Published Tuesday, February 13, 2001, in the Contra Costa Times
Another 2 trains on track for ACE
Expanded schedule begins in March with later service; growth will
continue in the fall with the addition of a fourth route
By Bonita Brewer
Times Staff Writer
PLEASANTON -- A third Altamont Commuter Express train will begin
service March 5 and a fourth train will start this fall under a plan
approved Monday by the ACE board of directors.
The board gave thumbs up to the added service after negotiating with
Union Pacific Railroad for added trackage rights and agreeing to make
$26.5 million in track improvements.
"This is really bringing ACE of age," a gleeful Alameda County
Supervisor Scott Haggerty, who chairs the ACE board, said of the
expanded service.
The third train's morning schedule will be geared to meet the needs
of Tri-Valley workers by getting commuters to Livermore and
Pleasanton later than the two existing Stockton-to-San Jose trains,
and closer to an 8 a.m. start-of-work time. The third and fourth runs
will start and end at the Lathrop-Manteca station rather than in
Stockton.
In the evening, the third train will leave San Jose for the Central
Valley at 6:45 p.m., about an hour later than the second existing
train.
ACE has not set a schedule for the fourth train. It intends to survey
riders and potential riders about their desires before doing so,
according to executive director Stacey Mortensen.
The added service -- including an additional stop in downtown Santa
Clara -- was strongly endorsed Monday by Laura Stuchinsky of the
Silicon Valley Manufacturing Group, comprised of several South Bay
companies whose workers commute to their jobs via ACE.
"There are many more who would love to ride that train if more
service becomes available," Stuchinsky told board members. She said
the big issue now is to get permanent trackage rights from Union
Pacific beyond those that expire Dec. 31, 2003.
ACE may have to pay a "buy-in" fee to gain permanent rights, and
Mortensen said it is hoped a deal will be struck before the fourth
train starts this fall. She noted there are provisions for
arbitration in the event of disputes over a fee amount.
The $26.5 million for track improvements approved Monday will come
from state and federal sources and includes $10.6 million in deferred
obligations ACE had agreed to when its initial service began in 1998.
The improvements, to include a section of double track in the
Livermore area for passing freight trains, will take about two years
to complete. The work will improve schedule reliability and shave
some 15 minutes off ACE's two-hour, 26-minute ride, Mortensen said.
Meanwhile, parking problems at the Pleasanton station near the county
fairgrounds continue to be an issue. Haggerty said the city of
Pleasanton is taking too long to decide whether to allow ACE to move
onto some of the property across Bernal Avenue formerly owned by San
Francisco.
"I share your frustration about a lack of regional cooperation,"
Haggerty told Pleasanton resident Bob Cordtz, who had complained to
the board about the situation. "I haven't played all my cards yet."
Pleasanton Mayor Tom Pico called for patience. He said a citizen
committee is developing recommendations for various potential uses of
the Bernal land, including an ACE station. But those recommendations
won't be out for another eight months.
"I understand the frustration of folks, but we're going to do this
right and come up with a plan that the community is able to accept
and support," Pico said. "We need to come up with a master plan for
the property that shows how everything would fit together."
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