Discourse for all interested in all things air-quality related
For almost 40 years U.S. transportation held the No. 2 spot. In 2016, this sector moved to the top in emissions output, outstripping energy for the first time since 1978. There are two reasons and two reasons only for the reversal: 1) transportation emissions increased; and 2) energy emissions fell. It’s that simple. The good … Read more
On Dec. 16, 2017, less than a month away, California high-speed rail construction work will have reached the two-and-a-half-year mark. This is the first major “from-scratch” intercity, heavy-rail, railroad-building effort begun in the Golden State since Southern Pacific’s Colton Cutoff (to Palmdale) line was completed in 1967 and the Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) system … Read more
If main drag Blackstone Avenue is variously known as Fresno, California’s “boulevard of dreams,” once the Fulton Corridor for six blocks between Tuolumne and Inyo streets reopens as Fulton Street, will it become variously known as the street named “Inspire”? For you see, on Oct. 21, 2017, on this section of the road for more … Read more
There appears to be a concerted push in different parts of the world to electrify the motor vehicle fleet. All well and good, but that likely seems years or decades away if at all. Still, the interest and effort appear strong. In California, a state, it is more of the same. According to Sacramento Bee … Read more
Finally! Every now and then news comes along that gets people stoked. Such is the case for me with news of the establishment of the Transportation Institute at California State University, Fresno, more commonly known as Fresno State. In fact, the university circulated a press release Sept. 12, 2017 to this effect. Its title: “Fresno … Read more
The wait has been long but a wait well worth it. The Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit District, or SMART for short, has announced that beginning on Aug. 25, 2017 SMART passenger train service will commence, stating that it has been granted the all-clear from the Federal Railroad Administration in regards to rail passenger service being … Read more
High-speed trains have been part of the landscape, a fixture, if you will, since 1934, with Pennsylvania Railroad’s (PRR) model GG1 electric locomotive whose top speed was 100 miles per hour and for a non-electric, Union Pacific’s M-10001 diesel-electric trainset, its maximum velocity, a reputed 120 mph. Certainly not to be overlooked were the many … Read more
Have you heard? Elon Musk, founder of Tesla Motors, has this idea about boring a tunnel on the eastern seaboard between the Big Apple and D.C. Its purpose? Transporting people between the two cities and in 29 minutes, no less. Proposed too are stops in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and Baltimore, Maryland, based on what I understand … Read more
Oppressive is how San Joaquin Valley, California summertime heat can be. Temps of 104, 105, 106, 107 and higher aren’t uncommon. Heat as high as that becomes more than a bit uncomfortable and gets old rather fast the longer those triple-digit temperatures hang around. When that happens, talk about such in these here parts seems … Read more
May is always a good time to talk transportation. Amtrak, the national passenger rail carrier, as of May 1st has offered rail-based passenger service in the 48 contiguous-states region of the U.S. for 46 years. May, apparently, is a good time, too, to bike, the month being designated National Bike Month. Meanwhile, this year National … Read more