Here's a short report on the VTA Santa Clara to Fremont rail initiative
(Silicon Valley Rapid Transit Corridor).
This meeting seemed well organized and useful;
please attend one of these and ask for
* more ACERail train service service real soon now,
eg authorized in 2001, running in 2002.
* more ACE shuttles to more locations in Santa Clara County.
* express bus service between the Fremont Centerville ACE/Amtrak
station and various points in Santa Clara County, (such as connecting
to light rail).
* express bus service between the Pleasanton ACE station, and
various points in Santa Clara County, (such as connecting
to light rail).
* what happened to the $96,000,000+ collected since 1996
and authorized by voters to be spent on commuter rail
between Santa Clara and Fremont/Union City ?
* make BART financial projections depend on getting parking revenue.
Meetings this week !
Fremont/ Union City/ Newark Public Meetings / Open Houses
Date: Wednesday, May 16, 2001
Time: 6:00pm. - 8:00pm.
Location: Fremont Marriott Hotel
Grand Ballroom, Sections 1 & 2
46100 Landing Parkway
Fremont
Milpitas Public Meetings / Open Houses
Date: Thursday, May 17, 2001
Time: 6:00pm. - 8:00pm.
Location: Milpitas High School
Library Room
1285 Escuela Parkway
Milpitas
San Jose Public Meetings / Open Houses
Date: Monday, May 21, 2001
Time: 6:00pm. - 8:00pm.
Location: Dr. King Main Library
180 West San Carlos Street
San Jose
Here's some observations from tonight's meeting:
In a small room about 40 people, (20 public, 10 vta staff, ~10 unknown
(BART staff, random activists ?), no TV crews.
A short spoken presentation by a VTA hostess and key VTA staffer Lisa Ives
at 6:15-6:30 PM.
Much info provided is not available to those who don't attend these
meetings, given the non-content of the flyers promoting this project
and these meetings, and the abysmal non-information on www.vta.org .
The about a dozen poster-boards explained the official planning process
timeline, and individual options. Generally, this meeting succeeded in
communicating content (as compared to the VTA 2020 meetings) and generally
avoided feelgood doublespeak.
Public comment was recorded
* by speaking one-on-one with a VTA staffer who hopefully will
remember what s/he heard.
* by speaking to a facilitator (who has good penmanship skills)
who writes on the flipcharts on easels,
* by completing a hand-in/mail in cards, which solicit comments on
'Mode/Technology', 'Alignment', 'Stations', MIS/EIR/EIS process',
or 'Other'.
The VTA has nine alternatives: busses, or light rail or commuter rail
or BART, over various alignments.
These nine alternatives will be refined and screened during 2001, then
by 2003 a best alternative will be chosen.
The timeline an steps involved in the EIR/EIS/MIS is presented is some detail.
* Ask for a handout with a map of each of the nine options; the standard
package of handouts does not include even a list of the nine specific
alternatives you're supposed to be considering.
The yellow handout in the package describes the technology and equipment
typical of each of the nine options --
eg
'Commuter rail is defined as like ACE, (perhaps) operated at
Caltrain frequencies, 79 mph, 145 seats per car, 3-5 cars per train,
can operate at grade (I think that means it can have grade-non-separated
crossings, not 'it can go uphill').'
Here is a brief summary of the nine VTA alternatives:
All alternatives appear to assume a BART to Warm Springs extension.
1. expanded express bus and ACE train service.
2. rapid bus on former WP rail line from Warm Springs to various parts
on Santa Clara County.
3. Commuter rail on Alviso alignment, 'greatly' expanded ACE service.
4. Commuter rail on former SP alignment alignment south of Warm Springs.
5. Commuter rail on former WP alignment alignment south of Warm Springs.
6. Diesel light rail on former SP alignment alignment south of Warm Springs.
7. Diesel light rail on former WP alignment alignment south of Warm Springs.
8. (assumed electric) light rail on former SP alignment alignment
south of Warm Springs.
9. (assumed electric) light rail on former WP alignment alignment
south of Warm Springs.
Obviously from the ACERider perspective, plan #3 is the obvious choice.
Appendix for the Trainspotters/anoraks:
1. The posterboard presentation, alternatives 2 and 3:
the Great America Santa Clara station is erroneously shown as a
Caltrain transfer station.
2. 'Commuter rail' is defined as trains of three to five cars, but ACE is
currently running all six-car trains. Commuter rail is defined as 145
seats per car, but ACE has 164 seats, plus ~8 bike rack spots, and a
crush load of 365 passengers
http://www.transportation.bombardier.com/htmen/A2IB.htm
Could be an issue in comparing capacity of frequent busses
vs commuter rail vs BART.
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