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1.0 PURPOSE AND NEED

1.1 INTRODUCTION

This chapter describes the purpose of and need for conventional rail improvements 

on California’s existing Coast Corridor rail alignment, with a focus on the portion

between Salinas and San Luis Obispo intended to enable expanded passenger rail 

service on the entire Coast Corridor (from San Francisco to Los Angeles).

Figure 1-1 shows the entire length of the 470-mile-long Coast Corridor rail line. 

The Coast Corridor rail line consists of three segments: 

 Northern Segment - 77 miles from San Francisco to Gilroy, also known as the 

Caltrain Corridor

 Middle Segment - 171 miles from Gilroy to San Luis Obispo - inclusive of the 

entirety of the project area considered in this document (Salinas - San Luis 

Obispo)

 Southern Segment - 222 miles from San Luis Obispo to Los Angeles. 

Corresponds to the northern half of the Pacific Surfliner Corridor, also known as 

the LOSSAN Corridor1

The entire Coast Corridor spans eight counties: Los Angeles, Ventura, Santa Barbara, 

San Luis Obispo, San Benito, Monterey, Santa Clara, San Mateo, and San Francisco. 

The Coast Corridor serves as a transportation link between Los Angeles and the San 

Francisco Bay Area. This corridor is also served by air and highway systems. In 

terms of seat capacity, the most heavily traveled air route in the US connects Los 

Angeles International Airport and San Francisco International Airport. Additional 

 

1

The LOSSAN Corridor is a 351 mile long intercity and commuter rail corridor, stretching from San 

Diego in the south, up to San Luis Obispo County. Currently a programmatic EIS/EIR is underway for 

LOSSAN North (the segment of the LOSSAN Corridor between Los Angeles and San Luis Obispo.
Coast Corridor

1.0 Purpose and Need Final Program EIS/EIR

1-2

heavily traveled air routes spanning the corridor serve the Oakland, San José, 

Burbank and Long Beach airports.2

Interstate 5 (I-5) in the Central Valley – east of the corridor – serves as the main 

highway transportation system connecting the two dominant metropolitan regions 

at either end of the corridor. US Highway 101 (US 101) is the secondary north-south 

connector route between the Bay Area and Los Angeles regions. US Highway 1 (US 

1) serves local access and recreational travel through Monterey and San Luis Obispo 

Counties (particularly between Carmel on the north and Morro Bay to the south). In 

addition to these north-south routes, several state routes provide east-west access 

from the US 101 corridor to the Pacific Coast and or Central Valley (State Routes 68, 

46, 41 and 198). 

While travel between the ends of the Coast Corridor today is facilitated 

predominantly by air and automobile, rail plays an increasingly important role in 

corridor mobility. Current passenger rail services in the corridor include: 

 Pacific Surfliner intercity service between San Luis Obispo and San Diego,

operated by Amtrak and funded by Caltrans

 Coast Starlight long distance service between Seattle and Los Angeles, operated

and funded by Amtrak

 Capitol Corridor intercity service between Placer and Santa Clara Counties, for 

which a planned service extension to Salinas (by 2019) has completed

environmental review and is currently in design/engineering work3

 Metrolink Ventura County Line commuter rail service, sharing the same route as 

Pacific Surfliner trains between Los Angeles Union Station and Oxnard, with 

additional service to East Ventura Station in Ventura

 Caltrain commuter rail service between San Francisco and Gilroy

California High-Speed Rail (CA HSR) represents an emerging passenger rail service. 

By 2029, the system will run from San Francisco to the Los Angeles basin in under 

 

2

Additional smaller airports exist along the Corridor; those listed are the 4 next largest regional 

airports.

3

The Transportation Agency for Monterey County (TAMC) certified an EIR for the Salinas Rail Extension 

project in 2006 and subsequently adopted a CEQA Addendum for the proposed extension of commuter 

rail service from San Jose to Salinas. These environmental documents identify proposed physical 

components improvements associated with the planned rail extension. Such components 

improvements would occur between San Jose and Salinas. At present, no NEPA documentation has 

been completed for this project, but would be required if federal funding were proposed to implement

any of the proposed improvements. 
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Final Program EIS/EIR 1.0 Purpose and Need

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three hours at speeds capable of over 200 miles per hour. The system will 

eventually extend to Sacramento and San Diego, totaling 800 miles with up to 24 

stations. While the bulk of the CA HSR alignment will traverse the San Joaquin 

Valley, the Coast Corridor as a whole will provide several connection points to the 

proposed high speed rail system. None of these potential Coast Corridor/CA HSR 

connection points are in the Salinas to San Luis Obispo corridor that is the subject of 

this Program EIS/EIR. To the north, the closest major connection points would be 

Diridon Station in San José and the Gilroy Caltrain Station. To the south, the closest 

connection points would be Los Angeles Union Station and Burbank Airport. 

