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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMINUTES - 04242001 - SD.3 TO: BOARD OF SUPERVISORS Contra FROM: TRANSPORTATION, WATER AND INFRASTRUCTURE Costa COMMITTEE (SUPERVISOR DONNA GERBER, CHAIR) County DATE: APRIL 9, 2001 SUBJECT: PROPOSED GOALS FOR INTERCITY RAIL SERVICE SPECIFIC REQUEST(S) OR RECOMMENDATION(S) & BACKGROUND AND JUSTIFICATION RECOMMENDATIONS Adopt the attached goals for intercity rail service as County policy, and authorize staff to include the goals in a future amendment of the General Plan Transportation and Circulation Element. FISCAL IMPACT None. BACKGROUND/REASONS FOR RECOMMENDATIONS The Board of Supervisors established the Ad Hoc Intercity Rail Advisory Committee (AIRAC) several years ago to advise the Board on intercity rail issues pertaining to Contra Costa County. Intercity rail differs from commuter rail in that it typically covers longer distances, charges higher fares, and isn't used for everyday commuting, although business travelers may use it often for out-of-town business trips. CONTINUED ON ATTACHMENT: X YES SIGNATURE RECOMMENDATION OF COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR X RECOMMENDATION OF BOARD COMMITTEE -&-'APPROVE OTHER SIGNATURE(S): Supe isor John Gioia SUPOvisor Donna Gerber ACTION OF BOARD ON April 24, 2001 APPROVED AS RECOMMENDED OTHER Following the Board's discussion, the Board ORDII2ID that in the second paragraph, in the ninth sentence, the May 2001 date, be changed to May 2002. VOTE OF SUPERVISORS I HEREBY CERTIFY THAT THIS IS A TRUE ML UNANIMOUS (ABSENT #4 ) AND CORRECT COPY OF AN ACTION TAKEN AYES: NOES: AND ENTERED ON THE MINUTES OF THE ABSENT: ABSTAIN: BOARD OF SUPERVISORS ON THE DATE SHOWN. Contact: John Greitzer (925/335-1201) cc: Community Development Department (CDD) ATTESTED 4rii 24, 2oo1 JOHN SWEETEN, CLERK OF THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS AND COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR DEPUTY S:\transportation\board order intercity.doc BY , PROPOSED GOALS FOR INTERCITY RAIL SERVICE APRIL 9,2001 Page 2 Contra Costa County is served by two intercity rail lines: the Capitol Corridor and the San Joaquin service. The Capitol Corridor is operated by a joint powers authority and currently has seven roundtrips daily between the Sacramento area and the Bay Area, including stops at Martinez and Richmond. Two additional roundtrips are expected to begin in May 2001. The San Joaquin, operated by Caltrans, has four roundtrips daily between Bakersfield and the Bay Area with stops at Antioch, Martinez and Richmond. The San Joaquin also operates two additional daily roundtrips between Bakersfield and Sacramento which don't enter Contra Costa County or the Bay Area. Staff and AIRAC began last year to develop a set of proposed goals for intercity rail service, with the intent that the goals ultimately would be brought to the Board of Supervisors for consideration as County policy and amendment into the General Plan Transportation and Circulation Element. A preliminary set of goals was developed and brought to the Transportation, Water and Infrastructure Committee in August 2001. The Committee authorized staff to release the preliminary goals to outside agencies and other interested parties for review. Eight letters of comment were received. AIRAC and staff reviewed the comments and accommodated them to the extent possible in a revised set of goals, which is shown in Exhibit A. Exhibit B contains the letters of comment received on the preliminary goals. Exhibit C is the mailing list to whom the preliminary goals were sent. In response to one of the comment letters (from the TRANSPLAN Committee), staff is working with Supervisor Glover to seek an interested resident of District V to serve on AIRAC. The other four supervisorial districts all are represented on AIRAC. developed by the Ad Hoc Intercity Rail Advisoiry Committee March 1, 2001 EXHIBIT A Increase ridership by: ■ Increasing awareness of intercity service by increasing and improving marketing and promotional opportunities. • Increasing access (seamless transfer systems between passenger trains and other modes;.additional train service; and planning for compact land uses around rail stations) ® Increasing the level of service(support the service-increase recommendations in Caltrans' Preliminary Draft California Rail Passenger Program Report, calling