The Coast Starlight and the California Zephyr were/are not the only trains affected by, ahem, suboptimal dispatching and congestion on Union Pacific tracks - ACE, the Altamont Commuter Express commuter rail operator that runs a line from Stockton over Altamont Pass to San Jose, also reports very bad on-time performance for the month of October and the whole year of 2006:
As of today, the ACE train is running at 52% on-time for the month of October and 77% for the year thus far. This is unacceptable considering Union Pacific’s contractual obligation to dispatch the ACE trains at 95% on-time.
The other day, there was an opinion piece in the Fresno Bee, where Russ Minick remembers having taken a trip to Japan 30 years ago and took his first ride on a “Bullet Train”. And ever since, he’s been wondering whether California will ever get High Speed Rail …
There always seems to be a more urgent need. And I begin to wonder whether our elected leaders will ever find the wisdom and the courage to get high-speed rail done.
I read the other day that the last of the generation of locomotives and cars that I rode in Japan have been retired from service. Some of them have been in museums for a decade.
Meanwhile, in the so-called Golden State, we wait. And wait. And wait. And we call that leadership.
The latest issue of NARP’s newsletter contains the following overview of new Light Rail/Streetcar line segments that are scheduled to open for service this fall:
November 10, Sacramento RTD: spur connecting Amtrak station to Light Rail network
November 17, Denver: “T-Rex” Southeast Corridor Light Rail
late November, Little Rock: River Rail streetcar branch to Heifer International Headquarters and Clinton Library
Posted in: Light Rail, USA | October 16, 2006 10:40 pm | Comments: (1)
The state-supported service on the Chicago-St. Louis route will be known as “Lincoln Service” and will consist of a total of five daily round-trips. Three of those are state-sponsored trains and the two others are part of the national Amtrak network (those are the Texas Eagle and the Ann Rutledge).
This latest announcement completes the serviceincreases on three Illinois routes for the October 30 timetable change.
On November 5, 2006 (a Sunday), Capitol Corridor trains #727 (southbound Oakland - San Jose) and #734 (northbound, San Jose - Oakland) will be making exceptional stops at Niles. This has been arranged by the Train Riders Association of California with the help of Capitol Corridor, Amtrak and Union Pacific. The reason for the stop is a special excursion organized by the group following their Annual Meeting and Conference at Oakland on November 4. In between the trains, the Niles Canyon Railway will operate a train up to Sunol and back. Both the extra Capitol Corridor stop and the Niles Canyon Railway trains are available to the public.
Approximate schedules:
- Arrival of train #727 at Niles: 10:00am
- Departure of Niles Canyon Railway excursion: 11:25am
- Departure of train #734 at Niles: 1:25pm
Riding the Capitol Corridor trains requires a ticket to/from Fremont, the next scheduled regular station on the route. The fares for the Niles Canyon exursion is $10.
If this extra stop is successful and enough people participate in the event, this may eventually lead to future additional stops at Niles.
I was reminded of this offer by today’s CC Rail Mail - Capitol Corridor offers a free Transit Transfer program, where if you ride a Capitol Corridor train, you can ask the conductor for a Transit Transfer, which is then valid with any one of a number of connecting Transit Agencies.
My first thought when reading this was - gee, why do I always keep forgetting about this when I actually ride the Capitol Corridor? On the train, I’ve never heard anyone mention this or seen it advertised anywhere (the only thing that you see on the train is the discounted BART tickets that they sell). Or even heard anyone ask a conductor to get one of these.
My second thought then was - ok, good idea, but bad execution! Why do I even have to ask for a Transfer in the first place? Why can’t I simply show my Amtrak Ticket stub to the driver or fare inspector to ride connecting transit?
Free connections to local transit services
While on board, ask the conductor for a free Transit Transfer. The conductor will give you a two-part, validated transfer, which should be punched for the next day - this allows you to travel to a destination, stay the night if needed and use the second transfer the following day.
Amtrak’s October 30 schedule change will also see the introduction of improved and faster service on the Keystone Corridor between Harrisburg, PA and Philadelphia, PA. Amtrak and the State of Pennsylvania recently completed an extensive upgrade of the rail line that will enable electrically powered express trains to cover the line in 90 minutes, at a top speed of 110 mph.
The enhanced service, which begins Oct. 30, will feature 90-minute express trains between Harrisburg, Lancaster and Philadelphia, a 30-minute improvement over the current two-hour trip. Local service will also improve to 105 minutes between Harrisburg and Philadelphia. Amtrak is adding three Monday-through- Friday roundtrips and one on Saturday and Sunday to the lineup of 67 roundtrips.
