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Home My WebLink About02/17/2012OFFICE OF THE CITY MANAGER February TO: Honorable Mayor and City Council FROM: Alan Tandy, City Manager ,/�� SUBJECT: Generallnformation Please Note: City Hall will be closed on Monday, Febrvary 20t" in obser President's Day. Miscellaneous News • It is unfortunate to announce our organization will be Ic irreplaceable department head this year. Economic and Co Development Director ponna Kunz has indicated she plans to rE full time work at the end of August. Her outstanding leader resulted in a revitalization of downtown among man accomplishments. Her knowledge and insight will be missed! We well. • Speaking of EDCD, the department received notification of award from the State department of Housing and Co Development. The $1.4 million grant is part of the BEGIN Program be used to provide down payment assistance to 36 low to rr income first-time homebuyers in South Mill Creek for the CreekviE The project currently has 14 completed villas which will be avai sale in the upcoming weeks. The program is very competitive project was fortunate to receive the award. High Speed Rail News � California Rail News, a quarterly publication published by The Tra Association of California, has dedicated much of its last two issue speed rail. Considerable focus has been on the mismanageme project and the decision the authority is making in regards Honorable Mayor and City Council General Information February 17, 2012 Page 2 dealing with balancing budgets. Enclosed is an article outlining agreement reached between the City of San Luis Obispo firefighters. The tentative deal includes the firefighters forgo increases for four years, paying their full pension contribution and two-tier pension plan. TRIP News Motorists are advised to anticipate increased truck traffic on Road and Coffee Road between the hours of next six to eight weeks. Security Paving Com� Westside Parkway project, will be hauling dir Village, located on Taft Highway between C 6:30 a.m. and 3 p.r ►any, the contractc from the Bakersfie osford and Ashe R the Westside Parkway construction site. The dirt is needed to buil profile of the new freeway and must be removed from its current prior to the upcoming construction of the next phase of the Sports The contractor plans to operate up to 40 trucks, with each makir 10 trips per day. Trucks will exit the Sports Village on Ashe Road, tu on McCutchen Road, then head north on Gosford Road. They � the Westside Parkway construction site at Coffee and Brimha (Gosford Road becomes Coffee Road at Stockdale Highway.) Event Schedule There are multiple public events scheduled for the next week at City fac ✓ CSUB Basketball vs. University of San Diego February 18; 8 p.m. Rabobank Arena Tickets: $5-$50 ✓ Damn Yankees February 20; 7:30 p.m. Rabobank Theater Tickets: $26.50-$46.50 ✓ R�kPr�fiPl�l �nnrinrc HnrkPv Honorable Mayor and City Council General Information February 17, 2012 Page 3 Reports For your information, we enclose the following information: ➢ The Streets Division work schedule for the week beginning Febr� and ➢ A letter from programming. AT:ch AT&T regarding potential changes to its cc: Departmenfi Heads Roberta Gafford, City Clerk Volume 23 Number 4 Sacramento, CA Maintenance Site Lottery for Speculators Jim Costa's New District Fresno Merced Land Holdings by HSRA Vice- Chair Richards Line Destroys Irrigation & Ag Improvements ��_��Ai�� by Richard F. Tolmach ■ Routing Forces Condemnation of Orchards Line Kills Amtrak Service to Hanford, Corcoran, Wasco A joint meeting of two Senate oversight committees on December 5 grilled newly appointed board members of the High Speed Rail Authority (HSRA) about its draft busi- ness plan issued November 1. Senators had sharp questions about where the capital will come from, the likelihood of subsidy and the overall value of spending �6 billion dollars for an inoperable Central Valley starter line. Sen. Joe Simitian (D-Palo Alto), told HSRA officials there would be a serious discussion on whether the project goes back on the bal- lot or "we just say give it up because the dollars aren't going to be there in the long- haul." Simitian urged caution. "In all due respect, accessing 3 billion dollars unwisely if it's going to cost us �100 billion isn't any- thing I want to rush forward with." The Legislative Analyst's Office openly challenged HSRA claims about the need to start construction by September 2012 to save �2.3 billion in federal stimulus funds. Farra Bracht, LAO Managing Principal Analyst, said her office revievved grant agreements and did not find any construction start dead- line. She said she had not been given the location of the start-of-construction language by either HSRA or the Dept. of Finance, although it was requested months ago. Sen. Simitian asked HSRA to provide the language by noon, December 16. Senator Mark DeSaulnier added, "...unless your .�. Impacted Wetlands Line Swerves to Avoid State Park �1�� White Wolf Fault Hazard 220 mph in Barrio Bakersiield 32 miles of Viaduct . � . administrative officer has gone to another planet, this is a pretty direct question that we need to have answered. Senator Simitian has been more than kind to give you two vveeks to provide the information." Legislators seem to have reached the end of their patience. Instead of delivering a fundable plan with private industry support, clear benefits and low risk, the Authority proposes to break its promises to taxpayers and gamble �98.5 billion on a political pork- barrel no private investors will touch. It would seem far more practical to acknowledge California's fiscal limitations and propose a project the state can actually afford to complete this decade. For example, it should cost only �7 billion to fill the Bakersfield to San Fernando gap in California's rail network, but the agency doesn't want to do anything that simple. Despite �12 billion in funds, the Authority would build only an inoperable segment in the Central Valley and not deliver through San Francisco-Anaheim service until 2033. The "new and improved" business plan still fails to answer the basic questions from legislators who have been asking the Authority for three years hov�r it would find private funds for an operable segment. Even more seriously, there is a threat the Authority will try to press ahead with a vastly overpriced 300 mile Merced-Sylmar line with California taxpayers bearing 100 percent of the risk, since the Business Plan . � 1025 Ninth Street #223 MEMBERS, PLEASE CHECK � _. _. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ TTTT T TTTTrl1T A T T A TT A T!l[ Needless mile Diver� Longer Route D by Polii . identifies no means of i tal in the project desigr Gov. Jerry Brown's L the agency may have u the controversial projec needed a haircut, but i� ballooned 300 percent i (continued ,� PAG Co� OBSERV PAG AN ALTE THROUG� PAG SACRAM� LOSE ITS RIDEF B INE PLAN A ME N.Y. TRAFFI IN '� WNAT BROKE BUDGET: �W�. � �' V�I�"�IYi�fi��i � �� ,�,�-- — I� n (continued from Page 1) promised voters in 2008 for a system with the same mileage. The inflated price reveals that the governor's team never pushed project managers to slash the obvious pork. Most of the price escalation was not from inflation, but new capital added in the past two years. The Phase I network has 138 to 168 miles of elevated structures compared to 77 miles in the 2009 plan and has added 20 extra miles of tunnels. Since 2009, the cost of structures and subterranean work rose from $13 billion to nearly �45 billion. A successful California plan would have efficiently connected areas of high population while avoiding high-speed running through populated areas. The Authority has failed to achieve either of these goals. The new busi- ness plan is characteristically misleading about reasons for the addition of viaducts: Page 3-5 of the plan states, "California added nearly 5 million people between 2000 and 2010, with much of this growth along the project route. In many areas, the align- ment has had to be relocated, elevated on bridges, or placed in tunnels to avoid severe community impacts and to navigate through densely populated urban areas." On the con- trary, the elevated railroad plans were found environmentally unacceptable by every com- munity faced with them, and the Authority's stubborn insistence on them turned 35 cities into project opponents. Its proposal to invade cities with 220 mph elevated trains has made powerful enemies statewide. The High Speed Rail Authority has spent more than �800 million of public funding over the past 14 years and hasn't produced a single mile of operable track or lined up a single private investor. It is rapidly burning its little remaining credibility by putting forth overpriced unworkable plans. At �98.5 billion, the 520 mile Phase I line is �190 million per mile, while Rhin-Rhone, lat- est French line to open, cost only �25 million per mile. Why is Europe so much cheaper? European tracks are built on the ground for safety reasons, �nrith less than 2 percent of tracks in tunnel or on structure, compared to about 40 percent in HSRA's latest plan. HSRA cites Taiwan's elevated line, but it is a world-class error, not something to copy. Taiwan authorities fear tracks have only a 10-year lifespan because the structures are sinking in alluvial soil. What's more, the Taiwan High Speed Rail Corporation nearly went bankrupt because it was faced by the crushing costs of elevated track, the highest HSR per mile cost worldwide to date. Brown promised a reform at HSRA, and his team claimed that the new plan was based on a new ridership model and more conservative assumptions. Sadly, this is not the case. For example, the Initial Operating Segment-South between Merced and San Fernando cited by the business plan as the most feasible option, depends upon attracting more daily boardings in Merced (14,400) than Amtrak has in New York City. HSRA's ridership projections don't seem possible, let alone conservative. Merced traffic also constitutes three-quarters of all Central Valley ridership on the Initial Operating Segment-South, a clear signal that the contro- versial ridership model is still broken. That is a major concern, because California taxpay- ers could be on the hook for billions of dollars of subsidy on top of the construction cost if politicians are stampeded into proceeding without private capital backing the project or proof that the line vvill be profitable. No leap of faith was needed by the French government on feasibility of fast trains, since 12.2 million riders already used conventional trains in the Southeast and 17 million on the Atlantique. Increases produced by high- speed rail in the first decade of fast service were only 5.3 million annual rides on TGV- Southeast and 6.7 million on TGV-Atlantique. Compared with five European startups ranging from 5.3 million to 6.7 million new rides after a decade, HSRA's "medium" pro- jection of 36.8 million new riders on a Phase I system by its 10th year (Page 6-13 of the Business Plan) is disl The Authority's "n is more new ridershiX five European systerr Those networks toge of about 90 million, h 1000 miles and servic route miles. The clair traffic will grow to nE on a single winding G serve regional SouthE the Capitol Corridor i� Despite repeated � Brown's new appoint Authority is clearly ir. a viable project. The down this wasteful a tive proposals from p: Instead of letting x tasy project based on a better formula, one Florida, is to ask succ operating companies could be built matchi lion of public funding Railroad operating more capable and ex� agencies at the tasks able plans and of con investors that their p: sound. The project C� presented with mighl is currently proposed actually provide servi CALIFORNII EUROPEA Join TRAC and Hel Fi ht f or Im roved Tra p � p ___________________ Clip & mail with your check or money order payable to: � To nelp TRAc � Train Riders AssoCiation of California (TRAC) time staff, I arr donation of � 1025 Ninth St. #223 Sacramento, CA 95814-3516 (916) 557-1667 — 1,-„�� :,, �._� �,�� „�_._:_��. �._ ��.,� � , ,..