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Review Status of Caltrain Plan Update
Mr. Lightbody, presented an overview of proposed recommendations regarding the revised Caltrain Measure B Program. Current Caltrain service is at 80 trains per day. Past service was at 68 trains per day. Transit centers have been completed at Mountain View and Morgan Hill. The 1996 Measure B money will be used for five station projects in the next few years. The project from Tamien Station down to Lick Mill Road is part of the expansion of service down to Gilroy. This is a current project under way to add a second track from the Tamien station to a location south of there, called the Lick control point. Currently there is only one track from Tamien Station down to Lick. In 2001, there was a Tie Replacement Project that Union Pacific Railroad (UPRR) conducted that helped with the ride quality. UPRR is planning to implement a fifth daily round-trip train for Caltrain. There are some issues of implementing the fifth train due to financial constraints; however, VTA staff is continuing to conduct meetings and activities with UPRR for expansion of service. A significant portion of the 1996 Measure B Program funding has not been committed, approximately $40-50 million. Currently there is additional revenue available to supplement the 1996 Measure B Program. There is $55 million available in State Traffic Congestion Relief funds; $12 million available in the Federal Revenue Aligned Budget Authority (RABA) funds. This is important because the 1996 Measure B funds are facing a short fall due to the downturn in the economy and loss of sales tax revenues.
Mr. Lightbodys first recommendation to the Caltrain PAB was to reduce the 1996 Measure B portion of funding for projects by $20 million. He reported that Caltrain is considering reducing the amount of daily train service from 80 to 76 in order to balance their budget. Caltrain is having some issues with support for the Caltrain Capital Program.
Mr. Lightbody noted elements of the Caltrain Plan: service improvements, station projects, the improvement of service on the South County Extension and the overall Caltrain Capital Program.
Mr. Lightbody reviewed several service improvements. In the original plan, the service objective was to get 86 trains into service and to raise the amount of trains from 10 to 20 trains in the South County portion. The system is currently at 80 operating trains and may be forced to go down to 76 trains due to budget concerns. The Caltrain Express Program is the primary vehicle by which service in Caltrain would be expanded. The capital improvements to add third and fourth track segments to allow for passing of trains is under construction in the northern part of the Bay Area and will be under construction later in this year in Santa Clara County. That project is going to continue and when finished in the 2003-2004 time frame, it will provide the vehicle to expand service, introducing as many as 30 additional operating trains into the system. With the introduction of Caltrain Express into the system, staff anticipates the amount of trains in service will be well in excess of the original targeted amount of 86 trains. There is no specific 1996 Measure B money allocated for service improvements at this time; however, staff will continue do projects that support and reinforce the Caltrain Express Program. Staff will rely on the Caltrain Express to be the basis for the increase of service in the system.
Chairperson Mossar asked if the funding recommendations by staff in the Caltrain Plan are based on the reduced 1996 Measure B money. Mr. Lightbody responded that the recommendations are based on a combination of the reduced 1996 Measure B money supplemented by the additional state money.
He reviewed the scheduled improvements in Palo Alto. The second recommendation of staff to the PAB is to implement a full transit center project in Palo Alto, starting with a more permanent, consistent transit center and then continue to build a larger inter-modal station at that location. The approximate cost is $8 million for this project; 50 percent of the project will be funded by 1996 Measure B money and 50 percent by outside additional grant money. There will be a new project implemented at the Palo Alto location to add an ADA-compliant pedestrian underpass. The underpass will coordinate pedestrian and bicycle movements, and a new connection may be added where a pedestrian underpass from Everett Street connects to the new ADA-compliant ramps. The advantage of doing this project now and creating a more permanent consistent transit center at the current Palo Alto station will be to retain an accessible station site that will provide permanent access while the rest of the inter-modal station is under construction.
Chairperson Mossar asked what will happen to the crossing gates installed at that location. Mr. Lightbody stated that the gates are not compliant and would be removed.
Mr. Lightbody explained the improvements planned for the California Avenue station location. Staff is proposing to put in the outside boarding platforms, shift one of the tracks slightly and construct a pedestrian underpass between the platforms. The need to install a pedestrian underpass has become apparent from comments received at public meetings discussing improvements for this location. The installation of a pedestrian underpass will also address the current problem with the Caltrain hold-out rule, where only one train can enter this station at a time due to the at-grade pedestrian access to the platforms. The pedestrian underpass will eliminate the problem and greatly enhance the efficiency of the new Caltrain Express program.
Chairperson Mossar inquired if the pedestrian underpass is in addition to the separate bike/pedestrian under-crossing at Alma Avenue. Mr. Lightbody responded that it was in addition to that and staff will attempt to link them together.
