-
Passenger Trains are Good for Business
By Noel T. Braymer All cities are economic centers. As such they are also major hubs of transportation. Cities are always found at ports, major rivers, rail and road junctions as well near mountain passes: anyplace where there is transportation by water, surface or air. In the 19th century, towns fought to have railroads built…
-
What’s up with California High Speed Rail?
Analysis by Noel T. Braymer In almost a matter of hours this January there were 2 news stories about the California High Speed Rail Authority. First that they would soon order High Speed trainsets with Amtrak. The second that the Authority and the Governor were seeking an appeal to the California Supreme Court to overturn…
-
Notes on the February 1st RailPAC/NARP Conference in Los Angeles
By Noel T. Braymer On my way to Los Angeles on the train I could see much progress recently on the railroad. It looks like the long delayed bridge over the Santa Margarita River in Camp Pendleton is now almost finished. I recently rode the train to San Diego and found the new mile of…
-
LOSSAN”s Top Priority
By Noel T. Braymer Increasing ridership and passenger revenues on the LOSSAN Corridor, particularly on the Surfliners should be the priority for LOSSAN. The question is how to do this? What is needed to get passenger growth is a combination of faster running times for trains with better on-time performance for better connections by train…
-
People Want More Rail Passenger Service
By Noel T. Braymer A quick check of news stories finds many about local efforts to expand rail passenger service across America. These efforts are not just in the major urban areas on the West or East Coasts either. These include local groups calling for returning service on the Sunset east of New Orleans back…
-
Is Shipping Oil by Rail a Good Idea?
By Noel T. Braymer In the last 6 months of 2013 there were 4 explosive accidents with fires in the US and Canada of unit oil trains carrying unconventional oil made from shale or tar sands. The latest accident in North Dakota on December 30th involved an 104 car train of oil tanker cars. While…
-
Here’s What’s Happening on the LOSSAN Corridor in 2014
Complied by Noel T. Braymer There is a great deal of construction that will be finished as well as started during 2014 along the LOSSAN Rail Corridor. This is largely centered in the Counties of San Diego, Orange and Los Angeles. This is a quick review of some of these project underway now. August 2013…
-
What’s Needed for Great Rail Passenger Service
By Noel T. Braymer When rail service is good, people will take the train in droves. When there is great rail service, many traffic congestion problems can be solved or reduced. The problems today with depending on cars for transportation are: they take up lots of space, we can’t build enough roads or parking lots…
-
I Hate Driving in LA!
By Noel T. Braymer I Love LA, and I love going to LA. But most people, particularly those who live in LA know that its traffic is a mess. I and others would love rail alternatives to driving to get around to more of LA. But the worst traffic in LA is where there are…
-
Filling Up Passenger Trains with On-Line Ticketing
By Noel T. Braymer Even the busiest passenger train lines don’t have full trains all of the time. More passengers on trains translates into more support for improved rail passenger service. It also brings in more money which is always needed for passenger rail service. So how can rail passenger providers fill up trains that…