Addendum: California coastal sleeper route

	Coast Daylight	Coast Starlight	California Zephyr	Lark
San Francisco TBT	5:20			20:20
Millbrae-SFO	5:44			20:44
Palo Alto	6:06			21:06
Mountain View	6:18			21:18
Santa Clara	6:38			21:38
Oakland JLS		B8:50	C14:50
San Jose	6:45	10:07	16:07	21:45
Gilroy	7:21			22:21
Pajaro	A7:52			A22:52
Salinas	8:24	11:48	17:48	23:24
Soledad	A			A
King City	A9:12			A0:12
Paso Robles	10:18	13:38	19:38	1:18
San Luis Obispo	11:33	15:20	21:20	2:33
Grover Beach	11:56			2:56
Guadalupe-Santa Maria	12:14			3:14
Santa Barbara	14:26	18:17	0:17	5:26
Oxnard	15:11	D19:05	D1:05	6:11
Simi Valley	15:46	D19:38	D1:38	6:46
Chatsworth	15:59			6:59
Van Nuys	16:16	D20:05	D2:05	7:16
Glendale	16:34			7:34
Los Angeles	17:00	21:00	3:00	8:00

	Coast Daylight	Coast  Starlight	Lark	California Zephyr
Los Angeles	9:05	10:15	21:05	22:30
Glendale	9:18		21:18
Van Nuys	9:36	R10:47	21:36	R23:02
Chatsworth	9:53		21:53
Simi Valley	10:11	R11:23	22:11	R23:38
Oxnard	10:41	11:55	22:41
Santa Barbara	11:41	12:48	23:41	0:26
Guadalupe-Santa Maria	12:38		0:38
Grover Beach	12:56		0:56
San Luis Obispo	13:37	15:43	1:37	3:21
Paso Robles	14:39	16:45	2:39	4:23
King City	A15:45		A3:45
Soledad	A		A
Salinas	16:41	18:36	4:41	7:14
Pajaro	A17:05		A5:05
Gilroy	17:36		5:36
San Jose	18:25	20:39	6:25	8:17
Oakland JLS		E21:32		G9:25
Santa Clara	18:33		6:33
Mountain View	18:42		6:42
Palo Alto	18:53		6:53
Millbrae-SFO	19:02		7:02
San Francisco TBT	19:35		7:35

Notes and symbols:

1. The California Zephyr is extended southward to Los Angeles after Amtrak deems it more feasible than restoring the Desert Wind via Las Vegas

2. The Lark is an all-sleeper train operated as a nighttime complement to the Coast Daylight. The operator is presumed to be the same entity that eventually wins the Caltrain contract

3. Once track conditions have been improved, trains will take about eight hours between San Francisco and Los Angeles. The improved tracks would allow for more frequencies to be added—including a second Seattle-Oakland-Los Angeles train

A-Future stop

B-From Seattle 

C-From Chicago

D-Stops only to discharge passengers 

E-Continues to Seattle

G-Continues to Chicago

R-Stops only to receive passengers

Tackling the Headlines 16

Washington State goes to work
This fall, work will begin to build bypass tracks along congested stretches of the Cascades route between Seattle and Portland. The move would allow Amtrak to avoid a single-track bottleneck between Tacoma and Olympia-Lacey. 


Take: Kudos to Washington State's DOT and BNSF.


It may be baby steps, but it's something
After a few delays, the Saratoga & North Creek Railway is finally up and running. Revenue service began on July 21. The 56-mile route has five flag stops between the endpoints. The Saratoga Springs station now houses two intercity rail operators as it's also home to Amtrak (the predecessor was an excursion operator that only ran trains between Corinth and North Creek).


Take: Even though SNCR owner Iowa Pacific recently took Amtrak to court over the Ski Train controversy, the connections between SNCR trains and the New York-Rutland, VT Ethan Allen Express are definitely a positive gesture.


SNCR is already looking ahead
I caught this blurb from Iowa Pacific president Ed Ellis:

We will run additional trains for ridership demand, or if one or more units of government will pay for additional trains. As you may know, New York State DOT is paying for a second track on the CP at Ballston Spa (about two miles, connects two long sidings yielding maybe five miles of double track) and between Albany and Schenectady. It’s no secret they would like to have two more pairs of trains between Albany and Saratoga. We would be willing to consider operating trains such as those under contract, and would be willing to add whatever qualifications and insurance that would be necessary to do so. That could also yield a year-round operation to North Creek.

