September 8th, 2008

CA Rail Corridor records smashed again in August

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.

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Want Cheaper Energy? Run More Trains!

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.

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