Washington, DC – The U.S. Senate today approved a Fiscal Year 2010 transportation bill that contains funding sought by U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), including $50 million for a national program to help implement safety measures, such as Positive Train Control anti-collision technology, for commuter railroads. The bill also contains $105 million for projects in California.

Positive train control systems monitor train locations and speeds, and automatically bring trains on a collision course to a stop if engineers do not comply with signals to slow or stop. In the past 10 years, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has investigated 52 rail accidents in which Positive Train Control would likely have prevented the accident. Rail safety experts say last year’s Los Angeles Metrolink accident, which claimed 25 lives, could have been prevented with this technology.

“This legislation will go a long way toward making America’s commuter railroads safer,” Senator Feinstein said. “Positive Train Control technology can save lives and this legislation should help reduce the odds of another preventable tragedy like the Metrolink crash."

“This legislation addresses a fact that requires urgent action: That we have thousands of miles of rail in this country shared by freight and passenger trains, headed in opposite directions, with nothing more than engineers and signal lights to prevent collisions. I want to commend my Senate colleagues, and I urge President Obama to sign this bill into law.”

The rail-safety funding is in the Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies FY 2010 Appropriations Bill. The bill includes a total of $105 million for California projects requested by Senator Feinstein, which are detailed below:

Rail Improvements

Program Title: Railroad Safety Technology Grants
Recipient:  Federal Rail Administration
Location:  Washington, D.C.
Amount in bill:  $50 million

This important program was authorized at $50 million in the Railroad Safety Enhancement Act of 2008 (P.L. 110-432, Section 105), to help commuter rail systems implement safety improvements such as Positive Train Control systems.  This is a valuable use of taxpayer funds because it is critical that improved measures be put in place to mitigate rail safety hazards wherever and whenever possible.

Project Title: Alameda Corridor East Grade Separations, CA
Recipient:  Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG)
Location:  818 West Seventh Street, 12th Floor, Los Angeles, CA 90017
Amount in bill: $2 million

This project includes safety improvements along 131 rail-highway grade crossings along a 282-mile freight/passenger trade corridor serving 31 cities and two million residents. The Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach are the point of entry for forty percent of the nation’s containerized cargo imports, much of which is transported via the Alameda Corridor East – 282 miles of freight track in Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside and San Bernardino counties. This project is a valuable use of taxpayer funds because these improvements will increase mobility, enhance safety and encourage economic vitality in connection with the movement of goods from the ports to the rest of the country.

Project Title: Metrolink - Positive Train Control, CA
Recipient:  Southern California Regional Rail Authority – Metrolink
Location:  700 South Flower Street Suite 2600, Los Angeles, CA, 90017
Amount in bill:  $500,000

This funding will go toward implementing Positive Train Control (PTC) along the Metrolink system, which operates seven routes providing 149 weekday commuter trains over 388 route miles through six counties in Southern California, carrying nearly one million passengers each month. PTC is a predictive collision avoidance technology designed to prevent train-to-train collisions, speeding and over-speed derailments, incursions into track work zones, and movement of a train through a switch left in the wrong position. This is a valuable use of taxpayer funds because it will drastically improve safety on rail systems in which passenger and freight trains travelling in opposite directions share a single track with only a signal light to prevent devastating collisions.

Project Title: Caltrain - Positive Train Control, CA
Recipient:  Peninsula Corridor Joint Powers Board
Location:  1250 San Carlos Avenue, San Carlos, CA  94070
Amount in bill:  $500,000

This funding will allow Caltrain to proceed with preliminary demonstration and deployment of a Positive Train Control system (PTC) – a critical railroad traffic signal and control system to provide a higher margin of safety. PTC is a predictive collision avoidance technology designed to prevent train-to-train collisions, speeding and over-speed derailments, incursions into track work zones, and movement of a train through a switch left in the wrong position. This is a valuable use of taxpayer funds because it will provide improved safety for the 39,000 passengers per day who ride Caltrain, and promote increased use of public transit, which will, in turn, lower carbon emissions and improve air quality.

