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BayRail Alliance in the News
Reporters seek our perspective and expertise on transportation issues. See the many newspapers in northern California in which we've appeared below.
If you're a reporter on deadline, please use the web form or e-mail on our contact us page to reach a spokesperson in a timely fashion.
Because many newspapers purge old articles from their websites or publish only select articles on-line, most links below point to the article as archived on the Bay Area Transportation News (BATN) yahoogroup rather than to the newspaper directly.
Please note that while we often agree with the editorial commentary added to select articles by the editors of BATN (commentary always noted in brackets [ ] in the BATN archived text), BATN is an independent entity and its comments are not written by BayRail Alliance! BATN is also the author of subject lines of messages in the BATN yahoogroup archive, not us.
2009 - May 28, 2009, http://groups.yahoo.com/group/BATN/message/41596: Public: Don't cut weekend Caltrain trips
Caltrain officials got an earful from the public last night as the transit agency took comments on plans to cut its deficit by increasing fares and parking fees and cutting weekend service.
...
A five-point plan was introduced to Caltrain last night by the BayRail Alliance. The plan calls for no elimination of weekend service, no bicycle surcharge, establishing airport parking, finding dedicated funding and replacing the Caltrain Joint Powers Board with an elected district.
"We don't want to see Caltrain become commuter only," said Redwood City's Andy Chow of the BayRail Alliance. Chow also said, without dedicated funding, Caltrain will go through the same budget mess for years to come...
- May 4, 2009: Published Saturday, May 2, 2009, by the Peninsula Daily
Caltrain in trouble
Caltrain announced Friday it will run out of money by this time next year if it does not declare a fiscal emergency in June -- a move that would allow it to raise fares and possibly run fewer trains or make fewer stops...
...Specific proposals will be unveiled the week before that June 4 meeting and any changes would take effect in October...
Margaret Okuzumi, executive director of Palo Alto-based transit advocacy group BayRail Alliance, called the announcement "devastating. "
"This is exactly what we had feared would happen," Okuzumi said. "This is the beginning of a downward spiral that we really don't want to be embarking on.
"I'm just so fearful that any additional fare hikes or service cuts is going to reduce ridership," Okuzumi said. "And that's a terrible thing for the environment (and) in terms of congestion on our roads."
2008 2007 - September 4, 2007, Gilroy Dispatch: “Sweeping Changes Arrive at VTA”
- July 10, 2007, Gilroy Dispatch: “VTA Seeks Smaller Tax Increases”
- June 15, 2007, California Progress Report: “Tragic Misunderstanding By Governor May Kill High Speed Rail in California”
- May 22, 2007, California Progress Report: “High Speed Rail: A Necessity for California”
- February 3, 2007, The (San Francisco) Examiner, Peninsula Examiner: “San Jose BART funds irk some”
2006 - December 13, 2006, San Jose Mercury News: “VTA vote could doom BART to S.J.”
- December 12, 2006, Gilroy Dispatch: “VTA Directors to Mull $135M for Design of BART Extension to SJ”
- June 13, 2006, Gilroy Dispatch: Column: “SCCo. Supe Gage missing the point on tax defeat ”
- April 27, 2006, San Mateo County Times: “MTC tries to shock Caltrain into action: Funding may be lost if money for electrification project not set by 2007”
- April 10, 2006, The Examiner: Column: "San Jose-to-Gilroy Electrification Delayed"
- February 27, 2006, Gilroy Dispatch: Column: "Will Supervisor Don Gage Stand Up to the Silicon Valley Pressure?"
- February 9, 2006, The Examiner: Article: “Newsom wants Transbay Terminal project to pause Time to study funding needed, S.F. mayor says”
- January 4, 2006, Peninsula Examiner: Column: “ 'All aboard' may go digital: Caltrain officials to vote on real-time information system”
2005 - December 19, 2005, Gilroy Dispatch: Column: “BART-to-San-Jose Dead in the Water? Unfortunately, Don't Bet On It”
- December 16, 2005, Mountain View Voice: Op-Ed: “Caltrain a better transit option than BART-to-San Jose”
- December 9, 2005, Gilroy Dispatch: Op-Ed: “Rail Transit Plan Far Better than BART – Money for Roads, Too”
- December 7, 2005, Palo Alto Weekly: Guest Opinion: “'Caltrain Metro East' -- a better transit plan than BART-to-San Jose”
- December 2, 2005, Mountain View Voice: Guest Opinion: “BART is a poor solution to our transit ills”
- December 1, 2005, SF Chronicle: Op-Ed by Urban Habitat: “End funding discrimination in public transit”
- November 30, 2005, Gilroy Dispatch: Letter: “Rail Improvements Vastly More Efficient Transit Solution than BART Add-on”
- November 25, 2005, East Bay Business Times: Op-Ed: “Santa Clara debate: Caltrain to Fremont?”
