On September 9th, the San Diego Union Tribune featured this front-page article about
the California High-Speed Rail.  To many, including myself, the article took a rather negative slant
on the project.  Read my Letter to the Editor which ran on September 14th.
 
There is a significant lack of public transportation in America. With more cars on the streets than ever before, deteriorating air quality, population growing, and gas prices on the rise, this is the perfect time to invest in long-term change. California has always been at the fore-front of major American developments. Let’s continue to lead the way...
In the News September 9 - SF Chronicle: High-speed rail plan a key ballot measure August 27 - Sacramento Business Journal: Schwarzenegger signs high-speed bill July 16 - SF Bay Guardian: High speed rail on track July 9 - AP: High-speed rail route approved July 6 - Fresno Bee: A high-speed future for California http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/09/11/MN6812P3E1.DTLhttp://www.bizjournals.com/sacramento/stories/2008/08/25/daily25.htmlhttp://www.sfbayguardian.com/entry.php?entry_id=6775&catid=&volume_id=317&issue_id=387&volume_num=42&issue_num=42http://www.sacbee.com/114/story/1072001.htmlhttp://www.fresnobee.com/274/story/712488.htmlshapeimage_2_link_0shapeimage_2_link_1shapeimage_2_link_2shapeimage_2_link_3shapeimage_2_link_4
are you hot for the california high-speed rail?
You can make this happen. First, inform yourself about CHSR. Watch the interviews to get your information directly from the people involved in the project. Talk about the high-speed rail with friends, family, at happy hour, in coffee shops, at the park, in the grocery store... spread the word! Then take action to insure that Proposition 1A passes this year. If California voters fail to pass the CHSR in November, we may lose this indispensable project forever. What%20is%20CHSR.htmlWatch/Watch.htmlTalk/Talk.htmlAct.htmlshapeimage_4_link_0shapeimage_4_link_1shapeimage_4_link_2shapeimage_4_link_3
 
Statistics show that Californians want to ride the train:
California has THREE of Amtrak’s TOP FIVE BUSIEST ROUTES IN THE NATION. Imagine what Californians would do if the trains traveled farther and faster...
 
According to Amtrak’s July Statistics:
  1. •The number of passengers on Amtrak’s Capitol Corridor - the THIRD busiest route in the country - increased 32.6% in comparison to numbers from July 2007.  Nearly 1.4 million passengers have taken this route over the last ten months - this is an increase of 15.5% in total passengers from 2007.  The Capitol Corridor runs from Auburn in the north, through Sacramento and the Bay area to San Jose.
 
  1. •Ridership on the Pacific Surfliner - the nation’s SECOND busiest route, now carrying more passengers than the Acela Express in the Northeast - increased 12.3% in July 2008.  Over 2.3 million passengers have traveled this route in 2008 - an increase of 7.3% from last year.  The Pacific Surfliner runs from San Luis Obispo through Santa Barbara and Los Angeles down to San Diego.
 
  1. •On the San Joaquins - now the country’s FIFTH busiest route - saw a 32.1% increase in ridership in comparison with last July.  Nearly 800,000 people have boarded the San Joaquins this year -  
a 17.2% increase from 2007.  The San Joaquins runs from Sacramento through the Bay area down to Fresno and Bakersfield.
 
For more information on Amtrak ridership in California, see www.railpac.org
Proposition 1 is now Prop. 1A !