Surface Road and Highway Projects

Project Title: South Access to the Golden Gate Bridge, Doyle Drive, City and County of San Francisco, CA
Recipient:  San Francisco County Transportation Authority
Location:  100 Van Ness Avenue, 26th Floor, San Francisco, CA 94102
Amount in bill:  $2.75 million

Doyle Drive, the south access to the Golden Gate Bridge, is more than seventy years old and has been rated by the Department of Transportation as the fifth worst bridge in the nation and the worst in California. The requested funding will be used to replace this aging facility with a new parkway connecting San Francisco, the Golden Gate Bridge and the Presidio. Doyle Drive is a designated Post Disaster Recovery Route, providing the only road linkage between San Francisco and northern California counties. This is a valuable use of taxpayer funds as it is imperative that Doyle Drive be fully functional for daily use and in case of emergencies, in order to retain a vital lifeline that is critical for national security and emergency services in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Project Title: Autumn Street Parkway, San Jose, CA
Recipient:  City of San Jose
Location:  200 East Santa Clara Street, 18th Floor, San Jose, CA   95113-1905
Amount in bill:  $1 million

This funding will support construction of the Autumn Street Parkway in San Jose, which will parallel Guadalupe Parkway, providing improved access to downtown, the HP Pavilion and the Caltrain Diridion train station. This is a valuable use of taxpayer funds because it will improve downtown access from San Jose Mineta Airport, the new I-880 / Coleman Avenue Interchange, and the interchange at Route 87 and Taylor Street. The plan also calls for bicycle and pedestrian access, which will connect the Guadalupe River Park trails to downtown.  The road is a critical element in downtown San Jose redevelopment and is a required transportation mitigation for the master-planned expansion of residential and commercial expansion in the core area over the next ten years.

Project Title: Golden Gate Bridge Seismic Retrofit Construction, CA
Recipient:  Golden Gate Bridge, Highway and Transportation District
Location:  Golden Gate Bridge Toll Plaza, P.O. Box 9000, Presidio Station, San Francisco, California 94129
Amount in bill:  $2 million

A seismic retrofit of the Golden Gate Bridge has been underway since 2001 to improve the bridge’s ability to withstand a 7.0 magnitude earthquake or higher.  This funding is being requested for the final phase of construction – retrofitting the 4,200 foot-long main span and the two 746 foot-tall towers, and the south tower pier.  On average, 100,000 drivers cross this bridge every day. The bridge could sustain major damage if an earthquake occurred on the nearby San Andreas or Hayward faults. This is a valuable use of taxpayer funds because the U.S. Geological Survey has estimated a 62 percent probability of a magnitude 6.7 or greater earthquake striking the San Francisco Bay Area in the next 30 years, and the retrofit project will protect the safety of drivers and this important American landmark.

Bus Rapid Transit

Project Title: AC Transit BRT Corridor, CA
Recipient:  Alameda - Contra Costa Transit (AC Transit)
Location:  1600 Franklin Street, Oakland, CA 94612
Amount in bill:  $2 million

Alameda – Contra Costa County Transit (AC Transit) is requesting funding to improve their Bus Rapid Transit service, by providing bus priority at traffic signals, utility relocation, sidewalk widening, and streetscape and bus shelter improvements to enhance pedestrian safety. In addition, the request will go toward implementing electronic real-time bus arrival information at bus shelters and technology to improve accessibility for persons with disabilities. More than 30,000 riders use this corridor daily. This project will benefit taxpayers by increasing access to public transit, and enhancing the effectiveness of this mass transit corridor for the region’s commuters.

Project Title: Wilshire Boulevard Bus-Only Lane, CA
Recipient:  Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority
Location:  One Gateway Plaza, Los Angeles, CA 90012
Amount in bill:  $13.5 million

This project will implement dedicated bus lanes along portions of a 12.5 mile section of Wilshire Boulevard between downtown Los Angeles and Santa Monica. The bus-only lanes will be used exclusively by Bus Rapid Transit service during rush hour, and are expected to reduce travel time by 25 percent compared to current service. Wilshire Boulevard is one of the most important transit corridors in LA County, with approximately 93,000 bus boardings taking place each weekday. This project will benefit taxpayers because it will enhance the effectiveness of Los Angeles’s public transit, and promote ridership which will also cut down on greenhouse gas emissions and benefit the environment and public health. This project was requested in the President’s Budget.

