MEETING REPORT

SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY RAIL COMMITTEE

November 12, 2004

Reported by Russ Jackson, RailPAC

The SJVRC met at the Convention Center in Bakersfield, and were welcomed with the friendly hospitality of Kern County. Committee member, Bakersfield Mayor Harvey Hall, was the host.

1. Before giving the details of the meeting, comments about the trip to and from the meeting might be of interest to readers of this report. This writer boarded San Joaquin train 702 in Sacramento that morning for the trip down the Valley. The Sacramento station is quite busy in the 6:00 AM hour, with a Capitol Corridor train departing just ahead of the 702, and the southbound Coast Starlight is scheduled to be there at the same time. On this morning it was there, and reports show #11 has been running on time more than it has been late in recent weeks! After departure I went to the Cafe car to partake of the excellent cuisine available on the train, and was very pleased to find the new breakfast item, "Biscuits and Gravy," lived up to the quality I found when we evaluated it and other menu items at the Taste Test in July. The biscuits were as fresh as if homemade, and the item includes three big link sausages and a fresh fruit bowl. Car attendant Donna was very friendly and helpful. It started off the day just right. On the return trip on train # 717 I settled for a hot dog, pleasantly finding they are bigger than before, and the bun was not gummy as they had been. Several others traveling on the same train had different dinner items and were very pleased with the quality.

2. This SJVRC meeting usually begins with a report from the BNSF, but they were not present because of the holiday the day before. However, the important On Time Performance Report was presented, showing that since the group's September 13 meeting the railroad's OTP in September was 89% and was 88% in October, a positive improvement. (This does not include OTP on the Union Pacific segments.) Train 702 that morning arrived in Bakersfield 10 minutes late, but had NO freight interference. The only time the train went "in the hole" was for meeting other Amtrak trains; all freights encountered were waiting for us to pass! A color chart was distributed showing which San Joaquins were delayed and for how long, and a full explanation of why each was late.

3. In October the San Joaquin ridership showed an increase of 2.9%, and revenues increased 3.6% vs the same month a year ago. In other marketing news, it was reported a "Shoppers Special" train will operate December 4 and 11 from Merced northward, with special buses taking passengers to the shopping areas of San Francisco, similar to the successful program on the Capitol Corridor last year that sold out. The successful "Wi-Fi" cars will be increased soon, with each consist expected to have at least one car available for computer wireless connection. Following a question from RailPAC member Mike Barnbaum regarding a bus connection to Los Angeles International Airport, this writer discussed the issue with Rick Peterson, Amtrak's Director of Thruway Bus Operations, who pointed out that because of so many late trains Amtrak could not guarantee transferring passengers that they would arrive at their planes on time. So, they provide service from the Valley to the Van Nuys Flyaway bus station, which provides regular service to the LAX terminals.

4. A discussion of the homeland security issues yielded the information that Amtrak conductors are now required to make periodic ID checks of passengers on board in addition to the checks made when a passenger buys a ticket on board. When asked about ID checks for users of the Fast Trak ticket machines, it was pointed out that credit cards are checked for possible problems during the ticketing.

5. The Fresno station renovation project is well underway, and a dedication ceremony is expected to be held January 15. Meanwhile, Fresno's local transit buses will begin accepting transfers from the trains. Amtrak passengers can get a voucher for use on the Fresno buses. Sacramento RT is doing this now, and reports 200-300 transfers per month.

6. The Committee voted to return to meeting on Thursdays starting with their May meeting, and will stay with six scheduled yearly meetings. The last Thursday meetings will be in Hanford on January 14, and in Fresno on March 11. They also voted to abolish their current standing committees and return to dealing with committee issues in the regular meeting, saving ad hoc committees to do special tasks. The SJVRC seems to be searching for guidance on what needs to be done to accomplish its goals. Two of the biggest, and longest under consideration, (rail service to Los Angeles across the Tehachapis, and forming a Joint Powers Authority to operate the trains) appear to be stagnant at this time. The issue of the High Speed Rail project keeps popping up in the discussions, and while the Committee does not take any formal position, they are following its impact on the Valley. Members informally were pleased with the choice of the Palmdale route and its approach to Bakersfield from the Tehachapis as a positive step.


