Month: August 2009

  • CALIFORNIA HIGH SPEED RAIL – STAY THE COURSE

    Commentary by Paul Dyson You may have read detailed critiques of the California High Speed Rail project in various publications from so called rail advocacy groups and environmentalists. It’s the wrong route, the wrong technology, the wrong decision makers, or words to that effect. In the north the apparent cause celebre is the Pacheco Pass…

  • Our Crazy Transportation “System”

    Editorial by Noel T. Braymer Photo by Trevor Clarke The Coaster is the commuter rail service in San Diego County running from Oceanside on the northern edge of the county along the coast to downtown San Diego in the south. The Coaster serves downtown San Diego with good connections with the San Diego’s light rail…

  • San Joaquin Valley Rail Committee Report

    By Mike Barnbaum, RailPAC Associate Director, Sacramento Cal State University Stanislaus, Turlock, California, Thursday 13 August 2009 Merced County Supervisor John Pedrozo called the meeting to order on-time at 11:15 A.M. Host Supervisor, Vito Chiesa, introduced the CUS Stanislaus Campus President, who gave a short address on Rail, High Speed Rail, and Education. Matt Machado…

  • TRACKING RAIL NEWS . . .

    . . . Commentary by Russ Jackson, and PHOTOS by Trainweb’s Carl Morrison and Russ Jackson August, 2009. . . . California. . . . Santa Barbara’s RailPAC co-sponsored Train Day, delayed because of the May fires, was successfully held on July 18. (left) The “Santa Barbara” was on the private car track west of…

  • Packed High Speed Rail Authority Meeting

    August 6, 2009 Report by Bill Kerby, RailPAC Treasurer Spilling out into the hallway from the Sacramento Area Council of Government’s board room, prospective contractors, local government officials and the media largely remained for nearly four hours of a two part meeting August 6th. Regular business included the ratification of agreements with the governments of…

  • Cleaner Passenger Train Action in Sacramento from Head end Power to Rear End Varnish

    A Special Event Report and PHOTOS by Bill Kerby, RailPAC Treasurer July 22, 2009 Building on a theme that greener technology is better technology, Amtrak California unveiled at the Sacramento Valley Station the first FP 59 locomotive to be EPA certified emissions standard at Tier 2. With this certification, NOX emissions are cut in half…

  • Passenger Trains make money, but Railroads need Freight to be Profitable.

    Editorial By Noel T. Braymer From the beginning freight has always been the main business of American Railroads. Passenger Trains generally are profitable, but not as much as freight. In many cases passenger service was mostly used to develop land owned by the railroads. The railroads up until the 1940’s had enough freight business to…

  • Amtrak and the Sunset Limited

    THOUGHTS ON THE BOARDMAN CORRESPONDENCE Commentary by Paul Dyson, RailPAC President RailPAC has consistently supported daily service and restoration of the Sunset Route to Florida. A lot of the Amtrak people we talk to agree that thrice weekly service just doesn’t work; the 7 day a week costs are still there but the revenue isn’t!…