SANTA CLARITA WOOING AMTRAK FOR TEST OF DANISH TRAIN.Byline: Sherry Joe Crosby Daily News Staff Writer Hoping to bring Amtrak Amtrak, the National Railroad Passenger Corp., authorized to operate virtually all intercity passenger railroad routes in the United States. Amtrak was created by Congress in 1970 in response to more than two decades of continuous operating deficits by privately run service to northern Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. County, Santa Clarita Santa Clarita, city (1990 pop. 110,642), Los Angeles co., S Calif., suburb 30 mi (48 km) NW of downtown Los Angeles, on the Santa Clara River; inc. 1987. Situated in the Santa Clara valley and nearby canyons, Santa Clarita includes the former towns of Canyon Country, officials are seeking to test a Danish train that splits in two and handles curves like a European luxury sedan. In a letter dated Feb. 14, city Transportation Manager Ron Kilcoyne asked Amtrak to test its IC3 train in the Santa Clarita and Antelope valleys where ridership is growing and steep grades slow Metrolink service. "We can show there's a demand and make Amtrak aware we're up here," said Kilcoyne who said public transportation draws 7,000 people a day, including 1,000 a day on Metrolink. In the Antelope Valley, about 6,100 people use public buses while about 445 take Metrolink. Santa Clarita has yet to receive a reply from Amtrak, which does not provide service to northern Los Angeles County. Instead, the system serves downtown Los Angeles Downtown Los Angeles is the central business district of Los Angeles, California, located close to the geographic center of the metropolitan area. The sprawling, multi-centered megacity is such that its downtown core is often considered just another district like Hollywood or as well as Orange, San Diego San Diego (săn dēā`gō), city (1990 pop. 1,110,549), seat of San Diego co., S Calif., on San Diego Bay; inc. 1850. San Diego includes the unincorporated communities of La Jolla and Spring Valley. Coronado is across the bay. and Santa Barbara Santa Barbara (săn'tə bär`brə, –bərə), city (1990 pop. 85,571), seat of Santa Barbara co., S Calif., on the Pacific Ocean; inc. 1850. counties. Lancaster city officials said an Amtrak train would provide a faster, more efficient alternative to Metrolink, which takes 90 minutes to travel from Lancaster to downtown Los Angeles. "It sounds likes a nice idea," said Jeff Long Jeff Long is an American writer. Long is an experienced climber, and Rock climbing often manifests in his writing. Bibliography Fiction
Santa Clarita has yet to receive a reply from Amtrak, which does not provide service to northern Los Angeles County. The system serves downtown Los Angeles as well as Orange, San Diego and Santa Barbara counties. The city may not have an answer from Amtrak for some time. Amtrak officials said Monday that they still are negotiating with the manufacturer of the IC3 train and that its arrival in the United States is tentative. From Santa Clarita to Los Angeles, it takes 47 minutes including three intermediate stops. And the region's mountainous terrain could showcase the train's ability to provide a smooth, fast ride along steep inclines. "It can do curves and hilly terrain," Kilcoyne said of the IC3 train. "Why not demonstrate that between here and Lancaster." Kilcoyne also said the train's ability to split into separate sections would allow it to serve such cities as Santa Clarita, Lancaster, Palmdale and Santa Barbara. |
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