High-Speed Rail Authority Initiates Environmental Review Process ...
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DATE:
BRIEFING:
JULY
30,
2010
TO: ChairmanPringleandExecutiveAdministrativeCommitteeMembers
FROM: RoelofvanArk,ChiefExecutiveOfficer
RE: FederalHSIPRFundingApplicationfor2010.
Discussion:
OnMonday,June28,theU.S.DepartmentofTransportationannouncedapplicationguidelinesforan
available$2.3billioninfundingforthedevelopmentofhighspeedandintercityrail.Theannouncement
includedadeadlineofAugust6tosubmitapplicationstotheFederalRailroadAdministration.
TheAuthorityanditsconsultantsareworkingtowardsvariousalternativesrelatingtothesenewfunding
applications.Notallcostingexerciseshavebeencompleted,andthispaperinformstheCommitteeof
thestatusofsuchwork,andrequestsguidanceandapprovalfromtheCommittee,sothisworkmay
continuewithinthismannerwithCommitteeinput.
EligibilityofApplications:
TheFRAhasbeenverysupportive inassistingapplicantstounderstandtherulesofthenewroundof
applications.Themostimportantconditionstoconsiderare:
ProjectsthathavereceivedHSIPRprogramfundingunderprevioussolicitations,e.g.,ARRATrack2grants,arenoteligiblefornewfunding(theidenticalprojectscannotberesubmitted).
ProjectsfundedwithARRATrack2fundsmustretainoperationalindependenceasdefinedinSec.3.5.2oftheNoticeofFundingAvailability(NOFA),withoutconsideringanynewfunds.
As CHSRA was awarded only approx 50% of their original ARRA application value, the FRArequiresclarityonhowthisfundingwouldbeappliedincaseofaward,tomeettheoperational
independencecriteria.Therefore, theAuthoritymust refineor redefine thescopeofeachof
these projects, describe how operational utility would be achieved, and redefine what the
measurablebenefitswouldbeofeach.
Projects funded with the new HSIPR funds musthave independent utility (if new projects aresubmitted),
however
new
funding
can
be
applied
to
ARRA
funded
projects,
as
long
as
the
combinedprojectmeetstheoperationalutilitycriteria,andthenewfundingshouldenhance
theutilityand/orbenefitsoftheoriginalARRAfundedproject.
Due to funding constraints potentially one ARRAeligible project/section and one additionalnextround grant scope could ultimately be funded. The FRA would prefer the Authority to
prioritizethesections,howeverifthisisnotpossible,varioussectionsmaybesubmitted.
The redefined ARRAeligible project/sections remain subject to the schedule constraints(NOD/ROD by Sept 2011). The FY10 HSIPR applications for the enhancements of the ARRA
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corridorsarenotsubjecttotheARRAtimelines;howevertheuseofthesefundsiscontingenton
thecompletionoftheNOD/RODfortheARRAsectionsbeingonschedule.
TheFederalshareofnewfundingcannotexceed80percent;however,>20%matchingbytheapplicantwillbeconsideredinevaluatingthemeritofitsapplication.
ValueofARRAfundingandBondmatchavailable:
In January 2010 the Authority received an ARRA award of $2.25B. Of that award $400M has been
allocatedby
USDOT
to
the
Transbay
Transit
Center.
Additionally,
$194M
of
the
ARRA
funds
has
been
allocated for the completion of the PE/NEPA activities for Phase 1 of the HST. Hence the remaining
funds available for the final design and construction will be$1.616B and when matched with Prop 1
Bondfundsthetotalis:
$3.312B
FRAGrantApplicationApproach:
InconsultationwiththeFRAitwasrecommendedthatthisnewroundofapplicationsincludethe
followingelements:
1. AnassessmentoftheoriginalARRAgrantscope,2. Neededrefinementsandrescopingtooptimizeuseofthe$3.312Bavailablefundingand
simultaneouslymeettheindependentutilitycriteria
3. DeterminationofpotentialadditionalscopethatwouldcomplementorenhancetheARRATrack2sectionscopeandhelpadvancetheCHSTP.
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SectionApplications:
The alignments are not prioritized in any manner, however as the Merced / Fresno and Fresno /
Bakersfield alignments have some commonality and overlap, they are addressed in sequence. In all
instancesatypicalalignmenthasbeenusedforcostingreasons;howeverthisshouldnotbeconstrued
as a preference for one alignment over another, but rather is needed for estimating costs. The
describedalignmentsarerepresentativeoftheoptionsbeingconsidered inprojectEIR/EISdocuments,
andarenottobeconstruedasprejudgingtheoutcomeofthoseenvironmentalprocesses..
