Feds to reveal who gets bullet train money this winter (Source: Central Valley Business Times)

Link: Central Valley Business Times

Feds to reveal who gets bullet train money this winter


WASHINGTON, D.C.
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October 6, 2009 12:51pm

• All grants to be announced at same time

• ‘Our selections will be merit-based’

California will have to wait until sometime this winter to find out if it will get $4.5 billion in stimulus money to help pay for the state’s proposed bullet train.

If built, it would whisk passengers through the Central Valley on a route connecting Los Angeles with San Francisco at speeds over 200 mph.

“Due to the overwhelming response and our desire to lay the groundwork for a truly national high-speed and intercity passenger rail program, we will be announcing all awards this winter,” says Federal Railroad Administration 
Administrator Joseph Szabo in a written statement Tuesday afternoon.

“Our selections will be merit-based and will reflect President Obama’s vision to remake America’s transportation landscape,” he says.

California’s request for $4.5 billion would be matched with money approved by state voters last year in a bond issue.

Mr. Szabo says there have been 45 applications for grant funding from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act for high-speed and intercity passenger rail programs from 24 states totaling approximately $50 billion to advance high-speed rail corridor programs and 214 applications from 34 states totaling $7 billion for corridor planning and smaller projects.

More Cowbell: Cheviot Hills Expo Line Meeting Wrap (Source: Curbed LA)

Link: Curbed LA: More Cowbell: Cheviot Hills Expo Line Meeting Wrap

More Cowbell: Cheviot Hills Expo Line Meeting Wrap

Tuesday, October 6, 2009, by Dakota

Curbed correspondent Sophie has long been covering public reaction to phase II of the Expo Line, the planned light rail line that'll extend from Culver City to Santa Monica, and files her report from last night's discussion, held at the Vista Del Mar Child and Family Services Center on Motor Avenue in Cheviot Hills.


Sophie reports: Well, it was another rambunctious round in Cheviot Hills for this series of community meetings regarding the EXPO Line Phase II. Last night's meeting featured mainstays such as the members of the Cheviot Hills Homeowners Association and Damien Goodmon [who has been vocal in his objections to some components of the line]. There was also the added perk of a cow bell interlude! Last night’s meeting was one of three around the Westside presented by EXPO to give an update on the project process. Most notably, discussion focused the refinements and changes made to the EXPO Phase II DEIR in response to all the comments (over 9200!) submitted last spring after the previous round of meetings. Additionally, EXPO has been trying to resolve some issues over which EXPO and DOT had disagreed on. The meeting began with Steve Polechronis, project manager for Phase II giving an update on EXPO planning. Later Goodmon would publicly question Polechronis over donations he made to various political officials. Good times.

Points made by Steve Polechronis included:

-Reviewing the proposed alignments and noting that ROW to Olympic is the recommended route.

-Explaining that EXPO’s grade crossing analysis is the same standard analysis done by Metro, and looks at factors such as safety, environmental issues, and potential traffic issues/delays. Polechronis also noted that it is the California Public Utilities Commission that will have final regulatory approval of the EXPO DEIR.

-Reviewed the grade crossing recommendations for the Phase II stations and said that, after further studies and counts, all stations remain with at-grade recommendations except for the following notations:

Centinela/Exposition – will be grade-separated due to Centinela’s ¼ mile break at Olympic. EXPO’s studies determined that it would be too much traffic stress to add an at-grade rail crossing to this disjointed portion of Centinela/Olympic.

Sepulveda/Exposition – EXPO is including in the design allowances for grade-separation BUT grade-separation will only occur if the added cost is funded by an outside source.

-Regarding concerns about overflow parking occurring in residential neighborhoods: EXPO did another round of counts at various proposed stations and found that street parking in most station neighborhoods is underutilized. EXPO will monitor parking after opening and, if required, implement measures such as permit parking, time restrictions, and meters to mitigate any overflow parking in the residential streets.

-Regarding noise/vibration concerns: Polechronis reiterated that EXPO is using national standards in assessing and planning noise issues for the LRT. He explained that a high-tech track work will be put in place to ensure the quiet passing of trains.

-The EXPO maintenance facility: Two locations, both in Santa Monica, are the proposed sites for the maintenance facility where EXPO trains will be repaired, stored, and washed. Polechronis also mentioned the importance of good architecture for the facility, and showed photos of working facilities in Charlotte and Denver.

-Regarding the bikeway: While EXPO is designing the rail route to accommodate a bikeway, the bikeway is to be funded separately and its EIR requires a separate clearance from DOT and the city of Santa Monica. The hope is to secure bikeway funding and move along its EIR clearance so that it can be built simultaneously with the EXPO line.

-Next steps: The final EIR will be submitted for approval in January 2010. If approved and certified, design and construction will begin later in 2010, with anticipated service beginning in 2015.

Polechronis closed this portion of the meeting by showing a few nifty minute-long digital simulations of proposed stations, and one simulation of being on the train going from Overland to Sepulveda (it was like the Back to the Future ride!). Also shown was a real-time recording of the Gold Line crossing at Mission/Meridian in South Pasadena, to show how an intersection looks when a train passes through it (i.e. pedestrians were standing on the sidewalk corner and cars were waiting behind the lowered gates).

AND THE PEANUT GALLERY WEIGHS IN

After Polechronis’s presentation, the floor was opened up to Q&A from the audience (with 2 minute limits!). Always impassioned, many of the comments were equally addressed to Phase I concerns and intersections as they were Phase II. While many of the comments were those already extensively discussed (such as school safety, deaths on the Blue Line, grade separation), a few new topics and approaches worth mentioning did come up last night:

-One very curious gentleman asked if any ancient artifacts or coins have been found in the digging process of Phase I? And if so, will they be given to a museum, or perhaps displayed on EXPO’s website? Polechronis answered that the project does have an archaeologist on the team, and if anything is unearthed, the proper measures will be taken to preserve it.

-Helen Heller, member of Cheviot Hills for Smart Rail argued that if 1.7 miles of rail in the Gold Line extension (through Boyle Heights) could be grade-separated, then why not here? Is it because the Gold Line Extension got federal funds and EXPO Phase II did not? Ms. Heller suggested that instead of hiring a lobbyist, EXPO should have used that money to grade-separate.

ALLEGATIONS OF PANDERING TO OFFICIALS?

Next in line was Damien Goodmon, who asked: Why is Los Angeles, the most congested city in the nation, getting at-grade stations? Damian also asked Polechronis about contributions he gave to City Councilwoman Jan Perry and Mayor Villaraigosa while they were on the EXPO Board. Polechronis responded that “I live in this city and I support good folks I believe in.” (The circumstances of the contributions nor further info was not given.)

Lastly, Damian discussed environmental justice, noting something about EXPO will “kill one white kid [on the Westside] for every two kids in South LA,” however, this writer didn’t get the full context of the quote due to rising audience cacophony.

BACK TO THE AUDIENCE QUESTIONS

-A speaker asked about an increase in road rage due to the EXPO line. As people in cars get frustrated with having to wait for a train to cross, there is concern about escalating driver aggression and violence in the streets/intersections. Further, there was the related concern that ambulances and other emergency vehicles would not be able to reach their destinations due to trains impeding their way.

-One speaker brought up the fact that none of the stations indicate that they include public restrooms – this oversight will lead to an increase in public urination! (Really? Has this person walked down any street in Hollywood or downtown or Venice recently?)

