Coachella Valley Train Meeting Report and PHOTOS September 23rd, 2008
September 20, 2008
Reported by Robert Manning, RailPAC Director, Palm Springs, with PHOTOS by Mrs. Bob Manning
The Coast Rail Coordinating Council September meeting September 21st, 2008
Meeting Report September 19, 2008
Reported by Bruce Jenkins, RailPAC Director, Sunnyvale
Capitol Corridor September board meeting September 19th, 2008
By Bruce Jenkins, RailPAC Director
The Meeting of the Capitol Corridor Joint Powers Board (CCJPB) was held September 17, 2008 at Suisun City Hall. (The CCJPB is celebrating it’s 10th anniversary).
RailPAC STATEMENT REGARDING METROLINK/UNION PACIFIC TRAIN COLLISION September 18th, 2008
RAIL PASSENGER ASSOCIATION OF CALIFORNIA
1017 L Street PMB 217, Sacramento, CA 95814
www.railpac.org
RailPAC-Public MEETING Scheduled in Palm Desert September 15th, 2008
Bronte, Phelps to speak about “PASSENGER TRAIN SERVICE FROM LOS ANGELES TO THE COACHELLA VALLEY”
RailPAC letter to CRCC re Coast train schedules September 15th, 2008
By RailPAC President, Paul Dyson, wrote this letter to the Coast Rail Coordinating Council with a copy to Caltrans Division of Rail, before the accident on 9/12, about scheduling of trains on the Coast line. The CRCC meets 9/19 in Soledad. Mr. Dyson and RailPAC Treasurer, Bill Kerby, met with DofR acting Chief Lam Nguyen the week before to discuss these issues, which are high on the RailPAC action agenda.
CA Rail Corridor records smashed again in August September 8th, 2008
By Gene Skoropowski, Managing Director, Capitol Corridor JPB
California Intercity Passenger Rail ridership and revenue records continue to be “smashed” by these August statistics. Major ridership growth continues all across California, with the Pacific Surfliners growing at +9.5%, the Capitol Corridor at +21.2% and the San Joaquins at +27.5%. These three California intercity rail services carried 568,132 passengers in August, and the Pacific Surfliner (313,570) route has carried more passengers than Amtrak’s premier Northeast Corridor “Acela Express” (250,440) for the fourth consecutive month.
Want Cheaper Energy? Run More Trains! September 8th, 2008
Editorial By Noel T. Braymer
The current Administration is claiming that if only Oil Companies were given oil leases to every possible place including National Wildlife Reserves and off shore that the price of fuel would magically go down. This comes from an Administration that promised it would keep oil prices low because it knew how to “jawbone†the leaders of the Middle East. Well with oil rising from around $30 to over $140 a barrel in the last 8 years we can see how successful that was! The United States uses 25 percent of the world oil production and has less than 2 percent of the world’s oil reserves. The vast majority of the oil used in this country is for transportation. If the United States stopped importing oil we would burn through our domestic oil reserves in three years. Gas prices are starting to come down without one new oil well being drilled. It is happening because demand for oil has gone down because the price has gone up. Hard to believe but people can find ways to cut their driving and save gas.
THE BALKANIZATION OF LOSSAN: A Commentary September 4th, 2008
By Paul Dyson, RailPAC President
3rd September, 2008
THE BALKANIZATION OF LOSSAN – WHAT HAPPENED TO A REGIONAL VISION?
Where are Amtrak’s “Material Handling Cars?” September 1st, 2008
Stored in the weeds and on the rusty rails of the Santa Maria Valley Railroad, east of Guadalupe. A PHOTO report by Russ Jackson including views of the Guadalupe Amtrak station. 9/1 UPDATE Steve Grande of Trainweb sent us the following information: “Don’t forget that there are a couple of Amtrak ex-MHCs out in La Plata, MO. (Serving as the rail museum!) They had USPS Decals on them when we purchased them so I assumed theywere used for transporting mail.” See: http://trainweb.org/carl/LaPlataFeb2008/AmtrakHistory.html
