Groundwork laid for bullet train link | Recordnet.com
Groundwork laid for bullet train link
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By Zachary K. Johnson
Record Staff Writer
May 09, 2009 6:00 AM
STOCKTON - State and local transportation officials struck a deal this week to one day upgrade rail service connecting the Central Valley to the Bay Area, paving the way to tap into a planned high-speed rail system linking Northern and Southern California.
This new corridor would house both the Altamont Commuter Express train and a supplement spur of a planned bullet train running up and down the spine of the state.
The California High Speed Rail's mainline is set to enter the Bay Area further south through the Pacheco Pass, but the new Altamont spur will boost regional transportation and still tie into the system promising to take travelers to Los Angeles at speeds exceeding 200 miles per hour.
There are no dates for when regional trains will start rolling, but environmental studies are under way.
This week the California High Speed Rail Authority and the San Joaquin Regional Rail Commission agreed to work together to develop that new rail corridor through the pass. Officials said it could enhance and expand the ACE line connecting Stockton to San Jose and further link the rapidly growing Valley to jobs throughout the Bay Area.
"This is great news for the Central Valley," said Assemblywoman Cathleen Galgiani, D-Livingston, whose district includes part of San Joaquin County. She has authored both pending and past high-speed rail legislation, including a bill that last year opened up funding for the Altamont corridor as part of a $10 billion measure passed by voters in November.
The Northern California branches of the main high-speed rail line will terminate in San Francisco and Sacramento. The San Francisco leg crosses into the Valley near Los Banos. Northern San Joaquin Valley officials would have liked to see that spur cross through the Altamont, but local officials are happy about the planned supplemental spur through the Altamont.
The agreement would improve ACE service by allowing trains to run on new, agency-owned tracks used for passenger rail only, regional rail officials said. ACE trains currently run on privately owned track shared with freight trains.
The plan is that both ACE trains and future high-speed rail trains would travel along the new corridor, connecting to other transportation systems. One idea is to connect to a planned Bay Area Rapid Transit extension in Livermore, officials said.
The ultimate goal is to have high-speed trains on electrified tracks, though the terrain through the hills would prevent the trains from reaching the more than 200 miles per hour the trains could reach on the system's proposed main line, said Brian Schmidt, planning director at the Regional Rail Commission.
Just where new regional rail stops might sprout in the East Bay depends on where the job growth is, Executive Director Stacey Mortenson said.
"Wherever the numbers are, ... we'll send the train there."
Development is possible because the Rail Commission and the High-Speed Rail Authority are working in tandem, she said. The memorandum of understanding is just the first of many that will increase in specifics, she said.
Environmental planning is currently under way and is expected to continue for at least another 12 months, she said.
Contact reporter Zachary K. Johnson at (209) 546-8258 or zjohnson@recordnet.com.
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