The Monterey County Rail Extension Project extends passenger rail service from Santa Clara County south to Salinas. TAMC is pursuing a phased implementation of the Project. Phase 1, known as the Kick Start Project, includes Salinas train station circulation improvements, a train layover facility in Salinas, and track improvements at the Gilroy station and between Salinas and Gilroy. The Kick Start Project is fully funded with $81 million in state funding, and is proceeding with construction of Package 1, improvements at the Salinas train station. The layover facility and track improvements are ready for final design, pending comments from Union Pacific Railroad.
Package 1: Salinas Station Improvements
TAMC held the Package 1 construction bid opening on March 19 and awarded the $7.5 million contract to Monterey Peninsula Engineering (MPE) on April 24. HDR Engineering and BKF Engineers, TAMC's design team, are working with the City of Salinas permit department to respond to their comments on the designs to secure city permits for the work. TAMC has obtained a Caltrans encroachment permit, and MPE is required to obtain a "double" permit for the work within state rights of way. MNS Engineers are the Construction Management team for this project.
Related work being done on the site in advance of TAMC's construction project includes the relocation of PG&E gas and electric lines and the City of Salinas relocation of their sanitary sewer and storm drain lines from the current Station Place, which will become part of the parking lot in the built condition.
The anticipated schedule for the utility relocation work, based on a meeting held on April 11, is as follows:
- Starting April 25 through early May, PG&E will be doing work on the gas main in the sidewalk on the north side of West Market Street, between Station Place and Palmetto Avenue. No street or sidewalk detours are anticipated with this work.
- The City of Salinas project to relocate the sanitary sewer to Railroad Avenue and the storm drain to the future Lincoln Avenue Extension alignment is expected to start late May or early June and be completed by early August, approximately two weeks delayed from the schedule presented in the City's letter received March 22 (attachment 1).
- After the City’s storm drain project is complete, PG&E will install a joint trench with CableCom in the Lincoln Avenue extension alignment and Railroad Avenue. That project has an estimated duration of 8 weeks.
- PG&E is also anticipating electrical work on site for the light posts and electric vehicle charging stations. TAMC staff has requested an updated schedule for that work.
Once the utility relocation projects are complete, MPE will relocate CalWater lines and stage the construction of the Lincoln Avenue extension, which includes signal modifications, and the surrounding parking and landscaping improvements, anticipating completion of all work by the fall of 2020.
Package 2 & 3: Layover Facility & Track Improvements
Recent work preparing for the acquisition of parcels for Package 2, the Salinas layover facility, include the completion of a Phase II Environmental Site Assessment and plats and legal descriptions of the partial acquisitions. Now that those are complete, ARWS can initiate the appraisal process.
Meanwhile, there are a few projects that affect Package 3, Gilroy station improvements and track improvements between Salinas and Gilroy:
- Caltrans is the lead on the project to install Positive Train Control technology on the corridor from Gilroy to San Luis Obispo.
- The Association of Monterey Bay Area Governments (AMBAG) is the lead on a project to evaluate climate change and sea level rise impacts to the rail corridor through the Elkhorn Slough.
- The California High Speed Rail Authority is preparing a "preferred alternative" for their corridor between San Jose and Merced to come out in September.
Agency staff continues to stay involved in all three projects as it relates to Package 3.
The contract with HDR Engineering was amended on April 24 to delete final design for Packages 2 and 3, which HDR brought to 75% design and then put on hold, pending comments from Caltrain and Union Pacific Railroad. We separated this work from the original contract to comply with Caltrans procurement requirements. Staff will prepare a Request for Proposals for final design of Packages 2 and 3 after meeting with the State and Union Pacific to determine the best timing for that work to begin. TAMC needs to get comments from Union Pacific on the 75% plans and move forward with negotiations for track rights and encroachment or acquisition of Union Pacific right of way in Salinas.
Operations Scenarios
On April 5, Caltrain's Chief Operating Officer for Rail, Michelle Bouchard, sent a letter to Adrian Guerrero at Union Pacific Railroad (attachment 2) stating Caltrain's support for the Rail Extension to Monterey County project and to note that Caltrain is in the process of determining how Caltrain may serve as the operator. TAMC staff will follow up on this letter with discussions with State Transportation Agency and Union Pacific staff.
TAMC staff attended the Silicon Valley Regional Rail Working Group meeting on May 3. Staff will provide a verbal update on all activities at the meeting.