For several reasons, TRAC has changed its mailing address. The new mailing address is as follows:
Train Riders Association of California, 1017 L St #765, Sacramento, CA 95814-3805
Our phone remains the same at (916) 557-1667. Contact email is: editor@calrailnews.org
In an effort to jump start rail service in Santa Cruz County, TRAC today released its Santa Cruz Rail Study. The study details the economics of a public-private partnership that would provide rail transit service on the Santa Cruz Branch line, supported by three profit-making services: Beach shuttles, dinner trains and excursion trains, and rail connections to San Jose, Monterey and Salinas.
By overwhelmingly defeating the Greenway Initiative, the voters of Santa Cruz County have clearly indicated they want rail in their future. The TRAC study offers a fast and inexpensive path to starting up service: a partnership between the Regional Transportation Commission, owner of the Santa Cruz Branch line, and a private sector firm. TRAC recommends:
1. That the RTC staff evaluate the Study to determine the reasonableness of the private sector business opportunities it discloses.
2. Following that evaluation, TRAC urges the RTC to invite private sector rail service proposals.
The study concludes that the dinner and excursion trains, which would travel where the tracks are mostly intact, between Santa Cruz and Davenport, could probably start up rather quickly.
After announcing its interest in proposals, TRAC suggests:
3. That the RTC should look for grants to repair the bridges (rather than replace them). A relatively small grant could bring the tracks up to a 59-mph standard by adding new crossties as needed.
TRAC is convinced that getting a passenger service running ASAP is far more important than having “perfect” infrastructure. Because rail passenger service has not been available for generations, it will take time to build up a culture of using rail transit. Because the total replacement approach that public agencies typically adopt is so much more expensive, it is very difficult to receive grant funding, especially where the projected ridership is merely speculative. Deferring the environmental benefits, especially having an alternative to being stuck in traffic on the highway, is not worth the delay in getting started.
Once a robust ridership has been demonstrated, it is much easier to secure grant funding. (It is relatively quick and easy to bring in automated equipment to do total replacement when and if it is actually needed.)
While the profit-making rail services are important, TRAC is most focused on the need for convenient rail transit. The Study shows that the subsidy needed to keep fares similar to bus fares could easily be met with a 1/8% sales tax. If rail fares were slightly higher, transit could run without a subsidy. Another funding possibility is sponsorships by local businesses, who would receive advertising on the rail vehicles and station structures.
TRAC is eager for this Study to be reviewed by the RTC Board, its staff, and private sector entities including TIG/m, Pop-Up Metro, St. Paul & Pacific Railroad (SPPR), and Roaring Camp Railroads. We look forward to your comments: President@calrailnews.org
The folks at Santa Cruz Trains have prepared a comprehensive history of efforts to revive rail passenger service in Santa Cruz County, up to the current Measure D placed on the June 7th, 2022 ballot by Santa Cruz Greenway.
https://www.santacruztrains.com/2022/05/curiosities-returning-commuter-service.html
The California Rail News for April to September 2022 is now online at www.calrailnews.org/current. This issue focuses on Measure D in Santa Cruz County, which would destroy possibilities for rail forever if passed.
The latest California Rail News in more than a year is now online. See http://www.calrailnews.org/current/
The next issue of California Rail News will carry a major article on the future of the LOSSAN Corridor by Greg Thompson, PhD and Sandra Bauer. That article will be an excerpt of a longer paper titled “How the LOSSAN Corridor Can Do More for Southern Californians” which is available now on this website.
The LOSSAN-South Corridor connecting Los Angeles with San Diego is the second most significant rail passenger corridor in the United States. Patronage in the corridor is now many times higher than it was when the state started supporting Amtrak-operated Pacific Surfliners. However, ridership has plateaued in the last several years, as train congestion has lengthened running times and increased unreliability. The basic alignment of the railroad remains that of the late 19th century single track railroad, inhibiting running time improvements and restricting capacity. It takes almost 3 hours for Surfliners to cover the 128 miles from San Diego to Los Angeles, for an average speed of 44 miles per hour.
The Caltrans Division of Rail developed plans to significantly improve the speed and capacity of the corridor, and completed environmental review of the proposed program in 2009. The improvements would allow hourly intercity trains to complete their runs from San Diego to Los Angeles in 1’50”, including 6 intermediate stops, resulting in an average end-to-end speed of 70 mph. There would be increased local commuter service, as well.
This article’s analysis concludes that the Caltrans LOSSAN improvement program can make the LOSSAN-South corridor an effective alternative to the I-5 freeway, competing successfully with longer-distance auto travel between San Diego, Orange, and Los Angeles Counties. The project would be a significant first step in bringing the corridor up to the level of the Northeast Corridor between Washington and Boston. (See Intercity Passenger Trains Are Not Commuter Trains)
This paper is accessible on the TRAC Position Papers page: http://www.calrailnews.org/trac-position-papers/
