Go to the Friends of Caltrain for the most current actions to save Caltrain.

On Thursday April 12 in San Francisco, the High Speed Rail Authority is planning to review the new business plan for approval, and also to review and approve the two agreements with the Bay Area and Los Angeles Area for early investment in the “bookends” of the system.

The meeting is at 10am, at Milton Marks Conference Center Auditorium 455 Golden Gate Avenue San Francisco, CA, not far from Civic Center BART.

If you are able to make a mid-day, midweek meeting, come to thank the High Speed Rail Authority for incorporating the blended system into its business plan. For the Bay Area, this plan is less disruptive than the original, excessive 4-track system, and delivers benefit much sooner.

On March 28, at the Metropolitan Transportation Commission meeting, about 15 people from the Peninsula spoke in favor of the blended system, which proposes to electrify Caltrain by 2019. Electrification will provide faster, more frequent service to more stops, enabling Caltrain to carry more riders – the system is currently standing room only on popular rush hour trains.

As for the business plan as a whole, it seems to me like a major improvement. The new plan addresses many of the criticisms of the earlier plan:

* “too expensive” – gets the overall cost down by blending with Caltrain and Metrolink
* “train to nowhere” – extends the early segment so it would connect to Amtrak/ACE service from the Bay Area, and connect to the San Fernando Valley
* “no value for many years” – investments in Caltrain electrification and Metrolink provide local value soon, and investments on the ACE and San Joaquin corridors will allow faster interim service
* “atrocious community outreach” – in our area, Caltrain has been responsive, methodical, and honest as it has taken the lead role in designing the blended system with community feedback.

This is a very big, long-term investment for the state, and deserves a high degree of scrutiny. If HSRA passes the scrutiny and moves forward, the local result will be a big improvement for our region.

Click here to thank legislators Eshoo, Simitian and Gordon for getting the ball rolling on a smarter high speed rail plan. The sample text is a letter that I sent to Senator Simitian and Assembly Member Gordon. Please customize the letter with your own kudos, questions and concerns.

The next Senate subcommittee meeting on High Speed Rail is scheduled for next week, April 18 at 2:30. We’ll keep you posted on the legislative review process.

Yesterday morning, the Metropolitan Transportation Commission voted to approve the $1.5 billion package of funding to modernize Caltrain. If the High Speed Rail project moves forward, we are likely to see an electrified Caltrain.

The next step is the High Speed Rail Board meeting on April 5. The HSRA board is expected to review a new version of the business plan, including the investments in the Bay Area and LA Area “bookends.” The business plan is not yet out for review.

At yesterday’s meeting, over 15 speakers from the Peninsula spoke in favor of the project, including representatives of labor and business groups, as well as representatives from Burlingame, Menlo Park, San Mateo, and Palo Alto. After a highly charged several weeks of regional feedback on the proposal, nobody spoke in opposition.

MTC Commissioners spoke in favor of project components that are planned for later but not yet funded.

San Francisco representatives Scott Weiner and Dave Campos were eager to pursue funding for the Downtown Extension to Transbay, but supported the MOU as is.

The Memorandum of Understanding expresses a policy commitment from each of the agencies to pay the money they have pledged. The agencies still need to individually allocate the money when the project moves forward.

Promisingly, two East Bay representatives, Commissioners Green and Bates, expressed an interest in funding a package of grade separations. The support from the East Bay – not just the Peninsula Corridor – bodes well for seeking funding once the study and review of the blended system is concluded, and the region has a package of improvements for which to seek funding.

The City of San Mateo requested that its grade separation project be added to the program as an amendment. MTC Executive Director Steve Heminger explained that adding more to the negotiated agreement with the High Speed Rail Authority could scotch the deal, and the amendment did not go forward.

Several speakers, including Friends of Caltrain, requested clarification that Caltrain is the lead agency for the electrification project, with primary responsibility for design, construction, and working with the community for environmental clearance. Adrienne Tissier, Chair of the MTC and the Caltrain Joint Powers Board, stated clearly that Caltrain is the lead agency. She implied that the matter was sufficiently obvious that it didn’t need to be mentioned in the MOU.

