Amtrak has over 300 cars that could be rehabilitated and put into service. In California, each additional car for the San Joaquins adds 1.1 million in annual revenue from ticket sales. These cars will cost around 1 million each to rehab, for an additional ten year life expectancy, with a cost benefit ration of approximately 11 to 1 for the San Joaquin, alone. Each car on LOSSAN adds another 700 thousand in revenues for a cost benefit ration of 7 to 1.


For those who want to know, look in the other FRA and rail expenditures in the bill for branch line assistance. You need to also look at the very favorable investment tax credits to the railroads on the tax relief side of the stimulus package. Much of this is specific to compliance with the new safety requirements like PTC, which, when implemented will dramatically improve both the safety and efficiency of all rail operations.


I know that the thought of more trains, without chronic overcrowding like we have on LOSSAN, less congestion on our roads, less "taxes" (aka blackmail for oil) sent to our Saudi "allies" is considered a very bad thing, to some of the folks who like to post here, but this sounds pretty good for our country to be working on right now.