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Caltrain Faces Electric Hurdles
There’s a new twist in the quest to electrify Caltrain, as ANG Newspapers (which includes the San Mateo County Times and Oakland Tribune) reports. With Caltrain eying non-FRA-compliant Electric Multiple Units to increase capacity and reduce trip times — and Positive Train Control as added safety, there is new pressure on the Federal Railroad Administration…
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Capitol Corridor riding high
15 years of clean comfortable trips leave most passengers satisfied as commuter line marks anniversary. — San Francisco Chronicle, 13 December 2006. Fifteen years ago, Amtrak and Caltrans began a new passenger train service connecting the Bay Area and Sacramento with three round-trip trains a day. The Capitol Corridor trains quickly drew standing-room crowds on…
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Trains, Trolleys finally hook up
from the Sacramento Bee, 8 December 2006. For two decades, Sacramento’s light-rail system has been running on its own loop, unconnected to the greater train-travel world. Until today.
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Sacramento, December 2006
The Sacramento train station hosted two big events in December… A Photo Report by Russ Jackson, RailPAC Secretary. Inside the dedication tent on December 8, Sacramento area officials gathered to enthusiastically support the half-mile extension of the RT light rail line from the K Street “Downtown” Mall into the Amtrak station. In this picture are…
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RailPAC President Paul Dyson’s busy December
Operation Lifesaver On a cold rainy night on Saturday 16th December, RailPAC along with the Southern California Transit Advocates and Operation Lifesaver supported the Van Nuys Station holiday open house organized by station agent Gail Cunningham. The event coincides with the Metrolink Holiday Toy Express and was attended by about 150 parents and children. SoCaTa…
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TRIP REPORT: A Canadian Long Distance Rail Journey
By Bruce Jenkins, RailPAC Director On Sunday, 9/24/06, my wife and I boarded VIA train #2 “The Canadian” at Vancouver. Sleeping car passengers are required to check in at 1630 (1 hr prior to departure time). You are then entertained on “the patio” (the old platform adjacent to the stub end of the tracks at…
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Capitol Corridor Joint Powers Authority
at Suisun City Hall Reported by Russ Jackson, RailPAC Secretary Capitol Corridor westbound train 729 arrives on time at the Martinez station on October 28. On the Wednesday before Thanksgiving day, the Capitol Corridor carried “a whopping 6,248 passengers,” according to CCJPA Managing Director Gene Skoropowski in a note to RailPAC. “That’s the single highest…
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San Joaquin Valley Rail Committee
Hanford, Calif.; Reported by Bruce Jenkins, RailPAC Director. — The San Joaquin Valley Rail Committee met in Hanford on Nov.9, ’06, chaired by Mayor Harvey Hall of Bakersfield. Rick Depler of BNSF gave an update on OTP for the valley line for October, a record of 93.7% for Amtrak trains! DJ Mitchell (BNSF) gave an…
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My Meeting With Amtrak President Alex Kummant
By RailPAC President Paul Dyson. — I met with Mr. Kummant for 45 minutes at the Amtrak Offices in Washington D.C. Joining the discussion were Cliff Black, Amtrak Director of Media Relations and Marcus Mason, Senior Director of Government Affairs of Amtrak. My meeting was very cordial and covered a wide range of topics. This…
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RailPAC North October Meeting Report
Reported by Russ Jackson, RailPAC Secretary — A crowd of over 35 people participated in the first RailPAC meeting to be held on the Peninsula, this one at the Samtrans office in San Carlos. Many were regular Caltrain riders, as well as Amtrak riders. RailPAC VP North Art Lloyd hosted the meeting, also attended by…