Reported by photographer Mike Palmer Los Angeles Union Station was BUSY on Saturday, July 10. Lots of people on the trains. The line waiting for the Northbound Surfliner #775 around 2:45 (scheduled departure at 2:55) was very long. Metrolink had tons of people getting off the trains at the station. The RailPAC Roundtable met for…
Commentary by Paul Dyson, RailPAC President Agreement uses Coaster train set on weekends to relieve two of the busiest beach and race track trains. Starting next Saturday, July 19, A leased “Coaster†train set will operate as an “advanced†Amtrak 768 and 591 return between Santa Ana and San Diego, according to informed sources at…
By Gene Skoropowski, Capitol Corridor Managing Director The ridership and revenue numbers continue to be VERY GOOD across the board in California, and indeed across the nation. The June 2008 Capitol Corridor statistics from Amtrak are an all-time high for the month of June, as are the stats on the state’s other two intercity passenger…
Commentary by Paul Dyson, RailPAC President Overcrowded Trains? No New Cars Available? Time to Use our Brains! Here are a few statements that I believe reflect the current status of passenger rail in Southern California: Demand is outstripping currently scheduled supply on most days. While scarce Amtrak (Surfliner) equipment operates up to 18 hours a…
Los Angeles Union Station Join RailPAC President Paul Dyson, VP South James Smith, and others for an informal discussion of current issues relating to passenger rail! Look for us in the main waiting room, between the newsstand and the bagel shop.
Editorial By Noel T. Braymer The truth is the Airline Industry has never been profitable. While some airlines have made money some years, as a whole the industry loses money more often than it makes money. The recent spike in fuel costs has placed the Airline Industry into a tailspin. Several airlines have or are…
30th June, 2008 Mr. William Kempton Director, California Department of Transportation P.O. Box 942873, Sacramento, CA 94273-0001 AMTRAK CALIFORNIA TIMETABLE Dear Mr. Kempton: RailPAC’s Board met on Wednesday 25th of this month and directed me to write to you to express our deep disappointment with the new Amtrak California timetable. While we can all have…
Before the re-launch After the re-launch But, what’s NOT there? Photos and Comments by Russ Jackson Coast Starlight train 14, the northbound, arrived on the station track usually used by the southbound #11 at San Luis Obispo, close to on time, on May 18, 2008. This crowd of passengers for the Starlight were riding the…
COAST RAIL COORDINATING COUNCIL POLICY COMMITTEE – Meeting, June 20, 2008 Santa Barbara Reported by Paul Dyson, RailPAC President The meeting was well attended. Clem Bomar, Division of Rail, Pete Rodgers and Tim Gillham, SLOCOG, Mike Powers SBCAG, Rob Dayton, (staff) and Council members Helene Schneider and Roger Horton of RailPAC member city Santa Barbara,…
Reported by Bruce Jenkins, RailPAC Director The Capitol Corridor Joint Powers Board met in Suisun City Hall on June 18, 2008. The Board approved the “Interregional Improvement Program” consisting of four projects, e.g. Yolo Causeway west crossover, CP Coast-Great America double tracking (Santa Clara), Capitalized maintenance, and Hercules Station, to be funded from the 2008…