Same Name '" New TrainMore 'Than .9I.n Opportunity - .9I.n Imperative

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February 1993

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SAME NAME, NEW TRAIN

A PlAN FOR BART TO OPERATE A COMMUTER RAIL SERVICELINKING THE GREATER EAST AND NORTH BAYS

TO BART, THE REGIONAL RAIL SYSTEM

THE IMPERATIVErTHE people of the Bay Area have...L ~_~~ique chance to expand the

regional rail system and providenew commuter rail service in one ofthe region's most congested corridors.

This new rail service will helpunclog our freeways, improve our airquality, restore our quality of life, andstimulate our stagnant economy.Using infrastructure that is already inplace, new service could be availablein less than one year connecting areasof the North and East Bay to BART ­the Regional Rail System.

Working together though theGreater East Bay Rail OpportunitiesCommittee (GEBROCl, 'vith interestedparties in Alameda, Contra Costa andSolano counties, and with the SouthernPacific Transportation Co., we proposethat BART operate commuter rail1inesbetween Fairfield/Suisun City andOakland, and Brentwood and Oakland,using existing SP tracks and rights-of­way.

This new rail service could be upand running and carrying 4,000 peopleeach work day - in less than a year ­and another 2,000 people within twoyears with implementation ofBrentwood service.

This new rail service would be a

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seamless, integrated link to BART's71-mile regional rail system, connectingthe Greater East and North Bays withthe San Francisco Bay Area Region.Through BART, connections can bemade with the existing network ofbuses serving our cities and suburbs,corporate commuter vans servingindustrial parks, ferries across SanFrancisco Bay, and airlines at OaklandInternational Airport.

THE NEEDEconomic, environmental and

population forces are propelling theneed for immediate and effective

transportation solutions. The SanFrancisco Bay Area, carved by bays,rivers and hills, has a virtuallyinsatiable demand for transportation.

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alternatives, and that this proposed railservice could be a feasible and effectivesolution.

This demand could all be servedby the Commuter Rail Service, withinone year.

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It is estimated that by the year2010, there will be 51,300 trips alongI-SO between West Contra Costa andthe Oakland-Berkeley area; 15,200 tripsalong 1-680 between Fairfield/SuisunCity and Benicia; 13,000 trips alongState Route 4 between Brentwood andWalnut Creek, and 8,600 trips along1-680 and I-SO between Fairfield/

~ ~ Suisun Cityand WestContra CostaCounty.Studies showthat thetranspor­tationinfrastructurecurrently inplace andprogrammedfor the futureis severelyinadequate toaccommo­