Mr. Lightbody reviewed the changes planned at the Sunnyvale Station. He reported that the current programs are continuing and there are no new recommendations.
Member Valerio requested the status of installing a pedestrian underpass at the Sunnyvale Station location. Mr. Lightbody responded that will be a subsequent phase of the Caltrain Express Program. The pedestrian under-crossing access to the trains would be grade separated at that time. This will not occur for a few years out, but it is scheduled in the overall Caltrain Capital program.
Jim Pierson, Director of Planning and Programming, stated that due to the expectations of the Caltrain Express Program, it would not be feasible to construct a pedestrian underpass at this time. If constructed now, when Caltrain Express arrived at that station, the pedestrian underpass would have to be removed.
Member Kasperzak asked whether or not grade-separated pedestrian access is being considered for the Mountain View Station. This is an inter-modal station that will also be included as a stopping point for Caltrain Express. Member Kasperzak stated that if grade-separated pedestrian access is not being considered as of now, it should be and placed into advanced planning stages. Member Kasperzak also stated that there is a citizen in their community that constantly expresses concern over safety issues at this station due to the fact that there is no grade-separated pedestrian access available.
Member Kasperzak asked if there is a way that staff could design a solution to the current problem with distance from the parking location to the station, at the San Antonio Road Station. He noted that the current underpass tunnel is the only way to access the north-bound side of the tracks and is so far away from the station. Further the problem is directly related to pedestrians crossing the tracks rather than crossing at the approved location and walking back up the other side of the street to the boarding platform. Member Kasperzak stated that the parking location is even further away than the San Antonio Station than the tunnel is from the San Antonio Station, so if you park there, you walk even further. He stated that this is very inconvenient for passengers. Member Kasperzak suggested considering moving the platform further south to accommodate the location of the current pedestrian underpass tunnel. Mr. Lightbody responded stating that he will have to speak to Caltrain about the problems and perhaps include them into the next stage of Caltrain planning for the implementation of Caltrain Express.
Member Risch requested assistance with a problem in Sunnyvale relating to no access for the housing development located to the rear of the station. A fence blocks access to the tracks and pedestrians cannot enter the station from the rear. Member Risch stated that citizens of the community want to find a solution to the problem. At one point, there was a hole made in the security fence allowing pedestrians to access the station from the rear by crossing the tracks.
Member Risch stated that there is a Tier 2 Bicycle Project in process called Sunnyvale Train Station North Side Access. He wanted to know how to coordinate that project with the current projects occurring in Sunnyvale related to the Caltrain station.
Member Risch also stated that the City of Sunnyvale is considering a pedestrian bridge retrofit project using federal funds. The current pedestrian over-crossing bridge in Sunnyvale on Mathilda Avenue is not ADA-compliant and the city is considering retrofitting the bridge.
Member Risch asked staff to consider combining all of the projects and funds available for them, into creating a pedestrian underpass to the Caltrain station. He felt that a pedestrian underpass could provide a solution to all three of the current problems and projects he mentioned.
Member Risch asked staff about the status of building enhanced bus shelters at the Plaza in Sunnyvale next to the Caltrain station. He stated that he understood that all funds available for building the parking garage associated with this project were allocated and that there is no money left to build the enhanced bus shelters.
Mr. Lightbody responded stating that there is some CODE money left over, approximately $70,000 dollars available, that could be used for the bus shelters. Member Risch stated that would not be enough given the original cost estimates and that he would like to receive more information on this subject. He stated that the City of Sunnyvale is looking to VTA or Caltrain to fund the construction of the bus shelters.
Mr. Lightbody reviewed the proposed changes for the Lawrence Street Station. He stated that staff will utilize the 1996 Measure B money along with Caltrain funds to install new boarding platforms and to replace the pedestrian overpass bridge with a pedestrian underpass. Staffs proposal will be to supplement the Caltrain project with the 1996 Measure B money to provide for parking improvements and bus shuttle improvements. Mr. Lightbody stated that VTA has an agreement to transfer 1996 Measure B funds to Caltrain to implement the improvements. There will be $6.6 million of 1996 Measure B money transferred to Caltrain to improve the station and perform track work. Mr. Lightbody also stated that VTA will acquire a small piece of property to supplement the parking for this project.
Mr. Lightbody reviewed the changes planned for the Santa Clara Station. He stated that due to the expansion of the station requirements with the introduction of BART and other projects, the station will have to be upgraded to a full inter-modal station with multiple platforms and pedestrian grade-separated access. Staff recommends that the 1996 Measure B money allotted for the station be used to do initial property acquisition and parking and shuttle improvements. This will be done to expand the parking and allow better place for the airport shuttle buses to stop and preserve the area.