-Musical interlude: The next speaker began speaking while simultaneously banging a cow bell with a small mallet, to simulate a noisy train crossing. Anti-rail supporters in the audience were laughing gleefully and applauding the cow bell, which continued throughout the two minutes of this speaker’s allotted time.

-Several speakers shared that they had visited Pasadena and spoke with residents living near the Gold Line, who said that they feel they have been misled by EXPO regarding noise issues. The Pasadena residents (as interviewed by these Cheviot Hills residents) said that they always have to keep their windows closed and that EXPO is not responsive to their concerns. A speaker proposed the logic chain that the LRT’s repetitive, continual noise = higher stress levels = increased blood pressure = heart attack = sudden death (!).

SOPHIE GETS THE HAIRY EYEBALL

A test of restraint and personal civility: After a Palms resident vocalized support for the EXPO line, yours truly clapped in support. A woman sitting in front of this writer turned around and hissed “Friends of Light Rail!?” The woman turned around again after a moment and asked this writer “So, how much did you guys pay that speaker to say something positive?” No. She. Didn’t.

-A rep from the Overland Elementary PTA presented over 100 letters from concerned parents regarding the effects of harmful airborne substances during construction of the EXPO line.

-Another bright side fact: a speaker asked about new jobs and commerce resulting from this project. Polechronis stated that during construction, there will be about 250 full time construction jobs over several years. Once complete, the maintenance facility will have approximately 90-95 full time employees.

ONE MORE TIME WITH THAT DONATION QUESTION

-Damian again – when all speakers had spoken, there was time for a few more comments and Damian went to the mic again with more info regarding Polechronis’ donations to Jan Perry and Mayor Villaraigosa. He said that Polechronis is on record for giving them $250 each, and noted the MTA statute that forbids giving any money to a board member. Again, the nature of the donations or further info was not clarified.

The meeting closed with a few more non-supporters emphasizing the theme of “build light rail right, or not at all.” Polechronis thanked everyone for coming and invited the audience to look at the renderings, maps, and diagrams at the back of the room.

California wants $4.7 billion in high-speed rail stimulus (Source: csmonitor.com)

Link: California wants $4.7 billion in high-speed rail stimulus | csmonitor.com

California wants $4.7 billion in high-speed rail stimulus
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has applied for more than half the $8 billion allotted for high-speed rail. State officials say California's plan is the most shovel-ready.
By Daniel B. Wood | Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor from the October 6, 2009 edition

Los Angeles - California's decade-old dream of a bullet train is inching closer to reality.

On Friday, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger applied for $4.7 billion of the roughly $8 billion of the federal stimulus funds set aside for high-speed rail projects.

The state has a good chance of snagging the money, say officials and some observers. With a high-speed rail authority formed as far back as 1996, California is further ahead in its plans than most states including in identifying key routes and completing design plans and environmental impact statements.

Most importantly, perhaps, state voters in November approved a $10 billion bond measure for a high-speed train line that guarantees the federal government that its investment will be matched dollar for dollar.

"They will get twice their investment back in jobs and economic stimulus in California," says Jeff Barker, deputy director for the California High Speed Rail Authority. Governor Schwarzenegger estimates California's plan can provide 130,000 of President Obama's goal of saving or creating 150,000 jobs through rail projects.

The state's high-speed rail plan aims to eventually run from San Francisco to Los Angeles in less than three hours, but initial phases include links from San Francisco to San Jose and Los Angeles to Anaheim.

Beating the competition

Still, California will face intense competition from other states, most notably from Florida, Wisconsin, Ohio, and Chicago.

Since the passage of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, 40 states have submitted 272 applications for high-speed rail grants, totaling $105 billion in projects, according to the US Public Interest Research Group. Mark Paustenbach, chief spokesman for US Department of Transportation, says announcements may be made within a month.

In April, Mr. Obama announced a plan for a national high-speed rail network that identified 10 priority intercity rail corridors, including California, the Pacific Northwest, the Gulf Coast, Chicago Hub Network, Florida, and New England.

Vice President Biden raised Florida's hopes when, according to the Miami Herald, he told reporters June 3 that the state stood a good chance of securing stimulus money for two routes: Miami to Tampa via Orlando or Miami to Jacksonville via Orlando.

Florida has applied for $2.5 billion of the stimulus money.

However, most states' proposals are for trains with slower speeds, such as Virginia's plan for a 90 miles per hour (m.p.h.) train, says Mr. Baker. California touts its project as "the only true high-speed train," with top speeds close to 220 m.p.h.

"Most other states are just talking of getting their existing Amtrak lines up to 125 m.p.h. capabilities," says Barker. "We don't think that's what the President is shooting for."

And while Florida has done a lot of studies and ground work on a high-speed rail system in the past, the state agency's application is the first concrete move since Gov. Jeb Bush (R) cut off funding for the idea in 1999, he says.

California's advantages

By contrast, "California is already much further along in knowing exactly where its routes will go, down to within 10 ft., and we already have our programmatic EIR [Environment Impact Review] completed," says Emily Rusch, state director at the California Public Interest Group (CALPIRG).

Planning and engineering for an 800-mile system has been creeping forward in California for more than 13 years, the initial routes of which include Los Angeles to Anaheim, San Francisco to San Jose and the Central Valley, and Merced to Bakersfield.

There is also high public support. The bond measure was placed on the ballot by an unusual bipartisan coalition of more than two-thirds of the legislature and with strong support from Schwarzenegger. The $40 billion-plus price tag sounds ominous in shaky financial times, but proponents claim alternatives are twice that cost.

"Labor, business, environmental and government leaders across the state are united in support of this historic proposal because it would lay the foundation for California's 21st century transportation system, create nearly 130,000 jobs and improve our mobility, quality of life and environment," said Schwarzenegger in a statement Friday.

The train system is not just a luxury, he and others argue. California expects to see its population grow by 13.5 million within 20 years, resulting in 90 million to 115 million more intercity or inter-regional trips. Without the train, supporting those travelers would require at least $82 billion in upgrades including 2,970 additional miles of freeway lanes, 90 new airport gates, and five new runways.

After tour, concerns remain about Expo impacts (Source: smdp.com)

Link: After tour, concerns remain about Expo impacts

After tour, concerns remain about Expo impacts
By Melody Hanatani

LAWNDALE — There was screeching and honking and other noises expected of a maintenance facility for electric trains.

They were the sounds that a group of residents from the Pico Neighborhood described hearing during a recent visit to the MTA Green Line's rail yard in Lawndale, a tour arranged by the Exposition Construction Authority to show first hand what life can be like next to such a facility.

The tours to the Green Line's maintenance yard in the South Bay and the Gold Line's in Pasadena last week were organized in response to concerns from residents in the Pico Neighborhood that the proposal to place a facility on Exposition Boulevard at Stewart Street would impact their quality of life, fearing disruption from activity that will include washing the trains and testing the horns.

The maintenance facility in Lawndale was built in the 1990s in an industrial area on Aviation Boulevard, near an old U.S. Air Force storage site. A hotel and a condominium complex have since been developed next to it.

The Gold Line opened in 2003 and the maintenance yard surrounds the Los Angeles River, the 110 Freeway and the old L.A. jail.