Corridor freight rail services are operated by Union Pacific Railroad (UPRR), 

providing service that roughly parallels the Interstate 5/US 101 corridors between 

the Bay Area and Los Angeles. Currently, the Coast Corridor carries low levels of 

freight traffic and is primarily considered a “secondary” or “relief” line to the much 

busier Central Valley line to the east. The Coast Corridor does not see any 

containerized traffic, but does carry bulk commodities such as fertilizer, lumber, 

aggregate, fuel, and coal.

In addition, there is some activity related to repositioning empty rail cars from the 

Port of Oakland to Southern California to balance the inbound/outbound disparity 

of goods traffic. Coast Corridor freight rail service provides access to Port Hueneme 

in Ventura County, the only deep-water port between the adjacent Ports of Long 

Beach/Los Angeles and Oakland. Port-related cargo includes a mix of agricultural 

products and bulk commodities. 

As of 2014 2015, San Luis Obispo County is preparing the Final EIR for the 

considering a proposal to extend a rail spur to the Phillips 66 Nipomo Mesa oil 

refinery in unincorporated San Luis Obispo County so that crude oil could be 

delivered to the refinery via rail. The refinery is approximately 20 miles south of the 

City of San Luis Obispo and, thus, outside the corridor considered here. Up to 5 

trains of 80 cars per week are anticipated. Trains are proposed to arrive at the 

refinery from points north (including Utah, North Dakota, and Canada) via the Coast 

Corridor. 
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1.2 PURPOSE AND NEED FOR IMPROVED 

INTERCITY RAIL TRANSPORTATION BETWEEN 

SALINAS AND SAN LUIS OBISPO

1.2.1 PURPOSE

The purpose of the proposed rail improvements to the Coast Corridor is to enhance 

safety and develop a faster and more reliable passenger and freight rail system that 

provides added capacity in response to increased travel demand between Los 

Angeles and San Francisco and the intermediate cities along the US 101 corridor. 

The existing capacity of the Corridor’s transportation system is insufficient to meet 

existing and future demand, and the current and projected future system 

congestion will continue to result in reduced reliability, slower travel speeds, 

increased travel times, and deteriorated air quality. In addition to providing new 

direct passenger rail service, another purpose of the proposed rail improvements is 

to foster improved rail connectivity to the proposed CA HSR system.

The greater Coast Corridor region from San Francisco to Los Angeles faces significant 

mobility challenges today, further detailed below. These challenges apply to the 

portion of the Coast Corridor between Salinas and San Luis Obispo and are likely to 

continue in the future as continued growth in population, employment, and tourism 

activity is expected to generate increased travel demand. By 2040, statewide 

population is expected to grow substantially, further straining the existing 

transportation network. An effective rail system is necessary to meet the future 

mobility needs of residents, businesses, and visitors.

In light of the transportation challenges listed above, Caltrans Division of Rail (DOR)

and the Coast Rail Coordinating Council, a partnership of local transportation 

planning agencies, have identified a number of potential rail improvements to the 

Coast Corridor that are individually and collectively intended to improve mobility 

and reliability in this congested part of the state’s rail system. This slate of potential

improvements includes individual projects that would contribute, individually 

and/or collectively, to creating a more reliable, safe, competitive, and attractive 

intercity travel option. 

The proposed increase in intercity passenger rail service would also allow flexibility 

for passengers who may prefer other means of transportation over automobiles. 

Such an increase in service would provide additional transportation system capacity 

that could relieve some of the projected near- and long-term demand on the 

highway system, potentially slowing the need to further expand highways and 
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Final Program EIS/EIR 1.0 Purpose and Need

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airports in this portion of the corridor, or reduce the scale of those expansions, 

including their associated cost and impacts on communities and the environment. 

Rail improvements would augment the highway system, creating an interconnected, 

multimodal solution, allowing for better mobility throughout the corridor. 

Improved rail infrastructure would contribute to the economic viability of the Coast 

Corridor and provide connectivity with local transit systems. 

