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Filed under: Arcata, Eureka, Humboldt, Marin, Mendocino, NCRA, Napa Valley, North Coast Railroad, Northwestern Pacific Railroad, Novato, Railroad, SMART, Santa Rosa, Sonoma, Ukiah, Union Pacific, bicycle, trails, transit
North Coast Railroad Authority has extended the comment period for the recirculated Draft EIR to 5:00 p.m. January 14, 2010.
Green Wheels:An Update on the Eureka-Arcata 101 Improvement Project
In the grand scheme of regional non-motorized connectivity between cities, the 101 is at the top of the list. If built, the 101 Eureka-Arcata Corridor Improvement Project has the potential to negatively impact trail development between Arcata and Eureka. Designing “improvements” for the 101 without certain accommodation for the Humboldt Bay Trail— a future portion of the California Coastal Trail (SB908)— could potentially hem us in. The proposed Humboldt Bay Trail will likely fall on either Caltrans right of way or the North Coast Railroad Authority (NCRA) right-of-way. So, any development along the 101 that increases the width of 101 could impact our ability to have a Rail-with-Trail. This leaves us with our other option, Rail-to-Trail, not only a harder sell among railroad stalwarts, but a cue to Caltrans that this issue cannot be talked about in isolation from the HBT.
The NCRA and Caltrans share another issue in common—sea level rise—which goes hand in hand with trail design as well. To protect the highway from rising sea levels, either the entire highway needs to be elevated, or the railroad prism needs to be enhanced to act as a levy. If Caltrans chooses to enhance the railroad prism as a levy, it makes fiscal sense to do it in a way that accommodates the proposed Class I multi-use trail on the levy. If they choose to raise the level of 101, either gradually as it undergoes maintenance, or as part of this project, Caltrans musti establish that a Class I multi-use trail is fully feasible outside the Caltrans right-of-way in the face of wetland constraints and sea level rise challenges to the trail, or must accommodate the trail within its right-of-way and protect it, along with the highway facility from sea level rise. This will require Caltrans to conduct design, engineering and permitting for the trail to fully establish its feasibility.
MIJ: Report: Alto Hill Tunnel reopening carries big price tag
The $225,000 study, paid for with federal funds, will be discussed at a meeting Wednesday in Mill Valley.
It estimates reopening the half-mile Alto Tunnel between the two communities would cost $48 million to $52 million, which would include adding a 10-foot-wide bike path and an 8-foot-wide pedestrian walkway.
SRPD: Public makes pitch for SMART train features
It’s their trains, and the public at a Wednesday night workshop made it clear what they would like the Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit cars to look like.
An open letter from Wine Train to Sen. McCain
It worries me that no calls were made before we were held up to the entire American public — a small business in Northern California — as an enormous source of government waste.
If you had spoken with us, or even project officials, you might have asked: Why would the Napa Valley Wine Train need, or take,$54 million in taxpayer money to move a small section of rail line 33 feet? The answer is: We didn’t!
So, who does? Napa County has an award-winning flood control project and design; one that was proposed, and approved by voters, many years ago. This is the project that is being funded. That design has impacted a lot of businesses. It has necessitated the movement of several rights-of-way, and at my last count four or five bridges (including the Wine Train’s). The goal of this project is to protect the city of Napa from continued flooding, period, not enhance specific companies.
SRPD: SMART gets $2.5 million for commute-rail work
The Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit district has received $2.5 million in federal funds for preliminary engineering and environmental work on its planned commuter rail line.
SRPD: Builder, taxpayer groups protest SMART deal
Leaders of the North Coast Builders Exchange and the Sonoma County Taxpayers Association demanded Wednesday that SMART directors put a stop to negotiations between their Railroad Square project developer and a group representing labor and environmental interests.
UDJ: Possible sites for new courthouse discussed
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“It’s a classic win-win, because we would have enough property for freight and passenger service in the future, and the land could be used for an important public service,” Stogner said.
The site used to be a railroad maintenance yard, and the land was contaminated when the NCRA bought it from Pacific Union Railroad in 1996, according to Stogner. He said a study needs to be done to determine what the contamination is and how to go about cleaning up the site.
