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With the start of a series of storms
sweeping over the Sierra, Truckee-Tahoe residents aren't
only readying for cold and snow, they're girding for
gridlock.
Once winter storms begin pounding the Interstate 80
corridor in earnest, Truckee's streets and highways
leading into the Tahoe Basin become a frozen sea of
cars. Throw in a holiday and the gridlock is complete.
Visitors to our area have no alternative to pack up the
car or SUV and head up the hill - either from the east
or west. The hordes of vehicles test both the
environment and the patience of everyone unlucky enough
to be caught.
That makes an idea batted about even more intriguing:
Regularly scheduled train service over the Sierra Crest.
Passenger trains crossing Donner Summit on a regular
basis between Reno and the Bay Area - an extension of
the popular and successful Amtrak Capitol Corridor route
- would go a long way in saving vehicle trips.
Just two years ago state transportation planners floated
the idea of extending the Capitol Corridor route to
Reno/Sparks, which would mean stops in Soda Springs and
Truckee on the four daily round trips between Oakland
and Northern Nevada.
A comprehensive regional network of busses and trolleys
would be needed for visitors once they got off a train
in Truckee, but such a demand would make use of the
public transportation service already in place in the
Truckee-Tahoe region.
Studies done in the early and late 1990s pointed
favorably toward passenger rail service over the Sierra.
The target market would be people heading to the
mountains to recreate and to Reno to gamble without
their cars -and that gridlock.
- This editorial is reprinted from the Sierra Sun.
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