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Rail Improvements in California over the Next 5-7 Years
Story and Photos by Noel T. Braymer With all the talk about High Speed Rail and 130 miles of new construction in the San Joaquin Valley by 2018, what can we expect between Los Angeles and San Diego? The projects we can be sure of have been in the works for years. In San Diego…
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Highway or No Way: the Need for Transportation Alternatives
Article and Photos By Noel T. Braymer Man: An argument is an intellectual process. Contradiction is just the automatic gainsaying of anything the other person says. Other Man: It is NOT Man: YES It Is… The Argument by Monty Python What is missing at the national level for transportation is the middle…
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Why RailPAC supports High Speed Rail; Why RailPAC is not a cheerleader for the CHSRA
Why RailPAC supports High Speed Rail Why RailPAC is not a cheerleader for the CHSRA We have been asked many times about our support for the California High Speed Rail program, particularly as we have always supported an incremental approach to intercity passenger train development. It’s a fair question and one that will receive a…
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What is the Future of the Pacific Surfliners?
Opinion by Noel T. Braymer With the Governor’s signing of SB 1225, LOSSAN now has the legal authority to reorganize itself into a Joint Powers Authority. This will give it administrative control over the Pacific Surfliners instead of Caltrans as well as financial responsibility for those trains. Since the legislation allows but doesn’t mandate the…
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What will rail passenger service in the San Joaquin Valley be like in 2018?
Questions from Noel T. Braymer My one disappointment at the September 15th RailPAC/NARP meeting was that Stacey Mortensen wasn’t able to attend. Stacey Mortensen is the Executive Director of the San Joaquin Regional Rail Commission which runs the Altamont Commuter Express Trains or ACE between Stockton and San Jose. ACE is also planning to build…
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What Could go Wrong for California’s Intercity Trains
Opinion By Noel T. Braymer Legislation is in the works to create Joint Power Authorities for local control of the planning and administration of both the Pacific Surfliner and San Joaquin Trains. This is modeled after the Capitol Corridor Joint Powers Authority or CCJPA which has successfully managed the Capitol Corridor Trains. Some of the…
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The Good News about Passenger Trains
Opinion and photos by Noel T. Braymer The Good News is that more towns across America are discovering the economic value of rail service and of having a train station in their communities. In the news are stories of towns along the Gulf Coast banding together to work towards restarting rail passenger service between New…
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Four Small Projects that would Rejuvenate the Long Distance Trains.
Opinion by Noel T. Braymer In Washington the Long Distance Trains get very little love or respect. There has been no service expansion of Long Distance Rail service since W. Graham Claytor retired as Amtrak President in 1992. In fact there is less Long Distance Rail service now than in 1992. There are no lack…
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How Fast can the Surfliners go?
Opinion by Noel T. Braymer For over 30 years the goal has been to run rail passenger service the 128 miles between Los Angeles and San Diego through Orange County in under 2 hours. To do this will require speeds of 110 miles per hour with PTC signalling as well as run-through tracks at Los…
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Use Metrolink to get to the Airports
Opinion By Noel T. Braymer At the end of July LA Supervisor Michael Antonovich as Chairman of LA Metro introduced a motion which passed unanimously calling for more rail and bus connections to the regional airports in the Los Angeles area. The following are some excepts from that motion. Los Angeles County, home to 10.2…