RailPAC: Rail Passenger Association of CA & NV

Author: Noel Braymer

  • RailPAC eNewsletter for January 5,2015

    Fred Frailey-Amtrak’s new look Trains Dec 18, 2014 Amtrak is downsizing practically every one of its long-distance trains, between January 12 and February 28 and in some instances longer. This is what railroads routinely did in pre-Amtrak days, in those times of the year when business drops off. Several people have sent me the preliminary…

  • What’s Ahead for California Rail Passenger Service in 2015

    By Noel T. Braymer Construction is the big news for 2015. Construction is needed before we can expand service in many places. The year starts out with the Official Ground Breaking for the California High Speed Rail Project in Fresno on January 6th. This ceremony has been put off for over a year until funding…

  • RailPAC eNewsletter for December 29, 2014

    Top 5 holiday destinations for Southern Californians 1. Las Vegas 2. San Francisco 3. San Diego 4. Grand Canyon 5. Anaheim Source: Automobile Club of Southern California. All 5 of these destinations can be served with improved and expanded rail passenger service connecting with the rest of California NB December 29, 2014 The above copy…

  • More Good News for California High Speed Rail

    By Noel T. Braymer After passage of Prop 1A in November 2008 which gave the California High Speed Rail project almost 10 billion dollars in funding,everything seemed to go wrong. The project was on death’s door by 2012 with growing opposition from property owners who could be affected by the project. This was particularly true…

  • RailPAC eNewsletter for December 22, 2014

    High-speed rail project settles Bakersfield lawsuit Visalia Times-Delta – Dec 19, 2014 SACRAMENTO – The California High-Speed Rail Authority announced Friday that it has settled one of seven environmental lawsuits challenging the route of the $68 billion bullet train through the Central Valley. The Surface Transportation Board ruling that it can overrule local state environmental…

  • Metrolink Needs a Plan, and some Leadership

    By Noel T. Braymer Metrolink has failed to fulfill its mission to be the Southern California Regional Rail Passenger Railroad. The official name for Metrolink is the Southern California Regional Rail Authority. Instead the management of Metrolink at its inception was under the impression that they were running a commuter railroad to primarily carry people…

  • RailPAC eNewsletter for December 15, 2014

    Metrolink chief Michael P. DePallo quits after two years Los Angeles Times-Dec 12, 2014 Metrolink’s chief executive officer resigned Friday amid ongoing scrutiny of the six-county commuter railroad’s operations, governance and financial controls.Michael P. DePallo, a former transit leader from New York, stepped down two years after he replaced John Fenton, who left the top…

  • RailPAC eNewsletter for December 8, 2014

    FRA waives Buy America rules on high speed train prototypes Railway Gazette International – Dec 4, 2014 ‘FRA believes a waiver is appropriate because domestically-produced high speed trainsets meeting the specific technical, design, and schedule needs of Amtrak and CHSRA are not currently available in the USA’, the letter explains. ‘Moreover, domestically-produced high speed trainsets…

  • Rail Connections to California’s Major Airports

    By Noel T. Braymer California now has some connections by rail at its airports. This will improve over the next 10 to 20 years. The two airports now with the best rail connections are San Francisco International Airport (SFO) and Bob Hope Airport in Burbank near downtown Los Angeles.. SFO has direct and regular service…

  • The Top 3 Most Needed High Speed Rail Connections in California

    By Noel T. Braymer Current planning by the California High Speed Rail Authority (CHSRA) is for initial High Speed Rail service of 34 round trips daily by 2022 between Merced and Burbank. By 2022 with the completion of run through tracks by 2020 at Los Angeles Union Station there will be plenty of connections from…