for 12 daily roundtrips on the Capitols and six daily roundtrips of the San JOaquins through Contra Costa County by FY 2008/09, and earlier morning westbound trips on the San Joaquin to accommodate growth in East County) ® Improving the quality of station services, reductions in running time, and improved on-time - performance Improve efficiency by: ® Improving tracks and stations to help increase the capacity of the rail system* Increase fundint4 by: ® Working for additional rail funding through efforts such as a Measure C extension and future state and federal funding cycles ® Shifting the emphasis of funding from highways to a greater intercity rail orierrtation, including alternative modes used as rail feeder services. M Working to change the statutory requirement for a two-thirds majority on transportation-tax ballot measures to a simple majority requirement ■ Provide greater intercity rail funding opportunities through more flexibility in funding programs. * - Track improvements will benefit freight services as well as passenger services. �~ 3 EXHIBIT B TRANSPLAN COMMITTEE EAST COUNTY TRANSPORTATION PLANNING Antioch - Brentwood - Oakley— Pittsburg - Contra Costa County 651 Pine Street, 4th Floor, North Wing, Martinez, CA 94553-0095 November 28, 2000 Mr. Howard Abelson Chair Ad Hoc Intercity Rail Advisory Committee 651 Pine Street—N. Wing, 4th Floor Martinez CA 94553 Dear Mr. Abelson: Thank you for the opportunity to review theproposed goals for intercity rail service developed by the Ad Hoc Intercity Rail Advisory Committee(AIRAC). It is my understanding these goals, or a revised version of them, eventually will be brought to the Board of Supervisors for consideration as County policy. The TRANSPLAN Committee believes intercity rail service is an important part of the transportation network. Establishment of goals for such services will help focus the efforts toward improving such services. At our November 9 meeting, the TRANSPLAN Committee approved the attached set of suggested revisions and comments on the proposed goals. Please consider these suggestions as you work with County staff to.finalize the goals. Also please note our request that County staff work with the County Supervisor from District 5 (East County),to appoint an East County resident to the AIRAC Committee. East County is a prime market for increased rail service. Addition of an East County resident will ensure this perspective is reflected in AI AC'.s work. If.you have questions about these suggested revisions and comments,please contact John Greitzer, staff to the TRANSPLAN Committee, at(925) 335-1201. Sinc rely, on Id P. Freitas, Chair T TSPLAN Commi e Cc: TRANSPLAN Co -e John Greitzer, TRANSPLAN Staff Phone: (925) 335-1201 Fax: (925) 335-1299 E-mail:jgrei@cd.co.contra-costa.ca.us 5 _ 5 TRZANSPLAN comments on goals for intercity rail service Deletions indicated by Wit; additions indicated by boldface italics Increase ridership by: ® Increasing awareness (more marketing and promotion-of intercity rail service,particularly for the San Joaquins service which provides four runs daily through Contra Costa County between Stockton and Oakland) ® Increasing access (seamless transfer systems between passenger trains and other modes; additional train service; and planning for compact land uses around.rail stations) ® Adding a new station east of the existing Antioch station. K Increasing the level of service(support the service-increase recommendations in Caltrans' Preliminary Draft California Rail Passenger Program Report, calling for 12 daily roundtrips on the Capitols and six daily roundtrips of the San Joaquins through Contra Costa County by FY 2008/09, and earlier.moming westbound trips on the San Joaquins to accommodate growth in East County and accommodate the commuting schedules of East County residents and business travelers) R Improving the quality of service (more station staffing, reductions in running time, and improved on-time performance) Improve effidericy b`°: K Improving tracks and stations to help increase the capacity of the rail system Increase fundinLx by: IN Working for additional rail funding through efforts such as a Measure C extension and future state and federal funding cycles ' a pFegams fFeEn a hi&mayrail mien Increasingfundingfor intercity rail,providingflexibility in the use offunids, and simplifying rail funding arrangements (for example, elimination of the