|
In This Issue...
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
County Lends Support to Passenger Rail Link at Pajaro
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
County Lends Support to Passenger Rail Link at Pajaro
By Michael Thomas
Within just a few years, the state’s passenger train network could be extended right up to the edge of Santa Cruz County. Supporters of increased rail transportation in California have proposed a new line called the Coast Daylight that would run from San Francisco to Los Angeles, stopping in Pajaro, right across the river from Watsonville.
In early August, the Regional Transportation Commission passed a resolution of support for the project, which needs an estimated $7 million in annual operating subsidies and a big investment for rail upgrades.
“They wanted to reinforce the coastal communities support for this,” RTC Planner Karena Pushnik said of the Commission’s resolution. “If this thing were to pass, it would be great to have a stop in Pajaro. In terms of [rail] service to our county, you have to travel to get to it. This would bring it a lot closer.”
A passenger rail connection in Pajaro could also help bring in state and federal grant money for a station there. Local voters defeated Measure J, which would have provided funding for a Pajaro station, along with Highway 1 expansion.
The Coast Rail Coordinating Council is spearheading the Coast Daylight project. The concept has been tossed around since the early 1990s, but organizers now believe that it could be rolling as soon as next year.
“We completed an implementation plan for the service in 2002, and we’ve had Caltrans’ blessing for this train to start in fiscal year 2007/2008,” explained Pete Rogers of the Coordinating Council.
The Council includes representatives of coastal government agencies, Amtrak, Union Pacific, Caltrans and transportation planning agencies such as the RTC. Rogers is a member of the San Luis Obispo Council of Governments.
The proposed train would most likely be operated by Amtrak, running the approximately 400-mile route once a day in each direction. Travel time would be about 11 hours.
The service would be similar to the Coast Starlight train, which runs on the same route through most of California, but continues to Sacramento and ultimately through Oregon and Washington.
Starlight Service under Fire
The Coast Starlight train has been losing passengers over the past year as a result of huge delays. The delays have been attributed to increased freight service on the Union Pacific rails the train uses.
“Many of the delays related to the train being late are north of Sacramento,” Rogers said, referring to snags near Oregon’s Columbia River crossing and elsewhere. “The Central Coast corridor is paying for that.”
He said that this problem makes taking the train difficult for anyone who has to run on a schedule.
“It’s not a viable option for Central Coast residents because you can’t rely on it,” Rogers added.
Delays might be less severe on a new route within California. However, the service would still be slower than train travel was 50 years ago. At that time, rail passengers could get from San Francisco to Los Angeles in eight hours â€" three hours less than today.
Freight Trains Taking Priority
The problem is the miles-long freight trains. They’ve gotten longer over the decades, while the sidings used for passing haven’t kept pace.
“The freight trains don’t fit in them so the passenger train has to go sit in the siding and wait,” Rogers said.
So in spite of an agreement that Union Pacific has to give passenger trains priority, passengers find themselves on sidings watching freight fly by out the window.
That could change in the long term, since a slew of improvements that include new sidings would be mandated if any new service were initiated. The capital upgrades could cost between $20 million and $80 million.
“The one-time capital funding is the big bubble that we are looking for to get these access rights,” Rogers said.
He said a proposed federal program might provide 80 percent matching funds.
Passenger fares on trains such as the Coast Daylight generally cover about half the cost of operating them, so a subsidy of about $7 million would also be needed on an annual basis.
“For a long time the state didn’t have any money so we were talking about a plan that didn’t have much viability. There is beginning to be some money,” Pushnik explained.
However, there’s a huge backlog of California transportation projects clamoring for the new gas tax revenues that have come with higher fuel prices.
“Starting something new would probably be a low priority,” Pushnik added.
Nevertheless, Rogers said the Regional Transportation Commission’s show of support represents a significant boost for the project.
“This service is going to happen,” he said, “whether it happens next year or the year after that.”
|
