RailPAC: Rail Passenger Association of CA & NV

Month: May 2012

  • The First Sunset Limited Trip on New Schedule

    Robert Manning TRIP REPORT: Talk about a change of pace, how about eating a late dinner at Traxx Restaurant which is located directly inside Los Angeles Union Station! The station is pretty empty at 8 p.m., but then it starts to fill up with passengers planning to depart on the new schedule change for the…

  • When Trains are Faster than Planes

    Analysis by Noel T. Braymer During the 1964 Tokyo Olympics with the start up of the Shinkansen (or Bullet Trains) my Father pointed out that train travel can be faster than by plane.That sounded silly since jet planes flew at over 500 miles per hour and Bullet Trains had a top speed of 130. My…

  • eNewsletter for May 21, 2012

    VoiceofOC – ?May 15, 2012? Several OCTA board members specifically noted there is no passenger train service of any kind through the Central Valley from Los Angeles to northern California because of a “gap” between Palmdale and Bakersfield, where there is a track for freight but … May 21, 2012 Part 1   May 21, 2012…

  • The Lesson for Today of Fred Harvey

    Opinion  By Noel T. Braymer I recently finished the book “Appetite for America” by Stephen Fried. This book is more than a history of Fred Harvey the man, his family or his company but uses all three as the context of a social history of the United States roughly between 1850 to 1950. Fred Harvey…

  • eNewsletter for May 14, 2012

    Supervisor Michael D. Antonovich, a member of the Metrolink Board of Directors, issued the following statement on the announced resignation of Metrolink CEO John Fenton: “John Fenton’s resignation is a major loss for Metrolink’s riders, our taxpayers and the Board. He was the right leader to guide Metrolink through the most critical time in its history…

  • I Would Ride Trains More if they Went More Places

    Opinion By Noel T. Braymer I would love to ride trains more often, but I literally can’t because I can’t get there by train. For example I can take Metrolink from Oceanside to San Bernardino once a day leaving Oceanside at 4:20 PM. I would have to leave San Bernardino at 4:48 AM the next…

  • eNewsletter for May 7, 2012

    With tilting the Cascades were able to raise the average speed from 47 to 53 miles per hour. That is faster than any passenger trains in California and close to the fastest legal speeds by road. The plan for the Cascades is to reach speeds of110-125 miles per hour. Washington State DOT calculated that at…

  • The New Coast Daylight!

    The New Coast Daylight!

    We support a new daily passenger train linking the Central Coast during the day.  For more than twenty years, work on a new Coast Daylight train service has led to studies without results. The Coast Rail Coordinating Council, a voluntary coalition of regional transportation agencies is leading the service planning, and has prepared a realistic, immediately doable operating plan. …

  • Happy National Train Day!

    Happy National Train Day!

    We hope you’ll visit one of our booths today at Sacramento, San Jose, Salinas, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Van Nuys and Los Angeles!

  • PASSENGER RAIL ADVOCACY GROUPS COMBINE TO LAUNCH PETITION FOR “COAST DAYLIGHT” SERVICE

    FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE MAY 11, 2012 – The Rail Passenger Association of California (RailPAC), the Coast Starlight Communities Network and the Steel Wheels Coalition® are working together to step up the campaign for an additional passenger train along the California Coast.  To be known as the Coast Daylight, this train will provide daily service between the…