Project Title: San Joaquin County Metro Express-Airport Way BRT Corridor, CA
Recipient:  San Joaquin Regional Transit District
Location:  421 East Weber Avenue, Stockton, California  95202
Amount in bill:  $2.8 million

Funding will expand existing Bus Rapid Transit services from downtown Stockton to the Stockton Airport. This new bus route will traverse approximately 7.2 miles along the Airport Way Corridor, and will provide access to a concentration of places of employment, educational institutions, health clinics, governmental agencies, utility offices, the San Joaquin County Superior Court and Public Library, the proposed Stockton Amtrak Station, the Altamont Commuter Express Station., and the airport. This is a valuable use of taxpayer funds because it will enable residents to use public transit to access the airport, as well as provide greater access to places of employment, education, and city services. This project was requested in the President’s Budget.

Project Title: Monterey Bay Bus Rapid Transit, CA
Recipient:  Monterey Salinas Transit
Location:  Salinas Transit Center, 110 Salinas St., Salinas, CA 93901
Amount in bill:  $2.8 million

Monterey Salinas Transit (MST) is planning the Monterey Bay Rapid Transit system, a 6.7-mile Bus Rapid Transit line from the Edgewater Transit Exchange in Salinas, though Monterey and the Transit Plaza, to Cannery Row and the Monterey Bay Aquarium. Twenty-one new stations will be constructed and 15 buses from the existing fleet will operate on the alignment. When completed, the project will provide a continuous Bus Rapid Transit system connecting the heavily transit-dependent communities of Seaside to the employment and tourist activity centers in Monterey. This project is a valuable use of taxpayer funds because it will enhance and expand public transportation for the region’s heavily transit-dependent communities, promoting mass transit use, reducing congestion, and improving air quality. This project was requested in the President’s Budget.

Project Title: Los Angeles Metro Rapid Bus Transit System, CA
Recipient:  Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority
Location:  One Gateway Plaza, Los Angeles, CA 90012
Amount in bill:  $23,236

The requested funding will fulfill the federal cost share for adding eight bus routes to the Los Angeles County Bus Rapid Transit system. Metro Rapid buses are equipped with sensors that extend green lights or shorten red lights to help buses get through intersections. The project will benefit taxpayers by increasing access to public transit for LA residents, decreasing congestion in and around the City, and improving air quality by reducing emissions. This project was requested in the President’s Budget.

Project Title: Livermore-Amador BRT, CA
Recipient:  Livermore Amador Valley Transit Authority
Location:  1362 Rutan Court, Suite 100, Livermore, CA 94551
Amount in bill:  $79,900

This project will reduce congestion along the I-580 corridor by providing Bus Rapid Transit service between the Dublin BART station and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, via downtown Livermore. This is a valuable use of taxpayer funds because it will reduce vehicle traffic on I-580, facilitate regional mobility by taking nearly 600,000 commuters off the road annually, and improve the movement of goods between the Ports of Oakland and Stockton. Funding will assist in purchasing 14 electric-hybrid buses, constructing 34 new bus stations and installing traffic signal upgrades along the 12 mile route. This project was requested in the President’s Budget.

Project Title: San Bernardino E Street Corridor sbX Bus Rapid Transit, CA
Recipient:  City of San Bernardino
Location:  300 No. “D” Street, San Bernardino, CA 92418
Amount in bill:  $20 million

Omnitrans and the City of San Bernardino are proposing to construct a 16.5-mile Bus Rapid Transit project along E Street in San Bernardino. The project will provide a dedicated bus travel lane through the majority of the corridor from north of California State University, San Bernardino, to downtown San Bernardino, the City of Loma Linda, and through the Loma Linda University Medical Center to the VA Hospital. The project includes seventeen new stations, street improvements to accommodate exclusive bus operations, and 14 new buses. The project is a valuable use of taxpayer funds because it will enhance and expand public transportation for this transit-dependent community, promoting mass transit use, reducing congestion, and improving air quality. This project was requested in the President’s Budget.