distinction: between "commuter rail"and"intercity rail"in federal policies on use ofgas tax revenues, thereby making intercity rail ser t ices eligible to compete for these funds) N Working to change the statutory requirement for a two-thirds majority on transportation-tax ballot measures to a simple majority requirement , elimination of the distinetion between tgeeRuiyuter rail"�ntercit ,r-91" in-fed al palic es a use o f gas to o ro ion'the eb t�J O'I'I'�TL JTJ�ZI��JQ OT�STCalTO��GirClt�T�IGpy making intefeity rail sen nn s e4igibleto eampete for these ds) Additional comment regardingAIRAC: There should be an East County resident appointed to the AIRAC Committee;presently all AIRAC members are Central and Brest County residents. Phone: (925)335-1201 Fax: (925)335-1299 E-mail:jgrei@cd.co.contra-costa.ca.us j _ / DISCOVERY. BAY TOWN OF DISCOVERY BAY �UG 8 p 4: So 1555 Riverlake Road, Suite D-134, Discovery Bay, CA 94514 ' $ = Telephone: (925) 634-1131 Fax: (925) 513-2705 August 7,2000 Board Members President-David Piepho (92S)S16-2359 John Greitzer V. President-Bill Slifer (92S) 634-7898 Community Development Department Treasurer-Ray Tetreault (925)516-2155 Director-Gar Hess 925 634-5114 651 Pine Street,N.Wing-4`hFloor Director-Bob Doran (925) 634-5137 Martinez, CA 94553 RE: Comments on Intercity Passenger Rail Service in Contra Costa County Dear John: The Town of Discovery Bay Board of Directors would like to provide you with a few of their comments based on your letter for comments of June 19,2000. First,some background information: The combined number of existing homes in the Byron and Discover},Bay communities today is around`4300 and in most cases both man and wife of these communities, drive to work in two different vehicles daily. This makes for quite a few vehicles (about 7,500+) on only three main routes that we have in the area, which are Vasco Road,Highway 4 and J4. Comments: 1.. The Board strongly supports the development of a light rail commuter center in the Byron Area.The use of redevelopment money, State and Federal grants should make this happen. 2. The Board supports the idea of using the existing railway tracks that I believe run from the Antioch Area to the City of Tracy,that come through the B3Ton Area. 3. The Board also believes that the existing railway tracks could be used as a feeder to the new ACE Train System. I would like to ask that you and your group keep us informed as progress proceeds on this subject. If you have any questions or would like to discuss this matter in more detail,please feel free to contact meat(925) 634-1131. Sincerely, Virgil Koehae, General Manager Town of Discovery Bay Cc: Byron MAC S Comments from Lisa Hammon, manager of the best Contra Costa Transportation Advisory Committee, via a,-mail Date sent: Fri,28 Jul 2000 14:18:31 -0700 From: Lisa Hammon<LisaH@CI.SAlrT-PABLO.CA.US> To: jgrei@traasport.co.contra-costa.ca.us Subject: Comments on proposed goals for intercity rail in Contra Costa John, the following are my comments on the AIRAC's proposed goals. If you need a formal letter stating these comments, please let me know. In general, the goals seem appropriate and in line with Amtrak's "California Passenger Rail System Five-Year Improvement Plan Summary Report." Has any thought been given to prioritizing the goals or to developing an action plan to implement them? 1. Bullet#1 - Increasing awareness is important for the Capitol Corridor as well as the San Joaquins. 2. Bullet r2 - mention that the Richmond station has the only direct connection between intercity trains and BART. 3. Bullet 4 - Add "ticketing improvements" to the list of options for improving the quality of the service. 4. Add a bullet in the first section("Increase ridership by...") that states: "Adding new rail corridors/stops and connecting service to the San Joaquin and Capitol Corridor train service." Thank you for the opportunity to comment on the goals. s -g ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICESWAe&Hon u6 CUSTOMERSERVICE 2477 Arnold Industrial Way _ , z TRANSPORTATION CENTER Concord,CA 94520-5326 At Walnut Creek.BART (925) 676-1976 220 Ygnacio Valley Rd Fax (925)687-7306 00JLil �WalnutCreek,CA94596-3739 �f r 'j.: `1Fax(925)932010478 21 July 2000 Mr. John Greitzer Transportation Planning Division Contra Costa County Conununity Development.-Department :. 