Bulldog Realtors, Monica Born, the project director of Expo Phase II, which covers the route from Culver City to Santa Monica, said that residents rode the train from Chinatown to the Mission Station in South Pasadena where they saw what the at-grade crossings were like for automobiles and pedestrians, and observed how they all interacted.

"The Gold Line is similar to what we are proposing," she said. "It's about the same number of vehicles stored there and the Gold Line was built more recently than the Green Line so they got to see a little up-to-date technology as far as the train system and maintenance facility."

Oscar de la Torre, a long-time resident of the Pico Neighborhood and a member of the school board, said the situation in Santa Monica is different from the Green Line in that the neighbors of the facility in Lawndale chose to move in knowing that there was a maintenance yard already there.

"The price of the condo is probably not as much because they were moving in next to the maintenance yard," he said. "There was a choice."

The current proposal in Santa Monica is to spread the facility over several properties on Exposition Boulevard, including on the Verizon site, the Santa Monica College parking lot and the a portion of the City Yards, separating the building from the residents with a 120-foot linear buffer, behind which would be the car wash, storage tracks, train-washing facility and traction power station.

Alan Quinn, a proponent of light rail who has lived in the neighborhood for 38 years, said he tried to go into the tour with an open mind, not sure of what to expect.

The bottom line is that there will be a lot of noise coming from the maintenance facility and there should be a plan to enclose it if located near residences, Quinn said.

He also had concerns with the screech of the trains as they rounded tight corners, which Expo officials said will not be an issue in Santa Monica because the configuration would be more open.

"If they house the facility and all of the work is done inside a single building or even two buildings and if we agree that it's the best location, then I think it will work if it's enclosed," Quinn said.

Quinn still believes that the facility would be better left outside of the neighborhood and hopes that MTA officials will consider one of more than 40 locations that were previously studied as candidates.

There were several city officials who also joined the tour, including Councilman Richard Bloom who said he was pleasantly surprised to find that the impact on the residents next door was relatively minimal.

He spoke with several of the neighbors who had concerns about the screeching from the tight curve.

But the residents said they were not willing to move because of it.

"Our job from the council perspective is we need to look at the last remaining options but from what we know right now, it appears that our city staff has left no stone unturned trying to find a site elsewhere," Bloom said. "It would be frankly in Santa Monica's best interest all the way around economic and otherwise if we were able to find a site in an industrial zone outside of the city of Santa Monica."

Born said she will take the community's concerns and include them in the environmental impact report, which is expected to be certified as final in January. Expo officials also plan to return to the City Council later this month to further discuss the layout of the proposed maintenance yard.

She added that the maintenance facility will be enclosed but the track storage portion will be open. While enclosing the entire facility is possible, she said it's not needed because the impacts can be otherwise mitigated.

de la Torre believes that the noises cannot be 100 percent mitigated.

"It's impossible unless you cover the whole thing with thick walls and sound barriers," he said. "Everything becomes an issue of it's too expensive to mitigate noise. I translate that as it's the people in the community that will be impacted and they aren't worth the investment to make this work."

melodyh@smdp.com

More Public Meetings about Public Transit: A Train from Downtown to LAX to the Southbay to Long Beach? (Source: LAist)

Link: More Public Meetings about Public Transit: A Train from Downtown to LAX to the Southbay to Long Beach? - LAist

More Public Meetings about Public Transit: A Train from Downtown to LAX to the Southbay to Long Beach?


Just a portion of the potential route, marked in Yellow | Map via Metro

Are you worn out on public transportation meetings this month? Let's recap before we get to the latest. Current and upcoming meetings soliciting public feedback include the city's draft bicyle plan, the Crenshaw Line to LAX, bus lanes on Wilshire and major improvements to the Rosa Parks Station where the Blue and Green lines cross.

And now this.

Metro today announced a series of meetings about the Harbor Subdivision Transit Corridor Project, which covers a 26-mile freight rail corridor between Vernon and Wilmington in Los Angeles that b-lines through the Southbay (see a PDF map here). Possible connections could extend the line into downtown and Long Beach.

A dedicated busway, light rail and commuter rail are among the modes being studied in addition to the possibility of making no improvements or tweaking traffic patterns. Input gathered at a series of public meetings last Spring along with further study and analysis will be presented at five meetings later this month:

October 19, 2009 (11 a.m. - 1 p.m.) Metropolitan Water District, Room 2-145, 700 N. Alameda St., Los Angeles

October 19, 2009 (6-8 p.m.) Lawndale Community Center Annex, 14616-1/2 Grevillea Ave., Lawndale

October 20, 2009 (6-8 p.m.) Carson Community Center, 801 E. Carson St., Carson

October 21, 2009 (6-8 p.m.) Jackie Robinson Academy Auditorium, 2750 Pine Ave., Long Beach

October 22, 2009 (6-8 p.m.) Hyde Park-Miriam Matthews Library, 2205 Florence Ave., Los Angeles
user-pic
By Zach Behrens in News on October 6, 2009 3:40 PM

Group Claims Expo Rail Line Is ‘Deadly’ (Source: Santa Monica Dispatch)

Santa Monica Dispatch » Blog Archive » Group Claims Expo Rail Line Is ‘Deadly’

Group Claims Expo Rail Line Is ‘Deadly’
By: Peggy Clifford
Published: October 4th, 2009

The following statement was issued Friday by Citizens’ Campaign to Fix the Expo Rail Line.

MTA board members are claiming that in comparison to their Metrolink peers their rail safety policies are worthy of praise. Not true says a prominent Southern California rail safety advocacy group.

“Comparing the rail safety of Metrolink to MTA is like comparing Ted Bundy to John Wayne Gacy,” said Damien Goodmon, coordinator of the MTA watchdog group Citizens’ Campaign to Fix the Expo Rail Line (”Fix Expo Campaign”). “Metrolink is among the nation’s deadliest commuter rail systems, and MTA is the nation’s deadliest light rail system. They are different sides of the same coin and share the same failed rail safety culture that has led to scores of preventable deaths on Southland tracks.”

The Federal Transit Administration’s 2007 light rail safety statistics indicate that the national average for light rail accidents is 7.2 per million train miles traveled. Yet the same year, the MTA’s Los Angeles-to-Long Beach Blue Line, the nation’s deadliest at 94 deaths and over 836 accidents, averaged 19.9 accidents per million train miles traveled – over 275% higher than the national average. The fatality rate of the MTA light rail line, in which 225-ton trains travel up to 35 and 55 mph, is far more daunting. There have been some years in the past few when nearly half of all light rail deaths in the country were on MTA’s tracks, which are under the regulation of the California Public Utilities Commission.

Goodmon continued, “MTA claims Blue Line accidents have gone down since the ’90s, but the reality is they went down across the board, because earlier this decade the FTA changed the reporting standards for light rail accidents. It may be good public relations strategy for MTA to spin this as ‘improvement,’ but human beings are still being killed at the same high rate, and service is still being disrupted.”

MTA’s quarterly report indicates that the Blue Line killed 61 people in its first 12 years of operation, from 1990 to 2002. In the six years from 2002 to 2008, 30 more people were fatally wounded. “They’re killing people at the same rate today as they were in the beginning,” said Clint Simmons, the Public Safety Committee Chair of the West Adams Neighborhood Council, where the controversial Dorsey High School crossing on the under construction Downtown-to-Culver City Expo Line Phase 1 is located.

