Senator Simitian showed leadership in his recent announcement by seeking to balance the transportation goals of Prop 1A with community concerns and the fiscal reality of what we estimate is a project that will cost at least $65 billion in its current form.  Along with Congressman Anna Eshoo and Assemblymember Rich Gordon, Simitian is trying to explore the possibility of a lower cost way of connecting San Francisco to the rest of the high speed rail system that might also have a chance at local acceptance. All efforts to bring the cost down to reality should be encouraged.

Resources

Audio recording (approx 1 hour) of  the Senate hearing on Thursday April 28, 2011.  Senator Simitian is chair of the budget sub-committee that controls the purse strings for transportation projects, in the High Speed Rail project.

Video of Cathleen Galgiani at Assembly hearing regarding an independent ridership study on Monday April 25, 2011, encouraging elected officials and residents on the Peninsula to work together and develop a “wishlist”  for the project.

More information on the proposals for phased implementation on the Peninsula. The California High Speed Rail Authority has made a similar proposal.

CARRD has written a letter to various agencies (Santa Clara VTA Board Members, LAFCO Board Members, Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors) and the City of Gilroy leaders regarding the Gilroy station alternatives.

Our letter on this issue and supporting documents area available here.

At the VTA board meeting held on March 3rd, 2011, the board approved the programming of $150,000 in Local Program Reserve (LPR) funds for the City of Gilroy High Speed Train Station Comparative Visioning Project to analyze two completely unique station locations and alignments.

Per VTA’s staff report: “One station alternative is in a small city downtown core location with a mature roadway network, existing transportation services and built infrastructure. The other station alternative is in a rural agricultural area outside the city limits with no road network, infrastructure or supporting transit services.”

The alternative described by the Authority as the “East Gilroy Station” lies within an area known as the “Gilroy Ag Preserve” that is protected by an existing 20 year inter-jurisdictional agreement between LAFCO, the City of Gilroy and the County Board of Supervisors prohibiting development.

CARRD is requesting that the agencies review their policies and procedures and to work together to determine the viability of station alternatives for Gilroy.

For more information about the history of the Gilroy Ag Preserve see the following:

Greenbelt Alliance – http://greenbelt.org/resources/press/releases/2_2_02release_camp_gilroy660.html

Story from Gilroy Dispatch: Farmland fight in the making

Sierra Club – Loma Prieta Chapter discussing the importance of the Ag preserve

*UPDATE:  March 18, 2011 LAFCO sends letter to City of Gilroy along with a copy of its policies.

LAFCO Comment Letter

LAFCO Policies Attachment

Report: Strategies to Balanced Planned Growth and Agricultural Viability in the areas south and east of Gilroy

*UPDATE: March 10, 2011 Committee for Green Foothills formally opposes East 101 station location.

Statement opposing a proposed eastern location for the Gilroy train station, Committee for Green Foothills

The Authority will hold a special board meeting on December 20th to amend their previous endorsement of the Borden to Corcoran starter route. A staff report posted online in advance of that meeting answers some of the questions  people have been asking.  Link: http://cahighspeedrail.ca.gov/WorkArea/DownloadAsset.aspx?id=9485

Will you extend the line north or south?  The answer is south.  The problem with going north is that there is no certainty until the environmental review process is finalized next year that the route will parallel the BNSF/Amtrak tracks for a reasonable distance, which creates issues with the Federal requirements for independent utility.

Can you get to Bakersfield?  The answer is no.

How far can you get?  The answer is that it depends.  You may get as far as Shafter but you may only get to south Corcoran.

There are several major decisions about the route that have not been made yet, generally involving whether or not to bypass cities or pass through them.

The City of Palo Alto is hosting a community meeting on HSR on Thursday, April 1st at 7PM in City Council Chambers at 250 Hamilton Street. They will provide a background of the project, explain the timelines involved and review how to provide a public comment.

What: The Peninsula Cities Consortium (PCC) will have its biweekly meeting to address issues related to the California High Speed Rail project. PCC Agenda 4/2/2010

Where: Council Chambers City of Atherton 91 Ashfield Rd.

Resources
PCC Website

Peninsula Rail Program Website (contains useful links to agreements with California High Speed Rail and context sensitive solutions)

Letter requesting extension for comment period for alternatives analysis for San Francisco – San Jose segment

Letter Requesting 30 day extension on Draft Program Level EIR

What: The Palo Alto City Council Subcommittee will meet to discuss how to implement Context Sensitive Solutions for the California High Speed Rail project (agenda).