��,�,��,. The House and Senate passed the Conference Report on a package of three appropriations bills, including the Fiscal Year (FY) 2012 Transportation, Housing and Urban Development and Related Agencies (THUD) Appropriations bill, also known as the "Mini-bus" November 17, one day before the Continuing Resolution was set to expire. The report passed on a vote of 298-121 in the House and 70-30 in the Senate. The bill v�ras signed by the President November 18, com- pleting work on the FY 2012 budget for the Department of Transportation. The conference report provides a total of $10.6 billion in FY 2012 funding for the Federal Transit Administration (FTA), a 3% increase over FY 2011 funding levels. Increased funding was provided to the Formula and Bus Grant programs, which will receive �8.3 billion, an �18 million increase, as well as the New Starts Capital Investment Grant Program, which is funded at �1.9 bil- lion in FY 2012, a�358 million increase over the FY 2011 level. The bill provides $1.41 billion for Amtrak, a reduction of �65 million from FY 2011. According to the Appropriations Committee, the agreement also includes policy reforms for Amtrak—requiring overtime limits on Amtrak employees to reduce unnecessary costs, and would reinstate a bus industry sponsored provision that prohibits federal funding for routes where Amtrak offers a dis- count of 50 % or more from peak fares. Democrats tried to keep cuts off Amtrak, which has had a record ridership year, with traffic exceeding 30 million for only the sec- ond year since the national system's estab- lishment. One program which was protected from harm was state-supported routes, on v�rhich Federal funds will continue flowing and the enforcement of PRIIA Section 209 provisions will wait until FY 2013. In addition, both houses voted to strip a112012 funding for high-speed rail or new capital programs for intercity passenger rail service, a provision described by many media sources as "killing high-speed rail." Key California caucus Republicans also say they want rescission of prior Federal Railroad Administration grants for high- speed rail previously given to California. California's Jeff Denham (R-Atwater) and Kevin McCarthy (R-Bakersfield) say the Published DeCember 19, 2011 Published 4 times annually by the California Rail Foundation in Cooperation with the Train Riders AssoCiation of California Robert Reynolds, TRAC President California project is a mess and became unaf- fordable when its cost tripled to $98.5 billion. The two congressmen want �3.3 billion in federal grants rescinded. Denham, a subcom- mittee chair on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, said he believes all of the project's grants can be rescinded by Congress and should be reallocated to the delayed Highway 99 reconstruction project in the Central Valley. The Los Angeles Times reported Republican staffers vvere formulat- ing plans to sequester high-speed funds which have not been put under contract. "We can't afford it when v�re have a $15-trillion debt that continues to grow and California is broke," Denham said. "The cost of it continues to balloon out of control with no private investors willing to put money into it. " The Obama administration took the threat seriously enough that it attempted to secure the money for the California project via a budget technique called "obligating." In late November, the California High Speed Rail Authority said it had signed a cooperative agreement with the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) that "secures" through the obligation process remaining portions of the �3.3 billion needed to start construction. That action covers �928 million set aside for the project last year. According to Tom Umberg, HSRA chair- man, the agreement shows that the state's funding to start construction "is identified, committed and we are moving forward. " California critics dispute whether HSRA can legally commit or expend funding prior to environmental clearances or findings by the state legislature that the project is legal. On December 5, Senator Joe Simitian (D-Palo Alto) told other senators he would ask the Legislative Counsel for an opinion about whether an inoperable "Initial Construction Segment" was a legal use of the funds. Denham said he doubts that obligating funds that haven't actually been spent can stop Congress from rescinding authorization. High-speed rail has eluded normal federal review, with an FRA staff heavily influenced by Rep. Jim Costa (D-Fresno). December 6, an oversight hearing on high-speed rail, entitled "Mistakes and Lessons Learned" was held by the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. A subsequent hearing will deal specifically with the California project. House Republicans view the California project as poorly planned and managed. McCarthy has introduced legislation that would freeze federal funding for the project and subject it to a comprehensive audit. The December 14 House hearing was chaired by Rep. John Mica (R-Fla.). Mica has been a consistent high-speed rail supporter, citing the Northeast Corridor as being an optimum site for a project. However, Mica has become increasingly skeptical about the California's Central Valley starter. Even if the House were to rescind all or a portion of the California funding, the U.S. Senate would have to acrree before WI-FI ON ALL AMT trains is up and ru� the ticket price. Al] phones, pads and 1 AmtrakConneCt, w wireless ConneCtio; limitations: video � supported, IOS 5 is on iPhones, and do ited to 10 megs, bu for e-mail and basi� NEW PACIFIC SUR] starting January 9 consistent daily de improved links wit buses, inCluding th conneCtion from T� morning SaCramen whiCh reaChes San QUENTIN KOPP, fo� of the High Speed l now says he has se about the project: ' not the project whi and others had in Y ent kind of system if he still supporte� cited aCtions whiC] trains to a longer t; "It's not going to b opinion to riders. A ers"... A CALIFOR ON HIGH-SPEED ra Prop. ZA were put 1 lot, it would lose b� 53-47 margin of vo1 2008, but it would 1 mately 2-1 today. A percent of voters �n baCk on the ballot. AND ILLINOIS DOZ a joint procuremen based on a new fec further developme� Car, compatible wi state f leet. $ 210 mi funds for Californi� for the Midwest wi in a fleet of 120 Car tives, of which 42 c will be for Californ, entire state expens lion... GERMAN R DEUTSCHE BAHN of London-Frankfu competing with Eu Channel Tunnel by first serviCes are n� start in December ; Velaro-D trains pra route would have l� six different signal PolitiCal problems ; and Germany also weighed in, as the Eurostar serviCe w; being profitable on ha� tn r_mm�ptp wii � D � D � D � D� 0 0 Opinion By RiChard F. TolmaCh �asier Progre�s on a �ypas�2 � . . , ` ; , � � � � - - �r � � ;� s � � ' ! . � '• L+'` � .�' . :�� •. ":�'; Today, a faster track through Los Angeles . � • : ,- � ± - � .� �� ° 0 s : ;1' :��r: � �,,�r, � - ; � . � , Now that the High Speed Rail Authorrty entirely misses Union Station. This avoids . • ', :�� ; � � HSRA has im eriousl declared that it will � ,� � '• � . f �� • ' � � �� ' ��' � ) p y the Union Stations's 5 minute access and 5 ' � . 1� D : m .. , ..� �,. W � delay implementation of through tracks at minute e ress its 15 to 30 minute dvvell time . � � Y � � �- �� ' � ° � � � �� Y .j, -� � �, � k� "� _ .' g > > � � � . �+► ; , y ..� �,, ,�`. Los Angeles Union Station until approxi- along with dispatching waits at choke points � ° � � '� � " ""'•� "�° . " � � ` � � � � mately 2033, perhaps it is time to rethink m sterious interru tions in li htin or air � �` `� � � ' ; , �: `=i� �� • ` - •� r � � �' _�� ~�, '' ` /o j !' ,� Y p g g , � , , : � r � �' ��, , . . � �', �= how to obtain a modern passenger rail ser- . • �,. �� conditioning, and crew changes from one end . • i4 � . � Y I I - .,� � � , vice that traverses Los Angeles before the of the train to the other. Instead of 20 to 40 ' �, ►`' � t�� • ,�-� �"- �, �-�`= �, `� � , rest of one's life flashes ast. � � . , . f . .' �j� , .:� , � Long Throa p minutes of terminal delay, how about about ., - . � � � '�' �-�, . ,� ' �,�' * +> � , . . .'� ., � r � ; . � - ✓ ' - , • . � / To o from a ro� The feeling of massive wasted time is one-tenth that amount of waiting. Instead of s �, � ..� - . g pp ubiquitous in the vast terminal. The fact a slow crawl in and out of the terminal, trains �� ' "�� ' °� � � ` � , �:�' , '+� � 4 - �'� . ' -� •'" �� % signals throug� that its biggest space is the Waiting Room would go from 70 mile per hour speeds to a ' � , � �' '. � � j�,� �� jr �' -' ��, '�`: �, � Mission ToWer 1 � . - r► ., � � � ' l.. , �' platforms can tak s a s rt a l l. S e a t s a r e d e e 1 c u s h i o n e d f o r f u l l s t o i n s e c o n d s u s t l i k e e l s e w h e r e i n t h e '"�� . multi-hour stays and many of those using Southe r� n California network. T �' '�,''�� -�� , �'� � °� �:''� *• R�:�"! 1�� minutes, due to s] � .. .,.. � . � 0 0 _ � _� �. �.�_ them seem to be long-term residents. La Grande was the old location of the � "� �,�c '�� ;. curves and conflic �r �k,, " �" _ � � . • ��•- P . - �� . � * � ,,. paths for other tra Passengers transferring from Amtrak Atchison Topeka and Santa Fe Railway ter r, . �-. , . .� 0 ,� � � ,� _: buses to trains or vice-versa typically lose minal, and it has some significant geographic �: � tY� �� , . .* ., . •y, � •, � � , -r � . • - o � -o - �.. �"` y � - � _, � �.f , over an hour there. Connections between and strategic advantages. The srte already � •�� • � - _� �� , � � � � �-. ; Metrolink and Amtrak are even worse, set has tracks of Metro Gold, Red, and Purple , � _ �; :� - • , � � s ,- , ,- �_ � � � �,� . � � � � - - �� ` �' � � 4 � � randomi so that one ma barel make a �- � �� '� : � � `� • �" � 1 � � � � -" . `' ,�' ��'' � '• . � • � R �� - ,. � , . � ,� y y y lines Amtrak Surfliners as well as Metrolink � � r _ � � i' , . � . e , , ° w +� '"�/ ' . �' ,� � ,� � � ' � �' � ''�"'�*a ;: ` � �' ,�' ""' �; connection or wait nearly three hours. Route 91 and Orange County trains. None of ,�y . � �;;, �� .�� _ ... - � the trains sto currentl `r � • � � ` ' ' ��' .� , , The sense that your time has become p Y� • �9 o a � , � . . � -� , � ,. . ' � " � . �,. - �� m � ' � � � ,r �t�l � • � , � , � '�i. i � . t � worthless begins as your traln slows for the If a motivated Metrolink staff can find the � ,�:� . r,r� •�_ °. '� :'�` 5 _� ` ' `` " . . �� - . . �"� a ,1 '� ( a Q � � �+; �, . � , �� , . �. .� 10 mph curve at Mission Tower and creeps resources together with Metro and Caltrans ,. � _��_ j. ,� B.�� Gold Line Kinks �:�'� � , �� towar ds t he la t form a rocess w hic h ma to e liminate cu bic le t hin kin an d ex lore y ` � �� . � � �� ' take 5 minutes or more before doors open. y the possibilities, a very eco omical and effi- �"�� : � f de lay fewer commu ters i f � �,� �� ' �� ' � o 0' Then there are inevitable 3 to 5 minute cient transfer station could be constructed ��` "- �3 � f� � �`-`' �� i n c o m i n g r i d e r s a v o i d t h e 7 �� ; �. �� . � '� � � � ' minutes of extra travel built �_��-.- . , , - � , �' queues to exit, exacerbated by outmoded at the First Street Bridge. The undeveloped �,� i :,,�„� � :, _ : ,� '�, �� •- � platform designs. site has potential for much easier transfers , t� ,�� m�;� �;�' ,�� _ in between Union Station �. �� ° g�,� � between Amtrak Metrolink and Metro Red `� � � - � � ti..'= and Downtown Connector n �,� _ __ ; _. � _ � .�� E v e n l o c a l c o n n e c t i o n s t a k e a l o t o f _ ' ' "� ' '`� �:� � � � ''�,�� by boarding at La Grande. -� -- +-• . . and Pur le lines. The Metro Gold line is �ust ` - time and effort, involving major changes p ] � � . �_ � � � � � � � �... � ' F u stairs on the First Street Brid e � ' ` _ ''^ � of grade. Access from the Metro Subway p g • -� `.� , - ; ` �' •�+ � � . �� ► ,�,p , � 5P � �• � . � `� i � A M � f l � ., � �; � ��` � ',. -� _ ° � . � platform to Metrolink or Amtrak platforms . . . :�,,,, ,� � .� �` � � � . , . _ �,�� . Bu�ld�n for Re aonal Needs � - � � � � �w . � � �--� �- . requires an additional7 minute walk involv- g g �, ,` - �`�;�,, � � .� ' .� � � • . ,� �`k,, � - . a� • r r'� � An o timall desi ned transfer station � �' � � � ' � y� ' �' ' ' �_� • • .• � ' ing a ascent of 45 feet, a lot of trouble even p y g ,� ,,�`� . , . h for the physically fit, since escalators are not could be created using existing public lands ��'� `� � '` �,,� ,� � � ;. ',� yx ' ' � ;� r. S -�. � , � � � ,,, provided the whole `nray. Also, access was at the La Grande site. Since it is a new facili- , x », „ � .{� ° � � ,`�: � ' -� , , • '- , � � �, � � � not o timized for assen ers b subwa t it can be built ra idl and economicall � �.�"� ` x� �` � �' • � ' � � �,. � � � � ' - , . � � ' , ] . , p p g Y Y Y, p y y, `. �� ,�� ,� � �'` � .� �� engineers. Huge unused ticketing mezza- with platform heights optimized to speed * � • � M�- ° � �. _ � � - �_ � _ , , � � lir � � -� .� ' �: � � -� tY nines needlessly increase passenger delay boarding and maximize accessibility. ,'�,� � - R, ;. o ,�, �� ,� � � - . { � o 0 0 �fi e: and walking distance. If platforms are designed in the classic La Grande Platforms 3� �� ,�# '�- �,�" �, _�� ,�k p I 4 0 _ x,,� �,- � � t. o� o 0 H-sha e used b German stations the � _ Instead of being trainside, Amtrak and p y , Y - � ��, �, � , �, � , _, � -* � _ . �� other bus connections are even further could allow same-level transfers between � �� ,�,r� �r � -�. �,, - ° m y°� F n , �.-r- � � :�� away from the trains than Metro, and most trains that take two minutes or less. �� ,� , � �� ,� �' 4� � - Hambur Dresden Erfurt and Plzen have /� � �� first time users need a guide to find them. g, , .