Santa Barbara National Train Day May 9th Event POSTPONED In light of current developments with the Jesusita Fire, the National Train Day event planned for the Santa Barbara Station has been postponed. Details about a new date will be sent out next week. The press conference, children’s activities and station events have also been canceled. Refunds on train travel are available through Amtrak. There is a 10% fee for returns, but the ticket value can be applied toward future travel at 100% value for up to one year. Please contact AMTRAK at 800-USA-Rail, or online at Amtrak.com KK Holland, Project Coordinator ASERT (310) 980-2192 ASERT@Coast-SantaBarbara.org Dennis Story, Chair Coastal Rail Now (805) 455-2926 DStory@Cox.net Good News! Measure A 2008 includes $25M for Commuter Rail (read more at the COAST website) Interesting Viewpoint, CRN would like to know what you think? GM Must Re-Make the Mass Transit System it Murdered Bail out General Motors? The people who murdered our mass transit system? First let them remake what they destroyed. ...there is also a trillion-dollar skeleton in GM's closet...In a 1922 memo that will live in infamy, GM President Alfred P. Sloan established a unit aimed at dumping electrified mass transit in favor of gas-burning cars, trucks and buses. [read more] Train ridership sets records, as travelers seek to avoid traffic hassle, fill-ups Many are jumping on the train bandwagon By Scott Hadly Wednesday, August 27, 2008 With rising gas prices and the high cost of air travel, more and more people are heeding the call of "all aboard." Some lines, including the Pacific Surfliner, which runs through Ventura County, are sometimes so full that there's standing room only. [read more] County sales tax to pay for roads again being urged Reading voters' lips and how they cast their ballots on new taxes don't always synch, and that disparity may give Ventura County transportation officials hope. Local voters have twice rejected a county sales tax to pay for fixing roads and improving mass transit. [read more] Amtrak Rider Joe Biden Pledges 'First-Class' Railroad "The stars appear to be aligning in a much more favorable fashion than you had for years,'' former Amtrak Chief Executive Officer David Gunn, 71, said in an interview. "Demand for good intercity passenger rail is bubbling below the surface all over the U.S." [read more] Amtrak Names New Chief Executive WASHINGTON -- Amtrak on Tuesday tapped the administrator of the Federal Railroad Administration to lead the national passenger railroad for a year. Joseph Boardman succeeds Chief Executive Alex Kummant, who resigned Nov. 14 after two years marked by significant growth in ridership and revenue. [read more] The Future of Regional Passenger Rail By Dennis Story 11/15/08 CoastalRailNow's advocacy for commuter rail between Oxnard and Goleta must be on the right track. Recent media coverage about the increasing ridership on Amtrak and Metrolink serves to show how people are rediscovering rail for their regional transportation needs. Even before $4.00 gas, CoastalRailNow spent many Saturdays at the SB and Ventura Farmer's Market...[read more] NATIONAL TRAIN DAY COMES TO SANTA BARBARA: ALL ABOARD AT THE SANTA BARBARA AMTRAK STATION SATURDAY, MAY 10, 2008 FROM 11AM to 1PM! JOIN YOUR HOSTS – CoastalRailNow and KMGQ 106.3 FM “I hear the train a comin’…coming round the bend”…and all of Santa Barbara County is invited down to the Santa Barbara Amtrak station on Saturday, May 10 th to celebrate the first National Train Day. Why May 10 th? It commemorates the day back in 1869 when the Golden Spike was driven to connect the first transcontinental railroad. Trains have played an important role in the history of the United States, and their popularity is on the upswing. DOWNLOAD .PDF for more information.
Future of the Central Coast Regional Transportation System Forum on Regional Transportation by Local Experts! Rick Cole, Rob Dayton, Linda Perez, Ron Bottorf Saturday, May 10, 2008 2:00 PM - 3:30 PM Ruby’s Café of Oxnard 348 S. Oxnard Blvd. , Oxnard , California (Just steps from the train station at the Transportation Center) DOWNLOAD .PDF for more information
	"Why the folks inside the beltway don’t get it is beyond me," said former Governor, one time Presidential candidate, and past Amtrak Boardmember, Michael Dukakis. He was speaking to a packed Faulkner Gallery gathered to consider the future of transportation on the Central Coast.
Michael Dukakis & Dennis Story

The event was sponsored by ASERT, Alliance for Sustainable and Equitable Regional Transportation, a McCune Foundation sponsored joint venture of Santa Barbara based COAST and Ventura headquartered CAUSE.

Making a case for telling Washington to end the war and build a viable passenger and commuter rail network, Dukakis decried the current administration’s lack of support for rail and proclaimed it’s time to get started on the “Steel Interstate.” ASERT director, Carmen Ramirez, welcomed the crowd assembled in Faulkner Gallery and urged them to take action at the local level.

