March 1st, 2006

In America, Passenger Trains get no respect

By RailPAC Director and Review Editor Noel T. Braymer — One of my favorite TV shows is “Mythbusters” on the Discovery Channel. A group of eccentric but technically qualified people put “urban legends” and “common wisdom” to the test to see if they can be true. An example of this is the “fact” that “if you throw a penny off the Empire State Building, it would kill a person if it hit them on the ground.” We’ve all heard this; is it true? No, pennies lacks both the mass and terminal velocity to do much damage no matter how high you drop them. Simple physics, but most people accept the “common wisdom.”

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There are Many Challenges Ahead

By RailPAC President Paul Dyson — It’s a great honor for me to take on the duties of President of RailPAC. Our organization has been very effective in the past in uniting rail passenger advocates and politicians behind a policy of affordable, incremental investments in improving mobility in the state of California. We identified surplus equipment in the old “San Diegan” pool and campaigned for through service to Santa Barbara and beyond. We helped create the climate for investments in the Capitol, San Joaquin and Peninsula corridors, and we have continued our support for the Amtrak long distance trains as essential for maintaining a national network.

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