Back to the rail future | Napa Valley Register

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Back to the rail future

Sunday, July 20, 2008

Comment

Dear editor, The Napa Valley Wine Train is a tourist attraction. The traffic on Highway 29 is getting worse and public transportation is not adequate.

So what can we do? Go back to the future, let us say somewhere before 1929, when the Napa Valley was served by passenger trains from Vallejo and Oakland. Passenger train service from the Vallejo ferry to Calistoga would just fit the bill. It would, at the same time, be a tourist attraction and public transportation — something that could benefit everyone in Napa Valley.

Paul R. Nichols / Calistoga

4 comment(s)

bennyd wrote on Jul 20, 2008 11:33 AM:

" I was thinking the same thing! My wife and I were headed Up Valley for lunch at Cindy’s Back Street Kitchen in St. Helena yesterday from Napa. While sitting in traffic there, the Wine Train rolled by with a good number of people on board having a great time…I thought, what if we all had the same choice in transport. Now that would be amazing. I encourage everyone that is interested to contact the NCTPA and voice their concerns about the Napa Valleys transportation future. I would like to see a light rail hub that links from downtown Napa/Napa Pipe, and extends to St. Helena, then eventually connects to Calistoga. "

Cadence wrote on Jul 20, 2008 2:17 PM:

" Paul!
Be careful!! There just aren't enough paramedics to go around if St Helenans decide to throw another all out anti-rail hissy fit, are there? Don't forget the horror stories about roving bands of tourists with no restroom facilities... "

Raven wrote on Jul 20, 2008 5:41 PM:

" lions, and tigers and trains bearing tourists....oh my.... "

plasticpinkflamingo wrote on Jul 20, 2008 9:03 PM:

" I liked the idea of blimp service up and down the valley. No rails to maintain, just a pole in each town for the gasbags to tie up to. No, not the politicians, the blimps! It would be cool to get on the blimp in Calistoga and get on the boat in Vallejo - or even have the blimps go to SF. I'll bet Gavin would love that - something else he can tax to try to pay for all the nanny programs he's promoting.

The blimps might have to push a few balloons out of the way, but they could put balloon-catchers on the front of the blimps, kind of like the old cow-catchers on locomotives.

Between that any my new 'convert your car to a horse drawn vehicle' business, we will have a much more interesting mix of traffic up and down the valley. A much slower pace. "

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