[net-gold] This Week at Amtrak; April 27, 2010 - Special Edition Announcing A New Passenger Train Service
- From: "David P. Dillard" <jwne@xxxxxxxxxx>
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- Date: Wed, 28 Apr 2010 05:40:49 -0400 (EDT)
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Date: Tue, 27 Apr 2010 12:36:06 -0400
From: brucerichardson <brucerichardson@xxxxxxxx>
Reply-To: Net-Gold@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
To: Net-Gold@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [Net-Gold] This Week at Amtrak; April 27,
2010 - Special Edition Announcing A New Passenger Train Service
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This Week at Amtrak; April 27, 2010
A weekly digest of events,
opinions, and forecasts from
.
This Week at Amtrak; April 27, 2010 -
Special Edition
Announcing A New Passenger Train Service
United Rail Passenger Alliance, Inc.
America?s foremost passenger
rail policy institute
1526 University Boulevard, West, PMB 203 ?
Jacksonville, Florida
32217-2006 USA
Telephone 904-636-7739, Electronic Mail
info@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx ?
http://www.unitedrail.org
Volume 7, Number 13
Founded over three decades ago in
1976, URPA is a nationally
known policy institute which focuses
on solutions and plans for passenger
rail systems in North America.
Headquartered in Jacksonville, Florida,
URPA has professional associates in
Minnesota, California, Arizona,
New Mexico, the District of Columbia,
Texas, New York, and other cities.
For more detailed information, along
with a variety of position papers and
other documents, visit the URPA
web site at
http://www.unitedrail.org
URPA is not a membership organization,
and does not accept funding from any
outside sources.
1) Thank you, Bill Lindley for
allowing me to ?borrow? This Week at
Amtrak for this special edition.
This is Bruce Richardson, and I have
a special announcement to make.
2) I?ve been waiting for over a year
to write this column, and I?m
immensely excited about what I have
to tell you. Today, April 27, 2010, a
new, privately funded and privately
operated intercity passenger train is
being announced, slated to begin
operations during the Christmas season
of 2011.
The name of the train is ?Z-Train,?
and it will operate six days a week
on a regular schedule between
Los Angeles Union Station and Las Vegas,
Nevada, with an intermediate stop in
Ontario, California.
Initially, the train will be 14 cars
long, made up of a combination of
bi-levels and dome cars.
3) Some of you reading this may think
this is old news; that you heard
about the Las Vegas train 10 days ago.
That was the X Train of Las Vegas
Railway Express; this is the Z-Train.
It?s a bit of a sordid story about
how two trains came about.
Z-Train has been in continuous, active
development since 2007. When I was
first contacted about Z-Train in March
2009, before I could have more
than a cursory telephone conversation
with Romm Doulton, the Las Vegas
entrepreneur of D2 Holdings who
created Z-Train, I had to sign a lengthy
and complicated non-compete, non-disclosure
legal document. Everyone even marginally
involved with the project has signed the
identical document for the protection of
the project.
Earlier, in 2008, before I became
involved with the project, a local
gentleman in Las Vegas was briefly
part of the development team. He
invited a second gentleman to learn
about the development group; both of
these people signed the same non-compete,
non-disclosure document.
Neither gentleman was related to
the project very long; in fact, the
second gentleman only had a cursory
involvement as part of Z-Train?s
development team.
So, they went away.
But, it appears they took with them
all of the team?s proprietary plans
and documents which had been created
up to that point in 2008.
Since then, plans for Z-Train have
matured and changed dramatically, as
is often in the case of projects like
this, as new people with new or
better ideas join development teams.
In July 2009, in my United Rail
Passenger Alliance e-mail box, I received
an invitation from the X Train people
to review their project and give
them any advice I may want to offer.
I immediately contacted Z-Train,
since by then I had developed a full
relationship with them, and alerted
the development team about a rival
project.
Instantly, the Z-Train team knew what
was going on; it seemed their own,
privately held materials were being
used by someone else and represented
as their own property, instead of the
sole property of the Z-Train
developers.
A cease and desist demand was
made by Z-Train to X Train.
Nothing happened, and in the past
30 days various press releases have
been popping up about X Train, all
amazingly similar to Z-Train ideas,
plans, and materials from 2008.
