RailPAC: Metrolink should be modern system as in Paris & Berlin

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beautifulplanet

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Some might have heard of RailPAC, the Rail Passenger Association of California, a non-profit rail advocacy organization. And while at least some are sometimes surprised about some of the unusual blog entries ("editorials") by Mr. Braymer on RailPAC's website, many might think the organizations' president, Paul Dyson, is doing much-needed work by advocating for electrification of the commuter rail system of the Southern California Regional Rail Authority ("Metrolink") and for it to become a modern regional rail system like it exists in Paris and Berlin.

Here's an excerpt of a recent press report:

Paul Dyson, president of the Rail Passenger Assn. of California and a member of the Burbank Transportation Commission, has asked California High-Speed Rail Authority board chairman Dan Richard and Metrolink board chairman Larry McCallon to consider electrifying a portion of the Metrolink line.

The cost of installing an electrical system, buying new electric rail cars and operating a mixed system of electric and diesel trains is unknown. But Dyson said it would pay off in improved passenger convenience, the possibility of more frequent service and increased rail ridership for both the high-speed rail system and Metrolink.

Michael Cano, a transportation aide to L.A. County Supervisor Mike Antonovich, whose district includes Burbank, said the supervisor's office agrees with Dyson. "We should look at electrification," he said.

Louis Thompson, chairman of the state's High-Speed Rail Peer Review Group, an advisory panel on the project, said the possibility of track-sharing requires study now to ensure it's at least an option in the future. "The arrival of high-speed rail and the potential for joint operations makes the issue of electrifying Metrolink more important and immediate," Thompson said.

Electric trains accelerate much faster than diesel-powered trains, and are cleaner and more energy efficient. In addition, electrifying Metrolink would allow it to use the new high-speed rail track that will be built between Burbank and Palmdale, speeding up what is now a roughly two-hour trip, Dyson said. In addition, high-speed rail would be able to use Metrolink's track system, if it were electrified, between Burbank and possibly Anaheim until its own track system is completed

Such a joint operation could involve trade-offs and compromises in the speed and frequency of bullet train service, just as it is doing in the Bay Area's blended system.

Richard, chairman of the bullet train board, recently wrote Dyson that he is willing to discuss electrification proposals and said the authority is evaluating similar ideas. He did not elaborate, but rail authority spokeswoman Lisa Marie Alley stressed that the route and operational design details for the L.A. County segment of track are still in the early planning stages.

Metrolink's chairman, McCallon, has argued that electrifying the system would be "very cost prohibitive."

In an interview, he said, "Transfers in Burbank would be acceptable."

But the benefits of an integrated operation could be substantial for Metrolink, Dyson said. The six-county service's 20,000 round-trip riders per day after 20 years of service "is a huge disappointment and a failure," he said.

"The only way to make anything out of it is to create a truly regional service and invest in a modern system like exists in Paris and Berlin," Dyson said. "High-speed rail could be the catalyst for that." (Emphasis added.)
source:

Bullet train's eventual link to L.A. rail system far from clear-cut
December 13, 2014

By Ralph Vartabedian

http://www.latimes.com/local/politics/la-me-adv-bullet-metrolink-20141214-story.html#page=1

Currently, not only RailPAC members, but everyone wanting more Metrolink expansion to reach more places (f.e. Palm Springs/Coachella Valley or LAX), wanting more co-ordination with other transportation providers for improved connections or through-services f.e. to San Diego or Santa Barbara, wanting more double-tracking and trains running more often, wanting electrification with quicker acceleration and a more comfortable ride with shorter trip times and less delays, can let Metrolink know very easily through Metrolink's survey, that was already mentioned in the previous thread.
 
I agree Noel Braymer's "editorials" come across as rather... wonky... and since the RailPAC website is dominated by his writings it makes the whole organisation come across as wonky. That being said, I've met Paul Dyson, he's a very intelligent and well spoken man... just the kind of person a rail advocacy group needs as a president.

Joint operation of commuter and high speed trains will limit both routes in the long run... but for the moment electrification between Burbank and Los Angeles should be a no brainer. Overhead catenary wire won't interfere with Diesel trains in the short term and Metrolink would get a free section of wire for future use.

It seems to me that Metrolink can't seem to think outside of the box... which is worrying for an agency that's struggling. They are stuck in the mindset that they provide transportation between the suburbs and downtown LA where people work at an office from 9-5. I'd love to see them propose something bold like half-hourly service on the busiest lines, utilizing either electric trains or smaller diesel-powered trainsets.
 
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