� _ ' such stations that combine through tracks � j ''� ' � - " � � ,� �� " �, � ? • �;� � _ ,,, � . DeCades of Future Delay. and terminal tracks. In the La Grande � 1 � �� -, Union Station may be a good place for platform design shoTnrn (right) each region- '� � � '� � � � ' : � :/ � 4 ; - , �� ; y long distance trains to terminate, but it is al service would be assigned a regular �� `�:�_ ` �- _�� ` � �� o� .� f i i- � �� too large and unfocused to be an efficient track making the facility very intuitive � �•,,� � � , . _ �`, � ',� � �,.. ; � � � hub for regional services like the Pacific and passenger-friendly. i�� i,�i i�, i h �� _ , ,� •.� �L, : � � ,. �, . ■�� , : j � , � �# , , �, ,� � � S u r f l i n e r s, M e t r o l i n k, a n d M e t r o. B e s i d e s, T h e o p e n p l a n o f t h e H- s h a p e d p l a t- - r�" � �-, -. , w . � t 1� . T � � t h e d i v e r s i o n o f a l l t r a i n s i n t o a n o f f- l i n e t e r- form fos ters easy f low o f passengers by '�� i' �', -�� ' r '„� � � ., ; �' � � , .� minal with a curved throat produces capac- eliminating most ramps and stairs and ��` '- L '`; `' �3�' ..� !�� i t y p r o b l e m s a n d c a s c a d i n g d e l a y s. brea ks down barriers be tween di f feren t '', �.�'� � � � - �. . � � •� . � � F o r w e l l o v e r a d e c a d e, t h e b e s t c h a n c e r a i l c a r r i e r s. L o c a t i o n s o f d e p a r t i n g t r a i n s �► . �� .� � � , , o f g e t t i n g f a s t e r s e r v i c e t h r o u g h L o s c a n b e c l e a r l y s i g n e d, e n d i n g t h e m a s s i v e r, � � w �`; � � Ange les was seen to be t hroug h trac ks, but con fusion an d crow ding typica l o f Union Passenger ConCOUrse, � '�. ' _ � o ° c� o�'; � that has become a lon frustratin stor . Station at rush hour. ServiCes and Securit � �� ° �J�S� " g g Y , y , ; � Today, the only bridge over Highway 101 La Grande platform access would take E 1 r El v r � : �x ° `� � � � �' holds Metro Gold Line and is too weak and _ SCa ato S/ e ato s � �. � ` � p �a � , ust 3 1/2 minutes from Civic Center via . �, ] . � �� curved too sharply for mainline trains. the Red and Purple Lines. That's five to to Gold Line/Buses � � ,�,. . �;t ,' s.� I Metrolink and Caltrans were never able ten minutes faster than access at Union � � �� i�� _� �� I lion a tin g p to protect proposed funding for through Station because one avoids the hundreds , y fraction of the billions of dollars in Metrolink and Amtrak latforms at Union Station tracks for their trains due of feet of walkways, ramps and stairs. �'��'�� now estimated for an updated Union Station Union Station and another 5 minutes on to Schwarzenneger administration raids Yet another advantage is the subtrac- 5�� and run-through tracks. Metrolink or Amtrak. encoura ed b HSRA. Meanwhile, the tion of two miles and five minutes from E��on �B �N�'i g y I Ror�ofitr fnr 11Rnrt 1loctir�atinr�C � �lant»ra anri Can Farnanrin Fnr Despite massive press coverage given to high-speed rail plans, the 512-mile Metrolink netvvork radiating from Los Angeles has been the focus of much of California's rail progress over the past decade. Metrolink now runs 163 trains daily, and has fine-tuned service quality to become the most reliable rail network in California. Its current goal for on-time performance is 97 percent. New Unlimited Use Passes Weekday peak trains are Metrolink's primary business, but ridership is up 20 percent on weekends since launch of the Metrolink All-Weekend Pass, a$10 fare which offers unlimited travel from 7 pm Fridays to midnight Sunday for a set rate. The weekend offer has long-term benefits for the network, because new commut- ers often experiment trying the train on Weekends before relying on it for home- to-work trips. Another effective promotion has been the 7-day pass, a transplanted European idea which replaces the harder to enforce 10-ride ticket With a similarly priced ticket with unlimited use for a week from pur- chase. Its convenience is so appealing, it is likely to draw traffic both from month- lies and single rides, as well as grow the market to include tourists and seniors. Feeder Buses Given a Try Metrolink has also been successfully experimenting with bus links to add new destinations, including the free shuttle to the San Manuel Casino. Each San Bernardino Line Metrolink train arriving at the San Bernardino Station between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m. Monday through Friday is met by a shuttle bus direct to the casino, which also provides nonstop afternoon returns linking to San Bernardino train departures. The shuttle bus service proved to be so popular following its November 1 launch, that it had to be temporarily put on hold to improve passenger safety. Crowds of casino-goers piled off the train trying to get a seat on one overcrowded bus. Since then, new agreements have been put in place with the shuttle operator to provide multiple buses at key times. Amenities for Passengers Thus, Metrolink recognizes that it is important to continue to create incentives for people to take the train. One of the most powerful incentives is to increase parking at stations. Tustin, for example, increased its supply of parking, which led to an increase of passengers to and from that station. Quiet cars came to Metrolink in Octo- ber. However, the new concept has led to on-board confrontations between pas- sengers and crew. Sheriff Deputies who patrol the trains cannot enforce the quiet car rule since there is no law aaainst talk- will attempt to foster quieter conditions. Positive Train Control Progress Metrolink is at the forefront of install- ing positive train control (PTC), well ahead of the 2015 federal mandate. Originally, Metrolink hoped to achieve full implementation by 2012. However, several complications have cropped up, including the issue of assuring secure communica- tions between on-board radio and off-site servers. Although full reliance on PTC may be delayed up to a year, a new dispatch sys- tem integrated v�rith PTC will come on board in mid-2012. This system will be capable of relaying information to exist- ing electronic messaging boards at sta- tion platforms, and give them accurate up-to-the-moment departure times. Fleet Rehab and Sales Metrolink is also playing catch-up with its locomotive rehab program. Currently, locomotives should be rebuilt at 1 mil- lion miles. Metrolink is looking at placing emissions-reducing Tier IV engines in more than 30 of its 521ocomotives. The remaining locomotives would be upgrad- ed to Tier IV when funding is available. To the curiosity of many a passenger, Metrolink has used a rainbow of different Bombardier cars from other transit agen- cies across the nation in recent years. Notably, New Jersey Transit leased several of its cars to Metrolink in 2007, when Metrolink's capacity was strained to bursting. However, Metrolink hopes to cut expenses by ending the NJT leases by purchasing the cars and possibly reselling them. Metrolink also has been active in rebuilding its first-generation Bombardier fleet, including an effort to repurpose some to expand bicycle capacity. Guardian Fleet Expansion When the OCTA Board voted in 2005 to increase commuter rail service in the county through its Metrolink Service Expansion Program, OCTA committed $137 million to purchase 59 Rotem rail cars to support existing and expanded service. Since then, however, OCTA has scaled back its expansion efforts due to reduced availability of operating funds. Under current expansion plans, OCTA will need only 37 of the cars. This leaves 22 cars OCTA bought that are instead used throughout the entire 512-mile system. Metrolink and member agencies have expressed their desire to keep the 22 cars for use on the rest of the system for expansion or current traffic needs. Accordingly, Metrolink drafted a mem- orandum of understanding with OCTA that would allow the other member agen- cies to reimburse OCTA for the 22 cars. direct cash or payrr tions or capital proj� have underwritten. The 22 cars will : agencies in the follc appears to approxir work train-miles: Lc Metro, 47.5%; OCT� County Transportal 11.1%; San Bernardi Governments, 14.4° Transportation Cor� Other agencies b contributed additio� contribution is reco toWards the fundin vice expansion and equitably distributE constituent agencie Route Upgrade Metrolink plans t Valley Line in 2013 contributions of the Transportation Con tributed funds to pi locomotives for the Metrolink is also capital and expansi link, working with � County, will install E Street in San Ber� rebuilding its San E Also, the 24-mile operate as an exter. Line, is on its way, ments. Notably, the cent grade, 10-degr trains that will sha� Crew Use EffiCi One way Metroli: efficient is by possi: straight time crews utilizes split crews end-to-end, with 4 : hotel time. Straight hand, come on dut� rest break. Some observers � sideration of wheth more straight crew� costs. For example, Ventura County Lir. cally run eight crev� straight crews werE However, the sa� would bring would costs of running mc the member agenci tunity to decide wh vice and chip in for Progress is expecte al runs based on cr� Thanks to Dennis and Numan Par Coalition for item; phntnr nrn��irloi � � �_�r t.! �:� , •' • • c '' �� • � -�e ,' r,r �r-�� - �� .>��- '��-. � , ��- _ � �y�,.�,� `` ' .�• �L�� ,ry� � �T o �� r1' �1� �'A= -.� �� , ,' _.�`'�.k:r`� ' _�''`,y- p'' � �� 'y�• �'�,,�� `' �;^`'1 ' � '1 r � ,, `, �+� 1�� ''�� • f'` ..�'"'�. •� � , •, �.- ;,., •t.,' • � � . �,,,�-'. — v � t •� •' 1 �� ' .Y�i ; � , ti f t • J v _ �� • � �_� `v � .,� -� �� ': � it _. �:• � � �+}�`.►' ,' .c '�, ,.� a7 �.'� ... v. : , j; ,�� ti.. , t �,��1 ' ' . .` ♦y._� a' ` „ �,,� �ij_ }� !Q�ki�,� �, • `,•''%j.�!f � ' '�. C. ��_ . � !rr` � '.._� u� _ . r ",, �-+�.�i �.., � _:..t•, "...'��ri �'' Zr�� -�i+�V:. • � ii., �' ". Cl �.,,�"`1�-:' ►`i►i��[�`r'11+;�'��,;. �..`._' 4'' �. ! - . +• ` � ` �a.`-..- _ _ , , -'�: ,- ~ lc . J • � - _ -- ' i -. _ ��r �� M .r • �'��' ~ - - _ _ l�'L� ��i�. J ♦ � •�� . � �r.. � .�, .i . ++ew.� �!►��•�� _�► '��t � �.Q'`�+` - - �'^ -- -_"� -- . �- _ •�� . r� _' . �... � 1 �� y _� ► � i A� i �_ .�1. � -�.�� .. _ • �"..a+R� �� ✓ . �♦ � . , . r - _ '� _ _ ►-` _ - �"'�__'�►-..- .� � . �,_' � • LV.► .. � _ . ' �s -� � ',�.�••.r�%"��"�"'r7--1 . --�•' ..� `� ; � + + a � �� . -_ .T�l.'' .�' �y - '«'i.- - i';� a ,\�i!'• � � ` • ,[�. . � �' � '' � � � t't�► - . - � ' Jl'►' � -,) ( I ��r I � � ' � • ��~__-� -- - '` � � , '�'� = ' . • . � 1 (� � �•��, � -1 �i � i �. �� - � � � � . .. ��.+ i�. .- • . _ . � �.4 � _ � � � �I n� - — i� � ,",�: "� , - .�.. � ,. T� ". � _ � . -,--'._."_� ._ _ , . r - � , . � . ,.: � � ;-.� �` �, ' �� .� �� 1 _ �1 ��Z..,,ti- =,a,r „ > ` s � ' — i� ; . � �. 1�, � \ . �_ f - -- ,. �_- � t , � • .: +w� 1 �' �." • _ �•= i �'* !��, - - . , rr�,� . �- � �.1!�.� . ^ . . = �. 4 4 i t" r� � �.r . �ir � . ,•, � �;� � �, - . ti--�•;'-�-�' �.,, _ . .. ' �� . �� -'�.. i �� - ' . � w� .- �, �; P:: Today: Cross-Platform Transfer to Regional Transit light rail and buses, well covered platforms, and full station services just 150 feet from tracks makes Sacramento the top-performing Amtrak station in Northern California. �� - •- .� � — =. �y �' i� �' . � : i.! `f ,. . . _ t �� . ��.;�_ .. � ,�. .