As a lifelong railfan and supporter of any rail venture, I have to agree with George. The reasons for the demise of the NWP are purely economic and realistic. There just isn't enough potential traffic to warrant a return of freight rail in that area. Commuter traffic, on the other hand, makes more sense and as fuel prices rise more people will begin to see the light. The use of the former NWP for commute traffic makes perfect sense.The plus side to this is the delicate persons of Novato would not be subjected to night time trains disturbing their beauty sleep. and they would have a cheap route into San Francisco. How many have experienced highway 101 at rush hour? Even on the weekends that sucks. The state could blow that road out to four lanes in each direction and it would only get worse. A carbon copy of caltrain going north would work better than most would think. Forget freight. Sometimes the bad guy (trucking) wins. Pick your battles and fight the good fight.