Facebook is in talks with Caltrain to contribute $1Million to planning for transit on the Dumbarton Corridor West Bay segment, all options “from bus to rail to gondolas,”* according to Mark Simon presenting at today’s Caltrain board meeting. Simon said that the evaluation would be for transit open to the public (so this isn’t being contemplated only for private Facebook buses/trains). An agreement would be brought to the Caltrain board for approval.
The study would also revisit the prospect of the Bay Crossing, which had been put on ice with the shifting of regional funds to BART San Jose, and lack of support from Alameda County. There recently has been substantial interest in the San Mateo County communities, including East Palo Alto, Menlo Park, North Fair Oaks, and Redwood City.
Such a project would connect the rapidly growing areas in Downtown Redwood City with Facebook and planned residential and office growth in Menlo Park near Facebook – for example, Redwood City’s new apartment buildings are being marketed to Facebook employees. And it would provide a short, 6-mile spur connection for commuters coming out to Facebook from San Francisco and other northern stops on the Caltrain line.
While the Dumbarton crossing project isn’t currently on the region’s master list for publicly fundable projects, which gets updated every 4 years, Seamus Murphy, Caltrain’s head of communications and public affairs, explained that the list can be amended during the 4 year period if a project has local and regional support. The Metropolitan Transportation Commission is considering another round of bridge-toll funded projects, potentially for voter approval in 2018 – this could be a relevant timeline if public funding is needed to contribute to construction.
Thanks to Facebook and everyone in the West Bay communities who have been working to keep interest alive in the reviving the Dumbarton corridor for transit.
(The audience laughed at the mention of “gondolas” – since the Dumbarton corridor has dedicated right of way that’s not in conflict with surface road use – there doesn’t seem to be a logical reason for the elevated “podcar” systems that are touted for last-mile connections in areas with constrained rights of way.)
Dumbarton Rail line crossing Middlefield Rd in North Fair Oaks
This is a good start but where is the regional perspective on this? Why doesn’t Caltrain work with Alameda County to take this all the way to the East Bay?
Earlier, Alameda County wanted BART-San Jose as a higher priority. Now that BART is well on its way, there are some leaders that would rather see BART-Livermore :-/ The best would be to have organized supporters in Alameda County pushing back on transportation leaders to support the project.
[…] Facebook Offers $1 Million to Continue Dumbarton Rail Corridor Studies (GC) […]
Google response: http://www.bizjournals.com/sanjose/news/2015/11/09/google-to-fund-vta-north-bayshore-transportation.html
May the best team win
Build Caltrain maintenance facility somewhere in east Menlo park. As Caltrain need more rolling stocks and SF terminal should be better utilized rather than train storage, Caltrain need location for train storage and light maintenance. East Menlo Park or south of San Jose Blossom Hill will be best candidate. This is good justification to electrify tracks outside current planning area.
Yeah another round of bridge toll funds in the name of constructing the rail bridge but will be redirected to use for other purposes at MTC’s pleasure. They are already ripping off people who cross the bridge everyday to improve a Caltrain system that does not help these people AT ALL, and they want more of that. How convenient.
@Evans
The planned Sprinter maintenance facility is located south of San Jose Blossom Hill. We are also looking at a potential location in Gilroy.
With regards to “good justification to electrify tracks outside current planning area”. We have no such plans until electrification costs get under control. This article explains what can possibly go wrong with electrification and what to do about it: http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/electrification-dubbed-shambles-multi-billion-10287160
The same approach could be taken to extend Caltrain (or Sprinter) traffic to Facebook without electrification but electrification will be required for the Dumbarton tunnel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kh3pM_M7ne0
would be important to have strong resident support in the East Bay.
I respectfully disagree. The “strong resident support in the East Bay” that attempted to reroute ACE and Capitol Corridor to Union City BART is precisely what caused DBR to crater first time around (this has NOTHING to do with DBR).
Let’s focus on crossing the Bay all the way to Newark (SamTrans already own the right of way) and let the East Bay figure out what to do after we are done.
I don’t see a bay crossing happening without East Bay support. Localities need to grant construction permits even for a totally privately funded project.
Extend beyond East Menlo Park is huge project and its priority is much lower than Caltrain electrification. However, restoring and electrification of short segment between Redwood Junction to East Menlo park can be “included” into Caltrain’s electrification package if train storage/maintenance have to be built in East Menlo Park.
It is ideal that both Blossom Hill and East Menlo Park compete each other to bring electrified Caltrain, by providing some kind of incentive.
@Alevin
– Can you please elaborate on what “construction permits” might be required in the East Bay?
– Which “localities” are you referring to other than Newark?
@Evans
– Where exactly do you propose to add a maintenance facility in East Menlo Parks and for what purpose?
– Why do you think that electrification south of Tamien is a top priority?
– Where is the money for any of this coming from???
I know that the SMCTA is pursuing this but I have many connections with north Santa Clara County leaders who also want to see this connection renovated.
@ Richard Brand
Yes, this is absolutely correct: the lack of a Dumbarton Rail connection is causing massive congestion in the Willow, University and 101 corridors. I recently discovered that this may also contribute to severe Caltrain overcrowding between Diridon and Palo Alto because people living in Livermore have to take ACE to Diridon and transfer to a baby bullet to get to work in Palo Alto.