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Politics & Government

Caltrain execs: Transition to Be Seamless

Changeover and high-speed rail proposal 'are unrelated' spokesman says.

Caltrain’s decision to end its operating arrangement with Amtrak and move to a Missouri operating company should have no effect on riders, the agency's chief spokesman said this morning.

“Our goal is for this to be seamless,” said Mark Simon. “It’s our expectation that riders shouldn’t notice any difference in the immediate aftermath. In the long run, they should experience continuous improvement.”

The terms of a proposed new agreement with TransitAmerica Services, Inc. call for a five-month transition period. The Peninsula Corridor Joint Powers Board will vote on whether to approve the five-year, $300 million contract on Sept. 1.

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The St. Joseph, Mo. operator maintains commuter rail lines in San Diego, Dallas and New Mexico.

The new operator will respect the terms of the U.S. Railway Labor Act and retain the Caltrain work force, Simon said.

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The agency narrowed the bidder competition from 18 to 4, Amtrak being one. TransitAmerica’s proposal for smooth transition won the board over.

“That was a huge part of our decision,” he said. “They get it.”

The changeover plays no part in the high-speed rail debate, he said. The agency’s only concern was that TransitAmerica would run smoothly while a railway is under construction – much as it must do while work continues on the San Bruno grade separation.

“The two are unrelated,” he said. “The issue of whether there should be high-speed rail arose because there is already a right-of-way there."

Wednesday, Caltrain released the results of a new study that shows trains should be able to share a track with a high-speed rail line – a revelation that agency officials expect to quell Peninsula residents' fears of a new track.

A mock-up by LTK Engineering Services demonstrated how six electric commuter trains and four bullet trains per hour could share a blended track between San Mateo and Redwood City –a proposal pitched in April by state Sen. Joe Simitian, U.S. Rep. Anna Eshoo and state Assemblyman Rich Gordon.

The transit agency has not yet costed out the model, Simon.

"This is a preliminary analysis," he said. "We haven't done the kind of evaluation that is required to guess at dollar amounts."

A computer simulation took into account such new developments as an electrified track, advanced signaling and a set of passing tracks.

“This answer is encouraging, because it shows we do not have to build a separate track,” said Caltrain spokesman Seamus Murphy.

Caltrain, which has been beset by diminishing financial resources and the continuing risk of train suicides and accidental fatalities, faced a $30 million budget shortfall in March, and considered reducing weekday trains from 86 to 48 and eliminating service altogether on the weekends.

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