From: lip@s1.gov (Loren I. Petrich)
Subject: BART Extension Routes
Organization: LLNL
Distribution: ba
Date: Mon, 12 Oct 1992 14:38:09 GMT


	I guess George Neville-Neil and I are probably taking a
Politically Incorrect position in defending BART, but here goes...


	Adrian Brandt had asked why BART's two eastward extensions are
slated to cost much less than the $100-200 m/mi that he thinks is
"average" ($40 m/mi to East Dublin/Pleasanton and $65 m/mi to West
Pittsburg).

	He might find the answer by following the routes. Here they
are:

	D/P:

	It branches off the existing BART line at I-238 and follows
I-238 and I-580 eastward for its entire length. The West D/P station
will be between Foothill Road and I-680, the East D/P station at the
crossing of the abandoned SP line near the Hacienda Business Park and
Hopyard Rd., the West Livermore station near the Livermore Airport and
the BART park-and-ride there, and the the East Livermore probably near
Vasco Rd.

	The UL BART Express bus follows most of this route, starting
at the Bayfair BART station and going down a nearby street to join
I-238. It leaves I-580 between Foothill and Hopyard Rds, and it leaves
I-580 again at the Livermore Airport. The UP follows its route, but
only into Dublin and Pleasanton. The U bus goes from Hayward instead,
and only into Dublin.

	Some of the bridges have already been built, reportedly under
budget. I get a regular view of the progress as I go to and from the
rest of the Bay Area from Livermore. And that's what gives me special
reason to be interested :-):-)


	P/A:

	It goes northward from the Concord station and travels along
Port Chicago Hwy. to Rte. 4, where it turns eastward for the rest of
the route. The route will probably be on an elevated trackway to the
eastward turn, where the North Concord / Martinez station will be. The
West Pittsburg station will be at Bailey Rd., the Pittsburg station
will probably be at Railroad Ave., the West Antioch station probably
at Shallcross(?) Rd., and the East Antioch station probably at
Hillcrest Ave.

	The PE1, PE2, and P2X buses follow the extension route all of
the way. I recall following it once, and deciding to return by Amtrak.

	A bridge and some other construction were in evidence along
Rte. 4 when I went, but that's about all.


	As for a Peninsula BART extension, I agree that an extension
south of SFO will probably be rather tough, but I think it beneficial
in the long run, for the existing SP tracks can be freed for express
service if a BART line takes over local-train duties. In the meantime,
if one wants to get headways down very cheaply, a simple way to do
that would be to run LRV's along the line during off-peak hours.
Unfortunately, CalTrain's management does not seem to have the vision
to try to acquire such LRV's. Given how they are with the locos and
the windows, that should not be surprising. Maybe BART could run these
LRV's. (half a :-) That would get BART down the Peninsula without a
full-scale BART line.

	I may add that SMCo Supervisor Tom Nolan has gone on record as
stating that one can vote for _both_ measures B and C. Both BART and
CalTrain can coexist, he says. Since extension into SFO will probably
be technically difficult, I think that they should push for opening a
segment to San Bruno (say) by 1997 or 1998, just to show results, if
nothing else. That's where the abandoned SP line BART is using
branches off from the still-existing line, which should be easy going,
and it's close to SFO _and_ CalTrain, enabling a CalTrain <-> BART
transfer.

	I was told by one BART planner that the Colma station is
intended to be the model for the whole Peninsula. That means similar
park-and-ride garages all the way. Given the Colma station's cost, the
planned Colma clones will probably make up the bulk of the expenses. I
may also add that if Colma-clone stations are built for CalTrain, they
will have essentially the same expense as for BART.

	In a BART newsletter, I saw the news that the "Bay Area
Financing Authority" has been created to smooth out financing by being
able to borrow as much as $200 m, so that extension progress will be
determined by engineering, and not from the "flow of money from
Sacramento and Washington, DC".

	This is a reference to the outside financing that has been
acquired for the Colma station -- the $125 million breaks up as
follows:

	75% ($93 m): Federal Transit Administration
	12.5% ($16 m): Caltrans
	12.5% ($16 m): SamTrans

	So only $16 m is local money. Isn't it wonderful to get to
stiff others with the bill? :-):-)

	So if much of the extension money can come from outside
sources, then local taxpayers will certainly have less to complain
about ;-)


	About Santa Clara County, the Sept. 11 Oakland Tribune BART
article reported that SCCo's supervisor has announced that he has some
cause for optimism after 5 years of negotiations; he clearly wants
BART and he wants to expand the BART District to its original 9
counties. Currently, SF, Alameda, and Contra Costa counties are in the
District. San Mateo and Santa Clara Counties are possible joiners. The
other four counties are Marin, Sonoma, Napa, and Solano.


	I certainly agree with BART's General Manager Frank Wilson
about looking to other possibilities. BART's silver-train heavy-rail
system has very fine performance, but is awfully expensive, and such
alternatives as conventional commuter trains, light rail, and buses
are good halfway steps. If the financing comes, then BART could be
operating commuter trains to Brentwood and Fairfield in the next
couple of years. And BART already runs express buses to the East Bay.


	Well, I'm afraid I like my blue-streaked silver glasses :-):-):-)


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