City will discuss joining coalition in the future
The Silicon Valley High-Speed Rail Coalition made its pitch to the Morgan Hill City Council during the council’s July 6 meeting, in support of the construction of a high-speed rail line system linking northern and southern California. The coalition is one of several groups seeking alternatives to relieve highway and air traffic congestion between Los Angeles and the San Francisco Bay Area.
Kurt Evans, Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) government affairs manager, said the coalition believes the high-speed rail line should enter the San Francisco Bay Area through the southern gateway alignment, from Central Valley through a Pacheco Pass alignment. This route, he said, will maximize the number of trains serving the region’s three largest cities – San Jose, San Francisco, and Oakland. The recommended route would be more efficient, and result in lesser operating costs because it would maximize speed, frequency and ridership of the high-speed rail service, coalition officials said.
The Pacheco Pass alignment will minimize adverse environmental impacts since it will follow an existing transportation corridor instead of creating a new transportation corridor, Evans said. The route will not have to pass through and under Henry Coe State Park or through land likely to be annexed into the park in the near future.
Laura Stuchinsky, director of transportation and land for the Silicon Valley Leadership group, said the coalition opposes any route between the Pacheco Pass and Altamont Pass through the Hamilton Range. The coalition is also against turning high-speed rail service into a commuter line connecting the Central Valley and Bay Area. They claim this would be “inconsistent” with providing a competitive long-distance transit alternative between northern and southern California, which is the primary mission of the high-speed rail service. However, they support expanding existing commuter services like Altamont Commuter Express (ACE) and the Capitol Corridor Intercity Rail Service, to serve this need.
The group has spent almost two years looking at various routes and finally came to the conclusion that the Pacheco Alignment is the preferable route. The Silicon Valley High-Speed Rail Coalition has 22 members. Among the members are the Associated General Contractors of California, the City of San Jose, the Gilroy Chamber of Commerce, Redwood City-San Mateo County Chamber of Commerce, Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority, San Jose Silicon Valley Chamber of Commerce, San Jose Convention & Visitors Bureau and the Silicon Valley Leadership Group.
After the presentation, Mayor Dennis Kennedy indicated the city’s joining the coalition would be discussed and considered at a future meeting.
