RailPAC Board Endorses High Speed Rail Business Plan April 6, 2012 Board calls for highest priority for “Bridging the Gap” between Bakersfield and Los Angeles. Interim service offerings and the blended approach will only be successful if passengers are offered a single seat ride between the maximum number of origins and destinations. While endorsing Caltrain electrification…

Presidential Nominations Sent to the Senate Whitehouse.gov (press release) – Mar 29, 2012Yvonne Brathwaite Burke, of California, to be a Director of the Amtrak Board of Directors for a term of five years …It is about time! For too long California has been ignored in Washington about Amtrak service. The last active Californian on the…

STOCKTON, Calif. (KCRA) — A spokesman with the San Joaquin Regional Rail Commission, which runs the Altamont Commuter Express, said legislation is in the works to take over the San Joaquin’s Amtrak line…The Joint Powers Authority would be the governing board, made up of 11 members from the counties where the Amtrak line currently runs.…

At the end of February and start of March there were confusing headlines about the California High Speed Rail Project. Based on a memo by the chief counsel of the California High Speed Rail Authority Thomas Fellenz, there were headlines saying start of construction was being delayed from this Summer until Spring 2013 in the…

Express train 599 is suppose to run from San Diego to Los Angeles in 2 hours and 28 minutes with 4 intermediate stops. The first Amtrak train out of San Diego the 763 is scheduled to get to Los Angeles in 2 hours 40 minutes with 7 intermediate stops. What is really pathetic is that…

An engine died in Kansas. So what else is new? 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.. February 27, 2012 The above copy of this enewletter…

Amtrak keeps a back up locomotive in San Diego. This is a result of a series of locomotive breakdowns in late October and just before Thanksgiving in 2009 and the criticism that followed of Amtrak’s lack of  planning to handle such emergencies. However Amtrak continues to have problems maintaining its equipment and is still having…

Inland Empire News – Feb 9,2012 SACRAMENTO – Governor Brown and US Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood are reaffirming their support for building High-Speed Rail in California. LaHood said he’s traveled throughout the state “and found a strong base of support, from workers who will .. February 13, 2012 The above copy of this enewletter is…

The only leg of the San Joaquin Valley HSR starter line that seems close to construction is by Fresno. The deadline for starting construction is this Summer! The lack of political consensus in most of the Valley will likely delay or prevent construction in the foreseeable future. There are several projects long in the planning…

San Joaquin Valley Rail Committee takes stand on Closing the HSR Gap at January 26 Meeting ; Passes Resolution Supporting Closure of the Southern Gap.    The top priority for rail passenger service in California is direct service between Bakersfield and Los Angeles. Hopefully other government bodies will join the SJVRC with similar statements.  NB…