An investment in rail improvements to the Coast Corridor would complement and 

support other transportation systems that currently or are planned to interface with 

the rail service. Like the Coast Corridor, the Pacific Surfliner Corridor and Capitol 

Corridor experience similar challenges regarding travel demand growth, congestion, 

and capacity constraints. Because many trips span the service of the Coast, Pacific 

Surfliner, and Capitol Corridors, improvements and upgrades would indirectly 

benefit all corridors. The Coast Corridor will would connect to the future CA HSR

system at Burbank, Los Angeles, Gilroy, and San José, offering a feeder service to

passengers originating in counties without proposed high-speed rail stations (such 

as Santa Cruz, Monterey, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara and Ventura). New 

communities will would gain access to rail services with the upgrades of existing 

stations and construction of new stations that are not currently served. In all, many 

communities between San Francisco and Los Angeles will would see improved 

transportation access. 

1.2.2 NEED 

The need for the proposed action stems from a number of challenges facing 

transportation along the Coast Corridor, including but not limited to the following: 

 Constrained Travel Options – While the Coast Corridor is served by a 

transportation system that includes air, highway, and rail modes, system access 

and capacity is insufficient to meet future travel demand. Air access is limited 

for many residents because major airports are located at a substantial distance 

from the Salinas to San Luis Obispo portion of the corridor. 

This portion of the corridor is served by a single major highway – US 101 – which 

experiences frequent congestion and travel delays, particularly in the San 

Francisco Bay Area and between Santa Barbara and Los Angeles. Both highway 

and rail operations in the corridor can be unduly affected by weather conditions 

in distant locations. For example, winter closures of I-5 at the Grapevine/Tejon 

Pass Area can divert auto traffic to US 101 because of its lower elevation passes 

which makes it much less subject to closure. Fires or accidents along the I-5

corridor can also result in substantial diversions to US 101.
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Amtrak offers a single daily Coast Starlight passenger service along the corridor. 

Trains are often delayed due to the rail system operating beyond its design 

capacity, which is primarily single-tracked between Salinas and San Luis Obispo

with few sidings of the length necessary to allow passenger trains consistent 

priority over the typically much longer freight trains. 

 Anticipated Population Growth – The entire Coast Corridor region (San Francisco 

to Los Angeles) is home to over 15 million people. By 2040, this population is 

projected to grow by approximately 32 percent –an additional five million 

people.4 While most of the existing population and projected growth is along 

the four counties outside the current project’s study area (San Francisco, San 

Mateo, Santa Clara, and Los Angeles), the four “inner” counties (Monterey, San

Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, and Ventura) serve a population of about two 

million people, projected to grow by 36 percent by the year 2040. 

 Significant Highway Congestion – While travel by automobile is expected to 

meet the majority of future travel demand, anticipated increases in automobile 

use will result in worsening of existing congestion. Congestion is particularly 

acute within the corridor’s urban areas and will worsen, making travel times 

unreliable. 

 Constrained Rail System Capacity – The existing Coast Starlight service is often 

fully booked during peak travel periods. Current passenger service is further 

constrained by a largely single-track railroad with few sidings of the length 

necessary to accommodate the longer freight trains. Consequently, passenger 

trains can experience substantial delays which would only worsen in the event 

of higher levels of freight traffic. 

 Aging Rail Infrastructure – Investment in corridor rail service has not kept pace 

with population and travel demand growth. Particularly within the Salinas to 

San Luis Obispo portion of the corridor, many tracks, signals, and bridges have 

not been upgraded or improved in decades – and in some cases are over 100 

years old. Aging infrastructure in need of maintenance or replacement can 

result in a decrease in operating safety and can impede trains from operating at 

top speeds. Aging infrastructure if not properly maintained can, therefore,

translate to longer travel times and decrease the attractiveness of rail as a 

transportation option. 

 

4

Caltrans Division of Rail. 2013b, p. 2-5
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 Safety –Although rail travel is one of the safest modes of transportation in the 

nation (particularly relative to automobile travel). Rail traffic congestion and 

aging infrastructure in poor condition can be contributing factors in accidents. 

According to data compiled by Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), for fiscal 

year 2013, 34 percent of all train accidents nationwide were related to signal or 

track failures. Another 39 percent of all accidents during that same time period 

were related to human factors.5 And according to data compiled by FRA’s Office 

of Safety Analysis, a substantial number of accidents between 2005 and 2014 in 

Monterey and San Luis Obispo Counties were related to track conditions 

(including derailments) and human factors (which relates to older signaling 

systems). Given the age and condition of the Coast Corridor infrastructure, 

whose signaling system is heavily dependent on human factors, there is 

substantial potential for accidents along this single-tracked corridor. Whether 

or not any of the Build Preferred Alternative components improvements move 

forward, corridor safety is expected to be enhanced by the implementation of 

Positive Train Control (PTC) by December 2015.6 This analysis assumes that 

given requirements set forth in the Rail Safety Improvement Act, the railroad 

owner (UPRR) will install and primarily fund the installation of PTC, with Amtrak 

sharing expenses for existing service. 

