SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA: Transit/Transportation News

[fflint]

I suspect Berkeley will eventually come around to accepting BRT once the initial segment proves to be popular and efficient.

[CharlesCO]

The way I remember it too — it was pretty much all of Telegraph that opposed the project, not just Berkeley.

[northbay]

^ How can anyone be against better mass transit? That benefits everyone.

Thanks for posting that article fflint. It's great we're doing so much - but we're still playing catch-up. It's frustrating that money is so limiting. Hopefully the HOT lanes help generate more money to help speed up some of the timetables - like how the two projects in Sonoma County don't even have completion dates.

[northbay]

Putting the pedal down on SMART

• Video Link

Edit: "Nana-ju nana" is 77 in Japanese, which is how fast (mph) the train is going.

[peanut gallery]

The SF BOS just approved two new transportation measures. From UpOut:

The Subway Master Plan will eventually expand BART and Muni throughout the city.

Most of the Bay Area has no subway access. In fact, San Francisco only has two subways: a short Muni route beneath Market Street and an underground BART line to the Mission and Daly City. An additional tunnel called the Central Subway is under construction and will be completed in 2019. The Subway Master Plan will develop long-term solutions for improving public transportation and offer accessibility to more residents.

The Transportation Sustainability Fee was also approved. For the first time ever, property developers will be required to pay transit impact fees. This will generate an estimated $1.3 billion over 30 years by regulating new market-rate housing construction. That adds up to $44 million annually, which will be directly funneled to transportation improvements. TSF proceeds will go toward new vehicles, transit system enhancements, pedestrian safety projects, and regional transit upgrades. It took Supervisor Scott Wiener five years to get the initiatives passed.

I would guess the new fee will help contribute to CalTrain's downtown extension.

In the SF Rundown thread, there was some interesting discussion on transportation priorities and hoped for systems. How about this fantasy map from Muni Diaries:



That has to be like $50B worth of subway. Total dream, but it would be amazing.

[OhioGuy]

Originally Posted by northbay

Putting the pedal down on SMART

• Video Link

Edit: "Nana-ju nana" is 77 in Japanese, which is how fast (mph) the train is going.

Looks good! It will be great once the line is extended down to Larkspur.

Is the hope/expectation that the last piece of the funding puzzle for the Larkspur extension will come with the new transportation funding bill? And if so, do you know how soon SMART anticipates an answer? I read the House finally passed the transportation funding bill and now it has to be reconciled with the Senate version to come up with a bill that both chambers will support.

[OhioGuy]

Originally Posted by peanut gallery

The SF BOS just approved two new transportation measures. From UpOut:



I would guess the new fee will help contribute to CalTrain's downtown extension.

In the SF Rundown thread, there was some interesting discussion on transportation priorities and hoped for systems. How about this fantasy map from Muni Diaries:



That has to be like $50B worth of subway. Total dream, but it would be amazing.

Definitely a sweet fantasy map! Perhaps an extension of the green line east to the yellow line (T-3rd Street line) would be a good idea to allow east/west travel without having to head towards downtown first, but otherwise pretty cool.

[fflint]

That map is stupid. Why would the blue line fail to take riders directly into downtown, where everyone works? And the orange line manages to go north-south through some of the least transit-using neighborhoods instead of moving under the busy Van Ness corridor to Fishermans Wharf? And the green line sweeps north for miles without a stop under the Presidio so there can be just one stop at what, the Marina Green? And then under Pacific Heights with no stopping? Stupid, stupid, stupid.

[pseudolus]

Originally Posted by fflint

Stupid, stupid, stupid.

Totally agree.

Though I wouldn't put it past SFMTA to come up with something even stupider.

[northbay]

Originally Posted by OhioGuy

Looks good! It will be great once the line is extended down to Larkspur.

Is the hope/expectation that the last piece of the funding puzzle for the Larkspur extension will come with the new transportation funding bill? And if so, do you know how soon SMART anticipates an answer? I read the House finally passed the transportation funding bill and now it has to be reconciled with the Senate version to come up with a bill that both chambers will support.

