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Re: Biased Judges - Federal Shutdown of FRA
Author: Scott Schiechl
Date: 01-26-2008 - 14:59
Thank you OPB for your analysis. Here are a couple of points of clarification:
1) There are only 2 public agencies involved in the NWP; the NCRA which owns the trackage north of Cloverdale (I think) and from Ignacio to Lombard, and SMART which owns the ROW from Cloverdate to Larkspur. NCRA has the right to contract for a freight operator over SMART's tracks provided that SMART commuter operations are not adversely affected.
2) The NWP had the highest cost per mile for maintenance of any SP line, including Donner Pass. When the SP sold the line it was operable but I do not know to what standard. Most of the cost of maintaining the ROW is on the north end (above Willits) in the Eel River canyon.
3) The former contract-operator of the line at the time of the FRA-ordered shutdown was headed by a man named Darling. Most people who post here have nothing good to say about him. Litigation between NCRA and Darling et al over maintanence has been pending for years. NCRA will not comment on the current status except to say that a "Stand-Still" agreement is in place.
The people of Novato have paniced because some story, possibly from an NCRA source, suggested running 60-car freights at 40mph 8-10 times a day through their little piece of heaven. Even the most optimistic estimates from reliable sources say 1-2 trans a day (other than commute) would operate at speeds closer to 20 mph and with only 30-40 cars. Double-stacks through the Eel River canyon is a pipedream I'm afraid. There is no cost-effective justification to develop a container port on Humbolt Bay.
Finally, I am sick and tired (and offended) by some posterss here who insist that NCRA is a bunch of corrupt politicans feeded from the public trough. In the years that tne NCRA has been in existence there has not been a single news story about corruption, favoritism, bad-faith dealing or malfesence by any member of the NCRA board or employee. No reporter, no DA, no sate agency has EVER suggested that anything like that has or is occuring. Nobody but NOBODY is getting rich off of NCRA. Period.
1) There are only 2 public agencies involved in the NWP; the NCRA which owns the trackage north of Cloverdale (I think) and from Ignacio to Lombard, and SMART which owns the ROW from Cloverdate to Larkspur. NCRA has the right to contract for a freight operator over SMART's tracks provided that SMART commuter operations are not adversely affected.
2) The NWP had the highest cost per mile for maintenance of any SP line, including Donner Pass. When the SP sold the line it was operable but I do not know to what standard. Most of the cost of maintaining the ROW is on the north end (above Willits) in the Eel River canyon.
3) The former contract-operator of the line at the time of the FRA-ordered shutdown was headed by a man named Darling. Most people who post here have nothing good to say about him. Litigation between NCRA and Darling et al over maintanence has been pending for years. NCRA will not comment on the current status except to say that a "Stand-Still" agreement is in place.
The people of Novato have paniced because some story, possibly from an NCRA source, suggested running 60-car freights at 40mph 8-10 times a day through their little piece of heaven. Even the most optimistic estimates from reliable sources say 1-2 trans a day (other than commute) would operate at speeds closer to 20 mph and with only 30-40 cars. Double-stacks through the Eel River canyon is a pipedream I'm afraid. There is no cost-effective justification to develop a container port on Humbolt Bay.
Finally, I am sick and tired (and offended) by some posterss here who insist that NCRA is a bunch of corrupt politicans feeded from the public trough. In the years that tne NCRA has been in existence there has not been a single news story about corruption, favoritism, bad-faith dealing or malfesence by any member of the NCRA board or employee. No reporter, no DA, no sate agency has EVER suggested that anything like that has or is occuring. Nobody but NOBODY is getting rich off of NCRA. Period.
