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RIC SILVER: A real rail advocate!
A tribute with PHOTOS to RailPAC’s outgoing, one-of-a-kind former Executive Director, by Russ Jackson We first met Richard L. Silver sometime around 1995. RailPAC was still a small, but noisy, organization of rail advocates who were speaking our minds on California and Amtrak national issues. Alan Wimmergren was president, founders Byron Nordberg and Dr. Adrian…
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Tracking the News for February
TRACKING THE NEWS . . . . . . PHOTOS, and COMMENTARY by Russ Jackson February, 2009. Superliners! When you “GoogleEarth” to their U.S. map and zoom in on the Beech Grove, Indiana, Amtrak shop you see a yard area at the top (north) of the property. While the date of the photo is unknown,…
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Penny Wise and Pound Foolish
Editorial By Noel T. Braymer After retiring as President of Southern Railway, W. Graham Claytor took over as President of Amtrak in 1982. At that time Amtrak recovered only 48 percent of its costs from revenue. Eleven years latter when Mr. Claytor retired from Amtrak in 1993 Amtrak’s cost recovery was 75 percent. Shortly before…
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Has it been 30 years already?
By Noel T. Braymer In 1978 I was in my mid-twenties, single, the rent for my apartment in Los Angeles was $160 a month, and my car was paid for thanks to my parents. About the last thing on my mind were trains. Other than amusement park rides the only train ride I had been…
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RailPAC writes Amtrak re new car needs
16th January, 2009, Mr. Joseph H. Boardman, President and Chief Executive Officer, NATIONAL RAILROAD PASSENGER CORPORATION, Re: Amtrak Rolling Stock Investment Plans. Dear Mr. Boardman: As you take up your new duties as President of Amtrak, albeit so far on temporary assignment, we’d like to draw your attention to some distressing tendencies in Amtrak policy over…
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California Corridors December stats
Reported by Eugene K. Skoropowski, Managing Director, Capitol Corridor Joint Powers Authority After the relatively modest November growth in Capitol Corridor riders (+2.7%), we were expecting to see a significant slowing of ridership growth on the Capitol Corridor in December, reflecting the impacts of both the economic downturn, as well as falling gas prices. It did…
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San Joaquin Valley Rail Committee report
Reported by Bruce Jenkins, RailPAC Director The San Joaquin Valley Rail Committee met in Merced Thursday, January 8, 2009. RailPAC Associate Director George Gaekle, from Modesto, who also is a SJVRC committee member, introduced the new committee member for Stanislaus County, County Supervisor Vito Chiesa. Ty Holscher from Tulare County reported that “in view of the economic situation…
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Why cutting passenger trains doesn’t save money
By Noel T. Braymer The simple fact is most intercity passenger trains make money, on their direct operating costs. The problem at Amtrak is it doesn’t run enough trains to bring in enough money to cover all its overhead costs. Amtrak has some large overhead costs, centered mostly in the Midwest and East Coast. Yet…
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AMTRAK CAPITAL INVESTMENT AND THE WESTERN TRAINS
RailPAC President Paul Dyson writes to NARP Chairman George Chilson: NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF RAILROAD PASSENGERS, 900 Second Street NE Suite 308, Washington, DC 20002, Via E-Mail, hard copy by US Mail Dear George: I am writing on behalf of RailPAC to express our deep concern at the future of Amtrak’s western routes. The trains west…
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TRACKING THE NEWS . . . and Photos for January
. . . Photos and Commentary by Russ Jackson… January, 2009. Happy New Year, everyone! Let’s start with some good news from the Capitol Corridor’s holiday message to its riders: “You have spoken…and we listened. Back by popular demand is the pot roast sandwich on an onion roll. Visit the Cafe Car today and enjoy…