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#21 KevinKorell

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Posted 16 January 2013 - 01:31 AM

Tuesday Jan 22, 6:30pm, Palo Alto City Hall - How will Caltrain electrification affect cross-town connections?


Caltrain has recently announced the overall results of its traffic study for Caltrain electrification, and for the blended system with High Speed Rail. Out of the 40 remaining at-grade crossings on the corridor between San Francisco and San Jose, electrification by 2019 is expected to reduce gate downtime at 28 of the crossings, and increase gate downtime at 12 crossings.

How are the crossings in your city affected? What does this mean for cross-town connectivity in your city?
The impact of High Speed Rail, in 2029 or so, will be more substantial, increasing downtime at most crossings. How can we start to plan for grade separations that work for local communities?

Come learn about the short and long-term implications for the city you live in and the stations you use.

Do you have friends and family members who are also interested and concerned about the impact of Caltrain modernization on cross-town connectivity? Invite them to come.

Tuesday, January 22, 6:30 PM, Palo Alto City Hall, City Council Chambers, 250 Hamilton Avenue, Palo Alto, CA.

Hope to see you there,

- Adina

Adina Levin
Friends of Caltrain



Kevin Korell


OTOL Board Leader


Lakewood, NJ


#22 KevinKorell

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Posted 18 January 2013 - 10:06 PM

Hi, all,

The Friends of Caltrain meeting is rescheduled to Wednesday February 27. We’ll hear from Caltrain about the Electrification Environmental Impact Report. Comments on the scope of the EIR will be due soon after, so this will be a good chance to learn before making any suggestions for what they should study. We'll also learn more about the results of Caltrain's traffic study on the impact of Caltrain electrification on our cross-town connections. We'll be able to ask questions and share our thoughts. The meeting will be at 6:30pm in the Menlo Park Library at 800 Alma Street, near Menlo Park Caltrain.

The reason we’re changing the date is that Palo Alto City Council moved its meeting to Tuesday, and the first items on the agenda starting at 6:30pm will focus on Caltrain and High Speed Rail. Palo Alto will be discussing incorporating the Rail Corridor Study into the City’s comprehensive Plan, and adopting the Rail Committee Guiding Principles. If you are interested in Palo Alto’s rail strategy, come to Palo Alto Council Chambers on Tuesday, January 22 at 6:30pm.

Also if you have today's Daily Post, take a look at an interesting article about the potential to use the valuable real estate above the Caltrain tracks in Palo Alto to help pay for the cost of tunnelling the tracks. This is an approach similar to what San Francisco is considering for the Caltrain right of way between SOMA and Mission Bay neighborhoods.

In other news this week, a helpful potential source of transit funding in San Mateo County is the County’s new Measure A Sales Tax, adopted by voters in November. In recent years, the biggest problem with Caltrain’s 3-county funding structure has been SamTrans. SamTrans is in poor financial shape and continues to draw down its reserves - a shortly forthcoming financial forecast is expected to show SamTrans running out of reserves in 2016. Because of SamTrans financial woes, it has reduced its contribution to Caltrain, and the missing chunk of Caltrain’s budget has been made up with a variety of temporary sources.

This past November, San Mateo County voters passed a new half-cent sales tax with a ten year sunset. The measure did not allocate the funds to specific services but mentioned services for seniors/low-income/disabled residents. Given how bus service is used in San Mateo County, its primary role is to serve low-income riders. 64% of SamTrans' riders have no access to a car, and 58% have incomes under $50,000, which is considered low-income in this high-cost area.

The County Supervisors now need to decide how to allocate the funding from the sales tax. SamTrans is requesting up to $12 to $13 million in funds.

The San Mateo County board of supervisors will have a workshop on the topic at its February 12 board meeting (time not yet announced, but the meetings usually start at 9am. To learn more about the potential for San Mateo County transit funding, see this blog post and add your thoughts in the comments.

Adina Levin
Friends of Caltrain



Kevin Korell


OTOL Board Leader


Lakewood, NJ


#23 KevinKorell

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Posted 01 February 2013 - 10:32 AM

Progressive Railroading, 2/1/13:

Caltrain is launching an environmental review of its electrification project with a series of public meetings this month and in March on the review's scope.


The story is here.


Kevin Korell


OTOL Board Leader


Lakewood, NJ


#24 KevinKorell

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Posted 26 August 2013 - 12:30 PM

Progressive Railroading, 8/26/13:

A coalition of California state, federal and community leaders are backing Caltrain's $20 million request for federal funds to electrify and upgrade its rail service.


Full story


Kevin Korell


OTOL Board Leader


Lakewood, NJ


#25 KevinKorell

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Posted 03 March 2014 - 02:40 PM

Progressive Railroading, 3/3/14:

Caltrain is soliciting public comments on its recently released Draft Environmental Impact Report (EIR) for the planned electrification of the Caltrain corridor between San Jose and San Francisco.

This is the item.


Kevin Korell


OTOL Board Leader


Lakewood, NJ


#26 KevinKorell

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Posted 22 March 2014 - 09:24 PM

San Francisco, CA Examiner column, 3/20/14:

By 2019, Peninsula communities will be connected with electrified Caltrain service that can reduce travel times and improve service frequency on a system with enhanced safety, reliability, capacity and less need for taxpayer operating subsidies. Electrification also provides substantial environmental benefits to the region’s air quality through a dramatic reduction in greenhouse gas emissions.

Funding for these benefits is coming in part from local, regional and federal sources, but almost half of it has been committed by the California High-Speed Rail Authority.

More here.


Kevin Korell


OTOL Board Leader


Lakewood, NJ


#27 KevinKorell

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Posted 21 May 2014 - 11:27 AM

Progressive Railroading, 5/21/14:

Caltrain has released a request for qualification focused on the design and construction of an electric power infrastructure.

More here.


Kevin Korell


OTOL Board Leader


Lakewood, NJ


#28 KevinKorell

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Posted 07 October 2014 - 11:33 AM

Progressive Railroading, 10/7/14:

Caltrain's electrification project may now proceed as a design-build project under new legislation recently signed by California Gov. Jerry Brown.


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Kevin Korell


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Lakewood, NJ


#29 KevinKorell

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Posted 05 December 2014 - 01:07 PM

Progressive Railroading, 12/5/14:


Caltrain unveils final environmental report for electrification project, OKs rail-car purchase

 

Caltrain yesterday released the Final Environmental Impact Report (FEIR) for the electrification plan for the corridor between San Jose and San Francisco, a major milestone in the railroad's efforts to improve its commuter-rail service.

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Kevin Korell


OTOL Board Leader


Lakewood, NJ


#30 KevinKorell

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Posted 13 January 2015 - 01:33 AM

Progressive Railroading, 1/12/15:


Caltrain's board OKs final environmental report, peninsula corridor electrification project

 

The Peninsula Corridor Joint Powers Board has certified the final environmental impact report and approved the planned electrification of the Caltrain corridor between San Jose and San Francisco, the agency announced last week.

 

Story



Kevin Korell


OTOL Board Leader


Lakewood, NJ





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