Month: June 2014

  • Only Republicans can save the Long Distance Trains

    By Noel T. Braymer Long distance rail passenger service has been in decline in this country since the mid-1990’s. Without a major overhaul, sooner or later long distance rail service in this country will collapse. If the long distance trains fail, this will bring down Amtrak and create problems for the Northeast Corridor. Passenger rail…

  • eNewsletter for June 23,2014

    Amtrak Sees Delays Increase Wall Street Journal Jun 18, 2014 Amtrak is slowing down. Even as airlines increasingly are getting to their destinations on time, the nation’s passenger train system averaged only 73.1% on-time arrivals at endpoints in the six months ended in April. That’s down from 85.8% in the same period a year earlier. One particular Amtrak…

  • Riding the Bus that Could have Been a Train

    By Noel T. Braymer The Sprinter is the 22 mile Light Rail service between Oceanside and Escondido in northern San Diego County. It operates every half hour with diesel multiple unit (DMU) cars. The Sprinter stops just outside of downtown Escondido at the Escondido Transit Center. Early planning for the Sprinter called for extending it…

  • eNewsletter for June 16,2014

    Morning Transportation Politico-Jun 11, 2014  Amtrak changes: The House voted for several restrictions on Amtrak funds, but rejected another. Members approved a change from Pete Sessions to block funds for the route that loses the most money — the Sunset Limited that runs from New Orleans to Los Angeles. Another amendment from Reps. Phil Gingrey and…

  • The Fallout from PRIIA 2008 – Unhappy States may look for alternatives to Amtrak

    Commentary by Paul Dyson You know, sometimes the old light bulb above my head doesn’t go on as quickly as it once did. You know what I mean, it used to be that I’d read or hear something and in a flash I’d figure out the agenda behind the innocuous statement. Well it took me…

  • The Sunset Limited and Food & Beverage service are threatened by House amendments

    Commentary by Paul Dyson President, Rail Passenger Association of California and Nevada House amendments to kill the Sunset and remove food service will accelerate the demise of the Superliner network. This is not a drill!

  • LAX Rail Connections: What a Mess!

    By Noel T. Braymer The two most important passenger  transportation hubs in Southern California, the 2nd most populated area in the country are Los Angeles Union Station (LAUS) and Los Angeles International Airport (LAX). In terms of passenger miles generated, LAX is more important. Road traffic to LAX is also a major source of traffic…

  • Enewsletter for June 9, 2014

    Behold Union Station’s Huge Plans: Sub-Train Concourse, New Terminal, Fred Harvey Revived Curbed Los Angeles Jun 3, 2014 Much of the impetus for the new plans is an expected increase in patronage; today’s 70,000 daily riders could explode to 140,000 by 2040, assuming the high-speed rail line ever gets built. Should that happen, *California High-Speed Rail (not…

  • Tuesday was not a good day for the Sunset Limited

    Commentary by Russ Jackson, RailPAC, Dallas All passenger rail advocates know Amtrak’s Sunset Limited travels between New Orleans and Los Angeles three times a week in each direction. Many of us ride it. We all know that these trains run with full cars most of the route and that not everyone rides the full distance.…

  • Capitol Corridor Monthly Report (May, 2014)

    Report from David B. Kutrosky, Managing Director Capitol Corridor Joint Powers Authority Service Performance Overview May 2014 was the second consecutive month of ridership increases for the Capitol Corridor compared to prior year-month results. While the increase was subtle [+0.4%], the 128,245 passengers that rode Capitol Corridor trains in May 2014 was the highest monthly…