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eNewsletter for January 9, 2012 January 13th, 2012
Mr. Boardman (Amtrak President) is on record saying that there are no plans to eliminate Long Distance Trains in the face of reductions of Federal subsidies for Amtrak. Also on the record are claims by Mr. Boardman that the Long Distance Trains are the cause of much of Amtrak’s deficits. There are also reports that in private Mr. Boardman has said that he would sacrifice all of the Long Distance Trains in order to “save” the Northeast Corridor (NEC). If this is true then Mr. Boardman is delusional. The Long Distance Trains are the best thing Amtrak has to support the NEC. Not only politically but financially. When the Long Distance Trains system was at its greatest both in route miles and equipment under former Amtrak President W. Graham Claytor, Amtrak was at its best fiscal health of its history. NB
Posted in eNewsletter Archive
RailPAC writes Brown, Feinstein, and Boxer: Peer Review Committee Is Right On High Speed Rail January 12th, 2012
NOTE: Identical letters were also faxed to Senators Feinstein and Boxer
11th January, 2012
Posted in Commentary
eNewsletter for January 3, 2012 January 6th, 2012
The State of California owns the locomotives and cars used on the San Joaquins, has paid with local governments for improvements or replacements of the stations on the route and paid for Amtrak’s maintenance base in Oakland which services the San Joaquins. And Amtrak thinks the San Joaquins are their trains?
Posted in eNewsletter Archive
Why Amtrak loses money and why eliminating trains doesn’t save money January 6th, 2012
By Noel T. Braymer
(W. Graham Claytor, Amtrak President 1982-1993) was credited with helping to revive the ailing passenger railroad by many experts, and even some critics of its operations. By the time he retired, fares and other revenues covered 80 percent of Amtrak’s expenses, up from 42 percent in 1980. Mr. Claytor predicted that Amtrak might be able to cover all of its operating costs, something that no national railroad system in the world does now, by the year 2000. (From the New York Times obituary for W. Graham Claytor of May 15, 1994.)
Posted in Editorials
eNewsletter for December 26, 2011 December 30th, 2011
Speed is attractive on any travel mode. Higher speeds can lead to greater productivity. But ridership is also determined by other factors such as price, comfort, safety, convenience and the number of markets served. Speed can be very expensive which can make the price of the service uncompetitive. By-passing towns to improve running times will also reduce the number of markets served unless there are good connecting services to express train which the TGV trains have.
Posted in eNewsletter Archive
eNewsletter for December 12, 2011 December 29th, 2011
This is from testimony by retired Republican Congressman and current Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood given on December 6th before the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure. It didn’t get much media coverage… The effort to derail the California HSR Project is part of a larger partisan effort to derail the presidency of President Obama by giving him a “defeat”. At stake is more than the California HSR Project but also funding for most infrastructure improvements for passenger rail service.
Posted in eNewsletter Archive
eNewsletter for December 5, 2011 December 29th, 2011
Total public spending on transport and water infrastructure has fallen steadily since the 1960s and now stands at 2.4% of GDP. Europe, by contrast, invests 5% of GDP in its infrastructure, while China is racing into the future at 9%. America’s spending as a share of GDP has not come close to European levels for over 50 years. Over that time funds for both capital investments and operations and maintenance have steadily dropped
Posted in eNewsletter Archive
eNewsletter for December 19, 2011 December 22nd, 2011
Duh, they are just now noticing that building a 220 miles per hour railroad is expensive? While speeds of up to 220 miles per hour is a reasonable long term goal, first we need to look at getting service up to 125 miles per hour in California in the near future. Full funding won’t be available for 220 miles per hour construction until the public can ride improved service so they will demand more. Getting 110-125 miles per hour in the whole San Joaquin Valley, on the Peninsula and in Los Angeles/Orange County will start the ball rolling for future High Speed Rail. We will soon have the cars and locomotives to go 125 miles per hour, but what’s the point if we don’t have the railroads for that. NB
Posted in eNewsletter Archive
Coast Daylight/CRCC Policy Meeting Report December 22nd, 2011
By Bruce Jenkins, RailPAC Director
The Coast Rail Coordinating Council (Coast Daylight) held it’s Policy Meeting on Friday, Dec. 16th in Monterey.
Posted in Reports
Southwest Chief and the snow delays December 22nd, 2011
Report by Russ Jackson, RailPAC
The first major snow storm of the winter affected Amtrak trains 3 and 4, the Southwest Chief starting December 19, and is still affecting the train’s on time performance as of this writing. As the winter progresses we will see how prepared this season the Amtrak system is for this year’s inevitable weather problems, but this storm showed two regular, continuing flaws: locomotive failure problems and yard turnaround problems. This first storm showed fast recovery on both issues, and hard work keeping the trains running out on the road.
Posted in Reports
