The Coast Starlate: Why it Matters
Commentary, August 1st, 2006
By Noel Braymer, Editor, Western Rail Passenger Review –Since last October, the COAST STARLIGHT on-time performance has dropped to about 2%. Most of the delays happen between Dunsmuir, California, and Chemult, Oregon. In this mountainous area rail breaks are so common that welding crews can’t keep up with the repairs and 10 mph slow orders are common. There are many rumors about possible changes to deal with these problems. One rumor is that the STARLIGHT might be cut back “temporarily” to between Los Angeles and Oakland. The constantly late STARLIGHT has forced Amtrak to use an additional trainset to run the STARLIGHT despite Amtrak’s acute equipment shortage.
