AQMD Directors Move to Block Diesel Trains
South Coast Air Quality Management District directors, meeting in El Monte, voted 8 to 3 to urge the California Transportation Commission to withhold funds for a proposed commuter rail service until its builders agree in writing to promise to switch to nonpolluting electric locomotives.
State funding is key to the Southern California Regional Rail Authority’s plan to start commuter-rail service next October using cheaper, readily available diesel engines. By some estimates, using electric trains would cost an additional $300 million and delay service four to seven years on some lines. The AQMD, however, would support temporary use of diesels on the lines scheduled to open next year.
Neil Peterson, speaking for the Regional Rail Authority, called the AQMD “totally premature” because the cost-effectiveness of electrification is still being analyzed.
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