Funding for the Larkspur extension is included in the House version of the bill. We are keeping our fingers crossed it makes it to the final version. Once funding is in place it will take about 18 months of construction and testing to open the extension.

[viewguysf]

Originally Posted by northbay

Funding for the Larkspur extension is included in the House version of the bill. We are keeping our fingers crossed it makes it to the final version. Once funding is in place it will take about 18 months of construction and testing to open the extension.

It's a hopeful sign that it's already in the House version of the bill since they are by far the most recalcitrant chamber of the Congress.

[a very long weekend]

^ since sales tax revenues have returned to projected levels after the big dip during the recession, i wonder when we'll get the healdsburg extension. that's one i can't wait for. walk down to the ferry building -> jump on a ferry to larkspur -> ride the train up to healdsburg. would be a dream if then there was some sort of train along dry creek road, but uber/lyft will suffice in the meantime. you could do a full day and night up there, stay over and then head to santa rosa for the day on the train down, before returning to larkspur for the ferry. amazing!

[fflint]

A SMART connection to Larkspur Landing and the ferry terminal is crucial to the region's public transportation network.

[northbay]

Originally Posted by a very long weekend

^ since sales tax revenues have returned to projected levels after the big dip during the recession, i wonder when we'll get the healdsburg extension. that's one i can't wait for. walk down to the ferry building -> jump on a ferry to larkspur -> ride the train up to healdsburg. would be a dream if then there was some sort of train along dry creek road, but uber/lyft will suffice in the meantime. you could do a full day and night up there, stay over and then head to santa rosa for the day on the train down, before returning to larkspur for the ferry. amazing!

I work in Healdsburg, so yes, I agree a SMART connection would be awesome! I'm sure there will be buses/shuttles from the station to the wineries. I remember seeing the estimated costs to extend the line North, but I can't find it right now. I want to say it's about ~$30 something million to Windsor, ~$50 million from Windsor to Healdsburg, and another $100+ million on to Cloverdale. I could be wrong though. Windsor is a high priority both because it's close, and it's also actually projected to be the busiest station. Cloverdale, being that's it's so far and very small, may have to wait a bit longer.

Originally Posted by fflint

A SMART connection to Larkspur Landing and the ferry terminal is crucial to the region's public transportation network.

I agree! Connecting different modes is always crucial!

[peanut gallery]

This is infrastructure rather than transit related, but a very important project for the Bay Area's economy:

Port of Oakland picks developer to kick off West Coast's largest logistics center

The Port of Oakland has picked industrial developer CenterPoint Properties as a partner to build a logistics facility as part of the $500 million redevelopment of the former West Oakland army base.

The Port and Oak Brook, Ill.-based Centerpoint Properties have signed a six-month exclusive negotiating contract, with plans to build a 20-acre facility to transfer cargo from trains to ships. The project is part of the Seaport Logistics Complex, which will encompass 170 acres and would be the largest logistics center at a West Coast port.

The Port's project is separate from the nearby Oakland Global Trade and Logistics Center, developed by Phil Tagami's California Capital & Investment Group's.

Source: The San Francisco Business Times.

[peanut gallery]

Good news on SMART up here in the North Bay. Preliminary work on the extension to Larkspur is getting underway. From the Marin Independent Journal:

Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit officials are confident commuter rail will extend to Larkspur, so much so they approved a $1.4 million contract Wednesday for engineering work on the 2.2-mile segment.

In February SMART officials announced the agency was in line to receive funding to extend the commuter rail service to Larkspur after the San Rafael to Santa Rosa line is completed next year. But that funding is being debated in Congress as part of a larger transportation budget, with the next hearing scheduled for Dec. 11. SMART’s Larkspur extension could get $20 million in federal funds, but it’s not a done deal.

Nevertheless, the rail agency is forging ahead and has agreed to pay Oakland-based Railpros to figure out grade crossings, tunnel systems, bridges, signals and utilities, among other aspects of the extension to Larkspur.

-------------

The funding for the work came through Congress, rail officials said.

By getting the engineering work done, SMART can “move right into construction” if the transportation budget includes dollars for the rail agency, General Manager Farhad Mansourian, told the board Wednesday. Work on the extension could start as soon as August 2016.