This clarification should help address Peninsula stakeholder concerns about the role of the MTC, and potential involvement in local decisions. MTC does not have responsibility for the project’s design decisions, nor for working with the community regarding local needs. Caltrain does.

The Commissioners voted to add an amendment, put forward by Sam Liccardo, to require each of Caltrain’s 3 partners – Santa Clara County, San Mateo County, and San Francisco/Muni to actually pay the $60 million each party has agreed to in the MOU. The underlying concern was that while Santa Clara and San Mateo Counties have funding that is dedicated for Caltrain electrification, but San Francisco does not. The motion passed unanimously, including the San Francisco representatives.

Staff representatives from Menlo Park and Palo Alto represented their cities’ concerns that Peninsula cities should have stronger representation in the decision-making process – the cities of San Francisco and San Jose had direct representation, while Peninsula cities did not, providing feedback to Caltrain for inclusion.

In order for the 15 smaller Peninsula cities have more representation, it would be valuable to coordinate together more effectively. Currently, the 17 cities have two different groups of elected officials, with some cities in the two groups, and several cities not represented at in either. In order to gather feedback for the MOU, Caltrain needed to talk to all these groups and cities separately. This process would benefit from streamlining.

In the ongoing 18 months of planning for Caltrain electrification, There is an opportunity to provide more coordinated policy feedback, and deeper community outreach. The desirable outcome would be a package of improvements, agreed on by the communities, to be presented – and jointly lobbied for funding.

High Speed Rail is not a done deal. The project needs legislative authorization in order to move forward. If it moves forward, the likelihood that we will see an electrified Caltrain is high.

Last night, a draft Memorandum of Understanding was published that provides $1.5B of funding from High Speed Rail, federal, state and regional sources to fund the electrification of the Caltrain Corridor.

The MOU contains key protections for the Peninsula, defining the project as primarily within the Caltrain Right of Way, primarily two tracks.

This Early Investment Plan provides welcome funding for a badly-needed, long-awaited upgrade to Caltrain.  Ridership has been increasing for the last 18 months and some peak hour trains are standing room only. Electrification will provide a welcome increase in capacity, service frequency, and station access. This will provide relief for traffic congestion and rising gas prices, and reduce pollution and noise.

The agreement provides $600 Million of Proposition 1A funds (the High Speed Rail bond measure), and $106 Million
of Prop 1A connectivity funds, matched by Federal, state and regional funding.  According to the project description, if funding is finalized in 2012, the Electrification project could be complete in 2019.

If advanced by the MTC board on March 28, the High Speed Rail board will review it for approval on April 5 – along with a new draft business plan.  The language of the MOU will not be finalized until MTC’s board meeting in May, so there are still opportunities for refinement.

The high speed rail project deserves a lot of scrutiny this Spring in the legislative budget cycle but if it goes forward, this path provides major benefits to the region.

The devil is in the details. Read on for Friends of Caltrain analysis. It will be helpful to come to the MTC meeting on Wednesday, March 28, details are also below.

There is critical protection for the region built into the MOU.

1) The language of the MOU clarifies that the system “will remain substantially within the Caltrain Right of Way” and clarifies that it is “primarily a two-track system.”  Incorporating concerns of Peninsula communities, this MOU clearly rules out a continuous four-track system as envisioned by High Speed Rail initially, which was destructive and overkill in capacity.

2) The MOU clarifies that the Environmental Impact Report for Electrification needs to be recirculated to be brought up to date and “to incorporate local and regional conditions and concerns.”

3) The MOU clarifies that the project needs to support local land use and Transit Oriented Development policies (ruling out unwanted intrusions such as the large train storage and maintenance yard HSRA had intended for Brisbane).

However, there is a key area where clarification is needed.

There is a lot of confusion on the Peninsula about the relative role of MTC, Caltrain, and the High Speed Rail Authority.   It will be very helpful to clarify the respective roles to residents and local decision-makers.

* MTC assembles and disburses federal, state, and regional funding. In the current deal, MTC played a role in bringing in money from BART, bridge tolls, and the Bay Area Air Quality Management District, and brokering the federal/state/regional funding package.

