rickycourtney
Conductor
It's a bit inside baseball, but I've been closely following this for years now...
As of July 1st, California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) has transferred control of the Pacific Surfliner and the San Joaquin to a pair of separate joint powers authorities.
The Pacific Surfliner will now be controlled by the "Los Angeles - San Diego - San Luis Obispo (LOSSAN) Rail Corridor Agency." The agency is governed by an 11-member board representing county transportation and planning agencies from San Diego to San Luis Obispo. Day-to-day administrative duties will be be provided, under contract, by the Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA) . Amtrak will continue to operate the trains under contract.
The San Joaquin will now be controlled by the "San Joaquin Joint Powers Authority." The authority is governed by an 10-member board representing each county the San Joaquin passes through. Day-to-day administrative duties will be be provided, under contract, by the San Joaquin Regional Rail Commission (who also manages the ACE commuter train). Amtrak will continue to operate the trains under contract.
So that's a lot of alphabet soup of agency names... what does it mean for most riders? Nothing at the moment. Everything is operating just the same today as it did on June 30th.
In the long run it means the line will be controlled by the local governments along the corridors and not the state government in Sacramento. These local governments have a vested interest in making sure the trains are running efficiently and meeting the needs of passengers. The Capitol Corridor provides a perfect example, it has been controlled by a joint powers authority since 1998 that has guided it through a period of massive growth.
It's worth noting that at nearly the same time the transfer to local control happened, the LOSSAN Agency was awarded a state grant of $1.675 million to setup a transit transfer pass program. No details yet on the specifics, but if it's like the Capitol Corridor's program, passengers will be able to get a free transfer to continue their journey on a local transit agency. That's a big win for passengers and the transit agencies on the LOSSAN board.
The SJJPA is also expects to add a 7th Oakland-Bakersfield trip within the next year. It's something they've been advocating for since they were created in 2013. It's worth noting that Caltrans hasn't added any service to the San Joaquin since 2002 and the 6th Oakland-Bakersfield trip was added way back in 1993.
As of July 1st, California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) has transferred control of the Pacific Surfliner and the San Joaquin to a pair of separate joint powers authorities.
The Pacific Surfliner will now be controlled by the "Los Angeles - San Diego - San Luis Obispo (LOSSAN) Rail Corridor Agency." The agency is governed by an 11-member board representing county transportation and planning agencies from San Diego to San Luis Obispo. Day-to-day administrative duties will be be provided, under contract, by the Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA) . Amtrak will continue to operate the trains under contract.
The San Joaquin will now be controlled by the "San Joaquin Joint Powers Authority." The authority is governed by an 10-member board representing each county the San Joaquin passes through. Day-to-day administrative duties will be be provided, under contract, by the San Joaquin Regional Rail Commission (who also manages the ACE commuter train). Amtrak will continue to operate the trains under contract.
So that's a lot of alphabet soup of agency names... what does it mean for most riders? Nothing at the moment. Everything is operating just the same today as it did on June 30th.
In the long run it means the line will be controlled by the local governments along the corridors and not the state government in Sacramento. These local governments have a vested interest in making sure the trains are running efficiently and meeting the needs of passengers. The Capitol Corridor provides a perfect example, it has been controlled by a joint powers authority since 1998 that has guided it through a period of massive growth.
It's worth noting that at nearly the same time the transfer to local control happened, the LOSSAN Agency was awarded a state grant of $1.675 million to setup a transit transfer pass program. No details yet on the specifics, but if it's like the Capitol Corridor's program, passengers will be able to get a free transfer to continue their journey on a local transit agency. That's a big win for passengers and the transit agencies on the LOSSAN board.
The SJJPA is also expects to add a 7th Oakland-Bakersfield trip within the next year. It's something they've been advocating for since they were created in 2013. It's worth noting that Caltrans hasn't added any service to the San Joaquin since 2002 and the 6th Oakland-Bakersfield trip was added way back in 1993.
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