Well, with two big exceptions.
The Z-Train developers know it is
impossible to have onboard, legal
gambling, yet X Train says it will
have gaming onboard. And, X Train
says it will offer a $99 roundtrip
fare, which is pretty close to
impossible to do if you?re going to
be financially viable.
4) There had been no plans to fully
announce Z-Train until every detail
was fully developed and every business
relationship established.
But, then came X Train; a decision
had to be made to protect the
interests of Z-Train, so a public
announcement ? even though a bit early
probably by about a month ? would be
made.
That?s what we?re doing today;
Z-Train is seeing the first light
of day in TWA.
All that out of the way; you would
probably like some details about
Z-Train. Here is some information
for you from the Z-Train fact sheet
which is part of the detail being
sent to the news media today.
Train Operations
? Z-Train is expected to begin
operations for the Christmas season in
2011.
? Plans are for the train to be
pulled by Amtrak locomotives, and Amtrak
will also provide train and engine
crews, as well as all equipment
maintenance at its Los Angeles
maintenance base.
? Onboard services crews will
be direct Z-Train employees.
? The route encompasses trackage
rights to be provided by Metrolink in
Southern California, Burlington
Northern Santa Fe Railway, and
primarily Union Pacific Railroad.
? Los Angeles Union Station, owned
by Catellus Development Corporation
will be the Southern California terminal,
and a new Z-Train station will be built
in Las Vegas adjacent to the famous
Las Vegas Strip, the heart of the hotels,
resorts, and casinos in Las Vegas.
? Trip time is planned for five hours
in each direction, with a single
intermediate station stop in Ontario,
California. The train will be
turned and cleaned in Las Vegas for
a same-day return to Los Angeles,
where maintenance will be performed
overnight.
? Z-Train will be America?s only
regularly scheduled, non-government
subsidized intercity passenger
service between two major metropolitan
areas, where anyone can purchase a
ticket for transportation; operating
full roundtrips six days a week.
? The train will operate Wednesdays
through Mondays, with Tuesdays
planned as a full maintenance day.
? Z-Train has been developed to
meet the rigid requirements of host
railroads and federal transportation
statutes, including any necessary
construction of additional railroad
passing sidings or other necessary
upgrades to host passenger trains.
Every facet of Z-Train has been
created to work in harmony with
pending agreements with host railroads
and operating crew and motive power
providers.
Equipment and Onboard Experience
? Z-Train is beyond just traveling
from one city to another; it?s a
transportation, dining, pampering and
entertainment experience designed
to rekindle the great American slogan,
?getting there is half the fun!?.
? Z-Train is the only passenger rail
project which will run directly from
downtown Los Angeles/Los Angeles
Union Station to the heart of the
Las Vegas Strip and Z-Train?s proposed,
newly-built passenger train station,
and is the only passenger rail project
which will directly connect to all
other passenger rail routes in Southern
California.
? All Z-Train passenger railcars
will be rebuilt and redesigned
equipment from America?s most prominent
passenger railcar builders, designed
originally for some of America?s most
luxurious passenger trains.
The upgrades and modifications made by
Z-Train will meet every need and
desire of modern travelers from new
technologies to comfortable, plush
seating.
? Z-Train offers four levels of
accommodations and services, all aimed
at up-market travelers, especially
international travelers from the
lucrative Asian market.
? Food and beverage and onboard
pampering and entertainment will be areas
of major emphasis, with dining and
lounge cars to meet every expectation
and requirement for all age groups.
? Almost half of the passenger space
is devoted to coach passengers,
although coach passengers will have
amenities and services available to
them not normally found elsewhere.
? Additional classes of service are
club, business, and first class
premium cars, all of which have their
own discrete, expanded levels of
service.
? The most distinctive level of
service will occur in private dome cars,
each not holding more than 25 passengers
per car. This unparalleled level
of luxury will rival any private jet
experience, appealing to the most
discriminating passengers.
? Four separate dining cars run the
choices from high end gourmet to an
all-organic, healthy living dining
car choice to a dedicated sports car,
complete with micro brewery and
comfort food buffet.
