ColoRail Meets this Saturday

The Colorado Rail Passenger Association is having its fall meeting this Saturday at 9:30 am at the Longmont Public Library, 409 4th Avenue. The main focus will be presentations on a possible rail line north along the Front Range. Speakers include Mark Imhoff, Director, CDOT's Transit and Rail Division, Brandon Shaffer, candidate to represent District 4 in the US House of Representatives, and Joan Shaffer, Loveland City Council member. The meeting will conclude with a short member meeting.

Buses: The local buses 323 and 324 both run near the library, although only the 323 coming from Twin Peaks Mall gets you there just before the meeting. Both run hourly. The BOLT will bring you from Boulder and Niwot, arriving a little early. This bus also runs every hour.

CDOT is looking for comments on its plans for North I-25

CDOT is planning for the future of North I-25. Unfortunately, they are not planning for the future of transportation in northern Colorado. This means that all the alternatives in the Final North I-25 EIS are very similar. They are all construction heavy. Because a lot people in northern Colorado want more bus service, these options exist in all three action alternatives. A rail option exists in Alternatives A and B, the preferred. Unfortunately, there is no consideration of how these systems would interact with each other. The EIS lists then dismisses some good ideas to move transportation away from the I-25. This includes plans for both rail and new road construction.

Fortunately, Front Range on Track has gotten CDOT to pay attention to rail, even rail that serves the downtowns of communities. They organized their members to attend public meetings, and to send their comments to CDOT.

Please let CDOT what you think. The link to the links of the various chapters of the plan is at http://www.coloradodot.info/projects/north-i-25-eis/Final-EIS. The PDF of the three alternatives and their evaluation along with each chapter of all the factors that CDOT was supposed to consider need to be downloaded separately. You can use CDOT's online form to submit comments until October 3.

I am going to tell them to think about the people of the Front Range before the asphalt. I am going to tell them that maybe we already have resources that we can use to move people more efficiently within Colorado, that I want more buses and trains within Colorado, that many people tell me that they want more buses and trains, that the preferred alternative is too expensive, and that buses and trains actually cost less to maintain than roads.

I would like to hear what you think of these plans.

Development of Boulder County's Transportation Master Plan Continues

On Wednesday, the Transportation Planning Team will be presenting a summary of their summer's work to the Boulder County Planning Commission.

Wednesday, September 21 at 3:30
Boulder County Courthouse, 3rd Floor
Buses: The courthouse is two blocks north of the Boulder Transit Center, so it is too blocks east of all the buses that go downtown, which is almost all of them. It is also two blocks east of Broadway so it is convenient to the SKIP also.

This is the first opportunity that I have heard for the public to comment since the public meetings last winter and the public survey last spring. Apparently, there is going to be another round of public meetings with more convenient times in a few months.

If you are unable to attend the meeting, but would like to comment, please send a message to Julie McKay at jmckay@bouldercounty.org. You can see the materials that will be presented Wednesday at the Transportation Master Plan website under the Planning Commission website. For a PowerPoint, the plan seems to be decent. It is more human than the original plan.

ProRail Nebraska Membership Meeting

****You are invited to attend the ProRail Nebraska Membership Meeting****

When: Saturday, September 24, 2011, 9:00am to Noon   (Coffee and rolls 8:30am)

Where: Fremont, NE - Nebraska Railroad Museum, 1835 North Somers Ave.

Tentative Agenda: 

      *  Opening and introductions - David Purdy, President
      *  Welcome to the Museum and FEVR - Dr. Rudy Daniels, President
      *  Midwest Interstate Passenger Rail Commission - Laura Kliewer, Director
      *  What's New at N.A.R.P.? - Bob Stewart, Chairman, NARP
      *  Railroads and the Growth of the United States - Dr. Rudy Daniels, President FEVR
      *  Current Issues and Nebraska Rail News - Matt Roque, PRN Board Member
      *  Adjourn (about Noon) 

Registration: Free!  Advance registration appreciated so we will have enough refreshments.

To register or for more information call Clyde Anderson (402) 932-7225 (Omaha) email ClydeLAnderson at cox.net or Bob Kuzelka (402) 475-0221 (Lincoln) email rkuzelka at unlnotes.unl.edu.