Take: Let the speculation begin. Assuming that Mr. Ellis deems such an extension financially feasible, things could get really interesting in the Empire State. Suppose the state actually hands a contract to SNCR for one or both roundtrips, what kind of impact would that have on Amtrak? It would technically be in Amtrak president Joe Boardman's backyard but it wouldn't be that damaging unless the company has long-term plans to either add Adirondack or Ethan Allen Express roundtrips.


Now, if SNCR wins the Saratoga Springs-Albany contract, there could be some difficulties with the extension. But if it happens, what's to prevent the shortline railroad to extend it even further southward to NYC? The only thing is that Iowa Pacific would have to buy electric engines and switch in the capital city so the train could comply with NYC regulations. 


When it comes to the stations, the train could stop in Albany instead of the current Rensselaer station served by Amtrak, but where? Union Station was moved from its original location and tracks and its old site removed to make way for an I-787 ramp. As a result, no tracks are at its current location. Central Warehouse was badly damaged by fire last year and might be costly to rebuild and replace. The ultimate solution may be a proposed transit center in downtown Albany. If SNCR wants to call the Big Apple home, Grand Central Terminal would be a better fit than Penn Station because of overcrowding.

Tackling the Headlines 15

China as an HSR superpower

We can pretty much count China out when it comes to setting the standard for fast trains. Last month, a train crash killed 39 passengers and left 192 others injured. Given the recent news about its disgraced rail minister, it was only a matter of time before something like what happened on the 23^rd actually did happen. 

Take: The flaws in China’s HSR system demonstrate two things:

      1. China cannot continue building on the cheap and expect a world-class product.

      2. The crash has likely put China Railways from being a top three contender for operating the CAHSR route to a longshot because the blow will be that crippling.

Iowa Pacific 1, Amtrak 1

Early last month, a court ruled in favor of Iowa Pacific after it was prevented from reviving the Ski Train on liability grounds. The end result is that Amtrak has to pay the shortline railroad holding company $1.1 million in damages and found the national carrier in breach of an oral contract.

Take: This is now the second time in months that Amtrak has gotten significant pushback over its liability demands. Late last year, the carrier backed off of its demands that SunRail bear the full burden in the event an Amtrak train collided with the up-and-coming commuter railroad.


Now that Congress has resolved the debt ceiling mess, it needs to get back to doing something constructive on the passenger rail front. In addition to enforcing Sections 214 and 502 of PRIIA, it has to rewrite the liability guidelines so anyone who wants to start up railroad service doesn't get punished for operating service.

Plans for Oakland’s old train station

Oakland's historic station on 16^th and Wood Streets is getting a facelift.

Take: What the infamous '89 earthquake taketh away, community revival will give back. People in Buffalo and Detroit should take some lessons from this experiment, even if the East Bay's former Southern Pacific station is no longer fit for rail use.

Badger state stupidity part 1

The long-planned Kenosha-Racine-Milwaukee commuter line is derailed before it leaves the station.

Take: That sputtering sound is southeastern Wisconsinites having to take increasingly congested interstates.

Badger state stupidity part 2

Wisconsin will spend $31 million to upgrade the Milwaukee-Chicago route. This comes after the feds rebuffed the state in May when Florida's funds were redistributed.

Take: In both parts of WI coverage, this has Governor Scott Walker's fingerprints are all over them. Like I said three months ago, I have absolutely no sympathy for a man who OPENLY campaigned via an anti-train website against the extension of the Hiawathas westward! I have nothing but antipathy for a governor who returns federal money, only to spend his state's money on working on a glorified interurban route. The conundrum also falls on WIDOT's shoes because it failed in its responsibility to properly market the route as an extension as opposed to a brand new route. I hope that Wisconsinites remember all the ill Walker has done for their state in three or seven years as they are stuck with ugly Horizon cars and only a few new Talgo cars once the Spanish carmaker is long gone, and they also look at how neighboring states fare with their new services as the Hiawathas remain stagnant.