A. MercedFresnoSection:
Figure1
1. OriginalARRAgrantscope(Figure1): RuralHSTcivilinfrastructureincludingtrackfromapprox.3milessouthofMercedto
approximately3milesnorthofFresnowithinterconnectiontotheexistingBNSFtrack,thus
allowingoperationfromtheAmtrakstationsinMercedtotheAmtrakstationinFresno.
AmtraksSanJoaquinservicewouldmeetoperationalutilityrequirement,butrequiressignaling.
2. Refinementsandrescoping ofARRAsectionneeded: Forthe$3.312BavailabletheAuthorityrecommendstoconstruct:
o AsinterconnectionwithBNSFisrequired,thebest(optimal)positiontodothisisnorthofMercedatCastleAFB.ThealignmentwillcontinuethroughMercedwestof
Chowchillafor39milestoRoad26/Ave18inMadera,wherethelinewillre
connecttotheBNSFexistingnetwork(Figure2).
o Asignalingsystemisrequiredandcouldbeaddedwithinthegivenbudget. AmtraksSanJoaquinservicemeetsFRAsfundingcriteriaandindependentutility
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Figure2
3. NewGrantApplication: Civilinfrastructureincludingtrackandsignaling,fromRoad26/Ave18inMadera,tobe
extendedasfarsouthaspossible(probablytoW.ClintonAve,justnorthofFresnobeing22
miles)connectingtotheexistingBNSFlinetofeedintotheexistingAmtrakstationinFresno.
ThustheARRAfundedplusNewfundedalignmentwouldbe61milesinlength(Figure3).
AmtraksSanJoaquinswouldofferindependentutilitycomingfromtheAmtrakstationin
MercedonthenewtrackpasttheWYE,totheAmtrakstationinFresno.
Figure3
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B. FresnoBakersfieldSection:
Figure4
1. OriginalARRAgrantscope: RuralHSTcivilinfrastructureincludingtrackfromBowles(8milessouthofFresno)to
HagemanRoadBNSFconnectionjustnorthofBakersfield,includingtheconnectionstothe
existingBNSFtackthusallowingoperationsfromAmtrakstationinFresnotoAmtrakstation
inBakersfield.
AmtraksSanJoaquinservicewouldmeetoperationalutilityrequirement,butrequiressignaling.
2. Refinementsandrescoping ofARRAsectionneeded: Forthe$3.312BavailabletheAuthorityrecommendstoconstruct(Figure5):
o CivilinfrastructureincludingtrackfromjustnorthofWasconorthwardsthroughFresnotoW.ClintonAvewhichisabout2milesnorthofFresno(approx100miles
ofcompletedalignment).
o ThenewHSRstationinFresno(includingtracksintoandoutofthestation).o Asignalingsystem(PTCorERTMS)asrequiredforindependentutility.o InterconnectorstotheBNSFlinesjustnorthofWascoandatW.ClintonAve,north
ofFresno,toensureindependentutility.
AmtraksSanJoaquinserviceoperatingonthislinewillmeetsFRAsfundingcriteriaandindependentutility
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Figure5
3. NewGrantApplication: Continuethecivilinfrastructureincludingnewtrackandsignalingnorthfor16.6miles
fromW.ClintonAvetoBorden,continuingafurther5.6milesontointersectionofRoad
26/Ave18(Figure6)
Civilinfrastructureincludingnewtrackandsignaling,fromnorthofWascoinasoutherlydirectiontoHagermanRoadjustnorthofBakersfield(Figure7).
InterconnectorstotheBNSFlinesatBordenandHagermanRoad.