Statistics by the American Public Transportation Association indicate that in 2002 when the Blue Line led the nation with 61 deaths. Comparatively, the second deadliest light rail system in that span of time, which had more riders and more track miles, fatally wounded 22.

“We called the Blue Line ‘Death Row,’” said former MTA light rail operator Lester Hollins. At a community forum held at Dorsey H.S., Hollins told the crowd his MTA superiors reprimanded him for stopping his Blue Line train to pick up a toddler who had wandered on the tracks through a hole in the fence.

For the past two years, the Fix Expo Campaign, which collaborates with internationally renowned and respected experts in rail safety and vehicular accident causation, has submitted numerous public records requests for MTA to produce their accident reports. “They’ve stonewalled,” said Goodmon. “MTA just gives the number of accidents and deaths the FTA requires they report, not specifics about potential cause, age of victims or anything substantive about each individual incident. This is in stark contrast to Metrolink, where every accident is put on the Federal Railroad Administration’s safety website and the public can view the age of victims, preliminary determined cause, location, time, etc.,” said Goodmon.

“MTA claims they can’t give us the info because of potential lawsuits,” said Simmons. “That says a lot about how bad MTA’s system is if they’ve got to hide records from the public. And by the way how can it be litigiously okay for Metrolink to make the data available on the web, but not MTA?”

Goodmon continued: “MTA knows our intent is to illustrate for the world that they are making the same mistakes today on the Expo Line in South LA as they were when they designed the Blue Line: putting tracks down in the middle of highly congested areas without ‘grade separation.’” Grade separation involves the train entering a trench or going over the street on a bridge.

MTA’s statistics indicate that the most accident-prone portions of the Blue Line are where the 225-ton train operates with no gates. “92% of all vehicular accidents and 76% of total accidents occur at crossings with no gates,” said Goodmon. “Yet, 40 of the 45 street-level crossings on the under construction Expo Line Phase 1, have no crossing gates including Crenshaw, Vermont, Western and Normandie, and only one street-level crossing has them on the under construction 6 mile Eastside Extension.” MTA’s own study predicts the Expo Line will be involved in 52 accidents per year.

“They’re repeating the same mistakes, so obviously the number of light rail accidents is going to go up,” said Hollins. “You or someone you know will experience tragedy because of the MTA’s new street-level tracks.”

“They’ll be spared in Culver City, where the city demanded and MTA provided the money to build the train there without a single street-level crossing,” said Carol Tucker of the Baldwin Neighborhood Homeowners Association.

In a hearing before the California Public Utilities Commission, Russ Quimby, the former national chairman of all rail accident investigations for the National Transportation Safety Board, testified regarding planned Expo Line street-level crossings, “If the crossings at Farmdale (near Dorsey High School) and Western (near Foshay Middle School) don’t qualify for a grade separation from a safety perspective, then no crossing would.” Yet MTA has decided not to put the train underground or elevated at Western, and though directed by the CPUC to grade separate, is reapplying to run the train at street level at Dorsey HS.

“The first issue is why hasn’t MTA gone back and put the deadliest light rail train in the country in a trench like the Alameda corridor or in the air like the Green Line in El Segundo so they can stop killing people,” said Goodmon. “The second issue is how are they getting away with repeating this unsafe design on new lines in South LA and on the Eastside? These are the primary reasons we’ve called for a Congressional investigation into MTA’s planning practices and policies.”

Tucker continued: “One has to wonder if the deadliest light rail line in the country was rolling through Hancock Park, Miracle Mile, Beverly Hills and Century City, whether MTA would get away with calling their system ’safe,’ let alone spending money on new projects. But because these accidents are occurring in Watts and Compton instead of West Hollywood and Culver City there is no outcry – they have no shame.”

# # #

* The Citizens’ Campaign to Fix the Expo Rail Line (Fix Expo Campaign) is a collaboration between over a dozen South LA community groups, neighborhood councils and homeowners association, civil rights leaders and rail safety advocates. As part of their request that MTA build train underpasses or train overpasses on the currently proposed street-level Expo Line, the group has highlighted the criticism by several rail safety experts, transportation safety experts, and former MTA rail operators, including but not limited to: Prof. Meshkati; Russ Quimby, the former National Transportation Safety Board Chairman of All-Railroad Accident Investigations; Ed Ruszak, national expert in vehicle accident causation; along with former MTA Blue Line operators.

Our View: Gold Line taking bidders (Source: SGVTribune.com)

Link: Our View: Gold Line taking bidders - SGVTribune.com

Our View: Gold Line taking bidders
Posted: 10/04/2009 06:14:39 PM PDT

The old adage "if you want something done right, do it yourself" could be the new philosophy of the Gold Line Foothill Extension Authority.

And that can be both bad and good.

It is still waiting for the shovel-ready project - a 24-mile extension from east Pasadena to Claremont - to be funded at least for the first half to the Azusa/Glendora border. Despite promises from Metro that they will be partners, there has been no sealed commitment.

On Tuesday, it asked for private contractors to provide $150 million in seed money to fast-track the extension's first leg.

It's good that the agency is not sitting on its hands. The interest it generated from top-notch engineering firms such as Parsons and Jacobs speaks highly of the project. It also sends a message to the balky Metropolitan Transportation Authority that real firms are looking to spend real dollars and create thousands of real jobs if it would just do as it promised last year and commit the Measure R sales tax dollars for construction of the Gold Line foothill extension's first leg.

While we share in the agency's frustration, we are concerned that this go-it-alone attitude could backfire. We reiterate that the project needs Metro's support. Which is why we are once again urging the Metro board to place the project in the agency's Long Range Transportation Plan, and commit the $875 million from the half-cent sales tax San Gabriel Valley residents are currently paying.

We would take this concern further and say the Metro board's decision last month doesn't make supporters of this project breathe any easier. That is, the board moved to place the Westside subway (the "Subway to the Sea") and the Downtown Regional Connector projects on the federal New Starts funding list. Note the absence of the Gold Line, which would need federal dollars for completion of the second phase to Claremont, possibly to Montclair and eventually to Ontario International Airport. Again, without arguing the merits of those two projects, it's clear that they are not nearly as far along in terms of planning, engineering and land acquisition as the Gold Line Foothill. The two will only be available for federal funding five to eight years down the line, while the Gold Line is ready now. Would the MTA risk missing out entirely on upcoming federal New Start funding just to push two pet projects that are not yet qualified?

Those are real concerns of the San Gabriel Valley cities, the regional chambers of commerce and the local construction unions who want to see the project funded starting in 2010, and not by 2019 as the MTA has suggested.

Again, we share the construction authority's frustration with Metro. We see its attempts to secure some private dollars - if only as a loan - as an indication of the project's viability. It is also a reminder of the Gold Line's past: It took break-away legislation by then state Sen. Adam Schiff to create the funding for the existing Los Angeles-to-Pasadena Gold Line. If it did it once on its own, it could do it again.

High-speed rail plan may alter landscape (Source: The Daily Breeze)

Link: High-speed rail plan may alter landscape - The Daily Breeze

High-speed rail plan may alter landscape
From news services
Posted: 10/03/2009 08:23:03 PM PDT

The devil may be in the details for California's ambitious high-speed rail plans now that the public has a chance to see specific alternative plans for $2.19 billion worth of new bridges, tunnels, and right-of-way widening along the existing rail tracks between Los Angeles and Anaheim.

