California State Rail Plan 2007-08 to 2017-18

2007-08 – 2017-18 California State Rail PlanOPERATIONAL CONFLICTS: PASSENGER/FREIGHT;FREIGHT/FREIGHTSHARED USE OF RIGHTS-OF-WAYIn many areas of the State, passenger services share rail rights-of-way (ROW)with freight railroads. For both passenger and freight railroads sharing a ROW,a primary issue is the capacity of the route to accommodate all train movements.Before a freight railroad grants a passenger operator use of its facilities, therailroad will require various capacity improvements to ensure the reliability ofboth freight and passenger services. The cost of these improvements may beborne by the passenger operator or can be shared.Freight railroads and various public agencies have entered into negotiations for theuse of freight rail lines for commuter and intercity passenger services. Some ofthe freight railroads sold their lines to the passenger operators but retained therights to provide freight services on them. In California, shared use of ROWincludes:• State-sponsored Amtrak intercity service routes: Pacific Surfliner,San Joaquin, and Capitol Corridor.• The Southern California Metrolink commuter rail system.• The San Diego County Coaster commuter rail system.• The Caltrain commuter rail system in the San Francisco Bay Area.• The Altamont Commuter Express (ACE) rail system.In recent years, ridership and train service has increased on all commuter andintercity rail lines in California. Passenger operators have plans for adding moretrains over the next several years. In some cases, capacity has proven insufficientto handle existing levels of both freight and passenger service, particularly inmetropolitan areas with substantial freight and passenger traffic. For example, in2004, Metrolink trains operated on time 95 percent of the time on Metrolinkcontrolled trackage. On the tracks owned by UP and BNSF, Metrolink trainsoperated on time 70 to 85 percent of the time.Freight interference causes major operating problems for Metrolink especially onUP's Los Angeles Subdivision between Riverside and Los Angeles. Heavy UPport rail traffic results in Metrolink trains operating late almost on a daily basis.Heavy BNSF port rail traffic on their San Bernardino Subdivision between LosAngeles and San Bernardino also causes delays for Metrolink trains.JOINT DISPATCHING OF FREIGHT OPERATIONSThere are operational conflicts between the Class I railroads themselves. Theseconflicts, when combined with those arising from shared use of the right of way,create additional capacity constraints for both the passenger and the freight rail228