��,. � February: Where did the tr� Remote platforms without security, p amenities like bathrooms, ticket mac] basic shelter from sun or winter cold Sacramento's performance severely, X endangering Capitol Corridor trains. A RAlV1ENT PA EN ER T BE TR� Opinion by Wilhelm R. ReiCh Sacramento's station has been the most popular Amtrak stop in Northern California because of its passenger ame- nities, covered platforms, close light rail connections and easy pedestrian access to downtown business destinations. That's soon to be history. A long- delayed City of Sacramento project that has consumed hundreds of millions of public dollars is about to destroy all the progress made in the past two decades. Beginning as soon as February, all passengers will be forced to take a quarter-mile trek from the ticket window into a lonely tunnel through the toxic Sacramento Railyards site before they can board Capitol Corridor, San Joaquin, Coast Starlight or California Zephyr Amtrak trains. Regional Transit will stay put for now, 650 feet from the remote Amtrak platform. Phase I of the Sacramento Intermodal Facility project moves Amtrak passenger platforms about 1,200 feet north of the waiting room to accommodate real estate speculators to the detriment of Amtrak and light rail passengers. New remote platforms will lack basic amenities like heating or air conditioning, enough shel- ter for passengers to be be protected from sun or rain, bathrooms, ticket machines or security. But, it does not end there: Development pressure and a starry-eyed City of waiting room. However, removing tracks and platforms to a remote site 1200 feet away undermines the entire purpose of the improvements to date. The City of Sacramento, regard- ing Phase I, cynically claims that the Sacramento Intermodal Facility will cre- ate "a state of the art regional transpor- tation center." State-of-the-art is a term which glibly masks the discomfort and inconvenience planned for nearly 25,000 people per week. The project was subject to environ- mental review and was approved by the Sacramento City Council through a Finding of No Significant Impact. The project is folded into the grandiose Sacramento Railyards Specific Plan dated December, 2007. Hovvever, the City is rashly making changes in its developer-friendly 2007 specific plan (which passed environmen- tal review) to promote the sports com- plex, a move which may undermine exist- ing environmental clearances. At the October 12, 2011 "public meet- ing" to roll out the stadium plan and to start the environmental process (Environmental Impact Report (EIR) Notice of Preparation (NOP)), city staff breathlessly described conceptual plans which depict the E S C. The posters and fanciful renderings show a massive, scale-hostile ESC squat- ting betvveen the current station wait- ing room and the relocated tracks to the take before they go � The sports comple troversial because fu: require hundreds of � city money at the sar faces police departm� neighborhood pool cl diminished municipa when queried about staff at the October E predicted that fundir. city budgets. One must also wo� is at hand to finance vvhat vvith the currer. by the Sacramento K: teams. At press time, the ready to hand sports tional hundreds of m off city parking garac announces new cutb health funding. It is � that the Council is re salary increases for k the same time it is cl services. The current platfol potential arena plan : being of the growing users at Sacramento nomic benefits of a s1 up until now has pro traffic in Northern C� The ultimate consE I expansion and the ] �'�i � �. , Attendees at the CalRai12020 conference in November enjoyed a full presentation on Metro Rail projects and their sequence of construction up to 2035, but attention was most focused on the Expo Line, where excitement was building that the first segment would open soon. As it turned out, the route had to be seen by bus because the line wasn't even handed over from construction contractors to Metro until three weeks after the conference, and testing was only being conducted on weekdays. Observers who got a chance to ride a test train in early December pointed out that there were major pieces of work remaining, such as on the switch at the junction of the Expo Line and the Blue Line and ventilation for the tunnel under Figueroa near USC. Likewise, the Culver City station, which was rebid after the first contrac- tor abandoned the job, apparently has months of work remaining before it could open. On youtube.com a search for Expo Line came up with Los Angeles County Supervisor and Metro Board Member Zev Yaroslavsky making his own exploratory trip aboard a test run. Other posts including those by "ExpoLineFan" (above right) show a fascinating variety of odd tests including tv�ro trains running parallel. What fun! According to Yaroslavsky, sometime early next year, the first Expo Line segment is expected to begin operation from the 7th Street Metro Center downtown to La Cienega and Jefferson. Expo Line supporters now say the earliest they see this happening is late February, due to the reported complexity of signalling problems at the junction. Alternatively, the opening could wait all the way to May-April, vvhen the western- most station of Phase I, the Culver City station, is expected to be done. Eventually, Expo Phase 2 will extend to 4th Street and Colorado Avenue in Santa Monica. When it's complete, the 15.2-mile line will be the first mass transit rail project on the West Side since Red Car service ceased in the 1950's. Yaroslavsky predicted in his video that Angelenos v�rould "vote with their feet" and that the line would prove highly popular. / 1 `�� . { , � �!�� 1� � , . `� . � , �� 1 �� _R•• �(1�'�. � , �� w. '.. � ► .� � �� _ . 1 , � -� -_ . � � �.s- � �I r � >i ' � � � �., I � �� Ir �,�: ► �- V �� _ �-- /�'r"r1 � I r �._ .� _; -_ �� . T.� r• � s��, ' " _ .► �'�, , . _� �+�� _ _ � �. �Ill� ;� � �� . . ; ; �r�� ,' ��-e � L.A. County Sup. Zev Yaroslavsky on a youtube.com video talking about the long-awaited first phase of the Expo Line, running west from Metro Center to La Cienega and Jefferson. A Culver City station is expected sometime later next year, as construction continues the rest of the way to Santa Monica. V �a �o � �� •.'Ow...,'��O S' �� ``a4: . C 23rd St • �n 371h St � � • � �• �.rt. v�rm nt p;�°, V� 1 1 I 1 1 � � �" I t � � I I �a _ �� __. _ _ The California Rail Foundation was found- ed in 1987 to promote modern rail and bus technology, including high-speed rail. Since that time we have produced California Rail News and cosponsored an annual conference that educates on rail, Cal Rail 2020. We never believed it would be easy to build California high-speed rail, but we underestimated just how much fraud mega- projects apparently attract. The project now has a broken budget because of tens of bil- lions of pork including 200 miles of wasted route and now hundreds of miles of unneed- ed viaducts planned throughout California. It appears to be the same model used on Peninsula and Los Angeles County segments. Taxpayers are being offered only overly expensive choices by HSRA that wreck cities the same way that elevated highways would. It does no aood to iust complain about- in court. In July 2008, CRF filed suit in Sacramento Superior Court, along with the Planning and Conservation League, TRANSDEF, the Tov�rn of Atherton and the City of Menlo Park to overturn adoption of the Pacheco Alternative which would have destroyed many Peninsula cities. CRF and its allies v�ron the first case in October 2009 as vvell as a second one this Fall. Each time, HSRA is forced by the court to rescind its selection of Pacheco and redo its environmental work to fully comply with California environmental laws. Also, each time the Authority gets sent back to square one, there is a new opportu- nity to submit comments into the record. In 2010, we retained a leading model expert, Norm Marshall of Smart Mobility, who found major flaws in HSRA's ridership figures, since confirmed by other experts. HSR route design firr. help us define and pr ter way for trains to 1 Los Angeles, througY� see Setec's work at t� ��.��#��ri��Q Setec's route save� would allow Caltrain rent speeds. Setec al� 101 between Redwoc Setec believes is a fe� Now that the AutY: full retreat and it has on our challenge of tr Valley EIR/EIS, we a� openings to reform tY More media outlet� HSRA's corrupt pract relations firms to lob� ac tarrrotinrr frionrll�� ' �f��!S�S�� !�f!lSSlr��r � +..J��J ��S��S�J:J� �� ,�` �►-�� IChe out'i�R VAN ARK ADMIT M LTI-BILLI N T� Opinion by RiChard F. TolmaCh Latest plans published by the California High Speed Rail Authority show nearly 150 miles of its proposed San Francisco - Anaheim line using aerial structures, many as high as 60 feet in the air. Given the many drawbacks of viaducts, HSRA's plan to put 30% of the high-speed route on them appears entirely unrealistic. Viaducts were HSRA's preferred answer to almost any alignment problem, despite known seismic and safety vulnerabilities, and their propensity to broadcast train noise. In pushing aerial lines, HSRA v�ras ignoring modern European practice, Which severely limits the extent of high-speed structures on safety grounds. For example, France's TGV has less than 2% of track on viaduct, including all river crossings. Rail engineers cite unacceptable risks as a reason to avoid extended 220 mph operations on viaducts. Each mile of speed increase diminishes the ability to keep trains from launching off the viaduct in an accident. Perching crash walls atop a 60 foot structure would add so much mass as to require more frequent piers and greatly increase the construction cost. Construction of rail lines on viaducts is something that European cities rarely allow anymore. Berlin's last major elevated railways were built by the 1920's. Decades of scholarship, much of it done in the U.S., has proven that elevated railways produce urban blight. The spectacle of a railway management ignoring public input and trying to blast its way through residential neighborhoods with an elevated rail line is unthinkable today in Europe. HSRA actively fanned public outrage in a dozen neighborhoods on the Peninsula by proposing elevated trains most of the way from San Francisco to Gilroy. HSRA's intransigence motivated dozens of local professionals to oppose the rail project and elicited three major lawsuits. Once Bay Area plans were blocked, the Authority did not change its approach and proposed even bigger elevated struc- tures through five Central Valley cities, as well as poorly thought-out elevated lines through rural areas, spurring citizen activ- ism against the project in a region that was previously solidly pro high-speed. In addition to 60 miles of viaducts in the Bay Area, the Authority proposed � � 1025 Ninth Street #223 MEMBERS, PLEASE CHECK � _. _. _ ___ _ _ __ _ _ TTTT TTTTTrl1TA T T A TT A T!l[ another 15 miles on G over 42 miles on its tv starter segments, and (continued PAG C HINE SE BASED O1� PAGES HIGH SPF DONE CO PAGI HOW T� ACTIVF TRA • �► ��r � � � . __�__ .._ , , , __,. � (COntinued from Page 1) between Bakersfield and Los Angeles. Viaducts were not originally planned for these segments, but were ladled onto the project scope, driving up capital costs by up to $3.8 billion just in the Central Valley. More viaducts also inflated other segment costs, clearly busting the $45 billion first stage network budget. From 2009 onward, HSRA wasted thousands of engineering hours and many millions of dollars on via- duct designs which were never affordable, and now are likely to be discarded. Reliance on viaducts to allow 220 mph speeds has put costs and even route fea- sibility into doubt. With even the Central Valley segment �3 billion to $6 billion over budget, all HSRA CEO Roelof van Ark has to show for hundreds of millions of dollars spent is a financially unrealistic plan. Either A) HSRA staff sincerely didn't realize its viaducts and other lavish uses of capital were a waste or B) its agenda alWays was to abort the project once $1.5 billion of design and engineering funds are sucked dry. Hypothesis B is beginning to look like the only reasonable explanation. On the Bakersfield-Los Angeles seg- ment, HSRA has made a belated effort to address cost and safety issues produced by overdesign, but it has been ineffective in controlling engineering costs or keeping politics out of its route selection. Four months ago, a HSRA review of the Tehachapi route already had concluded that the required lengths of viaducts and tunnels on its Winding 140 mile preferred line between Bakersfield, Palmdale and the L.A. Basin were unaffordable and that the only way to obtain savings was a shorter route With more track at grade. Authority engineers also found "unexpected and significant construction challenges" between Palmdale and Sylmar, involving tunnels and the California Aqueduct. Instead of handling these issues earlier with a realistic program EIR, HSRA has launched yet another round of alternative analyses and more litigation, as the City of Palmdale filed suit to stop the Authority from reconsidering the Grapevine route as part of its final environmental documents. In far too many cases HSRA selected routings and structures no competent oper- ator of high-speed rail would ever consider. How much of this work was productive and hoW much of it was simply an abuse of the public trust? California has the expe- rience of prior fraudulent transportation projects which selected unbuildable bridge types, aimed tunnel boring machines at the La Brea tar pits, and routed light rail through known serpentine deposits. California's last chance to avoid a scam project may be to eject the charlatans and assign design to competent international high-speed rail operators whose interests are in attracting private capital and mak- ing money from operating trains, not from charging taxpayers for unbuildable plans. As part of a pilot introduced its first t senger railcars outfi at least 18 bicycles, like Metrolink's othE hopes this will encc to take the train to 1 To accommodate cles, Metrolink crev� ger seats on the bot railcars that traditio people. "We hope to attr� public transportatio limited by available Metrolink CEO JohY committed to growi that, we have to mc vices we offer." Metrolink used ir. design and retrofit E additional storage fc agency coordinated cates on the design mately approved by Administration. Initially, Metrolin used on the Inland-: beach trains, where additional bicycle st cars can be identifiE located on the outsi� Metrolink is