(The following editorial appeared on the Merced Sun-Star website on August 22.)
MERCED, Calif. — The best news in Valley transportation matters is not the recent decline in gas prices, welcome as that is.
The San Joaquins, Amtrak’s Valley passenger train service, saw ridership jump by 32 percent in July, compared with July 2007. Last month marked the first time that more than 100,000 riders boarded the San Joaquins in a single month.
The figures make the San Joaquins the fifth-most heavily traveled train route in the nation.
And that’s on a system that has many failings, including frequent delays.
In spite of Amtrak’s shortcomings — and despite Bush administration efforts to kill the system — people are choosing the train in record numbers.
There may not be room for a lot more improvement in California, however, unless the Schwarzenegger administration gets more aggressive about using Proposition 1B funds for new rolling stock.
Some Amtrak trains in the state are already experiencing standing-room only crowds. The process for getting new cars into service is lengthy; we should be moving in that direction right now.
There will be temporary swings in the price of oil, as now, but world demand will continue to outpace production, driving prices higher and higher.
We have a limited window in which to reduce our demand for oil by shifting to more efficient means of transportation. Trains are going to be a big part of that, and it’s good to see more and more people getting that message.