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CHAMBER ACTIVE IN REGIONAL RAIL PLANNING EFFORT BY JIM BIGELW, PRESIDENT, BAY AREA TRANSPORTATION AND HOUSING ASSOCIATES

As highway congestion increases many people wonder about our mobility in the future in the San Francisco Bay Area. We know that a number of highway improvements are planned for the future but will they be enough. Regional planners at the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) have taken on that challenge and find that vehicle congestion in the region will increase by 40% over the next 25 years. While it is getting more challenging to provide additional highway improvements planners are looking to rail options to reduce future highway congestion.

MTC is currently conducting a Regional Rail Study looking at how BART, Caltrain, Dumbarton Rail, Capital Corridor, Altamont Express (ACE) and other trains could assist in reducing highway congestion. The Plan looks ahead to 2050 so a regional effort by transportation agencies, cities and counties can look at effective ways to provide fast and frequent alternative travel modes. The Study is also looking at increased freight service to accommodate regional ports and their future goods movement and truck trip reductions.

After a two year effort a number of hearings are being conducted throughout the Bay Region to allow agencies and stakeholders to comment on the draft report recommendations. The report recommends increasing rail capacity in the region and improving the connectivity of systems. MTC under Resolution 3434 has about $10 billion currently to support improvements underway. The additional cost for this Plan is estimated to be about $35 billion. Freight capacity would be increased.

Other improvements in the Plan would increase capacity on BART, Caltrain and other regional rail passenger service including more frequent service and route extensions. In the Plan, Caltrain would be electrified over most of the route and extend service with current heavy rail equipment to other areas. The electrified Caltrain is planned to be a new lighter train set such as in use in Europe and other parts of the world.

California High Speed Rail which is in the Planning stage is also included in the Plan and is a lighter weight train that can travel at speeds over 200 miles per hour connecting the Los Angeles and Bay Area initially and could operate on the Caltrain mainline with the new electrified system being planned.

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