“They (Pacific Union) have until 2013,” Stogner said. “Whatever is done with the property, the cleanup responsibility will have to be assigned by the purchaser, or worked out with the responsible party, which is Union Pacific Railroad.”
The AOC expects to complete the new Ukiah courthouse by 2015, and planned $5.6 million for property acquisition.
Stogner said another hurdle to jump for locating at the depot site is that the NCRA needs permission to sell the land from Caltrans and the Federal Highway Administration, which contributed money for the purchase.
MIJ: Not all on board for high-density housing near rail stations
Last week the Metropolitan Transportation Commission handed out $1.8 million to cities to provide financial support “for planning processes that seek to increase transit ridership by maximizing the development potential around current or future transit stations and corridors.”
The MTC – which is pushing housing and retail around transit hubs to limit car trips – happily handed out the cash to every city that applied for the dollars in Marin and Sonoma. But in Marin only one of the three eligible cities stepped forward: San Rafael. Novato and Larkspur passed, each saying they were not quite ready to embrace the concept until they know more.
San Rafael received $140,000 to plan around a Civic Center Station, which will go in along the west side of Civic Center Drive, and another $388,000 for planning at its downtown station just north the transit center. The city will have to provide a 20 percent match.
Amid the grit and grease that is Wine Country Motors on Sixth Street, mechanics tromp over ribbons of steel embedded in the concrete floor.
These rails might seem as out of place as a mounted moose head, but they tell a story. Wine Country Motors occupies a building that accommodated a century of the city’s transportation history.
Wine Country Motors and half a dozen other contemporary businesses are housed within the shell of the enormous car barn of the old Vallejo, Benicia & Napa Valley Railroad.Built in 1905, the car barn and repair shop remained after the electric railroad went belly-up in 1935. Today people visit the ghost of the old railroad to rent a car, buy smoking supplies, or get their vehicle smogged.
Filed under: NCRA, Northwestern Pacific Railroad, Railroad, SMART, Sonoma, bicycle, trails, transit
Marinscope Newspapers > Novato Advance > News > NCRA, SMART release timeline for trains.
Construction work is finished on the railroad tracks that will carry freight trains through Novato. Now the tracks need to be inspected, and then freight trains are expected to start rolling by March 2010.
Meanwhile, planning and design work is under way for the Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit (SMART) commuter train, and construction work should start in 2011.
Filed under: Marin, Northwestern Pacific Railroad, Railroad, SMART, Sonoma, trails, transit
A San Francisco firm has been selected to write the specifications and design requirements for the trains, tracks and stations for the Sonoma-Marin commute rail system.
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The firm, LTK Engineering Services, also will support SMART in its dealings with the Federal Railroad Administration and state Public Utilities Commission, which oversee railroads.
The contract is for $2 million and runs through December 2010.
The SMART board on Wednesday also approved contracts to two firms to design the pedestrian and bicycle pathway that will be alongside the 70-mile train right-of-way.
Filed under: Marin, Napa Valley, Northwestern Pacific Railroad, Railroad, bicycle, trails, transit
MIJ: Cal Park Hill Tunnel opening will be delayed about six months
Planners hoped to open the old railroad tunnel and its adjacent approaches by the end of this year, or just after the New Year. While the tunnel is expected to be done by then, work on its north and south approaches will likely not be finished until next summer, officials said.
Until the approaches to the tunnel are finished, it can’t be used.
“There was a delay in easement acquisitions and encroachment permits from Caltrans,” said Craig Tackaberry, a county public works official helping oversee the project.
Part of the approach includes a mile of pathway to Andersen Drive in San Rafael that will be improved for bicyclists and pedestrians.
The $25.1 million project – split between state and county funds – also needs $800,000 in additional unanticipated work, primarily to help fill the gaps between the steel supports and the tunnel’s rock wall.
NVR: On track with a clean, efficient new locomotive
The American Canyon railroad company recently acquired the first of five “green” locomotives. The engine has the latest technology for fuel efficiency, generates little noise and is about 60 percent less polluting than a conventional locomotive engine.
