(The following story by Jim Skeen was published in the January 4 issue of the Los Angeles Daily News.)
PALMDALE — Passenger train advocates are seeking a study on whether it would be feasible to run a single Amtrak train daily between Bakersfield and Los Angeles via the Antelope Valley.
Union Pacific, which owns the rail tracks, says such an effort is a waste of time and money.
“We are going to use every means at our disposal to get this idea back on the table,” said Palmdale Councilman Rick Norris, vice chairman of the San Joaquin Valley Rail Committee, a state Department of Transportation advisory panel.
Passenger train advocates and Caltrans want Union Pacific to study the idea of running one train from Bakersfield over the Tehachapi mountains and through the Antelope Valley to Los Angeles.
Union Pacific calls the idea impractical and that such a study would be a waste of money.
“We’re not trying to be the bad guys in this, we’re trying to be realistic,” said Union Pacific spokesman John Bromley.
The tracks over the Tehachapi mountains are close to capacity from freight trains, officials said. Passenger service would require additional construction, which would be cost prohibitive because of the mountainous terrain.
The steepest grade of California’s rail system, the Tehachapi tracks pass though numerous tunnels and the 127-year-old “Tehachapi loop.” To avoid too steep a climb, the tracks go around a hill and back over themselves.
Because the route is so steep and has circuitous routes, the distance could be covered by cars or buses on Highway 58 much faster than a passenger train, officials say.
Passenger train advocates acknowledge the Tehachapi route does have heavy freight traffic, but a study could show there is capacity for one passenger train.
Norris said state money could pay for rail improvements needed for a passenger train.
Norris said he will discuss the idea with Michael Dukakis, the former Massachusetts governor who now serves on the Amtrak board. Dukakis is scheduled to speak at a Jan. 10 meeting of the San Joaquin Valley Rail Committee.
Trains traveling through the San Joaquin Valley end at Bakersfield, but Amtrak does have a bus connection between Bakersfield and Los Angeles Union Station that includes Antelope Valley stops.