Communities that are now bisected by side-by-side tracks would see six or seven parallel train tracks traverse their cities by 2020, with some of them elevated on towers or depressed in trenches, according to plans released Friday by state planners.

On Friday, attention was focused on Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and other dignitaries when they announced they were filing formal requests for federal high- speed train dollars to match the $9.95 billion in bond funds pledged by California voters in 2008.

But the bigger news may have been the release of specific plans by rail builders to wedge in two 120-mph rail tracks atop the busiest rail corridor in the West Coast, already overburdened by multiple daily Metrolink, Amtrak and freight movements.

Rail planners Friday released preliminary alternatives to be studied in an environmental review, before tracks are laid between 2012 and 2020. They propose using separate pairs of rail tracks for the new high-speed trains, for the existing Amtrak Surfliner and Metrolink commuters trains, and for freight operations.

The same rail route is already used by about 30 passenger trains per day, plus dozens of lumbering, lengthy freight trains heading toward the ports near Long Beach. The study envisions passenger service every 30 minutes on the existing Metrolink rails, in addition to high-speed trains zipping from L.A. to Anaheim in just 20 minutes.

Amtrak and Metrolink trains, however, would need special equipment to share tracks with freight trains, and all those engines would need to be using computerized train dispatch systems that have not been approved by the Federal Railroad Administration, the study notes. If such sharing is not possible, seven separate tracks would be necessary: two for high-speed, three for freight, and two for existing Amtrak/Metrolink service.

The area around Los Angeles Union Station, already a jumble of subways, rail tracks and elevated light-rail trains, would get six new tracks high above the Hollywood (101) Freeway. These new bridges would carry existing passenger trains and the new high-speed service south from the station, over the freeway, and then east toward the Los Angeles River, then on toward either Anaheim or new tracks to San Diego via Riverside.

The 80-year-old Union Station would see new passenger platforms built 30 feet above the existing tracks, at a cost of nearly $600 million, and a pedestrian concourse of some sort built above that. The alternative of building a deep, subterranean station, below the new Red Line subway station, would cost $2.3 billion and was rejected as impractical.

But the "high aerial" train platforms at Union Station mean the tracks heading north, toward San Francisco and Sacramento, will need to be elevated all the way north to the Pasadena (110) Freeway, according to the study, and will tower over historic landmark bridges over the Los Angeles River.

The study says mixing high-speed trains in with existing passenger rail would slow them down so much that it would not be practical, and that one high-speed train needs the same amount of empty track that nine existing trains occupy. As a result, the study says using separate sets of double tracks for high-

speed, freight, and existing passenger tracks is the only feasible alternative.

The plan envisions adding four tracks to the two existing, ground-level tracks between Los Angeles and Fullerton. In some places, four train tracks - two sets each for Metrolink and the high-speed rail - would be placed on elevated towers above the existing double tracks, which could be dedicated for freight trains.

Every rail crossing between Los Angeles and Anaheim would need to be rebuilt or altered significantly. Seven street crossings in Anaheim alone would be replaced with bridges, while three would be closed off.

Residential neighborhoods in Anaheim might be most affected by the new tracks, as the existing, 130-year-old railroad right of way there is only 50 feet wide, and numerous streets cross the tracks at grade level. A deep-bore tunnel for the high-speed tracks through Anaheim, which has numerous residences right next to the train tracks, is being studied.

A particular problem for rail planners are areas near the San Gabriel and Los Angeles rivers, where large and important rail freight yards, freeways and other key infrastructure are located. Tall fly-over bridges are being studied at those locations.

Plans have not been released yet for the tracks north of Glendale.

High-speed rail plan may alter landscape (Source: The Daily Breeze)

Link: High-speed rail plan may alter landscape - The Daily Breeze

High-speed rail plan may alter landscape
From news services
Posted: 10/03/2009 08:23:03 PM PDT

The devil may be in the details for California's ambitious high-speed rail plans now that the public has a chance to see specific alternative plans for $2.19 billion worth of new bridges, tunnels, and right-of-way widening along the existing rail tracks between Los Angeles and Anaheim.

Communities that are now bisected by side-by-side tracks would see six or seven parallel train tracks traverse their cities by 2020, with some of them elevated on towers or depressed in trenches, according to plans released Friday by state planners.

On Friday, attention was focused on Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and other dignitaries when they announced they were filing formal requests for federal high- speed train dollars to match the $9.95 billion in bond funds pledged by California voters in 2008.

But the bigger news may have been the release of specific plans by rail builders to wedge in two 120-mph rail tracks atop the busiest rail corridor in the West Coast, already overburdened by multiple daily Metrolink, Amtrak and freight movements.

Rail planners Friday released preliminary alternatives to be studied in an environmental review, before tracks are laid between 2012 and 2020. They propose using separate pairs of rail tracks for the new high-speed trains, for the existing Amtrak Surfliner and Metrolink commuters trains, and for freight operations.

The same rail route is already used by about 30 passenger trains per day, plus dozens of
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lumbering, lengthy freight trains heading toward the ports near Long Beach. The study envisions passenger service every 30 minutes on the existing Metrolink rails, in addition to high-speed trains zipping from L.A. to Anaheim in just 20 minutes.

Amtrak and Metrolink trains, however, would need special equipment to share tracks with freight trains, and all those engines would need to be using computerized train dispatch systems that have not been approved by the Federal Railroad Administration, the study notes. If such sharing is not possible, seven separate tracks would be necessary: two for high-speed, three for freight, and two for existing Amtrak/Metrolink service.

The area around Los Angeles Union Station, already a jumble of subways, rail tracks and elevated light-rail trains, would get six new tracks high above the Hollywood (101) Freeway. These new bridges would carry existing passenger trains and the new high-speed service south from the station, over the freeway, and then east toward the Los Angeles River, then on toward either Anaheim or new tracks to San Diego via Riverside.

The 80-year-old Union Station would see new passenger platforms built 30 feet above the existing tracks, at a cost of nearly $600 million, and a pedestrian concourse of some sort built above that. The alternative of building a deep, subterranean station, below the new Red Line subway station, would cost $2.3 billion and was rejected as impractical.

But the "high aerial" train platforms at Union Station mean the tracks heading north, toward San Francisco and Sacramento, will need to be elevated all the way north to the Pasadena (110) Freeway, according to the study, and will tower over historic landmark bridges over the Los Angeles River.

The study says mixing high-speed trains in with existing passenger rail would slow them down so much that it would not be practical, and that one high-speed train needs the same amount of empty track that nine existing trains occupy. As a result, the study says using separate sets of double tracks for high-

speed, freight, and existing passenger tracks is the only feasible alternative.

The plan envisions adding four tracks to the two existing, ground-level tracks between Los Angeles and Fullerton. In some places, four train tracks - two sets each for Metrolink and the high-speed rail - would be placed on elevated towers above the existing double tracks, which could be dedicated for freight trains.

Every rail crossing between Los Angeles and Anaheim would need to be rebuilt or altered significantly. Seven street crossings in Anaheim alone would be replaced with bridges, while three would be closed off.

Residential neighborhoods in Anaheim might be most affected by the new tracks, as the existing, 130-year-old railroad right of way there is only 50 feet wide, and numerous streets cross the tracks at grade level. A deep-bore tunnel for the high-speed tracks through Anaheim, which has numerous residences right next to the train tracks, is being studied.