* Caltrain is the lead agency to manage the electrification project, including environmental review, design and construction. Decisions about grade separations and schedules will be made by Caltrain with the stakeholders in the cities affected by these changes.

Need future funding for Grade Separations, Downtown Extension to Transbay Terminal

The earlier drafts presented by Caltrain staff included some funding for grade separations that will be valuable for safety and traffic reduction on the Peninsula. Those funds are not present in the draft to present to the MTC board.

Once Caltrain has finished the 2-year planning process to define the electrification project, working with local communities, then Caltrain, local communities, and MTC should work together to put together funding for grade separations and other local enhancements that are needed for traffic mitigation and safety.

Important work is still needed to find the funding for a critical piece of the puzzle that is not included in this phase.  The funding does not cover Downtown Extension to Transbay (DTX).   This segment is needed to meet the requirements of Prop 1A for High Speed Rail. DTX will be very valuable for the region’s commuters since there are 10x the number of jobs in downtown San Francisco than at 4th and King.

MOU wisely stays out of local design decisions

The MOU does not record the feedback from many communities about specific local design needs, such as, for example, Burlingame’s plan for Broadway grade separation.  This silence is a good thing.  We do not want MTC documents planning, or otherwise expressing opinions about these critical local design decisions.  That work belongs in the hands of Caltrain as the lead agency on the project, working closely with local communities.

The MOU also does not rule out a short section of passing track, which was identified as an option in Caltrain’s capacity analysis. Without passing tracks, the corridor can carry 6 Caltrains and 2 High Speed Rail trains per direction per hour at peak.  With passing track, the corridor can carry up to 4 High Speed Trains.   But, there is no
funding for the passing tracks, and the first stage of the plan does not include them.

The passing tracks will not be needed until (and unless) HSR gets to San Jose. More analysis and evidence will be needed to determine whether the passing tracks will be needed.  By comparison, on the busiest passenger rail corridor in the country, Amtrak runs one express Acela and 1-2 local trains per peak
hour per direction between New York and DC.  If in the future the trains are full, and it is much more expensive to fly or drive, the decision will look very different.

Protecting Baby Bullet service revenue

One of the ideas brought up at Burlingame City Council was to ensure that Caltrain gets revenue if riders take high speed trains as an express commute service from San Jose to San Francisco.  That topic is not discussed in the MOU (and it shouldn’t be) but it is an important topic to consider for customer service and for Caltrain’s financial
viability (how not to cannibalize baby bullet revenue).

Why now?

The Early Investment plan has come together rapidly in recent months, and the process to gather stakeholder feedback was rushed. It would have been better to have Caltrain complete the 2 year planning process to define exactly what is wanted in the electrification project, working closely with stakeholders, and then apply for funding with a clear plan.   Especially on the Peninsula, where there are 17 cities between San Francisco and San Jose, the process was particularly strained.

But High Speed Rail needs to put together a credible business plan now, this spring, in order to have a chance of gaining legislative authorization to move the project forward.  It made sense to include the “Early Investment” now because that makes for a better plan which provides value earlier.

Come to the MTC meeting on March 28

The MTC meeting to review and make a decision about approving the Memorandum of Understanding is on Wednesday, March 28 at 9:30 am.   The meeting is at MTC Headquarters at 101 8th street in Oakland.  It is a long trip from much of the corridor to MTC headquarters in Oakland, but it will be valuable for Caltrain stakeholders to attend this critical meeting. This is an important decision that will affect our region for decades if High Speed Rail goes forward this year.

More support for the Early Investment Plan, and a correction to the date of Thursday’s Palo Alto Rail Committee meeting…

Assembly Member Jerry Hill took a public stand today in support of the Early Investment proposal to electrify Caltrain, holding a press conference today at the San Mateo Caltrain station announcing his support for the plan. Hill is also sponsoring the bill in the State Assembly to authorize a 3-county sales tax district to provide Caltrain with stable operating funding. Hill, who has been critical of the High Speed Rail project in the past, favors the electrification project which would make the regional trains run quieter, faster, more frequently, and cleaner.

