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Post by Dan Wentzel on Jun 12, 2012 13:56:34 GMT -8
Would Santa Barbara work as a northern extension of the Ventura County Metrolink Line?
Commuter rail goes all the way to Montauk on Long Island, 110 miles to the east of New York City, while Santa Barbara is 95 miles to the northwest of Los Angeles, so I imagine it would be feasible.
Amtrak already goes to Santa Barbara (and up to San Luis Obispo via the Pacific Surfliner, and all the way up to Seattle via the Coast Starlight), and I am assuming that if there were sufficient demand for commuters between Santa Barbara and Los Angeles, Metrolink would already go all the way there.
I am just curious if there are any operational or infrastructure issues that would be prohibitive if the demand increased enough to justify extending the service.
Of course, they'd have to speed it up. 2 hours and 45 minutes seems a little lengthy. Would double tracking help with speeding up the Ventura line?
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Post by Elson on Jun 12, 2012 14:36:54 GMT -8
I don't know if the ridership warrants it; most people who live or work in Santa Barbara stay within the county. They are planning to create their own commuter system though.
I'd like to see seasonal special trains going to Santa Barbara though!
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Post by jdrcrasher on Jun 12, 2012 20:20:33 GMT -8
At some point, yes. But I agree with Elson, the ridership probably isn't there yet.
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Post by bobdavis on Jun 13, 2012 21:44:12 GMT -8
Double tracking (assuming money could be found) between Ventura and Santa Barbra might involve the Coastal Commission, adding another layer of bureaucracy to the approval process.
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Post by jdrcrasher on Jun 14, 2012 20:30:23 GMT -8
^ The Coastal Commission needs to be scrapped. Yes, I know it prevents oil companies from going drilling bonkers, but it's a waste of money and exerts a communist-like stance on ANYTHING related to the development of land
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Post by masonite on Jun 14, 2012 23:19:13 GMT -8
^ The Coastal Commission needs to be scrapped. Yes, I know it prevents oil companies from going drilling bonkers, but it's a waste of money and exerts a communist-like stance on ANYTHING related to the development of land I'd have to disagree. Without the Coastal Commission you'd have large scale commercialization of the coast with much more limited access to the beach. Much of Malibu's beaches for instance would be off-limits to the public. The wealthy would limit access points at will without a Coastal Commission.
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Post by thanks4goingmetro on Jun 15, 2012 15:11:34 GMT -8
The reason something like this isn't around now, and also why the Ventura County Line ridership is low is that Ventura County is not contributing enough money to Metrolink. The more you pay the better the service. Ventura is paying for bare bones service, two daily roundtrips (the minimum) with no weekend service. I wish they had more money and I think Santa Barbara County would have to pay in some money too. The most likely to happen probably is that Metro would kick in some dollars for extra trips between Union Station and Chatsworth
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Post by jdrcrasher on Jun 15, 2012 17:33:47 GMT -8
I'd have to disagree. Without the Coastal Commission you'd have large scale commercialization of the coast with much more limited access to the beach. Much of Malibu's beaches for instance would be off-limits to the public. The wealthy would limit access points at will without a Coastal Commission. Maybe so. But they're abusing that authority over what should and shouldn't get built... so much so that projects that those that serve on the commission should be supporting aren't. It really is out of control. There's a reason why California is considered by many to be so anti-business. It's because there's endless amounts of red tape and bureaucracy that block ANYTHING from getting built. The negatives can really outweigh the positives, especially when projects have merit.
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Post by rayinla on Jun 15, 2012 21:38:11 GMT -8
www.coastal.ca.gov/strategy.html#I. MISSION STATEMENT The Mission of the California Coastal Management Program administered by the Coastal Commission is based on the mandates of the California Coastal Act of 1976. This Mission is to: Protect, conserve, restore, and enhance environmental and human-based resources of the California coast and ocean for environmentally sustainable and prudent use by current and future generations.
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Post by jdrcrasher on Jun 16, 2012 11:55:42 GMT -8
www.coastal.ca.gov/strategy.html#I. MISSION STATEMENT The Mission of the California Coastal Management Program administered by the Coastal Commission is based on the mandates of the California Coastal Act of 1976. This Mission is to: Protect, conserve, restore, and enhance environmental and human-based resources of the California coast and ocean for environmentally sustainable and prudent use by current and future generations. Statements don't mean much. Just try and propose Metrolink service... see what happens
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Post by usmc1401 on Jun 16, 2012 20:51:20 GMT -8
A Santa Barbara County Metrolink service in the plans. It will be one trip a day from Ventura to Goleta in the morning and return in the evening. This is because the 101 freeway is going to undergo a large construction project in Santa Barbara county.
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Post by jdrcrasher on Jun 17, 2012 18:53:12 GMT -8
A Santa Barbara County Metrolink service in the plans. It will be one trip a day from Ventura to Goleta in the morning and return in the evening. This is because the 101 freeway is going to undergo a large construction project in Santa Barbara county. Okay, then. We'll see if the CCC doesn't go apeshit and try to stop it.
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Post by rayinla on Jun 17, 2012 21:11:38 GMT -8
A Santa Barbara County Metrolink service in the plans. It will be one trip a day from Ventura to Goleta in the morning and return in the evening. This is because the 101 freeway is going to undergo a large construction project in Santa Barbara county. Okay, then. We'll see if the CCC doesn't go apeshit and try to stop it. The California Coastal Commission would not be concerned with additional service on the existing tracks. Their involvement would come if some future expanded service required DOUBLE TRACKING, i.e. development or the "taking" of public lands along the coast. The CCC was created to preserve public access to the coast and to preserve the natural beauty of the coastline.
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Post by jdrcrasher on Jun 18, 2012 16:51:23 GMT -8
The California Coastal Commission would not be concerned with additional service on the existing tracks. Their involvement would come if some future expanded service required DOUBLE TRACKING, i.e. development or the "taking" of public lands along the coast. The CCC was created to preserve public access to the coast and to preserve the natural beauty of the coastline. Except double tracking might in fact eventually be needed.
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