-------------

SMART officials believed they were well positioned to get the federal money, in large part because they had a commitment for half the money to build the extension. The federal government likes to see a 20 percent local match in funding and SMART had 50 percent. The extension also connects to the Larkspur Ferry Terminal, where boats can take commuters into San Francisco, making a regional connection. The engineering work will further bolster its position, SMART officials said.

Additionally, work has already been done on a key stretch to get service to Larkspur from San Rafael. In December 2010 the revamped Cal Park Hill Tunnel, an 1,100-foot tube, was opened at a cost of $28 million.

[northbay]

SMART's last two train-sets being delivered:


https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?f...type=3&theater

Funding for SMART Larkspur extension in congressional budget

By Mark Prado, Marin Independent Journal
Posted: 12/16/15, 9:29 AM PST

Funding to send Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit commuter train service to Larkspur is in the congressional budget and could be formally approved later this week, rail officials announced Wednesday.

The Larkspur extension would represent the next phase of the project. The Metropolitan Transportation Commission has already committed $20 million in Regional Measure 2 funds, making the project financially whole when SMART can get the federal dollars.

...

SMART officials believed they were well-positioned to get the federal money, in large part because they had a commitment for half the money to build the extension from the Metropolitan Transportation Commission — the Bay Area’s transportation planning agency. The federal government likes to see a 20 percent local match in funding and SMART had 50 percent.

...

The extension connects rail service to the Larkspur Ferry Terminal, where boats can take commuters into San Francisco, making it a regional project. For years the train was criticized as a “train to nowhere” because it didn’t have a connection to a regional system.

In February SMART officials announced the agency was in line to receive federal funding to extend the commuter rail service to Larkspur as part of the Federal Transit Administration’s “Small Starts” grant program.

But over the summer the Senate Appropriations Committee slashed the Small Starts program to $30 million, raising concerns SMART might miss out on the needed funding.

But the final Omnibus Appropriations bill released Tuesday shows funding for the $353 million Small Starts request, which means Congress has provided full funding for the Larkspur connection, according to the rail agency.

The next steps include Congress approving the funding, which could occur by Friday. A signature from President Barack Obama would follow, then finally a funding agreement between the Federal Transit Administration and SMART. Work on the Larkspur extension could start as soon as August 2016.

...

Work has already been done on a key stretch to get service to Larkspur from San Rafael. In December 2010 the revamped Cal Park Hill Tunnel, a 1,100-foot tube, was opened at a cost of $28 million.

When voters in Sonoma and Marin counties approved a quarter-cent sales tax in 2008 to fund SMART, the project was for train service from Cloverdale to Larkspur, along with a path for walkers and bicyclists.

...Now the project is being phased, and a $428 million San Rafael-to-Santa Rosa line is under construction and set to open in late 2016.

http://www.marinij.com/general-news/...ssional-budget

[fflint]

Muni Metro underground to reopen at night in time for Super Bowl

By Hamed Aleaziz
sfgate.com
Thursday, January 21, 2016

Nearly six months of nightly closures of San Francisco’s Muni Metro underground subway to install new communications equipment will come to an end on Saturday as the city gets ready to host big crowds for Super Bowl 50, officials said.
The closures, which have commenced each night at 9:30 since July 31, shut down the Muni Metro underground subway, leaving riders between Embarcadero and West Portal stations dependent on shuttle buses.
Since late July, workers have been installing a new digital radio system to improve communication between the control center and train operators, officials said. Emergency telephones in the subway were also being replaced. While crews have yet to finish the job, Muni officials said remaining work should not inconvenience riders.
“The temporary subway closure and accompanying train-to-bus swap are critical for improving safety and reliability on Muni for 155,000 daily Metro riders,” the agency said in a statement.

[SFTransplant]

I'm surprised no one here posts about all the exciting new routes SFO is getting. Today, we landed our longest non-stop route yet and the longest non-stop route by an American provider beating out ATL-JOH.

http://travelskills.com/2016/01/28/u...ght-announced/

[Busy Bee]

Another image of the new cars in production. Sorry for the size.


http://i2.wp.com/www.globalrailnews....ze=4608%2C3456