A particular problem for rail planners are areas near the San Gabriel and Los Angeles rivers, where large and important rail freight yards, freeways and other key infrastructure are located. Tall fly-over bridges are being studied at those locations.

Plans have not been released yet for the tracks north of Glendale.

No. 1 with a bullet train California's high-speed rail plans should be first in line for federal transportation stimulus funds. (Source: LAtimes.com)

Link: No. 1 with a bullet train -- latimes.com

Editorial
No. 1 with a bullet train
California's high-speed rail plans should be first in line for federal transportation stimulus funds.

October 4, 2009

The "cash for clunkers" program is over, so if you weren't in the market for a car during its summer run, tough luck. But for Californians, all is not lost. Thanks to the foresight of voters, we're poised to receive a big portion of federal transportation dollars being doled out under another stimulus program, this one for bullet trains.

Last November, voters passed a bond measure(2008) approving $9.95 billion to fund a high-speed train line from San Diego to Sacramento. They couldn't have known it then, but the timing was fortuitous. Months later, as part of the stimulus package, Congress dedicated $8 billion to pay for high-speed rail projects across the country. California is the only state where voters have already approved funding for a bullet train, and it has the most state-of-the-art proposal, with the most planning work completed, in the nation. Because the funding is meant to stimulate the economy as quickly as possible, officials at the Federal Railroad Administration are expected to give priority to applicants that can start hammering rail spikes soon. So when the California High-Speed Rail Authority submitted its application on Friday, it had powerful arguments on its side.

Given the scale of the authority's ambitions, it's going to need every advantage it can get. The bullet train is projected to cost $40 billion, and there's a good chance the price tag will be higher. With state bonds covering at most a quarter of the cost, planners are relying on federal money and private capital for the rest -- and so far, no private investors have materialized. The authority is applying for $4.7 billion of the $8-billion federal pot, yet there will be heavy political pressure to spread the money across a broad geographical region rather than giving so much to a single state. Even so, there are strong reasons to award California an outsized share.

It is undeniably parochial for The Times to argue that Washington should send tax money to California for a project that would boost the local economy. But nobody has to take our word that the Golden State should be first in line. In addition to the timing considerations, there is the important matter of ridership -- for the rail program to be successful, it should focus on projects that can move the most people. America 2050, a Washington-based public planning think tank, studied regions with the highest potential ridership for high-speed rail, ranking them by city pairs (routes between two cities). A line connecting New York and Washington was ranked the highest, but three of the top 10 city pairs would be connected by California's bullet train, including L.A. to San Francisco, San Diego and San Jose. If federal officials want the most bang for their stimulus buck, they should look west.

Copyright © 2009, The Los Angeles Times

The Crenshaw Corridor question comes down to: bus rapid transit, left, or light rail? (Source: MetroRiderLA)

Link: Addendum to Crenshaw Corridor scoping meeting | MetroRiderLA

Addendum to Crenshaw Corridor scoping meeting
Contributed by Wad on October 2nd, 2009 at 4:33 am

BRT option for Crenshaw Corridor Light rail option for Crenshaw Corridor

The Crenshaw Corridor question comes down to: bus rapid transit, left, or light rail?
Maps by Metro

I looked through the CD-ROM of supporting documents for the Crenshaw Corridor. They are the electronic versions of the binder photographed at Wednesday’s meeting. The study is more than two reams, coming in at more than 1,100 pages. The file size is 90 megs. The engineering drawings are 138 pages, but are graphically intensive. It would be far too time-consuming to reproduce them here. Sharing them on Google may exhaust the bandwidth limitation of accounts.

You can probably find most of the supporting PDFs on Metro’s project page. You can also go to one of the remaining meetings or request more information from project manager Roderick Diaz. His mail contact information:
Roderick Diaz, project manager
Metro, One Gateway Plaza, Mail Stop 99-22-3
Los Angeles, Ca. 90012

Gold Line Testing Begins Sunday (Source: Eastern Group Publications)

Link: Gold Line Testing Begins Sunday : Eastern Group Publications

Gold Line Testing Begins Sunday

By EGP News Service

Metro will begin the pre-revenue testing phase before the opening of the six-mile extension of the Metro Gold Line to East Los Angeles, which is expected this fall.

The pre-revenue light rail train testing is designed to simulate revenue service operations on the new segment, synchronizing it with the service already provided between Union Station and Sierra Madre Villa Station in East Pasadena.

The purpose of pre-revenue testing, which could last more than a month, is to familiarize Metro train operators and train control staff with simulated service. Since there will be many more test trains on the new alignment, stretching from Union Station through Little Tokyo and the downtown Arts District, Boyle Heights and East Los Angeles, Metro officials are urging the public to be alert and obey all safety warning devices and signage.

Has Metro Lost Its Train of Thought? (Source: CityWatch)

Link: CityWatch - An insider look at City Hall - Has Metro Lost Its Train of Thought?

Moving LA
By Ken Alpern
Has Metro Lost Its Train of Thought?

In the aftermath of Proposition R and a more transit-friendly federal governmental shift, Metro is now wrestling with several challenges that will determine how successful this new burst of transportation spending will be for LA County. Now, more than ever, Metro is enabled by funding and opportunity and must do the right thing by its taxpaying constituents.

Challenge #1:

The first big news item that many readers are probably aware of is the decision of Metro to proceed forward with a huge train-building contract with Ansaldobreda…a train-building firm from Italy that ought to rename itself as Bait-and-Switch-a because of its horrific track record of making promises and building trains, and then not coming through either with the promises or trains built to proper specifications.

Currently, there are a slew of trains built for Metro that are thousands of pounds overweight (maybe Ansaldobreda thought they’d be a better fit for us overweight Americans?) and which must be reconstructed to avoid wearing down our light rail systems.

However, Ansaldobreda also has promised a hefty line of credit and money to make up for its past boo-boos and to correctly build the 100 new trains needed by Metro. Although it’s not supposed to influence the Metro Board vote also promised to build a large train-building plant in L.A. that could be a source of jobs and economic benefit to the county.

Still, this vote went against repeated and public opposition by past CEO Roger Snoble and current CEO Art Leahy, and the final 8-3 vote had as opponents Santa Monica Councilmember Pam O’Connor, County Supervisor Mike Antonovich and Lakewood City Councilmember Diane DuBois. No political or ideological or geographic bloc there, and methinks their vote was based on good economics and policies.

I recognize that Mayor Villaraigosa is ambitious and sincere about establishing LA as a source of “green jobs”, and I do hope he’s going to follow through on the very strict set of financial requirements that Ansaldobreda has been held to. This could either be a great opportunity or a horrible boondoggle for LA.

To the Mayor and the others who voted for Ansaldobreda, I hope you’re tough on them and demand peer review and outright transparency with the firm with whom CEO Leahy expressed so many concerns. To Ansaldobreda, I wish you the best of luck as you attempt to turn over a new leaf...but we’re WATCHING you!


Challenge #2:

The second big news item that many readers might be aware of is the decision of Metro to proceed forward with two projects for potential federal funding: the Downtown Light Rail Connector and the Wilshire Subway.

The Connector links all four current and future light rail projects that access downtown to each other: the Blue, Expo, Pasadena Gold and Eastside Gold Lines, as well as establishing a link to Bunker Hill and Downtown L.A. in locations that the Red Line Subway doesn’t access very well. The Wilshire Subway will proceed west to the Fairfax District, Century City, Westwood and the 405 (maybe even Santa Monica someday).

