Month: August 2014

  • Price Tops Speed for Attracting Passengers

    By Noel T. Braymer How a person travels depends on several factors. Saving time is nice, but so is saving money. Safety and comfort are also factors in choosing how to travel. The best value for traveling is the best combination of speed, price, comfort and safety. If all things are generally equal, price usually…

  • RailPAC eNewsletter for August 25, 2014

    Deal reached to extend Indiana Amtrak service The Hill-Aug 21, 2014 Indiana transportation officials said they were trying to keep the route viable until a private company could take over the cost of operating the short-distance trains. “For the Hoosier State, we are hoping to build from the experience of North Carolina’s successful Piedmont service, in which…

  • The sun is setting earlier now, but what about the fate of Amtrak’s Sunset Limited?

    Commentary by Russ Jackson, RailPAC Opinions expressed are those of the author, not necessarily those of the RailPAC Board The summer of 2014 is thankfully almost over. As this is written there is a week to go until Labor Day, and then the Congress will return to Washington DC for two weeks of yelling at…

  • Capitol Corridor Monthly Report (July, 2014)

    By David B. Kutrosky, Managing Director Capitol Corridor Joint Powers Authority Service Performance Overview For the fourth consecutive month, ridership increased on the Capitol Corridor over the corresponding month in 2013. A total of 119,425 passengers rode Capitol Corridor trains in July 2014, representing a 2.8% increase compared to July 2013. Revenue for July 2014…

  • Will Driverless Cars Eliminate Passenger Trains?

    By Noel T. Braymer This is the assumption being made by some promoters for the future of automated driverless cars. The thinking behind this is when people no longer drive their cars, all traffic congestion will disappear and road travel will be much faster and easier. This will happen because there will be no accidents…

  • RailPAC eNewsletter for August 18, 2014

    The Truth About Obama’s High-Speed Rail Program TIME-Aug 11, 2014 The administration hasn’t spent anywhere near $11 billion. The projects haven’t gone mostly nowhere. There are legitimate questions about the high-speed rail initiative—and the administration’s hype has outstripped its ability to deliver in an era of divided government—but the public debate over the program has been almost…

  • What is Metrolink’s Problem?

    By Noel T. Braymer Metrolink’s problem is money; or rather the lack of money. Metrolink is in the red because ridership is below projections. Metrolink blames this on declining commuter ridership to downtown Los Angeles. What Metrolink needs to do is increase its ridership to more places in Southern California for more revenue. In the…

  • RailPAC eNewsletter for August 11, 2014

    Amtrak: We’re the best choice for operating the Heartland Flyer Wichita Business Journal (blog)-Aug 7, 2014 Amtrak officials are taking issue with the search for a new Heartland Flyer operator launched by the Texas and Oklahoma transportation departments. August 11, 2014 The above copy of this enewletter is on a PDF file . If you would like…

  • Pros and Cons of a Burbank-Palmdale Underground HSR Short Cut

    By Noel T. Braymer After years of studies and public meetings when it seemed the California High Speed Rail Authority was ready to make a final decision for the route between Burbank and Palmdale: they are studying a new route. This comes at the request of Los Angeles County Supervisor Michael Antonovich who’s district includes…

  • RailPAC eNewsletter for August 4, 2014

    California High-Speed Rail Bonds Revived by Appeals Court Bloomberg – Jul 31, 2014 The California High-Speed Rail Authority can issue $8 billion in bonds to finance the U.S.’s first bullet train, a state appeals court ruled. The agency suffered a setback in November when a state judge blocked it from issuing the bonds, saying its finance ……