 Need to reduce Air Pollutant Emissions from Mobile Sources – Existing air quality 

in most coastal portions of California is considered to be poor to deteriorating.

The affected air basins are in non-attainment with state standards for ozone and 

respirable particulate matter (PM10), both of which are heavily linked to mobile 

sources (cars and trucks). Reducing vehicle miles traveled (VMT) would have 

substantial benefits in reducing air pollutant emission and improving air quality 

in the region. Increasing rail travel capacity could reduce VMT and air pollutant 

emissions by shifting automobile travel to a more environmentally efficient 

mode.

7

By fostering connectivity to the proposed CA HSR Project, rail 

improvements for the Coast Corridor will further help expand travel capacity in 

a more environmentally sensitive manner than via roadway expansion or “shorthop” air flights. 

 

5

FRA, 2014, p. 2. 

6

PTC systems are integrated command, control, communications, and information systems for 

controlling train movements with safety, security, precision, and efficiency.

7

FRA 2010. 
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1.3 ANTICIPATED ENVIRONMENTAL TIERING

The San Luis Obispo Council of Governments (SLOCOG) and FRA have mutually

commenced this environmental review process to comply with federal and state 

laws, in particular the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA) (42 USC § 

432, et seq.) and the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) (California Public 

Resources Code § 21000, et seq.). 

NEPA requires federal agencies to prepare an environmental impact statement (EIS) 

for proposed actions that have the potential to cause significant adverse 

environmental impacts. Because of possible FRA actions regarding potential rail 

system components improvements, FRA is the lead federal agency, working with 

SLOCOG as the lead state agency, for the environmental review required by NEPA 

and related statutes. FRA has further determined that the preparation of a 

program-level (Tier 1) EIS for the proposed rail components improvements is the 

appropriate NEPA document because of the comprehensive nature and scope of the 

corridor improvements proposed to date and the conceptual stage of planning and 

decision-making. Any future decisions related to advancing and ultimately 

constructing the proposed rail components improvements may constitute a federal 

action if federal funding or other federal permits are required and may thus require 

additional project-level environmental review under NEPA. Other federal agencies

in addition to FRA may also rely on these project-level environmental reviews to 

support future decision making. In preparing this environmental document, FRA has

coordinated with the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), US Army Corps of 

Engineers (USACE), the US Army, the US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), and the 

United States Forest Service (USFS). 

The proposed rail corridor components improvements are also subject to 

environmental review under CEQA. SLOCOG is both the project sponsor and the 

lead agency for purposes of CEQA compliance. SLOCOG has identified the Caltrans 

Division of Rail and Transportation Agency for Monterey County as key responsible 

agencies. SLOCOG determined that a program environmental impact report (EIR) 

would be the appropriate CEQA document for this project at this conceptual stage 

of planning and decision-making. 

No permits will be sought in this phase of environmental review. If the Build 

Alternative is selected at the conclusion of the Program EIS/EIR process, one or 

more of the physical improvements may be carried forward for detailed design and, 

if necessary, any project level review and permits will be sought at that time. If and 

when any of the physical components comprising the Preferred Alternative are

carried forward for detailed design and project-level environmental review, permits 

would be sought at that time. 
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This document is being prepared as a combined Program EIS/EIR for compliance 

with both NEPA and CEQA. The Program EIS/EIR will enable public agencies to 

evaluate the broad environmental effects of the proposed rail components

improvements, evaluate the components improvements against the No Build 

Alternative, and determine which elements of the Build Alternative, if any, to carry 

forward. 

The required contents of a Program EIS/EIR are the same as those of a project-level 

document. However, the level of detail provided in the two types of documents is 

different. This program level document evaluated the potential environmental 

effects of the alternatives based on a general design of the proposed program. 

Future project-level environmental reviews will be based on detailed and sitespecific engineering and design data. 

A Program EIS/EIR is an informational document intended to analyze and to disclose 

to the public and to public decision-makers the environmental effects and benefits 

of a proposed program and its alternatives. The preparation, circulation, and review 

of a draft Program EIS/EIR provides for the evaluation of alternatives, including a No 

Build Alternative; the assessment of all significant/adverse environmental impacts; 

identification of the appropriate measures to mitigate potential impacts; and the 

opportunity for public input and comments to help inform the decision-making 

process. 

