California HSR moves forward

Here is the latest from KCBS in San Francisco. Major points: 2 hour 30 minute running time San Fran to L. A. and 68 million passengers a year.

Opponents worry that passengers teeth will fall out at high speeds and train will run of edge of earth.

Filed under: Passenger Rail Transportatio Policy, United States High Speed Rail

Texas conference on fast trains

“Fast-Tracking Texas Trains”

Mark your calendar for Thursday night January 15 and Friday January 16
for the 5th Annual South Central Rail Corridor Conference at the Sheraton Hotel in downtown Dallas. Register at http://www.texasrailadvocates.org.

Presenters from BNSF Railway, Union Pacific Railroad, Texas Department
of Transportation, GO21, International Air-Rail, City of Dallas, City of Fort Worth, Regional Transportation Council, Talgo and others.

Special reduced registration for members of NARP, RPCA, TxARP, NRHS,
AOS or other non-profit rail oriented organizations if booked before
January 3rd.

Hosted by Texas Rail Advocates.

Filed under: Passenger Rail Politics, Passenger Rail Transportatio Policy, Regional USA Passenger Rail

The Dan Patch Corridor: More commuter rail in the Twin Cities?

I have to apologize for my absence the last few days, but I just finished up with exams up here at college, including a journalism piece I wrote about the Dan Patch Commuter rail line, running from Northfield, MN (where my school, Carleton College, is located) to Minneapolis. It’s a good example of just how freaking hard it is to make commuter rail projects happen in auto-dependent areas like the Twin Cities. It’s going up on a local blog and the Twin Cities Daily Planet, but I made sure I could put it up here as well (click through for the full story):
In the Obama-Era, Plans Revive for a Northfield-Twin Cities Rail Line

In the Obama-Era, Plans Revive for a Northfield-Twin Cities Rail Line

By Logan Nash

With the national economy still a giant question mark, Northfield community leaders are pushing ahead to revive a long-delayed project to build a commuter rail line that would link the town to the Twin Cities metropolitan region.

The national economic downturn is precisely why a serious reconsideration of the commuter line, called the Dan Patch Corridor, is especially warranted right now, the line’s advocates say.

Filed under: Uncategorized, commuter rail, dan patch