The California High-Speed Rail Authority staff has picked its preferred route for the bullet train, with a stop just south of Gilroy’s downtown that could act as a catalyst for business growth and a hub for commuters.
The staff will recommend to the authority board that the train use the existing Caltrain corridor from Morgan Hill through Gilroy.
This alternative would electrify the tracks currently used by Caltrain and run the High-Speed Rail through the existing Union Pacific Railroad corridor, which would create a High-Speed Rail stop in Gilroy, with a potential economic boom.
The plans call for no stop in Morgan Hill, but Boris Lipkin, Northern California regional director for the authority, said the newly electrified Caltrain tracks will benefit Morgan Hill. Electrifying the tracks will allow for more lower-speed commuter trains connecting San Jose, Morgan Hill and Gilroy, Lipkin said.
Gilroyn Mayor Roland Velasco said the blended tracks were the best option for Gilroy. “I think it could be a good thing, said Velasco. “I think this is probably the best solution considering the alternatives that were considered.”
Other options for the High-Speed Rail included viaducts that would run alongside US 101, bypassing both Morgan Hill and Gilroy’s downtown areas, or creating a completely new track between Monterey Street and the Union Pacific Railroad tracks.
The announcement of the recommendation July 2 does not guarantee this will be the final route for the High-Speed Rail through San Jose south to Gilroy. The authority will host several town hall meetings over the summer to hear from the community. The board will vote on the alternative Sept. 17.
The Northern Californian portion of the route has never been fully funded. The authority recently ran into more funding trouble after the Federal Rail Administration sent a notice of funding withdrawal, which would cause the high-speed project to lose nearly a billion dollars.
Morgan Hill
The Morgan Hill portion of the route, as recommended by authority staff, would pass through the existing tracks on Depot Street adjacent to Morgan Hill’s downtown.
Lipkin said this route would add two tracks to the existing rail lines. He said that in most places the plans fit within the existing space, but other portions of the route would need to be expanded out to accommodate.
There would be platforms on each side of the tracks and gates on either side. In Morgan Hill, the areas surrounding the train tracks are densely populated; Lipkin said the new rail would avoid a new train-themed city park that is right next to the track on Depot Street.
When the train passes through, two barricades would come down to ensure traffic cannot pass.
Despite coming through Morgan Hill’s downtown, Lipkin said, “Alternative 4 has the least impact when it comes to displacement.”
Gilroy
The recommended route for the High-Speed Rail in Gilroy will create a rail hub in the city just outside of downtown.
Other alternative routes for Gilroy would have created a stop near the Gilroy outlets. A stop has always been planned for Gilroy.
“The maximum train speed would be 110 mph where operations would be blended between San Jose and Gilroy,” said the authority information sheet. “South and east of Gilroy, speeds would increase up to 220 mph in the dedicated High-Speed Rail portion of the alignment.”
The Gilroy hub is considered to be a major economic opportunity for the city.
Pacheco Pass
The portion of the High-Speed Rail that will pass through Pacheco Pass will include embankments, viaducts and a tunnel.
There will be a 1.5-mile tunnel near Casa De Fruta and a 13.5-mile tunnel through Pacheco Pass.
“There would be a long tunnel around the northern arm of the San Luis Reservoir and viaducts over the California Aqueduct, Delta-Mendota Canal, and I-5,” said the High-Speed Rail information packet.
Tunneling through Pacheco is a major funding obstacle for the authority on a project that has never been fully funded and is currently under threat of losing all federal funding.
Lipkin said the authority is just working toward getting plans in place and will deal with funding challenges once construction is imminent. “There’s a number of years of work in front of us before we’re ready to issue the big construction contracts,” said Lipkin.
After the authority board approves an alternative, Lipkin said it will take about two years to obtain environmental clearances and advance the designs.
Community meetings will be held this summer to collect feedback on the recommended route:
Aug. 8 in Gilroy; Aug. 21 in Los Banos; Aug. 15 in San Jose; and a Sept. 17 board meeting in San Jose.
According to the authority feedback can also be given by email at sa*************@hs*.gov,
by phone at 800-455-8166, or by mail to Northern California Regional Office California High-Speed Rail Authority, 100 Paseo De San Antonio, Suite 300 San Jose, CA 95113.
Fix 25 @101, fix 152 gilroy to los Banos, nobody likes public transportation
If funding for high speed train is still in the works we should have Caltrain go to Salinas, Hollister and Los Baños. The traffic is just
awful every day of the week. Feel sorry for all the commuters.
Why don’t you report the bankrupt operating ratio of VTA which is 10% Or the farebox recovery rate of COG, which dropped below the legal limit at only 9.9% What do we do if the transit agencies operate illegally low? Nothing. We just demand higher gas & diesel taxes. We punish self-sufficient motorists to subsidize bankrupt transit boondoggles, which are run by appointed “directors,” and thus govern without the consent of the governed. Bullet Train is just a Supersized Boondoggle that we rob from motorists to reward the fraud, waste and abuse we witness, but you never report. When will we get truth in transportation in your reports? Joe Thompson, Tr******@Pa*****.Net 408-848-5506 PS why didn’t you publish my comment about your Bullet Train Article? jpt