Contrary to popular thinking, the federal government is frightfully strict about cost-effectiveness for rail lines (particularly during the last presidential administration), and will demand they be cheap and with high ridership. The Wilshire Subway and Downtown Light Rail Connector are projected to have a whole lotta riders per dollar and mile of rail, so they’re our best bet for the competitive federal process.

Other sorely-needed Metro priorities include the Expo, Crenshaw and Foothill Gold Lines, but these either have too-low projected ridership or they’re too expensive for federal funding (one of the reasons why Metro is always trying to cut corners and build them on the cheap with insufficient parking and fewer grade-separations than otherwise desired by the general public).

Still, Metro has been trying to figure out its Long Range Transportation Plan, which is an ambitious one that includes Expo, Crenshaw, Foothill Gold, the Downtown Connector and the Wilshire Subway in the next 5-10 years—and its decision to fund the first three with local/state dollars and the last two with local/federal dollars might actually get the job done.

It was Metro staff that recommended pursuing federal dollars for the Subway and Connector, and I’m glad that the Metro Board followed their advice. Now if only the state could do its part…


Challenge #3:

After many years of awaiting the first Mid-City phase of the Expo Line to Culver City in 2010, we now learn that the best we can hope for is to have the line reach Crenshaw in 2010 and Culver City in 2011. It’s indeed possible that it won’t reach Culver City until 2012.

While it’s not the end of the world to have construction projects be late (as those of us next to the 405 widening project can truly attest), but it’s the reasons why the Expo Line is late that get us on edge—particularly when we set up an Expo Line Authority to expedite its construction.

Utility replacement and technical problems (not helped by DWP delays) are understandable slow-downs that everyone should recognize. The Jefferson undercrossing near USC and the bridgework at La Brea and La Cienega reveal how tough (and expensive!) it can be to grade-separate light rail.

Yet incompetence, greediness, and delays by the contractors are ones that should have been foreseen by otherwise-respected veteran Rick Thorpe (Expo Authority CEO) and the assigned Boardmembers who oversee this process. Labor and materials are now amazingly cheap in today’s economic slowdown, and any “come to Jesus” talks with, or replacement of, the contractors should have occurred much sooner than it did.

While the Farmdale/Dorsey legal challenges took up a great deal of time and energy for the Authority staff, it shouldn’t have prevented them from leaning on the contractors at the same time. The Authority Board hired CEO Thorpe to multitask, and the burden is on him to “bust a move” to get that project to Culver City in 2011.

The Authority staff members (including Steve Polechronis and Gabriella Collins, the duo I’ve most worked with) really have deserved props for making themselves available for presentations and outreach to the general public—all one ever need do is ask. I really do think they will succeed in building a first-rate Expo Line.

So here’s a final suggestion for the Authority Board and staff, as well as for all tasked with a major infrastructure construction project: demand that all contractors have the same face time with the general public as any staff members, and that they be well-acquainted with those who are ultimately paying their salary and fees.

We all deserve to know that our rail projects will be financially, technically and politically on track!

(Ken Alpern is a Boardmember of the Mar Vista Community Council (MVCC) and is both co-chair of the MVCC Transportation/Infrastructure Committee and past co-chair of the MVCC Planning Committee. He is co-chair of the CD11 Transportation Advisory Committee and also chairs the nonprofit Transit Coalition, and can be reached at Alpern@MarVista.org.This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it The views expressed in this article are solely those of Mr. Alpern.) ◘




CityWatch
Vol 7 Issue 81
Pub: Oct 2, 2009

Public hearing on MTA’s Crenshaw Transit Corridor set for Tuesday, Oct. 6th (Source: Westchester)

Link: The Argonaut: Westchester

Public hearing on MTA’s Crenshaw Transit Corridor set for Tuesday, Oct. 6th

The Westchester Neighbors Association will host a public hearing on the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s Crenshaw Transit Corridor Study at 7 p.m. Tuesday, October 6th at La Tijera United Methodist Church, 7400 Osage Ave., Westchester.

The proposed transit line starts at the Metro station at Imperial Highway and Aviation Boulevard and continues to Crenshaw Boulevard. The overall goal of the proposed project is to improve mobility in the corridor by connecting with existing lines such as the Metro Green Line or approved lines such as the Exposition Light Rail, currently under construction, according to Metro.

The October 6th meeting will focus on issues concerning the Westchester community.

The 45-day environmental impact report (EIR) comment period began September 1st.

Information, www.metro.net/crenshaw/.

So many rail agencies, so little service Metrolink safety is a problem, but the deeper issue is Southern California's hodgepodge of agencies that do not coordinate with each other. (Source: Latimes.com)

Link: So many rail agencies, so little service -- latimes.com

So many rail agencies, so little service
Metrolink safety is a problem, but the deeper issue is Southern California's hodgepodge of agencies that do not coordinate with each other.
By Paul Dyson

October 1, 2009 | 4:59 p.m.

The Times deserves credit for bringing attention to rail safety with its Sept. 27 article, "Death on the rails in L.A." But the article focused too much on the sensational and not enough on the root causes of Metrolink's safety problems. For example, I agree that the rail crossing in Burbank at the Buena Vista Street and San Fernando Road intersection, which The Times cited as a particularly dangerous crossing, needs to be grade separated. But because plans are already underway to do just that, why pick on that location when, judging by the graphic attached to the article, there are more problematic crossings in Anaheim, Corona and other communities?

The Times did not go into enough detail about the organizational problems plaguing Metrolink in particular and Southern California rail service as a whole. It failed to highlight the fact that we have three taxpayer-funded agencies providing "mainline" passenger train service in Southern California (Amtrak, Metrolink and San Diego County's Coaster). Nor did it make clear that the rights of way are owned either by individual county transportation agencies or private railroads such as BNSF and Union Pacific. Metrolink is little more than an operating agency beholden to the counties that formed it, and a stepchild when it comes to funding. If there is blame to be attached for safety lapses, there are plenty of targets, not just Metrolink.

In addition to divided responsibility for safety issues, this "structure" results in the complete failure to provide Southern California residents with a viable, user-friendly alternative to the automobile. Schedules aren't coordinated for seamless journeys around the region. Indeed, Metrolink cannot even provide good connections between its own routes. Such is the lack of cooperation that every day a southbound Amtrak train from San Luis Obispo must wait in Moorpark for more than 30 minutes for northbound Metrolink trains to pass. This is especially ironic as the chairman of Metrolink's board is a City Council member from Moorpark.

Even combining the regional services of Amtrak, Metrolink and the San Diego County systems would yield a boutique operation, amounting to fewer than 300 trains per day serving 83 stations in eight counties with a combined population of more than 20 million. I estimate that these systems serve between 15 million and 18 million passengers per year. By contrast, Switzerland (which is similar in size to the Southern California area served by passenger rail) has about 7.7 million residents who are served by roughly 2,000 miles of railroad and more than 800 stations. The Swiss operation offers passengers a unified timetable and ticketing system that provides through journeys and connections between almost any two points in the country. Imagine buying a through ticket from Santa Clarita to Catalina Island with guaranteed connections by train, light rail and ferry. The Swiss and their visitors made more than 350 million train journeys in 2008.

