Caltrain – Hard-fought improvements on-track for South County

“This train is bound for … Gilroy.”

While it is not quite consistent with the old southern hymn sung by civil-war era slaves, it is still a sign of a promise a long-time in coming – and later this week, we will know if it is coming soon.

The train, of course, is Caltrain. And the service we have been fighting for over the past decade is to greatly increase the service to South County, and double-track the line between Gilroy and San Jose, with stops in Gilroy, San Martin, Morgan Hill and then on up the Peninsula to San Francisco.

On Wednesday and Thursday of this week, the California Transportation Commission will consider a request from the Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) for $33 million in state funds to make this dream a reality.  The state share is only one-fourth of the complete cost of this $118 million, three-phase project, but still represents a considerable amount of tax dollars authorized through the State’s “Traffic Congestion Relief Plan” signed into law way back in 2001.

The difference, of course, between an “authorization” and an “appropriation” is well-known to all of us who are parents.  One parent may tell a child they can have an allowance, but if the other parent has the money in her or his wallet, the authorization means nothing without the appropriation.

The relationship between the CTC and the VTA is not a parent/child relationship – but rather, one of partners – but the state must still balance this request against dozens of other equally compelling needs from a quickly diminishing pool of funds.

South County leaders and Silicon Valley Leadership Group members have always viewed improvements to Caltrain commuter rail service as a key benefit that improves our region’s quality of life, eases congestion on the Highway 101 corridor, and strengthens our regional economy.  Currently, nearly 35,000 passenger trips travel on the 79-mile line each weekday, with service to and from South County consistently growing.  That is why South County leaders like Congressman Mike Honda, State Senator Abel Maldonado, Assemblywoman Anna Caballero, Supervisor Don Gage, Gilroy Mayor Al Pinheiro, Morgan Hill Mayor Steve Tate and the entire Morgan Hill City Council have long advocated for the line.  It is also why the 2000 “Measure A” transportation sales tax championed by the Silicon Valley Leadership Group called for Caltrain improvements for South County.  Gilroy, San Martin and Morgan Hill are not only “the bedrooms” of much of the high-tech talent that drives the Silicon Valley economy, each of the three communities are also increasingly home to “the boardrooms” of our companies. 

What is exciting, however, is how quickly these improvements can move forward, if these funds are approved by the CTC this week.  Broken into three phases, construction can be complete by 2010 or 2011.  In the transportation world, that is lightning-fast.  An operating agreement between the VTA and Union Pacific Railroad (UP) will allow VTA to operate up to ten round trips each weekday once the track improvements are complete. 

Speed is important, but safety is key.  That is why the project will also fund key roadway and safety improvements at several intersections where the railroad crosses surface streets, including Palm, Live Oak, Tilton, San Martin and Church Streets. The funds also allow for increasing train storage capacity in Gilroy, an integral part of growing the service. 

“This train is bound for glory . . . as well as Morgan Hill and Gilroy.”  The old hymn was about faith in adversity. The Caltrain extension is about faith, and hard work – overcoming adversity and building a commuter line that will well-serve all of our communities.

Greg Sellers is a Morgan Hill City Councilman and a Member of the VTA Board of Directors.  Carl Guardino is the CEO of the Silicon Valley Leadership Group and a Member of the California Transportation Commission.