Filed under: Marin, NCRA, Northwestern Pacific Railroad, Railroad, SMART, trails, transit
NA: Heavy trains right for SMART
The SMART board of directors made the correct decision on July 15 by voting 9-to-2 to chose to use “heavy” trains instead of “light” ones “ despite the opposition of two Novato SMART board members, Novato City Councilwoman Madeline Kellner and Marin County Supervisor Judy Arnold.
SRPD: Healdsburg launches $2.5 million depot trail plan
Work is expected to begin this fall to extend a key bike and pedestrian path in downtown Healdsburg to the old railroad depot in preparation for the day passenger trains roll again.
It’s the first phase in a $2.5 million project using transportation and redevelopment funds to create a walking and cycling path from the train station to the downtown, and also fix the boarded-up depot.
MIJ: Editorial: Practical train choice by the SMART board
THE Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit District board decided not to take any chances when it comes to its trains.
The board, on a 7-2 vote, chose so-called “heavy” rail cars because they are less likely than “light” cars to cause costly delays.
SMART’s leaders are committed to having passenger service on its tracks by 2014. That’s the promise they made to voters who in November approved a quarter-cent increase in the sales tax to start rail service through our busy commute corridor.
The cars they selected are not “Iron Horse”-like trains. They are sleek, two-car trains designed to carry 150 passengers each.
MIJ: Dick Spotswood: SMART has a fine New Mexico model to follow
The pioneer opting for untested technology pays for boldness with higher costs, embarrassing delays and endless frustration. It’s a lesson that the Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit District needs to learn quickly.
I’ve been searching for a transit model that’s successfully addressed hurdles similar to those SMART now faces.
That endeavor brought me to beautiful Santa Fe, New Mexico’s capital. Admittedly the high desert scenery and vibrant art scene were part of my motivation, but I took the opportunity to check out the Land of Enchantment’s latest transportation initiative, the Rail Runner Express.
It’s a new system that provides a very sensible template for SMART.
MIJ: Marin Voice: ‘Light’ trains made more sense
JUDY ARNOLD and MADELINE KELLNER
WE ARE WRITING to discuss our recent vote on the Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit District board for the type of vehicles for which SMART will request proposals.
In discussion of the two types of rail vehicles, one is technically referred to as Federal Rail Authority (FRA) Compliant, meaning heavy DMUs. The lighter diesel or DMU trains are referred to as “Alternate Compliant,” meaning they need an FRA waiver to operate with freight.
We will use heavy and light for simplicity.
A recent IJ article summarized our vote in favor of the light DMUs as based on design. However, as this does not capture the primary concerns stated before the vote, we’d like to offer a recap:
As stated in the staff report to the board, the heavy DMUs emit five tons of additional greenhouse gases per day per vehicle. The consultant report equated the two car types because the heavier DMUs have higher passenger capacity. The calculation was changed to reflect emissions on a per seat basis. Our concern over this point was that this assumed all seats are always full on the larger car – and although no analysis was performed on this specific assumption, all agreed that is unlikely.
If you remove this assumption, we found the difference in pollution emitted each day, over a 15-20 year assumed life for the cars, to be compelling.
Staff also recommended the heavy DMUs because they require no federal waiver; freight can run on the same track without temporal separation.
We pointed out that there is now a precedent for the FRA approving waivers for light DMU’s in Riverline New Jersey, and Austin and Denton Texas, all of which have freight mixed with passenger service.
Project directors in Austin and Denton indicated that the waivers caused no project delay. They also stated that in reviewing the lighter DMU for safety, far from being considered less safe, the Crash Energy Management technology used for these cars was perceived by the FRA as “an enhancement” over current FRA-compliant standards.
Next, we were concerned about procurement risk. To date, no company in the U.S. or world is building or has more than a conceptual design of a heavy DMU. SMART’s staff report stated: “No FRA-compliant DMUs are currently in production … DMUs designed to FRA standards are not attractive transportation solutions in the world market. Typically DMUs built to FRA requirements are heavier and costlier … than alternate-compliant (light) designs.”
Although manufacturers were quick to answer “yes” to SMART’s queries about possibilities of the heavy DMUs, the fact is these responses were unburdened by any actual experience building FRA-compliant cars.