651 Pine Street,North Wing, 4`h Floor Martinez, CA 94553 Dear John, Thank you for the opportunityto;cornment-ori tthe:AIItAC.s :proposed:;goais for interi it%'rail service for Contra Costa County. We have long fell that maximizing the-ussee,off ex stiiig':irtrastructur`e resources, iricludiug ex_stirig.rail corridors and track, isa cost.effectiNle approach o iinpr,o3,',ing m6 ility ,-Coupling tlirs-with using existing infrastructure to support feeder bu's�:hd express._bus service Nthere,uo;rail exists_Lauld= zovide the.regicm witfi.asset of truly viable trave :opt ons for the iricre singly comple:�' om�utes-we'all-fzce_:' - 1 The Cou3 ty Cpn iection sup Orts the..ggals'of the coni nittee in genEral, and the goals to increase access; and change:=statutory requirements for tr`anspor'tation tak.ballot measu es in particu ar, As you;are aware, the Count C�nnection_provides feeder.serv3�ce te,�,,lwth the.AlCF and A1�:lRAK stations,--and promotes-the use of alternative t.ran�por'taiion,�by all modes.;� fl tan t`nfusyrn.sjf n��v funds for capital-and operating, we stand ready toincrease our levels of feeder service to rail to cpntinueand expand this--service. Please consider changing yo r goal for increased funding under bullet 2 two incland supporting bus transit, so that the Bullet reqs: • i z ■ Shifting the balance of futu.r..e fi dthg.program s f rom a liigliiva3: Rentatcon:to more of a rail and ,' $Z-L:,�_ I0."--1supporting bus transit oetvnt-41t.'on. t; , This change would strength ern :re'i tialand the.,AMAC's corimutment to-working in partnership with transit f operators to both advocate forfncreascd ft tl = -:arid p'&ide-hi r=:;tiality.seam1ess.rai1 access. Please give me a ca if there is any other information we may be able'to Fro��ide. JC914nda ly; Dahlgren r of Administration Clayton • Concord • Contra Costa County . Danville Lafayette Martinez Moraga • Orinda • Pleasant.Hill San Ramon Walndt-Creek e • o . E s TRANSPAC Tra. i�portation Partnership and Cooperation Clayton, Concord, Martinez, Pleasant Hill, Walnut Creek and Contra Costs County 100 Gregory Lane, Pleasant Hill, California 94523 (925) 671-5250 Mr. John Greltzer August 14, 2000 Contra Costa County Community Development Department 651 Pine Street, North Wing Martinez, CA 945 3 Dear Mr. Grelt er: The TRANSPAC TAC reviewed the request for comments on the ,proposed goals for intercity rail passenger service in Contra Costa County prepared by the Ad Hoc Intercity Rail Advisory-Comni1ttee (AIRAC). The TAC appreciates AIRAG's efforts in developing these goals which are an important planning tool for the future of rail In Contra Costa. The TAC's comments are really questions primarily focused on how the proposed goals "fit" with other rail and transportation planning activities In Contra Costa, The Central County Action Plan includes a statement of TRANSPAC's Interest In the use of existing rail rights-of-way to connect Central and East County and East County to the ACE corridor The Plan also recommends that the Contra Costa Transportation Authority undertake a study, with cooperation from TRANSPAC and TRANSPLAN, on the use of these rights of way. The TAC would like to know how the AIRAC goals relate to the Central County recommendation and to the transportation planning activities of the various Regional Transportation Planning Committees. In addition, we are curious to know how the proposed goals relate to the proposed development of a draft process for an Antioch BART Extension Study de'scribed In your July 18, 2000 memo and whether this study will examine conventional rail options as well as a BART alternative. It seems to the TAC that a rail study options should be undertaken for the East County area Including possible Central and East County locations for connections to BART as well as the south to the ACE train, The study should also assess the feasibility, type, schedule and cost of improvements required to provide commuter rail service on an existing rail line, as a relative near- term Improvement while seeking funding for a BART extension or possibly instead of a BART extension, It appears to the TAC that there may be an opportunity to begin to look the near and long term rail transit needs In East County and begin to formulate an investment strategy that will provide needed rail transit service In the SR 4 corridor. One of the proposed goals Is to "shift the balance of future funding programs from a highway orientation to more of a rail orientation." Given that there