prep additional bicycle c� ing on the success c Service integration on the LOSSAN cor- ridor, long a goal of TRAC, looks every bit as problematical as it did ten years ago, prior to several major efforts by Southern California counties to meld service by multiple carriers, the latest of which is in progress under the advice of Gene Skoropowski, former Capitol Corridor manager, now working for HNTB, a consulting firm. The blockage seems to be largely financial and institutional. Caltrans and the CA Dept. of Finance are worried about the skyrocketing subsidy of their Pacific Surfliner service, which has been financially harmed by Metrolink competition, lax management, and a fare scheme that the state Department of Finance characterizes as a gift of state funds. Farebox ratio of the Pacific Surfliner service declined from 103 % to 44% over the past 18 years, while annual public subsidy grew from zero to �50 million. Caltrans has been working with Amtrak to try to recoup lost connections and lost traffic, particularly with San Joaquin trains. Revival of reliable daily train connections across California would apparently improve revenue by over �1 million annually, even with a slightly lower frequency of service. Fiscal conservatives wonder why state taxpayers should continue to underwrite local Amtrak California service between Los Angeles and San Diego when local agencies seem ready to provide competing services without subsidy. One reason the state subsi- dy should continue is that counties seem not to understand the needs of intercity travelers, and may impair long-distance connections, further restraining mobility. Local agencies are now actively encroach- ing on Amtrak markets, which has reduced State and Amtrak willingness to cooperate. Metrolink and Coaster have begun new through service authc of the PRIIA bill that on price and conveniE line more of their trai sengers who will sav taxpayers who are e� war and increased sL One solution woul� negotiate with locals vice at a lower montY: current billings. Unfo before had the politic a reform, but a proacl avert a fiscal collapsE Section 209 gives � Amtrak equipment fc the Surface Transpor disputes. However, t� benefits would requi� communications betv agencies, a stance th Join TRAC and Hel Fi ht f or Im roved Tra p � p ___________________ Clip & mail with your check or money order payable to: � To nelp TxAc � Train Riders AssoCiation of California (TRAC) time staff, I arr donation of � 1025 Ninth St. #223 Sacramento, CA 95814-3516 (916) 557-1667 — 1,-„�� :,, �._� �,�� „�_._:_��. �.� ��.,� � , ,_.�� ,�,��,. ■ 1 V - � � On the evening of July 23, two of China's heralded new high-speed trains were travel- ing south along China's eastern coastline, both headed to the capital of Fujian Province. According to local media reports, one train lost power due to a lightning strike and came to a halt on the outskirts of Wenzhou. About 20 minutes later, the second train plowed into the back of the stalled train, derailing two of that train's rear cars and pushing four cars of its o�nrn over the edge of the 60-foot high via- duct, killing 40 and injuring 210. The last car of the stalled train was completely destroyed, making it difficult to ascertain total fatalities. Official response �nras secretive, made no sense, and fueled public fears of a cover-up. Early Railway Ministry statements blaming a lightning strike for loss of signals were roundly ridiculed by Chinese bloggers and rail experts worldwide. Vukan Vuchic, a University of Pennsylvania expert, told the New York Times "This is extremely rare. I've never heard of lightning doing that, but if it did, everything else would stop too. And the signal system should keep trains at a safe distance." Human error was not immediately admitted, because blame for major casualties is punished as a capital crime in China. In the absense of a sensible explanation, Chinese mini-blogs were filled with damning details of the crash, along with photos that appeared to show equipment being cut up and buried at the site. Public reaction was so vociferous that the railway was forced to uncover the locomotive of the second train. Some bloggers viewed the demolition activ- ity as a rushed attempt to destroy evidence before railway investigators arrived. The speed with v�rhich the fallen trains were demolished also led to fears that more victims or even live passengers might have been aboard. The search for survivors was called off after 12 hours, versus 72 in the German ICE wreck. It did not help Railway Ministry public relations that 21 hours after the crash, Xiang Weiyi, a 4 year old girl whose parents had apparently perished, was found unconscious, but vvithout serious injuries by a police captain who had resisted attempts to move the car before a last search. Five days after the accident, Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao finally arrived at the site. He told reporters that he had not been able to visit the scene earlier. "I was ill and spent 11 days in bed in hospital. Today [July 28] the doctor reluctantly allov�red me to travel." Bloggers disputed his version of events by posting pictures of Wen meeting v�rith a . �� _ ' �� ► � r� i i . � � � � 1 1 �, � _ � �� Published August 17, 2011 Published 4 times annually by the California Rail Foundation in Cooperation with the Train Riders Association of California Robert Reynolds, TRAC President Japanese trade delegation after the crash. Government censors tried their best to manage the coverage, telling reporters: "Do not investigate the causes of the accident; use information released from authorities," according to China Digital Times, a website that publishes leaked directives by censors. Another directive was that "reporting of the accident is to use `in the face of great trag- edy, there's great love' as the major theme. Do not question. Do not elaborate." Not all publications strictly conformed to these rules, but following an unprecedented week-long outpouring of criticism of China's Railway Ministry by China's media, Chinese censors halted further coverage. Dismissal of three local railv�ray officials at the Shanghai bureau did not diminish the public anger about the accident, which closely followed repeated power failures on the new high-speed link between Beijing and Shanghai. The 820-mile line opened June 30 on the Communist Party's 90th anniversary. High-speed rail already was under fire for cost overruns, contract corruption, lapses in safety and suspect concrete in struc- tures. Earlier this year, prior Rail Minister Liu Zhijun was jailed and removed from his post for �122 million of kickbacks he alleg- edly received, and handing construction con- tracts to his brother-in-law. At the same time, Znang Shuguang, deputy chief engineer of the department v�ras sacked. Contractors are alleged to have skimped on expensive hardening agents for concrete crossties. The ties, essential to high-speed, are predicted to fail within a few years. There also is concern that shortage of strengthen- ing ingredients in the concrete used to build bridges and their supporting columns may have compromised their safety. In April, one high-speed line under con- struction between Qinhuangdao and Tianjin and a second already running between Qingdao and Jinan were shut down because of "environmental law violations." Most observers believe the real issue was safety. China's Economic Observer, in a story translated by Laura Lin, claimed the Minister ignored safety stipulations in the Siemens contract for prototype vehicles which clearly stated that "maximum speed is 300 kilome- ters [187 miles] per hour," in order to create the world's fastest train, according to Zhou Yimin, another former Deputy Chief Engineer. In June, tv�ro weeks before the launch of the new Beijing-Shanghai run, planned top speed dropped from 220 mph to about 180 mph. The Wenzhou accident has only increased the controversy over China's high-speed rail plans. Much of the problem is financial, as the Railway Ministry racked up �400 billion of debt on dubious projects. Many Chinese complain that the new services effectively curtail availability of rail travel by cutting the 80 mph trains most of the public can afford. A PLAN FOR 800 NE being promoted by whiCh says it needs complete fleet repla take up to 20 years 1 Drawings by BMW � look remarkably sin cars, exCept that th� third door on each s General Manager of after receiving a $3� chute and is reporte the top job at BART, Dorothy Dugger wa out. San FrancisCO i; cal national search ; is expeCted to eleva date... LEE GOLDE; Rail Division herald� of 1 million annual � ers in May, a goal w the serviCe for an er whiCh it inCreased t the corridor by 50%. TRAINS statewide l� wholesale oil priCes a barrel all the way after peaking in res; of Libyan productio; THE "CARMAGEDDI from a 2 day ClosurE July 16th and 17th t row bridge Crossing barely notiCed by m provided a platform competing transpor MARKETERS AT JE7 the event to offer 3a flights that Saturda to Burbank at just $ and fees inCluded. T able on the four flig direCtion — sold ou1 hours, the airline sa Cates meanwhile ch to a raCe from front front of terminal. A METROLINK ALSO Ventura and Antel� during Carmagedd its new $10 pass v� travel from 7 pm e� midnight Sunday. t only 4 days in adva U2 conCertgoers to 17 & 18... A LITTLI Corridor promotior 50% off regular far� and buses Tuesday and Saturdays. In � Corridor's light tra; ends, perhaps it sh Metrolink offer wit $25 unlimited trav� I 0 0 0 0 0 0 � � � �� :� _. ::,�� ,�� - �:�_ :, :� �.�� Authority Route Proposal ' � , s-�3 1 ,:,%-�-, :r/1..•' �r � �j,iJ� � Straighter and Cheaper Alternative _ . . _ . . _ _ _ s. , _ ° . - . - . _ _ . - -. f ., r_ , � � f' . , � ; � � - f � . I �1' �m � /' � � • J/�i, . . . � I, � - , ,,� j j�, '' a� , , ` • ' � : '�. . � �.� � ,� , ,, " ` � � . ' , -. ,� ,�-%�-�, � �. � .- , ��' , ✓��, , • ;r � `� f �, f � �i✓ r _ �� ,� � . , . j J�. � � � �• � � . . - , • . r1 .� � 'f.1' �� ' , .. ,. , . ,-�1 P�,�:. '��`;�r��/� �i �_� � ��1�� ,r1.. �� . ' ,�,� . G� _. , t � � � ,� � . , ''� � ., ��'�+ `� � r �'`�.'='f��I'-�j,i �,f� ''� ,/ � .- ,�t�_� ,� � ,,�, �,I'� �•�� f � ' 1 %�, 'r�� i � �-� ' r±' . ,I� � I ' r r � . ��'� r+1�'� �. - �� ,a; , , . , -�,.,� �,. ,�,. .r�� ;�' _ : 9. USE SMARTER MONEY � :�,-.,- �, and save California as much as $10 .�f' :� ��`, billion in General Fund interest , r, � , � " ' `> payments. �35 billion in Railroad � " �� Infrastructure Finance Funding is , available. RIFF guaranteed loans , (3 % interest) are a smarter source �;.�; than state bonds (7.5% interest). �', 4, � �. ., � 5.�� ,��,/. ;�r �" '�. � [� •!�..r� � �� ,. : � ::- � � 'r f•�f�-�;;,,.�; 4.��I,i' . ,��.iF _ • � � 8. FORGET THE WYE in Chowchilla, along with any talk of a Central Valley maintenance facility. Those two projects never made any sense, except as leverage for the Authority to manipulate land values and play Valley cities against one another. Trains between Sacramento and the Bay Area should run via Tracy, not go 180 miles out of their way to Madera County and back. , ✓ � � �-: �M�er�ced � � _� Q � . _ �ri �.; _ . P•: ..� •f � r,.; . ,, . . . ; ,-i- r � - . : , �y`�:r � �Ti-- i '- : �. s f ' � Upgraded Existing TraCks ,_-�. , . �: "/ ' New � Intermodal Station t , � J�� s' �� .'.t ,� � ' Upgraded � Existing Station .F�r=�r , r._ _. .�- � f- -_-- --_---� ±��- -- -�'�.-- r - ° � �,$ ��.- ...-� � .� - . �� /��. ��.�r, . � `_�� . t � �. 5�, .'��1�'� �' l . f . %J ♦ }yl ��J��, �� '� �,[f! l� � � l �%i �% ♦ l ` r !'i' /w � � • ! � - ' � �y�)1 .��f7fr _ ri r s•, � � , � � ��' �" �� 5. ERADICATE FRAUD `�� j�,� �'�� J , �, .� ; � •� ,:.�. � , � - �- .,,� in HSRA data, including the , f .-�� - ' �!� ; . � � ��'- '��'�'�� , �� . �� ` repeated erroneous claim that , , . �.J ' _' ,� . 1 � � �� r � . , '. - • ``'� . . - � �� ' , %j. � :: .;. ,:-�� .�' : �;•�. _1�-.�, ��.�l,!�,;(� ./ 4.3 �� _ , , - ::; ., �� . . , .; .% . . ' , .�� i, .i- . . 'i• �I; � :��r . '; ► � w.��r�/� .�' . I � '�' '�! i •r' . �� ,1 j � . '� �� ;' /i .,,• 1 � � � � . � � •• , � � /. � 'wia ; �'�-�`' � 7. HOURLY SERVICE � � 6. BAN 220 MPH CITY ��*�;'' for San Joaquin cities using speeds and elevated tracks. �' ,; �,r; �� existing stations and BNSF .� Corcoran, Wasco, Shafter, . � � tracks accelerated by high- �f. , Madera, and Chowchilla �. speed segments into the ;. �� r e c e i v e n o s e r v i c e b e n e f i t s � B a y A r e a a n d S o u t h e r n �-,�• � u n d e r t h e A u t h o r i t y s p l a n s. �� d'r`�`� C a l i f o r n i a. F r e s n o w o u l d b e . T h e s e c i t i e s d o n o t d e s e r v e -, �� accessible in under 2 hours to lose basic liveabilit y just ; 40 minutes from anyWhere so urbanites can save time. on the network. 42 miles of viaduct on the proposed 160 mile starter � line only increases the risk factors and wastes �3 billion. �� Fresno H�anford � �� r / .t� " �-74�� '. • °��} '��f . ;�� ' � • , r. T t, � ..