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Taking Amtrak California into the Future Jan 12

California can do better

Without question, Amtrak services in California subsidized by the state have change to the best in the nation. These are used extensively where available and passengers generally like doing so. Nothing said here means to belittle that achievement.

Who would have thought that anyone or anything could get Californians out of their cars?

As an example, Amtrak California runs for example many as 12 trains each way per day between Los Angeles and San Diego. It could run more if track capacity was available. Moreover, this service operates in addition to all the regional trains that forward the northern and southern portions of this route.

In the February issue of Trains Magazine, Fred Frailey, former editor of the Kiplinger publications, tells how the explosive Amtrak growth in California happened. It’s a superb read.

Nevertheless, I strongly believe that California can do plenteous more, even with limited resources.

Routes

California oversees and subsidizes three rail routes under the banner “Amtrak California.”

  • San Diego to San Luis Obispo via Los Angeles
  • San Jose to Sacramento via Oakland, and
  • Oakland to Bakersfield via San Joaquin Valley

Amtrak connects to San Francisco using buses across the Bay Bridge. Buses also connect to other cities not on these lines. (See pdf file for Amtrak California map, which may load slowly.)

In addition, four interstate Amtrak trains give rise to in California, which are not state subsidized.

Structural problem I

You may accept already noticed several problems.

California hosts three major urban tourist magnets, the combined Los Angeles/Orange County metro area, San Diego, and San Francisco.

Nevertheless, Amtrak California does not connect Northern California to Southern California with trains!

True, the national Amtrak system operates a long-distance train, the Coast Starlight, from Los Angeles to Seattle via Oakland,

However, many seats between LA and the Bay Area are blocked by reason of interstate passengers. You won’confidentially even see this train serving coastal California in one of Amtrak’s timetables. Moreover, quiescent cars with little capacity but high fares make up a momentous portion of the maximum number of cars that Amtrak will haul on this trail.

Bottom line: one as well as the other Amtrak and Amtrak California fall significantly short of meeting demand for seats between two of the most popular cities in America. Incredibly, this is also one of Amtrak’s most scenic routes, one featured heavily in its promotional materials.

Instead, the Amtrak reservation system usually suggests a two-hour and twenty minute bus connection from Los Angeles to San Joaquin train service at Bakersfield, a route that does not run along the scenic coast to the Bay Area.

High-speed rail

In 2008, California voters approved nearly 10 billion in bonds to connect northern and southern California with high-speed trains perhaps permitting a 2 and ½ hour trip between Los Angeles and San Francisco. Currently, the state seeks additional federal stimulus funding.

Considering the issues outstanding, such as the extreme debate over its route in Los Angeles, don’t expect completion of an initial California High-speed Rail segment until at least 2020.

The proposed routes (there are four branches) seem to take in consideration population density and right-of-way costs, as well as and perhaps especially maximum political support.

In other language, a high-speed route between San Diego and Los Angeles will operate via Riverside, some 60 miles inland from Los Angeles, instead of a 120 mile in a right line route along the coast. (Still, even with this detour, high-speed rail may make this trip in as little as one hour and 18 minutes.) All routes bypass California’s sublime coastal scenery.

Amtrak California should not wait until high-speed rail to fill the demand for trains between LA/San Diego and San Francisco.

Structural problem II

California has grown explosively since World War II.

Predominately agricultural areas such as northern San Diego County, the Santa Clara Valley (San Jose – Silicon Valley), and the “Inland Empire” around Riverside and San Bernardino have become intensely urbanized.

Others such as the San Gabriel and especially the San Fernando valleys have become much more densely populated, due to replacement of single-family homes with apartment buildings and condos.

Yet, currently, Amtrak California operates as if the population patterns of 70 years ago still exist.

True, high-speed rail will do much to alleviate this situation, but again, why wait so long?

During the next decade, there are no plans to serve the Inland Empire at wholly, except for a few connecting buses to Bakersfield in addition than 170 miles away.

That means Amtrak California will not be serving a population of some 4 million people! That’s larger than 24 U.S. states.

Until high-speed rail, other than train service to Sacramento and a few bus services, Santa Clara County, with a population of some 1.8 million may remain not served by Amtrak California. Why not?

Somehow, it seems more important to run three trains per day to San Luis Obispo, a town of some 44,000 people (plus in fairness a state university). I am not begrudging San Luis Obispo this service—good on them for embracing it—on the other hand the priority seems strange.

Why such a lack of balance?

Because it divides its Amtrak services into three largely independently operated route systems, California does much to foster creativity and accountability.

On the other hand, these route operators overwhelmingly tend to look at their current turf instead of needs of the state as a whole. Even coordination among the three remains largely absent.

Los Angeles (San Diego) to San Francisco service

Take the quantity of Los Angeles to San Francisco service. Keep in mind that you only have to add service from San Luis Obispo to San Francisco, as Amtrak California already serves the southern portion.

Amtrak California headquarters says it wants to operate that route now, but lacks the funds to buy cars for it.

Nevertheless, during the 12 months that ended 9/30/2009 per Fred Frailey, ridership on the San Diego to San Luis Obispo route fell 10.6%, most likely due to the deteriorating economy in California.

As a result, why not take some cars from other trains not operating at capacity and use them to fill the gap between San Luis Obispo and San Francisco? That would permit Amtrak’s first direct service into the city without bus transfers.

No severe operational hurdles

Often when attempting to introduce long-distance passenger service to lines even now used for freight or other purposes, in that place are severe bottlenecks to overcome. Not in this case.

There is lack of rush hour capacity proper to commuter trains between San Francisco and San Jose, but Amtrak California could easily operate on that path outside of rush hour and still travel through the best coastal scenery during daylight.

California would also need to reach agreement with Union Pacific, which owns the tracks between north of the Los Angeles area and San Jose, but happily Union Pacific operates very few freight trains on this route.

Instead of building additional passing tracks and the other infrastructure needed when there is congestion, Amtrak California could merely lease the line during the times of day its trains operate, with Union Pacific operating at other times.

Because Coast Starlight service already exists between San Luis Obispo and San Jose and commuter trains run between San Jose and San Francisco, you don’t even need new stations.

Go for it!

In conclusion

I would like to leave you thinking about fairness.

Every California taxpayer subsidizes Amtrak California services. Shouldn’t as many of them taken in the character of possible benefit from these, instead of the limited groups that do now, especially if services can be added without great cost?

I do not understand how the California Department of Transportation and its Amtrak California division can justify virtually denying intrastate service to the 4 million plus people who live in Riverside and San Bernardino counties and to those who live in Santa Clara County, as well as the other heavily populated areas not served well.

Regardless of what you may plot of the federal stimulus plan, the money is there. Why hasn’t Amtrak California stuck a spike in some? It seems as if nearly every other transportation agency in California has, but not Amtrak California.

(More on Amtrak California later.)

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 | Tags: California, California Future
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