will always be highways needs, a slightly different approach may be to allow maximum flexibility in determining the best Investment for a given area at a given point in time,. Localities in concert with Congestion Management Agencies and/or Transportation Authorities could determine the parameters of that "best Investment" which could 15 -- PQ be fund programming to one mode or a combination of both to maximize the mobility options available to the traveling public. I understand that comments have been requested by September 15, 2000; Please be advised that due to our summer meeting schedule, TKANSPAC has not had an opportunity to review the proposed goals, although the Item will be scheduled for its September 13, 2000 meeting. I would appreciate It if ARAK would receive any additional comments from TRANSPAC that may result from that meeting, Thank you for the opportunity to review this Important document, Sincerely, Barbara Neustadter TRANSPAC Manager cc: TRANSPAC Representatives TRANSPAC TAC Bob McCleary, CCTA Paul Maxwell, CCTA Intercity raii tomments,wpd. . 5 - II R M a Raff a .M NOWAF Clayton, Concord, Martinez, Pleasant Hill, Walnut Creek and Contra Costa County "Zo 100 Grego,, -one, Pleasant Hill, California 94 3 (925) 671-525000S P 41Y Mr. John Greltzer September 18, Contra Costa County Community.Development Department 651 Pine Street, North Wing Martinez, CA 94553 Dear Mr. Greitzer: TRANSPAC reviewed the request for comments on the proposed goals for intercity rail passenger service in Contra Costa County prepared by the Ad Hoc Intercity Rail Advisory Committee (AIRAC) as well as our TAC's comment letter sent to you in August. TRANSPAC appreciates the opportunity to review the proposed goals and your acceptance of comments after September 15, 2000. TRANSPAC supports its TAC comments and is pleased that an "all type" rail study is in development for Eastern Contra Costa. As youare aware, the Central County Action Plan includes a statement of TRANSPAC's interest in the use of existing rail rights-of-way to connect Central and East County and East County to the ACE corridor. TRANSPAC believes that an assessment of the feasibility, type, schedule and cost of improvements .could identify the steps necessary to implement commuter rail service on an existing rail line. TRANSPAC remains interested in participating in such a study which hopefully can identify possible rail connections which can be implemented in the relative short-term. TRANSPAC expressed similar concerns as the TAC regarding the proposed goal to "shift the balance of future funding programs from a highway orientation to more of a rail- orientation." Given TRANSPAC's experience in. fund programming, flexibility in determining the best investment strategy to achieve local transportation objectives is a key issue. As a result, TRANSPAC believes that maximizing investment flexibility ultimately better serves the needs of the traveling public. Thank you for the opportunity for TRANSPAC to review the proposed goals and please call on us to participate in the rail study. Sincerely,- Charlie Abrams , Chair cc: TRANSPAC Representatives TRANSPAC TAC Bob McCleary, CCTA Paul Maxwell, CCTA THE CAPITOL CORRIDOR COLFAX• SACRAMENTO- DAVIS • SUISUN!FAIRFIELD • MARTINEZ • OAK-AND!SAN FRANCISCO• SAN JOSE September 6, 2000 0 0 Mr. John Greitzer Transportation Planning Division Contra Costa County, Community Development Department `M§;-` =� 651 Pine Street,N. Wing—4th Floor .Martinez, CA 94553 �? 0 Dear Mr. Greitzer: On behalf of the CCJPA, I would like to thank the Contra Costa County Ad Hoc Intercity Rail Advisory Committee for allowing the CCJPA to review committee's proposed goals for intercity rail service in Contra Costa County. The CCJPA supports the efforts of the committee and believes that a key component to the future success of intercity rail service is working together with the various partners ranging from Amtrak, the State of California, the railroad owners (in most cases freight railroads), local/regional transportation agencies and advocacy committees like yourselves. I would like to provide the following comments on the committee's proposed goals: Increase ridership - The CCJPA Board of Directors recently initiated an Outreach Committee,who is working in partnership with local communities and advocacy groups, to raise the awareness of the Capitol Corridor in the communities that are served by the