�.� � � ' , '`� ��' � •-. �M�r- _r . . r � - - `� � � � � ' 1. PICK THE SHORTEST ROUTE , ,. . ' .� ,, . �-, � - ; ►�!. �` - -- � � � , � ; � Sylmar to Fremont via the Altamont route _ ' _ / , _ 1 ' �-• - - - ; identified by Setec is about 340 miles and � � traversible in under 2 hours. The HSRA's �� Mo�ave, Fresno and Pacheco route takes at s e° J�, f--� �, least 70 extra miles and 22 extra minutes. ,, . ,�_- � =,��f A shorter route makes rail substantially � � ,,l�G': '� , � � � � _ �._. more competrtive wrth highways and air � e .-�� •� _ carriers and saves at least $20 billion in life cycle costs. It also makes service to the East Bay, Modesto, Stockton and Sacramento . possible as part of the initial network. �:i flnii�ir ii�i n+zi� �tiii�nn+i� � . _�� 1.� �tr� �..r. /t�' .' '/. r . � •�' �- �� Los Angeles-San Francisco mileage via Mojave is 432, a falsehood still on HSRA's : website. Runs via Palmdale � and Mojave add at least 48 �i , miles, not the claimed 25 . miles. Likewise, omission of - the White Wolf Fault from planning data is literally , � criminal. HSRA wouldn't .��' h a v e t o w ag e a p o l i t i c a l b a t t l e ' w i t h P a l m d a l e i f t h e ag e n cy � r�� leve le d wi t h t he pu b lic a bou t �' � seismic facts and mileage. r�- , r' , �� '�� '� , ,; ,�,�,;,:,r . �� ;�� . �. -. + ��• , �.: ,�.,� �� ; ' �'' .� ,� ° s' b• � .. ' , _ , r /y `� � i R . Qi � `� �+ t/ , �J� / 1 ��r'� ��, � : , . j ,�- ,. � � , � �. . , , , ,�: � {� � D a o� ,.�. /� ..f-- _- � - ��, .� � _ __�- - _ 2. USE PUBLIC RIGHTS OF WAY vvhich already exist, like the underutilized Interstate 5 highway right-of-way, instead of spending over �2 billion and most of a decade to condemn an inferior winding route through a thousand privately held agricultural parcels. The State of California already owns the most efficient Central Valley route, so v�rhy go looking for a fight with wealthy farmers on the most valuable ag land in California? Existing state rights- of-vvay are also a perfect place to lease , � � � � � , � � � ' � . � '- �d � — -- + .' � �'/ �_� `� _ ~ � � • . r`_ � �" � � � �:� i�-. ; ,,,� 3. FILL THE GAP FIRST between Sylmar and Bakersfield to provide through rail travel from Southern California to the Central Valley for the first time since 1971. That 80 mile project is the top priority for improving the California rail network, and . would save passengers up to ,; ; 4 hours each direction. It also �1`�f'� has far more traffic and revenue �� otential than the Bakersfield- p Fresno "train to nowhere" that HSRA prefers. �� : '�i I � �`` � �°',i �° � ' � r� � � � � A � MI r° � �' ` �, t �� ,_i _a .� � � .�� —� � ,l _�� .�f � � � � � .,,_ Want to work on a railroad — as a hobby? Throughout California, railroad museums are kept alive through volunteer work by members; you could be the next Station Agent, Conductor, or Locomotive Mechanic at a(small) railroad near you. Railroad museums are an excellent way for the public to have fun while learning both the rich history of our railroads and to the potential for using railroads to solve transportation prob- lems. Simply by being active in keeping the doors open to visitors expresses the commitment of volunteers to the vision of railroads as the future as much as in the past. The big trains draw the visitors in, of course. Hov�rever, many of California's railroad historic sites also have a large display of current rail transportation time- tables and maps, along with literature from both historical and advocacy groups like TRAC. Sometimes a"museum" is a restored station; here a docent can welcome visi- tors and explain the exhibits. You can be a Station Agent for a day, telling people how they can (could) buy tickets to far away places, ship parcels or freight cars, and send telegrams. Larger museums have crews who restore, operate, and maintain locomo- tives, cars, buildings, and track. After training you could become an engineer or conductor, a mechanic or track vvorker, or a carpenter or painter. It is all for fun, and it is alvUays done with a group that stresses safety and friendship. About the pay: We're talking "volunteer" here, so it is just for fun and personal satisfaction. TRAC Board Member Mike McGinley has done modest amounts of volunteer work for two organizations: the Santa Susanna Station in Simi Valley and the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railway in Nevv Mexico. At Santa Susanna he is a docent a few Sundays a year, explaining some of the history of the Southern Pacific and the current Amtrak and Metrolink operations (always watching for the trains passing outside the front door). At the Cumbres & Toltec he has been a"Bridge & Building" carpenter, working on stations, freight cars, water towers, and bridge handrails. These work sessions are a week long, but work pauses every passes by. He says: work with others w in railroading and t railroading to youn� and to live the cont tory of railroading." California has la� museums at Portol� Campo, Jamestowr. (near Fremont), and exhibits throughoul v�relcome new mem up on line, drive by check the phone bo near where you livE low-key way to exp road travel, past an 0 0 0 0 0 � o � 0 0 0 � The announced Amtrak "Vision Plan" for a 30-year project to build a$220 mil- lion per mile Boston-Washington high- speed line has spawned a ripost from the House Transportation Committee pro- posing an alternative plan that seeks to involve private capital in the project. Chair John Mica (R-FL) and Rep. Bill Shuster (R-PA) say their alternative vvould take only 10 years for all construction, would allow for competitive bidding for the Northeast Corridor franchise, and attract private sector participants such as Virgin Trains, SNCF, JR-East, Renfe, and Deutsche Bahn. The Mica/Schuster legislation, intro- duced in July, would: ■ Transfer ownership of the Northeast Corridor to a new public sector entity. ■ Set objectivice perfomance criteria for NEC high-speed rail programs. ■ Introduce competitive bidding for NEC high-speed rail operations. ■ Involve private sector railroads cur- rently operating high-speed trains. ■ Cut in half the time and cost of bring- ing true high-speed rail to the NEC. ■ Preserve rail labor union protection. Amtrak and the state of New Jersey predictably attacked the proposal. The big danger for Amtrak is that it would lose its monopoly ir. corridor in the U.S. ability to conceal hE which inflate the cc nationwide. For New Jersey, 1 disaster, because o� dollars of New Jers� are hidden in the A too big to hide any� The biggest trag� apparently lost the a cost-effective set improvements that weakly supported Y als elsewhere in thE �1 ��D�1�� T��[�.��1 The California Rail Foundation was founded in 1987 to promote modern rail and bus technol- ogy, including high-speed rail. Since that time we have produced California Rail News and cospon- sored an annual conference that educates on rail, Cal Rail 2020. In July 2008, CRF filed suit in Sacramento Superior Court, along with the Planning and Conservation League, TRANSDEF, the Town of Atherton and the City of Menlo Park to over- turn adoption of the Pacheco Alternative which would have destroyed many Peninsula cities. victory. You can see Sete calrailfoun Setec's route saves so allow Caltrain segments Setec also examined Hig Redwood City and SFO, � ^� ��-�ri�� ^�I'Fl1YN1'FI\//1 I _ , ', � � ��y ,/ � ' � �� 1 � � �; _ , � � , PEER REVIE�/1l PANEL AY H RA I UN U1 The following Comments regarding CompetenCe of the High Speed Rail Authority are from the July 2011 Peer Review Group review of the LAO's May 10 report to legislators. The [Peer Review] Group has consistently taken the position that the current organiza- tion of the HSRA does not lend itself to meet- ing the challenge posed by the HSR project. We agree with the LAO Report that a change is critical. Our conclusion has been based on the clear disjunction between the needs of the project for a very large increase in the range and level of managerial skills in the near term, on the one hand, and the often significant limitations posed by the State bureaucratic requirements, on the other. Transferring the project to Caltrans would do little to remove these crippling restrictions. Unfortunately, without an agreed upon business model to work with, it is not pos- sible to develop a better organization with any confidence. The HSR project is not a simple (albeit very large) highway construc- tion project. If it were, it might be appropri- ate to shift responsibility for planning and implementation to Caltrans as suggested by the LAO Report. Indeed, certain aspects of the LAO's proposal clearly do deserve consid- eration. Caltrans may well be the best State agency to complete the environmental stud- ies and requirements along with basic ROW alignment and acquisition. It has long been suggested that this responsibility be sub- contracted from HSRA to Caltrans. The problem is that Caltrans has rightly not been able to accept the task without the kind of staff augmentation (positions, as well as money) that has proven difficult for HSRA to achieve. Another practical difficulty is that some aspects of HSR design, especially track, signaling, electrification and rolling stock, require skills that no existing California State agency possesses. To put this into perspec- tive, during each of the peak four construction years of the project, the annual outlays for the HSR project would be about 20% greater than the entire Caltrans capital outlay program, and would involve a skills mix much more diverse than Caltrans has on board. Transfer of the Authority to Caltrans would not be a simple task. A related problem is the fact that high- speed railways are systems, not easily sepa- rable parts. Gradients, curvature, track com- ponents, signaling, electrification and rolling stock must work together. Ideally the critical elements of all of these would be specified by the future operator of the system in order to ensure compatibility and safety of the sys- tem. Neither Caltrans nor the HSRA has the required operating expertise. HSRA's consul- tants may have some of the required exper- tise, but cannot speak for the viewpoint of the future operator. The importance of the operator's input into the details of the systems design cannot be overstated. The operator should have major input into the design and siting of the mainte- nance facility, siting of high-speed crossovers, line side signaling and the layout of stations, among other features. Consequently it is the norm to let a concession contract for the oper- ator several years prior to the start of commer- cial operations and before many critical engi- neering decisions are made. This is particular- ly important if the operator will also acquire the rolling stock for the project. Moving rapid- ly to construction now may well be important to spending Federal money before the 2017 deadline, but it might do so at the cost of dis- rupting the link between designer/constructor and operator. Among other things, this means that any design decisions that cause (or can be argued to cause) safety or efficiency prob- lems will be the responsibility of Caltrans, or HSRA, or the designer/builder, but not the future operator. More broadly, the LAO Report identifies a concern with Caltrans' "lack of expertise in working with private partners on PPPs" which is exactly the problem that the proj- ect faces even now in the issue of the lack of operator/designer/builder feedback, and which will become much more serious when the time comes to develop, award and oversee (or regulate) the operating arrangement. The Authority does not have this expertise either, and the Group is deeply concerned that nei- ther the Authority nor Caltrans will be able to acquire it in a timely way if the Department must stay within existing State agency limi- tations on positions, salaries and skills. The California Transportation Commission (CTC) is the only state agency that has developed criteria for the review and implementation of PPP [public private partnership] projects; to date, the CTC has reviewed and approved only a handful of much smaller projects which are in the early stages of development. This is a critical issue. At a minimum, California faces a�43 billion investment project involving passenger revenues of over �70 billion in the first 30 years of operation. This would create a rail passenger operator with revenues about eight times the size of BART and Caltrain combined and about one- third larger than the entire Amtrak system. It would have revenues nearly three times as large as the largest U.K. rail franchise - and the experience of the U.K. Government in designing, awarding and overseeing their franchises has been anything but trouble free. It does not encourag dence in an agency (Ca CTC) with limited expE field and without the s] authority to do the job. In fact, the U.K. expE ing has highlighted a