Fresno leaders have long dreamed of merging the city's two main railroads in a single corridor along Highway 99, where the Union Pacific currently runs. Now, planners of California's proposed high-speed rail line are calling the same corridor their preferred local route for a network of 200 mph trains that voters will be asked to approve in November. Fresno Bee 4/20/08
Nevada State officials are trying to find a way to save money on thousands of commercial flights that state workers take annually between both ends of Nevada on official business. Nevada purchased 31,460 Southwest Airlines flights between Reno and Las Vegas for a total of $3.1 million in 2007, said Kimberlee Tarter, state deputy purchasing administrator. Las Vegas Review Journal 4/21/08
As state lawmakers carry on a raging debate over how to solve California's fiscal crisis, they agree on one thing: The situation is getting worse. The budget deficit for the fiscal year beginning July 1, which was estimated two months ago to be at about $8 billion, is now expected to widen to as much as $14 billion. With the fiscal crisis deepening, many legislators agree that cutting expenses may not be enough by itself to balance the budget, and that generating additional revenue through taxes and/or fees will probably have to be part of the equation. SF Chronicle 4/20/08
The bad news comes just two months after the Legislature approved several of the emergency budget proposals by the Governor, that slashed over $7 billion in spending and made other budget changes including borrowing and delays in payments, that brought down the deficit to over $8 billion. California Progress Report 4/21/08
The long-planned rollout of the TransLink regional fare card has once again been delayed. The prepaid fare card, which transit leaders hope could one day be used on more than two dozen transit systems, already is accepted on AC Transit and the Golden Gate ferries and buses. But plans for wider use have fallen behind schedule for the three big agencies next in line. The regional agency in charge of the TransLink project, has pushed back the estimated start date for the San Francisco Municipal Railway and Caltrain to July 15 and for BART to Sept. 25. SF Chronicle 4/18/08
As NavisWorld 08 is being staged in San Francisco this week, shippers here are asking a lot of questions about North America’s fourth largest ocean gateway across the bay and its strategic direction to accommodate growth. On the eve of this important “port and terminal technology” conference, LM was given an exclusive interview with The Port of Oakland’s maritime director, James Kwon, who tried to provide insight as well as answers. Logistics Management 4/21/08
In an editorial, the SF Chronicle gets behind High Speed Rail, saying, “Our skepticism about the rail measure remains. It's going to be an extraordinarily expensive project, with costs projected to be at least $40 billion. Still, with a troubled national airline system, $4-a-gallon gas, and even President Bush offering goals to combat climate change, the rail system is a risk we can't afford to not take.” 4/20/08
California High Speed Rail Blog checks their facts. 4/20/08
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