RailPAC: Rail Passenger Association of CA & NV

Rail Passenger Projects in the San Joaquin Valley

By Noel T. Braymer Most of the attention now in the San Joaquin Valley is focused on High Speed Rail Construction. This would build 130 miles of new railroad between Madrea and Bakersfield in the next few years. This railroad would be first used for up to 11 express San Joaquin round trip trains a…

March 22, 2014
eNewsletter for March 17, 2014

One of the changes coming to Union Station will be the end of Gates E and F at the mouth of the tunnel to the platforms.Amtrak passengers now wait in line behind these gates for their trains. Amtrak passengers will be encouraged to sit in the waiting room until their train is called. This will…

March 20, 2014
Amtrak budget request hits the Long Distance trains with a cost shift that doesn’t make sense

Report and Commentary by Russ Jackson and Andrew C. Selden, URPA Amtrak published its budget request for the year beginning October, 2014, on March 18. To read the full document, go to this site: http://www.amtrak.com/ccurl/412/537/Amtrak-FY2015-Federal-Budget-Request-ATK-14-028,0.pdf In summary, here is what Amtrak has in store for the western Long Distance Business Line, which includes the Coast…

March 19, 2014
California’s Cap and Trade and its Impact on Rail Service

By Noel T. Braymer In effect since 2013, California’s Cap and Trade program uses market forces to reduce Greenhouse Gases (GHG) by having those who release too much buy “credits” which are sold by those who come under their “carbon budget”. Cap and Trade is on track to meet its 2020 goals of cutting back…

March 14, 2014
eNewsletter for March 10, 2014

Amtrak fails to weather winter well Chicago Tribune-Mar 6, 2014 The passenger railroad’s on-time performance plummeted to around 26 percent on one Illinois run in January. Overall for the month, less than half of the state service operated on schedule, Amtrak data show. Even Amtrak’s service between Chicago and Milwaukee, which normally runs like clockwork,…

March 14, 2014
RailPAC rail PHOTOS of the month (February, 2014)

Here are this month’s photos by RailPAC photographers. Click on each photo to see it full size! Contributions to this page are welcome. Send your jpg rail photos to Russ Jackson, RailPAC Photo Editor, at info@xg1.b3e.myftpupload.com. 1. After losing over 45 minutes between Roseville and Colfax, Amtrak train #6 the California Zephyr passes a Sunday…

March 7, 2014
What will and what should happen for Rail in San Diego

By Noel T. Braymer There is 60 miles of passenger railroad in San Diego County from the Orange County border to the Santa Fe Depot in downtown San Diego. Right now just over half of this 60 miles is doubled tracked. San Diego County is planning to spend a billion dollars over the next 20…

March 7, 2014
eNewsletter for March 3, 2014

Another View: Opponents’ arguments against high-speed rail are bogus Sacramento Bee – ?Feb 28, 2014 When opponents of California’s high-speed rail program don’t have answers on their side, they often resort to fiction over facts, as Rep. Jeff Denham and state Sen. Andy Vidak demonstrated in their highly critical op-ed ( “New vote needed on…

March 7, 2014
Time is On the Side of Rail Passenger Service

By Noel T. Braymer Progress for improved Rail Passenger service in California is often uneven. But through the years progress continues to be made. Track work and plans for expanding service are ongoing for the Surflners, Metrolink, Coaster, San Joaquins, ACE, Capitol Corridor and Caltrain. Rail transit service throughout the State is also improving and…

February 28, 2014
eNewsletter for February 24, 2014

Cities on the Southwest Chief line want state support Dodge City Daily Globe-Feb 20, 2014 The loss of the Southwest Chief passenger rail line would cause a substantial disruption and loss of jobs, said representatives from cities facing an end-of-year deadline to secure a plan to improve or lose the line…About 5,000 passengers per year…

February 28, 2014