In
the
interim
Amtrak
San
Joaquins
would
offer
independent
utility
coming
from
MercedontheexistingBNSFtracks,andconnectingtothenewalignmentat
intersectionRoad26/Ave18.ThustheARRAfundedplusNewfundedalignment
wouldbeapprox127milesinlengthandleadstoapracticalinterfacewiththeWYE
whichwould(aspartofPhase1)finallyconnectinawesterlydirectionwithSanJose.
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Figure6
Figure7
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C. LosAngelesAnaheimSection:
Figure8
1. OriginalARRAgrantscope: HSTcivilinfrastructureincludingtrackfromLAtoAnaheimbasedontheDedicatedTrack
Alternative(appliedfor $4.375B($YOE)forthesectionincluding $556Mforstations)
AmtrakSurflinerservicewouldmeetoperationalutilityrequirement,butrequiressignaling.
2. Refinementsandrescoping ofARRAsectionneeded: Thetotal$3.312BwillnotsufficetobuildthecompletesegmentasrequestedintheARRA
application.
Theredefinedscopewillfocusoninfrastructureimprovementscommontobothalternatives(DedicatedandSharedTrackAlternatives),totheextentpossible,and
particularlythosewiththebiggestneartermbenefitstointercitypassengerservice,andwill
stretchfromeastoftheLARivertoLaMirada,namely(Figure9):
o TwoadditionaltracksinLaMiradaandSantaFeSprings(Approx.OrangeCountyLinetoNorwalk/SFSstation)toprovideseparationbetweenpassengeroperationsandfreightoperationsinLaMiradaYardArea
o Rosecrans/MarquardtGradeSeparationAhighpriorityprojectthatimprovessafetyandisneededunderallscenarios
o SanGabrielRiverAreaaerialstructure/gradeseparation(Approx.LosNietosRdtoSerapisAve) Removestwoatgraderailrailcrossingsandthreeatgraderailroad
crossings.
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o Commerce/Vernonaerialstructure(Approx.I5toLARiver) RemovesallinteractionsbetweenfreightandpassengeroperatorsinHobartYardarea
o AstationatNorwalk(althoughFullertonremainsanoptionalsite). Asignaling/PTCsystemisrequiredandwillbeadded. Theaforementionedworkwouldcoverapproximately50%ofthealignmentworkwhich
wouldfinallyneedtobedoneonthiscorridor(excludingLosAngelesUnionStationand
ARTICStationandelectrification).Itwouldresultin2newtracksforHSandshared
passengerservice,inadditiontotheexistingBNSFfreight/sharedtacks.This2track
alignmentwillbeavailablefromjusteastoftheLARivertoLaMirada(about15miles).
ItshouldbepossibletomeettheoperationalutilitycriteriausingAmtrakSurflinerservicewiththecorrectphasedimplementationincludingsignaling.
Figure9
3. NewGrantApplication: ContinuewiththecivilinfrastructureandtrackworknotcompletedwiththeARRAfunding. TheNewfundsshouldallowallsuchcivilinfrastructureandtrackworkstobecompletedto
thewestsideoftheLARiver(includingRedondoFlyover)uptoandincludingFullerton.
(Figure10)bringingthetotalavailable2tracksystemtoabout28miles.
Theapplicationwillneedtobesplitintosharedtrackanddedicatedtrackalternatives,asthedesignsmaydifferforthisadditionalwork.
QuadgatesalongtheFullertontoAnaheimalignment.
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AmtrakSurflinerservicewouldmeetoperationalutilityrequirement,attheafterARRAandnewfundshavebeenallocated.
Figure10
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4. SanFranciscotoSanJose Section:
Figure11
1. OriginalARRAgrantscope(Figure11): Appliedfor$1.960B;mainlyforElectrification($740M),PTC&Communication($213M),
Stationimprovements($391M)andsomegradeseparations.
Caltrainwouldmeetoperationalutilityrequirement,howeveraccordingtotheFRAtheinfrastructuralimprovementsdonotmeetthefundingcriteriatoensureaminimal
operatingsegmentofneworsubstantiallyimprovedhighspeedorintercitypassengerrail
service.
