-
Building HSR on the Installment Plan
Editorial by Noel T. Braymer “An honest politician is one who, when he is bought, will stay bought”. Simon Cameron US financier & politician (1799 – 1889) Since the midterm elections it is becoming clear that if people thought Washington was partisan, gridlocked and out of touch with what people wanted before the election, then you…
-
Tracking Rail News: December 2010
Photo and Comments by Russ Jackson . . . Winter has begun for Amtrak. The Thanksgiving weekend saw the start of Amtrak’s annual battle with winter weather, and nowhere was it more evident than along the route of the Empire Builder. Train #8 (22) departed Seattle 3 hours and 20 minutes late and finally arrived…
-
HSR: Fantasy versus Reality
Editorial by Noel T. Braymer The main obstacle to High Speed Rail service in California is not rich NIMBY homeowners or the Union Pacific Railroad. The main obstacle is the consultants being paid by the California High Speed Rail Authority to plan and design the service. There is broad popular support for better passenger rail…
-
More Shovel Ready Stimulus Please
Opinion by Noel T. Braymer With mid-term elections coming up the administration is now talking about spending 50 billion dollars for transportation projects in the long delayed transportation bill. The amount of new money going for infrastructure pales compared to the trillions of dollars of deferred maintenance we have in this country. Given the need…
-
Burbank Airport Authority Presentation
On Monday September 20th, 2010, RailPAC President Paul Dyson attended the regular meeting of the Burbank-Glendale-Pasadena Airport Authority, the JPA that operates Burbank Bob Hope Airport. On behalf of RailPAC Paul presented Authority President Frank Quintero with a plaque marking the occasion of the authorization by Burbank City Council to proceed with construction of the Regional Intermodal Transportation Center. The…
-
How About a High Speed San Joaquin?
Editorial by Noel T. Braymer No doubt the call by RailPAC to build HSR between Bakersfield and Los Angeles first at the San Joaquin Valley Rail Committee meeting on July 29, 2010 and extend the San Joaquin trains on it to Southern California didn’t go over well with the California High Speed Rail Authority. No…
-
CSCN Outlines How to Improve Amtrak’s Coast Starlight
May 6, 2010 — The Coast Starlight is one of Amtrak’s 15 long-distance passenger rail routes, serving 27 cities between Los Angeles and Seattle. The route has been described as “one of the most fascinating journeys on the West Coast. It will take your breath away.” The route offers unparalleled experiences of the western states…
-
Getting There is Less and Less Fun
Editorial By Noel T. Braymer Transportation is second only to housing of the cost of living for most people. Flying today often means crowded planes, long waits because of annoying security searches and sudden cancellations. Rail passenger service what little there is of it is no less subject to disruption. Generally we are dependent on…
-
Coalition Building at Steel Wheels Conference
Commentary by Paul Dyson, President This year at Steel Wheels in California we tried a couple of innovations. While most of the day consisted of the usual (excellent) presentations by politicians and industry professionals, we also put together a forum of passenger rail advocates from different groups to discuss High Speed Rail, and to attempt…
-
There is Plenty of Traffic on the Weekends
Editorial by Noel T. Braymer Recently I was watching on a local access cable TV channel a discussion about plans to add 4 more lanes between Del Mar and Oceanside on the I-5 Freeway. The panel had representatives from Caltrans and SANDAG the planning agency for San Diego County. These 4 new lanes would be…