With the existing location of the Union Pacific mainline tracks and passenger rail platforms in Downtown Sacramento at the Historic Depot, several conditions exist which present problems from an operational perspective. The degree of these curves requires freight trains to slow to 10-20 mph, rather than a more desirable 30 to 40 mph, as they move through the Railyards area.
Freight trains travelling at lower speeds often create delays for passenger trains.
The length of the current platform area provides inadequate area for the long-haul Amtrak trains and some Capitol Corridor and San Joaquin corridor trains. The length of these existing platforms requires that some trains use a portion of the first curve area to the east of the existing depot as their platform area. In order to meet the existing and anticipated increased length and frequency of the passenger trains and to provide increased safety, a new solution needs to be found for both the severe curvature of the mainline tracks and the undesirable location of the passenger platforms. In addition, curved platforms present a safety issue for passengers. Conductors cannot see around a curve to determine if all passengers have boarded or exited the train.