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Round One Public Outreach Workshops

Fall 2005

Presented to:

Women’s Transportation Seminar2007 Annual Conference

May 2, 2007

Presented by:

Therese McMillanDeputy Executive Director, Policy

Metropolitan Transportation Commission

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Regional Measure 2

• Approved by voters in March 2004

• Increased bridge toll by $1, raising $125 million annually

• Allocated total of $4.5 million for Regional Rail Plan

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• Bay Area population will grow to 10 million people by 2050, a 48% increase from 2000

• Sacramento will grow by 132%

• San Joaquin will grow by 201%

Need for Regional Rail:

Population Boom

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Need for Regional Rail:

Increased Travel

1. Transbay: San Francisco

to Oakland (+204,000 trips)

2. Peninsula: San Mateo Co. to Santa Clara Co. (+156,000 trips)

3. East Bay: Alameda Co. to Santa Clara Co. (+152,000 trips)

4. I-680: Alameda Co. to NW Contra Costa Co. (+141,000 trips)

5. I-680: Alameda Co. to Contra Costa Co. East (+104,000 trips)

Fastest Growing Corridors by 2030

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1. Solano: 498%2. Alameda: 267%3. Napa: 223%4. San Francisco:

189%5. Santa Clara: 133%

Counties with Highest Increase in Vehicle Hours of Delay by 2030

Need for Regional Rail:

Persistent Congestion

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• Trucks currently carry largest share of Bay Area domestic trade (80%), followed by rail (6%)

• By 2050, freight traffic will grow in excess of 350%

Need for Regional Rail:

Increased Freight Traffic

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• Lack of action to address Bay Area transportation woes threatens our economic vitality and environmental quality

Need for Regional Rail:

High Cost to Economy & Environment

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• To create a safe, fast, reliable and integrated passenger and freight rail network

• To establish a consistent framework for regional rail investment decisions

• To sustain and enhance economic vitality of Northern California, while minimizing environmental impacts and providing excellent transit service to downtowns and economic centers

Study Purpose

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Planning Process – A Team Effort

• Study Partners – MTC, BART, Caltrain, &

CHSRA

• Regional Rail Steering Committee– Passenger and freight railroad

operators, county congestion management agencies & other local partners

– Neighboring regional agencies

• Advisory Group

• Community

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Rail Plan Step-by-Step

• Phase 1 – Vision– Define rail vision, purpose and

need, and brainstorm on key issues and conceptual system alternatives

• Phase 2 – Technical Analysis– Refine study alternatives and

perform technical analysis

• Phase 3 – Draft/Final Plan– Examine support strategies,

make study findings, and prepare draft plan identifying regional and high-speed rail extensions and services for near-, mid-, and long-terms

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Key Study Issues

BART• Focus on Core Capacity by

simplifying operations plan and increasing system throughput

• Extend in corridors where BART-type technology could potentially address regional trip needs

• Serve as Mass Transit system with infill stations, possible skip-stop and/or express trackage

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Key Study Issues

Railroad Services• Develop separate regional

passenger rail network to ultimately provide 115 mph service with lightweight equipment operating throughout the region

• Coordinate existing passenger services shared with freight rail (railroad companies interest?)

• Establish hybrid system corridor-by-corridor using the most appropriate technologies and rights of way (also consider speed and FRA or UIC Compatibility)

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Key Study Issues

High-Speed Rail• Approach from the South through

San Jose; links are added for service to San Francisco and Oakland?

• Approach from the East via the Tri-Valley area (Livermore / Pleasanton); links are added to connect to San Jose, Oakland and San Francisco?

• Expand regional passenger services to serve regional markets assuming no high-speed rail?

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• Improve existing freight operations practices (wherein freight movements are dispatched by the railroads) to accommodate traffic growth

• Optimize freight dispatching to fully utilize rail infrastructure and future improvements

• Consolidate select regional rail lines and improve under public ownership with centralized dispatching; and develop freight by-pass routes to route goods traffic away from city centers

Key Study Issues

Freight

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Key Study Issues

GovernancePotential Benefits

• Improve customer service and experience, and streamline administration and overhead

• Economies of scale through shared facilities, procurement and contracting, regional coordination, and railroad negotiations

• Centralized operations dispatch for service coordination and incident response

• Single entity to conduct all negotiations with the freight railroads.

Potential Risks

• Less autonomy; reduced local authority

• Loss of accountability, whether perceived or real

• Potential for higher labor costs

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Phase 1 - Vision

Key Public Comments Heard• Connectivity between modes is critical• Resolve freight and passenger rail conflicts• Allow freight on high-speed rail• Need new Bay crossing for rail• Preserve & purchase rights-of-way• Explore advanced rail technologies• “One System, One Ticket”• Must foster supportive land uses • Must minimize impacts on low-income

areas• Must have safe and secure rail system

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Phase 2

Technical Analysis(in progress)

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Base NetworkMTC Resolution 3434 rail

extensions:

1. BART/Oakland Airport Connector

2. BART/East Contra Costa Rail (eBART)

3. BART/Fremont-Warm Springs Extension

4. BART/Warm Springs-San Jose

5. MUNI/Third Street Corridor & Central Subway

6. Caltrain/Downtown San Francisco Extension & Transbay Transit Center

7. VTA/Downtown-East Valley8. Sonoma-Marin Rail (SMART)9. Dumbarton Bridge Rail Svc.

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Base Network• Adopted rail

projects from neighboring regions

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12 Study Alternatives• 3 – Regional Rail without

High-Speed Rail Alternatives

• 9 – Regional Rail with High-Speed Rail Alternatives

• 3 options entering from the South via San Jose

• 6 options entering from the East via Tri Valley

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Refinements to Alternatives• Narrowed 3 Regional Rail

without HSR alternativesdown to 2– Alternatives represent most

promising stations, alignments and service options for BART, regional rail, and freight-by pass options

• Awaiting CHSRA to identify most promising HSR stations and alignments– Bay Area to Central Valley

EIR/EIS underway

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Project Schedule Highlights

• Technical Analysis In progress: Ridership Forecasts, Engineering Feasibility, Capital/Operating Costs, Environmental Screening

Spring 2007

• Draft Plan Release Summer 2007• Agency/Public Outreach Late Summer 2007• MTC Final Plan Adoption

Fall 2007

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Therese McMillanDeputy Executive Director, PolicyMetropolitan Transportation Commission510.817.5830tmcmillan@mtc.ca.gov

www.mtc.ca.gov