Feds Award Money for Bay Area High-Speed Rail

The Federal Railroad Administration has announced a $16 million grant for the California High-Speed Rail Authority (CHSRA) that will support safety and scheduling improvements on the busy San Francisco to San Jose Caltrain corridor.

The money will pay for the design of a positive train control (PTC) technology system that increases railroad safety and efficiency by monitoring and controlling train movements by satellite, helping integrate Caltrain's rail network with high-speed passenger service. PTC is required by federal law to be installed on all corridors where passenger and freight rail operations share tracks by 2015.

"This comprehensive safety technology will improve passenger service along the highly-traveled corridor between San Francisco and San Jose and will ultimately benefit the entire high-speed rail system in California, said U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood.

The grant will enable the CHSRA and the Peninsula Corridor Joint Powers Board to develop a system expected to improve schedule management along the San Francisco-San Jose corridor and help improve Caltrain schedules. In addition, the grant will be used to design a PTC system that will accommodate the existing 52-mile corridor and provide support for high-speed trains.

Positive Train Control attempts to keep passengers and railroad workers safer by maintaining safe train separations, preventing train speed limit violations, protecting roadway workers in work zones, and providing protection against train movement over misaligned switches.

"This is great news for Peninsula residents," said Rep. Anna G. Eshoo (D-Palo Alto). "This this is an important first step in making Caltrain a 21st century transportation system."

"The decision of the FRA is the right choice for our time because scarce dollars will be used for the best purpose—increasing safety on the vital Caltrain corridor," said Rep. Jackie Speier.

Caltrain will match the federal investment with $4 million.