Attendees are invited to ride the Fremont & Elkhorn Valley Railroad (FEVR) excursion train to Nickerson and return. The train departs from the Museum and Depot at 1:30 p.m. Adult fares are $12 Open-Window Coach and $16 First Class (air conditioned). Tickets go on sale at Noon at the Depot. For more information go to the FEVR web site http://www.fremontrailroad.com.

Another option is to ride the Fremont Dinner Train (http://www.dinnertrain.net/) which features excellent food and entertainment. Call 1-800-942-7245 for details and reservations.

Lunch is not available at the Museum, but a large selection of restaurants is available on US 30 (23rd St.). See http://www.fremontrailroad.com/visitorguide.htm for a long list to choose from. Or you can bring a picnic lunch and eat at Ronin Park next to the Museum.

(This announcement was submitted by Clyde Anderson. There is no bus service to Fremont on Saturday, but you can contact Clyde (402-932-7225 clydelanderso at cox.net to arrange a carpool. Please let him know where you are coming from and if you are staying for the train ride.)

The California Zpehyr is back (maybe)

Earlier this week, I got information that the entire California Zephyr route, including a stop in Omaha, would be running by the end of this week. According to an Amtrak official, train number 6 that leaves Emeryville, CA the morning of Thursday, September 15 will run the entire route. That train arrives in Salt Lake City and Denver on the 16th, in Omaha and Chicago on the 17th. The train 5 that leaves Chicago on Friday, September 16 will be the first train to run the entire route. That train arrives in Omaha the same day, in Denver and Salt Lake City on the 17th (if it is on time), and Emeryville on the 18th.

So all trains should be running the full route by Sunday, September 18. However, Amtrak is not guaranteeing that all stops will be served until Friday, September 30. Prices are very good right now, so it might be worth the risk.

Help Set Omaha's Transportation Priorities

Right now the City of Omaha is working on a Transportation Master Plan. City planners would like transportation in the city to cost less and be more environmentally friendly, and they are seeking public input on how to do this. Since rail (and buses) are cheaper and more environmentally friendly than cars, this a great opportunity for people who use both to get their voices heard.

Thursday, September 15
6:30pm
Scott Conference Center
6450 Pine Street
Omaha

Not only can you get there (and back) on the 11 evening bus, there is going to be a special express bus running from Westroads Mall. The express bus will leave from in front of Dick's at 5:55 and from Crossroads NW parking garage at 6:05 and costs $1.00. The 11 costs the usual fare of $1.25.

Help Plan Better Rail for All of Us

CDOT is creating a state rail plan so that we can start taking steps to improve both our freight and passenger railroads. Having a state rail plan means that Colorado has officially recognized that roads are not the only way that we get around as well as letting us apply for federal railway funding.

To help them create a good plan, Colorado's planners need citizens to answer four questions:

1. What are the strengths of Colorado's rail network, both passenger and freight?

2. What are the deficiencies of the rail system?

3. What improvements/revisions should be considered?

4. What should be considered in prioritizing improvements?

Please send your answers to Mehdi.Baziar@dot.state.us.

Thanks for helping us all to have better trains in the future.

Update: The deadline for comments has been extended to October 14.

FasTracks Citizens' Advisory Committee Comes to Lakewood

The FasTracks Citizens Advisory Committee holds quarterly outreach meetings to allow interested citizens to comment on the project. The focus of the meeting will be on the West Corridor, but completing the entire FasTracks project will also be discussed. These meetings move around the district with the next one in Lakewood. Here are the details:

Wednesday, Sept. 21 at 6pm.
St. Paul's Episcopal Church Parish Hall
9200 W. 10th Avenue (10th and Garrison)
Lakewood

On Bus 9: Coming from either direction, the 9 will get you to the church right as the meeting starts, and going west (to the Federal Center Park-n-Ride) the bus should come right after the meeting gets out at 8 pm.. To go east, however, you will need to be at the bus stop by 7:25pm. The meeting location is five blocks from the 16 and 16L on Colfax, and four streets over from the 100 on Kipling. (Remember, the 100 will only get you there. It does not run past 6:30.)