Air Transportation

Project Title: Palm Springs International Airport Air Traffic Control Tower, CA
Recipient:  City of Palm Springs
Location:  3400 East Tahquitz Canyon Way, Palm Springs, CA 92262
Amount in bill:  $2,000,000

This funding will support construction of a new $21 million Air Traffic Control Tower at Palm Springs International Airport, to meet current FAA standards and the current and future airport traffic control needs of the airport. The existing control tower is inadequate for airport traffic control needs due to the insufficient height of the tower cab, which places some of the operational airport surfaces at or below eye level for controllers. This project is a valuable use of taxpayer funds because it will improve airport effectiveness and safety, and allow for greater commercial growth in the region.

Mass Transit Construction

Project Title: South Sacramento Light Rail Extension, CA
Recipient:  Sacramento Regional Transit District
Location:  1400 29th Street, Sacramento, CA 95812-2110
Amount in bill:  $40 million

This project will extend light rail service 4.2 miles, linking the rapidly developing South Sacramento Corridor with downtown Sacramento, and extending light rail service to Cosumnes River College. The project will add four new light rail stations with 2,700 park-and-ride spaces and a major transit center. On top of the benefits of extending public transit alternatives to more residents, this is a valuable use of taxpayer funds because it will help the region meet its air quality goals, and facilitate economic development opportunities along the alignment. This project was requested in the President’s Budget.

Project Title: Metro Gold Line Eastside Extension, Los Angeles, CA
Recipient:  Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority
Location:  One Gateway Plaza, Los Angeles, CA 90012
Amount in bill:  $9.5 million

The Metro Gold Line Eastside Light Rail Extension is a six-mile light rail project that connects Union Station in downtown Los Angeles through Little Tokyo, the Arts District, Boyle Heights and terminating in East LA. This project benefits taxpayers because it will provide low-cost mass transit access to downtown LA for low-income residents, and provide a transportation alternative for commuters from the highest density residential area in LA. This funding will be used for construction of eight new stations along the Metro Gold Line Eastside Light Rail Extension, which is scheduled to begin revenue operation by mid-2009, and is expected to carry an average of 23,000 passengers per day. This project was requested in the President’s Budget.

Project Title: San Francisco Muni Third St. Light Rail - Central Subway Project, CA
Recipient:  San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency
Location:  1 South Van Ness, 7th Floor, San Francisco, CA 94103
Amount in bill:  $2 million

This funding is for continued preliminary engineering and design work for a 1.7-mile subway extending the light rail line in San Francisco.  The project is being constructed in two phases—Phase 1, a surface light rail line with 18 stops, began service in April 2007. Phase 2 will extend this light rail line through San Francisco’s booming South of Market area and the downtown-Union Square shopping district into the heart of the city’s Chinatown. Once complete, the line is projected to carry more than 78,000 riders per day. This is a valuable use of taxpayer funds because it will improve the City’s public transit service and reliability.

Project Title: Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit (SMART) Preliminary Engineering, CA
Recipient:  Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit
Location:  750 Lindaro Street, Suite 200, San Rafael, CA  94901
Amount in bill:  $1 million

This funding will continue preliminary engineering and preparation of the environmental analysis for the proposed Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit (SMART) project, a 70-mile passenger rail service corridor, from Cloverdale in Sonoma County to Larkspur in Marin County, which will provide alternative modes of transportation along the Highway 101 corridor. The proposed project will include 14 rail stations, a rail maintenance facility, shuttle service at selected rail stations, and bicycle/pedestrian pathway facilities generally paralleling the rail line and connecting the rail stations. This is a valuable use of taxpayer funds because it will expand public transportation options to the residents of Sonoma and Marin Counties, reducing congestion on U.S. Highway 101, and reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

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