Month: June 2012

  • Coaster and San Diego Trolley June 2012 Trip Report

    Report and Pictures by Noel T. Braymer I amazed myself by getting up and out the door before 9 AM on my day off  to catch the 644 Coaster out of Oceanside at 9:22 AM. This gave me almost 4 hours in San Diego so I could still get home early enough to take care…

  • Enewsletter for June 25, 2012

    California bullet train faces tough vote in Senate Los Angeles Times – Jun 24, 2012 Gov. Jerry Brown is requesting $6 billion to start construction in the Central Valley, but some senators hope to distribute the funds elsewhere geographically. The issue isn’t over not spending the money, but where it will be spent. Some Democratic…

  • Why a Republican may be the savior of California High Speed Rail

    Analysis and photos by Noel T. Braymer The California High Speed Rail Project has been a bi-partisan project  since 1996 from the very start. The High Speed Rail Authority was created by Republican Governor Pete Wilson and Republican Governor Schwarzenegger placed the Prop 1A measure on the ballot in 2008 which has the bonds central…

  • eNewsletter for June 18, 2012

    In order to get a time slot during morning rush hour in the opposite direction of rush hour train traffic, Caltrans and Amtrak had to borrow an existing Metrolink slot to start up service to San Luis Obispo. As part of the deal train 761 is a joint Amtrak/Metrolink train and Metrolink tickets are accepted…

  • Can Metrolink be a Thruway Bus?

    Opinions by Noel T. Braymer Train 761 is the only Amtrak Train to travel north of Los Angeles that doesn’t have either a connecting train or origination from San Diego. Train 761 travels to San Luis Obispo and has connecting Thruway Bus service there to San Jose. The plan is to extend the 761 all…

  • eNewsletter for June 11, 2012

    The problem with overnight service on the Coast Line isn’t lack of potential riders, it is getting cooperation from the UP and equipment from Amtrak. Just trying to get the morning train to San Luis Obispo extended to San Francisco and back has been going on for over 10 years. The best solution for overnight…

  • Californians Want Good High Speed Rail Service

    Opinion By Noel T. Braymer Recently the Los Angeles Times ran a story about a USC Dornsife Poll it helped pay for claiming that The Majority of Californians now oppose High Speed Rail and Most people want a revote on High Speed Rail. So where are the mobs of angry citizens with their torches and…

  • eNewsletter for June 4, 2012

    It is no secret that the old low level equipment is slow getting people on and off the train and they spend a long time at stations when a crowd shows up. …If the older equipment can’t be replaced just yet, what can be done is to add some bi-level commuter cars to low level…

  • Sunset Limited: One month on the new schedule

    Report and Comments by Russ Jackson, RailPAC Photos! How is Amtrak’s Sunset Limited doing since the schedule change on May 7, 2012, for the tri-weekly service which dates back to the pre-Amtrak days when the Southern Pacific reduced its departures from daily in the late 1960’s. The new schedule has train #2 depart Los Angeles…

  • How to run the Surfliners Faster

    Opinion by Noel T. Braymer The experiment with running the morning Surfliner Express from San Diego to Los Angeles isn’t going well. The train has a poor on-time record and ridership is lower than the train it replaced. What would be better is to run all Surfliners between San Diego and Los Angeles in 2…