I agree with Sammie in that to incur interchange charges 2 times over will be expensive to say the least of which I've seen what has been happening in the old Petaluma with everything there progressing towards a "non railroad" mentality. I personally have been north of Santa Rosa and I can't see how this "new" RR is suppose to make any money. There is just too many businesses that once prospered, shipped out their finished product via the RR, but have since departed the various locales for one reason or another. Too many tree huggers come to mind as one reason. Another is no real inexpensive way to ship out their finished products. And the other being this severe recession.

Given how things are with this economy and with the idea of any of it returning to normal being far off in the distance, the only product I can see this "new" RR hauling out is our daily garbage and even that only pays so much. It's interesting however that how so much effort was put into how best to sway those with the money to invest that money into this RR when not so much a whimper has been spent on swaying those same entities and people about upgrading the rails between Napa and St. Helena to promote and insitute commuter a rail operation. Nothing too big or expansive mind you. Just a way for those who commute or work in that area to get to & from wherever. And it's been discussed before about putting back in the old ROW all the way back to Calistoga. There isn't that much traffic on the rails between Suisun and Lombard that wedging in a commuter operation 2-3 times daily couldn't be done. It's all about widening Hwy. 12 through Jameson Canyon. The STA over here talks alot, but can't seem to put up. Talking "green" is thing. Doing "green" is another matter.

No, I don't see how the "new" RR is going to make it. The lumber mills are nearly all gone, the wholesale lumber yards aren't selling enough lumber to justify railcars like they once had and instead have relied on the trucking companies, the feedmill that was once located above Schellville has long since departed and so leaving Lombard, the "new" RR has to travel clear over to Petaluma without interchanging any of the once online customers such as the feedmill and the wholesale lumber operations near the Schellvile depot. Any what if any online businesses remain between Petaluma and Windsor ? A gravel pit whose life depends on the once robust economy which can't be found today ? A feedmill ? What others are there to support the "new" RR ?

So again, Sammie hits it square on the nail head. I foresee those within the NCRA always at the "bankers" window asking for more and more money for an operation that I don't and can't see how it will ever make any if not enough money to continue to justify it's existence. What wine shipping company or winery is going to ship wine with the "new" RR ? It there a transload center somewhere between Lombard and Windsor I'm unaware of to ship out finished products ?