Title
Capitol Corridor Joint Powers Authority (CCJPA) presentation on the Capitol Corridor South Bay Connect Project and the Notice of Preparation (NOP)
Staffreport
SUMMARY AND RECOMMENDATIONS
Capitol Corridor Joint Powers Authority (CCJPA), the managing agency of the Capitol Corridor intercity passenger rail service, is providing a presentation on a recently issued Notice of Preparation (NOP) of an Environmental Impact Report (EIR) for the South Bay Connect Project. During the Public Scoping Period, which ends on August 13, 2020, CCJPA staff and consultants are presenting the project to several local City Councils within the project area, responding to questions, and receiving feedback about the project purpose and scope.
For the presentation to the City of San Leandro on July 20, Shirley Qian (CCJPA Project Manager and Senior Planner) and Ben Tripousis (Senior Project Manager and Associate Vice President, HNTB, an architecture firm hired by the CCJPA to design the project) will be the presenters. The presentation will cover the South Bay Connect Project’s purpose, scope, status, and anticipated schedule.
BACKGROUND
The South Bay Connect Project intends to create a more direct passenger rail route and significantly reduce rail travel time between Oakland and San Jose, facilitating more auto-competitive travel times for intercity passenger rail trips throughout the Northern California Megaregion. South Bay Connect will create new connections to transbay transit services and destinations on the Peninsula. An additional objective is to facilitate the improved separation of passenger rail service and freight rail operations in southern Alameda County, improving operations for both and supporting the economic vitality of the Northern California Megaregion.
PROJECT SCOPE
Key components of the proposed South Bay Connect Project include:
• Relocation of Capitol Corridor passenger rail operations to the Coast Subdivision and the facilitation of the relocation of freight rail operations to the Niles and Oakland Subdivisions between Oakland and Fremont/Newark to create operational improvements for both services;
• Upgrades to the Coast Subdivision to Federal Rail Administration Class 5 track standards to accommodate passenger rail service;
• Improvements on the Niles and Oakland Subdivisions, including connections between the two lines at Industrial and Shinn to allow for more efficient freight movements; and
• Construction of a new passenger rail station at the existing Ardenwood Park & Ride that connects rail service with express buses, private shuttles, and the surrounding bicycle and pedestrian network.
PROJECT STATUS
South Bay Connect is currently at the beginning of its environmental phase, with a Public Scoping Period between June 29 and August 13, 2020. The project is coordinating with Union Pacific Railroad, the owner of the Coast, Niles, and Oakland railroad subdivisions, to refine the project scope where it concerns railroad infrastructure. A Project Development Team composed of agency and local stakeholders has been convened to help guide the project through its planning, environmental, and design phases.
PROJECT SCHEDULE
Planning: 2019 - 2021
Environmental: 2020 - 2022
Design: 2021 - 2023
Construction: 2024 - 2026
Attachment to Staff Report
• PowerPoint slides (presentation)
PREPARED BY: Keith R. Cooke, P.E., Director, Engineering and Transportation Department