CONTRACOSTA date this

~~~~~~__~'~__::':::=- ~:::=:J demand.

High housing prices have pushedthe burgeoning population into newsuburban areas further from traditionalurban work hubs, while urban landprices have forced corporations tocreate industrial parks in formerbedroom communities.

Traffic no longer slips smoothlyalong suburban-urban corridors, butstops-and-starts throughout a complexweb of commuters traveling in alldirections along onee-uncongested - orat leastmanageable- transpor­tationcorridors.

Peoplein the newbedroomcommunitiesacross theCarquinezStrait and inEast ContraCostaCountycommute tojobs both inthe newemployment areas of West and CentralContra Costa County as well as thetraditional urban centers of Oaklandand San Francisco.

Against this backdrop, GEBROCformed to forge a new partnership toevaluate, plan and advocate foropportunities to develop new orexpanded rail and mass transitfacilities to serve the Greater East Baycounties. GEBROC studies indicatethat current and future trafficconditions along the I-SO corridorwarrant near-terml effective transit

The "quality of life" that has madethe San Francisco Bay Area one of thenation's jewels has deteriorated.

Congested freeways, longcommutesl and limited housing andlimited transportation alternatives havecontributed to a stagnant job marketl

sluggish economy and declining"quality of life."

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The Carquinez Strait, once anatural barrier that contained the citiesand suburbs, has become an obstacleto economic growth for the ever­expanding Bay Area. The two bridgesacross the Strait have become hardenedarteries of autos.

Interstate-80 from State Route 4 tothe Bay Bridge, one of the busieststretches of Interstate highway in thenation, has become a mass of slow­moving, often not-moving, cars andtrucks.

Conges­tion isprojected toworsen inthe short­term as aresult ofthe five­year HOVconstruc­tion project,currentlyunderway,along a17-mileportion ofI-80's mostcongestedstretch offreeway.The proposed Commuter Rail Servicewould be a feasible and near-termmitigation measure to theseconstruction impacts.

BART Commuter Rail Servicecould help the Bay Area meet theincreasingly strict regional and state airquality standards by enticingcommuters out of their cars and intotransit.

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And a BART Commuter RailService would also lift the Bay Area'seconomy by moving people, goods andservices throughout the region moreefficiently and more productively ­and do it quickly. The implementationof this service could create about 4,000direct and indirect jobs.

BART is currently building threeextensions and planning a fourth. Theonly rail services proposed for the Eastand North Bay Corridors are BART'sPhase IT and ill plans to extend servicealong 1-80 and State Route 4 corridors,which will not be operational untilsometime in the 21st Century.

THE SERVICEThe BART Commuter Rail Service

we are proposing would be a five-yeardemonstration service and could offer- within a year - direct and reliable69-minute service fromFairfield/Suisun City and Benicia inSolano County, north of the CarquinezStrait, to BART's West Oakland Station.Interim stops would be made at theexisting Martinez Amtrak Station,Hercules, and the RichmondBART/ Amtrak Station.

Simple but functional stationswould be built to accommodatecommuters at Benicia and Hercules.

Within two years, BARTCommuter Rail Service could offer 79­minute service between Brentwood inEast Contra Costa County, WestContra Costa County, Oakland,Berkeley, and San Francisco.Intermediate stops would be made atAntioch, Pittsburg, Martinez, Herculesand the existing BART stations atRichmond and West Oakland. (Theexisting track and rights-of-way on the

proposed Brentwood-Oakland line willrequire more work than those on theFairfield/Suisun City-Oakland line.)

Passengers could connect directlyto BART at the Richmond or WestOakland stations for trips todowntown Oakland or San Francisco,V.c. Berkeley, the "extended" SiliconValley in Southern Alameda County,or Oakland International Airport.Eventually, additional stops could bemade at Jack London Square, adjoiningdowntown Oakland, and at BART'sOakland Coliseum Station for directshuttle service to Oakland InternationalAirport - or concerts and games at theOakland Coliseum.

The commuter rail ticket will be aBART-compatible ticket that can beused on both BART and the commuterrail. TIckets will be purchased atautomated vending machines locatedat the commuter rail stations or byphone. Discounted multi-ride tickets(e.g., monthly passes) will also beavailable. There will be no extra costsfor passengers transferring to BARTservice.

We estimate capital start-up costson the Fairfield/Suisun City - Oaklandline of $35 million to $40 million andannual operating expenses of $6million to $7 million. Capital start-upcosts on the Brentwood - Oakland lineare estimated at $28 million to $33million, with annual operating costs ofapproximately $4 million to $5 million.

Transportation funds currentlyavailable to the region are fullysubscribed and new funds at thefederal, state and local levels must besecured to support the service. TheClinton Administration's proposed

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economic stimulus/infrastructureinvestment legislation offers a near­term funding opportunity for whichthis project is well positioned tocompete.

THE INSTITUTIONAL OPPORTUNITIESAn array of opportunities exists

for BART to operate the CommuterRail Service within the institutional

fabric oftheregion.BART iscurrentlyworkingwithGEBROCtodevelopan institu­tionalframe­

work which can provide effective andnear-term service to accommodate theregion's varied interests.

For instance, BART as theoperator, could function as thecommuter rail authority or be theoperating agent under a new regionalentity formed specifically to implementand provide policy direction forcommuter rail services. The latterwould be similar to the structure of therecently formed Peninsula Joint PowersBoard which is responsible for thePeninsula Corridor Commuter Railservice.