On Thursday, Palo Alto’s City Council Rail committee is meeting this Thursday March 15 to discuss its set of conditions for the Early Investment Memorandum of Understanding. The meeting will be at Noon in the Council Conference Room at Palo Alto City Hall – NOT 8:30 am which is usually their start time.

Also yesterday Menlo Park’s High Speed Rail subcommittee reaffirmed it’s “do it right” strategy with regard to the Early Investment proposal. Based on feedback from the meeting, Menlo Park will be updating the letter it sends to Caltrain with input for the Memorandum of Understanding with additional conditions, including a request for Caltrain to serve as the lead agency for the project, and to reiterate the priority to restore service to Menlo Park and other stations.

Preparing the Memorandum of Understanding

Yesterday, at a Friends of Caltrain meeting in Menlo Park, Marian Lee, Caltrain’s director of the modernization disclosed that the draft Memorandum of Understanding, which will lay out the terms for the Early Investment Plan, will be made public on March 21. The Plan will be presented to the Metropolitan Transportation Commission on March 28 at 9:30 am at MTC Headquarters in Oakland. Caltrain is presenting a set of requirements from the Peninsula Corridor to protect local interests while making use of the High Speed Rail funds- It is a long trip, but plan to come if you can. Friends of Caltrain will send another update beforehand.

Last week, the Metropolitan Transportation Committee’s Programming and Allocations Committee heard a staff report on the Early Investment Plan. In the discussion, MTC Chair Adrienne Tissier, and Commissioners in the Caltrain Corridor including Kevin Mullin of South San Francisco, Scott Weiner of San Francisco, and Dave Cortese of Santa Clara County, all expressed support for Caltrain electrification.

In response to questions about the Downtown Extension to Transbay Terminal and the Diridon Station, Randy Rentschler of MTC said that these projects were being considered for the next wave of federal New Starts candidates. The plan for federal funding application will be discussed by the MTC Planning Committee in April, for Commission consideration in May.

In meetings about the Early Investment Plan on the Peninsula in recent weeks, there has been a lot of concern expressed about the role the MTC will play in the Blended System. Last week’s discussion was very constructive – you can listen for yourself, the recording is online, and the agenda item is discussed between minutes 4:00 and 31:00 of the recording.

Senator Simitian’s High Speed Rail Budget Hearing Tonight

Finally, if you happen to read this post before 7pm tonight, March 13, a reminder that Senator Joe Simitian is holding a Senate Committee Hearing about High Speed Rail in Mountain View starting 7pm at the Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts, 500 Castro Street, Mountain View. Senator Simitian’s website has more information. The meeting is expected to preview an updated business plan.

If High Speed Rail survives the review and scrutiny – which is not assured – then it seems increasingly likely that it will help pay for Caltrain electrification. If High Speed Rail fails the review, then the region will need to band together to modernize our transit system in some other way.

Based on two key meetings last week, Peninsula cities seem to be converging on conditional support for Early Investment in Caltrain electrification.

Several cities have yet to weigh in – Palo Alto and Menlo Park are working together on a statement that they plan to finalize next week Thursday 3/15. Burlingame will finalize its recommendations at its Council meeting on Monday 3/19.

Caltrain staff is gathering feedback from local stakeholders before 3/19 in preparation for a critical MTC meeting on 3/28 to review and decide on whether to approve the proposal.

You can learn more, discuss, and provide your input to Caltrain staff at an Early Investment Forum hosted by Friends of Caltrain on Monday March 12 at 7pm in Menlo Park. Marian Lee from Caltrain will be presenting. Last week, a presentation on this topic from San Francisco County Transportation Authority staff on the topic drew 50 attendees at Sierra Club HQ in San Francisco. Click here to RSVP.

Also on Thursday, March 15, Palo Alto’s Rail Committee will be working on its comment letter for the Early Investment program. There will be time at that meeting to give feedback in formal public comment. The meeting will be held at 12 Noon at Palo Alto City Hall, Council Conference Room.