? Onboard services are unique, with
a company of repertory players
providing live entertainment, a
murder on a train mystery, fortune
tellers, fashions shows provided by
one of the most distinctive fashion
retailers, art gallery offerings,
spa services, and book signings by
best selling authors.
Development Team
? Created by professional railroaders
in the best traditions of the
passenger railroad industry, combining
successful historical values with
today?s passenger and operating
environment.
? Z-Train has been developed by a
professional team working since 2007 to
provide an exciting passenger rail
experience between Los
Angeles/Southern California and
Las Vegas. Weeks, months, and years have
been spent in deep research of every
aspect of the market, jobs growth,
and economic development for Z-Train
to be an economic engine for tourism
and in support of Las Vegas. Government
officials on every level have
been consulted, in addition to
professional railroaders, hospitality and
gaming industry luminaries, and marketing
experts. Every facet of Z-Train
has been developed with one overall
goal in mind: to provide America?s
unrivaled premier intercity passenger
train experience.
Z-Train Limited, LLC and D2 Holdings
? D2 Holdings is headquartered in
Henderson, Nevada and controlled by
Romm and Elaine Doulton and James K. Clark.
D2 is a well-established company with
a wide variety of interests.
For further information, consult
http://www.d2holdings.net
D2 provided the company umbrella for
the Z-Train development team to come
together and create the project before
it was formally incorporated.
? Z-Train Limited, LLC is a Nevada
corporation, headquartered in
Henderson, Nevada (A Las Vegas suburb).
? Romm Doulton, creator of Z-Train,
currently serves as the company?s
Chairman, President, and CEO while a
search process is being completed to
find other individuals to hold those
offices. Mr. Doulton will continue
to serve as a Chief Executive Officer
of the company, but the other
positions will be filled by individuals
with a strong financial and
railroad industry background.
? Z-Train has been developed using
sound, conservative financial
principles.
? Over $500,000 worth of time,
materials, and funds spent have been put
into the creation and development of Z-Train.
? Everyone associated with the
development of Z-Train has been a senior
executive in their respective fields.
? Z-Train as a company has been designed
as an organization which will
have a number of strategic alliances
with corporate partners for cross
marketing and branding purposes.
Marketing and Development
? Z-Train will be marketed on three
levels: regional, national, and
international.
? Regional marketing will reach
Southern California, providing a travel
choice beyond private automobiles,
busses, and air travel to bring new
visitors to Las Vegas.
? National marketing will promote
both Z-Train and partner casinos and
resorts and the city of Las Vegas.
? International marketing, aimed
heavily at the lucrative Asian market,
will provide a familiar travel choice
to the 4.4 million Asian visitors
who arrive in Los Angeles, of which
32% currently travel onward to Las
Vegas via bus and airplane. Asians
are currently the single most
profitable demographic for visitors
to Las Vegas, followed by Southern
Californians.
5) That?s pretty much everything
in a summary; if you want more
information, you can visit Z-Train?s
web site as it is being developed at
www.z-trainltd.com or to find out
more about the creators of Z-Train,
visit www.d2holdings.net for a
fascinating background on Romm and
Elaine Doulton, Z-Train?s parents.
6) And, yes, this native of the
Commonwealth of Virginia, and 42 year
resident of Florida, who has never
lived more than 100 miles (and,
currently less than 20 miles) from
the Atlantic Ocean is about to
relocate to Las Vegas and Southern
California to be a part of Z-Train as
the Chief Special Projects Officer,
where dreaming of the future is
encouraged, and all sorts of
interesting projects about present and
future passenger trains await.
A permanent move west will not be
happening for a while, but there
will be lots of airplane time between
Jacksonville, Florida and Las Vegas
and Los Angeles.
There will be some wonderful people
from Amtrak and elsewhere working and
helping create Z-Train, and it?s
exciting to be a part of the
re-invention of the modern
intercity passenger train.
7) Make you plans now to ride
Z-Train in 2012; you will be glad
you did.
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URPA leadership members are
available for speaking
engagements.
J. Bruce Richardson
President
United Rail Passenger Alliance, Inc.
1526 University Boulevard, West, PMB 203
Jacksonville, Florida 32217-2006 USA
Telephone 904-636-7739
brucerichardson@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
http://www.unitedrail.org
.
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