- November 18, 2005, San Jose Business Journal: Op-Ed: “Area transit needs fresh thinking, not a new tax”
- October 15, 2005, Gilroy Dispatch: Letter: “Gilroy Officials Should at Least Show Up at VTA Meetings to Advocate Reform”
- October 11, 2005, Gilroy Dispatch: Column: “New Columnist Misses the Train on BART”
- September 23, 2005, SF Examiner: Column: “BART increases Peninsula service"
- September 20, 2005, San Jose Mercury News: “Report revises BART outlook More riders, higher cost projected for San Jose extension”
- August 26, 2005, Peninsula Examiner: “Commuter train over Dumbarton will connect Peninsula, East Bay Project centers on replacement of freight bridge”
- June 30, 2005, San Francisco Chronicle: “BART's SFO extension falls short of hopes; competition from cheaper Baby Bullet trains could be hurting ridership on Peninsula line”
- June 24, 2005: The Bond Buyer, “Back on Track, for Now: San Francisco Terminal Plan Gets Legal Reprieve”
- April 29, 2005, Mountain View Voice: “Greg Perry vs. BART Council member is lightning rod in debate over project”
- April 22, 2005, Palo Alto Daily News Late Edition: “BART meeting sparks debate: Officials get riled up”
2004 - December 10, 2004, Palo Alto Daily News: Article: “Proposal for new BART line passes milestone”
- November 19, 2004, San Jose Mercury News: Op-Ed: “Beyond the BART myth: Efficient alternatives cost far less than $250 million per mile”
- June 18, 2004, Sacramento Bee: Article: “Courts, cost could derail S.F.'s transport terminal”
- June 9, 2004, San Mateo County Times: Article: “Transbay Terminal decision derailed”
- June 7, 2004, San Mateo County Times: Article: “Baby bullet train shoots out of the gate today System to shave 40 minutes off S.F.-San Jose commute”
- June 1, 2004, Palo Alto Weekly: Article: “Faster than a speeding Caltrain Baby Bullets set to slash commute times, but safety questions persist”
- May 28, 2004, Silicon Valley Biz Ink: Article: “SJ lobbies to be hub for planned bullet train Others say Union City makes more sense as transportation center”
- May 22, 2004, San Mateo County Times: Article: “Nevin: the Transbay Terminator?”
- May 14, 2004, San Francisco Chronicle: Article: “Speedy baby bullet trains ready to roll”
- March 23, 2004, San Mateo County Times: Article: “Caltrain's electric rail project still on track Santa Clara County transportation agency makes upgrade a priority”
- March 19, 2004, San Jose Business Journal: Article: “VTA pulls plug on Caltrain plan”
- January 18, 2004, San Jose Mercury News: Letter to the Editor: “Stop sinking money into BART to S.J.”
- January 13, 2004, San Mateo County Times: Article: “New Caltrain schedule has Atherton angry Lesser-used stations to see service cuts before opening of 'baby bullet'”
- January 13, 2004, Redwood City Independent: Article: “Transbay train could restore glory Caltrain expansion projects look north and across the bay”
- January 6, 2004, San Francisco Examiner: Article: “The Transbay train”
2003 - December 13, 2003, Oakland Tribune: Article: “MTC adopts bare bones transit plan $109 billion, 25-year plan cannot keep up with cost of transportation maintenance”
- November 13, 2003, Gilroy Dispatch: Article: “BART to SJ gobbling tax dollars”
- October 31, 2003, Hollister Pinnacle: Article: “Gage worried about transportation projects Supervisor says BART extension could doom Caltrain improvements”
- October 28, 2003, Gilroy Dispatch: Editorial: “BART to SJ: pet project an albatross for taxpayers”
- October 28, 2003, The Cardinal Enquirer (Stanford): Article: “Caltrain overhauls timetable to make way for Baby Bullet”
- October 21, 2003, San Francisco Examiner: Article: “Baby Bullet beats BART: Caltrain express faster than BART, but fails to connect”
- October 15, 2003, Gilroy Dispatch: Article: “BART shackles Caltrain In lieu of BART, County Supervisor Don Gage is pushing for an electrified Caltrain and another line of track from San Jose south”
- September 10, 2003, San Mateo County Times: Article: “BART extension running out of money SamTrans, BART to hash out where to find new operating funds”
- August 29, 2003, Silicon Valley Biz Ink: Article: “VTA commuter service cuts hinge on courts”
- June 25, 2003, Sunnyvale Sun: Article: “Riders face an August rate hike; fewer lines in January”
- May 23, 2003, San Jose Business Journal: Article: “Capitol Corridor budget holds, but don't expect earlier trains”
- May 16, 2003, Gilroy Dispatch: Article: “Rail Opening of highway to ease tensions”
- March 7, 2003, Bay City News: Article: “Group says BART to SJ is siphoning funds from transit”
2002 - December 7, 2002, San Mateo County Times: Article: “Crackdown to begin on wheeled scofflaws”
- November 22, 2002, San Jose Business Journal: Article: “VTA selling land to meet payroll”
- September 21, 2002, San Jose Mercury News: Article: “Proponents of high-speed rail plan need specifics to sell voters by 2004; High-Speed Summit”
- July 30, 2002, San Jose Mercury News: Article: “VIPs get the first ride on BART to S.F. Airport Transit link drops passengers near ticket counters”
- July 19, 2002, San Jose Business Journal: Article: “Beyond engineering work and electric trains is money issue”
- July 18, 2002, San Jose Mercury News: Article: “Bay group rejects plan for bridge; Transportation committee pushes road improvements”
- July 12, 2002, San Jose Business Journal: Article: “$2 billion measure paves way for roads”
- July 10, 2002, San Jose Mercury News: Op-Ed: “All aboard for Caltrain electrification”
- July 5, 2002, San Francisco Chronicle: Article: “Weekend Caltrain to stop running for 2 years”
- June 11, 2002, San Mateo Independent: Article: “Caltrain out of joint over track electrification Santa Clara may not come up with money for its share”
- June 7, 2002, Palo Alto Daily News: Article: Caltrain budget stalled; It's BART vs. Caltrain”
- April 6, 2002, San Jose Mercury News: “Caltrain trips will cost a little more Other agencies consider changes to offset budget woes”
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