This program-level document has been prepared to allow the lead agencies to 

consider a future program of improvements to the Salinas to San Luis Obispo 

portion of the Coast Corridor and to provide information to decide between the No 

Build Alternative and the Build Alternative. The Build Alternative may include some 

or all of the service and physical components improvements assessed in this 

environmental document. As full funding for all components improvements is not 

available at present, the most likely scenario is that proposed components

improvements would be constructed in phases. Exact phasing is contingent on what 

components improvements are prioritized for detailed, construction-level design, 

funding availability, and further environmental review. As described in Chapter 3 of 

this document, this would include site-specific studies as well as and agency 

coordination, specific measures to avoid or minimize impacts, and an approved 

mitigation plan. 

FRA has authority to regulate the safety of railroads, including the proposed project,

under 49 United States Code (USC) 20101 et seq. FRA also manages certain financial 

assistance programs for rail capital investments, for which this project may be 

eligible. 
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1.4 RELATIONSHIP TO CALIFORNIA HIGH-SPEED 

RAIL

The California High-Speed Rail Authority (CHSRA), established in 1996, proposes to 

implement high-speed rail service that would run from the San Diego, Orange 

County, and Los Angeles metropolitan areas north through California’s Central 

Valley to the San Francisco Bay Area and Sacramento regions. FRA and the CHSRA

have completed two Programmatic EIS/EIRs and project-level EIS/EIRs are underway 

for all segments of the proposed California High-Speed service, two of which has 

been completed and certified (Merced to Fresno and Fresno to Bakersfield).

In addition, the CHSRA applied for and was selected to receive funding under FRA’s 

High-Speed Intercity Passenger Rail Program. The CHSRA and FRA have entered into 

a cooperative agreement and will complete the necessary project-level 

environmental analysis and preliminary engineering for all segments, as well as for 

the final design and construction of an operable segment in California’s Central 

Valley. These funds are being made available through the American Recovery and 

Reinvestment Act (ARRA) and the Department of Transportation and Housing and 

Urban Development Appropriations Act of 2010. 

As shown in Figure 1-2, the proposed high-speed rail system will have multiple 

connections to the Coast Corridor, including major connection points at Los Angeles 

Union Station and Burbank Airport to the south and San Jose Diridon and San 

Francisco to the north (all of which are outside the Salinas to San Luis Obispo 

segment being studied here). However, these connection points, as well as a 

secondary connection in Gilroy, will enable travelers originating from the Central 

Coast region (Monterey, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, and Ventura counties) to 

gain rail access to the statewide high-speed rail system. The Coast Corridor can 

serve as a feeder to the high-speed rail system, particularly if the Coast Corridor 

sees increased passenger service.

1.5 ISSUES RAISED DURING SCOPING

FRA initiated the formal scoping process by publishing a Notice of Intent (NOI) to 

prepare a Program EIS/EIR in the Federal Register on August 17, 2012. 

Table 1-1 summarizes when the two public scoping meetings were held as part of 

the public scoping process.
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Table 1-1 Public Scoping Meetings

Salinas San Luis Obispo

Transportation Agency for Monterey County San Luis Obispo City/County Library

55-B Plaza Circle 995 Palm Street

August 28, 2012 August 29, 2012

3:30 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. 3:30 p.m. – 6:00 p.m

These meetings provided an opportunity for the public and agencies to comment on 

the scope of environmental topics that will be analyzed in the Draft Program 

EIS/EIR. Approximately 25 members of the public attended the scoping meetings. 

Appendix A includes all comments received during scoping. Issues raised included 

questions about the viability of the project in terms of funding, concerns about the

current use of some existing sidings as long-term “parking” or storage for train cars, 

anticipated operating characteristics and costs of expanded passenger service, and 

the range of physical components improvements to be contemplated in the 

environmental document. 

In addition to the formal scoping meetings, SLOCOG conducted outreach to 

potentially affected agencies and organizations in preparing this document. 

Chapter 5.0, Comments and Coordination, identifies agencies consulted. 
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Page Intentionally Left Blank 
1-1

Figure Coast Corridor

Source: California State Rail Plan, 2013

Coast Corridor Improvements EIR/EIS Coast Corridor Service Development Plan May 2013 

Page 1-2 

Exhibit 1.1: Coast Corridor 

 
1-2

Figure State Rail System

Source: CAlifornia State Rail Plan, 2013

Coast Corridor Improvements EIR/EIS 2013 California State Rail Plan 

Executive Summary May 2013 

Exhibit ES.4: Proposed New Passenger Rail Routes and Current Route Extensions 

6RXUFHV (VUL&DOWUDQV

Page ES-10