The SMART staff did a comparison on regulatory compliances, mechanical, operational, and environmental parameters, procurement factors, diesel-fuel consumption and emissions. Where there is a SMART preference, the advantage is shown for light DMUs. In particular, we were persuaded that noise, fuel consumption and emissions from the heavy DMU’s made the lighter DMUs a superior choice.
And we did feel that the lighter European style DMUs were aesthetically more compatible with Marin and Sonoma neighborhoods, schools and downtowns that they will pass through. With required “Positive Train Control” and technology that will evolve as high-speed rail is developed, the FRA has issued statements that its standards will evolve as well.
Our minority vote was based on believing that light DMUs are the future in the U.S.. We believe the commuters and the people and businesses that will be close to the tracks deserve the least polluting, quietest most human-scale train possible.
That said, the decision to go out for an RFP for heavy DMUs was made by a majority of the SMART board, and we will continue to work with the board and staff to ensure that the vehicle specified is the best it can be, and to close the gap in GHG emissions by focusing on ways to maximize ridership to make sure as many seats as possible are full on every trip.
Marin County Supervisor Judy Arnold and Novato City Councilwoman Madeline Kellner are members of the SMART board of directors.
Filed under: Marin, Northwestern Pacific Railroad, Railroad, SMART, Sonoma, transit
MICHAEL ALLEN and RUSS COLOMBO
Published: Sunday, July 19, 2009 at 4:00 p.m.
Last Modified: Friday, July 17, 2009 at 3:27 p.m.As members of the Citizens Oversight Committee of the Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit District, we have had the opportunity over the past three months to become intimately familiar with the financial outlook for the SMART passenger train and pathway project.
What we found should not come as a surprise to anyone: The economic downturn that has affected governments and businesses and families throughout the world also has had an impact on SMART.
But while that impact is potentially significant in the future, it is neither as dire nor as imminent as some have portrayed it. In fact, for at least the short term, it should not affect the design and engineering work that SMART needs to be doing over the next two years. And, for now, it does not cause any changes in the project.
That’s the good news. The bad news is that without some changes in the economy and/or an infusion of support from the federal government, SMART will run into a funding gap in a couple of years when construction begins and large amounts of cash need to be raised through bonding.
It is frustrating for us to hear opponents of the project accuse SMART of “hiding” this gap, or of orchestrating a “charade” to keep it quiet. Our committee held eight meetings to discuss it – every one of them open to the public. The product of those meetings is the 2009 strategic plan that was adopted by the SMART Board of Directors on June 24, a public document required as part of last fall’s Measure Q. The plan is available at www.sonomamarintrain.org. SMART’s finances are an open book.
It’s important to remember, though, that we are only in the first chapter of this book. We know what the plot is: A bad economy poses difficulty to new rail and trail project. And we know the last chapter: A 70-mile passenger train and pathway offers new transportation options to North Bay. We’re just not how the chapters in between will be written.
A lot depends on conditions and events that are out of our control. What will happen to the economy and the lending markets in the next two years? If they both improve, the funding gap we’ve identified in the strategic plan will shrink. If, on the other hand, sales tax collections continue to fall and the bond markets continue to contract, all of us – SMART included – will find ourselves in even worse shape. It is only if nothing changes in the next couple of years (anyone want to bet on that scenario?) that SMART will run into the $155 million funding gap spelled out in the plan.
Regardless of what happens in the economy and the bond markets, the strategic plan directs SMART to spend these next years aggressively pursuing other funding sources to close the gap.
Because the state of California is suffering from many of the same impacts affecting SMART, much of that funding may need to come from the federal government. SMART is pursuing stimulus money, funds being made available in the new transportation bill, alternative transportation grants and other sources.
Based on the public’s desire to reduce greenhouse gas emissions through the availability of public transportation and the new administration’s enthusiasm for expanded passenger rail, we believe this funding strategy can be productive.
We’re not telling you that SMART’s financial future is secure yet. We are telling you that it is way too early to predict how this story will unfold. There are a lot more chapters to come. And if you stick with this story, we think you’ll like how it turns out.
Michael Allen of Santa Rosa is chairman of the SMART Citizens Oversight Committee and Russ Colombo, a resident of Marin County, is president and CEO of the Bank of Marin and vice-chairman of the SMART oversight committee.