The Swiss did not build this system up overnight, nor was it inexpensive. But had Southern California embarked on such a plan when Metrolink began operations in 1992, we would have a much better system -- even if we were running no more trains or had no more stations than we do now. Without connections, the destination options for passengers are limited to the stations on their line.

What we have instead is a lack of vision and leadership. For years, the lead planning agency in the area, the Southern California Assn. of Governments, was mesmerized by completely unaffordable Maglev technology. Metrolink and Amtrak were barely considered in its transportation plans even though we had miles of existing rights of way that could have been exploited and improved.

Perhaps these conventional rail systems would get more attention if they were ultra-expensive. Or perhaps the issue is that Metrolink receives most of its funding from other transportation commissions, such as the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority, that must each give up some of their money to fund this regional system. I don't have the answer, but as a taxpayer, I am paying for trains that don't connect and for bureaucrats that don't cooperate well with each other.

It isn't too late for us to make the necessary changes that will give us a user-friendly public transportation system. A unified passenger rail authority for Southern California would be a good start; it could quickly put out a single schedule and introduce a ticketing system that would accommodate connections. It could also speak with a single, loud voice on safety to ensure that the dangerous locations cited by The Times are given immediate attention.

Over the years, voters have approved taxes and bonds with the hope of enjoying a safe and convenient passenger rail system, but they have been badly let down by these multiple agencies. It's time for these "Berlin Walls" to come down. It's time we got some value for our money.

Paul Dyson is president of the Rail Passengers Assn. of California and Nevada (railpac.org) and chairman of Burbank's Transportation Commission.

Copyright © 2009, The Los Angeles Times

L.A. mayor praises planned light-rail car plant Villaraigosa says the AnsaldoBreda facility, which begins construction next summer at the earliest, will attract 'decent middle-class jobs' and clean-technology firms to the city. (Source: LATimes.com)

Link: L.A. mayor praises planned light-rail car plant -- latimes.com

L.A. mayor praises planned light-rail car plant
Villaraigosa says the AnsaldoBreda facility, which begins construction next summer at the earliest, will attract 'decent middle-class jobs' and clean-technology firms to the city.
By Phil Willon

October 1, 2009

Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa on Wednesday praised the planned construction of a light-rail car manufacturing plant along the Los Angeles River, saying it would bring "decent middle-class jobs" and attract clean technology firms to a city hard-hit by the national recession.

Italian rail-car maker AnsaldoBreda agreed to build a $70-million plant as part of its successful bid to deliver 100 additional light-rail cars to the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority. The MTA board -- which includes Villaraigosa -- last week OKd the $300-million contract as an extension of an existing manufacturing agreement.

"At a time when most cities across the country are hemorrhaging jobs, we'll be bringing them back home," Villaraigosa said at a news conference at Union Station.

Construction of the rail facility will begin next summer at the earliest and would take about a year, officials said.

Villaraigosa cited a study by the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corp. that estimated that the rail-car plant would deliver $368 million in "economic activity" to the region. That study was commissioned by the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor, which lobbied the MTA board in favor of the contract.

The mayor said that, according to the study, more than 650 people would find "good-paying jobs" at the plant, and that close to 1,000 union construction workers would build the structure. The study estimated that the facility would create 2,240 jobs, with 650 employed at the plant and the remainder from outside suppliers, manufacturers and other firms.

"Definitely, this is really good news for the L.A. economy," said Jack Kyser, the chief economist for the economic development corporation.

Kyser said the economic impact figures were extrapolated from AnsaldoBreda's employment projections for its new L.A. facilities: 535 full-time positions at the plant and 126 full-time positions at the corporate headquarters.

Those figures are based on AnsaldoBreda's expectation of building 75 rail cars and refurbishing 36 more annually at the L.A. plant. However, the MTA contract is the firm's only order thus far for that plant, and the MTA expects AnsaldoBreda to produce just 12 cars a year for the transportation agency.

AnsaldoBreda officials said that by establishing a U.S.-based manufacturing plant, the firm expects to win contracts from local governments across the country and become a competitive bidder on high-speed rail contracts in California and elsewhere.

AnsaldoBreda has a tentative deal with the city's Community Redevelopment Agency to build the plant on a 14-acre, city-owned site near 15th Street and Santa Fe Avenue. The firm would pay $906,000 in rent annually over the course of a 50-year lease. The company has also agreed to pay workers at least the living wage, which is $10.30 per hour plus benefits.

phil.willon@latimes.com

Times staff writer Maeve Reston contributed to this report.

Copyright © 2009, The Los Angeles Times

New Timetables Released for Gold Line, Includes Eastside Extension (Source: LAist)

New Timetables Released for Gold Line, Includes Eastside Extension - LAist

New Timetables Released for Gold Line, Includes Eastside Extension



But don't get too excited as it's just one step in a long process that's almost completed. Although the timetable (.pdf) for the Gold Line now include eastside extension stations, they've been left blank. What a tease!

Yesterday, Metro officials announced that regular testing of the Gold Line's extension would commence on Sunday. An opening could come as soon as early November.
user-pic
By Zach Behrens in News on September 30, 2009 9:29 AM

Testing of light rail trains on Metro Gold Line starts Sunday (Source: LA Daily News)

Testing of light rail trains on Metro Gold Line starts Sunday - LA Daily News

Testing of light rail trains on Metro Gold Line starts Sunday

Daily News Wire Services

Updated: 09/30/2009 10:10:24 AM PDT

Testing of light rail trains along the Metro Gold Line extension from Union Station to East Los Angeles will kick into high gear Sunday, and Metropolitan Transportation Authority officials warned the public to beware of the increased number of trains that will be using the tracks.

The testing is designed to familiarize train operators and staff with the service, and synchronize the trains with the existing service on the Gold Line, which now provides service between Union Station and east Pasadena.

During the stepped-up testing phase, which could last for more than a month, passengers will disembark southbound trains from Pasadena at Union Station, but the train will continue south to East Los Angeles, then return northbound.

During peak hours, the trains will run every seven to eight minutes, and every 12 minutes during midday hours. At night, the trains will run every 20 minutes. On weekends and holidays, the trains will run every 15 to 20 minutes in the mornings, every 12 minutes during the day and every 20 minutes at night.

Supporters of High Speed Rail to Rally at Union Station Friday (Source: LAist)

Link: Supporters of High Speed Rail to Rally at Union Station Friday - LAist

Supporters of High Speed Rail to Rally at Union Station Friday

Last week the California High-Speed Rail Authority voted to submit a grant application to the federal government, asking for $4.8 billion in stimulus money for a high speed rail line that would connect Los Angeles and San Francisco with a few hours trip. On Friday, that application will be submitted after few rallies across the state, including one in Los Angeles.

California High Speed Rail officials along with politicians and other supporters will speak at 9 a.m. in the Old Ticket Room at Union Station.

The federal government has set aside $8 billion grants available to states vying for high speed rail. California, which has been working on the 800-mile project for 13 years, is asking for more than half. Most of the $4.8 billion sought would go towards the construction of track within three regions.

The sections are San Francisco to San Jose, Merced to Bakersfield and Los Angeles to Anaheim, which could open in 2018. Once built, the routes would be useable as construction continues to link them for a complete system.

An additional $300 million being requested would go towards the completion of the environmental review and preliminary engineering work of the whole system.
user-pic
By Zach Behrens in News on September 30, 2009 2:00 PM