THE BENEFITSThe new BART Commuter Rail

Service could carry passengers in nineto 12 months - compared to the eightyears it took to build BART and the sixyears it will take to extend the existingsystem eastward. And it would instillthe "transit habit" in people so that

they, and the people who follow themto the expanding edges of the BayArea, would fill BART's futureextensions.

Regional BART offers theexperience to provide seamlessscheduling, a rational fare policy,coordinated future development,uniformity of information andcustomer services - with no newadministrative bureaucracy.

BART personnel offer the wealthof experience-bred skills that are

essential to putting a rail system intooperation quickly and efficiently.

BART is uniquely qualified to runa commuter rail line. BART has beenoperating a safe, reliable, convenient,economical, energy efficient andenvironmentally sound regional railsystem for more than 20 years. Withfunding, BART could have this newservice up-and-running by Christmas.

BART Commuter Rail Service isfar from an opportunity. It is animperative.

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PROPOSED BART COMMUTER RAIL SERVICE

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LEGEND.. EXISTING BART

"== BART PHASE I EXTENSION

~ PROPOSED BARTCOMMUTER RAIL.- - -

~ PROPOSED BART- _. COMMUTER RAIL STATIONS

ORIGIN-DESTINATION PAIRS SERVED

BYBART COMMUTER RAIL SERVICE

SOLANO

• GRAPHICS

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ALAMEDA

CONTRACOSTA

NAPA

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MARIN

LEGEND1--- EXISTING BART

1-=== BART PHASE I EXTENSION= 'PROPOSED BART

COMMUTER RAIL

-. ORIGIN-DESTINATION PAIR

13,000 NO. OF TRIPS IN THE YEAR 2010

(%) ~~~~E~~~~~~~i~~~l~F

BART COMMUTER RAILOPERATING PLAN SUMMARY

§ Service - Fast, Reliable - Bypassing Crowded Highways

,/ l1,4-Hour Rides to downtown San Francisco,/ Complementary to & Coordinated with BART,/ BART-Compatible Ticketing for "Seamless Passenger Flow",/ Discounted Multi-Ride Fares,/ Potential Fare Discount Coordination with BART,/ Train Arrivals/Departures Matching Work Start/End Times

§ Equipment - Bright, Clean Four-Car Trains

,/ Diesel Locomotives,/ Refurbished Equipment for Quick Start-Up,/ New Equipment for Long-Term Operation

§ Stations - Comfortable, Functional and Accessible

,/ Stops atFairfield/Suisun City - Existing Intermodal StationBrentwood - Adjacent to BART Park & Ride LotAntioch - Adjacent to BART Park & Ride LotPittsburg - Adjacent to BART Park & Ride Lot / BART TransferStationBenicia - Along Interstate-680Martinez - Existing Intermodal StationHercules - Interstate-80 and State Route 4Richmond - Existing Intermodal Station / BART Transfer StationWest Oakland - BART Transfer Station

,/ Potential Future Stops atJack London Square - Downtown Oakland, Ferry and BusConnectionsOakland Coliseum - BART Transfer Station, Connection to OaklandInternational Airport

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§ Convenience

,/ Direct Link to BART,/ Intermodal Connections: Amtrak, Buses, Airlines, Ferries, Corporate

Commuter Vans,/ Easy Access from Streets and Highways,/ ADA Provisions,/ Parking & Lighting,/ Posted Schedules,/ Ticket Vending,/ Off-Peak & Off-Hour Transportation Alternatives

§ Program - Five-Year Demonstration Project

Fairfield/Suisun City - Oakland,/ Capital Outlay - $35 to $40

million,/ Annual Operating Expense ­

$6 million to $7 million,/ Quick Start Up (9 -12 months

after funding assurances)

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Brentwood - Oakland,/ Capital Outlay - $28 to $33

million./ Annual Operating Expense­

$4 million to $5 million

FAIRFIELD/SUISUN CITY- OAKLAND

,/ Four INBOUND Morning TrainsDepart Fairfield/Suisun between 4:25 a.m. and 7:10 a.m.Arrive San Francisco (via BART transfer) between 5:45 a.m. and 8:30a.m.

,/ Four OUTBOUND Evening TrainsDepart San Francisco (via BART transfer) between 4 p.m. and 6:10 p.m.Arrive Fairfield/Suisun between 5:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.

DRAFT SCHEDULEBART COMMUTER RAIL

FAIRFIELD/SUISUN CITY - OAKLANDMornings Evenings

READ DOWN READ UP

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Draft schedule, BART Commuter Rail Service along the 1·80 and 1·680 Corridors.

1 Amtrak stations with connecting buses to local communities.

#802 #804 #806 #8085:25 5:55 6:38 7:295:11 5:41 6:24 7:155:03 5:33 6:16 7:074:46 5:16 5:59 6:504:32 5:02 5:45 6:364:16 4:46 5:29 6:20

Fairfield 1

Benicia 2

Martinez 1

Hercules 2

Richmond 3

West Oakland 3

#805 #8076:10 7:106:24 7:246:32 7:326:49 7:497:03 8:037:19 8:19

2 Connecting buses to local communities.

3 BART Stations - Direct connections to downtown Oakland and SanFrancisco, U.C. Berkeley, Oakland International Airport, Fremont, Silicon Valley

#801 #8034:25 5:104:39 5:244:47 5:325:04 5:495:18 6:035:34 6:19

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BRENTWOOD - OAKLAND

" Four INBOUND Morning TrainsDepart Brentwood between 4:30 a.m. and 7:15 a.m.Arrive San Francisco (via BART transfer) between 6 a.m. and 8:45 a.m.

" Four OUTBOUND Evening TrainsDepart San Francisco (via BART) between 3:55 p.m. and 6:55 p.m.Arrive Brentwood between 5:15 p.m. and 8:15 p.m.

DRAFT SCHEDULEBART COMMUTER RAIL

BRENTWOOD - OAKLANDMornings Evenings

READ DOWN READ UP

#811 #813 #815 #817 #812 #814 #816 #8184:30 5:15 6:15 7:15 Brentwood 1 5:13 5:50 7:09 8:144:47 5:32 6:32 7:33 Antioch 1 4:56 5:33 6:52 7:574:53 5:38 6:38 7:39 Pittsburg 1 4:50 5:27 6:46 7:515:02 5:47 6:47 7:48 Martinez 2 4:41 5:18 6:37 7:425:19 6:04 7:04 8:05 Hercules 1 4:24 5:01 6:20 7:255:33 6:18 7:18 8:19 Richmond 3 4:10 4:47 6:06 7:115:49 6:34 7:34 8:35 West Oakland 3 3:54 4:31 5:50 6:55

1 Connecting buses to local communities.

2 Amtrak stations with connecting buses to local communities.

3 BART Stations - Direct connections to downtown Oakland and SanFrancisco, U.C. Berkeley, Oakland International Airport, Fremont, Silicon Valley

Draft schedule, BART Commuter Rail Service along the 1·680 and State Route 4 Corridors.

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