Published on San Mateo Daily Journal, March 12, 2010

Editor,

Mike Brown wrote that he opposes high-speed rail because it would operate at 250 mph, have 40-foot high sound wall, and completely annihilate downtown San Mateo (“Say goodbye to downtown, say hello to high-speed rail” letter to the editor in the March 9 edition of the Daily Journal). While many of us are waiting to see the High-Speed Rail Authority’s specific proposal, I think it is wrong to spread falsehoods to generate fear. The High-Speed Rail Authority has never suggested that it would operate trains faster than 125 mph on the San Francisco Peninsula. Read More

Despite the ongoing debate over high speed rail on the Peninsula, the same debate is also occurring in the southern part of the state as well. Recently, city officials in Buena Park (Orange County) were being told by the High Speed Rail Authority to either give up their newly built Metrolink station or a row of condominiums to make room for high speed rail between Los Angeles and Anaheim. Read More

The Greencaltrain.com will serve as a blog for BayRail Alliance, a non-profit group advocating for green rail transportation. This blog will help the group to directly communicate and begin a constructive dialogue with its members and the community.

Some of the posts from the old Greencaltrain.com have been imported into this blog, with the rest at greencaltrain.wordpress.com.

BayRail Alliance will be holding a general meeting on March 18. Liria Larano and Rafael Bolon from Caltrain will provide a status update on the San Bruno Grade Separation project. The project will eliminate three street-level grade crossings by lowering San Bruno, San Mateo and Angus avenues and raising the railroad tracks. Caltrain expects to begin construction in October 2010.

Meeting location: Cafe Yulong, back room, Mountain View 743 W. Dana St., Mountain View Thursday, March 18, 2010 6:45PM -8:30 PM