n will need to be conside Business Plan. First, hc structure be owned, m� and operated? Second, is to operate the trains form will the relationsh abstract problems for v� be delayed for the pres� to emerge over the yea: sistent version of the e� before the Group and t] assess whether the org along with the related � are appropriate. The Group continue: HSR project managemE ibility to hire and pay t: the project over all its X to handle procurement in a way that the stand ment rules do not facili� immediately ahead if t� proceeds to awarding c without being restructl quate accountability fo: project is larger than tr struction program, and flexibility in managemE decision making capab organizational interfacE As we have argued : the organization neede consistent with some fc corporation in which pl be exercised by public firmation of the Board c management free to ac of a corporation. Howe` that the Legislature's d control could lead in th� ing the Authority as a� case, consideration sho establishment of an orc similar to Caltrans wit� of the Business Transp agency. The Board of tY assume functions simil Transportation Commi� programming and alloc ous segments as propo The new agency shoulc contract with both priv entities for various serv lize the creation of pub: where appropriate. '��- , - I - — - �� • ! • "EVERY SINGLE HIGH-SPEED - r: ��`NIGH-SPEED RAIL IS GOOD ,� RAIL SYSTEM IN THE WORL�° � � �OR SOCIETY AND IT S G00 OPERATES IN BLA�K. THAT FOR THE ENVIRONMENT. � , - ,� � ,� � ,� � a A +�r :-�c ,�1 Y.: �.:� Please join TRAC, the California Rail Foundation, and the Transit Coalition for our annual California Rai12020 conference Nov 4th to 6th, 2011, at the Metro Gateway Headquarters Board Room, adjacent to Union Station. This year's agenda will include: FRIDAY, November 4: 6:30 pm-onward: Meet and Greet at the upstairs room at Philippe the Original at 1001 North Alameda Street at Ord. Come and get to know your fellow TRAC members. From 8 pm onward, those still standing will do an all-transit pub crawl. SATURDAY, November 5: 9:00 am (registration), Meet- ing 10:00 am to 5:30 pm with the following sessions: Last Chance for High-Speed Rail - Members of the HSRA Peer Review Group and MTA discuss how to save the project by giving it a workable management structure and making high-speed rail respond to regional needs. SoCal Railroad Renaissance - Representatives of OCTA, Metro, Metrolink and the LOSSAN Corridor talk about next steps in integrating regional commuter and intercity service. Metro Rail Accelerates Coverage - Representatives from the Expo Construction Authority, the West Side Subway Extension, the Downtown Regional Connector, and the Gold Line Construction Authority talk about suc- cesses so far and what will happen this year. Tight Transit Budgets and What We Can Do - Our panel will focus on operating budget problems faced by commuter and intercity rail, and possible efficiency im- provements and opportunities for legislative action to address the shortfalls. Saturday Conference Rates (include breakfast and luncheon): Day-of-eve: will be $100, but you can save significan bird! Mail us your check before Septem�k $79. Before October 25 the rate will be � pay a$25 surcharge and get TRAC mem tional rate). Make your checks out to Tr ciation of Calfornia. Saturday 7 pm No-host dinner at TR taurant right in Union Station. Talk to c Saturday to sign up. SUNDAY, November 6: 9:00 am-4:00 an excursion on the new Expo Light Rai Register early: First 80 registrants get with conference. Non-conference attenc Lodging: We have worked out a special tax) at the Metro Plaza Hotel at 711 No� Alameda and E. Cesar Chavez Avenue). � Friday or Saturday night. To reserve, cal and mention the TRAC conference rate. Sunday excursion is planned on Metrc , � San Luis Obispo County's website � 02/07/2012 � SLO firefighters agree t. � http://www. sanluisobispo.com/2012/02/07/v Thursday, Feb 16, 2012 Posted on Tue, Feb. 07, 2012 SLO firefighters agree to give up pay raises for four years AnnMarie Cornejo San Luis Obispo firefighters will forgo pay increases for four years, pay their full pension contribution and begin a two-tier pension plan, according to a tentative agreement. The four-year contract, ratified Monday night by the San Luis Obispo Firefighters Association with "overwhelming" support, comes after months of closed-door negotiations between the city and the union. Erik Baskin, union president, said the agreement provides the one thing that members wanted: stability. "Union members wanted a long-term agreement that provided stability for their families, protected staffing levels, which protects our health and safety and the public's best interest," Baskin said. The City Council is expected to approve the agreement March 6. The city says the four-year deal translates into a savings of $433,700 starting in July and increasing to $520,000 annually in July 2013. Negotiations with the city's unions have been ongoing since September. All union contracts except for police management expired in December. The firefighters union is the only employee group to have reached a consensus with the city, aside from an agreed $807,000 cut in annual pay and benefits to the city's top managers and unrepresented employees in December. The city is negotiating about $3.1 million in employee compensation cuts, or 6.8 percent per employee, as a way to balance its current two-year budget. Under the new agreement, the fire union will pay 7.5 percent of the member contribution to the California Public Employees' Retirement System effective July, and an additional 0.5 percent to 1.5 percent starting in July 2013. That cost was previously paid by the city. The two-tier pension plan, which goes into effect for all employees hired after July 2012, changes the pension formula for new hires to 3 percent at age 55 — an increase of five years from the current formula. Firefighters have also agreed that the city will not increase its health care contribution through December 2015. "We are hopeful that as the economy recovers and the city's budget gets better, it will be different in four years," Baskin said. He said the agreement is an important step in moving forward after the police and fire unions lost a fierce battle with city leaders last year. A ballot measure was passed by a landslide vote eliminating binding arbitration as a negotiating tool. Yet the tension still exists. For the second year in a row, the police and fire unions have declined to attend a longstanding annual appreciation luncheon sponsored by a committee of local business leaders and assisted by the city's Chamber of Commerce. Union leaders boycotted the event for the first time last year in the throes of San Luis Obispo County's website � 02/07/2012 � SLO firefighters agree t... http://www.sanluisobispo.com/2012/02/07/v new contracts are agreed to or legally required impasse resolution procedures are exhausted, said Monica Irons, human resources director. O 2012 San Luis Obispo Tribune and wire service sources. All Rights Reserved. http://www.sanluisobispo.com ,��M1 illF i •.. �,.. RrlA..... 4 4�.,. ;� ��C��pR� `. , `�� .aC'['HI:I)ITf:I} ,� . MF �.��i .r. 'y4,�t. ..,.-/t� Id4'l'Pl'aii`�t'.�' DATE: TO: FROM: SU BJ ECT: � F?� K E R S� I E L D Department of Recreation and Parks February 3, 2012 Alan Tandy, City Manager Dianne Hoover, Recreation and Parks Director Costs to Open Siemon and Planz Pools � �$ � The attached reports provide detailed information for the opening costs Seimon and Planz pools. This cover page is a summary of all th� completed by city staff and outside contractors. The cost to open the pools is $ 278,578 which is a non-budgeted expense and does not incl� day to day operational costs. Siemon Pool: Siemon pool will cost approximately $174,464.00 to open for this coming swim s Detailed list of repairs is shown below. Siemon pool was last open to the public summer of 2009. The pool has sat empty with minimal maintenance over the la years. City staff recently completed a detailed assessment of the pool and the potential cost to open for this coming summer. Siemon Pool Repair 1. Main drains, return lines and scum gutter lines repair -$156,900.00 2. Pump removal and repair -$ 5,464.38 3. Sandblasting - $ 3,000.00 4. Thoroseal - $ 1,000.00 5. Epoxy Paint Primer- $2,800.00 6. Epoxy Paint- $4,000.00 Planz Pool: Planz pool will cost approximately $104,114.00 to open for this coming swim se< Detailed list of repairs is shown below. Like Siemon, Planz pool has been shut dc since the summer of 2009. 1. Main drain Repair - $87,400.00 2. Pump removal and repair -$ 5,464.38 3. Sandblasting - $ 3,000.00 4. Thoroseal - $ 1,000.00 5. Epoxy Paint Primer- $2,450.00 6. Epoxy Paint- $3,500.00 7. Deco seal - $ 800.00 8. Miscellaneous paint supplies - $500.00. 2012 Update Report for Siemon Pool City of Bakersfield Recreation and Parks Department Pool Description, Operating Cost, Attendance Report, Generated Revenue and Repairs Needed to Open to the Public y`�\� _ � ; ,•� �j� � �� _ -'„' ,-� . � �.�` - �-,�� " ''' `'�' (r `o � 1 ' � � r ' 4 �a i � � " ��. :� � �' . --K ,.. ,� �. �-.- . � , � ' .�+ �a;�r� � � '.� � € � �`•j�i� V 1.�;� ��. *. `1 f. T, �� .:1��.; ` �� .� � }� �,; ► � _ -!�' �.� �' � � �, � � _ _ :� -'t-� - -- _ - = � - -q� �. . �; , -. ` �ti� ,�. �:: �:�. - - `�� ` -- Siemon Park Pool DescriK Located: Council Ward � Constructed: 1964 Perimeter: 234 feet Pool Length: 75 feet Pool Width: 42 feet Pool Depth: 3'-0" to 5'-0'' Pool Surface Area: 3,150 sc Pool Volume: 95,000 gall� Pool Lanes: Six Maximum Occupancy: 157 � . " �-.�-� .�;�-�-� ' � � � - :��'� �• :-:�i. _ . ` ._ The total cost for the minimum work needed to open Simeon pool to the publi< $174,464.38. This cost would include replacing and repairing the main drain, sc gutter and return lines that are deteriorated and have blockage. Also include� cost is repairing the pump, addressing the cracks in the pool and priming and � it. The County Health Department was consulted on the minimum construction re can be done without voiding the "Grandfather Status" they assigned Siemon K we lose that status for Siemon pool, a complete overhaul would be needed to the current standards and regulations for pools by the County Health Departm only current regulation Siemon pool needs to comply with is the Virginia Graer� Pool and Spa Safety Act that was signed in December 2007 which will be met � proposed repairs. City staff filled Siemon pool with water on January 10 and 1 1. The pool was lefi with water for three days. After three days, City staff found the pool to be leak average 2,460 gallons of water per day. The operating cost for Siemon Park in 2009 and 2008 was $20,977 for each year of $41,954 was the total operating cost for 2009 and 2008 combined. The follo� the breakdown of the $20,977 operating cost per year: Temporary Staff $20,044 Chemicals, Water and Materials 933 Total Expenditures $20,977 5800 5600 5400 5200 Siemon Pool Attendance 15,000.00 10,000.00 5,000.00 0.00 2008 2009 Revenue Generated by Siemon Pool I 2008 2009 Itemized List of Repairs to Open Siemon Pool Main Drain, Scum Gutter and Return Lines Comments - Slater Plumbing met with Supervisors for Recreation and Parks DeK Race Slayton and Chuck Graviss at Siemon Pool on January 25, 2012. A two mc ran a video camera down the main drain and scum autters. However, the cai Description of Work - �•�,� - � : � �, The main drains, return • � lines and scum gutters will need to be repaired and � replaced from the pool to �� the mechanical room � because there is blockage � in the lines and VGB grates �� need to be installed. The 1 �ti following work will need to -' '� be done to repair the � drains, lines and gutters: ' ` • Sawcut, break and �� remove concrete ' ' * decking where needed 1� �' • Sawcut, break and ►�'� remove pool around � existing main drains • Install main drains from pool to surge pit . • Repair, replace scum - � . gutter and return piping � •� and jets � ' � • .� • • Install four inch valve in �` �.f � ,.. sump with handle to � :� � :�� grade for balancing • Pressure test all piping as needed • Backfill and compact soil under pool deck areas as needed • Slurry main drain piping in pool • Dowel all concrete with %2" steel • Pour concrete in pool to a minimum of six inches • Pour concrete decks to a minimum of four inches • All piping to be schedule 80 PVC Cost $156,900.00 .� � Pump is a local vendor that the City has an annual contract with to service pumps. Description of Work The pump and motor at Siemon pool will need to be removed. It will be sent to Precision Pump to have the shaft and impellers rebuilt. The bearings will also need to be replaced in the motor. The following work will need to be done: • Field Labor - Two man crew to remove the pump (6 hours) • Shop Labor - Disassemble pump. Make repairs to the pump and paint it. • Machine Labor - Make new shafts, replace all bushings and check all registers and runouts • Shop Labor - Electronically balance impellers with before and after results • Field Labor - Two man crew to reinstall the pump (6 hours) COSt $ 5,464.38 The Siemon pool pump needs to be rebuilt. �w .