Rail Passenger Association of California (www.railpac.org) president, Paul Dyson, began the session with a vivid description of the challenges and opportunities that lay ahead on the way to beginning a commuter rail system.

Ventura County Supervisor, Linda Parks spoke for a renewed commitment to transit and rail in a time when reliance on the single occupant vehicle is breaking the family bank. Citing the pitfalls of continuing the status quo, Parks launched into a passionate and well-informed pitch for Maglev trains to revolutionize interregional transportation.

On-TRAC, the Transit and Rail Action for Commuters program initiated by the City of Santa Barbara was next on the agenda. Councilmember Grant House outlined the widely endorsed plan. OnTRAC begins with Amtrak trains between Oxnard and Goleta rescheduled for commuter-friendly service during the morning and evening peak periods.

The service will grow to include three dedicated commuter trains, Surfliners, Vista buses, kiss-and-ride and feeder service in Ventura, and distribution service by MTD and private employers.

A fully integrated transit/rail system benefiting Ventura County residents working in Carpinteria, Santa Barbara, and Goleta could provide an alternative to many years of construction-related congestion.

House urged those in attendance to support the extension of Santa Barbara County’s ½ cent transportation sales tax. Measure A (formerly Measure D) is set to include $25 million for commuter rail and dedicated funding for MTD.

Supervisor Parks pointed out that self-help counties have access to Federal and State funds not available to counties that do not provide transportation funding at the local level.

Submitted by: Grant House

Governor Dukakis acknowledged COAST, CAUSE, and ASERT for taking their commitment to alternative transportation, the environment, and social equity into action.

Later, over refreshments at Stateside, Kitty Dukakis revealed that she often brings a book to read while Michael lectures. Today, she exclaimed with a smile, the program was so interesting, she left the book in her bag.

COMMUTER RAIL UPDATE

December 21, 2007

LOSSAN –the Joint Powers Agency overseeing the San Luis Obispo/San Diego rail corridor- has endorsed the On-Trac plan prepared by the City of Santa Barbara. Members of LOSSAN board offered assistance, not only with the Rail/Transit parts of the plan, but also with renewal of Measure D.

Mary Travis of the Ventura County Transportation Commission (VCTC) and Mike Powers of the Santa Barbara County Association of Governments (SBCAG) are drafting a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to work together on commuter rail (similar to the MOU crafted to create and fund the Coastal Express/Vista bus service).  Patrick Merrill of Caltrans Rail Division agreed to have his staff do research on possible rescheduling of Amtrak trains. He used the term "Commuter Friendly Rail" service and "Commuter Friendly Amtrak" service. 

The City of Santa Barbara will be sending a letter to Ventura City Council requesting to place on their agenda a request to endorse On-TRAC. Supervisor Steve Bennett and the Chamber of Commerce will also be invited. Finally, representatives of CAUSE and COAST are coordinating grassroots efforts in the overall advocacy for alternative transportation, transit, and rail for the workforce that is most affected and that can most benefit.

RAILPAC, NARP & TRANSIT COALITION
MEMBERSHIP MEETING AND CONFERENCE
March 17, 2007

Michael Dukakis		Alex Kummant

MEETING WAS A GREAT SUCCESS -- DOWNLOAD .PDF FOR COMPLETE WRITE UP

• WHAT OTHER COMMUNITIES ARE DOING WITH COMMUTER RAIL •

Our advocacy, which began over 3 years ago, has seen a number of commuter rail service startups in the U.S. recently. In Nashville the Music City Star began service in September with used equipment for $35M. In New Mexico the Rail Runner service began in June, running north and south of Albuquerque and took just 3 years from inception to completion. In Portland, Oregon a new Tri-Met commuter rail service will operate on an existing heavy rail line utilizing DMU’s from Colorado Railcar.

Paul Dyson, rail consultant and President of RailPAC (Rail Passenger Assoc. of CA) has offered an alternative to the Wilbur Smith Commuter Rail Study done for SBCAG last year. DysonRail’s study offers a 3-tiered expenditure plan that would result in a commuter rail system that could be had for half the $87M WS estimate. With “Highway 101 Improvements” slated to begin next year, there will be added congestion along the corridor, and will leave people begging for the commuter rail service which was included as part of the 101 In Motion Final Package that was rolled into Measure D 2006.

CoastalRailNow will continue to advocate for regional commuter rail service, and it remains the best way to easily move people between our counties during commute hours.

Santa Barbara Commuter Rail Study

Prepared by: Wilbur Smith Associates

DOWNLOAD AS .PDF

DYSONRAIL Commuter Rail Study Comments

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