trains. - The CCJPA as supported by its local transit member agencies are seeking to continually improve access to/from the Capitol Corridor. Examples include: • Improved intermodal connections: The extension of Sacramento RT LRT to the Sacramento Depot (service begins.in 2002); Martinez Intermodal Station(currently under construction); Richmond (currently under construction), which will include a transit village, and planned improvements at the San Jose Diridon Station which is served by Caltrain, ACE, Capitol Corridor, and Amtrak long distance trains,Amtrak feeder and local buses and the planned VTA Vasona LRT • A transfer transit program will be implemented in October 2000 which will provide a two-part coupon available from Amtrak conductors to allow a free transfer between Capitol Corridor trains and AC Transit and Sacramento local transit(light rail and bus) services - The CCJPA is embarking upon an'aggressive service expansion plan to increase train frequencies in the corridor. As identified in Amtrak's California Passenger Rail Study (May 2000), service will increase from 7 daily round trip trains in the corridor today to a minimum of 12 daily trains by 2005 with an ultimate plan of 16 daily trains, essentially hourly service from 6 am to 10 pm. - As part of this service expansion plan, the CCJPA, supported by Amtrak and the State of California, is working in a partnership with the Union Pacific Railroad, the owner of the rail right-of-way and facilities, to implement track infrastructure improvements that will increase track capacity to support added Capitol Corridor trains (while allowing for growth of freight rail traffic), reduce train travel times, and improve reliability. CAPITOL CORRIDOR JOINT POWERS AUTHORITY 800 Madison Street•P.O.Box 12688(LMA-2)•Oakland,CA 94604-2688 Mr.John Greitzer September 5,2000 Page 2 Increase efficiency - Another aspect of improving efficiency is to continually increase ridership and revenues thereby increasing the farebox recovery ratio,a common standard to measure financial efficiency. It is encouraging to see this progressive, collaborative approach towards improving intercity rail service in Contra Costa County. We appreciate the opportunity to participate in the development of these goals. We look forward to working with the cornmittee and Contra Costa County to enhance the Capitol Corridor service as part of the county's transportation system. Sincerely, l David B. Ku osky Manager of ce and Planning cc: Steve Cohn, CCJPA Board of Directors - Chair Joel Keller, CCJPA Board of Directors Dan Richard, CCJPA Board of Directors Eugene K. Skoropowski, CCJPA Managing Director g:lcapitol corridorwontra costa objs.Itr Distribution list for " 7oals for intercity rail" Stacey Mortensen EXHIBIT C Executive Director ACE Commuter Express Eugene Skoropowsi Executive Director Capitol Corridor Joint Powers Authority Steven Zimrick Caltrans Rail Program Thomas.Margro General Manager BART Robert McCleary Executive Director Contra Costa Transportation Authority John Greitzer TRANSPLAN staff Barbara Neustadter Manager TRANSPAC Lisa Hammon Manager WCCTAC Lisa Bobadilla Manager SWAT Municipal Advisory Councils (MAC)s—all Jeanne Krieg General Manager Tri Delta Transit Rick Ramacier General Manager County Connection Richard Fernandez General Manager AC Transit Charlie Anderson General Manager WestCAT Mike Daley Siena Club Community development directors (or planning directors) for all 19 cities in the County. Robert Raburn East Bay Bicycle Coalition Contra Costa Council Tom Steinbach Executive Director Greenbelt Alliance Stuart Cohen Director Transportation Choices Forum Sunne McPeak President Bay Area Council La«,rence Daluns Executive Director Metropolitan Transportation Conuilission Wayne Horiuchi Government Affairs Union Pacific Railroad Darrell Johnson Director of Planning Amtrak West Charles Lundgren Manager of Public Projects Burlington Northern Sante Fe Eugene Leong Executive Director ABAG (Association of Bay Area Governments) Dennis Fay Executive Director Alameda County Congestion Management Agency Andrew T. Chesley Deputy Executive Dii,,-tor San Joaquin Council of Governments Daryl K. Halls Executive Director Solano Transportation Authority Linda Best Executive Director Contra Costa Economic Partnership Jim Jakel Executive Director Contra Costa Council Bruce Kern Executive Director Economic Development Alliance for Business 5- P7