� C ., The Siemon pool pump shaft inside the sur� r- � �,i�•• �� t--- � i� � - i � ' Description of Work The pool surface will need to be sandblasted because there are numerous layers of paint in this pool. Pool will need to be sandblasted to concrete base for paint adhesion. Cost $ 3,000.00 The Siemon pool has several layers of paint that needs to be sand blasted off. Priming and Painting Pool ' — �'� ,,,. , . �__ _ �. . � �� i . Comments Thoroseal is a waterproof barrier that is used on concrete. It will be purchased PrimeSource. The primer and epoxy paint specifically designed for pools and C Seal will be purchased from Leslie's Swimming Pool Supplies. They have a loca and is on the Emma list for the City of Bakersfield. Description of Work There are several cracks at the bottom of the pool that need to be repaired pr painting it. Thoroseal will be used to fill the structural cracks and stop water lec will be applied by City staff. After the cracks are addressed, the pool will be pi and painted by City staff. Then City staff will use Deck-O-Seal to fill the expansi in the pool and on the deck. Cost $9,100 � � � '�' �t�_. � 9�� - � r o � � 2012 Update Report for Planz Pool City of Bakersfield Recreation and Parks Department Pool Description, Operating Cost, Attendance Report, Generated Revenue and Repairs Needed to Open to the Public _ _ - � e4 � Y�� i.f� ��-.'',- .b;r �`- :.. �� ;,-:,;;�,- : c�� `', _��:,� -��-`=� " _ - -..�..z�� ' >-• � � _ . :.- �� v; , ` � y;�"',�,.: - _ ,=� �,... '.,- ",y_-,�,�-��'!1� xiu,��••.�Tas. ...,�% .,Ka,,•�'i,•. '_h�-.�y . - �, � � ,, ..r�+^�� I . . . M" ��. y . _ .`•Jt x�,�� =, r - �.. +�i 1 . r. . . . - . . .. . : ' � � I�:t . .. . ..." ._'_'�2�5h'� .c _� ��.f] �!a-._�'. ' _'6.�._.� ." ' '.�_S�$-�_-��5 ` .�i��d'J� Planz Park Pool Descripi Location: Council Ward ; Constructed: 1960-1962 Perimeter: 220 feet Pool Length: 75 feet Pool Width: 35 feet Pool Depth: 3'-0" to 5'-0'' Pool Surface Area: 2,625 sc Pool Volume: 78,750 gall� Pool Lanes: Five Maximum Occupancy: 131 The total cost for the minimum work needed to open Planz pool to the public i� $104,1 14.38. This cost would include replacing and repairing the main drain th� deteriorated and has blockage, remove existing concrete around and in the K make repairs and to run a camera through the main drain and locate the voic the pool. A plug was installed inside the main drain of the pool in 2005 so the v cannot run a camera through the drain presently. Once the void is located, tr vendor will core drill that area and repair it. Also included in the cost is repairin pump, addressing the cracks in the pool and priming and painting it. The scun and return lines were replaced in 2005. The County Health Department was consulted on the minimum construction re can be done without voiding the "Grandfather Status" they assigned Planz po� lose that status for Planz pool, a complete overhaul would be needed to meet current standards and regulations for pools by the County Health Department. current regulation Planz pool needs to comply with is the Virginia Graeme BakE and Spa Safety Act that was signed in December 2007 which will be met with t If the repair costs are approved and Planz pool is to open to the public, City stc need 120 days to get all the work completed. The operating cost for Planz Park in 2009 and 2008 was $27,600 for each year. , $55,200 was the total operating cost for 2009 and 2008 combined. The followir breakdown of the $27,600 operating cost per year: Temporary Staff $26,321 Chemicals, Water and Materials 1,279 Total Expenditures $27,600 Planz Pool Attendance �000 6500 6000 5500 2009 2008 Revenue Generated by Planz Pool 10,000.00 5,000.00 I 0.00 . 2008 2009 Itemized List of Repairs to Open Planz Pool no problem feeding through the scum gutter and the return lines because the� replaced in 2005. There is a void under the pool that the vendor needs to locc access in order to repair �t. Description of Work The main drains will need to be repaired because there is blockage in the lines and VGB grates need to be installed. The following work will need to be done: • Sawcut, break and remove concrete decking where needed • Sawcut, break and remove pool around existing main drains • Video existing main drain piping and locate void under the j�001 • Core drill pool where void is present, then pump two sacks slurry under area or areas • Install main drains from . '� � « � � ��-• �� V r _ '� • , ♦ - �' 1, �_� :�¢�!. • �� ,�..; • .�- +� '� s . • � _ - ,�. . �• �' �►. �. w � �,' �� " � �� 6 , � 1 `. , -+► M A �� -, i pool to sump �-� �' ---- • Install four inch valve in sump with handle to grade for balancing • Pressure test all piping as needed • Backfill and compact soil under pool deck areas as needed • Slurry main drain piping in pool • Dowel all concrete with %2" steel • Pour concrete in pool to a minimum of six inches • Pour concrete decks to a minimum of four inches . Pool Pump Comments On January 10 and 1 1, city staff filled Planz pool with water to run the pump and look for any problems. When staff turned on the pump it seized. The pump will have to be rebuilt. Precision Pump is a local vendor that the City has an annual contract with to service pumps. Description of Work The pump and motor at Planz pool will need to be removed. It will be sent to Precision Pump to have The Planz pool pump stopped working. It will need to be rebi � Y - . , � �, � � 't ,� - .'i �W �- _ , ,�, u��,� - . . 1 � } I � � (_. , �: �_ . � a _� r . - � ''.,F=•�� _v �� ,� � � ' � � � , ��. , ^% _. -� , � �� , �- �� , . �..� ��- �� .� � n'� � �� rt-r� t-�;�ia;a��* '. � � I_ the shaft and impellers rebuilt. The bearings will also need to be replaced in thE The following work will need to be done: • Field Labor - Two man crew to remove the pump (6 hours) • Shop Labor - Disassemble pump. Make repairs to the pump and paint it. • Machine Labor - Make new shafts, replace all bushings and check all registE runouts • Shop Labor - Electronically balance impellers with before and after results • Field Labor - Two man crew to reinstall the pump (6 hours) Cost $ 5,464.38 Prepping Pool for Painting Comments City staff received a verbal quote for sand blasting Siemon Pool from Bob Miller of _ '` � , & Freedom Fiberglass. If the _ proposed repairs are . _ , . . _. : �. - - �< � : �- a The pool surface will need to be sandblasted because there are numerous lay� paint in this pool. Pool will need to be sandblasted to concrete base for paint c Cost $ 3,000.00 Priming and Painting Pool Comments Thoroseal is a waterproof barrier that is used on concrete. It will be purchased PrimeSource. The primer and epoxy paint specifically designed for pools and C Seal will be purchased from Leslie's Swimming Pool Supplies. They have a loca and is on the Emma list for the City of Bakersfield. Description of Work There are several cracks at the bottom of the pool that need to be repaired pr painting it. Thoroseal will be used to fill the structural cracks and stop water lec will be applied by City staff. After the cracks are addressed, the pool will be p� and painted by City staff. Then City staff will use Deck-O-Seal to fill the expansi in the pool and on the deck. Cost $9,100 The paint is chipping off at Planz pool. � ,. : _ �._�. _ . i.. — �r � �� o � ',. �� 1 ' � ' .� ��:�'-'-"-.t, • ♦ .�� . �— . � • -',`� — .. . ' � � The cracks at the bottom of Planz pool will be Thoroseal by City staff. w-i:%a►'_. -- ' - - .- _ .: �-_ i +, _ �r . � .. t 4 . .1 :.�:- - - -R _ _ �,� : - 1 - . + � __ i . . - �5 •+ �- t . � �` 'y tl • '��_ '- Lt .i R`'_ ' �� ` .' ` � np�. .' Y,rr' •* 9; '. Paqe 1 of 2 STREETS DIVISION — WORK SCHEDULE Week of Feb. 20, 2012 — Feb. 24, 2012 Resurfacinq/Reconstructinq streets in the followinq areas: ResurFacing & Reconstructing streets in the area south of Planz Rd and west of Wible permitting) Miscellaneous Streets Division projects: Video inspection of City owned Sewer & Storm lines to evaluate condition of pipes Repairing Curb & Gutters in the area south of Flower and east of Robinson reconstruction Crack Sealing on Panorama between Mt. Vernon & Haley (weather permitting) (CDBG funded area) Installing & Repairing curb, gutter & sidewalks in the area ea� south of Palm St. Various concrete repairs in the area south of Wilson Rd and west of Hughes Ln Various concrete repairs north of University Ave and east of Wenatchee Ave THIS SPACE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK Paqe 2 of 2 STREETS SWEEPING SCHEDULE Monday, Feb. 20, 2012 No sweeping service due to Holiday. Tuesday, Feb. 21, 2012 Between Panama Lane & Woodmere Dr. — Ashe Rd. & Stine Rd. Between District Blvd. & Panama Ln. -- Gosford Rd. & Ashe Rd. Between Akers Rd. & Phyllis St. — Harris Rd. & Panama Ln. City areas between Akers Rd. & Stine Rd. — Harris Rd. & Panama Ln. Cul-De-Sacs on the north side of Angela Wy., between Manely Ct. & Cris Ct. Between Oswell Park Dr. & Brundage Ln. — Oswell St. & Leeta St. Wednesdav, Feb. 22, 2012 City areas between Snow Rd. & Rosedale Hwy. — Jewetta Ave., west to the City limit. Between Ming Ave. & So. Laurelglen Blvd. — Coffee Rd. & EI Portal / Laurelglen Blvd Thursday, Feb. 23, 2012 Between Snow Rd. & Olive Dr. — Jewetta Ave., east to the canal boundary. Between Olive Dr. & Hageman Rd. — Jewetta Ave. & Calloway Dr. Between Niles St. & Sumner St. — Union Avenue & Beale Ave. Between Sumner St. & E. Truxtun Ave. — Beale Ave. & Brown St. Between Brundage Ln. & E. Belle Terrace St. — Union Ave. & Kincaid St. Between Camino Media & Kroll Wy. — Coffee Rd., west to the PG&E easement. Friday, Feb. 24, 2012 Between Etchart Rd. & Pavilion Dr. -- Calloway Dr., west to the canal boundary. Between Norris Rd. & Olive Dr. — Calloway Dr. & Coffee Rd. Between Olive Dr. & Noriega Rd. — Calloway Dr. & Verdugo Ln. � ,.� at&t February 14, 2012 Assistant to City Manager Rhonda Smiley City of Bakersfield 1501 Tru;�tun Avenue Bal<ersfield, CA 93301 Dear Assistant to City Manager Smiley, ,� . - �� ,; ., �,�� t�8�'��d AT&T's contracts ��ith prograrr�mers for th� conten± �isplayed �n o�r U-verse N° service rer;odically expire usually re-negotiated or extended with no interruption or change for our U-verse members. Contract(s) for programming listed below are set to expire as indicated, and AT&T is making every effort to reach a fair agrE continue carriage. However, if a reasonable agreement cannot be reached with such programmer(s), we wil have the rights to carry their programming on U-verse TV. While the programming listed below will continue to be available to U-verse members so long as AT&T has r carry it, if a reasonable agreement cannot be reached with the programmer the programming will no longer at that time. March 31, 2012: The impacted national channels is Zee TV (channel 3702) April 201?: The impacted national channels (in alphabetical order) are Estrella (channel 3024), INSP (channel 564) and L Cosmovision (channel 3056). In addition, AT&T's carriage agreement with Showtime Networks, Inc. is set to expire in April. The following alphabetical order) are potentially impacted: FLIX (channel 890); Showtime (channel 852 and 1852 in HD); Showtime-West (channel 853 and 1853 in HD); Beyond (channe1860); Showtime Extreme (channel 858 and 1858 in HD); Showtime Extreme-West (channel � 1859 in HD); Showtime Family (channel 862); Showtime Next (channel 864); Showtime Showcase (channel 8 in HD); Sr�owtime Showcase-West (channel 857 and 1857 in HD); Showtime Too (channel 854 and 1854 in HI Showtime Too-West (channel 855 and 1855 in HD); Showtime Women (channel 866); Smithsonian Channel ( and 1118 in HD); The Movie Channel (channel 882 and 1882 in HD); The Movie Channel-West (channel 883 � HD); The Movie Channel Xtra (channel 884 and 1884 in HD); and The Movie Channel Xtra-West (channel 885 HD). IMPORTANT NOTE: Even if an agreement is reached between AT&T and Showtime, A�T&T may modify the ch availability for the AT&T U-verse TV service by removing the Showtime channels listed above from the U300 U400 lineup, the U45 lineup, and/or The Movie Package. In the event the Showtime channels are removed 1 U300 lineup, the U400 lineup, the U450 lineup, and/or The Movie Package, we will carry the Showtime chan consistent with the terms of any future agreement with Showtime (as permitted). Customers will be provided with written notification of the above: customer bills include a message referr the Legal Notices in USA Today on the first and third Tuesday of each month, and to the AT&T website w�r ve�se�: u��3rrin;�cl�� c�>, for infiormation on programming changes. If you have any questions, please contact your local AT&T External Affairs manager, Jan Bans on 661.327.E Sincerely, ��' � Vice President — Regulatory Affairs