Chairperson Mossar stated that there is no Trans-Link available at the Santa Clara station. She stated that over time staff needs to consider how to link shuttles and Caltrain together so that passengers do not end up missing a train scheduled to leave the Caltrain station because the shuttle bus was delayed. She stated that it is very frustrating to arrive at the station on the shuttle bus and watch the train pull away causing the passenger to be delayed for a long time as they wait for the next train to arrive.
Mr. Lightbody reviewed the proposed changes for the San Jose/Diridon Station. Mr. Lightbody stated that staff recommends that no 1996 Measure B money be utilized at this station at this time. The reason for this is that there are a number of parking needs to be addressed with the introduction of BART to this location and other funding will need to be secured. With the overall needs of the system and the near term concerns staff has recommended shifting the money to other projects.
Mr. Lightbody reviewed the proposed changes for the Tamien station, and stated that staff proposes to do a small project to upgrade lighting and improve visibility and signage. He further indicated that there is a Transportation for Livable Communities (TLC) grant proceeding and an attempt will be made to get outside money to help complete the project.
Mr. Lightbody reviewed the changes planned for the stations on the South County portion of the system. Originally, staff had very specific improvements at each station. However, in terms of boarding platforms and other adjustments, it appears best to fold any funding for the platforms into track improvements, depending on which platform to improve and what track improvements were made. Under the revised plan, rather than having individual allocations for each station, the entire South County portion is grouped together into a South County improvement project that would include track and station work as needed. Mr. Lightbody also stated that when any additions to stations in South County are made, staff may have to be prepared to put in pedestrian underpasses and since there is a freight train track in the area that may force staff to construct a pedestrian underpass. He also warned that boarding platforms will be more expensive to construct due to the pedestrian under-crossings.
Member Sellers stated that the City of Morgan Hill is considering additional development on the east side of the Caltrain tracks. He inquired about the approximate cost of installing a pedestrian underpass. It would cost approximately $4.8 million relative to install a pedestrian underpass in the City of Palo Alto. The distance in the Morgan Hill area for the pedestrian underpass to cross the tracks is shorter, so the figure may be closer to the $2-3 million-dollar range.
Mr. Lightbody reviewed the projects scheduled for the Coyote Valley area. Originally there was state funding for constructing a new station in the Coyote Valley. Now development of this area is not going forward, so a station is not needed. Chairperson Mossar wanted to know what happens to funding programmed for that portion of the planned system improvements. Mr. Lightbody stated that VTA is attempting to legislatively re-program the money.
Mr. Lightbody discussed the system improvements for the San Martin station. Staff is proposing a small project to acquire property and add parking to this location. There is a delay with the project and referred the Members to Mr. Pierson. VTA has possession of the property, but there is a problem associated with the actual sale price of the property. The matter may have to be settled in court.
Mr. Lightbody went on to state that when the property is developed, it will be a paved lot with no fancy design features so as to reduce the cost of the project.
Mr. Pierson stated that traffic congestion in the area on Highway 101 has been reduced and Caltrain ridership has dropped dramatically due to the change in the economy. The VTA gravel parking lot that currently exists at the San Martin Station will be subsidized by this newly constructed better parking facility that will be located across the street with better lighting and pavement. VTA will work with the County Roads Department to produce a facility with improved lighting and improved pedestrian crossing features. The money from the 1996 Measure B program will be used to widen San Martin Avenue and be combined with $300,000 from the County Roads Department.
Mr. Lightbody reviewed the changes planned for the Gilroy Station. He stated that last year they opened a transit center and expanded the parking facilities. There were plans to fund additional parking facilities, but currently staff is not considering expanding parking facilities at the Gilroy Station.
Mr. Lightbody reviewed the plans for the overall South County Expansion Project. The current plan is to go from 8 trains or 4 round-trips up to 20 trains or 10 round-trips. Staff has received approval by UPRR to add the fifth round-trip. VTA is relying on the funding of partners to provide for the operational costs. Even though ridership and demand is down, the intent is to go forward and negotiate with the railroad to expand service. With the current funding available in the plan we will be able to move forward with the fifth train and possibly add a sixth or seventh train to the current service level. It will be difficult to reach the initial proposed level of 20 trains due to the fact that there are no more reverse trains and no need to add trains for Coyote Valley development. Staff is negotiating with the railroad however, it is difficult to put together an agreement on these services.
