Commuter Rail Extension Alternatives Analysis - Transportation ...

CALTRAIN EXTENSION TO MONTEREY COUNTYALTERNATIVES ANALYSISTrainsets would layover in Salinas in lieu of Gilroy. A Salinas layover yard would be constructedinitially with capacity for four trainsets. The yard would be designed to be expandable to accommodatesix trainsets.Train Layover and Crew BasingThe Caltrain Extension Alternative would construct a layover yard in Salinas with capacity forovernight storage of four trainsets, expandable to six trainsets. This facility, together with existingfacilities at Gilroy, would accommodate up to ten trainsets.Without the Caltrain extension to Monterey County, VTA will need to expand the Gilroy layover facilityto accommodate additional train service to/from Gilroy (beyond four or five round trips per day). ThisVTA investment may be largely or totally avoided via construction of the Salinas layover facility.Facilities at the Salinas yard will be the same as those existing or proposed for upgrade at Gilroy. TheSalinas yard would include a crew basing facility. Locomotive and rolling stock maintenance would beperformed at Caltrain’s centralized equipment maintenance and operations facility located in SanJose.Train ScheduleThe existing Caltrain schedule, effective January 1, 2006, is assumed for the Caltrain ExtensionAlternative’s initial service (two round trip trains each weekday). The 10-train each direction schedule,used for VTA/UPRR negotiations (as of October 4, 2004) of trackage rights and “slot fees” (foradditional train service to Gilroy), is assumed for service expansion planning purposes. (See theexhibit on page 53 and Table 3-2, Caltrain Public Timetable, below.) Specific trains operated to/fromSalinas would be clustered within the existing commute window as agreed with UPRR. Theseschedules are presented in Chapter 6 under Estimation of Capital, Operating and MaintenanceCosts, and Revenue.The JPB Project 2025 report outlines a number of additional, potential service scenarios. These areaddressed below under “Electrification,” “Vehicle Requirements,” and “Core System Improvements/TAMC Participation.”Caltrain Extension Service ReliabilityThe operating plan assumptions for the Caltrain Extension (Build) Alternative are addressed onpages 153–155 of the Draft Alternatives Analysis report. A portion of this text is repeated below.Table 3-2 displays an illustrative timetable for 8 round trip trains operating between San Jose andGilroy 3 . For planning purposes, the schedules have been extended south to Salinas to indicatepotential departure/arrival times. This table highlights the extension of three existing “Gilroy” roundtrip trains to/from Salinas. A fourth round trip train is also extended from San Jose to Gilroy andSalinas for planning purposes. These schedules are preliminary and are based on trainsimulation/capacity modeling undertaken for UPRR. Factors which might affect scheduling includeelectrification of the Caltrain line north of San Jose; upgrades to the UPRR coast line track betweenSalinas and Gilroy; Caltrain/Amtrak schedule coordination south of Gilroy; and schedule recovery“padding” to ensure reliability of Caltrain service north of Gilroy.3Schedule based on Caltrain public timetable, effective January 1, 2006.parsons CHAPTER 3: DETAILED DEFINITION OF ALTERNATIVES 57