What to
Do
Using Federal Grants
in the Near-Term
CHSRA was able to win over $3 billion in
federal grants, which come with a very tight deadline:
funds must be spent by 2017. We believe the CHSRA will not
be able to meet the requirements of Proposition 1A
to qualify for bond funding with its current 130-mile Central
Valley project, and will lose these funds. The following
proposal is intended to be able to qualify to quickly
use those funds under amendments to the grant
agreements. It is based on the Senate Transportation and
Housing Committee’s July 2012 An Alternative Strategy for Developing
High-Speed Rail Service in
California, which provided a Plan B if the
Legislature did not authorize the use of Prop 1A bonds
that month. This project list is consistent with its
Principles Governing High-Speed Rail Funding, with these
exceptions: 1). The Madera-Fresno HSR project is dropped
in favor of improving the existing San Joaquin Corridor
and 2). Caltrain electrification and Los
Angeles-Palmdale improvements are deferred until clarity
can be achieved on the future of HSR. This list is
partly based on the State Rail Plan.
These projects are incremental HSR-compatible improvements
to the statewide passenger rail network, which will
cost-effectively build ridership, demonstrate demand for
HSR and restore public confidence in the State’s role in
passenger rail. Most segments would ultimately be upgraded
to become part of the HSR main line, while the San Joaquin
Corridor would greatly improve service to Central Valley
cities at a modest cost and little disruption, tying into
the HSR north-south main line for one-seat trips to Los
Angeles and the Bay Area. While the proposed near-term
projects are all essential elements of a future statewide
HSR network (with the exception of the bus platforms),
accessing Prop. 1A bond funds may require voter approval of
modifications to the bond measure.
Improve existing intercity corridors (Amtrak California
service), aiming at double track with a speed of at least
110 mph (with more tracks where necessary)
* Build projects to increase speed and reliability on the
San Joaquin Corridor ($1.7 billion) from Sacramento to
Bakersfield
* Build projects to increase speed and reliability on the
Surfliner Corridor ($1.7 billion) from San Diego to San
Luis Obispo
Make near-term
improvements in LA, OC and Bay Area
* LA
run-through tracks ($400 million)
* Build grade separations for the 3 most dangerous rail
crossings in LA-Anaheim segment ($264 million)
* Caltrain Downtown Extension ($1.1 of $2.5 billion total
cost.)
Speed up the bus connection between LA and Bakersfield
* Fill in the
inexpensive portions of the California rail network’s gap:
Extend San Joaquin tracks south from Bakersfield via Arvin
branch to Wheeler Ridge
* Install level boarding from bus to rail at Wheeler Ridge
and Santa Clarita to speed up loading
* Contract for Metrolink trains to meet buses at Santa
Clarita
* Buy new high-capacity bus fleet with roll-on handicapped
access
Building
HSR
TRANSDEF believes that no new corridors should be built
without a private partner directing their development. New
corridors would therefore be economically feasible without
operating subsidies, or they won't be built. We think the
Pre-Development Agreement process offers the optimal way to
select a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) private partner
experienced in operating passenger rail. The PPP private
partner should be offered bond funding for the
environmental/planning process.
New routes that will be part of the future HSR system
should be planned and built in the following order:
* Grapevine
connection from Bakersfield to LA, to be shared with San
Joaquin trains
* Altamont connection to Bay Area, to be shared with San
Joaquin trains
* High-speed connection between LA and Bay Area on
I-5