RailPAC Contacts Publications Issues Meeting Reports 2004 Reports 2004-11 Monterey 2004-11 San Joaquin 2004-09 Coast Rail 2004-09-15 Capitol 2004-09 San Joaquin 2004-08 Coast Rail 2004-07 San Joaquin 2004-06 TAMC 2004-04-26 Coast Rail 2004-04-21 Capitol 2004-04-13 LOSSAN 2004-04-13 CAHSRA 2004-03-23 Fresno Station 2004-03-12 San Joaquin 2004-02-18 Capitol 2004-02-02 Monterey 2004-01-09 San Joaquin 2004-01-07 LOSSAN Membership Links	MEETING REPORT SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY RAIL COMMITTEE November 12, 2004 Reported by Russ Jackson, RailPAC The SJVRC met at the Convention Center in Bakersfield, and were welcomed with the friendly hospitality of Kern County. Committee member, Bakersfield Mayor Harvey Hall, was the host. 1. Before giving the details of the meeting, comments about the trip to and from the meeting might be of interest to readers of this report. This writer boarded San Joaquin train 702 in Sacramento that morning for the trip down the Valley. The Sacramento station is quite busy in the 6:00 AM hour, with a Capitol Corridor train departing just ahead of the 702, and the southbound Coast Starlight is scheduled to be there at the same time. On this morning it was there, and reports show #11 has been running on time more than it has been late in recent weeks! After departure I went to the Cafe car to partake of the excellent cuisine available on the train, and was very pleased to find the new breakfast item, "Biscuits and Gravy," lived up to the quality I found when we evaluated it and other menu items at the Taste Test in July. The biscuits were as fresh as if homemade, and the item includes three big link sausages and a fresh fruit bowl. Car attendant Donna was very friendly and helpful. It started off the day just right. On the return trip on train # 717 I settled for a hot dog, pleasantly finding they are bigger than before, and the bun was not gummy as they had been. Several others traveling on the same train had different dinner items and were very pleased with the quality. 2. This SJVRC meeting usually begins with a report from the BNSF, but they were not present because of the holiday the day before. However, the important On Time Performance Report was presented, showing that since the group's September 13 meeting the railroad's OTP in September was 89% and was 88% in October, a positive improvement. (This does not include OTP on the Union Pacific segments.) Train 702 that morning arrived in Bakersfield 10 minutes late, but had NO freight interference. The only time the train went "in the hole" was for meeting other Amtrak trains; all freights encountered were waiting for us to pass! A color chart was distributed showing which San Joaquins were delayed and for how long, and a full explanation of why each was late. 3. In October the San Joaquin ridership showed an increase of 2.9%, and revenues increased 3.6% vs the same month a year ago. In other marketing news, it was reported a "Shoppers Special" train will operate December 4 and 11 from Merced northward, with special buses taking passengers to the shopping areas of San Francisco, similar to the successful program on the Capitol Corridor last year that sold out. The successful "Wi-Fi" cars will be increased soon, with each consist expected to have at least one car available for computer wireless connection. Following a question from RailPAC member Mike Barnbaum regarding a bus connection to Los Angeles International Airport, this writer discussed the issue with Rick Peterson, Amtrak's Director of Thruway Bus Operations, who pointed out that because of so many late trains Amtrak could not guarantee transferring passengers that they would arrive at their planes on time. So, they provide service from the Valley to the Van Nuys Flyaway bus station, which provides regular service to the LAX terminals. 4. A discussion of the homeland security issues yielded the information that Amtrak conductors are now required to make periodic ID checks of passengers on board in addition to the checks made when a passenger buys a ticket on board. When asked about ID checks for users of the Fast Trak ticket machines, it was pointed out that credit cards are checked for possible problems during the ticketing. 5. The Fresno station renovation project is well underway, and a dedication ceremony is expected to be held January 15. Meanwhile, Fresno's local transit buses will begin accepting transfers from the trains. Amtrak passengers can get a voucher for use on the Fresno buses. Sacramento RT is doing this now, and reports 200-300 transfers per month. 6. The Committee voted to return to meeting on Thursdays starting with their May meeting, and will stay with six scheduled yearly meetings. The last Thursday meetings will be in Hanford on January 14, and in Fresno on March 11. They also voted to abolish their current standing committees and return to dealing with committee issues in the regular meeting, saving ad hoc committees to do special tasks. The SJVRC seems to be searching for guidance on what needs to be done to accomplish its goals. Two of the biggest, and longest under consideration, (rail service to Los Angeles across the Tehachapis, and forming a Joint Powers Authority to operate the trains) appear to be stagnant at this time. The issue of the High Speed Rail project keeps popping up in the discussions, and while the Committee does not take any formal position, they are following its impact on the Valley. Members informally were pleased with the choice of the Palmdale route and its approach to Bakersfield from the Tehachapis as a positive step.
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