TrainBlog by Marcel Marchon

For some reason I missed this earlier this week, but it appears that NARP (National Association of Railroad Passengers, in case you didn’t know what NARP stands for) has a blog now as well - welcome to the blogosphere, guys!

The blog’s URL is
http://www.narprail.org/cms/index.php/narpblog/.

If you want to subscribe to it in your RSS reader, this is the URL of the feed:
http://www.narprail.org/cms/index.php/narpblog/rss_2.0/.

Members of the All Aboard Yahoo group have compiled on time performance statistics for Amtrak trains/corridors, based on endpoint/terminus arrival delays. As was to be expected, the Coast Starlight comes up last, followed closely by the Sunset Limited. Both these trains run mostly on Union Pacific, which seems to, well, not like passenger trains very much, to put it mildly. Despite this disregard for their obligations towards passenger trains, they (Union Pacific) were recently named “America’s most admired railroad” by Fortune magazine. Go figure …

Amtrak Endpoint On Time Performance, Feb. 2006

Service............Operated...Late...On Time Pct.

Acela Express...........631.....74.....88.3%
Auto Train...............56.....48.....14.3%
California Zephyr........56.....49.....12.5%
Capitol Ltd..............56.....39.....30.4%
Capitols................624....180.....71.2%
Cardinal.................24.....17.....29.2%
Carolinian...............60.....41.....31.7%
Cascades................253....201.....20.6%
City of New Orleans......56......8.....85.7%
Clocker/Keystone........491.....83.....83.1%
Coast Starlight..........56.....54......3.6%
Crescent.................56.....48.....14.3%
Downeaster..............224.....36.....83.9%
Empire Service..........635....155.....75.6%
Empire Builder..........108.....83.....23.1%
Heartland Flyer..........56.....10.....82.1%
Hiawatha................382.....33.....91.4%
Hoosier..................31......8.....74.2%
Illinois................224.....45.....79.9%
Lake Shore Limited......112.....73.....34.8%
Metroliner...............36......5.....86.1%
Michigan................280....144.....48.6%
Missouri................211.....91.....56.9%
Pacific Surfliner.......695....139.....80.0%
Pennsylvanian............56.....10.....82.1%
Piedmont.................56.....25.....55.4%
Regional...............1422....254.....82.1%
San Joaquins............336....214.....36.3%
Silver Service..........132....108.....18.2%
Southwest Chief..........56......6.....89.3%
Sunset Ltd...............24.....21.....12.5%
Texas Eagle..............56.....34.....39.3%

ALL....................7451...2336.....68.6%

[All_Aboard : Message: Amtrak Endpoint On Time Performance, Feb 2006]

Technorati Tags: amtrak, union pacific, trains

Meanwhile, ACE executive director Stacey Mortsensen said Monday that the startup date for a fourth round-trip train is now set for around July 3 instead of April 24.

[BATN : Message: ACE to hold fare hike hearing; midday train delayed until July]

Technorati Tags: ace, trains, commuter rail, bay area

Trains should start running on the new commuter rail line between Albuquerque and Bernalillo in late May or early June.

Stand back: New Mexico’s “Rail Runner” clears last hurdle
ALBUQUERQUE – The state of New Mexico’s top attorney has signed off on a $75 million state railroad right-of-way purchase transaction, clearing the way for the Rail Runner Express commuter train, backed by New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, according to story in the Albuquerque Journal.
State Attorney General Patricia Madrid’s conditional approval means the commuter trains could start rolling by late May or early June. The route will be on newly state-owned trackage, purchased from BNSF Railway. The first service will be round trips between Albuquerque and Bernalillo, 20 miles north, said Mid-Region Council of Governments executive director Lawrence Rael. Rail service south to Belen likely will come by mid-summer, said Rael, whose agency has spearheaded much of the project.

[TRAINS News Wire for March 6, 2006]

Technorati Tags: commuter rail, new mexico, rail runner

SBB have ordered 25 additional units of the new RABe 514 bilevel EMUs for the Zurich S-Bahn network. This brings the total on order to 60 units. The first unit should enter test service on the S14 line later this spring.

[SBB: Press Release]

Technorati Tags: SBB, RABe 514, EMU, Switzerland

Last night, the Santa Clara county board of supervisors decided to put a tax measure on the June 6 ballot - the measure would provide for an additional half cent sales tax to benefit transportation and social programs int he county. In reality, the tax is seen by many as an attempt to get additional funding for BART to San Jose, but circumventing the two-thirds majority requirement that would exist if VTA would put a specific transportation tax on the ballot. A generic county tax like now proposed only needs a simple 50% majority.

Tom McEnery has some comments about this on the San Jose Inside blog:

The key is honesty. The “trick” is to trust the voters. We are in an area of great optimism and entrepreneurship. Our citizens understand a lot more than elected officials think. People will vote for the future. In placing issues on the ballot—be it transit or baseball—public officials must not intentionally confuse, patronize or deceive the voters. It is the best policy and the only one that has the chance of both honor and success.

I totally agree with him. If they want money for BART, they should say so and let the voters decide whether they want to pay more than they already do, for a project that at this point is very controversial and that at this point has been withdrawn from the FTA New Starts list.