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NO VEMBER NEWS Napa's Passenger N Railroad Proposal Plan would serve locals and tourists, reduce auto traffic through valley apa, Calif.—Napa Valley may be the next American re- gion to restore the passenger rail service, abandoned in the 1930s and '40s and now making a strong comeback across the country. A group of Napa residents recently formed Napa Transit Inves- tors (NTI), which has received general agreement to investigate opportunities with the Napa Valley Wine Train. The Napa Valley Wine Train owns the tracks from south Napa to St. Helena and operates popular dinner excursions on the route. NTI founders envision commuter service up the spine of the valley, using self-propelled diesel cars combined with service for visitors. Self-powered Siemens cars, assembled in Sacramento, are already used in the Sprinter corridor between Oceanside and Es- condido in northern San Diego County, where they connect to Amtrak and commuter trains. Each car holds 113 people. Chuck McMinn, owner of 7,500-case Vineyard 29 and president of NTI, said that according to a report by the Napa County Trans- portation and Planning Agency, traffic in the valley has increased Self-powered Siemens cars are assembled in Sacramento and in use in northern San Diego County. Each car holds 113 people. 13% in the past 10 years and is projected to grow another 28% in the next 20 years. He noted that gas prices are impacting the winesandvines.com Learn more: Search keyword "sprinter." ability of employees to work, since a typical round-trip drive from St. Helena to Napa costs $8 in gas. During commute and lunch hours, it's common for the 18-mile trip to take 45 minutes by car. Visitors have no practical public transit options, either, McMinn said. Local buses run infrequently and don't typically stop at wineries. McMinn envisions a passenger service that would remove part of the commuter (and tourist) traffic and allow locals and tourists to attend functions and go out to dinner without driving. He hopes to see a light rail system that runs from Napa Valley Community College (or Vallejo) in the south to Trancas Street in north Napa for commuters, residents and tourists from down- town Napa to St. Helena. —Paul Franson The original, BOTTLE-MATIC-II 3 YEAR WARRANTY INCLUDED Front and Back! $1800 for Wines & Vines Readers! Front & Back! Label any cylindrical container fast and accurately from ½" to 21 day trial MADE IN USA! DISPENSA-MATIC Label Dispensers 8" diameter, @ Speeds of 1200 Pcs. per hour. NOT A CHEAP, IMPORTED KNOCK-OFF! Wasting Time Labeling by Hand! STOP FAX:(573) 392-1757; E-mail: info@dispensamatic.com Web: http://www.bottle-labeler.com 28220 Playmor Beach Rd, Rocky Mount, MO 65072 Call Toll Free: 1 (800) 325-7303 or (573) 392-7684 Wines & Vines nOVeMBeR 2011 19 Price subject to change without notice. 2/01/10