Where: Palo Alto City Council Conference Room 250 Hamilton Palo Alto, CA

What:  Opportunity to have your say about the vision for the 500 acres in the  San Jose Diridon Station Area, home of a planned station for the California High Speed Rail project.  On Saturday, March 27, 2010, community members are invited to join the planning team from the City of San José for a Diridon Station Area Plan Alternative Analysis Workshop. The second in a series of community workshops for the Station Area Plan, participants will be involved in hands-on activities to identify preferred land use and station options for the Diridon Station Area Plan. More information.

Where:  San Jose City Hall,  Wing Rooms 118-120 200 East Santa Clara St., near the corner of S. Fourth and E. San Carlos streets. Free parking will be available at the Fourth and San Fernando streets garage.  Try google maps new transit functionality or 511.org for public transit options.

News Coverage

San Jose Mercury News

Resources

Do you have a California High Speed Rail related event you want publicized? Do you have great links to share? Send them to info@calhsr.com

What: The Peninsula Cities Consortium (PCC) will have its biweekly meeting to address issues related to the California High Speed Rail project. The Peninsula Rail Project (a joint venture between the California High Speed Rail Authority and Caltrain) will preview the “toolkit”, a way to allow stakeholders to participate in design decisions

Where: Council Chambers City of Menlo Park 701 Laurel Street Menlo Park, CA

Resources

PCC Website

PCC Agenda March 19, 2010

Peninsula Rail Program Website (contains useful links to agreements with California High Speed Rail and context sensitive solutions)

What: RailPAC, an advocacy group for rail passenger service in California and Nevada, and NARP, the National Association of Rail Passengers, will hold an all day meeting in Los Angeles. There will be several high speed rail panels. There is a $40 charge for members/ $50 non-members  Meeting registration and information

Where:  MTA Board Room at Gateway Center, located behind Los Angeles Union Station

PROGRAM Subject to change without notice

9:00 AM – Registration and badge pick up (Coffee and pastry service)

9:30 AM – Welcome:  L.A. City Council Member Tom LaBonge

9:45 AM – Opening Address:  Hon. Ara Najarian, Chairman, Metro Board

10:00 AM – High Speed Rail:  The Builders

• Talgo USA
• Siemens
• Desert Xpress, Tom Stone (invited)

11:00 AM – High Speed Rail: How to spend the first billion dollars.

• Mike McGinley, TRAC Board and RailPAC member
• Erin Steva, CALPIRG
• Darell Clarke, Sierra Club, Los Angeles Transportation Committee
• Dan Krause, Californians for High Speed Rail
• Jarard Wright, Transit Coalition
• Paul Dyson, RailPAC
• Questions and opinions

12.00 PM – Lunch (Box lunch in cafeteria)

• Platform exhibit at Union Station subject to availability

1:00 PM – The National System

• Steven Gardner -  Amtrak VP
  (Brian Rosenwald, confirmed back up)

2:00 PM – California State Rail Program

• Bill Bronte – Chief, Division of Rail

2:30 PM – LOSSAN and Southern California Commuter Service

• Art Brown (invited)
• Keith Millhouse

3:30 PM – Passenger Rail Advocacy – Where do we go from here?

• George Chilson, retiring NARP President

4:00 PM – Members comments and discussion

5:00 PM – Adjourn

What: The project’s planners are seeking public input on which alternative(s) Fresno residents prefer for the High Speed Rail train’s path through the city of Fresno and other issues such as the location of a station. Representatives will be on hand to answer questions and listen to ideas.  For more information call Eric VonBerg at (559) 256-1458 or email eric_vonberg@urscorp.com .

Where: Dante Club 6176 North Grantland Avenue Fresno, CA

Resources

Official meeting postcard

Presentation from recent meeting in Fresno Part 1 and Part 2 Information on options, noise and parking. All options assume a 12 mile structure elevated about 60 feet high.

Mockup of Fresno High Speed Rail structure, courtesy of archop.org

Read the entire post and discussion at archop.org about current plans for Fresno station

Fresno Draft Rail Realignment (AKA as Freight Consolidation) Report (132 page PDF)

Note: we have requested presentation on the study that was made at the Fresno COG Rail Committee meeting on February 19, 2010

Website for “FastTrack Fresno County” – long term project to improve transit in Fresno County

Please send corrections and additions to info@calhsr.com.  WE ARE LOOKING FOR VOLUNTEER TO WRITE A SHORT REPORT ON THIS MEETING.