2. RefinementsandrescopingofARRAsectionneeded: Thetotal$3.312Bwillnotsufficetobuildthecompletesegment.Programdevelopments
havefurtherincreasedthecostsofcertainalternativeswhichremainapplicable.
Theredefinedscopewillfocusoninfrastructureimprovementsandgradeseparationworkstartingatthe4th&KingStationworkingsouth,todefineworkelementshavingnearterm
operationalbenefits
to
existing
rail
passenger
train
service
on
the
Peninsula
and
meeting
thelongtermneedsoftheCHSTProgram(usingthebuildingblockapproach)
Infrastructureand4tracksfrom4th&KingStationmovingsouthtoRedwoodJunctioncouldbeachieved,basedonthelessexpensiveAerialStructure(asopposedtotheTrenchsolution
insomeareassuchasBurlingame,SanMateo)*1(Figure11).
Existing2trackswillbesharedinsectionssouthofRedwoodJunctiontoMountainView.1Ifthetrenchsolutionisselectedthenlessinfrastructurecouldbeimplemented.
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Infrastructureand4tracksfromMountainViewsouthtonorthofFairOaksAvenue,SantaClara,basedonthelessexpensiveAerialStructure(asopposedtotheTrenchsolutionin
someareassuchasMountainViewandSunnyvale)leadingintotheexistingCaltrainsystem
andintoDiridonStation
IncludenewPTC(possiblyCBOSSorERTMS)toenhancesafetyandtoallowforthevastamountoftrafficdiversionswhichwillberequiredduringconstruction,andthe2015
installationdeadline.
FinalcutovermustmeetIndependentutilitycriteria.
Figure12
3. NewGrantApplication: Electrificationofthealignment,dimensionedforCaltrainandHSTwhereby2tracksonlywill
beelectrifiedinthisphase.
ConstructionoftheMillbraestationandintegratingthereof. ThecurrentestimatedcostofthisSection(particularlytrenchalternatives)exceedsthe
amountofpotentialfunding,andthusthissectioncouldnotbecompletedwiththefunds
available.
ItisnotconfirmedthattheoperationalutilitycriteriausingtheexistingCaltrainserviceincludingnewsignalingwillmeettheFRArequirements,astheserviceisnotdeemedtobe
onanIntercitynature,howeverthiswillagainbesubmittedastheavailablesolution.
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GeneralComments:
ThefollowinggeneralcommentsareimportantfortheCommitteetofinallyapprovethewayforward:
Firstindicationsfromcalculationsdoneshowthat,toachieveattractivecutoverpointsandtomeettheindependentutilityrequirements,theAuthoritywouldneedadditionalnewfunding
(overandabovetheARRAfunds)inthemagnitudeof$1Bto$1.4B.
To preserve matching capacity for the future (the FRA will most likely always require at least20% matching) it is recommended to match with only 30% Prop 1 Bond proceeds for this
secondround.
Thus
the
new
funding
request
would
be
for
between
$700M
to
$1B.
Completing the EIR/EIS and achieving ROD/NOD for the sections proposed is paramount forCaliforniatoobtainnotonlytheARRAfunds,buyalsothenew2010HSIPRfunds.
Recommendation:
StaffrequeststheExecutiveandAdministrativeCommitteeapprovetherecommendedapproachtaken
bystafftoapplyfortheproposedFY10HSIPRadditionalfundingandthattheCommitteeapprovethat
staffdoallfurtherdetailedworktomeetthesubmittaldeadlineofAugust6,2010.
Attachment:
http://www.fra.dot.gov/downloads/PubAffairs/201015992.pdf
http://www.fra.dot.gov/downloads/PubAffairs/2010-15992.pdfhttp://www.fra.dot.gov/downloads/PubAffairs/2010-15992.pdfhttp://www.fra.dot.gov/downloads/PubAffairs/2010-15992.pdfhttp://www.fra.dot.gov/downloads/PubAffairs/2010-15992.pdfhttp://www.fra.dot.gov/downloads/PubAffairs/2010-15992.pdf