at news reports that an Amtrak crew left a diabetic man stranded in the middle of an Arizona forest near the Grand Canyon. News reports like this said “PHOENIX–A 65-year-old St. Louis man is missing after Amtrak personnel, mistaking his diabetic shock for drunk and disorderly…
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How is the California Zephyr doing since its schedule was lengthened?
Issues Commentary by Russ Jackson, RailPAC We all know that Amtrak trains 5 and 6, the California Zephyr, have been late regularly. From August, 2006 to June, 2007, the combined on time performance of both trains at their endpoints, Chicago and Emeryville, was 0.0%. On June 21, 2007, after arduous negotiations with the Union Pacific…
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Californians don’t love their cars, many have no choice.
June 1 Editorial by Noel Braymer In mid June of this year there were several news stories about a U.S. Census survey which showed that Americans, particularly Californians where driving alone more than ever. This is despite millions of dollars being spent to encourage car-pooling and ride sharing. Many of the stories in the papers…
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High Speed Rail Authority Adopts Phase 1: Anaheim to “the Bay Area”
Meeting Report and Commentary, May 23, 2007 By Russ Jackson, RailPAC The California High Speed Rail Authority, with four RailPAC members in attendance, met at the State Capitol on Wednesday, May 23, to adopt a definitive “Phase 1” of its project, “taking into consideration the cost, ridership, and revenue data presented to the Board on…
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The Salinas station has a big future!
Letter to the Daily Californian from Chris Flescher, RailPAC Associate Director, Salinas To Dave Nordstrand: I read your article (May 19, 2007) about trains and the city of Salinas, and I wanted to make a few comments. I agree that cars and airplanes will probably continue to be the dominant mode of transportation in this…