Mr. Lightbody reported that staff will be going forward to fund the second track from Tamien to Lick. Staff will continue to work with UPRR to get additional trains on line. Staff will reserve $73 million for this portion of the plan and will utilize external and state funding to complete. There is a complaint from UPRR that the section of track from Santa Clara to San Jose is currently a constraint to the overall railroad system due to track capacity (one track available, one train at a time on the track).
Mr. Lightbody stated that VTA would consider using the 1996 Measure B funding for track work between Santa Clara and San Jose, if UPRR would see that as a more critical bottleneck, then the portion of track from San Jose to Diridon as originally proposed. Mr. Lightbody stated that an agreement has to be met with UPRR before committing any funds.
Mr. Lightbody stated that the reduced amount of 1996 Measure B money allocated is still significant enough to fund the number of improvements suggested.
Member Sellers asked about the status of negations with UPRR and commented that he was encouraged to hear that the railroad is interested in having some track expansion work done. He asked the status of negotiations with the railroad and in relation to expansion of service for the South County. Mr. Pierson answered Member Sellers advising him that this is being addressed at a congressional level and a summary is being put together.
Chairperson Mossar asked staff if all of the recent projects in the City of Palo Alto means that other projects will be denied in the future when requested. Mr. Pierson responded by stating that Palo Alto is the busiest station in the system next to San Francisco. The ridership at the station is very high. The transit center for the Palo Alto station is overdue. The main thing to do at the California Avenue station is to overcome the hold-out rule. He also stated that staff is trying to balance the needs of the system on a geographic scale equally. He also stated that other projects will lead to other improvements in the system and several programs are being conducted at the same time such as Caltrain Express and the overall Caltrain Capital Program. The 2000 Measure A money has been allocated and VTA Board of Directors will deal with that and prioritize it with other items in the 30-year plan.
Mr. Lighbody stated that part of the plan developed by staff was based on the recommendations from Caltrain. Mr. Pierson stated that the plan responds better to Caltrains requests and to community input.
Mr. Lightbody presented an overview of the staffs recommendation for support of the overall Caltrain Capital Program. He mentioned there are obvious budget constraints now in effect. The overall cost is shared in thirds among the three partners. Most of the program is funded with federal grant funds covering 80 percent of the costs and local matching is provided by partner agencies. The total for VTA is approximately $4-7 million per year provided to the program out of VTAs local budget. As a result of the VTAs budget constraints, staff recommends that a portion of the money from the 1996 Measure B funds be used to support projects in jeopardy of being lost due to VTA not being able to provide their portion of the funding. Many of the projects are important for the overall improvement to go forward, such as replacing the track in Santa Clara County and the maintenance facility to support the expanded service. Mr. Lightbody stated that staff recommends making a portion of the 1996 Measure B funding available over the next three years to complete the projects. This amount would total approximately $10.8 million.
Chairperson Mossar asked about the decision to cut the plan to introduce electrification to the Caltrain system. Mr. Pierson stated that the plan for electrification is actually part of the current Caltrain Capital Program. He further stated that VTA is looking at its resources to see what can be committed to Caltrain, assuming that the funds planned for electrification become available since electrification is not going forward at this time. VTA would be able to commit $2.5 million from the 1996 Measure B Program to match a number of capital project grants. Staff plans to swap some grant money to be able to contribute another $2 million totaling approximately $4.5 million. That money would match all of the grants that Caltrain has and move their entire capital program forward as they proposed except for one element the preliminary engineering of electrification. VTAs share for this year for electrification would be $2.8 million. Another amount next year would be due. And in 2004 the need to produce larger amounts of money would become necessary to support the program of electrification. VTA has decided that they cannot support the preliminary engineering of electrification at this point in time until all three funding partners have their share of the overall project in place in a reasonable timeframe. VTA Board of Directors will have to prioritize the money available for the 2000 Measure A, and there is money available within that for VTAs share of the electrification project. Until these events take place, staff feels that it may be premature for committing to this (planning for electrification) if it is something that may be put on the shelf for several years and staff cannot afford to have the money sitting there.
Andy Chow, interested citizen, made a presentation to the PAB addressing several issues. He praised staff for their efforts related to upgrades for the system. He asked if the improvements scheduled for California Avenue will be conducted during the weekend shut-down window already planned. He suggested fixing the bottleneck associated with the portion of the track between Santa Clara and Diridon station. He also praised staff for their efforts on parking and safety improvements.
Mr. Lightbody stated that if the PAB is comfortable with the recommendations made, the next step would be to present to the VTA Board of Directors at the meeting on June 7, 2002 a joint workshop meeting between the VTA Board of Directors and the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors. Mr. Pierson stated that both Boards, the VTA Board of Directors and the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors, must approve the recommended Caltrain Plan.
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